Richard Hardy commences annual term as High Sheriff of Warwickshire
On the 1st April Richard Hardy, co-founder of Coventry based Commercial Property Specialists, Bromwich Hardy, was inaugurated as High Sheriff of Warwickshire. He lives just outside Stratford with his wife Janet. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.
The Office of High Sheriff is the oldest continuous secular Office under the Crown and dates back at least 1000 years with its origins in Saxon times, predating the Norman Conquest.
The High Sheriff receives no remuneration and no part of the expense of his year of Office falls on the public purse.
Formal and ceremonial duties include attendance at Royal visits to the County, ensuring the well being and protection of her Majesty's High Court Judges when on Circuit in the County and acting as Returning Officer for Parliamentary Elections in County constituencies.
Additionally the role of High Sheriff now includes a responsibility to improve and sustain the morale of personnel in voluntary and statutory bodies in the County. Not surprisingly, given the history of the Office, there is a specific, but not exclusive, focus on organisations that are engaged in the maintenance of law and order and the entire criminal justice system.
Reflecting on his appointment and the year ahead Richard Hardy commented, “It is of course a great honour to become High Sheriff of Warwickshire, a position that has such longevity and tradition. Naturally I will perform my formal duties as best as I possibly can. But equally I will try to perform the role in a way that gives me an opportunity to contribute positively to modern life in the community.
I am already involved with Warwickshire Crimebeat, which is a charity of the Association of High Sheriffs of England and Wales that encourages young people to become involved with activities designed to reduce crime and create safer communities. So I am delighted that I can now get even more closely associated with this exciting and worthwhile venture. Similarly I plan to use my time in Office, as a means to help in other areas, to improve the quality of people's lives. For example, I plan to get even more involved in raising money for a charity that is very close to my heart, The Shakespeare Hospice. This hospice does a superb job in providing specialist palliative day care for adults diagnosed with life-limiting illnesses, in the Stratford upon Avon district.
Equally through my partner in business, Tom Bromwich, I am very aware of the great work done by the charity, Get A-Head. It's now in its 16th year of fundraising to fight head and neck diseases, particularly cancer, and based at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston it continues to bring benefit to residents in the West Midlands and Warwickshire. I will be delighted to do what I can to publicise and assist their activities.
I also want to explore what opportunities exist to promote further the excellent work done by The Heart of England Community Foundation. The Foundation makes an enormous contribution throughout Coventry and Warwickshire where there are thousands of children and adults whose lives are affected by financial hardship, isolation and social exclusion.
I am sure it's going to be a very busy time of my life but it's a privilege to have the chance to make a difference”