YORK-BORN composer John Barry, who died in January, is to be honoured with a posthumous award at next month’s Classic Brit Awards for his outstanding contribution to music.

It will be the first time a posthumous prize has been awarded since the event was founded in 2000.

Dame Shirley Bassey will be among those to take part in a finale dedicated to Barry at the Classical Brit Awards ceremony next month at the Royal Albert Hall, performing a show-stopping rendition of Goldfinger.

Barry, who was made an Honorary Freeman of York in 2002, scored more than 100 films during his five decade career, including the Oscar-winning Born Free.

The Classic Brit Awards, hosted by Myleene Klass, takes place on Thursday, May 12, and will be broadcast later by ITV1.

York choirgirl Isabel Suckling, 13, is in the running for best album title at the awards.

The Press has already reported how a memorial John Barry concert is to be staged in June, also at the Royal Albert Hall, with a local one being planned for the York Barbican in the autumn.