A FORMER MP has called for Bolton to recognise its Nobel Prize Winner.

Dr Brian Iddon has renewed his calls for a lasting tribute to Professor Sir Harry Kroto following his death in April at the age of 76.

Sir Harry was awarded the 1996 chemistry Nobel prize, along with Robert Curl and Richard Smalley, for the discovery of Buckminsterfullerene – a molecule containing 60 carbon atoms arranged in the shape of a Continental football and nicknamed buckyballs.

The discovery led to the development of new materials and was a revolution in chemistry.

Dr Iddon, fellow chemist and friend of Sir Harry, said: "I think it is very important that Bolton recognises its Nobel Laureate. To my mind he is as important as Chadwick and Dobson, the statues of which are in Victoria Square. Sir Harry Kroto is up there with them. People will be talking about him for a long time to come."

Sir Harry was born in Cambridgeshire to parents who left Germany as refugees during the Second World War. The family moved to Bolton and lived in Arkwright Street. He attended the now-demolished Wolfenden Primary School before going to Bolton School.

He was a frequent visitor to Bolton, inspiring schoolchildren across the town.

Sir Harry attended celebrations marking Bolton becoming a university town. The University of Bolton awarded him an Honorary Doctorate.

Dr Iddon presented Sir Harry with a brick on a plinth from his old school when it was demolished.

Dr Iddon said: "Harry had a high regard for Bolton, he regarded it as his home town. I said I would get him a brick from his old school two years before and every time I saw him he would ask 'where’s my brick?'"

“I saw him after and asked him what he had done with the brick, thinking he would have got rid of it, but, no, it was on display in his home.

"He was given a scholarship to attend Bolton School and was grateful for the opportunities he received. Harry was not from a wealthy background but his parents knew the value of education. They rubbed every penny together to get him through education."

Dr Iddon met Sir Harry when he was MP for Bolton South East and was Parliamentary Adviser to the Royal Society of Chemistry, when Sir Harry was president.

Dr Iddon said: "Harry was very humble, he was of the mind you could take him or leave him, and it was easy to take him. He always had a smile on his face.

“He inspired thousands of children.”

This is the second time Dr Iddon has called for a tribute to the scientist, when he was Chairman of the Housing Committee in Bolton the plan reached the design stage before falling through.

Dr Iddon said the tribute could take the form of an artwork in the form of the buckyball structure with a plaque to Sir Harry.

Cllr Cliff Morris, Leader of Bolton Council commented: “We are extremely proud of Sir Harry Kroto, Bolton’s only Nobel prize winner and his groundbreaking work in chemistry. We’d be happy to meet Dr Iddon and discuss his ideas for a memorial or tribute in Bolton.”

Watch an interview with Sir Harry at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHVneVfn3_k