A FORMER Bromsgrove GP, Professor Sir Michael Drury, was honoured in London last week when he was presented with the prestigious Foundation Council Award.

It is the most important award given by the Royal College of General Practitioners.

He was a general practitioner in New Road for 38 years before he retired in 1991. Educated at Bromsgrove School and Birmingham University his family has been connected with Bromsgrove for over 100 years.

It was his grandfather Victor who had the boot and shoe factory built in Worcester Road more than a century ago, which brought much needed employment to the town. It is presently being demolished. Coincidentally Sir Michael's eldest son, Dr Mark Drury, who also attended Bromsgrove School, and who is a GP in Wantage and a research fellow at Oxford University, was also honoured at the same ceremony held at the Paragon Conference Centre.

Dr Drury's practice was given an award for their patient participation group's work. Sir Michael and his wife Lady Joan live in Church Hill, Belbroughton.

"I was very proud to receive the award," he said.

It is a silver gavel on an ebony block.

Sir Michael, a former president of the college, has had a distinguished career. He served in Malaya in World War II and entered general practice in 1953.

He became the first professor of General Practice in Birmingham in 1980.

He has had over 200 articles published, including pioneering work on the nurse practitioner, and is the author of ten books. The best known, The Medical Secretary's and Receptionists' Handbook, has gone into a fifth edition.

He is also much in demand as a lecturer. He was granted the OBE in 1978.