Mrs Alison Millar was appointed as Lord-Lieutenant of County Londonderry by Her Majesty the Queen on the 17th May 2018.

Alison Millar

The main duties of the Lord-Lieutenant include:

  • Helping arrange official visits by members of the Royal Family.
  • Supporting and promoting a wide range of voluntary activities and developing links with civic, enterprise and social leaders in the County.
  • Supporting local business, including making visits to local businesses.
  • Playing an active part in the honours system.
  • Supporting the Armed Forces and in particular the Reserve Forces.
  • Presenting messages of congratulations from His Majesty.
  • Presiding over Citizenship Ceremonies to welcome new UK citizens resident in Northern Ireland.
  • Selecting, appointing and making appropriate use of a Vice Lord-Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenants.
Alison Millar

HOW CAN THE LIEUTENANCY HELP YOU?

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  • Arranging for the Lord-Lieutenant or one of her Deputy Lieutenants to visit your organisation as a means of acknowledging the work being done.
  • Following a visit by the Lord-Lieutenant, or a Deputy Lieutenant, suggesting how the organisation might be included in the programme of a member of the Royal Family visiting the County.
  • Advising on procedures and nominations for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise or the Elizabeth Cross.
  • Advising on how any member of the public can nominate a worthy individual, a friend or colleague for a National Honour; offering advice on the completion of the forms and supporting the honours nomination when referred back to the Lord- Lieutenant for comment.
  • Celebrating and encouraging volunteering, community service and the work of youth organisations and employment initiatives across the County.
  • Helping to promote your organisation, where deemed appropriate, in media releases or speeches to assist with recognition of an organisation’s work.
  • Accepting suggestions (by early January each year) for the attendance at Royal Garden Parties of individuals deserving recognition.
  • If you think that we can assist, please contact us and please visit our FAQ page.

Around County Londonderry

The area of the Lieutenancy corresponds with the physical boundaries of the County but excludes the County Borough of the City of Londonderry which is a separate Lieutenancy.

The Lieutenancy area has a population of approximately 160,000 and an area of about 800 square miles. The County of Londonderry is one of contrasting landscapes, with the Sperrin Mountains dominating the southern reaches. To the east and west, the lands fall into the rich agricultural areas of the valleys of the Rivers Bann, Roe, Faughan and Foyle respectively with the town of Limavady at the heart of the richest agricultural land.

To the south east, the County extends as far as the shore of Lough Neagh, the largest stretch of inland water in the British Isles. The north is distinguished by the grandeur of the cliffs, shoreline and beaches, of the Atlantic Coast and the magnificent ruins of Downhill Castle and of Mussenden Temple, which clings to the cliff edge.

The rail journey from Londonderry to Coleraine is renowned for its scenic beauty and has been travelled twice by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second. Inland can be found the two oldest deciduous forests in the country at Ness Wood and Banagher Wood, the former of which boasts the highest waterfall in Northern Ireland and the latter some magnificent Irish Oaks.

Agriculture and quarrying, tourism and recreation, manufacturing and technological research and development are core to the economy of the County.

The University of Ulster, which is located at four sites across the province, has its administrative headquarters and a major teaching and research campus in Coleraine, the largest town in the Lieutenancy area. The Coleraine campus houses the world-leading School of Biomedical Sciences, the Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (NICHE) and the Biomedical Sciences Research Institute.

There is much pride that Seamus Heaney MRIA, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1995 and described as ‘the greatest poet of our age’, grew up in Bellaghy in the South of the County and is buried there in St. Mary’s Graveyard. In Autumn 2016 the new Heaney HomePlace was opened and is drawing visitors from far and wide including His Majesty the King, whilst Prince of Wales.

The Lieutenancy of the County of Londonderry was created in 1831 by His Majesty King William IV to represent the Monarch and to uphold the dignity of the Monarchy in the County. The current Lord-Lieutenant is Mrs Alison Millar who was appointed in 2018.