Lord Lieutenant of Kent will be speaker at wellbeing awards
Organisers of the Kent Mental Wellbeing Awards are delighted to announce that the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, The Lady Colgrain, will be a VIP speaker at the annual event.
She joins veteran Hari Budha Magar, the disability champion and double amputee who has climbed Everest, as a VIP speaker at the awards, due to be staged in October.
Time is running out to submit a nomination for the awards. The deadline is noon on 1 September. This year’s themes are: kindness and compassion; wellbeing; and mental health. Nominations can link to individuals, organisations or initiatives. Visit www.kentmentalwellbeingawards.org.uk
Simon Dolby, awards organiser and Development Lead at East Kent Mind said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Lady Colgrain is able to support these important annual awards this year.”
Lady Colgrain has lived in Kent for more than 40 years and is an active partner in the family farm near Sevenoaks. Having started her career in publishing, she has worked in the voluntary sector for 25 years, primarily with Citizens Advice.
She is a Trustee of the Henry Smith Charity having been the charity’s Kent Visitor for 13 years; a Trustee and then Chair of the Kent Community Foundation, retiring in 2017 after 11 years. She chaired the panel to appoint the current Dean of Rochester Cathedral and remains an active supporter of the Cathedral. She is a Patron and supporter of many Kent charities. She has served as a Deputy Lieutenant for Kent since 2012.
In England, the office of Lord Lieutenant is military in origin and dates from the reign of Henry VIII when its holder was made responsible for maintaining order in the County, and all military measures necessary for local defence.
In Kent, the office of the Lord Lieutenant, the permanent representative of the Crown in the County, dates from Tudor times.
Documents held at The Centre for Kentish Studies show that the first permanent holder of the office of Lord-Lieutenant in our County was Lord Cobham (the 10th Baron Cobham). He was in office in 1558 and was also Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Constable of Dover Castle.
From the outset the Lieutenancy played a vitally-important role in organising the defence of the County. When invasion threatened our shores in 1588 it was Lord Cobham’s deputies who reported crucial intelligence to the Government on the progress of the Armada in the Channel.
It was not until 1921 that Lord Lieutenants finally lost the power to call on all able-bodied men of the County to fight in time of need. Nevertheless, duties connected with the Armed Forces of the Crown – and in particular the Volunteer Reserve Forces and Cadets – remain an important part of the Lieutenancy’s role today.
As Lord-Lieutenant, The Lady Colgrain continues to hold the office of Keeper of the Rolls (formerly Custos Rotulorum) and chairs the County’s Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace and their appointment, continuing the Lieutenancy’s involvement in its other original important responsibility for the maintenance of order.
Over recent years the Lieutenancy of Kent has been modernised to serve the County and its people effectively in the 21st Century.
