Intergenerational Music Making Event at the United Reformed Church – Guildford. A Wonderful Interactive Christmas Event.

It was such a pleasure to take part in the Intergenerational Music Making (IMM) event at one of Guildford’s most active churches last week.

The United Reformed Church caters for people of all ages and faiths and the minute we walked in, the Christmas spirit was abundant, mainly due to around 40 beautifully decorated Christmas trees – an annual festival to raise funds for local causes.

This set the scene perfectly for the morning of music making which involved local people and two groups of school children. Intergenerational Music Making (IMM) is a national not for profit organisation working with people and communities of all ages. Rooted in music and creativity, they co-design programmes that bring generations together, reduce loneliness and improve health and wellbeing. Their work builds intergenerational solidarity and creates stronger, more connected places where everyone feels they belong. 

IMM’s Charlotte Miller on guitar, supported by a piper, pianist and saxophonist delighted young and old alike, encouraging plenty of interaction and the first groups of young local school children delighted the audience with Christmas carols and of course we all lent our voices too! Soon after they were joined by the juniors complete with Christmas hats.

Suzanne, Myself and one of my cadets – Imogen, who had joined us for the days visits, had a great time and the music session ended up with Imogen having Santa hats piled high on her head by the mischievous children much to everyones amusement! To wrap up the morning I had the honour of presenting ‘High Sheriff Youth Awards’ certificates, with Trustee Ron Enticott, recognising the grants awarded by the HSYA to IMM, ‘Big Leaf Foundation’ and ‘The Matrix Trust’ – Three wonderful organisations who do so much for our community.

Find out more about IMM at https://www.imm-music.com

Photos by Andy Newbold

University of Surrey hosts a Prestigious International United Nations Event.

I was delighted to attend a prestigious event at the University of Surrey, attended by the Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, Michelle Gyles-McDonnough. The University is one of only 32 International Training Centres for Authorities and Leaders, called The CIFAL Global Network. These centres are co-ordinated by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) each operating as a hub for innovation and knowledge exchange, offering high impact training that brings together government officials, the private sector, academia and civil society to promote sustainable development and empowering local leaders to address global challenges. 

CIFAL Surrey was launched last year and already has had a significant impact under Founding Director, Amelia Hadfield, who also choreographed the day’s events. The new Vice Chancellor of the University, Stephen Jarvis,  addressed the conference together with Alexander Mejia, Head of CIFAL Global Network and Michelle Gyles-McDonnough.  There was an opportunity to tour the Institute for Sustainability and meet the CIFAL staff and students before enjoying a networking dinner.

A Festive Evening with the Surrey Magistrates

.Suzanne and I enjoyed a very festive evening at the Guildford Institute with the Surrey Magistrates who had taken the theme of wearing something red very seriously. Also present was the Lord Lieutenant, legal advisors, ushers and rota admin staff, and it is one of the only occasions when all parts of the Magistrates team are gathered together.

As High Sheriff one of my responsibilities is to support the Judiciary and all who uphold the Kings Peace, so it was a fitting occasion to be able to thank them for their unwavering dedication and service. They often have to sit for long hours making difficult decisions that require not only legal knowledge but also compassion and understanding. Over 90% of all cases start and finish in Magistrates Courts. 

Magistrates are all volunteers and they have to give up time to be trained, sit in court and often undertake extra admin and other responsibilities to keep the courts running. Amazing some 60% fit in this public duty around their paid employment. I enjoyed meeting some of the magistrates I met at their swearing in ceremony earlier this year and congratulated others that the Lord Lieutenant presented with long service awards. It was also wonderful to catch up with Dee Wilkinson JP, the Surrey Bench Chair, and the person who performed the official duties at my Installation Ceremony earlier this year.

Christmas Carols in the Inspiring Great Hall of Farnham Castle.

We had a day of contrasting carol services this week when, after enjoying singing with prisoners in the chapel at HMP High Down, Suzanne and I travelled to Farnham Castle where, together with the Lord lieutenant in the inspiring Great Hall, we enjoyed singing carols again and also listening to the amazing Farnham Youth Choir. We were also joined by the Mayor of Farnham and the Mayor of Waverley; and the evening also raised money for the wonderful local charity Headroom, who Suzanne and I had met back in June. They help young people together with their parents or carers who need support with anger management or other issues. It was lovely to see Sue Evans, the CEO, and her team again and to see the local community coming together to give them support. It was out first visit to Farnham Castle but certainly will not be our last. It is open to the public for tours every Wednesday. 

https://www.farnhamcastle.com/

https://www.headroomcharity.co.uk

https://www.fyc.org.uk

A Contemporary Interpretation of Old Favourites for the Emergency Services.

Attending a number of carol services could become repetitive, but the Emergency Services Christmas Carols at St Saviour’s Church in Guildford provided a modern twist as the church’s band and singers provided a contemporary interpretation of old favourites. The service was led by Rector Graham Shaw and Associate Minister Lucy Webb and representatives of all the emergency services were in attendance. I was joined by Imogen and Grace, my Police Cadets, whilst other police cadets performed admirably in serving drinks and mince pies to everyone. We managed to grab a photo of them all and also a photo of a number of the wonderful Street Angels who were also there, catching up with some of the people we went on patrol with earlier this year.

Festival of Christmas Carols in HMP High Down Chapel

Suzanne and I were delighted to join a number of prisoners, prison staff and visitors for the Festival of Christmas Carols in the Chapel in HMP High Down.

The service was led by Canon Reverend Egerton Ghonda and The Advent Message was delivered by The Bishop of Guildford, The Right Revd Andrew Watson.

For many prisoners Christmas can be a particularly painful season, stirring memories of family, childhood and past choices. The carol service and the act of singing helps to uplift the heart and singing together breaks down barriers. We were led by a choir and musicians formed of prisoners that are coached weekly by Liberty Choir, a national charity dedicate to the rehabilitation of prisoners. Another charity, 2makeit, provides opportunities for creative expression including music, art and writing; and during the service a group of prisoners performed A Londinium Nativity which had been written by Canon Reverend Egerton Ghonda.

After the service we enjoyed refreshments and the opportunity to talk to some of the many prisoners who had attended the service.

Raffle Prizes Sought for the Hive Christmas Fair – Park Barn!

It was lovely as always to see Katie Czop from Guildford Borough Council. Katie is Community Engagement Advisor and based at The Hive in Park Barn, she also helps me and the other Panel members of local charity, Guildford Philanthropy.

I dropped in some prizes for the raffle for the Christmas Fair at The Hive on December 22nd and Katie would be very grateful for any other raffle prize donations.

‘Beacon of Peace’ Evening – Celebrating Charity Support by Our Muslim Community.

Suzanne and I enjoyed an uplifting evening at the Beacon of Peace Celebration evening in the Masroor Hall near Farnham, where cheques were presented to some 50 charities and a delicious meal was served. It was wonderful to see such a collection of charitable and voluntary organisations being rewarded for their efforts. I presented a few of the welcomed cheques and said a few words.

Beacon of Peace is an initiative that was founded 40 years ago, in 1985, by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Association, part of the UK’s oldest established Muslim community. Every year various fund-raising events are held across the UK attracting thousands of participants, and to date an astonishing £11m has been raised and over 660 charities across the UK have benefitted. In the current financial year, the organisation has supported five schools locally across Waverley and East Hampshire, in addition to funding more than  60 charities across the country.

Their mission is to alleviate suffering, assist those in need, foster community cohesion, support humanitarian initiatives, bring people together, enhance understanding, and promote peace among people from all walks of life.Ambitions we should all aspire too. Every penny that is raised goes directly to the beneficiary charities. All the organisers are volunteers and all administrative and operational costs are very generously covered by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Association.

We also had the privilege of visiting the beautiful mosque alongside the hall and despite the best efforts of the awful weather nothing could dampen the spirits on such an inspiring night.

https://ameauk.org https://beaconofpeace.org

#beaconofpeace #ahmadiyyamuslimeldersassociation #farnham #servinghumanity #waverley ##community #charitysupport #highsheriffofsurrey #bbcsurrey #surreylive #surreyhillscommunityradio #surreylife

Guildford Food Bank – The Big Give Campaign.

Guildford Food Bank is taking part in the Big Give this week. They are incredibly grateful for all the donations received so far, which has meant they have met their campaign funding target. They would really love it if you could help them to reach £20,000 by the end of the campaign week, which is 12pm on the 9th December.  Donations so far this year have not been enough to meet their costs and so this campaign is key to covering December costs when demand for their services is double what they see in other months of the year and also to get 2026 off to a good start. 

Situation

Food and energy poverty. We provide emergency food relief with parcels tailored to the family and the family size, enough for a week. Demand has increased for the past 3 years and with a reduction in state benefits in 2025 we expect the demand to increase further in late 2025 when families have to pay more for energy and still need to eat. We know that December demand will be extremely high and we want to be able to support these families with food and energy support.

Solution

Our food parcels relieve the stress of food poverty for a period of time so the clients can focus their resources elsewhere. We also provide supermarket voucher to provide clients with food choice in the festive season. We have engaged Energy Manage CIC to support and advise clients who are billed for their energy and partner with Fuel Bank Foundation for pre-payment meter clients. We want our clients to feel cared for and ensure they have enough warm food to eat, in a warm home.

Please share this with as many contacts as you can and also share their Facebook updates to spread the word across Guildford.  Thank you so much for supporting the food bank’s vital work to support the most vulnerable in our community.

YOU CAN HELP TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS CHRISTMAS!

Please visit their campaign page here Guildford Food Bank Big Give

Thank You from Peter Cluff – The High Sheriff of Surrey.

Guildford Philanthropy Christmas Meet at Guildford’s New Lighthouse.

Having been the Chair for nearly eight years and still a Panel Member, I was very much looking forward to the Corporate Ambassador Christmas drinks held by Guildford Philanthropy. Since 2019, nearly 50 local businesses have signed up to become Corporate Ambassadors of Guildford Philanthropy. It is an annual commitment and the vast majority renew that commitment every year. It provides a positive virtual circle as local charities benefit, firms satisfy their corporate and social responsibility through a donation (and if they choose pro bono help and staff volunteering days) and in return Guildford Philanthropy holds events every year where the businesses can network and see first hand what their donations have helped achieve.

The event was held at The Lighthouse’s new location at the top of Guildford High Street, which had been visited earlier in the week by the Duchess of Edinburgh. Last year, as a result of the amazing amount of money Guildfrod Philanthropy raised with Sally Barker, the then Mayor of Guildford at the Mistletoe Ball at G-Live, £10k was donated to The Lighthouse who then were able to provide 400 local children from deprived backgrounds with a Christmas present.

Erik Jespersen, Co-Founder of The Lighthouse, with his wife Rebecca, outlined to those present the incredible work they undertake to transform lives through kindness, belief and hope across four Lighthouse centres in Woking, Barnsbury, Aldershot and Guildford.