We would like to congratulate Nick Mason, who yesterday received the honorary degree of Doctor of Arts from the University of Greater Manchester on the second day of its graduation events, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to entertainment and local sport. Nick helped rescue the Bolton Wanderers, an English football league club, from a financial crisis. He is also part of Football Ventures (Whites) Limited, the group that took over the club in August 2019.

After leaving school, Nick spent five years training to become an architect, but his career and life took a wildly different direction when he became a founding member and drummer of Pink Floyd. The rest, as they say, is history.

Nick told students and their families during his speech:
“Whatever you are doing, follow your dreams, but in between, learn something else, because you can always be certain it will become useful somewhere.

“For me, I trained as an architect and ended up with a bad lot in a rock and roll band. But I’ve used almost everything I learned at college somewhere in the music business.

“So, as I say, learn Russian, learn to cook, or, you know, make cheese biscuits—whatever, there will always be something there for you!”

Before he left the microphone, he joked:
“And if you need the recipe for the cheese biscuits, see me afterwards!” 

Congratulations, Nick — a truly prestigious honor!