Wine Walk Raised over £17k for Two Great Causes!

On June 21st I undertook, quite non-sensibly really in 30+ degree temperatures, with 14 other hardy souls, a 21 mile walk up and down the Surrey Hills connecting five vineyards:- Greyfriars, Chilworth Manor, Albury, High Clandon and Denbies (and not forgetting one brewery too – the Tillingbourne Brewery).

The intention was to both raise awareness at the start of English Wine Week of the fantastic vineyards we have in our County and also raise money for two good causes:- the High Sheriff Youth Awards and Guildford Philanthropy. I am immensely gratefully to everyone who supported us and now having counted all the donations I am delighted to announce we raised a remarkable £14,050 to split equally between the two great causes. Also, Guildford Borough Council kindly match-funds 50% all donations to Guildford Philanthropy which pushes the overall fund-raise to £17,562.

I would like to give huge thanks to Richard Game of Cressive DX (one of Guildford Philanthropy’s founding Corporate Ambassadors) and Andy Crossley (Panel Member of Guildford Philanthropy) for their support in organising the event, and Andy Newbold for the photos and protein bars on the day!

Next Steps for NEETs - August 2025 Update

Next Steps for NEETS – August 2025 Update.

As I have previously related, a High Sheriff in their Shreval year can help shine a light on a particular issue and for me it is to highlight the number of young people who reach the age of 16-18 and are not in education, employment or training (NEET). On average in Surrey over recent years some 8.4% of young people in that age group each year are NEET or their status is unknown. Whilst not as high as some other parts of the UK, it still amounts to over 1,400 young people a year. I started my year by commissioning a research report by the Centre For Britain and Europe at the University of Surrey as part of a discovery process to ascertain the different cohorts that make up this NEET population and the interwoven factors that are at play. We have since then held three conferences inviting all stakeholders in the space to share their knowledge, data, experience and ideas with a view to finding collaborative solutions through earlier or alternative intervention. Prevention is better than cure both socially and economically. I attach a link below to the latest output, again produced by the Centre for Britain and Europe (CBE), which summarises our discovery progress to data, details the discussions and outcomes from the latest conference and outlines next steps. I am extremely grateful to Professor Amelia Hadfield and her team at CBE for their continued support and diligence, and also to everyone else who has contributed to the initiative so far.

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-08/NEETS-Insights-to-Actions.pdf

Citizenship Ceremony in Reigate.

On August 11th I was delighted to preside over four British Citizenship Ceremonies, back to back at Surrey County Council’s offices in Reigate.

It was rather warm to be wearing three layers of velvet and black stockings but that was on the only downside of a most enjoyable day. Suzanne and I enjoyed meeting with our newest citizens and their families, hearing their many stories and joining in with their excitement.

A special mention must go to the team who put on the ceremony, ensure all the paperwork is correctly assembled and make sure everything passes off without a hitch. I am pictured here with Debbie, Jo and Matt.

An Encouraging Update from FareShare.

You may have read my blog earlier this month about our visit to the Fareshare facility in Guildford – a vital service that provides food supplies to charities in the Guildford area. They have just forwarded me their recently published impact report which contains some encouraging figures which I thought I would share with you – you can find out more about FareShare which serves three southern counties at: https://fareshare.org.uk

In Surrey last year, FareShare Sussex & Surrey served 60 different charities and community groups who received food totalling 802 tonnes, feeding 6,900 weekly beneficiaries, and saving charities £5,040,744 in food costs.

Across the three counties, FareShare Sussex & Surrey served 248 different charities and community groups who received food totalling 2,651 tonnes!. This equates to 6.26 million meals which fed 28,520 weekly beneficiaries, saving charities £16,537,824 in food costs

2,422 tonnes of Co2 were also saved and 728 different volunteers donated a total of 32,963 hours!

I think you will agree that FareShare are doing an incredible job and not only helping to eradicate hunger in the UK. They are also doing more than their bit to help the environment. A big thank you must go to the volunteers too. 

If you would like to help – please donate at; https://fareshare.givingpage.org/fuller-lives

A Change of Scene for Young People who Struggle to Cope in a School Environment.

What a lovely way to spend a Friday afternoon, petting alpacas, black-faced sheep and goats. Not to mention giant tortoises and a lovely pig called Truffle!. Suzanne and I were being shown around Change of Scene’s assisted outdoor learning facility near Farnham by their CEO, Pam Robinson. They have been based here for 17 years working with young people who struggle to cope in a school environment. Working 1-2-1 with a key worker, learning to care for the 16 species of animals helps them gain the skills and confidence necessary to return to sustainable education and break the cycle of exclusion. For the last couple of years there has been a growing seem of concern as there is a need to depart form their current location in the next few months and despite a number of near misses an alternative location appeared to be beyond their reach. But fortunately, following publicity gained from a BBC a new home will shortly be unveiled, bringing a huge sense of relief to the team at Change of Scene and the 165 young people past and present who have benefitted from spending time with them.

Positive Prisoner Rehabilitation in Kent – The Glasshouse.

Suzanne and I were delighted to be invited by The High Sheriff of Kent, Jonathan Neame, and his wife Lucie to accompany them on a visit to The Glasshouse; a charity that grows and nurtures extraordinary plants with women serving in UK prisons providing horticultural training and employment support with the aim to reduce reoffending and support second chances. We had the opportunity to meet Katie, the CEO, and with women who were on a programme devised by The Glasshouse. They work four days a week on release from HMP East Sutton Park, returning to the prison each evening. They learn transferrable skills working in the plant shop in Cranbrook, the nearby warehouse, which stores the plants short term before delivering to either online clients or  one of their 34 office clients up in London, or they travel up to London to carry out plant maintenance services on the plants bought by their office clients. 

At any one time The Glasshouse will have 5 or 6 female prisoners going through their programme and the intention is to have a job available for them on their release. To date they have helped 30 women and none have reoffended. One lady who now works for them explained how her life was turned around by the skills taught whilst in prison and the offer a job on release.

The Glasshouse in 2024 and 2025 exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show each time winning a gold medal with the staff and prisoners working side by side. This year they worked with Jo Thompson, one of the UK’s celebrated garden designers, who created The Glasshouse Garden, incorporating some of the features the women said they missed in prison including running water, fragrant smells and the beauty of nature. The installation has now been mover and installed at HMP Down View in Surrey where it can be enjoyed in the open part of the prison.

A Visit to an Open Prison in Kent

Suzanne and I have visited three prisons already in Surrey during my Shrieval year so far but on Friday July 25th we were invited by the High Sheriff of Kent, Jonathan Neame, and his wife Lucie to accompany them on a visit to HMP East Sutton Park an open prison near Maidstone in Kent. It is housed in over 80 acres including a Jacobean manor house and has no walls or fences. Women at East Sutton Park generally have three years or less to serve on their sentence and they are given the opportunity to work on the farm at the prison or to go out on day release with local employers; giving them more freedom and interaction with people ahead of leaving prison. Currently there are 80 women at East Sutton Park and over 60 are participating in ROTL (Release on Temporary Licence) schemes. The women are released four days a week returning each evening to the prison. 

The prison governor, Amy Dixon, is also the prison governor of HMP Downview in Surrey and The Glasshouse charity (which we had visited earlier in the day) has been involved with both prisons. They work with some of the women at East Sutton Park who are allowed out on ROTL, teaching them employability skills and helping to prepare them for life after release. The Glasshouse teaches horticulture skills to 5 or 6 women at a time and offers them permanent employment on their release. They are looking to expand their operations to other women’s prisons where ROTL schemes operate and hopefully this will include HMP Downview.

https://www.prisonadvice.org.uk/prisons/hmp-east-sutton-park

Royal Holloway Graduation

Graduation Ceremony at Royal Holloway, University of London.

I was delighted to be part of the presentation party at the graduation ceremony at Royal Holloway, University of London, this morning. The School of Business and Management students were graduating and harking from an accounting and business background myself it was great to see so many happy faces from the Class of 2025. Professor Julie Sanders, Vice- Chancellor and Principal, addressed the graduates and all were enthusiastically applauded by family and friends on collecting their certificates. We then all took part in a photo shoot in front of the impressive college buildings where I also had the pleasure of meeting Colossus the Bear, the University mascot, who was the only one wearing a more sweat-inducing outfit than myself!

Graduation Ceremony – Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey.

I was delighted to be invited to attend and join the procession for the graduation ceremony on Friday July 18th held at Guildford Cathedral for those graduating from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey.

Such ceremonies are always a joyous occasion with proud friends and family in attendance; but this ceremony also had special significance as Dr Julie Llewelyn, past High Sheriff, was being awarded a Honorary Degree for her services to Surrey.

I have known Julie for a number of years through our work with the Community Foundation for Surrey and it was a privilege to be in attendance for this well deserved recognition. Jim Glover, also a past High Sheriff, recent Pro-Chancellor of the University and past Chair of the Community Foundation was also there to join the celebrations.

The Kings Award for Voluntary Service 2025 – Nominees Reception.

Last week Suzanne and I attended a reception at Loseley Park to recognise the nominees of the Kings Award for Voluntary Service 2025. This annual event was hosted by the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey – Michael More Molyneux, who was also joined by the Vice Lieutenant – Mary Cresswell, the Chairman of Surrey County Council and local Mayors. 

This year the 16 nominees are – Artventure, Banstead village in Bloom, Camberley Care Trust, Camberley Nepalese Gurkha Association, Cranleigh Arts Centre, Epsom Repair Café, Ewhurst Secret Gardens,  Friends of Albury Old Saxon Church, Hale Community and Youth Centre, Phoenix Cultural Centre, Space2Grow, Spelthorne Dementia Support Group, Surplus to Supper, the National Honey Show, Voluntary Support North Surrey and Sutton Vision.

It was a great honour to meet and chat to so many Surrey people who give up their time for the good of the community and join the Lord Lieutenant in congratulating and thanking them for their commitment. 

If you are part of a voluntary group and would like to  find out more about the awards and the nomination process, please visit –  https://www.surreylieutenancy.org/the-kings-award-for-voluntary-service/.

Artventure Trust
Banstead Village in Bloom
Camberley Care Trust
Camberley Nepalese Gurkha Association
Cranleigh Arts Centre
Epsom Repair Cafe
Surplus to Supper
Friends of Albury Old Saxon Church
Hale Community & Youth Centre
Phoenix Cultural Centre
Space2Grow
Spelthorne Dementia Support Group
Ewhurst Secret Gardens
The National Honey Show
Voluntary Support North Surrey
Sutton Vision

Photos by Andy Newbold.