News Review Part Two

July

THE process to choose the Conservatives’ candidate for Henley MP at the next election has been abandoned following rule breaches.

Multiple complaints were made, including that names from the longlist of candidates had been leaked and that membership of the selection committee had been stacked in favour of one candidate.

The process being run by the South Oxfordshire Conservative Association was triggered after sitting Tory MP John Howell announced in April that he would not be seeking re-election.

A PINK striped cowboy hat and Prada shoe were among the items collected by volunteers who carried out a clean-up of the River Thames in Henley after the royal regatta.

About 30 people took part in the operation using paddleboards to cover the stretch of water from Leander Club to Upper Thames Rowing Club on the Berkshire bank, returning along the Bucks bank past Phyllis Court Club.

They were led by environmental campaigner Lynne Lambourne and former GB rower Greg Searle and included staff, students and parents from Shiplake College and the Oratory School in Woodcote — and a dog called Flip.

ANGER is growing at the threat of closure to ticket offices at railway stations in South Oxfordshire.

Disability charities and campaigners, councillors and social groups for the elderly are upset that the facilities at Henley and Goring could go.

The threat is the result of plans by Great Western Railway to get customers to use automated machines or their phones and computers to purchase tickets.

At Henley, a total of 34,073 tickets was bought at the ticket vending machine, 36.5 per cent of the total, and 218 cash payments were received. The ticket office has been closed for three years but it had been due to re-open this month under a new manager.

NILE RODGERS has been there, done that, and he made sure the sell-out crowd knew it upon his triumphant return to the Henley Festival.

Accompanied by his band CHIC, the multiple Grammy award-winning artist had the entire audience at Fawley Meadows on their feet throughout his 90-minute set.

The 70-year-old was one of five headline acts at this year’s festival — the 41st — which was mainly blessed by dry weather throughout. Thousands of people attended each evening, with three nights sold out.

SWAN numbers are expected to be hit hard by avian flu while pollution of the river continues to be a problem.

David Barber, the King’s swan marker, said the disease had been “quite disastrous” for the swan population.

Mr Barber, who was wearing the insignia of King Charles for the first time, led this year’s annual swan-upping ceremony, which takes place along an 80-mile stretch of the River Thames over five days every July.

A FOOTBRIDGE over the Thames in Henley that was closed for safety reasons will remain shut for the foreseeable future, despite almost £50,000 being spent on it.

Marsh Head Horsebridge, which forms part of the Thames Path, was shut by the Environment Agency in May last year following complaints about its condition. More than a year later, no tenders for the repair work have been issued, although the agency has a designer and contractor in place.

It has produced two general inspection reports and a dive survey of the underwater structures. The agency has spent a total of £46,482 so far.

THOUSANDS of boat enthusiasts and spectators braved unpredictable and extreme weather to attend the Thames Traditional Boat Festival last weekend.

Numbers suffered on Friday and Saturday due to heavy wind and rain, which made river conditions unstable for boaters, but “hardcore” boat owners still turned up, with some camping over in a neighbouring field for the event, which is held annually in Fawley Meadows, Henley.

TRIBUTES have been paid to singer and entertainer Vince Hill. The man described as one of the best performers of his generation passed away peacefully at his home in Shiplake, aged 89.

Hill, who became a household name for his 1967 cover of Edelweiss from The Sound of Music film, had been in showbusiness for more than 50 years. He performed with the likes of Vera Lynn, Tony Christie and Cilla Black and had a string of hits in the Sixties and Seventies.

MARSH orchids are flourishing in Henley again after disappearing nearly 30 years ago.

A group of 13 Southern marsh orchids (Dactylorhiza praetermissa) has flowered in Marsh Meadows, an area managed by Greener Henley’s wildlife group. It is the first time in 27 years that the species has been spotted there.

The orchid, which has pink or purple flowers, thrives in chalky, damp soil and flowers in May, June and July.

August

A SINGER who underwent a kidney transplant last year that saved his life was in tears as he wed his fiancée.

Adam Isaac, 40, and Lucy Rutland, 30, were married at St Nicholas’s Church in Remenham in front of immediate family, six of their close friends and the man who saved the groom’s life by donating a kidney.

The couple, who live in Sonning Common, have been together for six years. Adam proposed while the couple were in Rome in September but they didn’t want to reveal their plans publicly until after his successful surgery in November.

Since then he has worked his way back to full fitness and has been performing again.

THE couple who run Henley Scan closed their shop to run the business from home instead.

Eva and Graham Rickett, who opened the Reading Road scan and print shop two years ago, say they are downsizing due to rising costs and illness.

They planned to build a garden office at their house in King’s Road, where they ran the business digitising old media such as photographs, negatives, VHS and camcorder tapes for three years previously.

MORE than 600 people braved heavy downpours to take part in the Wargrave and Shiplake Regatta.

Competitors of all ages and abilities took to the River Thames at the end of Mill Lane, Shiplake, to race in dongolas, skiffs, canoes and punts in 30 categories.

They were cheered on by spectators on the bank, many of whom had put up gazebos to protect themselves from the rain.

A LAW firm in Henley has accused Thames Water of being negligent after its basement was flooded with raw sewage for the second time in six weeks.

Cleaners at Blanchards Law in Market Place discovered 3ft of sewage in the basement. The flood meant the office was closed all last week and up to three quarters of the firm’s documents being held in storage were ruined.

A Thames Water tanker, which had been stationed outside for a month to remove excess waste from the sewer system while repairs were carried out, had been removed shortly beforehand.

THE family of a “brilliant” government scientist from Nettlebed who died in a cycling accident while on holiday in Italy has paid tribute to her.

They said Susannah Boddie would be remembered as someone who gave 110 per cent in everything she did and inspired everyone who met her. Susannah, 27, sustained fatal head injuries in the crash as she and her partner Rob Johnson descended a road on the western shore of Lake Garda. The pair were returning to Verona from the Dolomite Mountains when the accident happened.

Susannah was a lead data scientist and health team manager at 10 Downing Street who helped guide the UK through the coronavirus pandemic and developed key health policies.

A CAMPAIGN to restore slipway access to the River Thames at the bottom of Friday Street in Henley has finally succeeded after three years.

A coalition of residents, town councillors and community groups has battled for three years to restore public access.

This finally happened when developer Sorbon Estates removed a pontoon next to its moorings to create access to the water.

FAMILIES who have used a summer campsite in Shiplake for generations fear the tradition could be at an end.

Plot-holders at Shiplake Lock Island are worried that the closure of the camp by the Environment Agency could be made permanent and destroy a community which has come together each summer since Edwardian times.

They have started an online petition to save the camp, which was established at the end of the 19th century.

THOUSANDS of retro pop fans filled Temple Island Meadows at the weekend to enjoy the 14th Rewind South festival.

Twenty-two acts performed on Saturday and Sunday, including Squeeze, UB40, ABC, Toyah, Marc Almond, Tony Hadley, Nik Kershaw, Nick Heyward, China Crisis Big Country and Go West.

September

THE Kenton Theatre in Henley received a £100,000 loan from the town council to help safeguard its future.

The New Street venue has faced a challenging few years after being forced to close for a prolonged period during the coronavirus pandemic.

At a special meeting of the council on Tuesday, members unanimously agreed to provide a loan that the theatre will use to upgrade and invest in its facilities and enhance its programming.

The money will be repayable over 20 years with an interest rate of about 5.6 per cent. The interest will be waived for the first two years. Both the council and theatre believe the loan can be repaid before the repayment term ends.

A WOMAN from Binfield Heath said she cried when she reached the French shore after swimming the Channel.

Laura Reineke, 50, had feared she wouldn’t make it during the early stages of the challenge when it was cold and dark and she was seasick.

But she persevered and swam 56km from Dover to Wissant Beach in 15 hours, 23 minutes. The mother of three injured her left shoulder during the swim, her mouth was sore from the saltwater and she suffered a number of jellyfish bites.

MOST state schools in the Henley area recorded improvements in their students’ GCSE results compared with the last pre-covid year.

But some refused to release their figures publicly, making comparisons with previous years impossible. This was the first year since 2019 that year 11 students took external exams due the coronavirus pandemic, which forced schools to close and set up online teaching.

At Gillotts School in Henley, 80 per cent of the 181 year 11 students achieved the benchmark of five or more passes at grade 4 or better, including English and maths, the equivalent of A* to C grades under the old marking system. This compares with 76 per cent in 2019.

FORMER students of Gillotts School in Henley have reunited to raise money for an old friend suffering from a mystery illness.

Harry Pells, 36, found himself suddenly unable to walk following a work trip to Ireland two years ago. As a result he has been unable to work.

Mr Pells, who grew up in Sonning Common and now lives in Brighton, has not been diagnosed or told the cause of his condition. Old school friends Tom Fiander, Rob Teasdale and Kam Dizaei ran the Henley river 10km and half marathon to raise funds for his treatment.

THE father of a boy from Henley says the police have let his son down after he was targeted by a gang of youths.

Ian Greathead says he doesn’t know who to turn to after his 15-year-old son was assaulted twice in four months and has suffered verbal and online abuse for a year.

British Transport Police has apologised after a botched investigation meant charges could not be brought against those responsible.

Mr Greathead and his former partner Kirsty Wooldridge say their son is refusing to attend school, is “terrified” of leaving the house and has attempted to take his own life.

SHOPPERS are being urged to boycott a “disgusting” pop-up shop in Henley. The Phone Clinic and American Candy Shop has moved into the former M&Co premises in Bell Street.

It sells limited edition sweets, fizzy drinks and vapes as well as energy drinks and a selection of phone cases, second-hand mobile phones and accessories.

Town councillors say the shop is encouraging children to buy overpriced items that are bad for them or harmful to the environment. Deputy Mayor Kellie Hinton said the shop looked “absolutely disgusting”.

AN Italian café in Henley has closed after 17 years.

Nestor Castillo, 72, and his wife Alicja, 60, have sold Café Buendia in Bell Street in order to retire.

Mr Castillo, who is from Colombia, said: “It was a really difficult decision but it is time to retire. We want to travel and we have grandchildren and family abroad who we want to spend time with.”

HENLEY’S secondary school has been rated “outstanding”. Gillotts School was visited by four Ofsted inspectors over two days in June who noted that the leaders and the curriculum were both “highly ambitious”.

The school, which currently has 951 students, was previously inspected by the education watchdog in 2020 when it was rated “good”.

The inspectors’ report says: “Pupils thrive because of the high-quality teaching and care they receive.”

THE Henley Farm and Country show was brought to an early finish by scorching temperatures which meant some key attractions were cancelled. Thousands of spectators attended the 132nd annual event at the Henley Showground as temperatures soared to 31C.

But livestock including cattle and sheep were sent home before noon and events such as the grand parade of animals, the ferret racing and the parade by the Kimblewick Hunt were scrapped.

Visitor numbers were down on previous years due to the heat and many people who attended did not last the day.

HENLEY Music School could close due to a lack of funding, putting children’s lessons at risk.

Founder Laura Reineke has announced that the charity has run out of money and desperately needs donors in order to continue.

Ms Reineke, a violinist who lives in Binfield Heath, blamed the school’s difficulties on the cost of living crisis, a lack of interest and funding in the arts and fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

PRINCESS Anne came to Henley to launch a new programme for people with special educational needs and disabilities.

The Princess Royal visited the River & Rowing Museum to learn more about the initiative created by the museum and the Rivertime Boat Trust to promote education about the River Thames and the natural environment.

Anne met with children from Manor Green School in Maidenhead and Stony Dean School in Amersham, who were using interactive apparatuses to learn about topics such as erosion, transportation, flora and fauna and floodplains.

She also unveiled a plaque to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the museum.

HUNDREDS of spectators lined the banks of the River Thames in Henley to watch the town’s second Illuminated Boat Parade.

Motorboats of different sizes, paddleboarders, kayakers, sailing boats and pedalos all decked with lights travelled on the water from Fawley Meadows to Henley Bridge on Saturday evening as darkness fell.

Many boats were decorated with different themes including Barbie, James Bond, a winter wonderland with penguins and a polar bear, pirates and an RAF “plane” complete with a light-up propellor and wings on either side.

SEVEN hospital beds in Henley are to be axed with a warning by doctors that it will have a “detrimental” effect on patients.

The “short stay hub” beds are based at the Chilterns Court care cantre, part of the £16 million “health campus” which opened alongside the new Townlands Memorial Hospital in 2016.

One of the former “intermediate care” beds has already been taken out of use and the remaining six will be goneby the end of year.

The beds belong to the Orders of St John Trust, the care provider at Chilterns Court, but have been used and funded jointly by the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board and the Oxfordshire County Council for short stay rehab care.

FRESH plans to light Henley Bridge have been drawn up. Make Henley Shine, a small group of businesspeople, wants to put mini ultra-low light LED nodes on the historic crossing to create an “iconic beacon” for residents and visitors.

This would involve 456 lights, four less than had previously been proposed by the group before withdrawing its original planning application on the advice of council officials in June last year. A new application has been submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council and Wokingham Borough Council, the planning authorities on either side of the river.

THE Mayor of Henley is urging people to check themselves after she was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time.

Sarah Miller, 60, resigned as the town’s first citizen on Tuesday in order to focus on her treatment and recovery.

Councillor Miller, who was elected mayor for a second time in May, recently discovered that she had cancer cells following a routine check-up.

A CAMPAIGN was launched to boost nature in the Henley area is launched. Nature2 is designed to encourage residents, schools and other organisations to each sow a 1m2 patch of native wildflowers.

The aim is to collectively add hundreds of square metres of pollinating plants, providing vital support for bees, other insects and wildlife. The target is for 500 individuals and groups to take part in the community rewilding campaign.

October

A CAFÉ in Henley has closed after less than three months following a poor hygiene rating.

The Thyme Café opened at the River & Rowing Museum in July and was run by Dan McCullough, from Bix, and Jason Wild, from Blackheath. The pair left immediately after catering for Princess Anne’s visit to the museum last month. They say the decision to close was a commercial one. The café had been given one star out of five in a hygiene inspection by an environmental health officer from South Oxfordshire District Council in July. The rating means “major improvement is necessary” under the national Scores on the Doors scheme.

A BINMAN has lost his job after being caught on a camera cross-contaminating a resident’s waste.

A woman from Park Corner, near Nettlebed, complained after she watched the footage from her Ring doorbell.

This shows the binman at the end of her driveway looking around before quickly tipping the contents of her dark green food waste caddy into her green recycling wheelie bin.

The council has apologised for the incident and said that the man is no longer employed by its waste contractor, Biffa.

A MAN who helped set up Henley Hockey Club has celebrated his 100th birthday.

Dan Seymour was guest of honour at a party at his home in Church Lane, Peppard, which he built with his late wife Sylvia. The guests included his three children, Susan, Gillian and Richard, and five grandchildren, Elfie, 29, Emilio, 31, Florella, 30, Rosalia, 26, and Lucie, 30, as well as friends and neighbours.

A CHEF has returned to Henley with a new venture in the town centre. Steve Luscombe, who formerly ran Luscombes at the Golden Ball in Lower Assendon for 15 years, has moved back to the town from Mallorca, where he had been a private chef.

He quit his former restaurant last November, blaming rising costs and a staff shortage. Now the 57-year-old has taken over the former Café Buendia premises in Bell Street, which closed last month.

Mr Luscombe’s decision to return to the UK was hastened after suffering a back injury in December that left him unable to work for months.

ABOUT 300 people came together to sing and dance in Henley town hall. They attended the Henley Big Sing, a free event organised by Henley Choral Society to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

About 200 adults and children over the age of 12 attended in the morning and 80 younger children came with their parents and guardians in the afternoon.

Richard Harker, musical director of the choral society and Henley Youth Choir, led the groups with accompaniment from Anita D’Attellis on keyboards, Sam Wilkinson on drums and Andy Crowdy on guitar.

PROTECTED woodland is being sold with alleged potential for housing development despite buyers having a minimal chance of obtaining planning permission.

Springalls Plantation comprises 23 acres of woodland and a paddock close to Park Corner, near Nettlebed, and has been split into proposed parcels of land with indicated access roads. These are being advertised for sale for between £30,000 for half an acre and £300,000 for 7.8 acres.

Springalls was previously owned by the entertainer Kenny Lynch, who died in December 2019, aged 81.

November

A GROUP of women have stripped for a charity calendar. They are all regulars at the Black Horse pub near Checkendon and are copying their male counterparts who produced one last year.

Elizabeth Strange came up with the idea after losing her mother, Jane, to cancer at the age of 64 in December and her partner Pete Holtom was taken to hospital by the air ambulance last year after a serious accident. She said: “Mum spent her final days at Sobell House so I wanted to split the money between the hospice and the air ambulance because they’re amazing.”

THE life of a well-known Henley jeweller was celebrated at the town hall on Friday. David Rodger-Sharp, 39, who lived in Peppard with John, his husband of 17 years, took his own life last month.

About 300 people attended the event, including Mr Rodger-Sharp’s friends and colleagues. The service was livestreamed for his mother, Maxine, sister Laura, nephews and nieces and John, who watched from his native Scotland. As people walked into the building, Ron Paterson played the bagpipes.

THE mother of a teenager who was killed in a double fatal car smash has urged other young men not to drink and drive. Justine Morris said: “Think of your mum.”

She was speaking at an inquest into the death of her 19- year-old son Sammy Phillips who was killed when a car driven by his friend while more than three times over the drink-drive limit crashed, killing them both.

Sammy, a tree surgeon, from Henley, was in the passenger seat of the car driven by Lewis Moghul, 22, from Whitchurch Hill, on the night of February 3.

A CHARITY set up by a Henley mother has installed its 100th defibrillator 10 years after its inception. Millie’s Dream supplied the lifesaving device that went up outside Eye and Dunsden village hall in Dunsden Green.

Sarah Roberts founded the charity in 2013 and named it after her then six-year-old daughter, who has a heart and lung condition, with the aim of providing defibrillators in all Henley’s primary schools.

The charity has now provided 100 defibrillators across the wider area and has helped to save the lives of five men.

THE Mayor of Henley spoke about the effects of current wars as hundreds of people gathered for the town’s annual Remembrance Sunday service.

Councillor Kellie Hinton addressed the crowd from a podium on the town hall steps. She said: “We say over and over how we remember them, we say the words, ‘Lest we forget’ and while we do this and remember our fallen heroes from the past, we must also take time to reflect on current wars around the world.”

A BOY is demanding that Apple changes its “nerd” emoji. Teddy Cottle, 10, thinks the pictogram is insulting to people like him who wear glasses.

He has launched a petition calling on the tech giant to change the design and name of the emoji, which comprises a yellow face with two “buck” teeth wearing thick black-rimmed spectacles.

He wants the teeth replaced with a smile and for it to be named “genius emoji”. Teddy, a year 5 pupil at Sonning Common Primary School in Grove Road, has worn glasses since he was two years old.

December

POLLUTION levels in the River Thames at Henley have been found to be up to six times higher than recommended levels for safe bathing.

Citizen scientists for Thames21, which improves and restores rivers, carried out water testing at six points along the river between May and September.

Thames21 trained 22 volunteers to carry out weekly water quality sampling at Henley Bridge, Mill Meadows and Marsh Lock as well as Loddon Bridge, near Wargrave, Sonning Bridge and Christchurch Bridge in Reading.

THE Henley Christmas Festival was bigger and brighter than ever this year. Thousands of people attended the event in the town centre to see the official switch-on of the new festive lights.

They also enjoyed music and entertainment, funfair rides and hot food. Many shops were open late and there were stalls selling mulled wine, hot dogs, candy floss and gifts.

The lights on the 29ft Nordmann fir tree in the square were switched on by actor and TV personality Christopher Biggins, Mayor Kellie Hinton and eight-year-old Lotte Groh, winner of the Mayor’s Christmas card design competition.

A BOOKSHOP is celebrating 25 years of trading in Henley. Jonkers Rare Books, which specialises in rare books and manuscripts, opened in Hart Street in 1998.

Owners Christiaan and Sam Jonkers, who live in Lower Assendon, work with private collectors and institutions such as the British Library in London and The Bodleian in Oxford.

After 18 years at 24 Hart Street, the couple were offered the opportunity to buy the freehold of their current premises directly opposite at 27 Hart Street.

A WOMAN has made a desperate appeal for a new home for her son, his terminally ill wife and their baby girl.

Alexandra Melioti, of Pages Orchard, Sonning Common, says the family are living in a 12th floor flat in Reading as they have been placed in band D, the lowest priority for social housing, by the borough council.

Mrs Melioti says their current flat is not big enough to accommodate Sophie’s medical needs and she struggles to use her wheelchair in the small space.

TWO volunteers for the Royal British Legion have been banned from fundraising after donating £3,000 to Henley Sea Cadets.

Brothers David and Roddy Young were given a formal written warning by the charity for supporting a non-affiliated cause.

As well as being disqualified from fundraising for three years, they cannot hold a Legion branch or district post and they cannot appeal against the decision. The men have had to step down from their positions as chairman and treasurer of the Kidmore End and district branch. They say they have been treated unfairly for an error of judgement.