Lucia Bridgeman has been appointed as the High Sheriff of Northumberland for the 2024-25 tenure by the King.

The appointment brings with it a 12-month honorary term and the honour of holding the oldest Royal Appointment in the country.

The Bridgeman family currently resides in Fallodon, near Embleton, a coastal village between Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh castles.

Mrs Bridgeman made the move 18 years prior to live at her husband's family farm.

The remit of High Sheriff traditionally includes providing support to judges, magistrates, law and order organisations, and emergency services.

The High Sheriff also supports charities and organisations working with young people.

The appointment is made by the King, on advice of a panel drawn from across Northumberland. . Mrs Bridgeman said: "It is a wonderful opportunity to recognise the work that is being done by a huge number of people, so many of them volunteers, involved in small organisations throughout Northumberland.

"People who put their heart and soul into often little-known activities deserve praise and support for the tremendous impact they can make.

"The voluntary magistrates and those who work in the emergency services and in administering justice are essential to our communities and I look forward to engaging with them.

“It's a privilege to take on this role and to give recognition to so many individuals who work under-the-radar supporting young people and law and order in this wonderful county."

Charlie Dunne, a representative from Meta4 Dance, a contemporary dance company, said: “Knowing that the High Sheriff believes in us and will support us, not just with funds, but with connections and communication is so valuable.”

Mrs Bridgeman has a longstanding commitment to teaching, with vast engagement experience ranging from school children, asylum seekers, refugees, and beneficiaries of charity The Country Trust.

She follows in the footsteps of her father-in-law, Peter Bridgeman, who served as High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1976, and her grandfather, High Sheriff of Hertfordshire in 1965.