DYFED News from and about members Dyfedwomen makeWelshhistory AS BEFITSthe centenaryofwomen’s suffrage, my Declaration as High Sheriff at Cardigan Castle was also aDyfed ‘first’ for alady Lord-Lieutenant and Wales’s first female bishop,the newBishopofStDavids! DyfedisWales’s largest county, comprising Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshiresothis year Ihave busily traversed its mountains, rivers and spectacular coast road. Small wonder two of our three royal visitors thisyear came by helicopter –HRH The PrinceofWales during his summer ‘Wales Week’athis Dyfed home, Llwynywermod, and subsequently to Llanelli to openthe newWales Air Ambulance Station in March; HRH The PrincessRoyal landed in Januarysnow for aMotor Neurone Disease Association event in Aberystwyth. However, HRH the Royal Welsh AgriculturalShowwhere Above: High Sheriff’s Declaration all-women line- up (L-R) Gwen Burgess JP (witness), chaplain Earl of Wessex came by road for aDuke Carmarthenshirewas thehost county. Revd Canon Enid Morgan, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Edinburgh Awards day at the National My husbandDenis and Iattended Sara Edwards,the High SheriffSusanBalsom,the Botanic Garden of Wales in October. memorable legal services in the Inner BishopofStDavids,RtRevd Joanna Penberthy Duringmyyear Iwas privileged to Temple and Llandaf Cathedral; also child protection teams and their impressive attend ceremonies at three university World WarOne commemorationsand cybercrime unit. My admiration for our campuses in Aberystwyth, Lampeter and carol concerts in local chapels, as well as police and fireand rescue services is Carmarthen,perhapsthe most exotic RemembranceDay. immense. They serve avast rural area with being agrand Buddhist ‘Veneration of the Thetremendous camaraderie among very diverse towns and along coastline Ancestors’ritual at Lampeter’sAcademy the Welsh Shrievalty past and present has wherethey areresponsible for security of Sinology with my chaplainRev Canon been areal joy. With no Crown Courts in aspects of ferries to Pembrokeshireand Enid Morgan. Dyfed we were most grateful to be invited the UK’sstrategic energy supplies to our July saw West Wales Freemasons by theHighSheriffs of Glamorgan to legal MilfordHaven deep water ports, not to donating anew St John ambulance, dinners with distinguished visiting Circuit mention the seasonal influx of tourists. followedbyvisits to the Army,HMS and Appeal Courtjudges in Cardiff. It wasthereforeapleasuretoattend the Pembroke in MilfordHaven,and the Visits to Dyfed’s many charities Dyfed Powys Police Awards with BBC were both humbling and inspirational, newsreader HuwEdwards. Below left: Naming Sheriff,one of two new training boats donated to Aberystwyth especially our hospices, including amoving My other charity was the West Wales Sea Cadets presentation of aBEM to apatient by the SeaCadets for whom we raised fundsfor Lord-Lieutenant Ms Sara Edwards. two newtraining boats, including kind Below right: Visit by HRH the Earl of Wessex to Duke of Edinburgh Awards at the National As the NSPCC was one of my charities donationsfromlocal societies after talks Botanic Garden of Wales Ihad briefings by Dyfed Powys Police aboutthe historyofthe Shrievalty. Finally,itwas an enormous honour and very salutary to preside over a number of Citizenship Ceremonies; also to serve as the returning officer for Ceredigion at the 2017 general election –despite three recounts and the final declaration at 6.30 am the next day! Susan Balsom High Sheriff of Dyfed 2017-18 16 High Sheriff | Summer 2018.