The Official Party (namely Charles Lillis, Rhoddy Swire, Lord Justice McFarlane, The Reverend Kelvin Price, Christine Holmes JP, Madeleine Butcher and Sallie-Anne O’Byrne).

Friday 23rd March 2018 My last act as High Sheriff was to officiate at the transfer of the office to Rhoddy Swire near his home in Ludlow. After an excellent lunch at the Swires in Broad Street, we processed to Palmers Hall, where Lord Justice McFarlane gave a witty and elegant address, following which Rhoddy… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 22nd March 2018 At the invitation of the High Sheriff of Worcestershire, Mr Stephen Betts, Veronica and I attended the Declaration of the new High Sheriff, Mr Cassian Roberts, in the Shirehall in Worcester. The Reverend Timothy Wright OSB, ex Abbot of Ampleforth, was appointed as the High Sheriff’s Chaplain. Stephen Betts gave an… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 22nd March 2018 At the invitation of the League of Friends of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Veronica and I attended the formal Opening Ceremony for the new MRI scanners at the hospital. We met many of the key staff involved including the head of department who explained that the new scanners will provide much… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Tuesday 20th March 2018 Telford College kindly hosted the High Sheriff’s Outstanding Young Citizens Award Ceremony in their Sports Hall. As in previous years, we had a very good selection of strong entries. The nominees, a third boys and two third girls, ranged in age from 7 to 19 years old, and nominations covered a… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Saturday 10th March 2018 At the invitation of the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Cllr Jane Mackenzie, Veronica and I attended the Purple Tie & Tiara Ball held at the Shrewsbury Town Football Club. We greatly enjoyed the evening which was for the benefit of the Mayor’s Charity Fund, a group of charities combatting alcohol and drug… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Monday 19th March 2018 At the invitation of Christine Holmes JP, my predecessor as High Sheriff, I attended the Performing Arts Centre, Shrewsbury College, to see the “play” put on by Theatre Clwyd for schools in Shropshire so that pupils can appreciate the the consequences of falling foul of the police and the justice system.… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 15th March 2018 Veronica and I attended a meeting of the Whittington Brownie Pack in the charge of Tawny Owl Fiona Wilkinson Roberts. I came in uniform and gave a brief talk on the role and history of the High Sheriff. I was delighted that they had heard of Mad Jack Mytton, the first… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 15th March 2018 At the invitation of Jamie Edwards, CEO of Shrewsbury Town in the Community (the charitable arm of Shrewsbury Town Football Club), I visited the Community Hub next to the football ground to see the work being undertaken by the charity. I was shown round by Jamie Edwards and Jade Hibbert, Education… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Wednesday 14th March 2018 At the invitation of Mrs Katie Tanner DL, Veronica and I joined the Moreton Hall Business Lunch, which was extremely well attended by members of local businesses and the professions ,and went off beautifully. Xavier Rolet, former CEO of the London Stock Exchange, gave an excellent key note speech. In it… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Sunday 11th March 2018 Veronica and I attended the Service for the Commonwealth at Shrewsbury Abbey in the presence of the Vice Lord-Lieutenant, Colonel Mark Cuthbert-Brown CBE, DL, and the MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, Daniel Kawczynski. It was a beautiful service with fine singing from the choir and an inspiring sermon preached by Bishop… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 8th March 2018 At the invitation of Andy Goldsmith, Chief Executive of the charity, Veronica and I visited Hope House (https://www.hopehouse.org.uk/home.html), a hospice for children suffering from a fatal illness, based at Morda near Oswestry and also near Conwy in North Wales. It operates across Shropshire, Cheshire and North and Mid Wales. The aim… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Wednesday 7th March 2018 At the invitation of Superintendent Jason Wells, Veronica and I attended the Shropshire Policing Area Commendations and Awards Evening at the Shirehall, Shrewsbury. There were some 12 commendations to 19 people, including several members of the public. Many of the commendations were for extraordinary acts of bravery or for the successful… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Monday 5th March 2018 At the invitation of Head Teacher, Mrs Claire Belk, Veronica and I attended an assembly at Bellan House, a pre-prep school in Oswestry, which our own children attended 20 years ago. We were very warmly welcomed by Mrs Belk and her staff, and were delighted to see that the school still… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Monday 26th February 2018 Veronica and I attended a Remember Veterans Conference arrranged by the charities YSS, Ubique and the Veterans Contact Point. It was hosted by Lady McFarlane DL, Chairman of YSS. This is an extremely important cause as we need to give every support to the Armed Forces, and particularly when they fall… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Tuesday 27th February 2018 At the invitation of Jason Amyes, Unit Manager of the St John Ambulance Centre in Oswestry, Veronica and I visited the centre to witness an evening training session for cadets. We saw classes teaching first aid and deaf & blind signage, as well as a session devoted to identifying risk. We… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Tuesday 27th February 2018 At the invitation  Shirley Tart DL, Veronica and I visited the offices of the Shropshire Star in Ketley, where we met Martin Wright, Editor, and received a most informative presentation. We were very interested to see where the main press coverage for Shropshire news originates and were sorry only that the… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 22nd February 2018 At the invitation of Mrs Susie Bayliss, Veronica and I attended a meeting with the fitness group that meets regularly at Chetton Village Hall. The meeting was also attended by the Mayor of Bridgnorth, Ron Whittle and his wife Carol. Clearly these fitness groups are an excellent way of combatting rural… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 22nd February 2018 At the invitation of Mr James Hervey-Bathurst, who is a trustee of the Severn Valley Railway (SVR), Veronica and I made a visit to the Railway in Bridgnorth where we were met by Nick Paul, the Railway’s Chairman, and Mike Ball, Deputy Chairman. Mike Ball boarded the train with us and… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Tuesday 20th February 2018 At the invitation of Mrs Charlotte Howard, High Sheriff of Clwyd, Veronica and I accompanied her on a visit to the Blind Veterans Charity in Llandudno. We were received by Mr Paul Wynne-Williams, manager of the home in Llandudno, and Nicky Shaw, Director of Operations (West). They briefed us on the… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Monday 19th February 2018 Veronica and I attended a meeting at the Flaxmills arranged by Alastair Godfrey of Historic England (HE) with Sir Laurie Magnus, Chairman of HE, and Lady Magnus and ex High Sheriff Robert Bland DL and his wife Tricia. We were given a tour of the Flaxmills so that we could view… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Friday 16th February 2018 At the invitation of Group Captain Baker, Veronica and I accompanied Lord and Lady Trenchard on a tour of RAF Cosford. Lord Trenchard, who holds the honorary rank of Air Commodore, took the salute at a parade of the Queen’s Colours awarded to the base. We were then shown round the… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thurday 15th February 2018 At the invitation of Group Captain Norris, Veronica and I attended a lunch at RAF Shawbury followed by a very interesting afternoon touring the base and in particular visiting the the new facilities for training helicopter pilots (including the latest generation of flight simulators) and the excellent simulators for teaching air… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Sunday 11th February 2018 At the invitation of Councillor Tony Neville, Mayor of Whitchurch, Veronica and I attended a Civic Service in the beautiful parish church of St Alkmund. The service was conducted by the Reverend Canon Dr Judy Hunt and included a fine selection of hymns. We greatly enjoyed the service and it was… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Friday 26th January 2018 At the invitation of Cllr Syephen Reynolds, Veronica and I attended Telford & Wrekin’s Civic Ceremony to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day in the presence of the Vice Lord-Lieutenant. This year’s theme was “The Power of Words”. We heard a moving poem entitled “No Name” written and read by two year 10… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 25th January 2018 Veronica and I visited Battle Back, a rehabilitation centre for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, funded by the the Royal British Legion. We were met by Chris Joynson, the Operations Manager, and given a briefing on the approach that they take to rehabilitating those who attend their week-long… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 25th January 2018 At the invitation of Cllr Lyn Fowler, Mayor of Newport, Veronica and I visited the Guildhall, where we were met by the Town Clerk, who introduced us to the Mayor, and to Cllr Tim Nelson and Bernie Jones, Chairman of the Shrewsbury & Newport Canal Trust. We were extremely impressed at… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Wednesday 24th January 2018 Veronica and I attended the Wellington Civic and Leisure Centre to witness the Citizenship Ceremony by which twelve men and women formally became British citizens. Cllr Stephen Reynolds, Mayor of Telford & wrekin, and I both made short speeches of welcome to the new citizens and their guests. I urged them… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Monday 22nd January 2018 At the invitation of the High Sheriff of Cheshire, Sarah Callender Beckett, Veronica and I joined a visit to Jodrell Bank Observatory, together with the surrounding High Sheriffs from Clwyd, Cumbria, Lancashire, Manchester and Staffordshire. We were treated to a series of talks on the development of the Observatory, the plans… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 11th January 2018 At the invitation of Alastait Godfrey, Project Leader for Historic Engalnd at the Flaxmill Maltings, Veronica and I visited the site to view the progress being made in the restoration of the main mill. We greatly enjoyed the visit and were extremely impressed with the effect of re-opening the windows (which… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 11th Januray 2018 Together with Mrs June Whitaker DL, Veronica and I visited the Battlefield Energy Recovery Facility in Vanguard Way, Shrewsbury. The facility is operated on behalf of Shropshire Council by Veolia, and the Plant Manager Scott Francis kindly gave us a presentation on the design and operation of the facility, followed by… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 11th January 2018 At the invitation of Chris Greenough, Commercial Director of Salop Design and Engineering, a metal pressings and assemblies’ manufacturer based in Shrewsbury, Veronica and I visited the factory in Harlescott. We greatly enjoyed the visit and were fascinated to see the presses in operation and to learn about the high grade… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Wednesday 10th January 2018 At the invitation of Hilbre Jones, I visited the Men’s Shed at Oswestry Showground. I was delighted to meet about 15 members of the Shed, including its chairman Neil Conuel, and to be shown round the various buildings which have wood- and metal-working machinery available for use by members. The theme… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Sunday 17th December 2017 At the invitation of the Reverend Prebendary Paul Lockett, Veronica and I attended a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at All Saints Church in the presence of the Lord-Lieutenant. The choir sang most wonderfully in this very fine church, which had been beautifully decorated with flowers. After the service we… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Friday 15th December 2017 At the invitation of the Alzheimers Society, West Midlands, Veronica and I were invited to a carol concert at Shrewsbury Abbey. We were treated to three choirs – the Much Wenlock Male Voice Choir, Bella Acapella from Ludlow and the Rock Choir Shrewsbury. We greatly enjoyed the whole concert and thought… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Thursday 14th December 2017 At the invitation of the University Centre Shrewsbury, Veronica and I attended a Christmas Carol service at St Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury in the presence of the Lord-Lieutenant. The service was taken by the Right Reverend Mark Rylands, Bishop of Shrewsbury. The University Centre Shrewsbury Christmas Choir and Musicians led the singing… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Wednesday 13th December 2017 At the invitation of the Chief Fire Officer Rod Hammerton, Veronica and I attended their Fesitival of Carols at Barnabas Community Church, Longden Coleham in Shrewsbury. The church choir gave a strong lead to the the singing of the carols, with further excellent music from the Bicton School choir and Josiah… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Tuesday 5th December 2017 Veronica and I attended the Service for Advent organised by the Hereford Cathedral Perpetual Trust in the Guards’ Chapel at Wellington Barracks, London. It was a beautiful service with wonderful singing by the Hereford Cathedral Choir, and was attended by the Lord-Lieutenants of both Herefordshire and Shropshire. Rhoddy Swire, who will… :—-> Read Full Article Here

Sunday 3rd December 2017 At the invitation of the Reverend Harry Edwards, Lead Chaplain for the Severn Hospice,  Veronica and I attended their Lights of Love service at St Chad’s in Shrewsbury, together with the High Sheriff’s Chaplain, the Reverend Prebendary David North. Becky Richardson, Severn Hospice Deputy Director of Care, gave an address about… :—-> Read Full Article Here