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Tim Walker reports:Â Â The Queen’s appointment of television gardener Alan Titchmarsh (pictured) as her new High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight has, apparently, led to an unlikely rebellion.
Councillors on the Island have raised objections to the Yorkshireman carrying out the role, to which he will be sworn in next month, because his house on the Island is just a second home.
With his avuncular manner and easy-going charm, it is hard to imagine anyone objecting to Alan Titchmarsh.
Patrick Joyce, a councillor, tells Mandrake from the Telegraph: Â
“It’s a shame they didn’t pick someone from the Island. There are many people who could have been picked. He’s only got a holiday home here.”
The former Ground Force presenter, whose main residence is in Alton, Hants, will be the unpaid enforcer of the Queen’s writ on the island.
Robin Oulton, the Chairman of Arreton parish council, says:
“People ask, ‘How long has he lived here?’ What you have to remember about some people here is that they think just in terms of the Island, so when you appoint people who are not totally islanders that can raise queries.”
Her Majesty, has something of a soft spot for the pin-up of the potting shed. When Titchmarsh, 58, collected his MBE in 2000, he says, she told him: “You’ve given a lot of ladies a lot of pleasure.”
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[...] Alan a Yorkshireman will carry out the role, to which he will be sworn in next month, as the unpaid enforcer of the Queen’s writ on the Island . Read more » [...]
By Isle of Wight Sheriff Is Cutting Edge. « Isle of Wight Blog on March 29th, 2008