New High Sheriff of Hertfordshire to focus on literacy for prisoners
The new High Sheriff of Hertfordshire is charity volunteer Liz Green.
The mother of two and husband Peter have lived near Tring for almost 30 years and have played hockey for the town.
Liz's background is in retail marketing and public relations at Next and Tie Rack.
For over 20 years she has been a stalwart of organisations like meals on wheels, Hertfordshire Community Foundation and Rennie Grove Hospice Care in Bucks and west Herts.
She is also an area co-ordinator for Shannon Trust, which works to improve literacy and numeracy in prisons, and a trustee of The Butler Trust, a charity that celebrates the best in UK prisons, probation and youth justice.
From September 2018 to September 2019, she served as Sheriff of the City of London and lived at the Old Bailey – the capital’s central criminal court – with husband Peter.
After her declaration as High Sheriff of Herts at St Peter’s Church in Berkhamsted, Liz said: “My theme for the year is reading, writing and rehabilitation.
"Many of us take reading for granted and we don’t stop to think about the difficulties of practical day-to-day living of those who struggle to read.
“Whether completing job applications, reading instructions on a medicine bottle or understanding road signs or bail conditions, literacy can make a huge difference to an individual. I hope to bring people together to enable us to improve literacy levels in Hertfordshire and to help ex-offenders to work."
She added: “It is a tremendous honour and an enormous privilege to be appointed High Sheriff of Hertfordshire. I look forward to meeting many people who either work professionally or volunteer to help others across our Hertfordshire communities."
A keen golfer and bridge player, Liz also enjoys walking her dog.
She replaces Sally Burton in the historic role of High Sheriff, which has its roots in Saxon times and is the oldest secular office in the UK after the Crown.
Appointed by King Charles on the advice of the Privy Council, the role is independent, non-political and unpaid. The modern job includes supporting the Crown, the judiciary and the emergency services.