Sandy Ryan has been awarded Freedom of the City of Derby for her outstanding achievements in the world of Boxing.
At an extraordinary General Meeting, Councillors voted unanimously for Sandy Ryan to receive the honour.
Sandy was born in Derby and made her senior championship debut in 2014 where she won a World Championship silver medal. She became the World Boxing Association (WBO) Women’s Weightlifter Champion in April 2023 and prior to this, she won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Sandy Ryan is the first woman to be awarded the Freedom of the City, which is the highest honour that Derby City Council can give to someone unelected at the council. The award is given to a person of distinction or a person who has served the city to a notable degree.
Councillor Alan Graves, Mayor of the City of Derby, said,
The Freedom of the City is the highest honour that we can give someone. We believe that Sandy Ryan represents some of the very best that Derby City has to offer and has truly earned the award. She has reached fantastic feats and is a worthy role model for many young people in Derby. We congratulate her and look forward to seeing what she does next.”
At the ceremony on Monday 25 March 2024, Sandy was presented with the honour by Councillor Alan Graves, Mayor of the City of Derby, Councillor Baggy Shanker, Leader of Derby City Council, and Councillor Ajit Atwal. She now joins others who have received the award such as Brian Clough, Derby County Manager, Olympic Gold medalist, Adam Peaty and Reg Harrison, FA cup-winning Rams footballer.