Award winning Scottish writer and presenter Billy Kay, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate at University of the West of Scotland’s (UWS) graduation ceremony on 1 July 2009.

Billy joined graduates from UWS Ayr Campus, and friends and a family in a spectacular event at Troon Concert Hall.

Billy Commented: “I was delighted to hear that my work in promoting Scottish culture has been recognised by the University.

“As an Ayrshireman born and bred it gave me great pride to receive such recognition in my hame county – my love for my native culture stems from the people I came from in that part of the world – so it was a great day for the Kay family and friends of the family in Ayrshire.

“My thanks to all at the University for making it such a memorable day. It was also gratifying to feel the response of the Ayrshire audience when I gave my speech “o aw the airts the wind can blaw, I dearly like the west.”

A former pupil of Kilmarnock Academy, Billy was born in Galston in Ayrshire in 1951, going on to study at Edinburgh University and joining the BBC as a researcher in 1979. As a producer, he created the acclaimed Odyssey series of documentaries recording the oral history of the Scottish working class. Later, as a freelance writer and broadcaster, he continued this theme in a number of television documentaries for BBC Scotland. These included the story of Scottish colliers – Miners, and The Mother Tongue.

He has written two plays for radio and one for the stage, They Fairly Mak Ye Work, which broke box office records at Dundee Rep in its two runs at the theatre in 1986. He has had poetry and short stories published in several Scottish anthologies.

In 1994 the UK Wine Guild awarded the Best Radio or TV programme prize to Kay’s feature Fresche Fragrant Clairettis. In 1999 he made a television series on Scots for Channel 4 Schools – Haud Yer Tongue, and in 2003, he represented Scotland at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC.

Recently, Billy has presented and produced an average of ten new features per year on Radio Scotland. In 2006, Mainstream Publishing issued a brand new edition of his classic, Scots: The Mither Tongue.

Professor Seamus McDaid, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland said: “We are delighted to award Billy Kay with an Honorary Doctorate. He has made a significant contribution to Scottish culture and is a fitting recipient of this honour.”