A recent visitor to our club was Anne Elliott, High Sheriff of Durham. Hosted by Margaret Fenwick and welcomed by David Hogg (Anne is his last visitor as President), Anne gave us an interesting insight into what is involved in the position of High Sheriff.
Anne told us that the powers of the role are very much reduced from their creation 1000 years ago. Nowadays the Office is non-political and is by Royal Appointment for one year only with wide ranging duties from attending, with the Lord-Lieutenant, royal visits in the County, to supporting the Judiciary, the Police and other emergency services, as well as local authorities and church groups.
Anne also mentioned that the High Sheriff promotes a charitable cause named the County Durham Community Foundation which is involved in issues such as poverty alleviation, crisis response and youth engagement.
Many thanks Anne, for taking the time out of your busy diary to visit us. We very much enjoyed finding out more about your role. Anne is keen to speak to more community groups so please get in touch via Rotary and we will make sure your details are passed on.