Review of the year part two: friends reunited, acts

A WOMAN who was seriously injured in a riding accident has been reunited with her horse after spending almost a month in a coma.

Paramedics feared Anna Tomson would not survive after being crushed beneath Berry on a bridleway off Deadman’s Lane, near Goring Heath in May.

The pair could only spend a few minutes together as Miss Tomson tires easily but she will return regularly and has vowed to get back in the saddle as soon as possible.

MORE than 50 climate change campaigners held a demonstration in Henley.

Extinction Rebellion Henley was pressing Henley MP John Howell and the Government for a green covid-19 recovery plan.

The group staged a peaceful protest in Falaise Square. Kate Oldridge,
co-ordinator of Extinction Rebellion Henley, and Professor Richard Fortey, a former senior paleontologist at the Natural History Museum, addressed the crowd.

TRAVELLERS invaded the car parks at the River & Rowing Museum and station in Henley.

About 10 vehicles and eight caravans gained access to the first site, off Mill Meadows.

They were evicted by staff from an enforcement company the next morning but then simply drove round the corner in convoy into the station car park and parked up.

A BOY with cerebral palsy raised more than £5,400 for charity by running nearly 10km.

Samuel Fairweather-Marriott, nine, of Cromwell Close, Henley, was cheered across the finish line outside his house by more than 100 supporters.

They included his classmates from Sacred Heart Primary School, many of whom had followed him on bicycles shouting encouragement.

THOUSANDS of people logged on to watch this year’s online version of the Henley Festival.

The real-world event was postponed until 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak so a special digital edition was arranged in its place.

The two-hour broadcast was headlined by soul singer Beverley Knight.

A WOMAN held a party in her back garden to get over the disappointment of not being able to attend this year’s Henley Royal Regatta.

Minnie Wilson, of Nicholas Road, Henley, was upset when the annual rowing event was cancelled in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 73-year-old has been a regatta landlady for 40 years and has only missed one regatta in all that time when her husband, David, died five years ago.

THREE illegal parties were held in and around Shiplake.

The following morning, residents found huge amounts of litter scattered in the woods off Woodlands Road, where a fire had been lit and was still smouldering.

The field, off Mill Lane, where the Wargrave and Shiplake Regatta is usually held, was also strewn with broken glass.

A DEVICE measuring the level of harmful particulates from traffic in Henley has been installed.

It is the first of its kind in Oxfordshire and the town council will record the amount of microscopic carbon particles in the air over the next 12 months.

Environmental campaigners have insisted for years that these contribute to the town’s air quality problem.

SHOPPERS in Henley have been obeying the new rules on masks.

The Government made the wearing of face coverings in shops compulsory from last Friday in order to protect people from coronavirus.

Traders said that almost all their customers had followed the instruction.

FIVE women who swam the Channel in relay say it was one of the best and most unforgettable experiences of their lives.

The Henley Mermaids –— alias Laura Reinke, Jo Robb, Joan Fennelly, Susan Barry and Fiona Print — completed the challenge in 17 hours and 43 minutes.

They swam from Dover in Kent to Wissant Beach in northern France, a distance of about 23 miles, and raised more than £27,000 for Henley Music School.

ACTOR Jeremy Irons launched a charity’s gardening project in Henley.

About 20 people attended the event at Waterman’s allotments, off Reading Road. Irons cut a ribbon to launch the project but had to switch from a pair of shears, which were not sharp enough, to a pair of scissors.

CHURCHES have welcomed back worshippers after the Government eased the coronavirus restrictions. Services have been held at Holy Trinity Church in Henley for the last three weeks and the congregation has been following safety measures.

Visitors sit on chairs, not pews, in groups so everyone can socially distance and remain in their own “bubbles” at least 2m apart.

A GROUP of men who jumped off Henley Bridge into the River Thames have been labelled “absolutely stupid”.

Police responded to three calls about the incident but by the time officers arrived at the historic bridge the men had already left. Officers were also called to similar incidents at Sonning Bridge, Whitchurch toll bridge and Temple lock in Hurley.

A PUB landlord and his staff have been given a plaque by a mystery admirer to say thank-you for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ted Docherty, who runs the White Hart in Nettlebed, says the gift will take pride of place at the High Street pub.

At the height of the lockdown, the Brakspear pub offered groceries, home deliveries and a takeaway service.

THE top floor of Townlands Memorial Hospital in Henley is finally to be put to use — four years after it opened.

Ear, nose and throat, plastic surgery and audiology clinics will be available at the hospital off York Road from September 1.

These will be provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the main hospital in Reading.

SCORES of visitors
descended on Stonor Park when two episodes of the Antiques Roadshow were filmed there this week.

The BBC 1 programme was shot at the estate and a team of six valuers assessed heirlooms brought in by owners from the Henley area and further afield.

Participants queued standing a metre apart and presenter Fiona Bruce, who was filmed driving up the estate’s driveway in a sports car, chatted with them for several hours.

MEMORIAL benches at Fairmile Cemetery in Henley are to be removed under a new town council policy.

Families have received notices from the council saying benches must be removed within a month or it will dispose of them.

The council says that an increasing number of benches has been installed without permission and that many of these are unstable and unsafe.

A WOMAN who left British Airways because of the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus has become a painter and decorator.

Heather Rogers, 50, has also signed up to become a retained firefighter at Henley fire station.

Miss Rogers, who lives in Ancastle Green, Henley, took voluntary redundancy earlier this month, having worked for BA for 31 years.

MARY BERRY will show her passion for local produce when she co-hosts a special edition of Countryfile.

The cook, writer and TV presenter, who lives in Henley, will co-present the BBC show alongside regular host Matt Baker.

The former Great British Bake Off judge, 85, tries traditional cheese making at Nettlebed Creamery with founder Rose Grimond, meets Robert Laycock, owner of English Farm, near Nuffield, and visits Bosley Patch, a market garden off Marlow Road, Henley.

A TEENAGE girl with Asperger’s syndrome has been given a horse by former supermodel Jerry Hall.

Ellie Peters, 19, fell in love with Henry, a 12-year-old grey gelding, after helping to look after him at Cane End Stud, which is run by her mother Sarah.

But then Henry, a former eventing horse, was found to have a back problem and might have to be put to sleep. When Hall, 64, found out that Ellie wanted to keep him, she agreed in return for a nominal fee of £1 to make it legal.

FIFTEEN members of Henley Rowing Club have had to self-isolate after a female junior tested positive for coronavirus.

The girl, who is part of the club’s women’s junior 17 squad, felt unwell a few days after returning from a school trip to Greece.

A COUPLE were married at Henley town hall after
having to move the
ceremony from Spain due to the coronavirus pandemic. Freddie and Sophie Naylor-Leyland were the first people to have a wedding ceremony in the building since the lockdown was eased.

A MAN whose nose was broken when he was headbutted during a night out in Henley says he worries about being attacked again.

Tim Barrass was assaulted by Ryan Nicoletti-Dowd after asking him how he could afford to send his children to private school.

Nicoletti-Dowd, 42, who owns the Wigg salon in Reading Road, Henley, and lives in Stoke Row, was ordered to pay £2,000 in compensation to Mr Barrass when he was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court.

A MAN has hit out at a “cowardly” cyclist who hit his wife, seriously injuring her, and then sped off without stopping.

Jeanette Porrett, 66, of South Stoke Road, Woodcote, suffered a blow to the head, whiplash, cuts, friction burns and extensive bruising all over her body in the incident.

She is still in pain and can only just about get around the house.

THE exact construction date of one of Henley’s oldest buildings has been revealed following an investigation.

An expert has determined that the Chantry House in Hart Street and the courtyard of the Red Lion Hotel in Thames Side was built in 1461.

It was always known to have been built around the 1400s but Dr Daniel Miles, an architectural specialist from Mapledurham, pinned down the year by scrutinising its timber framing.

TWO youth football matches had to be called off after a goal at a Henley sports ground was destroyed in two vandal attacks.

A group of youths — all about 16 years old — buckled the metal crossbar and cracked the tops of the supporting posts at the Henley YMCA playing field.

They were seen hanging from the crossbar by their arms while pulling themselves up and down.

GILLOTTS School says it can only pay for much-needed refurbishment by selling a playing field to developers for up to £20 million.

The headteacher and chairman of governors at the secondary academy off Gillotts Lane, Henley, say they have exhausted every other funding option.

The school wants to sell the 3.4-hectare field in the north-eastern corner because it doesn’t need it.

A MAN who is undergoing cancer treatment fought off a mugger who tried to steal his £24,000 Rolex watch.

David Brodie, 77, was approached by the woman as he was getting in his car in Goring high street after collecting a prescription from a chemist.

Mr Brodie told her to leave him alone but she forcefully kissed him on the cheek and was going for his lips when he felt his watch being slid over his left hand.

A LANDOWNER is offering to donate a field on the outskirts of Henley for up to 60 affordable homes to be built.

Juliet Noble, who owns the 6.9-hectare plot immediately south of the Watermans allotments off Reading Road, says she wants to develop it for the community’s benefit.

She hopes to build houses or flats for rental by key workers on a non-profit basis.

A MAN who produces artisan hot sauces has dedicated his latest creation to the memory of his grandparents.

Johnpaul Maillard hopes to raise £2,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK with Fruity Bonnet.

He grows all his chillies at home in Middle Assendon and each bottle has a picture of his grandparents, Alfonsa and Louis Maillard.

AN historic hotel in Henley is set to re-open just before next year’s royal regatta following a £3 million refurbishment.

The Red Lion has been bought by international hotel consultant Grace Leo with Singapore-based shipping entrepreneur and hotel investor Tim Hartnoll.

The pair, who completed the purchase from MG Hotels, will rename it Relais Henley after the French word meaning “coaching inn”.

A BOY from Henley came first in his class at this year’s wheelchair motocross world championships.

Ben Sleet, 10, of Gainsborough Hill, was competing in the junior division of the annual contest, which was supposed to take place in America but was moved online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead of competing in front of a live audience, Ben filmed himself performing at the skate park at Makins recreation ground off Greys Road.

RESIDENTS of Shiplake fear their homes will be blighted by flooding as a result of a new housing development.

Taylor Wimpey has planning permission for 95 homes at the former Thames Farm site, off Reading Road. But it stopped work on the development a year ago after the discovery of sink holes.

Now it wants consent to drain surface water into a new pipeline which would run underneath Lower Shiplake and out into Lash Brook but villagers insist the brook would simply flood.

A WOMAN has been spared prison for stealing more than £200,000.

Katie Howkins, 32, was a financial assistant at the Thames Side Court Estate in Bolney Road, Shiplake, which is owned by billionaire Urs Schwarzenbach.

She took the money over a period of two years by using the estate’s address on her personal credit card but Oxford Crown Court heard that all but £10,350 had been repaid by her parents.

A MURDER investigation has been launched after a woman’s body was discovered at a beauty spot near Watlington.

The victim, who was in her sixties, was found in woodland at the Watlington Hill National Trust estate.

AT 88 years old, Ron
Tappin can lay claim to being the oldest paperboy in the country.

Mr Tappin gets up at 5am for his daily paper round that takes in parts of Watlington, where he has lived most of his life, as well as Pyrton and Lewknor.

The former postman says he doesn’t need an alarm clock and always wakes up at 4.45am ready to start his day.

BUSINESSES and leisure facilities across the Henley area have been forced to close because of the second coronavirus lockdown.

Non-essential shops, hotels, beauty salons, gyms, sports clubs, leisure centres, theatres, museums and galleries have all shut and cannot re-open for at least the next four weeks.

Pubs, restaurants and cafés have to do the same but can stay open if they are offering takeaway meals, which many are doing.

Unlike during the first lockdown in the spring, schools and colleges can stay open. Office staff have been urged to work from home if possible.

A GANG of youths threatened to “cut” a man when he asked them to stop launching fireworks at other people.

Tom Booker also had rockets launched at his house in retaliation for intervening. He spotted the group on Woodcote village green as he was returning home at about 9.45pm on Halloween.

Up to 20 teenage boys and girls were gathered near the village hall and firing rockets at a low angle and even horizontally. Some of these landed near another group of youngsters.

A MAN who grew up in Henley and now lives in the Czech Republic with his wife and baby daughter has criticised the Government for denying him the right to return to the UK with his family.

Adam Moore contacted the Henley Standard after learning that Henley MP John Howell supports the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination Bill, which will end free movement of people under retained European Union laws post-Brexit.

The House of Lords proposed an amendment to allow British citizens residing in the EU at the end of the transition period on December 31 the right to return with their EU spouses. But this was rejected by MPs, including Mr Howell.

A BOY has died after he was involved in a collision with a van in Whitchurch Hill.

The 12-year-old was heading towards Pangbourne when his bicycle collided with a white van, which was heading up Whitchurch Hill, towards Crays Pond.

The boy was taken to the major trauma centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with life-threatening injuries but he later died.

PROTECTED woodland is being sold with “potential” for housing development despite buyers having no chance of obtaining planning permission.

A nine-acre parcel of land off the main road between Stoke Row and Peppard Common has been split into 17 plots of about 0.15 acres.

These were advertised for up to £25,000 each and all but two have been bought in the past six months. The ancient woodland cannot be developed as it is the subject of a tree protection order.

WHEN the first coronavirus lockdown happened, it was hard for Bessie Riches and her father having to stay at home all the time.

The 11-year-old was missing her friends at school while dad Neil was struggling as he suffers from early onset dementia.

They would “clash” with each other at home in Caversham, where they live with mum Hannah and Bessie’s sister Milly, 12. Then they tried baking together and enjoyed it so much that Bessie is about to publish a cook book to raise money for Dementia UK.

A PETITION to ban heavy goods vehicles from using Henley as a “rat run” now has almost 2,000 signatures.

Amanda Chumas, of Bell Street, is asking residents to back her campaign for a
7.5-tonne weight restriction on vehicles with no business in the town.

She says they pose a threat to pedestrians and are damaging the town’s streets and historic buildings because they mount the pavement and their wheels generate heavy vibration.

A WINE expert from Henley has told how he feared for his career when he lost his sense of smell and taste after catching coronavirus.

Alistair Cooper said he was unable to smell even the strongest of odours, including mustard and perfume.

Mr Cooper, 43, is a wine consultant, judge and writer who has worked in the industry for almost 20 years. It took two months for him to fully recover during which he had to have daily “smell training”.

A TEENAGER who struggled with severe dyslexia at school has been praised after she joined a mounted army unit.

Gunner Millie Cooke was presented with the Regimental Sergeant Major’s Coin for best performance in her group during induction to the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery.

The 17-year-old from Caversham began training at its Woolwich Barracks in Greenwich in August and completed a recruit’s ride, which is the first formal assessment for newcomers.

AN elderly woman has criticised officials for approving a neighbour’s garage extension which looms over her conservatory and garden. Doreen Taylor claims that South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority, didn’t notify her when Helen Mangan sought permission to lengthen the back of her terraced house in Milton Close, Henley.

The 90-year-old, who suffers from macular degeneration and struggles to see in dim light, says she would have objected had she known. The council insisted that it followed correct procedure.

ORGANISERS of a fireworks display in Henley have been lambasted over the noise, which was likened to a bomb going off.

Residents living up to several miles away complained about the loud bangs coming from the event at the Henley Showground.

They said their animals were terrified and houses shook and one compared the explosions to the sound of war but the organisers said the show was designed to cheer people up.

A VET who saved the life of a puppy has launched an appeal to pay for treatment that will give him a better quality of life.

Stark was given the slimmest chance of survival when he was brought into Henley Vets unconscious two years ago. When his owners suggested putting him to sleep Georgie Rosendaal, 29, who works at the surgery, offered to take him home and nurse him.

THE mother of a boy who died while fighting cancer has paid tribute to her “angel”.

Charlie Ilsley, of Buckingham Drive, Emmer Green, passed away at the Royal Berkshire Hospital surrounded by his family.

The 13-year-old, who was first diagnosed in 2015, was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which fluid accumulates within the brain, and died hours later.

His mother Toni said: “My heart is broken — I will miss him every day for the rest of my life.”

Crowds gathered in the streets to bid farewell to him at his funeral. His coffin was carried in a carriage drawn by four white horses from his home to Reading Crematorium two miles away in Caversham.

A floral tribute on top of the carriage depicted his beloved dogs, Eric and Ernie, wrestling over a hat, while his coffin was decorated with photos of his pets.

Mourners, including his friends from Highdown School, gathered in Buckingham Drive before the procession and many held coloured balloons and signs decorated with a blue heart that simply read “Charlie”.

THE first coronavirus jabs have been administered in the Henley area.

Almost 1,000 elderly patients from the town’s Hart and Bell surgeries, Nettlebed surgery and Sonning Common Health Centre were among the first in Britain to receive their initial dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

All the injections were administered at the Henley surgeries off York Road, where volunteer marshals from the Rotary Club of Henley Bridge, the Henley Society and other community groups directed traffic in the car park.

A consulting room at each surgery was set aside for the session so that regular appointments could continue as normal.

A FIVE-STOREY hotel with 115 bedrooms could be built on the car park at Henley station.

Blocwork, a partnership between landowner Network Rail and developer Bloc Group, of London, has nnounced the plans.

The hotel would be located on a 1,360 sq m parcel of land opposite the station entrance, next to the public toilets, which would be unaffected. It would be run by the Premier Inn chain and would employ about 35 people.

About 60 of the station’s 249 parking places would be built on, although 12 new bays, including some for disabled people, would be created by removing a nearby drop-off point for coaches.

HENLEY and South Oxfordshire escaped being moved into the new tier 4 as the coronavirus restrictions were tightened.

The district remains in tier 2, meaning most shops and other businesses have been able to stay open this week for people still doing their Christmas shopping.

The exceptions included the Little Angel pub in Remenham Lane and Leander Club as they are in neighbouring Berkshire, which was among the areas across the South-East placed in the highest tier.

Even so, the planned relaxation of the rules have been cut to just Christmas Day and people are advised not to travel into a tier 4 area, except for those who have to travel to work or for education.

A LIFELONG Henley resident who died earlier this year has bequeathed £20,000 to the town’s 60-Plus Club.

Edward “Ted” Dorey was a keen user of the day centre in Greys Road car park and wanted to ensure others would continue to benefit as it has struggled financially in the past.

The money comes from the sale of Albert House in Greys Road, where the 85-year-old lived for most of his life before downsizing to a neighbouring property in 2015. He died at home on February 17.

Mr Dorey, a retired joiner, wood turner and carpenter, also left a 3ft by 3ft portrait of himself which has been hung on the wall at the centre in his memory.