A former journalist has become only the second woman in 1,200 years to take up the post of High Sheriff of Leicestershire.

Julien Birchall was officially nominated for the position at a ceremony at London’s High Court and takes over the role from brewery chairman Richard Everard.

Born into a printing and newspaper family, Julien trained as a journalist and became a director of the Hinckley Times.

She said she was delighted to be taking up the post of high sheriff.

She said: “It is a tremendous honour, especially because it is the oldest continuous secular office in the country.”

There is a High Sheriff for each county in England and Wales, and each is appointed for a year.

The position carries with it centuries of tradition and dates from Saxon times, but over time most of the responsibilities of the office have been transferred elsewhere or are obsolete.

In previous centuries, the high sheriff would raise funds for the monarch and was the principal law enforcement officer in the county, but the functions of the un-paid post are now almost entirely ceremonial or representational.

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