Honourary degree for Pegg

Actor and comedian Simon Pegg will be awarded with an honorary fellowship, the University of Gloucestershire has announced.

The star of hit films such as 'Shaun Of The Dead', 'Hot Fuzz' and 'How To Lose Friends And Alienate People' will receive the accolade from the university for his "significant contribution to the arts".

Pegg, who hails from the county, will attend a graduation ceremony at The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse on December 4 to receive the award.

He said: "I'm honoured to be receiving this fellowship, not least because it comes from an area very special to my heart.

"No matter where I go, Gloucester will always be my home and I can't wait to come back for this special visit"

The 38-year-old was born in Gloucester and went to school in nearby Brockworth before studying drama at the University of Bristol.

Pegg moved to London in the early 1990s and performed regularly on the stand-up comedy circuit, before heading into television and later film.

He was recently confirmed as engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in a new film adaptation of Star Trek due to be released on May 8, 2009.

A statement from the University of Gloucestershire's honorary award committee said: "Simon is an extremely successful individual who was born and raised in the local area.

"He continues to support local secondary schools in developing enterprise skills and was chosen in recognition of his significant contribution to the arts."