The Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire reflects on the first few months of 2025
Spring has arrived in the county both astrologically and metrologically bringing with the promise of warmer, longer days and we look forward to some lovely events to come.
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It is always nice to start the new year with some good news and this year we learned that four Shropshire citizens had been recognised in the New Year Honours List. It is a very proud moment for our county when Shropshire citizens are recognised for their contributions to areas such as health and cardiology, oncology, services to the UK’s Green Economy and Climate Action, Education and Sustainability. 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.
Continuing the theme of Shropshire success, last month the Lieutenancy held two masterclasses for businesses in the region. The sessions were designed to inform and prepare those organisations considering applying for a King’s Award for Enterprise and were an opportunity for businesses to hear from industry experts. The events were well attended and follow up 1:1 support sessions were also held.
This is the highest award for outstanding achievement in business and recognised globally as a mark of excellence. It specifically seeks to reward the qualities that lie at the heart of progressive organisations that push the country forwards and embrace a responsible approach to business. The application window will be opening in May - Great achievements in business deserve top-level recognition!
In March I was delighted to welcome His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh back to a very sunny Shropshire.
The Duke last visited in November 2023 when he met with armed forces personnel and veterans. This time his visit took in Derwen College, OsNosh Community Kitchen and The New Saints Football Club Foundation.
It was a wonderful day, and many happy memories were made for the people attending.
Recently – and a first for me - I hosted two events at Theatre Severn. “Beneath the Bearskin” was an opportunity to talk with Shropshire’s own Garrison Sergeant Major Vern Stokes OBE MVO DL in front of an audience of 250 people. Deputy Lieutenant Vern Stokes shared his experiences of what it is like to organise some of the most important ceremonial events in recent history such as the Queen’s Platinum jubilee, the Queen’s funeral, and King Charles III coronation.
They were fascinating evenings and a proportion of the ticket costs and donations given to the Army’s national charity – The Army Benevolent Fund and to the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum.
Wilfred Owen – another Shropshire lad – is celebrated in his hometown of Oswestry with a festival. This year, Veronica Lillis DL represented the Lieutenancy at a ceremony in Oswestry Council Chamber where luthier Steve Burnett officially handed over the Wilfred Owen violins and viola to the people of town. He crafted them from a branch of a sycamore tree that still grows in the grounds of the former Craiglockhart Hospital in Edinburgh where Wilfred Owen was treated for shell shock during WW1, and where he met fellow soldier, poet, and mentor Siegfried Sassoon. The instruments donated to Oswestry (where Owen was born), include the Wilfred Owen Violin, the Siegfried Sassoon violin, the Robert Graves Violin, the Maggie McBean Viola (matron at Craiglockhart) and the Rivers & Brock Cello (named after the doctors who treated Owen in hospital).
It is always pleasure to attend awards events and 2025 so far has awarded some amazing dedication to service and community. I was delighted to present eighteen members of the Midland Cave Rescue Organisation with their coronation medals. Vice Lord-Lieutenant Jenny Wynn OBE DL represented the Lieutenancy at the West Mercia Police Quality Awards, and I attended the High Sheriff of Shropshire’s Outstanding Young Citizen Awards ceremony at Telford College. What a fantastic celebration that saw sixty-nine young people recognised for all the wonderful things they do in our community.
For more information, visit: lordlieutenantofshropshire.org.uk
