The Lord Lieutenant for County Antrim has been granted the Freedom of the Borough from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
Mrs Joan Christie CVO OBE received the prestigious honour during a special meeting at Council’s civic headquarters in Coleraine on Friday 11th May.
The award recognises her dedicated and outstanding service to the Borough since she became HM The Queen’s official representative in 2008.
Speaking after the event, the Mayor Councillor Joan Baird OBE said: “Mrs Christie has a genuine interest in the people of County Antrim and has dedicated many years to supporting local communities in the region. Throughout her time as Lord Lieutenant she has been an exemplary ambassador for the Causeway Coast and Glens and we are delighted to recognise her public service by conferring Council’s highest honour. This civic ceremony is a very important occasion for Council and I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to our new Freeman.
“The Christie family share a unique connection with today’s occasion which makes it even more significant as Mrs Christie’s late husband’s grandfather was the first Freeman of the Borough of Coleraine.”
Among the highlights of Mrs Christie’s Lieutenancy was the 2016 visit by HM The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. This included a very special engagement in Bushmills where a statue of Victoria Cross recipient Robert Quigg was unveiled alongside a visit to one of County Antrim’s most prominent tourism attractions The Giant’s Causeway.
With a lifelong interest in guiding, charity work, volunteering and young people, Mrs Christie has connection with a wide range of organisations across the Causeway Coast and Glens.
She spent a decade as Chairman of the Board of Governors at Sandelford School in Coleraine and is the current President of Ballycastle Royal British Legion.