Dame Fiona Reynolds - the new High Sheriff of Gloucestershire

A choral evensong at Gloucester Cathedral on Sunday, March 22 marked the start of her year in office, bringing together the traditional legal service and the formal declaration of office.

A procession from the Law Courts to the cathedral included three Cotswold Lion sheep, celebrating the county’s rural roots and led by the Parkes family from Stow-on-the-Wold.

Dame Fiona, who has lived near Cirencester since 2002, said: "It is a great honour to serve as High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, and I look forward to using this role to champion the vitality, resilience and beauty of rural Gloucestershire while getting below the surface to understand the challenges and opportunities rural communities face."

She succeeds Julie Kent MBE in the role, which dates back more than 1,000 years.

Attendees at the cathedral included community leaders, members of the judiciary, and local organisations and members of the public.

Dame Fiona brings a lifetime of experience in public service, conservation and rural affairs.

She currently chairs the National Audit Office, the Governing Council of the Royal Agricultural University, and the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England.

She also chairs the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission and Cambridge University’s Botanic Garden.

Within Gloucestershire, Dame Fiona is patron of New Brewery Arts in Cirencester, president of the Cirencester History Festival, and president of the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

She also serves as a vice-president of CPRE nationally and at the county level.

Her previous roles include director-general of the National Trust; master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge; director of the Women’s Unit in the Cabinet Office; and director of the Council for the Protection of Rural England.

During the ceremony, Dame Fiona made her formal declaration to 'truly serve The King’s Majesty in the Office of High Sheriff of the County of Gloucestershire'.

The audience then gathered in the cathedral’s cloisters for refreshments and conversation.

Dame Fiona has announced plans for a series of monthly walks in different parts of the county to explore all aspects of rural Gloucestershire.