Sue Seifert picked up the award on Ms Connolly’s behalf

IT is the highest honour that the Town Hall can bestow but Islington has shown it is not shy about giving out the “freedom of the borough”.

On Monday, four separate winners were given the ancient award at a ­special ceremony in the Town Hall.

In comparison, neighbouring Camden has only ever given out the honour a couple of times.

Sadly, one of the new recipients, Yvonne Connolly, died earlier this year aged 81. A pioneer in education, she had been the UK’s first black headteacher when she took charge of the old Ring Cross School in Holloway in 1968. She braved protests at the school gates and death threats, but stood tall against the racial prejudice.

Yvonne Connolly

Reflecting on her experiences, Ms Connolly, who had lived in Finsbury Park, told the Tribune last year: “I remember when one school inspector asked me whether they could touch my hair. And I remember people looking at me washing my hands, thinking the water would run brown.”

She added of the protesters: “They threatened to burn the school down and I was in all the papers. I had to have a minder going into the school on my first day. There were all sorts of nasty things that happened.”

Sue Seifert, the former headteacher at Montem Primary School, picked up the award on Ms Connolly’s behalf.

Jennette Arnold OBE

“Yvonne was a force to be reckoned with. She never lost her passion and total belief in the rights of children to an education,” Ms Seifert, who first met Ms Connolly in 1972, said in a tribute earlier this year. “Right to the end of her life, education was her passion.”

The “freedom” award is usually given to named individuals but Islington decided to also give the honour to the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust and the Whittington Health NHS Trust – in recognition of their response to the Covid crisis and the challenges faced in the last 18 months.

Islington mayor Cllr Troy Gallagher and council leader Kaya Comer-Schwartz with London Ambulance Service representatives

Siobhan Harrington, the chief executive of Whittington Health said: “Staff have worked unimaginably hard to care for the people and patients who needed us during the Covid-19 pandemic and we continue to do so to ensure that everyone who needs care can be treated as quickly and safely as possible. Being awarded Freedom of the Borough of Islington is a touching tribute that I know will mean a great deal to all of my colleagues.”

A fourth “freedom” honour was given to former nurse and London Assembly member Jennette Arnold, praised fondly by many councillors as a mentor, cousin and friend, with some affectionately referring to her as “our Aunty Jane”. She had already been given the “freedom of the City” in 2019.

Ms Arnold said: “Freedom of the borough is a great honour and I am delighted to have received it. Some of my early childhood was spent in Islington and much later I returned to live and work here.

The Whittington’s Siobhan Harrington

“A key part of my life has been in politics and I have represented the people of Islington in various roles over the last 27 years. It has felt like being part of a large family, which makes this award so much more special”.

Councillor Troy Gallagher, the Mayor of Islington, said: “The title of Honorary Freeperson is the highest honour the council can bestow. It is reserved for people and organisations who are exceptional in their service to the public. I can say with complete certainty that each of these four recipients is indeed exceptional.”

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who led the club to three Premier League titles including the “invincible season” in 2004, is among previous recipients. The Arsenal women’s team were later granted the same honour after a campaign by the Islington Tribune.