Mark Smith The High Sheriff of the West Midlands
Welcome
At Buckingham Palace on 12th March 2025, Mr Mark L Smith was invited by His Majesty the King to become the High Sheriff of the County of West Midlands.
On 15th April 2025, Mr Smith made his Declaration at the Crown Court in Birmingham in front of the Presiding Judge for the Midlands Circuit, The Honourable Mrs Justice Tipples DBE and thus his Shrieval year commenced.
The High Sheriff serves as a representative of the Crown in the County and their duties include supporting the various elements of the Justice system, namely the Police and other Law Enforcement Agencies, the Judiciary, the Prison Service and the Probation Service. The High Sheriff also takes an active role in supporting and promoting the voluntary sector, particularly those organisations involved with crime reduction and social cohesion.
On this website, you will find further information about the history of the role of the High Sheriff and their current responsibilities, as well as some background on the current High Sheriff, Mr Mark Smith. You will also find details of events and initiatives that the High Sheriff is involved with.
If you have any questions or need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to serve the community and are very happy to assist in any way we can.
High Sheriff Events
The High Sheriff is keen to engage with, support and promote Voluntary organisations across the West Midlands, particularly those working with young people to assist in crime reduction and social cohesion.
If you would like to invite the High Sheriff to an event, please send an invitation through the Events page.
Intensive Supervision Court
I had a very interesting day at Birmingham Magistrates Court observing a pilot scheme which involves the use of Intensive Supervision of community based sentences,
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visit to Royal School Wolverhampton
I was honoured to join the Lord-Lieutenant and the Mayor of Wolverhampton in welcoming HRH The Duke of Edinburgh to the Royal School in Wolverhampton.
University of Birmingham 125 years celebration
I was delighted to attend the Chancellor’s Dinner in the Great Hall of the University of Birmingham to celebrate 125 years since the university was
One Walsall
I had a really useful meeting with Vicky Hines, the chief executive of One Walsall, which is an organisation which works with around 280 charities
High Sheriff Awards
The High Sheriff can give Awards to recognise the work of individuals or community groups within the County.
The High Sheriff will be inviting nominations for Awards for 2025 – 2026 in September 2025 – please see the Awards page for how to complete a nomination.
Examples of previous awards are set out below.
Anwar Khattak BEM
On Saturday. it was with great pride that I recognised Anwar Khattak BEM for his remarkable achievements and exceptional dedication to our community by presenting
Finley Stevens
⭐️ Proud moment at Summerhill School in Dudley. As the High Sheriff of the West Midlands, I had the honour of presenting a special High
Danielle Bivens
Danielle Bivens dedicates her time to supporting grassroots football in Coventry, taking on various roles to enhance the local sports community. Recently, she has championed
Shirley Mallon
Shirley Mallon Shirley Mallon has served as a trustee for the Birmingham Christmas Shelter for the past 12 years, dedicating her time and energy to
The original High Sheriff website was created and funded by Douglas Wright MBE DL, High Sheriff of the West Midlands 2024-25.