Time to honour Wolverhampton's Famous Sons & Daughters

These sports stars are some of Wolverhampton's most well-known children who, after helping put the city on the map, are being recognised at next year's Wolverhampton's Famous Sons & Daughters event.

Suzi Perry, Baroness Rachael Heyhoe-Flint and Andy Tennant are all set to be honoured as they join cricketer Vikram Solanki and former Bank of England Chief Mervyn King on the list of winners for the awards on February 25 next year.

Ms Perry, from Cosford, who presented Moto GP for 13 years on the BBC and currently hosts the channel's Formula One coverage, said she is 'really proud' of her roots.

She said of her nomination: "This is hugely flattering. I'm really proud of my roots and where I'm from so to be honoured at Wolverhampton's Famous Sons & Daughters event is really special.

"It's a great way to celebrate all the achievements of Wolverhampton and I'm thrilled to fly the flag for my hometown."

There are set to be two more recipients of awards next year, and the Express & Star will reveal their names next month.

Past Sons and Daughter awardees include Liam Payne, Denise Lewis and Hugh Porter, the latter of which will be interviewing next year's winners on stage after they have been presented with their award.

Taking place at Molineux, the 2016 awards evening will be compared by Richard Dodd, the programming manager at Signal Radio.

He said: "I'm proud to be Wolverhampton born and bred so to host this event that celebrates fellow citizens from our city is an honour. It is not often we get the chance to shout about the positive side of our city and we all know that Wolverhampton has a great deal to be proud of.

"Famous Sons and Daughters is one of the key events that does exactly that. I would urge anyone who shares the same pride in our city to buy a ticket, support the event and share in what we believe makes Wolverhampton a fantastic place."

The awards have been organised by Wolverhampton University, the council, Partners in Progress and the Express & Star.

Diane Davies, the deputy editor of the Express & Star, said: "The Express & Star is delighted to be involved with the Famous Sons and Daughters awards which recognise and reward some of the true ambassadors for Wolverhampton and the Black Country.

"There are so many talented and distinguished people from Wolverhampton who carry a torch for their home city.

"Wolverhampton is rightly proud of its famous sons and daughters whether they be sports stars like Rachael and Andy, TV celebrities such as Suzi, pop superstars such as Liam Payne last year or even the former governor of the Bank of England Lord Mervyn King.

"We are delighted to be able to recognise and shout about these local heroes who have helped put Wolverhampton on the map."

Businesses from around the city are being urged to buy places at the evening which includes a drinks reception, dinner and the awards ceremony.

A table for 10 people costs £600 or in individual ticket £60.

Those interested in booking places can call Chris Bywater or Isobel Bennett at First City on 01902 710999 or email chris@firstcity.co.uk