Excellent evening talk by the High Sheriff of West Sussex, Dr Tim Fooks

12th March 2026

Dressed in his full regalia, including ceremonial sword, Dr Tim Fooks gave a fascinating talk about the history of the role of the High Sheriff dating from the Magna Carta to the present day. We also heard how the role, as an officer of the Crown, has some responsibly as a returning officer in elections and a level of oversight of the local judiciary. The post is only held for a year and is unpaid and yet the holders of the position do a lot of networking across the county along a chosen theme. Dr Fooks chose to focus on mental health for his year and has had about 500 meetings and travelled 20,000 miles throughout his tenure in the post.