High Sheriff ‘arrest’ all in a good cause

THE law turned nasty this week as South Yorkshire’s High Sheriff was hauled into court and banged up for treason.

But John Holt’s time inside was over very quickly as he managed to find a string of sponsors to bail him out.

Mr Holt, who was fictionally accused of plotting to assassinate the Lord Lieutenant, was among six volunteers jailed and bailed on Tuesday to raise money for Rotherham charities Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice and SAFE@LAST.

The six “suspects” were transported by South Yorkshire Police from Caffe Massarella in Meadowhall and “locked up” in the Lifewise Centre in Hellaby for the day.

They had to call contacts to collect bail money to get released - bringing in £4,000 for the two charities.

Chris Edwards, chief officer at NHS Rotherham Clinical Commissioning Group, was one of those braving the charity event.

He said his organisation couldn’t think of a better way of supporting Bluebell Wood than locking up a chief officer for a day.

Mr Edwards added: “I wasn’t sure what to expect and I must admit to being a little apprehensive beforehand.

“I will do everything I can to raise at least £500 to support the great work at Bluebell Wood on behalf of NHS Rotherham Clinical Commissioning Group.”

Mark Massarella, SAFE@LAST trustee and managing director of Massarella Catering Group, also gave up his freedom for the cause.

He said: “We’ve had an exciting morning raising funds for two very worthwhile causes who both work to support children and families in our region.

“The support we have received from all those involved and our fantastic friends and family that have donated the funds to secure our release has been phenomenal.

“The experience definitely isn’t one I’ll forget.”

High Sheriff Mr Holt, a former Bluebell Wood trustee, organised the event, which also saw under-Sheriff Rob Chitoriski, retired estate agent Burton Barnsdale and former paint and DIY retailer Stephen Fenning spending time “inside”.

You can still sponsor the cons for a day at https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/chrisedwards2, https://www.justgiving.com/stephenfenning/,

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/sheriffsmen and

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MarkM.