High Sheriff of West Sussex Andy Bliss hosts summer reception at Fishbourne Roman Palace

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to Fishbourne, welcome to a part, once a very important part of the Roman Empire.

00:06 I think it's one of Sussex's most fantastic heritage assets.

00:11 There are others.

00:12 We've got a fantastic history here and a great future as well.

00:16 It's massively important in the Roman world.

00:18 The mosaics are world class.

00:20 Some of the mosaics here are the equivalent of something like a Rembrandt or a Gentilesque.

00:27 They are massive works, massively important works of European art.

00:33 But to make just a couple of serious points, and very importantly, I set out this year

00:38 as High Sheriff with a couple of really simple aims.

00:43 Firstly, and most importantly, to support those organisations that protect and care

00:53 for the public in West Sussex.

00:57 And secondly, a bit of a personal interest and passion, bearing in mind that the role

01:04 of High Sheriff is very historic, it goes back over a thousand years, pre-Norman conquest,

01:10 was to support the charities in the county that promote this county's very rich history.

01:18 The High Sheriff role, in my view, is not a tour role.

01:23 The role of the High Sheriff is sometimes to help you to connect those dots, to put

01:27 people in touch with each other who might not otherwise be in touch with each other,

01:32 and to support the hell out of you, to be your cheerleader, because many of you work

01:38 behind the scenes and you don't get a lot of thanks.

01:41 And it's really important that some of us in society are saying, "These people are doing

01:47 a great job," and you are, and it's an important job, and you're contributing massively to

01:53 society and it's appreciated.

01:56 It's the charity that is privileged to care for this extraordinary site that you're visiting

02:00 today.

02:01 At 177 years old, we are one of the oldest heritage organisations in the country, and

02:10 care for a portfolio of historic properties across Sussex, including Lewis Castle and

02:15 the Long Man of Wilmington.

02:17 As a charity, we absolutely rely on the volunteer members of our team to provide the service

02:22 that we do.

02:23 We have over 200 volunteers across the county, and definitely in need of more if anyone is

02:29 interested in signing up.

02:31 I firmly believe in the power of places like this to enrich people's lives, whatever their

02:38 background, and working with local communities and volunteers is absolutely critical in this,

02:44 which is why we are working with partners, working partners Brendon and also Heads On.

02:51 We've recently launched the Good Space volunteering project, sitting well-being at the heart of

02:56 the volunteering experience and using it as a catalyst for wider organisational change

03:01 in terms of how mental health is supported.