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Rejecting a False Choice
I don’t often write directly about local political issues. When I do, I think it is important to be clear that these are my own personal reflections as an Oxfordshire resident. They do not represent the views of any organisation I lead or support, nor of any of the civic offices I am privileged to…
Thirty Years of Generosity
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…
The Joy of Opening Doors
One of the quiet joys of being High Sheriff is being asked to open things. This evening I had the pleasure of doing just that at Wesley Memorial Church in Oxford – though there was no ribbon to cut, only the rather more meaningful opportunity to open a door and welcome everyone present into the…
An extraordinary place, and an extraordinary responsibility
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 –…
Local Democracy in the Eighteenth Century
Yesterday afternoon, I had the great pleasure of joining members of the Oxfordshire Record Society for their Annual General Meeting and lecture, held in the Officers’ Mess at RAF Benson. As one of the Society’s Vice Presidents, it was a real joy to be among people who share my fascination with local history — those…
Big Laughs for a Brilliant Cause
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…
