October 2024 – Exmouth Coastwatch

This morning we hosted a visit from the Lord High Sheriff of Devon, Commodore Jake Moores OBE DL RN. He was welcomed by Station Manager Peter Oliver, and the two morning duty watchkeepers.

A High Sheriff is a ceremonial officer who is theoretically the sovereign’s judicial representative in the county. They are unpaid, and appointed annually by the Crown, via the Privy Council.

The office of Sheriff is the oldest under the Crown. It is over 1000 years old; it was established before the Norman Conquest.

The High Sheriff remains the Sovereign’s representative in the county for all matters relating to the Judiciary and the maintenance of law and order.

The key objectives of his role are:

To lend active support to the principal organs of the Constitution within the county of Devon – the Royal Family, the Judiciary, the Police and other law enforcement agencies, the emergency services, local authorities, and church and faith groups.

To take an active part in supporting and promoting the voluntary sector and giving all possible encouragement to the voluntary organisations within Devon, particularly those involved with crime reduction and social cohesion.

He was interested in our work, the challenges of our Estuary and thanked our watchkeepers for what we do, as he is a keen yachtsman himself.