NEW HIGH SHERIFF MARK ANSELL PLEDGES TO BOOST RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN DEVON

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.

Entrepreneur from North Devon follows a family tradition in the role with a thoroughly up-to-date approach  

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.