MORE than 3,000 students from the University of Chester will gather together to celebrate their academic achievements over four days of graduation.

They will be in the presence of eminent figures in their field, including one of the country’s most famous radio voices; an internationally renowned choreographer; leading figures from the legal profession; famous faces from TV and film and those who have made a huge contribution to the city and county.

Dedication to music and the law in Cheshire and beyond will be recognised with honorary degrees on Friday.

Chester and District Standard:

Matt Baker

Matt Baker will receive an honorary degree of Master of Music (MMus) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the arts, in particular the Chester Mystery Plays and as Artistic Director of Theatre in the Quarter.

Matt Baker is a composer, musical director and performer.

Matt has composed for theatre productions around the UK, including New Vic Theatre Stoke, Nuffield Theatre Southampton and Dukes Theatres Lancaster. He Baker was composer and Musical Director for the 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018 cycles of Chester Mystery Plays, and the hugely successful Chester City Passion in 2016 and 2017. Matt is Artistic Director for the city’s Theatre in the Quarter, a Chester-based professional theatre company which has created exciting theatre with music involving people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Its work has taken place in a range of settings, from palaces to railway stations, regional theatres to village halls.

Matt is musical director for the vivacious and successful all women’s choir, A Handbag of Harmonies, the new LGBT choir for Chester, Proud Marys, and Director of Music for the University of Chester Choir.

Matt’s work as musical director takes him to all corners of the world, including Australia, India, Malaysia and Germany. He is also widely sought to bring people from all backgrounds together in singing, whether it is hundreds of children in a park, or thousands of bank workers in a stadium.

He was awarded the Cheshire Community and Voluntary Arts award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in 2016.

For more about Matt’s work visit his website mattbakermusic.co.uk.

Matt said: “I have dedicated most years of my life engaging many different communities in developing the profile of arts in this city. Growing up here, I am proud to call Chester my one true home. I feel so honoured to have been awarded this Honorary Master’s Degree in Music by the University of Chester in recognition of the work I have carried out over the years. I would like to dedicate this award to the memory of my beautiful Mum who, together with my Dad who will see me receive this degree, have supported me in absolutely every venture I have carried out here in Chester.”

Later that morning, Lord Carlile of Berriew will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the legal profession and as a member of parliament.

Alex Carlile was born in Ruabon, Wrexham, North Wales in 1948. After education at Epsom College he graduated LLB AKC at King’s College London. Lord Carlile was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn (where he is now a Bencher) in 1970. He practised in common law cases, both civil and crime, initially from chambers in Chester. He became a QC in 1984, at the age of 36. Until 2009 he was the Honorary Recorder of the City of Hereford. He sat as a Recorder of the Crown Court, a Deputy High Court Judge, and Chairman of the Competition Appeal Tribunal. Between 2001-2011, he was the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation; the Independent Reviewer of the Government’s new PREVENT policy; and was until 2013 the independent reviewer of National Security policy in Northern Ireland.

From 1983-1997, he was the Liberal (then Liberal Democrat) MP for Montgomeryshire in Mid Wales. During that time, he served as spokesperson on a range of issues, including Home Affairs and the Law. He was Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats from 1992-7. He is now an independent Peer. He was appointed a Life Peer in 1999 and was awarded the CBE in 2012 for services to national security. He now sits on the cross-benches in the House of Lords.

Chester and District Standard:

Lord Carlile of Brerriew

Lord Carlile, until 2007, was Head of Chambers of one of the largest and most respected criminal and public law barrister sets in London, 9-12 Bell Yard. He remains a member of Chambers, specialising in the civil and criminal aspects of commercial fraud, the law of public policy, international human rights law, and the law on security matters. He also advises foreign governments, and senior figures and much of his work as a QC relates to matters of highest confidentiality. His most publicised case involved acting as Leading Defence Counsel to Paul Burrell - butler to the late Diana Princess of Wales. In addition, he successfully represented a defendant in the Morecambe Bay Cocklers’ case. He has conducted numerous high profile fraud, homicide, and other document heavy cases.

He is a Fellow of King’s College London. He is an Honorary Professor of Law in the University of Swansea.

He is the President of the Royal Medical Foundation of Epsom College. He is a Trustee of The White Ensign Association. He has a particular interest in mental health issues, and was a co-founder of the Welsh charity Rekindle. In 2016 he became the Chairman of Addaction, a leading substance misuse and health charity.

He is the Chairman of the Lloyd’s of London Enforcement Board. Until 2016 he was a Non-Executive Director and ultimately Vice-Chairman of a listed major agricultural merchant company, Wynnstay Group plc. In addition, he is Chairman of the not-for-profit company Design for Homes and is a founding director of SC Strategy Ltd, a strategy, public policy and political risks consultancy.

Lord Carlile was until 2019 the President of The Security Institute, and a Fellow of the Industry and Parliament Trust. He is the Patron of the Society for Radiological Protection.

He has three daughters and two step-daughters, and several grandchildren. He lives in London with his wife, Alison Levitt QC, who is a member of the leading barristers chambers, 2 Hare Court.

Lord Carlile said: “It is a great honour for me to be recognised in this way by the University that has grown and become such an important part of the city where I started and developed my professional life. I learned most of my knowledge of legal craft and practice from judges and colleagues in Chester, and appeared in many significant trials here. I support the development of law reaching here, and welcome its success.”

Finally, Roger Dutton will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the legal profession.

Chester and District Standard:

Roger Dutton

Roger Thomas Dutton was born in Rossett, Wrexham in 1952. In October 1996, he was appointed one of Her Majesty’s Circuit Judges to sit on the Wales and Chester Circuit. At 44, he was the youngest appointment to the Circuit Bench.

Judge Dutton married Elaine, neé Dixon, in 1977. She died in 2014. He has three adult children and four grandchildren. In October 2018, he married Jane Eames and they live in Gresford.

Roger Dutton was educated locally in Wrexham. He attended Acton Park Primary School and Grove Park Grammar School. He graduated from the University of Kent with a BA (Hons) in Law in 1973. He attended the Inns Of Court School of Law, before being called to the Bar as a member of the Middle Temple in 1974.

He served his pupillage with Alan Lees at the well-known King Street Barristers Chambers in Chester, from whose number many have been appointed to the Bench over the years. From there, he practised in general common law before specialising in crime in later years. He was involved in several high profile cases during those years.

His period as Circuit Judge involved sitting in the Crown Court at Cardiff and Swansea but principally at Chester and Mold. In 2007, at the dissolution of the Wales and Chester Circuit, he became a member of the Northern Circuit sitting in Chester. In 1998 he was appointed a liaison Judge for the North Wales Magistrates and then subsequently for Cheshire Magistrates. He was the judicial member of the High Sheriff of Clwyd’s committee. He was a member of the Lord Chancellor’s panel responsible for Human Rights Act training and in 2000 was appointed a member of the Lord Chancellor’s panel responsible for interviewing lawyers who wish to become Judges. That panel subsequently became the Judicial Appointments Commission. In 2003 he was nominated as circuit representative on the Council of Her Majesty’s Circuit Judges. He was Treasurer of the Council of Circuit Judges for a number of years and it’s President in 2014. He was an occasional contributor to The New Law Journal.

In 2016, he succeeded His Honour Judge Elgan Edwards DL as the Resident Judge at Chester Crown Court and became the Honorary Recorder of the City of Chester until his retirement in October 2018 after 44 years in law.

In younger days he was an energetic sportsman, but now restricts himself to club golf at Wrexham, where he has been a member for over 40 years. He is an avid follower of Welsh Rugby, cricket and the fortunes of Wrexham Football Club. He reads widely and enjoys gardening, walking and travel. He was a member of the Round Table and now the Association of Past Tablers. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Wrexham-Erddig.

In 2001, he became a member of the governing body of the North East Wales Institute (NEWI), an Associate College of the University of Wales. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship on the college attaining university status as Glyndwr University.

He was appointed the Judge of the Consistory Court of St Asaph in the Church in Wales and Chancellor of the Diocese of St Asaph in 2009.

Roger said: “I spent most of my professional career in Chester. Though a proud Welshman, I regard myself as an adopted Cestrian, privileged to have practised in this wonderful city. I have always been proud of the close relationship that has been forged between the Courts and the University in the city over that time. It is a singular honour for me to have my service in the law recognised in this way.”

The graduates-to-be will be congratulated by Dr Gyles Brandreth, the University’s Chancellor, who will be Presiding Officer in all ceremonies except the first, sixth and seventh, in which Professor Tim Wheeler, Vice-Chancellor of the University, will perform the role. These are the final graduation ceremonies for Professor Wheeler, who is retiring at the end of the year after more than two decades at the helm and having overseen one of the most prolific and progressive periods in the institution’s 180 year history.

Chester and District Standard:

Professor Wheeler said: “One of the most rewarding aspects of my time at the University of Chester has been to take part in our spectacular graduation ceremonies in the magnificent surroundings of Chester Cathedral. It has been a real pleasure to see our latest graduates gather with family and friends to celebrate this special occasion and we aim to make it one of the most memorable of their lives.

“Each graduation ceremony represents all the hard work and dedication and all that our graduates have achieved. We congratulate them and wish them all good luck in their careers as they go forward into their futures.

“We are also delighted to welcome 12 outstanding individuals who have given so much to the local community and society as a whole. They thoroughly deserve their honorary degrees after all they have achieved and we are delighted to have them join us on these special occasions.”

Dr Brandreth said: “The privilege of being Chancellor is that this is the week I get to personally congratulate the graduating students on their achievement. And it’s a real achievement, after years of hard work. It’s very moving, too, because you can see the sense of pride and satisfaction in their faces – and in their families’ faces too.

"This year’s graduations will be particularly poignant because they will be last ones for our founding Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Wheeler. The incredible growth in the University over the past 20 years, and it’s standing nationally and internationally, are down to Tim’s inspirational leadership, his energy and commitment. Normally, I speak at the graduation ceremonies, but on Friday it will be Tim’s final graduation ceremony, so I have asked him to speak. It seems fitting that our first Vice-Chancellor should be given the last word.”

The full list of celebrated names are:

Katie Derham will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Music (DMus) in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the arts and broadcasting.

Dame Jenni Murray will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) in recognition of her outstanding contribution to journalism and broadcasting.

Wayne McGregor CBE will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to choreography and dance.

Paul Lewis will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to financial journalism and broadcasting.

John Mahon will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to business and management, in particular as John M Murphy Chair of International Business Policy and Strategy at the University of Maine.

Derek Griffiths will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to drama and the arts.

Tony Garnett DL and FRAgS will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the County of Cheshire, in particular for his role as Chairman of the Cheshire Agricultural Society.

Sheila Dillon will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) in recognition of her outstanding contribution to journalism and broadcasting.

Nickolas Grace will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to drama and the arts.

Matt Baker will receive an honorary degree of Master of Music (MMus) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the arts, in particular the Chester Mystery Plays and as Artistic Director of Theatre in the Quarter.

Lord Carlile of Berriew will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the legal profession and as a member of parliament

Roger Dutton will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the legal profession.