Edwin Booth to be next High Sheriff of Lancashire

Her Majesty the Queen has appointed Edwin Booth as the next High Sheriff of Lancashire.

Edwin is the chair and CEO of Booths, representing the fifth generation of the family which founded the business in 1847. In June 2011 he was appointed chair of the Lancashire LEP, a post he held for over seven years.

He has also worked with the Lancashire Universities in the areas of leadership and business change programs, receiving an Honorary Doctorate from the Lancaster University for his services to the region and industry. He chaired the Business in the Community (BITC) Advisory Board for the North West from 2007 to 2014 and was instrumental in developing a program to engage schools with business.

He is chairman of the Harris Charity (Preston) which was co-founded by Edwin Henry Booth and is a founding trustee of the Prince’s Countryside Fund.

In 2019 Edwin was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in Her Majesty’s New Year Honours list for services to business and charity. He has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire since 2005. 

The Office of the High Sheriff is an independent non-political year-long appointment supporting the Crown and the judiciary, lending support to crime prevention agencies, emergency services and the voluntary sector. Edwin intends to use his position to address crime, homelessness and education. The role receives no remuneration and no part of the expense of a High Sheriff’s year falls on the public purse.

He said: "It is a privilege to be recognised for this role and I want to celebrate everything that is good about Lancashire, a county my family has called home for nearly 200 years. There is a great deal of opportunity in Lancashire, and it is my wish to give others the same inspiration and chance to succeed that I have been fortunate to receive.

"Access to education, and by that I don’t just mean academic education, but inspiring people to find and celebrate what they are good at, can be a driver in solving the larger societal issues of crime and homelessness."

Edwin added: "My great, great grandfather Edwin Henry Booth believed in giving back. Orphaned at the age of 11, by age 19 he was a tea dealer, opening his first shop in Blackpool. He found what he excelled at and became a founding trustee of the Harris Childrens’ Homes, now the Harris charity, which supports young persons in difficulty, ensuring that talents are not constrained though lack of opportunity."

Edwin will take office after having signed a sworn declaration on April 11th.

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