News review, part 1: Olympic rowing heroes honoured, row over 5G mast,

A FORMER care home in Henley that has been derelict for eight years is finally set to be sold.

Chilterns End was closed by the Orders of St John Care Trust in 2016 when it moved to the new 64-bed Chilterns Court care centre, next door to Townlands Memorial Hospital.

Oxfordshire County Council, which owns the freehold of the 2.37-acre site, has now agreed to sell it to Nicholas King Homes, subject to the firm receiving planning permission to develop it.

The site has been allocated 27 homes in the joint Henley and Harpsden neighbourhood plan but the Henley Standard understands the developer will look to build a smaller number.

WALLPAPER celebrating the Olympic successes of Henley athletes was installed at Leander Club.

A feature wall has been created in the “crew room” using newspaper clippings showcasing the achievements of rowers at the Games in Paris last summer.

Leander athletes returned home with three golds, two silvers and three bronzes, making 21 medallists and bringing the club’s total of Olympic medals to 159.

EIGHT people from the Henley area were recognised in the New Year’s Honours list.

Businessman and former politician Tim Eggar and Paralympic rowing champion Erin Kennedy, of Leander Club, were both awarded an OBE.

Three other Leander athletes, Hannah Scott, Georgina Brayshaw and club captain Lola Anderson, who won gold in the women’s quad sculls, and Upper Thames Rowing Club athlete Imogen Grant, who triumphed in the lightweight double sculls at the Paris Olympics last summer, were made MBEs.

Peter Taylor was made a CBE for services to journalism and public service broadcasting for more than 50 years.

Michael Cooper, a former head of the grants hub at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was awarded an OBE.

A COACH at Henley Rugby Club apologised after receiving a touchline ban for grabbing an opposition player during a match.

Duncan Bennett admitted leaving the “technical zone” in the 78th minute after which he grabbed a Bury St Edmunds player round the chest.

This resulted in a clash between him and another Bury player where they pushed each other. Bennett was then “dragged” away by another member of the Hawks playing squad and was shown a red card by the match referee.

The National League 2 East match on December 21 continued and was played to its conclusion. Henley lost the match at Bury 41-17.

ONE of the largest employers in Henley is set to relocate following the sale of its premises for housing.

Pump manufacturer Stuart Turner is currently based at Empstead Works, off Greys Road, which is set to be developed. Henley Enterprise Park, which owns the site, has agreed to sell it to London developer, the Green Regeneration Property Company, which wants to build 54 new homes there.

This would comprise
47 houses, 10 with two bedrooms, 23 with three bedrooms and 14 with four bedrooms, as well as seven maisonettes, five with one bedroom and two with two bedrooms.

A MAN who rediscovered an old recipe for a “Henley sauce” wants to see it make a comeback. Designer Richard Hill has created a brand concept and packaging for “Henley Sauce Co” to revive a Victorian-era condiment.

Mr Hill, 57, first came across the sauce in an advert in A Guide To Henley Upon Thames and its Vicinity, which was first published in May 1838 by Simpkin and Marshall. It was dedicated to WPW Freeman Esq, the then Lord Mayor of Henley.

He described the book as a Victorian version of the Lonely Planet guide and the advert for the sauce said it contained the essence of anchovies and pickles and cost one-and-a-half shillings.

MORE than 20 homes were left without water after a burst pipe caused part of a road to collapse. A sinkhole appeared at the north end of Kidmore Road, Caversham Heights, which came two months after reports of an underground leak.

Thames Water had said this proved to be a false alarm and blamed the burst pipe on “ground movement” which it says led to the hole in the road.

THE late Beatle George Harrison enlisted the help of two goats to help clear up his overgrown garden.

The Liverpool-born musician’s widow Olivia revealed his unorthodox gardening technique while speaking to gardener and TV presenter Monty Don.

He was touring the grounds of the guitarist’s former home, Friar Park in Gravel Hill, during an episode of his BBC show Monty Don’s British Gardens. Harrison first bought the Grade II listed Friar Park in January 1970, aged just 27, and it remains home to Olivia today.

A GIRL launched a petition to re-open a public footbridge in Henley.

Claudia Fennell, nine, of Wargrave Road, wants the rotting Marsh Lock horsebridge to be repaired after it was shut by the Environment Agency in May 2022 following complaints about its condition.

She came up with the idea as part of her “Speaking Out” badge for Henley Brownies, which encourages them to stand up for an issue they feel passionate about.

Repairs on the bridge were initially expected to take two months but it still remains closed.

A SINGER from Henley was “gutted” to leave an ITV talent competition. Dressed as “Tattoo” Carol Decker performed on The Masked Singer where she sang Human by the Killers in the fourth episode of the show.

The T’Pau frontwoman faced elimination after a sing-off with “Dressed Crab”, resulting in her being the fourth contestant to be unmasked to viewers.

Decker, 67, was dressed in a love-heart shaped costume with the word “love” across her body, embossed with roses and bird figures on her shoulder which she wore with pink and yellow tights and blue heels.

THE owner of an antiques shop in Henley told of his anger after it was burgled.

A thief smashed a hole in the front window of the Ferret in Friday Street and took about £400 of jewellery, including necklaces, rings and earrings.

It is believed that the thief had taken flowerpots from outside Full House, a Chinese and fish and chip shop also in Friday Street, and then used them to break the glass.

AN Olympic gold medal-winning rower became an on-call firefighter. Jacob Dawson, 31, said joining the Henley station in West Street has fulfilled a childhood dream.

The Leander Club rower had his first shift having completed a two-week basic training course in Didcot. Dawson, who lives in Ancastle Green, decided to sign up in June but had to postpone his enrolment until September so he could compete at the Olympics in Paris last summer where he won gold in the men’s eight.

Dawson said: “I’d wanted to be part of the fire service since I was a kid. It is very much a childhood dream.”

A DRIVER told of his anger after a single pothole left nine cars stranded in one night.

The crater in the B481 at Park Corner measured about 2ft long, 1ft wide and 5in deep, with a sheer face inside, making it difficult to spot.

Derek O’Sullivan, 60, from Ipsden, was driving towards Nettlebed when his Audi A8 hit the pothole, which shredded his front near-side tyre.

He said the hole was unnoticeable as it was dark and, shortly after pulling over, a string of vehicles suffered the exact same fate.

Mr O’Sullivan said: “People just kept coming and hitting it and in the end there were six cars parked where we were and another three in the layby further down the road.”

A DOG from Caversham dubbed “Britain’s Brightest Dog” can fetch more than 200 toys by their name. Harvey, a six-year-old border collie, was taught by his owner, Irene Hewlett, 51, to recognise the names in English and Dutch.

Mrs Hewlett, who was born in the Netherlands, and her husband Neil have spent more than £800 on toys, including a hammer, a lobster and a guitar. It has taken about six years for Harvey to learn them all.

A BRIDGE in our German twin town that was named after Henley is to be rebuilt.

Henley Bridge is one of three crossings in Leichlingen which spans the Wupper, a tributary of the Rhine, that runs through the centre of the town.

Each of the three bridges are each named after twin towns, the others are Marly-le-Roi in France and Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Henley Bridge, which connects the market place and the town hall, is for pedestrians and cyclists, was closed in October 2019 after falling into disrepair.

It was first built in 1990 as a visible sign of connection between Henley and Leichlingen on the 10th anniversary of the twinning partnership.

PLANS to install a 5G telecoms mast on a recreation ground in Henley were rejected. But a former town Mayor has called the decision a “massive disappointment” and a victory for “Nimbys”.

Kellie Hinton said: “I’m not saying that we should concrete over all our green spaces but where there are places that are suitable, we should be putting in masts.” She was speaking after South Oxfordshire District Council refused proposals by EE to install the 20m high monopole in a corner of Makins recreation ground, off Greys Road.

A FOOTBALL club that was started to give opportunities for girls to play the sport has attracted 100 players within its first six months.

Henley United FC was founded in June by Allan Steel, Joe and Rea Nicholson and Jen Buckham-Hedges for children aged six to 12.

But while the intention was to provide competitive football for girls, the club has also taken on boys who asked to join.

Sixty girls have signed up so far and play in four teams as well as 40 boys, who play in five teams.

A BUSINESSWOMAN from Henley wants a campaign launched to curb littering in the town.

Eva Rickett, who runs Henley Scan, a scanning and digital company based in King’s Road, with her husband Graham, is unhappy about the cleanliness of the town centre streets.

She told a town council meeting that more should be done to encourage both residents and visitors to take responsibility. She was unhappy about the amount of litter, especially discarded chewing gum which sticks to the pavements.

Mrs Rickett said: “I suppose I just want to feel really proud about the place again.”

THE “H” graffiti on the side of Henley Bridge was finally removed.

Contractors hired by Oxfordshire County Council used a hot water pressure washer to remove the black and white “tag”.

A team of men had to stop with the job half-done when their machine broke down but they returned to finish the work.

The graffiti, which appeared at the Berkshire end of the bridge in May 2022, had been due to be removed in October but the work was postponed by the council due to the high river levels.

Henley Bridge is a Grade I listed crossing built in 1786 so specialists were needed to carry out the cleaning to avoid damaging the stonework.

UKRAINIAN refugees living in the Henley area said President Donald Trump betrayed them with his views on the war with Russia. The US leader came under fire after he appeared to accuse Ukraine for being responsible for the start of the conflict, which has reached its third anniversary.

President Trump also made claims about President Volodymyr Zelensky’s popularity and noted that Ukraine had yet to hold elections due to martial law and called him a “dictator without elections”.

Since the war started on February 24, 2022, about 400 Ukrainians have fled their country and moved to South Oxfordshire under government rehoming schemes.

Anna Ovchynnikova, 36, who lives in Caversham, said: “The years have been difficult and now we have these negotiations, it is starting to feel like we are being betrayed. The world order is broken because in some views, Ukraine is now being called the aggressor rather than Russia.”

WALKERS were saddened by a decision to close a footpath through woodland near Henley.

The path, which runs through Lambridge Wood, connects Lambridge Wood Road with Badgemore Park Golf Course.

A 6ft steel fence and a gate was installed across the path in October last year but notices have appeared to say it is to be permanently closed to the public. The path is privately owned and the wood is designated by Natural England as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Its owner, who did not want to be named, said that the use by the public of the woodland was causing damage to the habitat which they had a duty to protect.

They also said that the ash trees in the wood were affected by ash dieback, which makes them brittle and increases the risk of them falling.

A BUTCHER in Henley took over the pub next door.

Barry Wagner, who owns Gabriel Machin in Market Place, is being helped to run the Three Tuns by Nigel Sutcliffe, a customer who is a restaurateur.

The pub is currently closed for refurbishment but is set to re-open in late April with a new menu and a burger shed at the back.

The Brakspear pub was previously run by Harry and Hannah Dickson, who agreed a five-year lease in 2019.

Mr Sutcliffe, who owns the Oarsman in Marlow, has been buying his meat from Machin’s for about 30 years and the pair say the pub deal brings them “full circle”.

A MAN from Goring who finally discovered the identity of his long-lost father found out more about him — thanks to the Standard. Bryan Urbick, 64, was born in America as result of an affair by his birth mother, Delores Strohm, with a man called Boyd Carter so was given up for adoption.

In February, we reported how he had finally managed to trace details about Mr Carter, who died in 2014, aged 90. Now a former military colleague of Mr Carter has got in touch with Mr Urbick and, coincidentally, he lives just five miles away from him.

Peter Ferguson, 80, of Swanston Field, Whitchurch, was in the British Territorial Army and worked as a surveyor under Mr Carter in Saudi Arabia from 1976 to 1978.

He said: “Boyd Carter became a very good friend of mine. I was so pleased I read your article and immediately knew I had to phone Bryan.”

TRIBUTES were paid to a leading palaeontologist and naturalist from Henley who has died.

Richard Fortey passed away at his home in St Andrew’s Road following a short illness.

Dr Fortey, 79, had a long career at the Natural History Museum in London where he was a senior palaeontologist.

He was a world-leading expert on fossil arthropods, a type of invertebrate, and has written numerous books and appeared in documentary films on the BBC on his own and alongside Sir David Attenborough. Dr Fortey received widespread recognition for his achievements, including an OBE in the 2023 New Year’s Honours List, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1997, and being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2009.

PERFECT weather welcomed more than 170 pupils to this year’s Henley Youth Festival Fun Run.

Children from primary schools competed against one another in the sunshine in a field next to Swiss Farm off Marlow Road on Saturday morning.

Reception and Year 1 and Year 2 children ran a short course while Year 3 and 4 completed a loop around the hill and Year 5 and 6 did two.

In the Year 1 and Year 2 boys’ race Joshua Mattingley, seven, from Shiplake Primary School, came first despite losing a shoe while hurtling down the hill.

He said: “It got undone when I was running down and I was worried other people were going to trip over it.”

AN ambulance hub covering Henley and the surrounding areas has been scrapped.

Southern Medical Rescue, based at the Greys Green Business Centre, was established in 2019. It is a private ambulance provider contracted by the South Central Ambulance Service and the current deal ended on March 31.

The company has
12 ambulances with six on call every 24 hours and employs
46 employees, all of whom will lose their jobs.

South Central confirmed the end of the partnership but said it will look to increase its own workforce in future.

PARKING fines totalling up to £106,360 were issued in Henley last year.

Civil parking enforcement officers employed by Oxfordshire County Council issued 1,633 fixed penalty notices. This was 176 fewer notices than the previous year.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by the Henley Standard found that of the 1,633 charges, 1,303 were issued at the higher charge of £70, which could be reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days.

A total of 303 charges were issued at the lower charge of £50, which could be reduced to £25 if paid within 14 days.

If all fines are paid at the full charge, the total would amount to £106,360. If all were paid at the discounted rate, it would be £53,180.

Hart Street was where most fines were issued with
137 charges issued and £4,475 collected to date.

THE Kenton Theatre says it has turned a corner after cutting its losses by more than £150,000 in the last financial year.

The venue in New Street, Henley, incurred a loss of £31,599 in the financial year 2023/24 compared with a deficit of £189,850 in 2022/23. Now the trustees have said they hope the theatre will break even in the current financial year, which ends on August 31.

In the last financial year, the Kenton’s costs increased but this was offset by a significant rise in its revenue to £718,451 from £502,045 in the previous year.

One of the most significant changes in the theatre’s fortunes came from an increase in income from subscriptions, donations and grants, which totalled £72,727 compared to £8,910 the previous year.

The theatre’s primary source of income continued to be ticket sales and hire fees, which totalled £533,816 compared with £402,324 in the previous year.

A MOTHER from Henley has told of the success of her second-hand buggy cleaning business which gives them a new lease of life.

Danielle Fahey, 32, took apart her first buggy during the covid lockdown in 2021 when her youngest son outgrew it.

After buying a slightly unkempt used pushchair on an online marketplace she took it apart by hand in her kitchen to clean it.

Now four years later, Dani’s Buggy Wash is cleaning up to
15 pushchairs a week. She also cleans everything from cribs to car seats and has clients in London and Cornwall.

Mrs Fahey, whose workshop is based at her home in Crisp Road, Henley, lives with her two sons, Axel, five, and Elijah, 10, and her husband Josh, who runs a carpet cleaning business.

A MURAL depicting a swan flying over Henley and the River Thames adorns the hoardings outside the former Henley Youth Centre.

The 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) painting was designed by nine students at The Henley College, which is opposite the site, and was completed on Thursday.

It features hippos to represent Leander Club, Temple Island, Mr Toad and Mr Mole from The Wind in the Willows, willow trees, rowers and Henley Bridge. There is also a yellow submarine in homage to the late George Harrison, the lead guitarist of the Beatles, who lived in Friar Park.

The students at the college spent two months working on ideas for the mural, coming up with two designs. The landowner chose “Swan Song” over “Toad Without a Road”, which also featured characters from The Wind in the Willows.

The mural has a neutral colour palette but with “muddy” colours to represent the effects of river pollution. The utopia section of the design is brighter with pink and green hues.