High Sheriff reflects on past year
It has been a year of ‘further education’ for the High Sheriff of West Sussex, delving deep into what is going on in the county and gaining a better understanding by talking to people on the ground.
As retired solicitor Neil Hart comes to the end of his year in office, he has spoken to Sussex World about what he has learned and what he has experienced during more than 300 engagements.
He said the three important things a High Sheriff can do is to recognise what people do, encourage them and thank them.
Mr Hart said: “I wanted to meet as wide a cross section as possible of various organisations throughout the county. You start at the top with the big established organisations and work your way down to the smallest local groups who are doing work in very specific areas.
“As a result, I think I have got a better understanding of what is going on in this county. There are the same problems, like domestic violence, that crop up all over and it is not restricted to wealth and opportunity, but then there are other problems which are specific to certain areas, like housing poverty. You can’t fail to look and understand what the issues are.
“Some charities are recommended to me by other High Sheriffs, some I was aware of and wanted to follow up anyway, others were recommended by Sussex Community Foundation. I have the great advantage of being quite close to the foundation as I was a trustee for nine years and remain an ambassador.”
For Mr Hart, it has very much been a partnership approach, with his wife Ros involved in everything he has done.
He explained: “It has very much been a joint effort. That was a decision we made right from the word go, that we would try to experience the year together. That has been a pleasure and a great help to me. When we are driving back, we can compare notes and that has been an important part.”
The partnership approach has worked well for them and Mr Hart said it had more impact, because they were able to talk to more people between them and compare notes afterwards.
He added: “Frankly, you have no idea what effect the year will have. Nothing can prepare you for the chat but that is really the key thing, when you really find out what makes people tick.
“Three things we do as High Sheriff is to recognise what people do, encourage them and thank them. To recognise what people do, you have got to understand what they do. You have to immerse yourself in what they do and talk to them.”
Engagements in the past year have included some grand events, while others were very small one-to-one meetings, finding out about charities. Mr Hart described it as ‘a further education’.
One of the coldest days was spent with a riding group at PACSO, a charity supporting children and young adults with disabilities and their families in Chichester and the Arun district. Mr Hart said he could barely feel his feet but the children were so engrossed, they barely noticed, and that was marvellous.
Another day he remembered particularly was serving breakfast to the homeless on a Sunday morning on Worthing seafront.
Mr Hart said: “There was the chaos of serving these guys who are desperate but most of all it was talking to them and the volunteers.”
He witnessed the patience and dedication needed for so many voluntary roles, such as at Victim Support.
Other significant moments included the annual judges service at Chichester Cathedral and the High Sheriff Awards 2022.
Mr Hart ends his year today and James Whitmore will be taking over as High Sheriff of West Sussex for 2022-23.