GIANT creator Jean-Luc Courcoult has been awarded the Freedom of the City in Liverpool.

The director of the Royal de Luxe will be awarded following the recent Giant Spectacular which saw more than 1.3 million people visit Merseyside.

It was the third and final time that the Giants would perform in the world.

This year was also the first time that the Giants had visited Wirral.

To commemorate the relationship between Liverpool and Royal de Luxe, the company will be given the Freedom Roll of Associations and Institutions for services to the city at the same ceremony.

Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson said: “Jean-Luc and the Giants have a special place in the hearts of Liverpudlians, having brought so much joy and wonder to the streets of our city.

"We feel it’s a worthy honour to propose him for the Freedom of the City and I will be nominating him at the next meeting of the Council in November.

“We don’t give these awards out lightly, but the impact that Jean-Luc and his team have had on our city has been immense.

"The investment we have made in bringing the Giants here has paid for itself many times over and everyone who has stood in awe as they strode past will never forget the experience.”

The proposal is also in response to suggestions from members of the public that Jean-Luc and his team deserved to be awarded the city’s highest honour.

He added: “I have always said that culture is rocket fuel for our local economy and the images of Liverpool that were beamed around the world showed we are a vibrant European city with a strong and abiding commitment to investing in culture.”