Michael Ball and Kate Adie among 2013 Plymouth University Graduation Week honorees

Musical star Michael Ball, multiple award-winning artists Gilbert and George, and former Secretary of State for Education Lord Kenneth Baker are to be recognised for their achievements with Honorary Doctorates from Plymouth University this year.

Britain’s most celebrated designer Sir Kenneth Grange, journalists Kate Adie and Adam Boulton, Dartmoor Zoo owner and best-selling author Benjamin Mee, acclaimed choreographer Wayne McGregor, and former Dragon Doug Richard are also set to be honoured.

They will join a cohort of thousands graduating on Plymouth Hoe this month – the sixth year that the event has been held in marquees overlooking the Sound.

Michael Ball will be presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Arts on Friday 20 September, bringing him back to the city where he grew up and where he first became involved in youth theatre

The globally-renowned modern artists Gilbert and George will receive their Honorary Doctorate of Arts on Monday 16 September. It too will mark the ‘home-coming’ of Plymouth-born George, whose work with Italian Gilbert has won a host of awards including The Turner Prize and the South Bank Award.

Professor Wendy Purcell, Vice-Chancellor, said: “Graduation Week is one of the highlights of Plymouth University’s calendar, bringing over 20,000 visitors to our city to celebrate the achievements of our students as graduates.

“And we’re delighted and honoured to be able to confer honorary doctorates upon a truly inspirational and influential group of leading international figures of high repute, who reflect the University’s wide-ranging interests and mission, from marine science to media, cutting-edge technology to contemporary art and design – with the spirit of enterprise throughout.”

Kate Adie will be recognised for her pioneering work in journalism, and in particular for the way she broke down gender barriers, with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters on Wednesday 18 September. Her contemporary Adam Boulton, Political Editor of Sky News, will also be honoured with an Honorary Doctorate of Business on Tuesday 17 September.

Sir Kenneth Grange, whose iconic designs for the Inter-city 125 train, the Wilkinson Sword razor, and scores of domestic appliances from the likes of Morphy Richards, will receive his Honorary Doctorate of Arts on the Friday. Lord Kenneth Baker, former Cabinet member and renowned education reformer, will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Education on Thursday 19 September.

Multi-award-winning British choreographer Wayne McGregor, renowned for his physically-testing choreography and ground-breaking collaborations across dance, film, music, visual art, technology and science, will receive his Honorary Doctorate of Science on Friday 20th September, while entrepreneur and former Dragon Doug Richard, and John Bird, the founder of The Big Issue magazine, will both receive Honorary Doctorates of Business on Tuesday and Thursday respectively.

Around 20,000 people are expected to travel to the city during the week, bringing more than half a million pounds into the local economy. As in previous years, the spectacular graduation marquees will host a series of events prior to Graduation Week. They include the business-focused 'Big GAIN Dialogue' on 10 September, the SciTech Showcase on the 10th and 11th, and the gala Vice-Chancellor’s Enterprise Awards on Thursday 12 September.

Professor Purcell added: “Plymouth Hoe, with all its historic grandeur and natural splendour, is a fitting venue for such an inspiring occasion, where our brightest talents set forth on their own adventures and journeys through life.”