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The month of August hosts a plethora of shows in the county. The good weather meant there were good turn-outs to all the shows that I attended as High Sheriff. First on the list was Ashbourne on a hot sunny Saturday with a good gathering of livestock and shire horses as well as the Dancing Diggers (courtesy of JCB) in the main ring performing their pirouettes. Then to the midweek Dovedale Sheepdog Trials where entertainment was provided in the President’s tent with a three-legged shepherd regaling the birthday boy Alastair Sneddon…oh and the sheepdogs too were on good form. Next was the bowl of a showground nestled under Kinder Scout where the Hope Show took place in front of a gate of 10,000 all revelling in the sunshine of a Bank Holiday Monday where several stalls ran out of ice-cream. And finally, to the top of the county for the Longshaw Sheepdog Trials where President David Richards entertained the Association members as well as the Lord Lieutenant and all the various Show Presidents .  Dovedale dates back to 1871 and Longshaw to 1898 but they all showed how wonderful our countryside is, how lucky we are to have such stunning views and backdrops locally  and also how hard our farmers work to make a living and look after our landscape. Derbyshire is a terrific county!

I tend to attend a number of funerals these days-I suspect it is a sign of growing old but one that I went to in my role as High Sheriff was truly inspiring and humbling as I was fortunate to be part  of the thousands that paid their final respects to Donald Rose the World War Two veteran from Ilkeston who  died  in July at the age of 110. Donald was a sniper in the war and was part of the Queen’s Regiment that liberated Belsen in 1945. After demobbing he made his home in Derbyshire and had a passion for motorcycles.  His funeral took place at Ilkeston Town Football Stadium from where we all went back to the Market Square at which the Last Post was played at the Memorial Stone. Then, over 150 motorcycles (many with forces’ connections) drove past in respect of this marvellous man…. a truly amazing spectacle. The funeral had been organised by Ilkeston Royal British Legion in association with the Town Council and was a fitting tribute to one of the last survivors of World War Two in the country. It was a fitting tribute and wonderful to see so many in the town who came to celebrate his life. #Lest we Forget

One of my other duties during my year is to support the Constabulary and everyone that works in the force. It was my pleasure in July to attend the Police Long Service Awards at Ripley HQ alongside Elizabeth Fothergill Lord Lieutenant. I was privileged to present 7 long service awards to Officers who had completed 20,30 and 40 years’ service in various roles across Derbyshire. These fine individuals contribute greatly not just to the force but to their communities as well with all of them keeping Derbyshire safe. One of the recipients was celebrated for patrolling a particular inner-city beat in Derby City and I have accepted her invitation to join her one day (suitably attired in high-viz rather than my Court Dress) to see first hand the challenges of today’s policing. I will report back after my day  ‘ on the beat’.

Each year the High Sheriff is assigned a Police Cadet from the cadre of young people that are active in this excellent organisation which trains potential recruits to the Police Force on Wednesday evenings during term time. The change over to a new cadet came at South Normanton at the annual meeting. As I said good bye  to the excellent Darcy from Chesterfield , I was fortunate to have Rosie  appointed as my new High Sheriff Cadet. Hailing from north of the county  in Glossop Rosie will be accompanying me to many civic services and functions in the rest of my year!  Mainly attending Church Services I do hope that Rosie will accompany me to the Mayor of High Peak’s masquerade ball in the winter….I may be in need of extra trained surveillance there! Good luck in your year Rosie!

And finally, I can report on the home front that the Main Gate Pillars to the entrance of the Estate have finally been re-erected. I have written frequently in this column about the travails of owning two Listed Gate Pillars that, having been built in the eighteenth century, were first intended to welcome the horse and cart rather than the huge motorised pantechnicons that deliver to and collect from the farms on the Estate. RM Eaton of Birchover were the firm  of stonemasons that undertook the work in mid-Summer. As readers will recall we have installed cctv on the neighbouring Lodge House so that any further miscreant can be apprehended. So far in these past two months we have had no collison but we did notice a caravan wedged on one of the gateposts for over half an hour before its extraction. Fingers crossed they can stay up for some considerable time after these latest repairs.