Helen Bingley OBE DL JP installed as High Sheriff of Lancashire 2024 – 2025
We would like to wish our CEO a successful year as she formally takes up the role of High Sheriff of Lancashire. Helen was installed as High Sheriff of Lancashire at County Hall in Preston, Lancashire on the 5th April 2024.
It has been said that the story of the High Sheriff is the story of England itself. The post has developed over its 1,000 year history. It is the oldest continuous secular Office under the Crown, dating back to Anglo-Saxon times when the King’s Reeve acted as a royal official able to enforce the King’s interest in a county without becoming embroiled in local factions.
The Sheriffs proved successful tax-gatherers and, under the Saxon kings, they became the Monarch’s trusted administrators within the shires. After the Conquest in 1066, the Norman Kings expanded this role and the Shrievalty remained at the heart of national administration for hundreds of years. It was this role (especially tax-collecting) that made the medieval Sheriff such a deeply unpopular and hated figure, giving rise to caricatures such as the evil Sheriff of Nottingham in the tale of Robin Hood.
Tax collection remained a major task and was a significant and unpopular burden, as shown by the difficulties they had collecting the doomed ship money for Charles I. Over the centuries, however, their responsibilities reduced as the centrally controlled ‘civil service’ grew.
The High Sheriff also traditionally had the responsibility to provide juries, had powers of arrest and had the responsibility to organise hangings. Helen won’t have to do any of this, fortunately.
Historically, ladies have rarely been appointed as High Sheriff. Two notable exceptions are the remarkable Dame Nicola de la Haye (Lincolnshire in 1216), who actively repelled French invaders, and a local lady – Lady Ann Clifford (Westmorland in 1605). The first female High Sheriff in the modern era was Mary Dent-Brocklehurst (Gloucestershire in 1967), and since that time, ladies have been appointed in increasing numbers.
120 people witnessed the ceremony where Helen made her declaration, and she made the following speech:
“I would like to thank both the former Lord Lieutenant and the current Lord Lieutenant for having faith in me to take on the role of High Sheriff of Lancashire 2024 – 2025. As a young girl from humble beginnings, I was determined to succeed in many things, this is one thing I never dreamed I would achieve. I am deeply honoured to take on this role, another of life’s great opportunities to grab hold of, and I will do my very best to make a significant contribution to the County of Lancashire.
I would like to acknowledge and thank many of you here today who have supported and strengthened me through many years. When William left us almost 13 years ago and when times have sometimes been tough in Abaseen Foundation and at Mind in Furness, you have been there, and I am grateful. Our tenacity and success together have I believe made a significant contribution to me being asked to undertake this role. Be warned, previous High Sheriffs have told me to expect a very busy year ahead, I may well be calling on you again to support me as I move around the County shining a light on things that matter.
I would particularly like to thank Andrea, Mark, Noah, and Grace who are my rock, and to say how very proud I am of all you do.
I congratulate you David as the outgoing High Sheriff on a very successful year and I thank you for your part in preparing me for the role.
I would also like to thank the Under Sheriff David Cam, who has been working with me for the last 3 years and without who I would not have been ready for today. I really appreciate it.
Finally, I would like to say a few words about my aims and ambitions for the year ahead:
I will do my best to fulfil the formal requirements of the role as I declared earlier.
I will concentrate on the voluntary sector. This has emerged as my theme for the year. I don't know whether you are aware that there are 4,000 registered charities in Lancashire and at least the same number of informal voluntary and community groups. These all provide services that the statutory funded agencies are not able to provide for a variety of reasons. If these gave up, we would ALL feel the impact.
This role will enable me to shine a light on the good work done by so many. I intend to visit and share my knowledge and experience of developing such organisations with as many of them as I can. I will pay particular attention to groups which provide services that contribute to crime prevention especially those who support women and people with mental health problems, including drugs and alcohol.
I will need to seek special permission for two things in my year:
to leave the country to lead a large group of people, mainly from Lancashire, and several of you are here today, to undertake an annual fundraiser challenge for the benefit of people in Northwest Pakistan. In June we will climb the highest of the Atlas Mountains, Mount Toubkal at 14,000 feet, to raise funds to build the next Abaseen Foundation school and hospital in NW Pakistan close to the border with Afghanistan. And,
As Vice Chair of Mind in Furness I will need to seek permission to cross the boundary from the High Sheriff of Cumbria, Christopher Holmes. I am greatly looking forward to spending time with Christopher.
And so, I will be delighted this year to use the profile of the High Sheriff role to provide an example of how, if you seize the day, Carpe Diem, the County of Lancashire is a place of opportunity FOR ALL regardless of background.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful day with me and my family.”
All the very best wishes for a successful year ahead from all of us at the Abaseen Foundation!
