How Luton's Bav Shah became Bedfordshire’s youngest High Sheriff

At the age of 39, Bav Shah was the youngest ever High Sheriff of the county, and one of the youngest in English history, when he started his role last year.

Dating back to Saxon times, when the ‘Shire Reeve’ was responsible to the king for upholding law and order in a given area, today, the royal role is an independent and non-political one for a single year.

He said: “It’s a ceremonial role, but the overall message is to bring harmony to communities and make them stronger, safer and happier.”

Bav was nominated for the position five years ago. His work as a school governor at Woodlands Secondary School and being involved with Rotary Clubs got him this community-facing role.

After going through the nomination process, which includes interviews and vetting from the Privy Council, Bav trained for three years, learning the protocols and going on courses.

He said: “The real training is from former High Sheriffs and people who have been in the role because it's such a specialist thing.

“I'm fortunate that my year was in an election year. I had to find a High Sheriff who had an election year in their year, find out what they were doing differently.”

Bav is one of only four South Asian people to have had the position across the county, and has made it his mission to bridge the gap between different communities in Bedfordshire.

He explained: “Our role is being out there as much as we can, to understand the communities, what the challenges are, and how we can bring collaboration.

“For example, the Kenyan community is very active, they have lots of events, but they didn't have a base and they weren't aware that there were a lot of Asian Africans in Luton. A lot of them are part of Luton Town Indians Cricket Club, who have their own venue and community space.

“I introduced those groups, and now the African Kenyan community is much closer with the Indian African community, and is using that venue as a base.”

Bav’s parents were born in Kenya, something that has been reflected through his official uniform.

As with every High Sheriff, the ceremonial garments are important, and Bav enlisted the help of students at his alma mater, Nottingham Trent University, to create his unique uniform.

Sabina Huxley, a costume design student, drew out a pattern to go on the inside of his jacket and other students constructed the garment.

The 21-year-old said: “He talked about his heritage, so I got the colours from the two flags: Indian and Kenyan. I included the shields from the Kenyan flag and the central wheel on the Indian flag.

“I did a few different mock-ups. He's lived in various countries, Australia and places like that, so I included skylines from some of those cities. He wanted a shoutout to Luton so I put Luton Town’s little logo of the hat in there.

“I wanted it to look like a pattern but as you look into it further, you see things.

And for nearly a year, Bav has gone to over 400 events and engagements in his High Sheriff uniform. From shadowing Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the police to community events and a 107th birthday party, Bav has made it his mission to share his positivity to people in every corner of the county.

He said: “Things like royal visits and announcing elections are great and an absolute honour to do, but what is equally important to me is just the successes, particularly of unsung heroes, and encouraging people to do great work and have positive impacts in their communities.”

The 40-year-old has used his skills in his job and applied them to this voluntary role, which is completely self-funded.

Bav explained: “There isn't a penny of the public purse that is spent on this role. So with the uniform, we buy it ourselves, we pay for our travel ourselves. If I have to go to an event and pay for my parking, I can't claim that back from anywhere. It's totally self-funded, every penny of it.”

Since being in his role, he has worked closely with the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Susan Lousada, who serves as the Crown’s representative in the county.

At the end of March, Bav will hang up his uniform and pass the baton onto the next High Sheriff.

When asked how the role has changed him, he explained: “It’s been very humbling and overwhelming.

“I’ve been involved in community work for as far back as I can remember, with my mum and dad - there was always a fundraising event or a collection for something.

“I was brought up to give back as much as I can in time and by way of helping others. I thought I knew the county and what was going on, but it just scratches the surface

“There are people who just go out and do things selflessly, without wanting recognition and without posting it all over social media.

“There's so much more of that going on in our communities than we realise.”