The Reverend Lady Lisvane
It is a great privilege to be invited to be High Sheriff of Herefordshire for 2017-18, and to take up a post which, after the Monarchy, is the oldest secular office in the country. There have been High Sheriffs, originally directly responsible for law and order (and for collecting taxes!) for more than a thousand years. I have had connections with Herefordshire for 40 years and I have lived and worked here since the birth of our elder daughter 34 years ago. During that time I worked as a business consultant, latterly concentrating on leadership and management; as a non-executive director in the NHS and as a trustee for various Herefordshire charities. I am currently the Chairman of the Hereford Diocesan Board of Finance. In 2013 I was ordained into the Church of England and I now work as an assistant priest in the Borderlink benefice, which has eight churches along the south side of the River Wye from Cusop to Preston-on-Wye. I am the third woman priest in England to be a High Sheriff, and the first in Herefordshire.
Herefordshire High Sheriff Declaration
Thursday 6th April My Declaration Ceremony, in which I formally became the High Sheriff of Herefordshire for 2017-18, was just a little daunting, but also rather a thrill. It took place in Court No.1 at the Shirehall – an historic courtroom which celebrates its bicentenary this year – look out for the celebrations later. The […]
SAS Memorial Sculpture & Window
Saturday 8th April The first hourly prayers in Hereford Cathedral were the occasion for the first viewing of the beautiful SAS Memorial sculpture and window in the South Nave. Ascension, funded by the SAS Regimental Association and public donation, celebrates the unique relationship between the SAS – “our Regiment” – Hereford Cathedral, the City, the […]
BBC Hereford and Worcester
Sunday April 9th I was interviewed on Kate Justice’s Sunday morning programme on BBC Hereford and Worcester. It was a great opportunity to explain the modern relevance of the office of High Sheriff, especially in relation to voluntary organisations, and to talk about my theme for my year, tackling loneliness and isolation – highly relevant […]
Easter
Friday 14th April – Sunday 16th April My duties as High Sheriff are naturally limiting the time I can give to my usual role as Assistant Priest in the Borderlink Group of Parishes which stretches along the South bank of the Wye from Blakemere to Cusop (almost in Hay-on-Wye), but it was as always intensely […]
Hereford City of Culture bid
Wednesday 19th April I had an excellent meeting with Roger Morgan, the Chairman of the Hereford Cultural Partnership, and Clare Wichbold, the writer of our bid, to talk about Hereford’s aspiration to be UK City of Culture for 2021. There are eleven cities competing, and they will be reduced to a shortlist of four to […]
Duke of Kent visits Herefordshire
Thursday 20th April The first Royal visit of my Shrieval year; I was in attendance as HRH The Duke of Kent visited Prometheus, a company based near Leominster, supplying state-of-the-art, pre-hospital medical equipment for use especially in trauma cases. The company trains healthcare professionals as well as lay people, and its world-wide reputation and export […]
High Sheriff of Powys Declaration
Friday April 21st To the Judge’s Lodgings in Presteigne for the Declaration of the new High Sheriff of Powys, Sue Thompson. The ceremony took place in the beautifully restored Victorian Courthouse where the Declaration in the even older Prayer Book English sounded quite at home. Fittingly, the blessing by the High Sheriff’s Chaplain was in […]
Kington Civic Service
Sunday 23rd April The Kington Civic Service. Lunch at Hergest Croft Gardens hosted by the Mayor of Kington, Elizabeth Banks and her husband Lawrence was attended by the new High Sheriff of Powys and other civic guests, and lunch was followed by a Service at Kington Parish Church led by the Revd Ben Griffiths, the […]
Great Spring Gardening Event – British Red Cross
Wednesday, 26th April 2017 The Great Spring Gardening Event for the British Red Cross. This was held in the delightful surroundings of Newport House, near Almeley, and was faultlessly organised under the chairmanship of Debra Tritton, the British Red Cross President for Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire, who was also our host for lunch. The BRC […]
SSAFA AGM
Thursday 27th April The AGM of SSAFA (formerly the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) took place at The Kindle Centre, Hereford. This featured case histories of Service people and their families who have used SSAFA in the last year. It was heart-warming to hear about the help that SSAFA was able to provide, and […]