Mrs Tolhurst is the first woman to be appointed Lord-Lieutenant in the county since the Lieutenancy was established in the 1500s and is His Majesty the King's personal representative in the county.

The Trust has a proud and long-standing association with the Lieutenancy, starting with our founding Patron, Colonel Sir John Ruggles-Brise, who was Lord-Lieutenant of Essex at the time of his Patronage. Since then, several Lord-Lieutenants have been our Patron, including Lord Petre. We are looking forward to deepening this historic link.

Rich Yates, Chief Executive of Essex Wildlife Trust, says, “The role of Patron is to act as an advocate and ambassador. We are already grateful for Mrs Tolhurst’s support of conservation efforts in Essex and are looking forward to working more closely together to protect wildlife, address the climate crisis, and inspire a lifelong love of nature in Essex.”

The Lord-Lieutenant succeeds Mike Dilger as the Trust’s Patron.

Mrs Tolhurst says, “I am so delighted to be asked to be Patron of Essex Wildlife Trust, it is a great privilege; looking after our countryside and its wildlife is something I care about very much and I hope to help Essex Wildlife Trust in whatever way I can. Many of my deputies are actively involved with conservation and the natural environment including Prof Jules Pretty, Dr Simon Lyster and the past Chief Executive of Essex Wildlife Trust, John Hall. As a family we love walking at the Essex Wildlife Trust site at Blue House Farm and have introduced our grandchildren to watching the wonderful variety of birds from one or other of the excellent hides there.  At home we are mindful of preserving wild areas and have planted several thousands of indigenous trees over the 47 years we have lived in our house.”

The Trust held the Investiture of the Patron on Tuesday 21 January at Abbotts Hall. The event was attended by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Essex, Mrs Jennifer Tolhurst; Vice Lord-Lieutenant, Rear Admiral Roy Claire CBE; Deputy Lieutenant John Hall MBE, our former CEO; Deputy Lieutenant Professor Jules Pretty OBE, our President; Deputy Lieutenant Graham Clegg, the Chair of our Brentwood and Billericay Local Group; and Deputy Lieutenant Dr Simon Lyster, Chair of the Local Nature Partnership.