THE new High Sheriff of Durham has set out her ambitions for the year ahead after being sworn into the role at the end of last week.
Shona Harper-Wilkes and her family stood outside the Crown Court in Durham on Friday (April 1), where she accepted her new position from outgoing High Sheriff, Robert Harle.
As part of the High Sheriff role, Mrs Harper-Wilkes has been appointed by the Queen to represent the monarch in County Durham, which also includes Darlington, Stockton, and Hartlepool.
Read more: Durham Cathedral Museum reopens doors after Covid closure
By trade, the 47-year-old is an entrepreneur, listed in the Who’s Who of Business Leaders since 2008.
Her professional career started in marketing for a large blue-chip company, but, by 2001, she had successfully founded her own company CCP; one of the North’s leading training practitioners and consultancies.
CCP’s training and recruitment support was successful in moving over 4000 vulnerable and disadvantaged adults and young people into sustainable employment each year, including ex-offenders and those working with Probation Services.
Passionate about the heritage of County Durham, and an interior designer, Mrs Harper-Wilkes, along with her husband John, also set about the restoration of Lartington Hall near Barnard Castle in 2012 to save it for future generations.
Completed in 2015, the Hall, with its stunning private chapel and ballroom, went on the become one of the most sought-after exclusive hire wedding venues in the UK, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, it’s not just her past achievements that motivate her.
Speaking to The Northern Echo, she has set out what she hopes to achieve in the 2022/23 year as High Sheriff and has spoken about her excitement for the role.
Mrs Harper-Wilkes said: “This is such a historic role and one that’s an honour. I find it a privilege to serve the community in County Durham and it’s a role I want to and must get right.
“I want to make the role relevant for 2022. That’s about making it more diverse, and I want people from more diverse backgrounds get the chance to have a role like the High Sheriff.
“County Durham is home to a lot of diversity and culture, and I want to represent that perfectly. Sometimes people or groups fall down the gaps and I don’t want that to happen.”
Aside from her role and impressive CV, the new High Sheriff teaches several forms of dance. From winning her first competition at the tender age of two and a half, she has been a leading exponent of several forms of dance, including ballet, tap, Highland, Scottish County and Durham Clog Dancing.
In her year within the role, Mrs Harper-Wilkes has targeted a specific theme that has seen her want to tackle domestic violence and work with groups that look to combat the “damaging” crime.
Despite wanting to make her mark in the position, she has also put emphasis on delivering for the community by offering High Sheriff awards, attendance at various events and updating her social media regularly. She can also be contacted via durham@highsheriffs.com.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel