Declaration ceremony of new High Sheriff of Hertfordshire held in Berkhamsted

A ceremony to mark the Declaration Service of the new High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, Liz Green, was held at St Peter’s Church in Berkhamsted on Saturday.

The Office of High Sheriff dates to Saxon times and is the oldest secular office in the UK after the Crown.

The role includes supporting the Crown and important work of the judiciary including judges, police, magistrates, tribunals, prisons and probation and emergency services. Many High Sheriffs also assist their county Community Foundations and local voluntary organisations and support a range of civic ceremonies across the county.

Liz, who hails from near Tring, said: “My theme for the year is ‘reading, writing and rehabilitation’. Many of us take reading for granted, and we don’t stop to think about the difficulties of practical day to day living of those who struggle to read.

"Whether completing job applications, reading instructions on a medicine bottle, or understanding road signs or bail conditions, literacy can make a huge difference to an individual. I hope to bring people together to enable us to improve literacy levels in Hertfordshire, and to help ex-offenders into work. It is a tremendous honour and an enormous privilege to be appointed High Sheriff.

"I look forward to meeting many people who either work professionally or volunteer to help others across our communities.”

Liz and her husband Peter have lived near Tring for almost 30 years. They played hockey for Tring, and many years ago Liz was selected to play golf for Hertfordshire.

From September 2018 to September 2019 Liz, who has a background in retail marketing and PR, had the honour of being elected and serving as Sheriff of the City of London. Liz and Peter were fortunate to live at The Old Bailey and during that time learned about the problems of those leaving prison, and the reality for those in prison who struggle to read.

Liz, an Ambassador for Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, and Herts Community Foundation, volunteers as an area co-ordinator for Shannon Trust, which works to improve literacy and numeracy in prisons and the community, and she is a trustee of The Butler Trust, a charity that celebrates the best in UK prisons, probation and youth justice.