As the website indicates, the office of the High Sheriff is quite unique in that the ‘what’ remains constant but the ‘how’ in terms of how the role is carried out by each High Sheriff, each year, is different. Today there are 55 High Sheriffs serving the counties of England and Wales with each High Sheriff approaching their ‘how’ in different ways whilst ensuring that the ‘what’ remains constant.

A non-political Royal appointment held for a single year which uniquely brings together the community it serves by upholding and supporting the Crown and the Judiciary, the work of the police, the prison services and other law enforcement agencies, the emergency services, local authorities, church, faith, and belief groups. That is the ‘what’!

The oldest secular Office in the United Kingdom, the office of High Sheriff has been in existence for over 1,000 years. As we look at our history and the way society has evolved, the High Sheriff can both ‘honour our history whilst encouraging evolution’ – which is the over arching theme of Dame Ann Limb’s year as High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire 2023-24.

Now, to the ‘how’!

In a county that has a high percentage of people with mixed ethnicity, a strong track record of stimulating start-ups/ businesses and one where the voluntary sector thrives, Dame Ann has invited eight volunteers drawn from across Buckinghamshire and representing a range of sectors to become her Goodwill Ambassadors for the period of her shrieval year. A diverse group of people who bring with them a reflection of the community she serves.

This is evolution!

Honoured to be one of her Goodwill Ambassadors, I see an avenue through which I can promote, interpret and communicate an understanding of the role to the communities in which I belong whilst supporting her values, role and work as well as showcasing the value the role brings to our community.

I am fascinated by the history, by the role of the modern High Sheriff and Dame Ann is doing things her way this year by championing the voluntary, public and business sectors, focusing on domestic abuse and building sustainable communities.

The role I must mention receives no remuneration and no part of the expense of a High Sheriff’s year falls on the public purse. So, passion for community impact is key.

Being part of this history and evolution is exciting and I would encouraging people in my network to get on the website and get to know the Office of the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire: https://www.highsheriffofbuckinghamshire.com/

Notes to Editors

Dame Ann Limb DBE DL biography

Dame Ann Limb is Chair of the City and Guilds of London Institute and from 2015-2021 was Chair of the Scouts, the UK’s largest youth engagement charity. She is the first woman, and openly gay, to hold these roles. She is also Chair of the UK Innovation Corridor, the country’s globally significant life sciences cluster stretching from London to Cambridge and Chair of The Lloyds Bank Foundation. Between 1976 and 2001 Ann enjoyed a successful career in Further Education as a College Principal in Milton Keynes and Cambridge and in the civil service, where she was responsible for the UK governments flagship digital learning initiative, learndirect. Dame Ann is Deputy Char of the Prince’s Foundation, a heritage-led regeneration charity. And Vice President of the social justice charity she founded in 1998, the Helena Kennedy Foundation. In the 2011 Birthday Honours, Ann was awarded the OBE, in 2015 ‘upgraded’ to CBE and in the Platinum Jubilee Honours 2022 elevated to the rank of Dame Commander of the British Empire, DBE. In 2019, Dame Ann was named #1 LBGTQ+ public sector role model in the OUTstanding List and one of the most 50 most influential women born in the North of England in the Northern Power Women Power List.

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