The Driffield Agricultural Society have announced that a member of the royal family has been elected as President.
It comes as the news that Her Royal Highness, the Countess of Wessex has been elected as their President during their Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 15th February.
The Countess of Wessex is married to Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar who is the youngest brother of King Charles III. The couple have two children: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn, who are respectively fifteenth and fourteenth in line to the British throne.
David Tite, DAS Chief Executive said: “This is fantastic recognition of both the educational work of the Society and acknowledgment of the work the Society did to assist the local area during the pandemic.
“The Countess has done a lot for our industry over the last few years and we look forward to her starting her year in office as our President.”
In 2002, her Royal Highness closed her business interests and began full-time work as a member of the royal family. She is the patron of over 70 charities and organisations, including Childline and the London College of Fashion.
She undertakes over 200 engagements each year, including visits to schools, universities and military bases. Her charity work primarily revolves around people with disabilities, women’s rights, avoidable blindness and agriculture.
Her involvement in agriculture extends to her being the Patron of the ASAO (Agricultural Show and Agricultural Organisations) of which the Driffield Agricultural Society is a member, with their Chief Executive sitting as the current ASAO Chairman.
Her Royal Highness said: “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to take up this role during such a significant year for Agricultural Shows as the ASAO celebrates its centenary. Driffield is a great example of the important role that shows can play in our communities – from your education programme to your vital work supporting your local foodbank during the pandemic.”
An exciting year lies ahead for the Society, with the Countess as President and the addition of the Countryside Careers Evening to add to its list of charitable activities.
The Countryside Careers Evening on the 24th May will help students choose their next steps once they leave school, all secondary school children and their parents / teachers from across Hull and the East Riding are invited to attend this free event. This follows on perfectly from the Society’s Schools Food and Farming Day were over 1,500 primary school children attend the site to learn about food production and rural life.
The must visit event of the year is the Driffield Show, a real celebration of country life with something for all visitors to see during the day, falling on the 19th July this year all are welcome to what will be a fantastic day.
