INTERVIEW
New High Sheriff
Mary planning to
keep herself busy
By Peter White
Mary Case knows all about being as
busy as a bee, and is already bracing
herself for one of the busiest years of
her life when she becomes the new
High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight.
Mary will succeed Nick Hayward,
and will carry out her many duties
until April 2014, combining them
with her work as a farmer’s wife and
one of the Island’s leading producers
of honey.
“It is an honour to become the High
Sheriff, but I intend to continue as a
professional bee keeper because I have
a business to run,” she pointed out. “I
have scaled back the number of hives I
have, from 80 down to 50. But I shall
still be at the Farmers’ Market on a
Friday, because I feel it is important to
help keep it going. So if anyone needs
to ‘twist my arm’ on Fridays, they
know exactly where to find me!”
She continued: “I think I shall be
doing beekeeping at some strange
times during my time as High Sheriff.
Maybe I will have to get up an hour
earlier each day. I know there will be
a time when I carry out a High Sheriff
engagement, then get changed quickly
in the loo and look after the bees on
the way home – you can be sure of
that.
“I am sure the bees will love see