New Lord Lieutenant vows to put county on map

Businessman Ian Dudson has pledged to put Staffordshire on the map when he takes up his appointment as the next Lord Lieutenant.

The county has more than its fair share of royal visits, he revealed, and he plans to use them to throw a spotlight on what the region does best.

Mr Dudson got to know the place intimately when he walked the total length of Staffordshire's canals, raising £12,000 for charity, during his year as High Sheriff of Staffordshire.

The pottery chief, who is the eighth generation of his family to run the successful Dudson ceramics business, takes over the Lord Lieutenancy from Sir James Hawley at the end of March.

His 200-year-old company is based in the north of the county, in Stoke-on-Trent, but Mr Dudson has lived for 25 years in the borough of Stafford, at Barlaston, near Stone, where he now spends more time following his semi-retirement.

He and wife Jane have two daughters, the eldest of whom, Katie, is involved in the firm and poised to step into her father's shoes one day.

The 61-year-old stood down as chief executive two years ago before taking up the role of High Sheriff. He wanted to give the job his full commitment. He feels the same sense of dedication about his latest appointment.

The Lord Lieutenancy will involve him in around 10-12 royal visits a year until he is 75, traditionally the age when holders of the office step down. He has met the Queen before, memorably when she presented him with his CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to the ceramics industry.

"The county is very under-rated compared to other parts of the country and one of my aims in office is to raise its profile," he said.

"In fact, Staffordshire enjoys more royal visits than many other counties, a lot more than some, since the National Memorial Arboretum was opened, so that will be a great opportunity to shine the spotlight on what we do here.

"Many people think that Britain doesn't have a manufacturing industry anymore. This is clearly not the case in Staffordshire."

As well as arranging visits to the county, it will also be his job to advise on honours' nominations and promote Queen's Awards for voluntary service and for enterprise, a part he will relish.