Disabled Riders

 

 

Visited the Diamond Centre for Disabled Riders today. They provide unique facilities for over 360 disabled children and adults each week enabling them to enjoy therapeutic and recreational benefits of horse riding and carriage driving. What is amazing is that the Centre is serviced by 300 (yes 300) volunteers who do so much for the young and not so young riders. A huge thank you to them and to staff members. Everyone is so committed, including the pictured Chairman of Trustees,  a Trustee colleague and Delilah the horse. 

Mock Trials

Delighted to present the High Sheriff Youth Awards Shield to Woking High School who was the top placed Surrey School in the Surrey Heat of the 2017 Mock Trials. A terrific event when pupils from six schools play acted all the court roles in a mock trial. Extraordinary performances by 12 to 14 year olds as prosecution and defence barristers, the defendant etc. Proud that the High Sheriff Youth Awards supports this event. 

 

 

Send again

Back to Send Prison (my 4th or is it 5th visit in my Shrieval year) to attend the last day of the Sycamore Tree Course of Restorative Justice for 20 women in the Prison. This is all about encouraging and helping inmates facing unto their crime and the impact on victims so that they can then move forward. There is good evidence that this course does reduce re-offending. Wonderful work by a lot of volunteers who are so supportive of the Send ladies. 

 

 

Very Smart Cadets

Visited the Elmbridge Volunteer Police Cadet unit at the recently built Three Rivers Academy in Hersham. The 20 cadets who qualified into uniforms last November were a very impressive group of young people clearly hugely  benefiting from their experience of being Police Cadets. The new cadets will soon I am confident under the great guidance of the Police Officers be their match. Thank you as always to the Police staff who are largely volunteers. 

 

 

Agri Challenges

Attended the South of England Agricultural Society annual competition for young people with mild or moderate learning difficulties. Students from Colleges brought evidence of their work and took part in practical tasks on the day. One of which was to make a scarecrow. There were ten teams of which three were from Surrey involving 80+ young people. There was a splendid award ceremony where every participant felt rewarded. The happy looks on there faces said it all. Really worthwhile. 

 

 

Community Foundation

 

 

The Community Foundation of Surrey held their Annual Celebration Reception last evening at the Picture Gallery at Royal Holloway University sponsored by Barclays Bank and the University. They have a lot to celebrate having made 2,700 grants amounting to £7.9million over twelve years and also build up a substantial endowment of over £10 million. . The Foundation is committed to raise funds too support the needs of Surrey’s pockets of very marked deprivation.  Their recently published Impact Report demonstrates the money they allocate has been put to very good use helping thousands of individuals. 

GASP

Paid a second visit to the GASP Workshop near Shere. Under the leadership of the Chair Sally Varah and the CEO Henry Curwen they provide through practical engineering the opportunity for young people to discover new talents, re-engage with learning and gain in confidence.  A charity that really makes a difference to young people’s lives .

 

 

Physical Energy

Attended a Watts Gallery dinner at the Royal Academy to celebrate the Bicentenary of the birth of G F Watts and the display of Physical Energy in the Royal Academy’s Courtyard, the latter is a very impressive sight just off Piccadilly, do go and see it. If enough money can be raised Physical Energy will be installed adjacent to the A3 above the Watts Gallery.

Surrey’s “Angel of the North”.  

 

 

Almighty Organ

 

Choral Evensong at Guildford Cathedral yesterday was inspiring enough without the added delight of the dedication of the refurbished pipe organ. They have been using an electronic organ during the refurbishment of the whole Cathedral but yesterday evening they “switched on”  the pipe organ for the final voluntary and then invited the congregation to stay for a short recital by Katherine Dienes-Williams of three further organ pieces. The almighty sound filled the vastness of the Cathedral and was quite inspiring. What a delight. 

STEM Young Ladies

Presented the prizes yesterday evening to the winners off the Soroptimist STEM challenge for girls. This took place, very appropiately in the Physics Department of Royal Holloway University and on International Women’s’ Day . The young ladies were in schools years 8 and 9 and seven groups demonstrated their ideas for helping people in the poorest parts of the world. Lots of great proposals from a mobile fridge to  water purification. Well done to the winners. chosen by an eminent group of scientists (pictured).