A SIMPLE yet elegant ceremony took place in Winchester’s ancient Great Hall and its courtyard when an invited audience gathered to say goodbye and thank you to outgoing Lord Lieutenant for Hampshire Dame Mary Fagen.
After the band of the Scots Guards provided a tuneful and, some might say, ironic Beating the Retreat, Dame Mary was thanked for her 20 years of service in the post of Lord Lieutenant by the leader of Hampshire County Council Roy Perry.
Responding Dame Mary dedicated her toast to “Hampshire and all of its people”.
It was a fitting farewell from a gracious lady, who has certainly always placed service to the people of Hampshire before personal concerns. In a time of constant change Dame Mary’s dedication to “her” county has been constant.
The role of Lord Lieutenant may be somewhat distant from the lives of most residents these days and yet Dame Mary has provided some of the glue that has helped keep our county strong in good items and bad.
We will miss her in post but she is not retiring from local life completely, thank goodness.
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 The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.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 here