Each High Sheriff of the 55 Counties of England and Wales is appointed by HM the King and holds office for one year. The office is the oldest secular office save for the monarchy, dating back to Alfred the Great in the Saxon era, when the ‘Shire Reeve’ collected taxes and maintained law and order for the King. It is an unpaid independent appointment that involves supporting the judiciary, police, emergency services and civic authorities, as well as charities and voluntary organisations.
The High Sheriff Youth Awards charity supports groups and charities that seek to reduce crime, vandalism and anti-social behaviour amongst young persons. This is akin to the responsibility of High Sheriffs in the past to preserve the peace. By applying for an award to make your community in Surrey safer, you are continuing a tradition of more than a thousand years.
Who is the
High Sheriff?
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The High Sheriff of Surrey for 2025-26 is Peter Cluff – A Trustee of the Community Foundation for Surrey and Chair of Guildford Philanthropy. He was installed as the High Sheriff in Guildford Cathedral on the 21st March, taking over from Shahid Azeem DL. His primary focus as High Sheriff will be to shine a light on young people who are not in education, employment or training (“NEET”). He has commissioned research by the University of Surrey’s Centre for Britain and Europe to examine the different cohorts of young people that are (or who are at risk of becoming) NEET in the County, with a view to developing targeted and earlier interventions, to help ensure these young people have a better economic and social future. The resulting report can be downloaded on the High Sheriff of Surrey’s website or at; https://www.surrey.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-03/Unseen-Surrey_0.pdf
More information can be found on the official High Sheriff of Surrey Website - www.highsheriffofsurrey.com