Three people who have made a positive contribution to the county and their country have been made Deputy Lieutenants of Kent.

Former Faversham and Mid Kent MP Sir Hugh Robertson, who has lived in Kent all his life, represented the constituency from 2001 until this year when he stood down at the election. He doubled his majority at both the 2005 and 2010 general elections.

He was also Minister for Sport and the Olympics between 2010 and 2012, and later Minister at The Foreign Office responsible for the Middle East, North Africa and Counter Terrorism.

Before entering parliament, he was an Army officer who saw active service.

Along with him is chairman of the KM Media Group, Geraldine Allinson, who has lived near Charing since 1993, and has worked in the local media industry for almost 30 years.

She was president of the Newspaper Society between 2011 and 2012; is a non-executive director of the PA Group, the parent company of the Press Association, and is a trustee of a number of organisations including the Canterbury Festival, and the Kent board of the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance.

They are joined by Mike Bax, who lives in Shadoxhurst near Ashford, and is senior partner of the BTF Partnership, a land agency practice covering Kent and East Sussex.

He also farms a small estate in the Weald which is now devoted to environmental stewardship and conservation and is involved with a number of organisations focused on Kent’s rural economy, including being chairman of the Kent Wildlife Trust.

He was High Sheriff of Kent for 2012/13 and has continued to be involved in advisory work with Kent Police in the fight against rural crime.

The Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Viscount De L’Isle, said: “We welcome these exceptional new Deputy Lieutenants whose wide breadth of experience will further add to a strong team of men and women who help me support Her Majesty The Queen and her family within the ceremonial county of Kent.”