Former Oldham Council Leader and Greenfield resident Professor Richard Knowles has been awarded the Lauréat d'honneur by the International Geographical Union (IGU). He will receive the honour at a ceremony during the IGU conference in Turkey on August 21, becoming only the fourth British recipient of the award.

Professor Knowles, Emeritus Professor of Transport Geography at the University of Salford, said: "I am deeply honoured, humbled and delighted to be granted the Award of the Lauréat d'honneur."

The award, created in 1976 and presented 55 times, recognises individuals who have achieved exceptional distinction and rendered outstanding service to the IGU and the advancement of international geography.

He paid tribute to research colleagues at universities including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Oxford, Salford and others in Denmark, the USA, Canada, Switzerland, Norway and Hong Kong.

Professor Knowles has a long record of recognition in his field. He received the Edward L. Ullman Award in Transportation Geography from the American Association of Geographers in 2004, and the Alan Hay Award in Transport Geography from the Royal Geographical Society in 2010. He was also the founding editor of the Journal of Transport Geography from 1993 to 2012.

Locally, he lived in Greenfield with his wife Valerie for 40 years, moving in 2022 to Baildon in West Yorkshire to be nearer family. He served as a councillor for 36 years, was Oldham Council Leader in 2002, and also served as Mayor of Oldham, a school governor, and since retirement an Honorary Alderman.