L ocal people
The High Sherriff of Leicestershire Caroline Aston meets Richard Brooks at home, Wistow Hall
W
ay back in 849AD on June 1st St. Wistan, the Christian Prince of Mercia, was most foully murdered by his cousin, the dastardly Brifardus, who wanted the throne. The village of Wistow in Leicestershire takes its name from the original Wistanstowe which means ‘holy place of Wistan’.To this day it’s said that human hair grows through the Wistow churchyard grass on the first day of June reminding us of the saint’s violent end. Shiver-making stuff – but happily Wistow today is famous for rather nicer reasons. The delightful Wistow Hall is the family home of the new High Sheriff of Leicestershire, Richard Brooks. History repeats itself because Richard’s father Timothy also held this senior Crown appointment back in 1980 and went on to become Lord-Lieutenant of the county between 1989 and 2003, subsequently being awarded a knighthood. The Brooks family home is rich in fascinating history and gave shelter to ill-fated King Charles I on 5th June 1645, the night before his defeat at the Battle of Naseby. A previous owner, Sir Henry Halford, was doctor to poor, mad King George III and the Hall was the site of groundbreaking research into the design of modern bullets. During the dark days of World War II Wistow gave shelter to bombed out blitz babies and expatriate German Lutheran priests. Nowadays Wistow Hall is renowned for its award-winning Maze and Rural Centre. Complete with cafe/bistro, garden centre and shops the Centre is a hugely popular day out for visitors from far and near. A newly built art gallery has recently joined the other Wistow attractions. Created High Sheriff of Leicestershire on 10th April Richard Brooks originally seemed destined to run the family farm and estate. Instead he chose a career as a Chartered Surveyor and between 1980 and 2007 he worked at the London head office of Lane Fox which then merged with Strutt & Parker to create one of the largest independent property advisors in the country. Richard has now relocated back to his roots and heads up a team responsible for all aspects of country houses and farms in the East Midlands. What little spare time he has allows him to indulge his interests in tennis, shooting and golf and he is a devoted dendrophile (a lover of trees to you and me!) His right hand woman is his wife Diana. Married for 26 years the couple have 2 sons and a daughter. The whole family is totally committed to the diversified Wistow estate and work together to ensure its continued success. An annual ‘Concert in the Park’ (in
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collaboration with Wigston Rotary) regularly raises sums in excess of £10,000 for local charities like Rainbows, LOROS and the Air Ambulance service and Diana was personally responsible for establishing the prestigious annual Art for Youth Exhibition in London. The Exhibition has raised over £1 million for UK youth over the last 24 years, an amazing result. During his year as High Sheriff Richard has decided to raise awareness of Warning Zone/ Crime Beat, the outstanding charity based at
Frog Island in Leicester. Warning Zone, founded back in 2006, aims to help children understand the risks encountered in daily life, personal responsibility, peer pressure issues and the consequences of life choices. It’s very much a jewel in Leicestershire’s crown. As Richard and Diana say, they will enjoy each moment of his year of office, discovering all that’s good in their county, speaking well of it and celebrating the essence of all that is Leicestershire. We wish them well.
RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING AUGUST 2012
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