Making Good Connections

The owner of historic Munden Estate in Bricket Wood is Herts’ new High Sheriff, combining an ancient post with a passion for helping others

- Mark Slattery

It’s a civic post you may not have heard of, but it dates back more than 1,000 years, before prime ministers, and its holders carried great power.

‘Holding this post you would have been head of the constabulary and judiciary, therefore both the law and the taxman. That would not have made you very popular,’ says the new High Sheriff for Hertfordshire, Henry Holland-Hibbert.

These days the role of High Sheriff is purely ceremonial, with holders appointed by the Queen for a year. While it has evolved into an apolitical, unpaid post, supporting the Crown and the judiciary through community projects remain central elements.

The role sits well with another post Henry holds – chairman of Hertfordshire Community Foundation.

‘I had not realised until recently the extent to which the voluntary sector keeps this country afloat,’ he admits. ‘Every second of every day the drive and enthusiasm of the voluntary sector is behind so many lives and activities.

‘At the foundation we distribute funds and non-specific donations by seeking out smaller charities in the county. We aim our assistance at the most deprived and in need. Hertfordshire has three-and-a-half thousand registered charities. We are therefore an ideal one-stop-shop for people who want to give but have no specific beneficiary in mind.’

The charity has given grants to causes including bereavement care, dealing with domestic abuse, helping the deaf, promoting healthy meals and hundreds more.