HM Prison and Probation Service.

During my Shrieval year I have had the privilege of seeing Police work in operation, sat in on court sessions, visited prisons and met with charities which help rehabilitation; so I was delighted to have the opportunity of visiting the HM Prison & Probation Service in Staines with Suzanne this week to understand another part of the criminal justice system. There are three Probation centres in Surrey being in Staines, Guildford and Redhill.

I am extremely grateful for the time given and knowledge imparted by Linda Neimantas, Trudy Turner and Debbie Knight, firstly for giving insight into the probation service and then introducing us to various members of the team. It is common to hear about the challenges facing probation services, which will be exacerbated by the upcoming reforms, but it was good to hear that employment levels are rising in the service, although they are still running at 75% capacity.

We were delighted to also meet Jamie and Nicola who explained how AI was improving their working day by transcribing meeting notes and organising action points which means they can concentrate on their clients without having to manually take notes which later would need writing up. Also E-Supervision is being trialled so that in certain cases instead of making people on licence have to always come into the office they could be contacted and respond to questions on-line.

Charley and Natalie then outlined a new initiative of a breakfast club for women on licence, who could benefit from the social interaction of a group session rather than just having one to one meetings.

We next met two ladies who had nearly completed their training to become probation officers. They have been on an intense programme of 15 months. The programme is tailored depending on what education people had completed beforehand; but anyone can look to commence a career as a probation officer and it was a real joy to hear the enthusiasm from everyone we met.

We the heard about the role of the Victim Liaison Officer, who carries out the sensitive role of keeping victims informed of any information that can be disclosed about their offender, such as parole dates and release dates; and any special provisions that might need to be put in place.

And finally we met Peter and Jerry who are two of the team which lead those which have been given unpaid work orders. These orders can be for up to 300 hours and they are constantly looking for opportunities in the community where supervised unpaid work can take place. There are currently around 200 people carrying out unpaid work under this scheme in Staines. 

A thoroughly insightful and enjoyable visit.

[Pictured is Suzanne and I with with Trudy and Linda].

Woking – The Women’s Support Centre & The LightHouse – Woking.

On International Women’s Day, Suzanne and I attended an Open event at the Women’s Support Centre in Woking. It was our second visit to this inspiring place and it was wonderful to reacquaint ourselves with some of the amazing women here who provide help and reassurance to women in their community. We heard some impactful stories about how women had turned their lives around after misfortune and saw some of the creative sessions offered including art, reiki and crocheting.

We then took the opportunity to pop into see The Lighthouse in their new location. It was a hive of activity as it was community lunch day and also supplies of both food and toiletries were being distributed. Lucy gave us a guided tour and we ended up at The Cosy Coffee House upstairs and picked up a couple of delicious cheese scones to eat on the way to our next engagement. It was great to see The Lighthouse settled in its new home and being at the heart of the local community.

Bishop of Guildford – Andrew Watson. 1961-2026

It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Bishop of Guildford -The Right Reverend Andrew Watson. 

Bishop Andrew who was just 64 at his passing, has held the role for the past eleven years and was a prominent and well-loved figure in the community. The Archbishop of Canterbury – Sarah Mullally who visited Andrew at home before he died, said that he was a “Man of deep Christian Faith who had made an enormous contribution to the life of the Church of England”. 

Andrew was suffering from pancreatic cancer – both aggressive and difficult to manage and he bravely announced his diagnosis publicly last month informing, his diocese that he may only have a month left to live, sadly an accurate estimate, and in his statement said, “I don’t fear the prospect of Dying and find, to my relief, that my faith in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting has only grown stronger over the past few weeks. I’ve sometimes had private worries that, when faced with the starkness of a terminal diagnosis, my faith in the risen Christ might falter. Well, it hasn’t. Or better still, God hasn’t faltered, quite the reverse”. 

During the past year in my role of High Sheriff, I have seen him at work on many occasions but I particularly recall the VE80 Service of Thanksgiving and his offering in May of last year where the picture was taken (Andrew is far right).  I also fondly remember the carol service we both attended in HMP High Down last December when he addressed the congregation of over 100 inmates. 

It has been heartwarming to read the many tributes to him, described as a generous and gentle man, inspiring, a very active and committed Christian, and of course courageous. His bravery had already been established when last year he faced (as he said) his ‘rather feeble fear of heights’ by abseiling from the roof of Guildford Cathedral as part of a programme of events which raised £28,000 for the ‘Bishop of Guildford’s Communities Fund’. This enabled ten grants to support community projects that are providing meals for vulnerable families, hosting cafes for those who are isolated, as well as funding youth and community work across Surrey and Hampshire. This is an annual campaign that is launched on the first day of Lent each year. 

Suzanne and I would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to Andrew’s Family and our sincere thanks to him for his devoted service to the diocese. May the words he offered whilst facing the end of this life offer comfort to others in a similar situation and may he rest in peace. 

If you would like to donate in Andrew’s memory, find out more at; https://www.cofeguildford.org.uk/about-us/news/bishop-of-guildford-appeals-for-record-levels-of-giving-this-lent.php

Congratulations to our Forthcoming Lord-Lieutenant, Neelam Devesher and the Next High Sheriff – Joosje Hamilton DL.

Many congratulations to Neelam Devesher on today’s announcement of her forthcoming appointment as His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey in September when Michael More-Molyneux CVO retires in September.

Neelam was due to succeed me as the High Sheriff of Surrey on the 22nd of March, but in light of today’s announcement she has requested that the Privy Council withdraw her name from the list of High Sheriffs in nomination for Surrey. On the 10th of March we anticipate that Mrs Joosje Hamilton DL will be pricked from the list of High Sheriffs for England and Wales as Sheriff for the County of Surrey for the Shrieval Year 2026/2027

@surreylieutenancy @highsheriffofsurrey @bbcsurrey #lordlieutenantofsurrey #surreylife #surreylive #bbcsurrey #surreyhillsradio #surrey #shrievalty #highsheriffofsurrey

Recognising the Important Role of Ushers at HM Coroners Court in Woking.

It was an early start on Monday Morning to be fully attired in my Court Dress for a visit to HM Coroner’s Court in Woking. As High Sheriff I have the honour of giving High Sheriff Awards to deserving people across the County who have gone above and beyond in their service to the community. Quite often these people go unnoticed because they perform their role with such efficiency and integrity they are barely acknowledged. The HM Coroner’s Court in Woking currently has a Team of 19 ushers who perform a number of vital functions which ensure the smooth running of the court including: ensuring the listings drawn up, preparing the courtroom, swearing in witnesses, supporting families and providing comfort where needed, ensuring jurors are in the correct place at the correct time and many other necessary tasks.

At any given time there will be 4-6 Ushers on duty in the courts, and the work roster is drawn up to ensure the court is fully staffed when necessary; although a number of the Ushers have other jobs and timetables to balance. So it is a rarely they are gathered all together, which helped make the occasion today so special. Before the court sessions started, Richard Travers, Senior Coroner led the tribute to his staff before I added my own thanks and presented them with a High Sheriff Certificate. Simon Wickens, HM Area Coroner for the County of Surrey also joined in thanking the ushers and hopefully it provided an uplifting start to their week; it certainly did for Suzanne and myself.

An Exciting New Initiative to Help Prevent Young People from Becoming NEET Unveiled at the Crown Court in Guildford.

On Thursday night HHJ Patricia Lees and I co-hosted a ground-breaking fundraising dinner at Guildford Crown Court where key members of the Surrey community, including the Lord Lieutenant and 15 past, present and in nomination High Sheriffs of Surrey were treated to a fabulous meal by ‘The Clink’ events team. The Clink is a unique success story having formed in 2009 with a mission of reducing reoffending by training and rehabilitating people in prison. Over 5,000 people since then have been trained and 2,600 city and guilds qualifications have been achieved as a result. Suzanne and I visited the largest women’s prison in Europe, Bronzefield, earlier in my Shrieval year with HHJ Patricia Lees and we saw a mock up coffee shop they had to teach inmates skills prior to their release. Patricia mentioned she was trying to reopen the kitchen in the Crown Court that had been shut for 13 years and perhaps it could be used to retrain young people. By coincidence, The Clink were providing catering for an event I was hosting and Patricia linked up with them, and the idea took shape.The intention is for The Clink to run a training kitchen in the Crown Court running 12 week courses for 40 young people a year, whether ex-offenders, carer leavers or NEETS. They will have the opportunity to study for up to five City & Guild courses and will each be assigned a mentor to help resolve any other issues they may be facing. The Clink have recently opened a café at Herne Hill specifically to train young people that fall into the NEET category to help them become qualified in various catering skills. To date 100% of those undertaking the course have gone on to further education or employment. The evening was a big success; the cuisine we enjoyed was sublime and the service immaculate. It costs £5,000 to take each young person on this journey that can change their lives forever – a drop in the ocean compared to the economic and social costs of remaining NEET or reoffending.To find out more about NEET’s you can visit the High Sheriff’s website where there is in depth information provided by a team at The University of Surrey as well as photos and video from the conferences held during the past year. If you want to support the Clink which would enable them to help more vulnerable young people then please also visit their website at: https://theclinkcharity.org/projects

 

The High Sheriff of Surrey – Peter Cluff
HHJ Patricia Lees
Lord-Lieutenant.of Surrey – Michael More-Molyneuxt

Photography; Andy Newbold

All Welcome at Woking’s Welcome Church.

Suzanne and I enjoyed a wonderful couple of hours at the Welcome Church in Woking. It already is the centre of a vibrant community with a congregation of over 1,000 people, a Friday night youth club with over 170 young people engaged, a vibrant Monday Café where anyone come along and enjoy a hot meal for £2 and many more community-focussed events and support groups.

They are now, however, embarking an exciting new initiative and will shortly be opening the Woking Community Grocery in a newly refurbished building they have acquired next to the church mainly financed through generous donations. The concept of the grocery is to offer a helping hand to those who need some support to meet the cost of their weekly shop by offering food and other supplies at a discounted price. It will operate through a membership programme and will be open four days a week. It is hoped that as well as helping with living expenses it will help further broaden the local community. There will also be a café on site and support groups offering services if required. The aim is to have signed up 1,000 members to the grocery in the first year.

The enthusiasm of Dub Everitt, the Outreach Pastor; Beryl Hunwicks, Community Links Coordinator; Darren Green, the new Grocery Manager; and Kathryn Cliffe the debt manager was plain to see as was their faith and commitment to this fabulous new initiative. 

Find our more at; https://www.welcomechurch.uk

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!