‘The baton has been passed on’

Life is full of surprises.  If anyone had told me 30 or even 5 years ago that a girl from the northern Netherlands would hold one of the oldest secular offices in the UK after the Crown, I would have been rather incredulous. But here we are.

It will be an interesting and exciting year and I am hugely looking forward to it.

It will also be a challenging year as I have rather large shoes to fill. Peter Cluff DL has been a very active and highly effective High Sheriff and has done a phenomenal amount for the young people of Surrey who are “Not in Education, Employment, or Training”. If I can manage half of what Peter has done during his Shrieval Year, I shall be happy!.

Thank you to everyone who attended my declaration Ceremony as High Sheriff of Surrey last Friday.  I felt very supported by you all on that beautiful sunny Spring day and ready to assume this important and historic appointment.

I very much look forward to working with the Under Sheriff Dr Mike Kelly JP, Reverend Clare Marren the Chaplain, and the police cadets Dylan and Husam. Together we will have a wonderful Shrieval Year to celebrate what a vibrant and innovative county Surrey is.

Congratulations to Mrs Joosje Hamilton DL. – the New High Sheriff of Surrey.

Mrs Hamilton from Betchworth, was appointed at a ceremony on the 10th April before Mrs Dee Wilkinson JP, at the historical Guildhall in Guildford. After being handed over the badge of office by outgoing High Sheriff – Mr Peter Cluff DL, she introduced her Chaplain for the year – Rev. Clare Marren and her Cadets Dylan and Husam. Also appointed was a new Under Sheriff – Dr Michael Kelly JP who took over from Caroline Breckell MVO DL after 18 years of dedicated service as Under Sheriff.
Following the time-honoured ceremony which was attended by past High Sheriffs and civic Dignitaries, were speeches from the outgoing and new High Sheriffs and the Lord Lieutenant- Mr Michael More-Molyneux CVO.

Find out more about this ancient role and the work of the High Sheriffs past and present at; www.highsheriffofsurrey.com

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…..and Finally……

My biggest thank you goes to Suzanne for being as fully committed to my Shrieval year as I have been. The year has been so much more rewarding and enjoyable because we have shared it together and we have spent more time together this year than in any of our previous 29 years of marriage; and as a consequence I know, to an even greater extent than before, what a lucky man I am!

All Good Things Must Come to an End; An Amazing Year that has left me Humbled and Enlightened!

Tomorrow I hand over the role of High Sheriff of Surrey to Joosje Hamilton, who will become the 805th person to hold this ancient office.

It has been a privilege to have been appointed as High Sheriff of Surrey by HM The King this past year. I have undertaken some 400 engagements, meeting many inspiring people in my role supporting the Judiciary and all who uphold the King’s Peace, together with those working for charities or volunteering; and I have been left humbled and enlightened by the experience. I finish my year with a much stronger belief in the strength of our local community and the goodness in our society than when I took office.

I would like to thank everyone I have encountered for their dedication and purpose; and for helping to make this past year so revelatory, life-affirming and memorable. Here are just a few of the many great memories of this past year.

Service for the Judiciary 2025
Royal Holloway Graduation
University of Surrey - Graduation Ceremony

Catch Me on Air at Surrey Hills Community Radio – Thursday 9th April at 10am!

Anyone who knows me is aware that I am a big fan of music and are often surprised at my particular interest in the Rock Music Genre so it was a real treat for me to be asked along to Surrey Hills Community Radio in Leatherhead to be interviewed – not just about my last twelve months in office but also to share my favourite tracks and talk about my passion. 

Surrey Hills Community Radio was formed in 2014 with just a handful of local music enthusiasts which included Managing Director Dave Smith – the driving force behind the success and ethos of the station, Manager – Kayleigh Arunasalon, who keeps everything running smoothly (and who created the excellent website), and the tech maestro – Phil Wessell who is literally responsible for everything all working so brilliantly. There are however, many others that are credited with the success of the enterprise – it really is an excellent team effort and these days there are over sixty regular presenters from all walks of life, many of whom have challenges in their own lives and all enjoy the social aspect of being part of something where everyone has a common interest.

The station recently received a Kings Award for Voluntary Services and welcomed HRH The Duke of Edinburgh who hosted a show that was aired on his 60th birthday. It is a great community asset and one which gives a great deal of pleasure to all involved. The shows can be listened to online and there is a big variety of offerings – something for all ears! I was interviewed by one of the original presenters, Mark Batchelor, who famously presents ‘The Soul Shack’ – a true veteran of the station whose first show was aired on the 2nd day the station was on air back in 2014. In between chatting about some of my experiences as High Sheriff and my theme for the year of addressing the NEET crisis, Mark played my chosen gems – you will have to listen in to find out what they were but I think I picked a cool eclectic mix!

Who knows there may be a slot for me as a Surrey Hills Community Radio DJ in the future! 

So ask your smart speaker to play ‘Surrey Hills Community Radio’, listen via the ‘Tune-in app’  or visit the website at  https://www.surreyhillsradio.co.uk to learn more about the station and check out the schedule. But if you really want to hear some great music my interview is being aired on: THURSDAY 9th APRIL at 10AM.

 

(With my PR & Media Guy and a co-founder of SHCR – Andy Newbold, and Mark Batchelor – Photo credit – David Smith)

An Award for Volunteer – Charles Farmer.

It was a pleasure dropping into the Guildford Food Bank on Friday evening to present Charles Farmer with his High Sheriff Award. Charles has volunteered for many years, fives days a week at the food bank and is a “wonderful hardworking, gentle, humorous and incredibly kind person” as described by his co-workers. Suzanne and I encountered him when we visited the food bank last year and were so impressed as we watched him busying around and helping everybody.

Charles typifies the people Suzanne and I have encountered throughout my Shrieval year; quietly, selflessly, seeking to improve the lives of others. It is our pleasure to give him the acclaim he so richly deserves. It was wonderful, so many of Charle’s fellow volunteers were also there to celebrate with him; along with Geoff Andrews, Chair of Trustees.

An Award for an Inspiring Lady – ‘Oasis’ Founder – Caroline Edwards.

Suzanne and I were delighted to present Caroline Edwards with her High Sheriff Award today.

Caroline has been brave to state that she is a survivor of abuse. This, combined with a career in safeguarding children, led her in 1996 to begin a lifelong dream of creating Oasis, a place where no one would ever have to feel isolated and alone again. She set out to create a second family for those who had none. A sanctuary for those seeking safety. A place where people would feel listened to, could seek advice, and be given the means to rebuild their self confidence, resilience and independence. The charity has over many years established a wide range of preventative services to support families from falling into crisis as well as safeguarding services that support children and adults identified as victims of abuse. Oasis has through Caroline’s inspired leadership, amongst many other achievements, helped over 6,000 children stay with their families.

An Award for The Centre for Britain & Europe’s Amelia Hadfield.

Delighted to catch up with Amelia Hadfield from the Centre for Britain and Europe (CBE) at the University of Surrey today to present her with a High Sheriff Certificate to acknowledge her huge contribution to the Community, primarily through her research and engagement on my Shrieval theme on preventing young people from becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) but also for her many other contributions to research and her charitable endeavours.

Indeed she was presenting the findings of the latest CBE research project today at the Welcome Church in Woking undertaken on behalf of Surrey Community Action. Titled Beacons and Bridges, it is a paper on the state of the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector

Bridges & Beacons Presentation by Surrey Community Action.

I was delighted to be at the presentation of a new piece of research commissioned by Surrey Community Action this week. Titled Bridges and Beacon – State of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector. 

The programme was introduced by  CEO, Jason Gaskill who handed over to Amelia Hadfield and her team from the Centre for Britain and Europe from the University of Surrey, who had undertaken the research. The findings showed that the need in Surrey is rising and is unevenly distributed; many organisations are operating on very thin margins; collaboration is important but the capability to engage is uneven; and the strongest case for action is about funding (multi-year), partnership and infrastructure.

Judging at Therfield School, Leatherhead – The First Give Final.

I had an enjoyable time being a judge this week at Therfield School in Leatherhead at the First Give Final.

First Give run an excellent programme at any school willing to take part. At Therfield it was the Year 8s that participated but any year can sign up. Six weeks before the Final they are given a briefing about supporting a charity and each class in the year picks a charity to find out about, raise awareness for and fund-raise. At the Final, representatives from each class give a short presentation on their chosen charity and are judged on the content, creativity and delivery of the presentation and their commitment to the charity, creativity and impact of the project.

All six classes produced excellent presentations and they had all been undertaking creative activities to raise awareness and fund-raise. The winning class, which was a unanimous decision by the five judges, was Class 8YI who were supporting the Mary Francis Trust, a Leatherhead based charity helping adults with mental health issues.

The photograph show head teacher, James Malley and the representatives of the Class 8YI with the winning cheque.