This latest accolade is the icing on the cake of what has been a glittering year for the 35-year-old cycling star from Cheshire.

She topped the medal table for ParalympicsGB at the London 2012 Games, with four gold medals from as many events – the C5 3,000 metres individual pursuit, the time trial C4-5 500m, the individual road time trial C5 and the individual road race C4-5 – as well as setting the world record in the individual C5 pursuit race.

She also claimed the title of women's Disabled Sports Personality of the Year at the 2012 Sports Journalist Association (SJA) British Sports Awards and has been named as one of the contenders on the 12-person shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Storey (pictured top), who regularly trains at Manchester Velodrome, has already said she will defend her medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

"It's always an honour to be recognised locally - I used to train at the Aquatics Centre just over the road and I often ride past the university when I'm training now, but to be invited to accept this honour is just amazing for me, as it is to receive any honour from your home city, so I'm really proud," she said.

Storey, who is married to fellow British Paralympic cycling gold medallist Barney Storey, began her career as a swimmer, earning two golds at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympics, before discovering her forte in cycling.

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