The High Sheriff Bravery Awards.

This week I had the honour of officiating at one of the important roles of the High Sheriff as the Royal Representative of the County for the Judiciary – that of recognising the Surrey Citizens that have stepped in to help others in often dangerous or challenging circumstances. Held at Guildford Crown Court in the presence of HH Judge Lees and other Judges, I presented ‘High Sheriff Bravery Awards’ to six people in recognition of commendable actions which included the following;

  • A HGV driver who happened across a fatal traffic incident late at night and stepped in alone to secure the scene and alert the Emergency services. The situation which resulted in a death and a serious injury was caused by third parties who were convicted of murder.
  • A couple who encountered the scene of a fatal collision and attended the badly injured man until paramedics arrived.
  • A man who put himself in harms way to diffuse a violent disorder at a private event avoiding further serious injuries to people involved. 
  • A member of a property safeguarding and street patrol team who assisted the Police in the conviction of a prolific shoplifter and burglar. 
  • and a lone woman – an eyewitness to a violent attack by two people, who ran towards the incident to stop the assault and scare off the two men.

It was an honour to be able to thank these citizens for their selfless actions – exemplary people who are an example to us all. The awards ceremony was followed by a reception where myself and Suzanne along with the Judges were able to talk to them further and meet members of their proud families. 

Hearing the People Sing at St Catherine’s School!

I was treated last year to a musical interlude including a song (One Day More) from Les Misérables. at St Catherine’s School in Bramley, when it’s Patron, Queen Camilla paid a visit.

I was thrilled therefore when the Headmistress, Emma Watson, invited Suzanne and I back to see the full production of our favourite musical. We had a wonderful evening and were astounded at the professionalism of the production from the acting, staging and the incredible orchestra. The whole school should be hugely proud of their achievement, it was such an ambitious endeavour and was brilliantly realised. I hope half term has provided some much needed respite for all!

The Guildford Shakespeare Company – David Copperfield.

I was delighted to have been invited by Howard Smith, Mayor of Guildford, to the opening night of Guildford Shakespeare’s David Copperfield, which was being performed at Holy Trinity Church in Guildford High Street. It was an absolute treat, and quite how the cast of three managed the choreography of costume and character changes as well as their lines was a wonder to behold. It is the first production in GSC’s 20th year. As a long-standing Guildfordian, I have been around for all twenty of those years and seen numerous wonderful productions. But GSC also do so much more for the wider community, last year offering over 29,000 participation opportunities (of which nearly 22,000 were free to access) from mental health programmes to young carer dramas to intergenerational hubs with care homes and primary schools. Last year they also ran an eight week ‘Put up Your Swords knife crime’ awareness project designed for schools on the back of their Romeo and Juliet production.

At a reception ahead of the opening night, co-founders Matt Pinches and Sarah Gobran reflected on how far GSC has come in its first 20 years, and I for one am very much looking forward to the next twenty!

Fire & Iron – The Quinnell School of Blacksmithing – doing their bit for the Community!

My year as High Sheriff certainly has provided variety and an introduction to many wonderful hidden treasures in Surrey; and my visit to the Rowhurst Forge in Leatherhead was another wonderful eye-opener.

There has been blacksmithing here since 1932, but it also is home to the oldest house in Surrey and sits atop a hill outside Leatherhead, on the site of an iron age fort!

Run by Lucy Quinnell and her son Tom, it combines being a working forge undertaking commissions and detailed projects with also running programmes for schools, one to one sessions for SEND young people and those with neurodivergence, as well as courses for members of the public. They are very keen to develop their offer to those furthest from employment and likely otherwise to become or remain NEET, 

Their shop and museum has some very exquisite pieces and open to the public at certain times. Once my Shrieval year is over I will certainly look to sign up for one of their courses.

Find out more at; https://www.fireandiron.co.uk

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Kevin Delf – an Ever Present Force for Good.

I had the honour of joining Kevin Delf at his retirement party at the Guildford Pavilion last week.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Kevin for many years. The first grant award from Guildford Philanthropy was to the Guildford Bike Project, which was launched by Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership. Both through the Community Foundation for Surrey and Guildford Philanthropy, I have been in regular contact with Kevin and seen first hand the incredible support he has given to our local community.

Since August 2000, he has been an ever-present force for good, helping to improve learning opportunities and engagement across Surrey. He leaves SLLP in very capable hands but he will be sorely missed. I wish you, Kevin, a very happy and well-deserved retirement!

Surrey Wellbeing Partnership.

Surrey Wellbeing Partnership is a consortium of 13 charities with a common goal of providing emotional well-being and mental health services in Surrey as part of the Mindworks Surrey alliance for Surrey County Council and Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board. In its first four years it has held 272,170 support sessions, both one-to-one and targeted groups.

The services are provided by Barnado’s, The east to west Trust, the Eikon charity, Emerge Advocacy, Learning Space, Leatherhead Youth project, the National Autistic Society, Peer Productions, Searchlight, Step by Step Partnership, Surrey Care Trust, The Matrix Trust and YMCA East Surrey.

I was delighted to be asked to speak about my NEET initiative and to congratulate SWP on their amazing work. They encapsulate what I believe is necessary in helping our young people by both encouraging collaboration and cooperation between organisations, and also by targeting early intervention to help reduce both the social and economic cost that can otherwise be incurred.

From my years with the Community Foundation for Surrey and Guildford Philanthropy I have previously helped fund a number of these charities and this year, as High Sheriff, I have been to visit most of them and see the incredible work they undertake in our Community.

The Prostate Project – So Many Lives Can be Saved if Prostate Cancer is Detected Early Enough.

Sadly, due to Shrieval duties, I had to cancel my holiday this week, but as that freed up a few hours, I took the opportunity to doing something positive for myself. Medefer and the Prostate Project were offering free testing today at the Cathedral in Guildford. Normally life gets in the way and arranging to have a blood test, which only takes a couple of minutes, never seems to find a place in the diary. However, as Martin Davies, Chair of The Prostate Project explained, so many lives can be saved if prostate cancer is detected early enough. Currently in the UK, 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes. Unfortunately, many cases go undetected in the early stages because symptoms often don’t appear until after the cancer has advanced. 

The Grange at Bookham – A Unique, Creative & Vibrant Place for People with Special Needs or Learning Difficulties.

Suzanne and I certainly did not pick the best day weatherwise to visit The Grange and tour round its 8 beautiful acres; but we enjoyed a very warm welcome from Alison Keeley (CEO), Felicity Parsons (Marketing, Communication and Fund-raising Lead) and many members of staff and residents.

The Grange has at its heart a beautiful old 19th century house which became the home of the School of Stitchery and Lace in 1938 with the aim to ensure women with disabilities developed skills to earn an income and live independently. Over time this developed into as place offering housing and support to both men and women with learning difficulties. They are a regulated care provider, a charity and a housing association and provide three services – Residential Care for those with higher care needs, Supported Living for people working towards independence and Skills & Activities – a wide range of training, work experience and mini businesses.

We saw a number of activities in action including, pottery, woodwork, horticulture, cooking, creative arts (mosaic, needlework, embroidery) and also learned many activities occur off-site with residents participating both recreationally and in gainful employment locally. The highlight was a delicious afternoon tea with raspberry and white chocolate scones made and served by the residents. Anyone can come for afternoon tea if they book in advance and it is also possible to hire the beautiful ballroom and conservatory for events.  I will certainly be booking in another visit, hopefully when the sun shines.  

Surrey Police Dog Training Centre – Mount Browne,

 

This had been a date long anticipated in the calendar. An opportunity to visit the Surrey Police Dog Training Centre at Mount Browne Surrey Police Headquarters in Guildford. Earlier in my Shrieval year I had seen the explosive detection dogs in operation at Gatwick Airport but Suzanne and I had the pleasure of meeting Sergeant JJ Jones for a tour of the Dog Training School. We were delighted to be joined by Ellie Vesey-Thompson, the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner. Sergeant Jones explained they are a trainer and provider of specially trained dogs for countries all over the world and their team of highly qualified instructors and kennel staff are experienced in dealing with all aspects of police and security dog training. A such, they are an income generating unit of Surrey Police. They have some 100 dogs based at the Centre, though housed with their handlers overnight. The dogs commence active training when one year old and continue in service until aged 8 or 9. They use spaniels and german shepherd dogs and there is specific training for explosive detection, drugs, cash and firearms detection, victim recovery and forensic evidence detection, and digital evidence detection. Just as importantly courses are run to train the dog handlers. They also operate a breeding programme as the success rate of a dog successfully completing training is higher. I am not sure Suzanne and my two Bernese Mountain Dogs would pass muster! It was a most enjoyable, informative tour.

The Maybury Support Group.

It is rare to be able to sit down and eat when carrying out Shrieval visits, so Suzanne and I were delighted when we visited the Maybury Support Group to find that they had laid on a veritable feast of samosas, pakora and chana chat for us to enjoy. It was one of numerous pleasures we enjoyed on our visit.

Set up in 2023, by the indefatigable Abdul Hamid, its purpose is to support the local community by providing a number of activities for both able bodied and disabled. The objective is to empower and educate the local community so they are better able to look after themselves. They run weekly coffee mornings for both men and women, local swim classes, excursions and on a Saturday afternoon (when we attended) a communal gathering at the Sheerwater Youth Centre. When we arrived it was a hive of activity with table tennis, badminton and pool games in full swing. Recent funding has allowed the use of a minibus to bring local disabled people to attend and everyone was enjoying the friendship and companionship that the session allowed. For many loneliness and isolation is an issue which started in COVID and has not easily been remedied. Support has been given from Surrey County Council, the Community Foundation for Surrey, Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum and Active Surrey to help develop the Support Group and from humble beginnings there were over 50 people in attendance when we visited.

It was a pleasure to be joined by Beccy Bowden from the Community Foundation for Surrey and Neelam Devesher from Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum who both addressed those gathered voicing their support. Abdul Hamid should be justifiably proud, together with his other trustees, for the wonderful supportive community they have created and the safe space and joyful camaraderie that the Maybury Support Group promotes.