Team receives award for first-rate community work

Surrey mental health and drug and alcohol service Catalyst gave Dr Llewelyn insight into its invaluable work helping people to change their lives during a visit to its new space in Woking’s Moorcroft Centre for the Community.

Catalyst focuses on mental health and wellbeing support, help for drug and alcohol users who want to change, and counselling for individuals and loved ones affected by drug and alcohol use.

Over a coffee in the centre’s social enterprise café, Dr Llewelyn heard about the tsunami of people who have asked for mental wellbeing support from Catalyst since the pandemic began.

She also discovered that Catalyst owns a community enterprise company that helps people with complex needs to build independence, and works with Surrey County Council, Public Health England and the Office of Police and Crime Commissioning to offer outreach services.

Lady Louise O’Connor DL, Catalyst’s patron, presented two people in the Catalyst team with a well-deserved Lord Lieutenant’s Award that recognises their outstanding work in the community.

To get in touch with Catalyst, please use their contact form on catalystsupport.org.uk.

Dr Llewelyn, left, with Catalyst CEO Sue Murphy, Lady O’Connor DL and Catalyst Chair Warren Rockett.

Dr Llewelyn celebrates Law Sunday with fellow High Sheriffs

Winchester Cathedral was the magnificent location for this year’s traditional judicial service, which was Choral Matins on what is called Law Sunday.

Dr Llewelyn said: “It was a very great pleasure to join the celebrations at Winchester with my fellow High Sheriffs. It was a beautiful setting for this ancient tradition.”

The High Sheriff of Hampshire, Phillip Sykes, hosted the service, which included High Sheriffs from nearby counties, and the Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, who as tradition dictates sits at the front of the cathedral seating.

A wide range of guests who work tirelessly to keep the Queen’s Peace attended. They included judges and their clerks, coroners, magistrates, the police, fire and rescue services, and the Police and Crime Commissioner. The rest of the audience was made up of civic dignitaries, such as mayors and their consorts and county and borough council representatives and representatives from the voluntary sector.

The civic procession was followed by the shrieval procession, with the High Sheriff of Hampshire being the last person to be guided to his seat before the service started.

Pictured from left to right: The High Sheriff of East Sussex, Greater London, Isle of Wight, the Under Sheriff of Hampshire, and the High Sheriffs of Hampshire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Surrey, and West Sussex.

Dr Llewelyn pauses for a moment in the historic cathedral.

Supporting the lifesaving work of KSS

As an NHS doctor, Dr Llewelyn was fascinated to hear about the work of Kent, Surrey and Sussex (KSS) Air Ambulance during a visit to the base at Redhill Aerodrome.

KSS is an independent charity with close links to the emergency services and raises 88% of the £15 million it costs to run the service through donations and fundraising. Its medical emergency responders have attended a total of 35,000 accidents.

Dr Llewelyn was particularly impressed with the pioneering medical advances made by this world-class emergency medical care service. These include checklists for emergency procedures, such as intubation (when patients need the portable ventilator carried onboard). The checklists help make the process as safe as possible.

The fast-responding crews now also carry blood products, so they can give transfusions on-site if necessary. And the service has a fleet of road vehicles, which they position in strategic sites around the county, ready to attend emergencies during bad weather when the helicopter can’t fly.

Dr Llewelyn said: “The set-up is hugely impressive and very professional. Surrey is fortunate to be able to call upon the service.”

Dr Llewelyn is pictured above with some of the crew and below, with two doctors demonstrating what happens to a patient and the helicopter’s medical equipment.

SMEF healthy eating and healthy living in Surrey communities

A visit to a community event at the Maybury Centre in Woking about healthy living and eating organised by Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum (SMEF) gave the High Sheriff plenty to contemplate.

Dr Llewelyn met several of the outstanding SMEF team at the event, which included talks, specialist stalls and the opportunity to socialise while trying delicious healthy foods.

She gave a short speech about how, in her role as an NHS doctor working with people who live with diabetes, she is aware of the importance of combining a well-balanced, healthy diet with frequent moderate exercise and incorporating both of these into everyday life.

Dr Llewelyn said: “It is good to get into the habit of three sensible meals a day, with no grazing or snacking on biscuits and sweets, and combine this with walking whenever possible. I always like to say, ‘everything in moderation’.”  

During the three-hour forum, Dr Llewelyn also spoke to Dr Negin Sarafraz-Shekary from Surrey County Council, Councillors Tahir Aziz and Muhammad Ali, and Daman Barma from Dee’s Kitchen.

Dr Llewelyn is pictured with the councillors and younger community members who enjoyed the organiser’s fun activities for the whole family, including sampling kitchen samosas and Biryani from Dee’s Kitchen.

Woking Street Angels are back!

Dr Llewelyn spent a very late night with the Woking Street Angels, who returned to walking the streets in the spring.

The Street Angels are trained volunteers who spend every Friday and Saturday night from 10pm-4am offering support and someone to talk to for those who are intoxicated, sick, lonely, vulnerable or sleeping rough.

They work with the police, door staff and council and medical services to ensure revellers and night-time workers have a safe experience in the town and have contributed massively to reducing violent crime.

High Sheriffs finally meet at East Sussex Judges’ Service

After many Zoom calls and emails, Dr Llewelyn was delighted to finally meet Lynn Cooper, the High Sheriff of Greater London at the East Sussex Judges’ Service at the Parish Church of Thomas a Becket in Lewes.

The High Sheriff of East Sussex, Miles Jenner DL, held this year’s judicial service, which marks the legal year’s start and pays tribute to court judges, magistrates and community representatives.

All the guests at the Judges’ Service enjoyed a reception at Harvey’s Brewery in Lewes. Miles Jenner is the fifth generation of the brewing family and Harvey’s head brewer and joint managing director.

Woking schoolchildren win International Day of Peace Awards

Woking People of Faith invited Dr Llewelyn to join the Mayor of Woking, Councillor Liam Lyons, in announcing the International Day of Peace 2021 Awards winners at a ceremony held on Zoom.

International Day of Peace takes place annually on 21 September. Woking People of Faith organises a competition for primary schools in Woking and asks the children to write a poem or design a poster.

This year’s theme was ‘What is causing climate change and what can people of faith do to help solve it?’ and the organisers received hundreds of entries from seven schools.

Cllr Lyons announced the poster category winners for years 3, 4 and 5, while Dr Llewelyn announced the winners of the poetry category in the same year groups. Children from Send CofE Primary School, Barnsbury Primary School, New Monument Primary School, and St John’s Primary School all received awards for their poems.

The 45-minute event included an introduction by Simon Trick and Kawther Hashmi from Woking People of Faith, a pre-recorded climate change song by Send Church of England Primary School pupils, and featured questions and answers from a panel from RHS Wisley.

High Sheriff visits Gosden House School

The children and staff at Gosden House School in Bramley went the whole hog in their efforts to make Dr Llewelyn welcome during her ‘tea under the trees’ visit on 16 September.

Children come from across Surrey to attend the school, which celebrates its centenary this year. It provides an outstanding education for young people with learning and additional educational needs from 4-16 years of age, and embodies the High Sheriff’s ethos of ‘Every child included’.

The school offers extensive outside learning activities such as gardening, animal care and exploration.

Dr Llewelyn is pictured with Melissa and Ellie and local Parish Councillor Alison Burrows visiting the school’s resident pigs who live along with chickens in the beautifully maintained 42 acres of grounds.

During the visit, Dr Llewelyn also thanked the volunteers who build and maintain the beautiful flower and vegetable garden at the school. She was especially impressed by the huge pumpkins, which will be ready for Halloween fun.

Summit to write home about

A team of 12 residents from supported housing at YMCA Hillbrook House in Redhill celebrate after climbing to the summit of Snowdon on 3 August with three staff from YMCA East Surrey.

The High Sheriff Youth Awards helped to fund the trip for the young people who were mostly under 18 and involved in the Y Focus programme, which helps them gain employability and life skills to equip them for independence.

Dr Llewelyn said: “I am delighted to see the impact of the High Sheriff Youth Awards in helping the young people of Surrey achieve their goals.”

Big Leaf Foundation Summer School

The High Sheriff recently had the great pleasure of visiting the The Big Leaf Foundation. The Big Leaf Foundation is a small charity that works with displaced young people living in Surrey. The charity provides a nurturing programme of activities, projects and events that focus on combating social isolation.