The Trustees of Lathom Park Trust are pleased to announce the appointment of their first Honorary President.

Mr Howard Whitaker, the Grandson of Lady Helen Whitaker (pictured) and Great Grandson of the 2nd Earl of Lathom, has been a member of the Trust for a number of years.

He has always supported Trust events, travelling from his home in Cumbria to do so, and is also a Trustee of the Lady Lathom Endowment and Memorial Fund and The Lathom Almshouse Charity.

By profession is an auctioneer and valuer, he is a fellow of The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. He holds neither of the titles associated with Lathom, as the Earldom became extinct upon the death of the 3rd Earl of Lathom in 1930 and the Barony of Skelmersdale went to a distant cousin, however Howard does hold the title of 'El Baronie Di Nancha Et Sczle' which translated means 'The Barony of the two Sicilies'; this title was bestowed upon an ancestor from his fathers side,Benjamin Whitaker, who became the owner of the Marsala Vineyards in Sicily. The family owned the vineyard's from 1803 until 1935, when the Fascist dictator Mussolini nationalized them.

Howards' cousin who is also descended from the 2nd Earl is James Newcome, the Bishop of Carlisle.

Paul Kenyon Chairman of Lathom Park Trust, told QLocal yesterday: "I am pleased Howard has accepted this role, he has been a keen supporter of the Trust for years and I think its only right, taking into account his family ties with Lathom, that he becomes more closely associated with the work of the Trust."

Pictured is The Hon. Lady Helen Whitaker nee Bootle-Wilbraham at Lathom House.