The founder of Glastonbury Festival and a former Somerset miner, Michael Eavis has been knighted.

In the New Year's Honours list Mr Eavis, who is also a patron of the Somerset Coalfield museum at Radstock, has been made a Sir for his services to charity and to music.

He is quoted on the Glastonbury Festival site as explaining : " When I got the CBE in 2007, I went and told my mother, who was 95 at the time. And she just said, "Oh that's a pity, I thought you would have got a K"!

He was asked whether the honour was due to creating the " world's greatest festival, raised millions for charity and helped put Britain on the cultural map? "

Eighty eight year old Mr Eavis said: " Maybe! But I have had a good life and managed to keep the Festival going for 53 years. It's all gone so well in the end. It took 25 years for the public to catch on. We started with 500 people in 1970 and we've finished up with millions wanting to come every year now. That's quite extraordinary isn't it?"

The Festival donated almost £4 million to good causes in 2023.