A councillor from Great Yarmouth has been recognised by a university for his commitment to community learning and training.
Mike Smith-Clare, a borough councillor and Labour lead for children and young people at Norfolk County Council, has received an honorary doctorate in Civil Law from the University of East Anglia (UEA) for his work in community learning and training.
Mr Smith-Clare said: "This is an incredible honour and one which I’m overjoyed to have received. I can't wait to keep developing links with the UEA to help my community learn.
"I have always tried to establish a 'learning without walls' approach to support people overcoming barriers to achieve their full potential."
He has been involved in several projects across the borough to help people develop skills in re-entering the job market.
As one of the directors of The Bread Kitchen, Mr Smith-Clare helped transform four acres of wasteland into a "green haven", where paid staff and volunteers grow vegetables, tend animals and develop further training for employment opportunities at a community allotment.
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