New High Sheriff installed

The county has recently installed Tony Walker, Managing Director at Toyota Motor Europe, as the High Sheriff of Derbyshire for 2020-21.

Taking over the role from William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington, Tony Walker recognises the beauty of the county as well as the advantages of cooperative relationships between business, local authorities, the emergency services and the voluntary sector.

“Here all these parts of society work together well for the benefit of local communities in our city and county. In this time of the challenges brought by the Coronavirus we are especially blessed to have wonderful health professionals and a fantastic NHS working hard and making personal sacrifices to care for all of us. We are truly grateful,” said Tony.

Due to the necessary restrictions on contact and movement caused by the Coronavirus, the first few months of his time in office have been cancelled or postponed. The High Sheriff is therefore looking for ways to be innovative and think through how to carry out one of the key roles of ceremonial and recognition when these cannot be conducted in person.

He added: “I am grateful to my predecessor William Burlington for the great work he has done establishing the use of social media by the High Sheriff in Derbyshire. I am hoping I can quickly learn some new skills and become as proficient as him in their use!

“My theme for the year is to try to help local people, and young people in particular, who for some reason are having a tough time, to fulfil their potential, grow as individuals, be contributing members of society and have a good quality of life. If I can make a small difference in this, I will feel it has been a worthwhile year.”