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Renewal on a Roundabout
There are some moments in public life that feel quietly significant, even if – to anyone passing by – they look faintly ridiculous. This morning was one of those. Easter Sunday, 9.30am, on the Marcham Road roundabout in Abingdon. The timing was meant to keep traffic to a minimum. In truth, it was still busy…
A Morning with the Rural Crime Taskforce
Mark and I spent a fascinating morning with Alasdair, a Police Constable with the Rural Crime Taskforce of Thames Valley Police, gaining a real insight into the challenges and realities of policing our rural communities. We began with a visit to W C Green & Son, a long-established farming business in the village of Combe,…
The work happens in the middle
I have been revisiting The History of Youth Work in Europe, the remarkable series developed over a decade through the partnership between the European Commission and the Council of Europe. The seventh and final volume is co-edited by my good friend Howard Williamson, alongside Tanya Basarab, and it is one of those books that prompts…
Dealing with change
A presentation I made to voluntary youth leaders in Oxfordshire today… Click here to access the PowerPoint slides and associated notes.
Standing Together in Oxfordshire
Over the past week I’ve been in touch with senior colleagues in Thames Valley Police about the climate of fear being stirred nationally around asylum hotels and migrant communities. I asked for a clear-eyed picture of what’s really happening here in Oxfordshire – and I want to share some of that with you. Chief Superintendent…
Pedals, Purpose and Pure Determination
If you’d told me that one of the most entertaining moments of my Shrieval year so far would involve standing on a sun-scorched airfield near Banbury, chequered flag in hand, as sleep-deprived teams of pedal-powered racers whirred past me after 24 hours on the circuit — I might have raised an eyebrow. And yet, that’s…
