Monastery boss appointed High Sheriff
PAUL Griffiths ,chairman of the Gorton Monastery Trust, has been appointed by Her Majesty the Queen as the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester.
Mr Griffiths, 59, was installed during a special ceremony at The Monastery Manchester.
He is a Mancunian born and bred, who lived in Gorton from the age of seven and became an altar boy at The Monastery.
His business career saw him work for Asda and the Co-operative Group. He stepped down from his role as chief executive of Blackburn-based Interlink Foods in 2006 to focus full-time on his work to save and restore Gorton Monastery, the Grade II-listed former church which had fallen into dereliction.
Commenting on his new role as High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, he said: “It’s a huge honour to have been nominated for this office and I know I stand on the shoulders of many in this dynamic county. As Manchester is the largest county outside London, with some 2.6 million people living here, this will inevitably be a busy year.
“During my year in office I want to try and encourage people to think about the corporate social responsibility agenda as well as championing volunteering, something I’m passionate about.
“I’m also keen to do what I can to help raise even higher the profile of the role of High Sheriff in the County and to also help people better understand what this, the oldest Royal appointment, is all about. This is going to be a most enjoyable and rewarding year and one I’m sure I will never forget.”
The Office of High Sheriff is an unpaid, independent non-political Royal appointment for a single year.
The origins date back to Saxon times, when the ‘Shire Reeve’ was responsible to the king for the maintenance of law and order within the shire, or county, and for the collection and return of taxes due to the Crown.
While the duties of the role have evolved over time, supporting the Crown and the judiciary remain central elements of the role. Many High Sheriffs also assist Community Foundations and local charities working with vulnerable and other people both in endorsing and helping to raise the profile of their valuable work.
