►
|
Home (main)
Northumberland
Home
County News
Voluntary
Sector Support
High Sheriffs Awards
County History
Links
|
Northumberland
County News
2011/2012
It is rumoured I am the first ordained person to become a High Sheriff. As I write this, I am certain someone with far greater knowledge will immediately email ‘The High Sheriff’ to inform the Editor of a priest in the 13th century who served as High Sheriff in some long-lost county – meanwhile, I shall enjoy my ignorance and be thankful for the honour and opportunity.
The roles of priest and High Sheriff are remarkably similar. Both divide into public ceremony which many people assume forms the greater part of our ‘calling’ and the time we spend visiting people, organisations and projects. These visits are usually unseen. Perhaps, as High Sheriff, there may be a small article in a very local paper, but many people do not look beyond the ‘Gilbert and Sullivan’ side of a High Sheriff’s life - velvet, feathers, buckles and judges. How wrong they are!
Northumberland is divided by the A1. To the west, there are areas of prosperity and farm land. The north is staggeringly beautiful - a place of castles and crags, sea and hills (if you have only passed through on your way to Scotland you must stop!). To the east, there is the old powerhouse of Empire where coal was mined and ships built. Each area has its needs. In the north, there are some isolated communities and rural poverty. A town in the affluent west has the highest teenage pregnancy numbers in the County. In the east, there is considerable unemployment. Lack of hope and aspiration result in increased crime rates, antisocial behaviour and drug and alcohol abuse.
In these difficult economic times, every area of government, both local and national, is facing cuts. The voluntary sector is having to battle against uncertainty as it faces reduced funding and yet is having to fill the void left by government cuts. It is an interesting time to be a High Sheriff. The determination and selflessness of volunteers never ceases to impress. The ‘Big Society’ is alive and well and full of unsung heroes.
I have visited youth projects that transform the lives of those excluded from schools, where they gain qualifications and self-esteem, those who provide housing for the disadvantaged, enthusiasts who arrange a wide variety of activities for young people in rural and urban surroundings. I have witnessed gardens dug and music performed, presented qualifications and sat with a voluntary worker who wept with concern for a vulnerable young person. I have spent time with our top police force on the Tyne and on the streets (where, in conjunction with the social services they pick up ‘at risk’ young people and take them to a ‘safe’ house to be returned to their parents). I have watched Northumberland’s award winning Fire and Rescue services exercise, enjoyed Army drill nights and naval hospitality, remembered the Battle of Britain with the RAF and attended royal visits. Entertaining High Court judges, and being entertained by them, has left me with admiration and respect for our judiciary.
When the pressure of being High Sheriff becomes too great, the answer is to retreat to
a decompression chamber. This one is to be found at the Northumbria Police marine unit.
On one of the few ‘summer days’ I thanked those who serve this County so well by giving a garden party. Most High Sheriffs will have had similar experiences and seen similar things, many will have been busier.
We are all encouraged to have a theme, a purpose to our year. A combination of this summer’s unrest, visiting Prisons and talking to staff and those involved with rehabilitation has made me determined to use my role to set up a lasting legacy to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in society. One of the great benefits of being High Sheriff is that one can bring all sorts of people together. As a result of this, I am now in the process of forming the ‘RJP’ – the Rehabilitative Justice Project. It is a Trust that aims to change lives through training. Our first project is to restore an ancient building, transforming it into a country house hotel of excellence. Then, the hotel will be used as a place where skills in cookery, maintenance of buildings and grounds will be gained. The hope is that this may be a small wedge in the so-called ‘revolving door’ (where young people are continually in and out of prison.) The ever-rising prison population must be addressed and who better placed to do so than a High Sheriff?
Reverend Fiona Sample
High Sheriff of Northumberland 2011/2012
|
