From tightrope walking and Morris Dancing to sitting alongside the judge at Magistrates Court, the High Sheriff has been busy in the first half of her year in the position, celebrating Rutland's volunteers, supporting law and order, and connecting with Rutland's vibrant community groups.

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Susannah Fish OBE QPM was declared the 627th High Sheriff of Rutland on 2 April 2026 and since then, she has had a packed schedule of meetings and events across the county.

On paper, the role of High Sheriff is to promote law and order in the county, supporting the connections between the magistrates and courts, police and residents.

Susannah has had a celebrated career in the Police, being part of important work nationally against gun crime, working across Nottinghamshire, the West Midlands and Metropolitan Police.



She worked on introducing misogyny as a hate crime and her career led to her being appointed Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police until her retirement in 2017.

She has used her experience in the Police in her role as High Sheriff, meeting local officers and PCSOs, attending passing out parades, the training of new recruits and speaking to them her own experience as a police officer, her service, history and being able to connect with new recruits.

Since becoming High Sheriff, Susannah has also sat on the bench with Judge Tim Spencer, who is Rutland's resident judge at Leicester Crown Court.

She has also spent time with the probation service and joined them when they have carried out unpaid work sentences in the community. As part of this, she is working to introduce some probation projects into Rutland as currently Rutland offenders are having to travel to Leicester to carry out their sentence.

The role of High Sheriff is in no way limited to just promoting law and order, with Rutland High Sheriffs having an important impact through their work with local volunteers, community groups and charities.

'What I've been completely blown away by is that I thought I knew the county reasonably well,' explains Susannah. 'But the depth and breadth of what is going on in our tiny by actually perfect county of Rutland - it's truly Multum in Parvo.

'I've been to visit so many different community groups, from ones that help people with additional needs, to schools, to riding for the disabled, to Sailability, to the Brownies, Scouts and Guides - and that's just a handful of the organisations.'

One of the many highlights of her time in the position was her experience with Rutland Morris in Whissendine.

'They are just such a joy,' said Susannah, 'it's really infectious.'

Other stand out moments include learning how to tight rope walk in full court dress, opening the CAMRA Beer Festival in 40 degrees and meeting so many of Rutland's incredible volunteers.

'One of the lovely, lovely things about being High Sheriff is that you can go and say thank you.

'You can learn what they do and say thank you and give High Sheriff Awards where there is a really outstanding contribution to community life because none of these people think they're doing anything outstanding, they just think they're doing what's obvious to them and what they love, and if they can make a difference to someone then that's fantastic.

'It's really extraordinary and it's taught me as well that this country and this county would not function if it wasn't for volunteers.'

Looking forward to the future, for the next six months as High Sheriff, Susannah is planning a special thank you event for those who work in the criminal justice system, from Police, probation, Crown Prosecution Service, prisons.

'I want to say thank you to those that work in Rutland and thank them for their service to the county.'

Susannah will also be appearing as High Sheriff to support important Remembrance Day events, as well as upcoming Christmas carol services and end of year celebrations and award ceremonies.

In the new year, she is planning to hold a workshop around domestic abuse, misogyny and male violence against women and girls, saying: 'We need, as a county, to raise our awareness and understanding around these things.'

Ultimately, for Susannah, it is important for her to hold both sides of the role of High Sheriff close to her as she continues into the second half of her time in the role, explaining that it is important to respect and honour the historical significance of the role while also adapting to the modern day and meeting the current needs of the county.

It is important for her to highlight that the role of High Sheriff has no cost to the public purse.

'I think it's really important that people understand that it is voluntary. It's a royal appointment and very old tradition that we can make relevant today for our communities to connect with people, help reduce isolation and just say thank you.'