HUGO Brunner, the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, has appointed six new deputies.

Largely ceremonial, the post of Deputy Lieutenant dates back to the days of Queen Elizabeth I when Lord Lieutenants were responsible for law and order.

Appointment as a Deputy Lieutenant is regarded as a mark of appreciation to people who have served the county.

The maximum number of Deputy Lieutenants in each county is determined by the size of the population. In Oxfordshire it is 38.

The new deputies are:

  • David Astor of Milton-under-Wychwood, vice president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England
  • Robert Buckeldee of Kidlington, a member of the organising committee of Kidlington Fairtrade Fair and a member of Kidlington with Hampton Poyle Parochial Church Council
  • Anne Kelaart of Nettlebed, a farmer and chairman of the Oxfordshire Rural Forum
  • Rod Walker of Cumnor Hill, headteacher at the Henry Box School in Witney
  • Shereen Karmali of Oxford, a governor of Oxford Brookes University and former chairman of Oxfordshire County Council
  • Tim Stevenson of Oxford, chairman of governors of Oxford Brookes University and a former chairman of the finance committee of Modern Art Oxford.