DEVON’S new High Sheriff, entrepreneur Mark Ansell, has pledged to put Restorative Justice centre stage during his year in office, championing a system proven to support victims of crime and rehabilitate offenders.

Mark is the latest of three generations of his family to serve as High Sheriff of Devon, proudly following in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather. While the tradition runs deep, his vision is firmly fixed on the future, bringing fresh energy and modern purpose to one of the county’s oldest civic roles.

Mark, 63, who lives near Bideford, currently serves as a Deputy Lieutenant of Devon.

He built a reputation for turning around struggling engineering companies - in one case resulting in a £40 million turnover - experience he now intends to channel into public service.

FAMILY TRADITION

Mark’s grandfather, Colonel Sir Michael Ansell, served as High Sheriff in 1967. The youngest commanding officer at the outbreak of WWII, he was blinded in 1940 and held as a prisoner of war until 1944, yet went on to carve out an extraordinary second career in horticulture and the world of show jumping and international horse shows, for which he was awarded a Knighthood.

Mark’s father, Major General Nicholas Ansell, continued the family’s tradition of public service when a career in the Army was followed by serving both as a magistrate on the North Devon bench and High Sheriff in 2002.

Although generations of Ansells had pursued distinguished military careers stretching back to the Battle of Waterloo, Mark chose to forge his own path.

He studied engineering at Cambridge where he met his wife Sarah, now a GP.

The couple, who have three children, lived in Derbyshire while Mark worked for JCB designing agricultural equipment before moving to Buckinghamshire and taking the leap into entrepreneurship.

Discovering a natural flair for business, over 17 years he and a friend built Flow Group into a successful valve manufacturing business.

They sold it to a quoted company and then acquired and built up two other engineering businesses.

In 2004, Mark and Sarah moved to North Devon to take on the running of the family home from his parents, following his grandfather’s death in 1994.

“Generations of my family served in the military and I remember my father serving as a magistrate and High Sheriff,” said Mark. “We definitely have a strong dutiful gene. I’ve been fortunate to enjoy a rewarding career in manufacturing business – now it’s time for a new chapter and my opportunity to give back in public service.

“I have a hard act to follow in Caroline Harlow, who spent her year as High Sheriff championing greater awareness on the harms of gambling. She has been incredibly supportive in giving me an excellent ‘handover’ and I am very much looking forward to my time in this prestigious role.”

COMMITMENT TO PUSH FOR MORE RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

The Office of High Sheriff is an independent non-political Royal appointment for a single year.

It’s the oldest secular office in the United Kingdom after the Crown and dates back over 1,000 years from Saxon times when the Shires were formed.

The “Shire Reeve” was responsible to the king for the maintenance of law and order within the county, and for the collection and return of taxes due to the Crown. Today, there are 55 High Sheriffs serving the counties of England and Wales each year.

Each High Sheriff can choose to highlight a theme linked to the criminal justice system during their year in office. Mark has chosen Restorative Justice, the structured process by which those harmed by crime engage with those who have committed the offence against them.

Mark explained: “The idea came from listening to Amol Rajan’s brilliant interview with Jacob Dunne on a BBC podcast.

“I was transfixed by this powerful story. Jacob had a very difficult childhood, and at the age of 19 on a night out knocked James Hodgkinson to the ground with a single punch, taking his life.

“He was jailed for manslaughter but after meeting James’ parents through the Restorative Justice programme he has turned his life around. James’ mother Joan Scourfield found peace that his actions had been a ‘stupid mistake’ and the pair have gone on to campaign for Restorative Justice together.

“Further reading and conversations revealed this isn’t the only example of Restorative Justice working well for both parties.

“Government research shows that 85% of victims say it really helps, and a report by the University of Sheffield evaluating seven Cambridge University-led experiments in Restorative Justice found that it reduces reoffending by up to 27%.

“Since nearly 80% of crime is reoffending, according to Government research this means that for every £1 you spend on Restorative Justice you save £14.

“If I was looking at this performance in a business context, I’d want to invest in it. But despite these numbers, take-up of Restorative Justice nationally is low.

“In Devon and Cornwall it is used in less than our in every 1,000 reported crimes - despite good infrastructure and people being in place. So why doesn’t it happen more?

“That’s what I intend to find out this year, so working with the excellent Restorative Justice practitioners here in Devon we can identify the blocks, work to overcome them and hopefully make some positive changes.”

PERFORMANCE OF PUNCH AT PLYMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL

One of Mark’s first engagements will be on Wednesday, April 15 at a performance at Plymouth Theatre Royal of Punch, the play written by James Graham about Jacob Dunne’s story.

He has invited Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez, Devon and Cornwall’s Chief Constable James Vaughan, Make Amends (the charity which is commissioned by the police to facilitate Restorative Justice in Devon) and other key stakeholders to a pre-performance reception to start initial discussions about the issue.

Also at the reception will be Julie Marks whose son Seth was left a quadriplegic after a car crash caused by his friend and who is now a powerful advocate of Restorative Justice.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “I would personally like to thank departing High Sheriff Caroline Harlow for all her exceptional work to highlight the determinantal harms of gambling during her term of office, and for all she has done with my office in our bid to tackle violence against women and young girls.

“I warmly welcome the arrival of Mark Ansell into the role of Devon’s High Sheriff and look forward to working with him, particularly on restorative justice. The impactful service gives victims across all types of crime the opportunity to communicate their emotions and explain the impact the crime has had on their lives in a safe and supportive environment with the person directly responsible.

“My office provides funding to local restorative justice service Make Amends which has many success stories of helping victims and reducing reoffending.”

CHAMPIONING NORTH DEVON

A passionate pride in North Devon means Mark will also be championing the area during his year in office.

He concluded: “I grew up as an Army brat being carted around to different army quarters every two years between England and Germany and really wanted to put my roots down somewhere once I had a family.

“Coming to North Devon changed our lives. It’s a beautiful area, the people are amazing, and it’s the perfect place to bring up children giving them a real appreciation of nature and the outdoors with great beaches, rivers, wildlife, Exmoor, and fantastic local sports clubs.

“I’ve been Chairman of North Devon Cricket Club for the last 14 years and have loved every moment. Feeling part of such a strong community is very special.

“As the High Sheriff I’m very proud to champion North Devon as a place to live and work and very excited to start my year. I’ve taken on some interesting challenges in business and will hope to do this role justice by taking it beyond the merely ceremonial and achieving some tangible outcomes that benefit everyone in the county.”