Zandra Rhodes honoured in town where she studied

Dame Zandra Rhodes received an honorary doctorate at Rochester Cathedral

Fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes has been honoured in the town where she learnt her trade.

She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Canterbury Christ Church University at Rochester Cathedral on Wednesday.

The celebrated designer attended Medway College of Arts in the town in the late 1950s.

She said she was "terribly proud to come from Medway" and it was "terribly important to show the value" of the place.

The designer, who was born in Chatham in 1940, has won numerous awards for her contribution to the fashion industry over the last 50 years.

She was made a dame in 2015.

The 83-year-old said: “When I arrived here at Rochester Cathedral and saw the students, I remembered drawing it in all weathers and also the Guildhall clock in the late 50s.

“I think Medway has had a raw deal with things that have happened to it since the closure of the naval part of it.

"It’s sad as there is so much to it, including this incredible cathedral.”