Shropshire's Lord-Lieutenant Anna Turner reflects on half a year of service to King and county

We recently learned that seven Shropshire citizens (including two military awards) were recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List.

It is a very proud moment for our county that so many Shropshire citizens have been recognised for their contributions to debt advice, youth leadership, benefits and pension provision, public service and our community and I would like to congratulate them all for their efforts.

I believe that there are other outstanding individuals that we ought to put forward for recognition. If you know of someone whom you believe to be truly outstanding either in their particular field of work or in the community then please consider filling in our local nomination form that can be found on the Shropshire Lieutenancy website lordlieutenantofshropshire.org.uk/helping-you/nominate-someone-for-an-honour/nominate.

Last month we were also thrilled to learn of another Shropshire success – WilloGame Ltd (based in South Shropshire) had been awarded a King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade. Many congratulations on being recognised with this prestigious award.

It has been my honour recently to welcome two members of the royal family to Shropshire to showcase our magnificent county, its people and heritage.

Late in March Her Majesty the Queen visited Shrewsbury, stopping off at Shrewsbury Farmers Market before continuing to The Flaxmill Maltings.

For Her Majesty’s visit to Shrewsbury the crowd was sublime and when I turned around the corner in the escort car behind the maroon Royal Bentley to witness the vast crowd that had gathered in the cold just to convey their appreciation to our Queen, I was over the moon.

The occasion was really well supported and it was lovely to have school children showcasing their singing talent there.

In April Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal visited the Cavalier Centre in Much Wenlock, where she presented eight Shropshire organisations with their King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

What a wonderful experience that they are sure to remember for a very long time.

Her Royal Highness then proceeded to Ellesmere where, at the invitation of Save the Children Fund, she visited the charity founders’ (Eglantyne and Dorothy Jebb) birthplace.

Earlier this month we commemorated the 80th anniversary of both the D-day landings and the last day of the Battle of Monte Cassino.

In Shropshire many towns and villages held church services and lit beacons that Deputy Lieutenants and I were honoured to attend.

The role of Lord-Lieutenant is historically tied to the military.

While the position may have come a long way from running local militia units in the 1500s, supporting the armed forces is still a key responsibility.

As Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire, each year I have a number of cadets who escort me whilst attending certain events.

I have just welcomed four new cadets who represent each of the forces, and have been chosen as they have shown remarkable dedication, outstanding commitment and great achievements in their cadet training.

I hope they have an enjoyable and fruitful year supporting us.

Linking with the community is a key focus of the Lieutenancy.

We are always delighted to be invited into schools to talk about the role of the monarchy and hear about your projects, also colleges and universities.

I recently visited Harper Adams University to see the art installation ‘Pollution Pods’ by Michael Pinsky which had been constructed in front of the main building. What an eye-opener!

The pods definitely have a provocative effect. Their message is clear – we need to act now to slow down contamination of our world.

If you would like a member of the Lieutenancy to visit your school to talk about the role of the monarchy and the Lieutenancy in the county – don’t hesitate to get in touch.

We have some great events in Shropshire that we look forward to every year. We have recently been delighted to attend the Shropshire Agricultural show and the Cosford Air Show and we look forward to the Shrewsbury Flower Show and all the local summer fayres that are so important for raising funds for local communities.

I hope you have a lovely Shropshire summer and pray that it remains warm.