New deputy lieutenants appointed to serve Somerset

THE Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset has appointed four new deputy Lieutenants for Somerset including one from West Buckland near Wellington.

The deputies include Professor Georgina Andrews from Keynsham, Lord Mark Sedwill GCMG from Rimpton, near Yeovil, Melanie Squires MBE from Taunton and Professor Trudi Grant from West Buckland.

Three of the four appointees were presented with their commissions at a ceremony at Wells Cathedral on October 9.

Lord-Lieutenant Mohammed Saddiq, said: “Our new Deputy Lieutenants bring a range of skills to the Lieutenancy and it is a pleasure to welcome them to their new roles.

“They will do a great deal to encourage, support and celebrate the lives and achievements of people and voluntary organisations in our county - and that is what the Lieutenancy is about. I look forward to working with them in the weeks and months ahead.”

Professor Trudi Grant initially trained as an accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist before moving into the field of public health. She is now an accomplished public health leader, with more than 35 years of experience across the NHS and local government.

Early in her career she led a national academic symposium that produced the first National Consensus Statement on the relationship between physical activity and mental health, helping to shape understanding of the role of active lifestyles in improving wellbeing.

Trudi worked as Director of Public Health for Somerset for 12 years, where she championed a strong focus on tackling inequalities and the social, economic and environmental determinants of health. She is now a Visiting Professor at the University of the West of England.

She said: “It is such a privilege to be nominated and commissioned as a Deputy Lieutenant for my home county of Somerset. I am delighted to be able to serve the county and promote the great work of our volunteers and community groups.”