Anna Turner announced as Shropshire's first woman Lord Lieutenant

Anna Turner, 60, from Prees Heath, is currently one of the county’s deputy lieutenants and in January she will take over from Sir Algernon Heber-Percy, who has been the county’s Lord Lieutenant since 1996 and must now retire when he reaches 75.

After her appointment by the Queen was announced, Mrs Turner admitted to being "honoured, excited ... but also a bit terrified!"

A well known figure in Shropshire, she has been involved with many areas of community life and has been especially known as a respected magistrate in the area.

A keen horsewoman, she has also been a point-to-point steward and spends time whenever she can with her young grandchildren.

With her husband Jonathan, Mrs Turner has been involved with the family’s shipping business and has wide experience of county life.

She is a former High Sheriff for the county and is now looking forward to stepping up to the role of being the Queen’s representative for Shropshire.

Sir Algy has been in the post for 22 years. It is a requirement that he should retire on his 75th birthday in January.

Mrs Turner said: “I’m really comfortable with the opportunity. I think my strengths lie in being with people and I try not to forget that it is people who matter.”

Sir Algy said: “I couldn’t be more delighted that Anna has been chosen to succeed me. She has been a long-serving magistrate and enjoyed a very special year as High Sheriff.”

What is a lord lieutenant?

A lord lieutenant is the monarch's personal representative in each county of the United Kingdom.

Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility over the local militia was removed. However, it was not until 1921 that they formally lost the right to call upon able-bodied men to fight when needed.

Lord lieutenant is now an honorary titular position usually awarded to a retired notable person in the county.

Source: Wikipedia.