Similar Posts
Reinventing the three Rs
ByJohn MayThe last few weeks have been interesting ones for Scouting. Broadsheets and tabloids alike have attacked us for dropping the Promise (we haven’t); the Sun has run a particularly insidious campaign suggesting that we don’t vet prospective leaders carefully enough before accepting their offers of help (we do); and our census figures suggest that interest…
A Brilliant Evening with the 43rd Oxford Scouts
ByJohn MayIt was an absolute pleasure this evening to watch High Sheriff’s Cadet Emily run a cracking Scout meeting at the 43rd Oxford Group in Old Marston. The place was buzzing from the moment we walked in — loud, busy, full of energy, and enormous fun. Emily had set up three activity bases and kindly roped…
A Decade of Impact – and a Cake Cut with a Sword
ByJohn MayThis evening, I had the enormous pleasure of joining African Families in the UK (AFiUK) as they celebrated their 10th anniversary – a remarkable milestone for a charity that has spent the last decade supporting, empowering, and standing alongside migrant families in Oxfordshire and beyond. The civic party included myself, The Lord Lieutenant and MP…
Circle Dancing in Bicester
ByJohn MayIt was a genuine privilege to support the Mayor of Bicester at her Civic Charity Dinner this week – an evening full of warmth, pride and just the right amount of joyful chaos. Councillor Alisa Russell, elected in May 2025 as the Liberal Democrat Mayor of Bicester for 2025–2026, is based at The Garth. She…
Youth to Everest – Days 3 & 4
ByJohn MayIt’s known as the Namche Bump. A climb of about 600 meters elevation. It starts with a mind-numbingly terrifying (for me anyway) crossing of a wire bridge, suspended high above a gorge and then a street, steep climb that takes in countless sharp hairpin bends in the path. The journey took us…
The Court Sermon and Glove Ceremony at Christ Church Cathedral
ByJohn MayTonight at Christ Church Cathedral we gathered to mark the inauguration of Oxfordshire’s legal year — the Court Sermon and Glove Ceremony, a tradition that binds together city, university, church and the realm of justice in a single act of worship, symbolism and renewal. In the hush and candlelight of the nave, with the procession…
