THE oldest person to be made a Freeman of the City of York was among eight members of the same family to receive the honour at the Mansion House.

In a private ceremony yesterday, the new Lord Mayor of York, Coun Keith Hyman presented 98-year-old Kathleen Atkinson, along with relatives who had travelled from as far as South Africa, with the certificates granting them freedom of the city.

Mrs Atkinson’s son, Peter, who made the trip from Johannesburg, said he and his relatives were eligible for the honour thanks to his grandfather, George Woollon, who was made a Freeman in 1902.

Mr Atkinson said: “He was an iron-monger and he opened a shop in Fossgate, which traded under the name Woollons & Harwood. He also had a shop in Bootham and there are still Woollons in Helmsley and Thirsk.

“I have come all the way from Johannesburg so we are making a holiday out of this.

“We are going back to my cousin’s this afternoon, who lives in York, for a family party. I haven’t seen some of them for a long time.”

Mrs Atkinson, who has since moved to Sheffield, said: “This is big honour for me today. I never thought I should be in the Mansion House.

“I remember working in my father’s shop at the top of Fossgate a long long time ago.”

The youngest member of the family to become a Freeman was 23-year-old Mary-Jane Armistead, a former York resident who now lives in Southampton.

She said: “I really love York. It’s nice that my grandparents were traders in the city – it’s good to remember that.”