Dear friends, July has been a month rich in meaning – full of vibrant festivals, powerful performances, quiet conversations, and deeply moving moments across Oxfordshire. Whether in a school hall, a prison corridor, a park, or a concert stage, I’ve seen time and again how much this county gives – and how important it is…
Absolutely! Here’s a longer, more thematically structured blog post with global flavour, references to cultural diversity, and your signature tone – warm, engaging, self-deprecating, and gently humorous: A little while ago, in a moment of mild hunger and major nostalgia, I turned to the oracle of our age – Facebook – and asked a question:…
Today, I had the opportunity to visit HMP Bullingdon, a large, complex men’s prison near Bicester. Built just over thirty years ago, it is currently undergoing expansion with the construction of a new wing. It houses a diverse and often transient population: many residents are on remand or in the midst of transitions within the…
This lunchtime, I spent time with Kingsley, the driving force behind In-spire Sounds – an extraordinary youth-led organisation that combines music, mentoring and creativity to support some of Oxfordshire’s most marginalised young people. And what a remarkable man he is. Kingsley’s quiet energy and gentle authority belie the scale of the impact he’s having. From…
This morning, I had the privilege of joining—via Teams—a fascinating introduction to the work of the Social Entitlement Chamber for the South East. It’s a part of the judiciary that operates largely out of public view, and yet it deals with some of the most emotionally charged and socially significant cases in the entire justice…
It was with enormous pride this afternoon that I joined the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire and the Lord Mayor of Oxford in welcoming His Majesty King Charles III to our city—on what was a landmark occasion for one of Oxford’s most important institutions. We gathered to mark the 40th anniversary of the Oxford Centre for…
It’s not often you leave a school visit feeling quite so uplifted. This morning, I was able to meet the Ambassadors for Change at The Bicester School – a brilliant group of young people who’ve been working throughout the year to build resilience and strengthen community within their school. They were articulate, passionate, and utterly…
This afternoon, with rain threatening outside but spirits high within, I had the immense pleasure of joining the summer gathering of ARCh (Assisted Reading for Children in Oxfordshire) volunteers at Kidlington’s Baptist Church – and what a joyful, affirming occasion it was. We were there to celebrate something remarkable: the quiet, consistent difference that ARCh…
This morning, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Chris Price, Headteacher of The Cherwell School in Oxford, and the remarkable team from AT The Bus – including joint CEOs Maggie Scott and Juli Beattie. I’ve known Juli for many years and have always admired her unwavering commitment to children’s wellbeing, so it was…
It was Sunday afternoon. The shopping centre isn’t usually busy at this time, but today it was. The steps of the Orchard Centre in Didcot were alive with expectation – families gathered, passers-by paused, and a buzz of curiosity filled the air. We were waiting for CODE, a performance by the exceptional theatre company Justice…
