The weather was terrible but local residents braved the rain to welcome home Paralympic hero Craig MacLean.
Craig was joined by his cycling partner Anthony Kappes, who lives in Hazel Grove, for the open-top homecoming parade which toured the streets of Wilmslow in the pouring rain.
The Wilmslow resident showed off the gold medal he won at the London 2012 Paralympics as pilot in the men's tandem sprint for the blind and visually impaired. They broke the world record in the heats and beat their team-mates Neil Fachie and Barney Storey in an all-British final.
The parade was followed by a civic reception at the leisure centre where Craig and Anthony were greeted by Cheshire East Council's Mayor Cllr George Walton and the Chair of Wilmslow Town Council Jim Crockatt.
Cllr George Walton said "I am absolutely delighted to announce this evening that as the Mayor of Cheshire East I will be formally proposing that Craig be appointed freeman of the Borough, this is the highest accolade the Council can bestow on any of its citizens and I can think of no more worthy a recipient.
"There is a formal process we must follow. This process has already been started at a Cheshire East Council meeting held a couple of weeks ago where it was agreed that there will be a special meeting of the Council to be held on the same day as our next official meeting on 13th December to hopefully officially ratify the proposals."
Cllr Watson then presented the Paralympic champion with a Craig MacLean Way road sign which one of the Borough's roads will be named in the future, possibly a section of the Wilmslow Bypass.
Cllr Jim Crockatt said "These awards are significant personal achievements. My colleagues and I on Wilmslow Town Council and the local residents would like to offer you our heartfelt congratulations. Great credit was brought to Team GB and in general to the local areas where you are well known."
Cllr Crockatt added "All of us are clear that these awards are the result of complete commitment to your sport taking part in a concentrated training programme, combined with the determination to achieve perfection.
"Your success will have demonstrated to the young people of Wilmslow, particularly Wilmslow High School a dedicated sports academy, that it is possible to go on to achieve greater things in the future. The spirit that you and all your colleagues demonstrated at the Olympic Games gave the country a great boost to the point of showing that with the same determination in any field - be it sport, education, industry or commerce - success can be achieved."
He concluded "You have inspired the young people of Wilmslow who wish you every success in your future endeavours."
After the formalities Craig and Anthony answered questions and posed for photos.
Speaking about the crowds at the London Olympics Craig said "It was hard to ignore because the noise in the velodrome was mega. I've never experienced anything like that in my life.
"It couldn't help bring a smile to your face and you certainly can't ignore the crowd in that situation but once you get on the bike and your focussed and your racing then there could have been nobody in that velodrome until the race is over then you can appreciate it a bit more. It was an incredible experience."
Asked whether they would be competing in 2016 in Rio, Craig said "Probably not. I'm getting on a bit. Anthony is getting on a bit and we've both got other things to do. There's some youngsters coming through. There's another tandem pilot who just came on board and he's early 20s so the chances of me actually making it to Rio are slim.
"I wouldn't rule it out completely. I'll give it a go for the next two years because they are having a tandem race in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow but Anthony and I will be split up for that as I'll be riding in a Scottish pairing."
Royal Mail will be painting the post box outside the entrance to Tesco Express gold tomorrow, in honour of Craig MacLean.
