I confess something slightly shameful. As an alumnus of the other university in Oxford, I had never properly set foot in the Bodleian. No studying there, no late-night essays under watchful portraits, no quietly reverential wandering between shelves. Until today. What a joy to finally put that right. This afternoon’s visit to the was a…
Last night, I had the great pleasure of being at the New Theatre Oxford with Mark for OXOPS’s production of The Sound of Music – and what a thoroughly uplifting evening it was. This is one of those shows that sits deep in the national psyche. Most of us think we know it before the…
A real delight to visit Witney Buttercross Scout Group this evening and spend time with the Marlborough Cub Pack, one of five Cub packs within the Group. For those who do not know it, Witney Buttercross Scout Group is something of a powerhouse. With more than 400 young people and around 40 adults in uniform,…
I visited earlier today, not quite sure what to expect. The old hospital site is still there, the imposing Victorian asylum building standing as a reminder of a very different era in mental health care. Alongside it sits the newer complex, built on what was once marshland within the grounds. The contrast is striking –…
It was a real pleasure to spend time this week exploring the importance of sport in equipping young people for life, at the launch of Oxfordshire Cricket’s new and ambitious strategy. Held at St Edward’s School – an important and much-valued partner – the event brought together people who care deeply about cricket not simply…
I know her as my friend Steph, but to the children of RAF Benson Primary School, she is very clearly their headteacher, Mrs Fawdry. It was a real pleasure to spend the morning at the school, beginning in assembly with the children and answering their thoughtful (and occasionally wonderfully direct) questions about what it means…
Mark and I had a rather joyful (and slightly mortifying) evening at the Comedy Gala, held at the wonderful . We began by confidently presenting ourselves at entirely the wrong pre-show reception and inadvertently gate-crashing the sponsors’ event. Full marks, then, to everyone there for responding in the most impeccably British way possible: smiling, welcoming…
Today was one of those days that reminds me why this role is such a privilege. I spent much of the day with the judging team working our way through an extraordinary number of nominations for this year’s High Sheriff’s Awards. It was, in truth, a difficult task – not because of any shortage of…
Last night saw me at a bowling alley in Oxford with the High Sheriff’s Cadets, confidently stepping up to the lane and being comprehensively outplayed at ten-pin bowling. It turns out confidence is no substitute for skill. Youthful reflexes, teamwork and a healthy lack of overthinking are, it seems, a formidable combination. My own technique,…
This afternoon, Mark and I spent Christmas Day in Oxford with care leavers, and with the volunteers who made today’s Christmas Dinner for them happen. It was generous, warm and quietly extraordinary – one of those afternoons that settles you, lifts you, and reminds you what Christmas can look like when people decide to show…
