Jeannie France-Hayhurst

High Sheriff of Cheshire

Jeannie has practised as a barrister for most of her professional life, starting off in London and progressing via the Wales and Chester Circuit to the Northern Circuit. She specialised in Family Law and had an extensive child protection practice which took her all over the country from Carlisle in the North to London in the South, Lincoln in the East and Llangefni in the West.

Jeannie is now High Sheriff of Cheshire, a position which brings together her knowledge of the Law, her respect and admiration for all of the blue-light services, her passionate commitment to her county and her recognition of the work of all those amazing individuals who improve life in their respective communities.

She has broad experience of the worlds of politics, academia and health, and serves as a director on a number of boards in both the public and private sector.

Her current focus has been on the performing arts and the enormous benefits brought by participation, especially by children and young people.

Jeannie is also a keen supporter of active courses and organisations recognising the values of developing resilience, teamwork, communication and self-reliance. She believes strongly in freedom of expression and the merit of structured debate. Jeannie loves the English language with all its nuances and richness and is at her happiest when discussing and exchanging ideas.

She has a busy family life which includes eleven grandchildren, a couple of dogs and a demanding garden. If she gets any precious time off, she loves swimming, sailing and skiing and is very happy either meeting-up and catching-up with friends or simply curling up with a good book or a riveting thriller on TV.