Returned (in full uniform) to the North East Surrey Short Stay School (NESSS) Hersham Centre yesterday evening for a three course meal cooked by eight of the students for staff and parents. A great treat for the visitors with delicious food and exemplary service. For the young people, a valuable experience in cooking and serving at table all designed to raise their confidence and self esteem. Well done to the students!
Princess Alexandra opened, with her wonderful graciousness, the new Education Centre at Holy Cross Hospital in Haselmere yesterday. The Hospital helps people with severe disability and long term conditions. There are 40 beds and an atmosphere of a really comfortable and homely environment with very dedicated and skilled staff looking after the patients who are highly dependent. It was a privilege too meet Sister Mary Agnes who is the retired matron and now a trustee who is the embodiment of the culture of the Hospital. Her friendly face says it all.
I am taking an interest as High Sheriff in the issues surrounding young people being excluded, and being at risk of exclusion, from Surrey Schools. All very topical: headline in the Times: “Half of expelled pupils are mentally ill” which reported that more than half of prisoners have been excluded from school. Yesterday I visited the North East Surrey Short Stay School (NESSS) in Staines. NESSS provides 60 full time places for permanently excluded pupils and those at risk thereof. These young people will typically stay at NESSS for 12 weeks receiving individual programmes of education developing their academic and social skills with a focus on their emotional development. The objective is that they attain the confidence to return to and remain at a mainstream school. On the curriculum is home economics including constructing this pizza oven and cooking us a delicious lunch. The inspiring and committed head teacher is Michelle Blackman who is making a real difference to the life prospects of all these
young people.
Many of you will know well the Watts Gallery and the amazing Physical Energy sculpture, photographed here with the new Director of the Gallery, Alistair Burtenshaw. I am biased as a Trustee of the Gallery, but do go and visit the current exhibition: GF Watts – England’s Michelangelo which includes several fabulous Watts paintings on loan from other galleries and a wonderful sculpture of the head of GF Watts himself. The Gallery has commissioned another cast of physical energy to be positioned subject to raising the money on the A3 as Surrey’s “Angel of the South”.
Visited High Down Prison today and was well briefed by the Governor, Louise Spencer. She is responsible for some 400 staff and 1,200 male prisoners in this category B prison. Louise is a natural for this tough job being very experienced and forward looking. It was a privilege to be shown around the prison by Louise.
This last of the “season” Service was today in Winchester Cathedral in all its glory. The High Sheriff of Hampshire, Mary Montagu-Scott , filled the Cathedral with Civic leaders, a large array of Judiciary and amazingly 10 current High Sheriffs from Bristol to Surrey (as captured in the photograph). We all processed into the Cathedral for the Service the centre point of which for me was the sermon preached by the retired Bishop of Liverpool James Jones with a most articulate message of humility for the judiciary and for High Sheriffs. I congratulate Mary on organising this very special and memorable occasion.
Being the start of the Judicial year this weekend is rather rich in High Sheriff Judicial Services.We proceeded in some haste from Guildford to Parham House for the Service for Her Majesty’s Judges in Sussex hosted by the High Sheriff of West Sussex at St Peter’s Church at Parham House , where Lady Emma Barnard (the HS) is chatelain. The Church, close to the House, is rural (pews faced each other in boxes and there is a fire place lit on Christmas Day!) in a stunning location under the South Downs. The Service was very special in such an intimate location, but there was room for lots of judges and a Bishop along with other clergy. We were then entertained to a delicious
tea in the Great Hall. Congratulations to the HS of West Sussex for a very memorable afternoon.
This morning was the Service for the Judiciary of Surrey held in Holy Trinity Church in Guildford. We processed from the Guildhall to the Church for the Service and back again down the High Street with a Civic Procession led by the Mayor of Guildford and the High Sheriff’s Procession led by the Chief Constable as in the pictures, with my chaplain and the judges. The Service included the invitation from the Chief Constable to me as High Sheriff to reaffirm the promise I made at my Installation including the challenging words: “I will well and truly behave myself in my Office”. Also a powerful Declaration of Commitment to Public Service read by Cate Newness-Smith, the Chief Executive of Surrey Youth Focus. The Mayor of Guildford kindly hosted a reception in the Guildhall afterwards. Thank you to everybody involved in making this a very special day, in particular the Revd Cannon Robert Cotton of Holy Trinity, the Surrey Youth Choir and the amazing trumpeters who rather stole the show!
Today affixed to the road side of our garden wall this life size Silent Soldier reminding us to remember the fallen of the First World War. The Exhortation reads: “1914-1918 Lest We Forget”. The Royal British Legion of Surrey initiated and supplies this memorial and I encourage you all to consider supporting them by installing your own Silent Soldier.
Participated in the ceremony today hosted by the Chief Constable celebrating the promotion of 40 probation PCs to Independent Patrol Status. A wonderful group of well turned out young men and women who marched to the band of the Royal Logistic Corps. I greatly enjoyed talking to some of the PCs whilst inspecting their ranks. A perfect English afternoon tea in the Loseley Barn preceded the formal presentation of certificates. A special delight of the occasion was the presence of many family members so obviously rightfully proud of their sons and daughters.