Diary of the High Sheriff of Cheshire

Estate - 26.06.17

There’s been no rest for the High Sheriff of Cheshire these past few months! Sarah Callander Beckett not only owns and manages Combermere Abbey, but has also recently been awarded the honour of becoming as this year’s High Sheriff – a role appointed by Her Majesty the Queen to represent her in the County of Cheshire in matters relating to law and order.

Sarah works with all organisations from the police to judges to the armed forces, as well as church and faith groups. She also aims to highlight the issues faced by Cheshire’s rural community, and to celebrate the contributions brought by rural businesses. But what exactly has the High Sheriff been up to recently?

Sarah was appointed High Sheriff on 6th April – 74 guests attended the ceremony held right here in Combermere Abbey’s exquisite Library.

Less than two weeks later Sarah attended an award ceremony for an excellent cause – the British Empire Medal Awards. Held at Chester Town Hall, these awards recognise the contribution of unsung and, very often, unseen heroes and heroines in Cheshire who have given years of voluntary service to improve the lives of others. Four incredible volunteers were honoured by the Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, David Briggs, and all were treated to a delicious tea afterwards!

On 24th April, Sarah gave her very first speech as High Sheriff. Speaking to 200 women involved with local charities such supporting the police and medical services with the pressures of binge drinking and providing clean clothes and breakfasts to children from disadvantaged areas, Sarah admitted she was a little nervous at first! However, both the speech and the event itself were a huge success.

At the end of April, it was onwards to the East of the County for the Prince’s Trust Graduation Ceremony for Crewe and Macclesfield. Run by the Cheshire Fire and Rescue service, young people who may have found themselves in troublesome situations take part in challenges and teambuilding activities to raise their self-esteem. It was incredibly emotional and heart breaking to see where these youngsters had come from, but simply terrific to see how far they’d come since enrolling in the course.

May was absolutely brimming with events! Sarah attended the Mayor of Chester’s opening of the Modern Armed Forces Exhibition at the Cheshire Military Museum. The creative exhibitions showcasing surplus army jackets crafted to create a fitting tribute for the 50th Anniversary of the Sgt. Pepper album from the Fashion and Textile Department at West Cheshire College. The winning three jackets will be going up to the Beatles Museum in Liverpool.

The middle of May was full of invitations – from Reaseheath College to the Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace! The Garden Party was a truly spectacular and exciting day – accompanied by her husband Peter and son Peregrine, the High Sheriff had the chance to take a complete tour before heading to the great lawn. With nearly 9,000 other party guests, it felt like a festival! Sarah was introduced to Prince Edward and had the chance to catch up with many old friends before tucking into homemade cakes and sandwiches in the tea tent.

May also saw the launch of a brand-new arts festival in Cheshire – the Sandstone Ridge Festival. The High Sheriff was asked to present the prize at the launch event which celebrates local artists and sculptors. One of the most captivating events was a lecture by Lady Milena Grenfell Baines, one of the 669 children on the last train out from Czechoslovakia – an incredibly moving tale.

It was back to Chester’s Town Hall on the 18th as Sarah attended the Investiture of the incoming Lord Mayor. The wonderful ceremony saw speeches by the incoming and outgoing Lord Mayors, which was full of rites and historical tones.

Finally, HRH the Duke of York was on a royal visit to Cheshire, where the high Sheriff met him at the opening of a new facility at the Hartree Centre in Daresbury SCI-TECH. This ground-breaking collaboration between the University of Liverpool, Atos Computers and IBM have one of the UK’s largest supercomputers. Prince Andrew is clearly a huge standard bearer for technological advances and gave an excellent speech after his tour of the facility.

See how you could hold your wedding day at the place where the High Sheriff of Cheshire calls home.

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