High Sheriff visits Hertfordshire Sports Village

The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, Annie Brewster JP, recently visited the impressive facilities at the University of Hertfordshire’s Sports Village to present one of the High Sheriff’s prestigious awards to the staff team at the facility, in recognition of outstanding service to life saving. 

The award followed a timely intervention of team members at the Sports Village, who administered Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and a defibrillator to a customer that had suffered a cardiac arrest, earlier in 2024. That intervention undoubtedly saved the man’s life, and was a timely reminder, of the hugely important work undertaken by teams at leisure facilities to ensure that customers have an enjoyable experience in a safe and welcoming environment. 

In receiving the award, Director of Sport at the University of Hertfordshire, David Connell said: 

“I am delighted to receive this award on behalf of Sports Village staff team. Much of the work that the team undertakes goes unseen, but without the quality of our staff training our offer would be significantly diminished and indeed their hard work and commitment ensures that we are able to offer such a high quality, accessible, safe and affordable experience to the University’s staff and students as well as the local community.  

I am extremely proud of the way the staff dealt with the recent event. Such experiences can be extremely traumatic, and the gratitude shown by the customer’s family has been both humbling and heartening in equal measures.” 

Making the presentation, the High Sheriff said: 

“Not only has today given me an opportunity to acknowledge the swift, critical and professional action taken by the Sports Village staff members, but also an opportunity to better understand the huge effort that sits behind public access to both the Sports Village and other sport and leisure facilities across Hertfordshire. We are very fortunate to have access to such facilities within our communities, and to have them operated by such outstanding staff teams. 

The University of Hertfordshire should be commended on the work undertaken and, in its efforts to ensure that the impact of its facilities is felt beyond the gates of the University."