A TAMESIDE man has landed an important new role by royal appointment.
For Mark Llewellin will be the next High Sheriff of Greater Manchester.
King Charles has appointed the man who has a long-standing relationship with Willow Wood Hospice to the position.
And he will be formally installed as High Sheriff at Dukinfield Town Hall in early April.
Mr Llewellin, who has lived in Tameside for more than 30 years, has served in a number of voluntary roles with Willow Wood Hospice and is also a supporter of Audenshaw’s Guide Bridge Theatre.
He was commissioned as a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester in 2024.
Now he will occupy a role that dates back some 1,300 years, is the oldest secular royal appointment in British history and is mentioned in the Magna Carta.
Its origins date back to saxon times, when the ‘Shire Reeve’ was responsible to the King for the maintenance of law and order within the shire, or county, and for the collection and return of taxes due to the Crown.
The modern-day High Sheriff’s role, which is entirely voluntary and self-funded, is to represent the King’s interests in law and order in their county by supporting the Judiciary, crime prevention agencies, the emergency services and the voluntary sector.
Mr Llewellin said: “It’s a huge honour and very humbling to be chosen as the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester and to be only the third Tameside resident to hold the role in its history.
“I am particularly looking forward to highlighting the thousands of volunteers and voluntary organisations who do such brilliant – and often unsung – work in so many fields and to meeting as many of them as possible to say thank you.”
Mr Llewellin has chosen three charities to be the beneficiaries of any funds he raises during his Shrieval year.
They are Willow Wood Hospice, the Alzheimer’s Society and the George House Trust.