I spend time with Fran, Dawn, Tonya and Karen from Cats Protection’s branch in Bolton and Radcliffe to chat about volunteering and what it means to them.
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A Truly Special Afternoon: Welcoming His Majesty to Oxford
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…
A New Chapter for Oxfordshire’s Hindu Community
It was a privilege to attend the opening of the new Oxford Hindu Temple and Community Centre in Marston, alongside the Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Marjorie Glasgow, and a number of fellow Deputy Lieutenants. The occasion marked the culmination of an extraordinary 18-year journey. More than 300 people gathered to celebrate the opening of a centre…
Speaking up for cats in Westminster
Yesterday afternoon, the sun shone on the Terrace of the House of Commons, and it felt as though the whole place was full to bursting with people speaking up for cats. Cats Protection’s Parliamentary Reception was, quite simply, a joy. There was afternoon tea. There were games. There were cat-shaped biscuits. And there was one…
Speaking at Oxford Brookes University’s Law School
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…
Walking the beat in Bicester
Yesterday Mark and I spent a full shift with the neighbourhood policing team in Bicester, accompanying PCSOs Lou and Jules as they went about their work in the town centre, and later heading out with Lou across her wide rural patch. It was one of those days that quietly but powerfully reinforced just how important…
Christmas Day, Shared
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…
