KEEP OUT

 

Visited HMP Coldingley for a “Crime Diversion Scheme” session run by the charity KEEP OUT bringing together four serving prisoners (serving long sentences) and seven young people most of whom had been excluded from mainstream schools. The purpose being to demonstrate to the young their personal responsibility for the choices they make at an early age. The prisoners’ stories were very powerful and honest about the root causes of their crimes and the pathway to prison. They highlighted preferable attitudes and behaviour. Well done KEEP OUT. 

PRIME PRIMARY

Visited St John’s C of E Primary School in Dorking. A school with a chequered history but which has been transformed in the last 2+ years by the Headteacher, Mark Richards. As a strong leader he has developed a strong ethos around “every child matters”, putting  learning  first, developing personal skills  and providing well targeted support to those pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Involvement of parents is all important .

This model will, with these early interventions, contribute to reducing the level of school exclusions with all the individual and social  benefits that that will generate. 

 

 

PRISONERS' OPERA

The gym of Highdown Prison. The setting for a performance of Les Miserables to a packed audience.  But no ordinary performance, as it was presented by the Prisoners and Staff of HMP Highdown and Pimlico Opera. There could be no better location to tell the story of Jean Valjean released from jail and his ardent jailor Javert, the tension between God and the Law and the prospect of redemption. The power of the tale was magnified by  prisoners acting and singing many of the roles of the opera combined with the haunting music.  No more so than when at the end of the performance the audience was asked to sit in our seats until the prisoners on the stage were taken, after a standing ovation, and locked up in their cells for the night. A musical and acting  treat with powerful and emotional messages. Wow! Well done to the participating prisoners and prison staff and of course to Pimlico Opera who instigated these inspiring prison opera performances. 

 

 

Hersham Masterchefs

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!

 

 

Sister Mary Agnes

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. 

 

Pizza

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. 

Physical Energy

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”. 

 

 

High Down

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. 

Judicial Service 3

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

Judicial Service 2

 

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.