The final programme in the current series follows a year in the life of Dewi Wyn Roberts, High Sheriff of Gwynedd.
The High Sheriff’s original role was to guard the High Court Judge when he visited the county, as the sword of his ceremonial livery testifies, but nowadays his duty is to offer hospitality to the judge and entertain him during his visits.
Born in Pen Llŷn and brought up in Pentraeth Vicarage, Anglesey, Dewi Wyn Roberts is determined to put a modern stamp on his position.
“I think the profile of the job needs to be raised – it needs to have a new purpose,” he explains.
“And that’s what I’m trying to do. We’re not in politics, we’re not on the council... I feel that we’re here to look after everybody in the community – people who care for old people, those who take care of the disabled, they’re not always thanked and I feel that part of my job is to go out and say, ‘Look, we’re really grateful’.”
When he undertook the job, Dewi promised himself he would raise money for a number of good causes during the year, including the High Sheriff’s main charity, Crimebeat, which meant working closely with young people.
The post’s official duties take up a lot of Dewi’s time and he carries out his work with his wife Sheila firmly by his side, and we see them meeting the Prince of Wales on an official visit to Bangor University. However, he also has time to enjoy his main hobby – sport, and rugby in particular.
The programme follows this successful man from his early years in Edern, Llŷn, to the trauma of losing his mother at a young age and being brought up by his older sister in Pentraeth, to his student days at Downing College, Cambridge. It also features a rare interview with Mr Justice Roderick Evans, one of Wales’ leading judges.
It’s obvious from the programme, that Dewi is a sociable and enthusiastic man who is determined to do his best in his year-long post.
“If you’re not enjoying yourself, you’re not doing the job properly,” he says.
© 2008 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales