TRADITIONALLY, a High Sheriff was placed in charge of maintaining law and order in a county by the monarch. Today, the role is largely ceremonial, but the High Sheriff still keeps an important eye on the police, courts and prisons on behalf of the sovereign, and should never be confused with the Lord Lieutenant of a county, who is the monarch's personal and military representative.

A High Sheriff serves for a year, and the Durham holder of the role is nearing the end of her busy term. She is Caroline Peacock, who grew up in London and only discovered the North-East as a student reading Modern Languages at Durham University. After graduating, she worked in London briefly, but then came north again and has lived in County Durham ever since.

Caroline and husband Jonathan have five children and three grandchildren and live just outside Hamsterley, on the edge of Teesdale.

“We have become – to our great delight – a multi-national family, with a part-Norwegian son-in-law, a Peruvian daughter-in-law, a Japanese son-in-law and an Indian fiancée," she says. "Two of our grandchildren are half-Japanese while the third traces her parentage partly to Equatorial Guinea in West Africa.”

She is also a trustee of The Bowes Museum, a founder member of the Friends of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and a keen supporter of the Teesdale Action Partnership. She says: "These responsibilities relate closely to my principal interests: art and history, the natural world, the environment and the visitor economy, all of which I see as being vital to the long-term prosperity of this county."

Here are a few other answers to personal questions about the High Sheriff of Durham:

Your favourite eating place

The Black Bull, in Frosterley – a really traditional pub with loads of atmosphere and very good food.

Your favourite shop

Believe it or not, I think I would have to say the ever-friendly Morrisons in Bishop Auckland! I have been shopping there since the store opened and, even with the competition of five other supermarkets now on offer, it remains the one I use most often. I also like seeking out local food, which is such a strength in this county, and for pleasure I enjoy exploring the antique shops in Barnard Castle.

Your favourite walk

Jonathan and I love walking anywhere in the west of County Durham, especially in the upper reaches of Teesdale, where there are some rare birds and even rarer plants. We enjoy exploring the Durham coast too, which I think is less visited than it ought to be.

Your favourite day out

Well, of course, I have to choose The Bowes Museum! That said, Durham City is unparalleled, while Beamish, Preston Park at Stockton, and both Hartlepool and Seaham on the Durham coast all offer great family days out – and there’s no better way to end a summer weekend than with a visit to Kynren, the spectacular historical pageant at Auckland Castle.

Your favourite North-East landmark

That’s hard to answer, with so many attractions in our area, but on National Trust open days one can climb to the top of the Penshaw Monument and gain quite staggering views over a vast area.

Your inspiration

My inspiration is our children and their partners, all of whom are interesting, thoughtful, amusing young adults full of enthusiasm for life, completely free of prejudice and great fun to be with.

Your proudest achievement

That’s easy – being asked to serve as High Sheriff in the County I have come to love, looking after the forces of the Law on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen in a role that has existed for over a thousand years.

Where you like to escape to on holiday

County Donegal in the north west of Ireland, where I have regularly been on holiday since my earliest childhood. It’s a wild and beautiful area with a dramatic Atlantic coastline, and I find it the most invigorating and spiritually reviving place I know.

The best thing about living in the North-East

No question – the people. I love their honesty, their friendliness, their humour, their generosity, and their dauntless ‘can do’ attitude. It’s a privilege to serve them and I wouldn’t live anywhere else if you paid me!