Previous High Sheriffs
High Sheriff Sir Richard FitzHerbert Bt 25/26
I have had the most marvellous year as High Sheriff of Derbyshire seeing all the wonderful people places and organisations in our County that do so much good to others.
Thank you to all those that have supported me during my shrieval Year.
I now pass on the Derbyshire sword to the incoming High Sheriff Syed Iftikhar from Littleover. Good luck to Ifti as he undertakes his year. I know he will firmly grasp this most tremendous opportunity with those causes close to his heart, close to the communities in which we live deeply embedded in our wonderful county of Derbyshire.
Good luck Ifti…Have a Tremendous Year!
Sir Richard is honoured to be the latest member of this ancient Derbyshire Family to hold the position of High Sheriff of the County, Having been born in Derby in 1963.
Ian Morgan OBE - High Sheriff 24/25
It was a quite unforgettable year that passed by far too quickly. There were so many memorable events that whenever I was asked which was my favourite event, I just said “whatever I did yesterday” – it was easier!
But the visit of the Princess Royal to the Riding for the Disabled School in Buxton on what was probably the coldest day of the year was memorable in so many ways. Princess Anne really warmed the occasion with her relaxed conversation with just about everyone and particularly the disabled riders who put on a great display for us.
I was very privileged to declare the result of the Derbyshire Dales constituency as the Returning Officer during the General Election in July although it was a long night and we finally declared at 6.35am on the following day.
I really enjoyed the many visits I made to the Mini Police at a number of Derbyshire Schools. It is a great project that is changing culture and attitudes towards the Police, the emergency services and others. I was thrilled to play a part and it was always a joy to talk to the nine and ten year old children who always greeted with so much enthusiasm.
Then there were the events that made a deep and lasting impression. A ten year old boy who has endured multiple amputations and over 90 operations in his short life who decided to raise money for others by having his head shaved. The enthusiasm and joy of under privileged children a Derby Kids Camp in the Peak District, many of whom had never spent time in the countryside, or visited a farm or done so may of the things that others take for granted.
Working a shift at a Derby foodbank opened my eyes to the serious difficulties in which some people find themselves and the amazing volunteers who give up so much of their time, energy and commitment to helping them.
The emotion of attending a wonderful concert performed by children with invisible disabilities, and the heart breaking Remembrance service for the 8,000 massacred at Srebrenica are other events that made a lasting impression.
There were of course numerous moments of humour to remember, mostly associated with my Court Dress. The schoolboy who asked me why I had come to his school dressed as a pirate, and another who thought that my sword was for killing other High Sheriffs. The students in the High Street who said ‘Morning Blackadder’ as I passed by, and the lady who greeted me at an event by asking if I was the entertainment. I will miss all those moments but not the frequent queries, usually from men, who wanted to know whether I wore tights or stockings!
Towards the end of my year I hosted an Afternoon Tea at which I presented High Sheriff’s Awards to eighteen very worthy recipients who had either been nominated through the website or by me after meeting them at events. It was an inspiring experience and all the recipients were so grateful that their efforts had been recognized. They also really enjoyed hearing about the other award winners and of course meeting one another. I decided to announce each award winner on the High Sheriff social media feeds over a ten day period to give each as much profile as I could. The response was quite staggering, so many people ‘liked’ the posts, some took the trouble to contact me and thank me for highlighting the individuals and others said that they had started donating to one of the charities highlighted. Social media often gets a bad name but this was an example of how it can be a very powerful force for good.
I thought I knew Derbyshire as well as anyone when I started the year but with each day I realized just how little I know about our wonderful county. It is full of truly amazing people who freely give their time, effort, enthusiasm and passion to people who are in need for one reason or another and they do so because they care, and not for any reward. It has been a real privilege to meet so many of them, to hear about their experiences and to most importantly to thank them.
Theresa Peltier - High Sheriff 23/24
Choosing your best bits is rather like choosing your best music for Desert Island Discs. Like music, your choices can leave an emotional imprint for a variety of reasons, and depending on your mood your ‘best’ can change as regularly as the weather.
During my year of office as High Sheriff of Derbyshire, I attended just over 370 engagements. I have been exposed to the most wonderful people across Derbyshire where I’ve shared stimulating conversations, laughed heartily, been moved to tears, heard heartbreaking stories of loss, survival and resilience, and in practical terms got stuck in to better understand the lived experience of others. Without doubt, Derbyshire is a county bursting with the best in humanity.
My theme for the year was Unity is Community. With this in mind, the High Sheriff Legal Service which took place on Sunday the 8th of October 2023 at Derby Cathedral was a highlight. I strongly believe we achieve more if we recognise and value our differences and use them as our strengths to work collaboratively for the greater good.
Celebrating difference was the order of the day. From the deeply moving music courtesy of Derby Cathedral Choir, the organist and voice of soloist Jamie Joseph, to the delivery of prayer from Royal School for the Deaf Derby and Reigate Primary School students, who displayed such composure and dignity.
It was an opportunity to bring people together representing all that is great about Derbyshire, where our physical, psychological and social differences were accepted and embraced. Where conversations began, friendships flourished and alliances were strengthened.
By contrast, I spent a day with YMCA Padley serving breakfasts to those without a roof over the heads, a week with Derby Kids Camp, visited Jericho House, a home for males working hard to overcome drug and alcohol dependency, visited hospitals, youth groups, charities and more. Yet I only really scratched the surface, realising very quickly there are buried hidden gems rarely discovered across the county.
Celebrating and honouring the Windrush generation as part of the 75th year anniversary gave me a deeper appreciation of the sacrifices made by my Elders, as well as remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice through centuries of war and conflict.
Climbing Snowdon raised some money and my passion for dance enabled me to host the first Derbyshire UNstrictly Dancing fundraiser and the Embark Schools Dance Festival supported by the Embark Academy Trust, Cosy Foundation, and Indigo Communications.
We rely heavily on the goodwill of our volunteers, and the professionalism and hard work of our emergency services, judiciary, military, army personnel, charities, third sector organisations and community groups. I am immensely grateful for the support from His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant and the Lieutenancy, past High Sheriffs, the Under Sheriff and the public.
I have been privileged to be amongst a countywide demographic, where leadership, commitment, resilience and a passion for improving the lives of others was in abundance. Everyone I came across played a part in contributing to building stronger, safer and happier communities.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said “Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
Thank you to all who supported and walked with me as part of the journey.
Mike Copestake - High Sheriff 22/23
My primary project in my year as High Sheriff of Derbyshire was to talk to children in primary schools about careers and aspirations. The Derby South constituency ranked 532 out of 533 wards in the UK for social mobility according to the House of Commons Social Mobility Index in 2018. There are other districts throughout the County with similar low rankings. I wanted to show children of primary school age in Derbyshire what was available to them if they worked hard at school. I was helped in this by the likes of Rolls-Royce, Toyota, Alstom and Nestle. Rolls-Royce with their Small Modular Nuclear Reactor project and electric and hydrogen fuel cell powered engine projects for aircraft; Toyota with similar projects for cars; Nestle with their new, incredible robot-powered Buxton Water factory whose opening I was privileged to attend and Alstom with their high-speed trains. I was also privileged to attend the Rolls-Royce Science Prize giving awards for primary schools at their amazing Learning and Development Centre in Derby. Their Chief Technology Officer spoke to children about some of the great projects in which they are involved, such as engines for deep space missions to Mars. What is there not to inspire about that!?
At my presentations, we talked about jobs for the future. Included were not only jobs in science, engineering and coding but also entrepreneurship and jobs as electricians and heating engineers.
I delivered my presentation to over 6500 primary school students in, predominantly, the poorer districts of the county. I managed to get 55 primary schools onto a careers portal for primary schools called “Our Future Careers” run by a charity in London called Education and Employers. At the end of my year, the Department of Education announced a pilot to be trialled in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire for their much overdue own careers initiative for primary schools called “Start Small Dream Big”. I helped to get details of this project out to local academies and education authorities. Finally, I prepared a report on my observations which I presented to local politicians of all political persuasions, the University of Derby, local education authorities and academies. One of my observations was that there are now no British YouTube videos for primary schools on careers and aspirations.
Back in 2018, Derby Law Society and Enterprise 4 Education started an annual debating competition for years 7-10 students. I attended 2023’s final and judged a semi-final. The first competition was won by an incredible team from probably the worst-performing secondary school in Derby based in Derby South. Just before this year’s final, I heard that 2 of that team made it to Oxford and the other two to Russell Group Universities. This was a great example of what can be done to help children from more deprived backgrounds to be the best they can be.
Many of my presentations to schools were organised through Derbyshire Constabulary’s brilliant Mini Police. The Mini Police and the Police Cadets both received commendations. My police cadets are two remarkable individuals who will go far in the police force. I attended several police events including police awards. The incredible courage and compassion shown by the police officers who received the awards were amazing. Besides the awards a memorable event was the Anti-Violence Bee. Like the Knife Angel, this huge bee is made entirely of guns and knives collected by the Police.
It was a privilege to serve as High Sheriff for 2022/2023, to carry out my project and to have the opportunity to congratulate and thank so many people for the wonderful things they do. I had a fantastic working relationship with Lord Lieutenant, Liz Fothergill and with my highly knowledgeable and helpful Under Sheriff, Andrew Cochrane.