High-Sheriff honour for Dame Irene Hayes

Dame Irene has been declared High-Sheriff of Tyne and Wear for 2023/24 after receiving a Warrant direct from His Majesty’s Privy Council to take up the position.

The owner and chair of Hays Travel was joined by Lord Lieutenant Lucy Winskell OBE, the region’s Mayors and many other dignitaries for an installation ceremony at South Shields Town Hall on Monday, April 3.

During the ceremony led by His Honour Judge Paul Sloan KC, she made a formal declaration, promising to ‘promote the peace, wellbeing and prosperity of our county and all its people’.

Successful career

Dame Irene built her careers in Sunderland and South Tyneside local authorities, where she was Chief Executive of both before moving to work in Whitehall as Director General for Local Government. She was Permanent Secretary to the Department of Local Government and Communities for the six months until her retirement.

Dame Irene is immensely proud of her North East roots and is looking forward to her new role.

She said: “As a woman of the North East it is a great honour to represent Tyne and Wear as High Sheriff.

"I am looking forward to a busy year meeting and supporting many of those who give their time, skills and commitment for the benefit of others.”

Hays Travel

Dame Irene has been chair of the Hays Travel Group since 2009, and was co-owner with her late husband, John, who founded Hays Travel in 1980.

Now the UK’s largest Independent Travel Agent, Dame Irene was instrumental in the growth of the company.

Both Irene and John were hailed as ‘heroes of the high street’ in 2019, when they acquired the Thomas Cook estate and offered jobs to nearly 3,000 people. Still headquartered in Sunderland, Hays Travel is now the UK’s largest independent travel agent, with around 450 shops around the UK.

Hays Travel funds a community partnership in every one of its 400+ branches across the country – an investment into local areas of over £200,000 a year – which enables colleagues to support and contribute to the areas where they are based. The Hays Travel Charitable Foundation has so far donated over £1.5 million to support young people to be the best they can.

Dame Irene has served on a number of boards and governing bodies, including Sport England, The Football Foundation and the Academy for Sustainable Communities.

What is a High Sheriff?

The Office of High Sheriff is an independent non-political Royal appointment for a single year. The origins of the Office date back to Saxon times, when the ‘Shire Reeve’ was responsible to the king for the maintenance of law and order within the shire or county.

While the High sheriff’s duties have evolved over time, supporting the Crown and the judiciary remain central elements of the role today.

High Sheriffs receive no remuneration and no part of the expense of a High Sheriff’s year falls on the public purse.

Each High Sheriff will approach their year slightly differently depending on their particular skills, experience and their own areas of interest.