It seems we have a visit from our neighbours in Vermont as their Sheriff Stephen Bernard tours our Rutland with our own High Sheriff, Dr Sarah Furness.
His visit seems to be the talk of the town and I've been listening to Rutland Radio hearing all about it! As well as seeing lots of tweets on Twitter and reading Jane Williams' blog www.my-rutland.com about the Sheriff's visit where I found this statement from our own Sheriff commenting on the visit:
“I think the visit will be fun and interesting historically and socially. I want to explore the historical links between the two Rutlands. Comparison of the historical role of sheriff, which still exists in the USA, with the modern role of High Sheriff as it exists here will be interesting. We also want to talk about the differences in the approach and problems faced by police here and in Rutland USA. I want to show him the delights of our area. I hope to promote a permanent link between the two areas and foster tourism.”
- High Sheriff of Rutland, Dr Sarah Furness
From my-rutland.com
However Rutland Vermont is quite a bit different from the Rutland we know and love. With a population of 60,000 compared to our 38,000 it's a big place with a towns and village such as Benson, Castletown, Fair Haven and many more! It's actually the second-most populated county in the state of Vermont. Wikipedia quote that the US county is actually named after our own little Rutland!
The Sheriff will tour our country over the weekend including a private tour of Burghley House, eating at The Finches Arms (and more), meeting the Duchess of Rutland and he'll also meet both Mayors of Uppingham and Oakham.
If you see the Sheriff around let us know on social media!
Twitter: @RutlandBlog