The High Sheriff is Questioned in Dorking!

I  enjoy all aspects of being High Sheriff but there is something special about being dressed up in my Court Dress meeting young children!

I had that pleasure on June 19th when I was invited by Louise O’Connor DL, a Governor of St John’s Church of England Primary and Nursery School in Dorking, to address the school assembly.

I was welcomed by the Head, Jacky Fyson and heard about their unique culture which aims to put the school at the heart of the community by supporting parents as well as teaching their children under the principle of Nurture, Inspire, Flourish. Jacky has been Head for some ten years, bringing a ethos of belonging and inclusion and the school is a role model for how  a school can connect with the local community and give confidence and aspiration to its children.

I enjoyed telling them all in Assembly about the history and the present role of a High Sheriff and was bowled over by the number of questions from the children (some of which I could answer!). A thoroughly enjoyable morning.  

Skillway – Teaching Practical Skills to 13-16 year olds to Children who are at Risk of Becoming NEET

I had the pleasure of meeting Derek Pollard and Jack Tomes from Skillway at their premises in Godalming and I was also delighted to meet up again with Kevin Delf who was there from the Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership.

My Shrieval theme is to help young people at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) and that often requires early intervention and the opportunity to provide training outside the usual academic curriculum; Skillway operates squarely in this space. They aim to motivate and build confidence in 13 – 16 year olds by teaching them practical skills allied to trades and to nurture their personal potential – sometimes for the first time. Working in harmony with a student’s current education they endeavour o give them a feeling of success and an ability to achieve in a low pressure, nurturing environment.

Generally, their students are finding it difficult to succeed within the academic confines of school; becoming disengaged and sometimes disruptive. Frequently, the young people they serve are from challenging circumstances and can struggle to see their future positively.

At Skillway, their students enjoy ‘hands on‘ learning delivered by skilled volunteer craftspeople, with longstanding experience of their specialism. They are treated as young adults in an environment unlike school and are prepared to take the next step towards a positive future. The Skillway workshops are housed in the chapel buildings of Nightingale Cemetery. They have metalwork and woodwork workshops in the chapel and a separate Creative Craft studio at back of their tranquil Godalming site.

They currently support over 40 young people who are at risk of becoming NEET and thanks to their efforts hopefully these young people will have a more positive future.

Gosden House – a wonderful school for 4-16 year olds with learning and additional needs

I had the pleasure on June 17th with Suzanne to visit Gosden House, a wonderful school for 4-16 year olds with learning and additional needs on the outskirts of Bramley. It sits in extensive grounds and offers a wonderful leaning and caring environment to its pupils.

We were shown round by Rebecca Smale (Head), Catherine  Kneller (Deputy Head),   Liz Sutherland (Trustee), and Finn, one of the pupils who made a first rate guide and was very proud of his school. As well as focusing on core learning skills and communication the school also offers valuable life skills, for example a number of pupils are working together to refurbish an old flat within the building, and learning about all the decorating and furnishing aspects involved.

We also had the pleasure of meeting Mariann Kehrling again from the charity Artventure who twice a week run art classes at the school. Art forms a big part of the development of pupils at Gosden House, with wonderful examples on the walls throughout the school.

Everyone both staff and pupils seemed to be enjoying being at Gosden House, and so did we!

[picture from left to right, me, Rebecca, Liz and Catherine]

ChoirBLAST – Godalming Alive with the Sound of Music, (and the indefatigable Phoebe Gaydon!)

Having enjoyed a wonderful start to the day with over 1,900 Beavers and Rainbows at Surrey Bazzaz, Suzanne and I then had the most uplifting afternoon at ChoirBLAST, where 78 choirs came together in Godalming, performing across 11 stages, bringing joy to both the singers and the audience alike.ChoirBLAST is a charity that celebrates the joy of contemporary group singing through an annual festival and community initiatives. Bringing together choirs from across the world, ChoirBLAST creates accessible choir projects for all ages and abilities, hosts vibrant, inclusive events that unite communities and raises funds for local causes. They believe that music is for everyone, whether you’re a seasoned singer or someone who has never sung a note before. By creating choirs in schools, workplaces, care homes, and community spaces, they aim to give everyone the chance to experience the power of singing together.​ Fostering inclusivity and connection their goal is to bring people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds together. Whether young or old, able-bodied or differently-abled, music has the power to bridge gaps and build a supportive, inclusive community.All this was evident at the festival, with vast numbers of people enjoying the free event, on a glorious sunny afternoon. We saw the Guildford Jazz Choir, the Halow Project Choir, an NHS Choir from Hull and many others.

ChoirBLAST is the brainchild of the indefatigable Phoebe Gaydon who runs a number of choirs locally, including in schools and for local charities like The Meath and Halow Project and she was rushing around the various stages all day on a scooter to be wherever one of her choirs were performing. She, her fellow trustees and all the volunteers brought so much joy to so many people with this their third festival. Make sure you are there to join in next year!

You can visit their extremely vibrant website at https://www.choirblast.com

The Triennial Surrey Bazzaz at Merrist Wood College.

The Triennial Surrey Bazzaz – 1900 Surrey Beaver Scouts and Rainbows descend upon Merrist Wood College!

Luckily the sun shone and the forecast thundershowers the day before did not materialise, as over 1,900 Surrey Beaver Scouts and Rainbows came together on Saturday June 14th at Merrist Wood College for the triennial Surrey Bazzaz. Accompanied by some 800 leaders everyone had a wonderful time undertaking a variety of creative activities and experiences, such as bouncy castles, ride on model trains and climbing walls.

It was a tremendous feat of planning by Callum Hawker, the Event Lead and his team and the enjoyment on the faces of all the young members of Scouting and Guiding was lovely to see. We joined in with the (battery-operated) piggy racing, ducking stool and other activities and bumped into Deputy Lieutenant Martin Gerard with his pack the 2nd Cuddington, seen in the picture with Adam who was our escort for the day.

Scouting and Guiding offers so much for young people of all ages and I would encourage all parents to find out where your local pack is and find out more.

A big shout out to all the leaders and volunteers for making bringing so much fun and friendship to so many young lives….and if you were wondering my piggy won it’s race! Find out more HERE.

Non NHS, Vital Life Saving Resource Needs Public Support.

Suzanne and I had the pleasure of visiting the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance team based at Redhill. We were also joined by the High Sheriffs of West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, in a show of Shrievalty support for the incredible work the charity undertakes.

It is not widely known that they are a charity, they are not part of the NHS and they have to raise £20m annually to keep their three helicopters flying and supported. They respond to some 3,300 incidents a year and can reach any part of the South East in under 30 minutes. Each helicopter has a fully equipped emergency room on board and, if necessary, open heart surgery or emergency anaesthesia and be carried out in flight.

Since the charity was launched 35 years ago they have attended some 46,000 incidents, saving countless lives.

They do however need your support, for some reason the support from Surrey lags behind that of the other counties, so please both corporates and individuals, if you can, get involved. You can find out more here https://aakss.org.uk/ or to donate £20 a month please visit https://aakss.org.uk/donate/ – you never know when you or someone you love may need their help.

Honorary Fellowships, and an 800th Anniversary at Royal Holloway University.

Suzanne and I were lucky to be invited two nights in succession to the wonderful Royal Holloway University.                                                                                                                                                                        On Wednesday June 11th, the occasion was the Honorary Fellows ceremony which took place in the beautiful chapel, where Professor Julie Sanders (Vice-Chancellor and Principal) and Rt Hon The Baroness Hodge of Barking DBE PC (Chair of Council) presided over the evening when four new honorary fellowships were awarded to Sarah Jane Chimbwandira, Father John Dickson SDB, Nicholas Perryman and Kehinde Ojo.

The following evening Suzanne and I were honoured to be invited to the Magna Carta 800th anniversary dinner in the Picture Gallery at Royal Holloway, where 110 people were gathered to celebrate the sealing of the definitive and final Magna Carta in 1225. Ten years after the original version was sealed, this version was sealed consensually by Henry III and addressed to all people in the Kingdom and has endured ever since. The evening was arranged by the Runnymede Magna Carta Legacy Trust and huge thanks go to the Chairman, Paul Beck, and the rest of the Trustees for an excellent evening, including a wonderful musical interlude from the Royal Holloway Choir and an excellent speech from Lord Hannan of Kingsclere.

Kane FM Youth Project.

I had a great morning with Jenniann and Gid at Kane FM Youth Project’s hub in Farnham. I saw the mixing desk in full flow as a young person, being guided by Gid, was mashing up a couple of drum and base tracks. They guide young people towards a Level 3 Art Award but also crucially help them with any problems they are undergoing, all on a shoe-string budget funded by generous grant awards. I am looking forward to seeing their new studio facilities which are being created at the Lockwood Arts, on the Slyfield Estate in Guildford, which will enable them to inspire and support even more young people.

Find out more about Kane FM HERE

A Powerful Demonstration of a Local Community Coming Together to Help its Own Young People.

A meeting to discuss the NEETS crisis and initiate the North Leatherhead roll out plan.

An important part of being High Sheriff is to shine a light on an issue of importance in the County and I have been drawing attention to the number of young people in Surrey ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ (NEET). I commissioned research from the Centre of Britain and Europe at the University of Surrey to produce and analyse data on the various cohorts that make up the NEET population and the factors which lead them to this position; and then held a conference at the University inviting key stakeholders who are aware of the issue and are trying to tackle it.

The outcome of the conference was to establish a Community of Practice or Steering Committee to encourage co-operation and collaboration between various entities, statutory and non-statutory to share knowledge, data, experiences and ideas to enable joined-up decision-making; and working parties to focus on data sharing, single-front door mentoring guidance and the creation of local community collaboration hubs.

On June 10th at KBR’s wonderful office campus in Leatherhead, such a local community came together in a very powerful show of local unity. Bill Donnelly and Eddie McArdie co-founders of The Link Centre assembled representatives from all parts of the local community including the local authority, education providers (from primary schools through to further education colleges), employers (including KBR, The Wates Group, Kier Property Group), the Police and local charities and voluntary service providers. The Chair (Tim Hall) and Vice Chair (Bernie Muir) of Surrey County Council and the CEO of the Surrey Camber of Commerce (Louise Punter) were also in attendance.

The evening was chaired by Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, who encouraged a vigorous debate after I had addressed the meeting on the NEET issue across the County and the findings of both the research and the conference at the University of Surrey. We heard storied of lived experience, challenges but also positive messages encouraging change. An initiative to teach horticulture skills and another to provide construction skills training to young people at risk of becoming NEET, whilst still at school, with the intention of guaranteeing them a job on completion was put forward by The Link Centre and offers of support were received from those in room. It was cooperation and collaboration personified and an example of what perhaps can be achieved for other local communities when they come together.  I look forward to working with them to help reduce the number of NEETs and those at risk of being NEET in North Leatherhead.

Photography: Andy Newbold

A meeting to discuss the NEETS crisis and initiate the North Leatherhead roll out plan.

Epsom & Ewell Community Fund – Ten Year’s of Supporting Local Charities.

I was delighted to attend a celebratory breakfast on June 10th in Epsom, along with the Lord Lieutenant, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Epsom & Ewell Community Fund. The fund is one of a number of area funds administered by the Community Foundation for Surrey (CFS) across the County, and both Beccy Bowden (CEO) and Neelam Devesher (Chair) from CFS were also present.Chris Frost has led the team of volunteers since the outset and received a commendation from the Lord Lieutenant for his service. We also heard form two local charities of the impact that grants from the Fund have had in helping them in with their work in the community.

Having been the Chair of another area fund, Guildford Philanthropy, for  a number of years, I can attest to how difficult it is to raise funds and raise awareness, but how gratifying it is to see the fruits of your labours. Very well done to Chris and all the volunteer team at Epsom & Ewell Community Fund.  

Visit the website HERE.