Chair of Trustees of Sight Support, Derbyshire receives award from the High Sheriff of Derbyshire

Credit: Martin Sykes

Martin Wilson, chair of Trustees of Sight Support, Derbyshire receives an award from High Sheriff of Derbyshire
by Martin Sykes, Chair of Trustees of Long Eaton & District Talking Newspaper

Martin Wilson is the Chair of Trustees for Sight Support Derbyshire and has been honoured with a very special award by Sir Richard FitzHerbert, the High Sheriff of Derbyshire at Tissington hall on 18th March 2026.

The award was in recognition Martin’s charity work over the last nearly 23 years.  Martin’s wife accompanied him. There were eleven other awardees.

Sir Richard is very involved with the farming and agricultural side of Derbyshire, and several of the awards were to do with agricultural rural activity.

Another awardee was BETEL which is a Christian charity providing employment for disadvantaged people with landscaping, garden work, renovating furniture among other activities. They are a wonderful influence in the county.

Among other awardees was FEE, (Food and Education Enterprise), which is part of the food bank chain. Martin volunteers for DF4TA (Derby Food for Thought), at their Central Supply Unit.

He had a lengthy conversation with Lesia Miroshnichenko, from FEE, who is Ukrainian.

DCM, Derby City Mission who also obtain food from DF4TA received an award because they also help disadvantaged people.

The High Sheriff is responsible on the King’s behalf for the judiciary and law and order and it’s a role that goes back over a thousand years. A Legal Service is held every year in Derby Cathedral where the judges take part and their work is blessed. Martin was invited to  attend by the High Sheriff.

Just before Christmas last year, Derby Freemasons had an event at the Grange in Littleover where they were giving awards out to charities and Sight Support Derbyshire was one of them. So, Martin and Claire Winfield, the CEO at that time, went along to receive the award and Sir Richard was there as well.

High Sheriffs are appointed by His Majesty the King to represent him in county matters, relating to the judiciary and the maintenance of law and order. The role is voluntary and unpaid and no expenses are claimed. Syed Iftikhar was installed as the new High Sheriff of Derbyshire on 2nd April 2026 at Derby Freemasons Hall, when he officially took office. Syed is a consultant surgeon based at Royal Derby Hospital.

We may think of the title Sheriff as an American one, but it originated in mediaeval England. The word “Shire” is the county, and a “Reeve” is a steward or magistrate and was a Royal Official responsible for maintaining peace, collecting taxes and enforcing the King’s law within a county. Over time the words “Shire” and “Reeve” were combined to becomes “Sheriff”. The High Sheriff’s role is largely a ceremonial one.

On the King’s behalf, he is responsible for the judiciary, the courts and law and order but also magistrates, prisons, probation service and anything of that ilk. But his role also involves trying to bring the community together which is what Sir Richard certainly has done during his year in office. Martin said that Clare Winfield had been the CEO of Sight Support Derbyshire for 14 years  and recently retired.

Kathy Kozlowski MBA, FCMI has been appointed as the new CEO. Kathy is a cabinet member of the Derby City Council and an experienced Charity Trustee