University honour for explorer Fiennes

LEGENDARY Polar explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes is to be honoured by a top Scottish university, it was announced yesterday.

The adventurer will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Science for his achievements by Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

Sir Ranulph's expeditions include journeying around the world using only surface transport, to become one of the first people to visit both poles by land.

He went on to lead an expedition that discovered the lost city of Ubar in Oman in 1992.

Last year, at the age of 65, Sir Ranulph became the oldest man to climb Mount Everest.

Sir Ranulph will be presented with his degree at the university on 14 July.

Singer Barbara Dickson will also be honoured — she is being presented with an honorary music doctorate on 16 July in recognition of her status as the best-selling female Scottish artiste of all time.

Others on Robert Gordon's list include Dr Dame Claire Bertschinger, who brought the world's attention to the plight of Ethiopians in 1984.

The nurse will be awarded a Doctor of Education degree after a career working in war-torn and disaster areas of the world. She will be honoured on 13 July.

Leading Scottish businessman Alasdair Locke will also receive recognition for his achievements in the oil industry.

The former chairman of the Scottish oil services company Abbot Group was named Scotland's Overall and Master Entrepreneur Of The Year in 1999. He founded the company in 1992.