Annie Hall (high sheriff)

Annie Hall
High Sheriff of Derbyshire
In office
2017–2018
Preceded byElizabeth Fothergill
Succeeded byLucy Palmer
Personal details
Born1949/1950
Died (aged 69)
Derbyshire, England
SpouseMichael Hall
Residence(s)Ashford-in-the-Water, Derbyshire, England
ProfessionBusinessperson

Annie Hall (1949/50– 8 November 2019) was a British businesswoman who served as High Sheriff of Derbyshire for the year 2017–2018.[1] She was the first woman to be president of Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce.[2] She was also vice-chair of Derbyshire Mental Health NHS Trust,[2] chair of the council of Derby Cathedral,[3] and a trustee of the charity Foundation Derbyshire.[2]

Hall was raised in Wincanton, Somerset, and educated at a Catholic school nearby.[2] She subsequently studied psychiatric nursing.[2] She married her first husband, and the couple subsequently moved from Somerset to Derbyshire, where they set up a business manufacturing industrial winches.[2] She later married Mr Michael Hall.

She died on 8 November 2019[4] after being swept away by the flooded River Derwent at Rowsley, following a period of unusually heavy rainfall.[5] The inquest heard;[6] The car she and her husband were in entered deep water near Darley Bridge, eventually becoming stranded, and they decided to get out of the car and walk out of the flooded area. As they tried to progress, the conditions were deteriorating markedly, she fell a number of times and on the last fall was taken away under a fence by the flood water.[6] He survived by managing to hold on to a lamppost.[2] Her body was found around 2 miles (3.2 km) downstream, near Darley Dale, some two hours later.[7][2]

Hall was 69 at the time of her death,[2] and was a resident of Ashford-in-the-Water.[2][8]

  1. ^ "High Sheriff of Derbyshire". derbyshirehighsheriff.co.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Southworth, Phoebe; Henderson, Eugene; Bird, Steve (9 November 2019). "Flood victim named as Annie Hall, former Derbyshire High Sheriff". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Tributes paid to former High Sheriff who died in Derbyshire floods". Derby Telegraph. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Derbyshire's former High Sheriff, Annie Hall, named as woman who died after being swept away by River Derwent in Darley Dale". Matlock Mercury. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Severe warnings remain as flood death woman named". BBC News. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  6. ^ a b Broomhead, Michael (15 October 2021). "Annie Hall inquest: Derbyshire woman accidentally drove into flood water before being swept away and drowning". Derbyshire Times.
  7. ^ "Woman dies and dozens evacuated as floods hit". BBC News. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  8. ^ Fisher, Steve (10 April 2017). "High Sheriff of Derbyshire formally opens Commerce House". East Midlands Business Link. Retrieved 9 November 2019.