The man who narrowly missed out on winning European Capital of Culture status for Bristol has been honoured by Bristol University.

Andrew Kelly, the director of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership, has been awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree.

Mr Kelly, 48, has led and continues to spearhead a huge range of cultural initiatives in the city.

He is director of the annual Great Reading Adventure and the Festival of Ideas.

For 2009 he is co-ordinating Darwin 200 – celebrations marking the birth of one of science's towering figures.

He was also at the helm for the successful celebrations of Brunel's bicentenary in 2006.

In 2010, Mr Kelly will oversee commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bristol's hugely important aerospace industry.

He is also already seeking support for a bid by Bristol to be UNESCO World Book Capital in 2012.

Mr Kelly moved to Bristol 15 years ago and was instrumental in establishing the @Bristol science centre.

He also set up the Brief Encounters and Animated Encounters film festivals in Bristol