This evening I attended a carol service at HMP Huntercombe that I suspect will stay with me for a very long time. The hall was full – staff, prisoners and visiting volunteers – including Mark, Anne and me – gathered together in a way that felt both ordinary and quietly extraordinary. From the first moment…
This afternoon I had the genuine pleasure of popping into St Edburg’s Church in Bicester for their Christmas Tree Festival, and what a quietly joyful thing it is. More than 70 real Christmas trees fill the church, each one sponsored and decorated by local schools, community groups and businesses. Taken together, they create something rather…
Mark and I managed a textbook “May–Johnson misadventure” last night. We turned up at the Sheldonian, feeling very pleased with ourselves for being early (for once) and ready to support the Oxford Bach Choir at their Carols for All. We were met by a handful of slightly puzzled – but wonderfully warm – staff and…
This afternoon’s Christmas drinks with Quest for Learning were an absolute joy. We were welcomed into Heather and Adam’s beautiful barn conversion in Blewbury, complete with a spectacular double-height Christmas tree that set the tone perfectly – festive, elegant, and full of warmth. I first came across Chris Higgins, Quest for Learning’s Chief Executive, a…
The alarm went off painfully early this morning, but it was for the best of reasons. By 7am I was on Banbury Road, heading into the BBC studios in Oxford to join Sophie Law on her breakfast show and talk about something very close to my heart – the High Sheriff’s Awards. There’s a particular…
What a joyful evening in Witney tonight. The Mayor’s Carol Service brought the whole community together in that wonderfully unforced way that Witney does so well. The church was full, the mood was bright, and from the moment Mark and I arrived we were met with a warm welcome from the Mayor, Andy Bailey, and…
Tonight was one of those evenings that leaves you both energised and quietly proud. As both Chair of Trustees at Oxfordshire Youth and High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, I had the joy of joining supporters, partners and friends from across the business and civic community for our annual gift-wrapping night. And what an evening it was….
Tonight Mark and I had the pleasure of stepping into The Randolph Hotel – not, I should add, one of our usual haunts, but certainly one we’ve long aspired to enjoy. And what a fitting occasion to find ourselves there: the 30th birthday celebration of Oxfordshire Community Foundation, held, quite perfectly, on Giving Tuesday. The…
This afternoon brought one of those delightful moments in the Shrieval year when you’re reminded, very simply, of the power of joy. I was invited by Oxfordshire Freemasons to join them at the Oxford Playhouse for their annual pantomime matinee for children and families who face additional challenges – a tradition that’s now firmly established…
Last night I had the enormous pleasure of giving a lecture to students and staff at Oxford Brookes University’s Law School — a brilliant way to round off their semester, and a genuine highlight of my shrieval year so far. I was truly delighted to have been invited by Charlotte Houghteling and Marc Howe, whose…
