News review, part two: Henley wins Bloom gold, beauty spot spat, dressed

AN in-home care service in Henley forced police to reopen an investigation after it uncovered CCTV footage of a man suspected of damaging its front door.

Staff at Henley Care were locked out of their offices in Greys Road and arrived at work at 8.30am to find that the building’s lock had been filled with glue so it could not be opened with a key.

The police issued a public appeal after staff sourced CCTV footage from South Oxfordshire District Council.

HENLEY was awarded gold at the Thames and Chilterns in Bloom Awards.

It marked a triumphant return to the annual contest after taking a six-year break.

Goring was also recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society, winning its 10th gold in a row and was named top in the “small town” category.

THE gravedigger at the Henley Woodland Burial Ground was recognised with a national award.

Jonny Yaxley, 56, was named “Gravedigger of the Year” for the second time at the Good Funeral Awards.

Mr Yaxley, who lives in Drayton, has been digging graves at the burial ground in Greys Road for 14 years and first won the award in 2014.

A RESIDENTS’ group in Henley clashed with the town council over plans to allow a football team to train on a beauty spot.

Henley Exiles Football Club requested to use Freemans Meadow, off Northfield End, because it had been unable to secure another venue to train.

The land, which is a designated town green, is maintained voluntarily by the Friends of Freemans Meadow. The group, which has about

DAME Joanna Lumley paid tribute to the late actress Dame Patricia Routledge as she opened this year’s Henley Literary Festival.

The star of the Nineties sitcom Keeping Up Appearances had died earlier that day at the age of 96.

Speaking with Gyles Brandreth about her new book, My Book of Treasures, at the Fane Arena in Phyllis Court, Lumley told of being nominated for a Bafta award in the same category as Routledge in 1993.

A GIRL from Checkendon will star in a touring musical theatre show.

Lydia Hunt, 24, will play Sophie in the UK tour of Mamma Mia!, which will visit 28 theatres from October 24 to January 3, 2027.

Miss Hunt will keep her natural red hair for the blonde character role and will be with the cast until August. The musical, which is celebrating its silver anniversary,
features hits from ABBA.

TWO entrepreneurs were forced to give up two pubs after accruing debts of more than £1.5 million.

Alex Sergeant and David Holliday ran the Bottle and Glass Inn in Binfield Heath and Hart Street Tavern in Henley as separate companies.

They were wound down in May and August, owing more than £1m to HMRC and £54,000 in outstanding business rates to South Oxfordshire District Council. Suppliers were owed more than £40,000 and banks and contractors were also owed thousands.

The two pubs have since been bought out by businessman Matthew Munson, of Harpsden Bottom.

A FORMER Henley mayor called for statues of two of the town’s most decorated athletes to be relocated following the closure of the River & Rowing Museum.

Barry Wood, who lives in Peppard Common, said that the idea of leaving the statues of Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent in the car park of the museum was “humiliating”.

The bronze statues of the athletes were created by artist Sean Henry and were unveiled at the museum in Mill Meadows in January 2002.

HENLEY Mayor Tom Buckley travelled to twin town Leichlingen in Germany to open its refurbished bridge.

Cllr Buckley cut the ribbon with mayor-elect Maurice Winter to officially open “Henley Bridge” following a £1.7m rebuild.

It is one of three crossings in the town, which lies between Düsseldorf and Cologne and spans the Wupper, a tributary of the Rhine.

Henley Bridge, which was first built in 1990 to mark the 10th anniversary between the two towns, was closed in October 2019 after falling into disrepair.

TRIBUTES were paid to a former two-time mayor of Henley, described as a “tour de force”.

Elizabeth Hodgkin, who was first elected as a town councillor for Henley Residents Group in 2003, passed away at the age of 74.

She served 12 years on Henley Town Council, including two terms as Mayor in 2009/10 and 2012/13 and was a member of a large and varied number of community organisations including Henley and Bloom, the Thamesfield Youth Association and Henley Municipal Charities.

A MOTORCYCLIST who died after hitting a deer in Nettlebed was described as a “gentle giant”.

Yawo Avou, 63, from Medmenham, was travelling on the unlit A4130 towards Wallingford at around 5am when the fatal collision took place.

Mr Avou, an HGV driver at Grundon Waste Management and Recycling in Benson, struck a deer which ran out into the road, causing him and his Yamaha FJR 13000 to land on the carriageway.

He was treated at the scene by South Central Ambulance Service before being taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he passed away three days later.

TWO friends from Caversham drew the attention of spectators and fellow runners as they completed Henley Half Marathon dressed in suits.

Keiran White, 26, who works in financial regulation, ran the 13.1-mile course dressed in a dark suit complete with a red tie and Sam Rodda, 25, a teacher, wore cream slacks, a blue shirt, striped tie and sailor’s hat.

Around 1,200 runners took part in the event, organised by Henley Rugby Club with Krono Sports. The race was won by James Plumstead, a dentist from Bath.

PUPILS at a school in Henley were celebrating more than a year since joining a wildflower planting campaign.

Members of the Eco Team at Valley Road primary planted
7 sq m of wildflowers in April.

The flowers are now in full bloom and the meadow is brimming with a variety of pollinator-friendly species, including purple amaranth, borage, poppies, drooping catchfly, pink hawksbeard, blue cornflower and red campion.

CLOSING Henley fire station will put lives at risk, a former crew member has said.

Its future is in doubt after it was earmarked for closure by Oxfordshire County Council following a review of how the fire service responds to emergencies.

The on-call station in West Street is one of three in the county that faces the axe. The others are Woodstock and Eynsham.

The council says they are being considered for closure due to “persistent low fire engine availability”.

SEVERAL “Henley heroes” have been presented with bouquets of flowers, in recognition of their community contributions.

Instagram page Delicious Dahlias was set up in August this year and has been handing out homegrown dahlias to volunteers in the community.

THE home of the former River & Rowing Museum in Henley went up for sale with a guide price of £3 million.

The sale is being handled by American commercial real estate services company CBRE.

The 35,688 sq ft building was designed by the modernist architect Sir David Chipperfield and opened by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. The museum’s foundation trust made the decision to shut down the operation in July, citing rising costs and is working with Oxfordshire agent Richard Venables to find a suitable buyer.

THE headteacher of Gillotts School in Henley will step down after 19 years.

Catharine Darnton, 55, will leave next Easter having seen the school through the covid lockdowns, its transition into the River Learning Trust and achieving an “outstanding” Ofsted rating in 2023.

Last academic year, the school also achieved the top spot in Oxfordshire for GCSE performances among state schools.

HENLEY MP Freddie van Mierlo was challenged to take part in a bike ride along a “terrifying” stretch of road between Sonning Common and Emmer Green.

The Sonning Common Cycleway working party is campaigning for a purpose-built “Greenway” to be built as a direct and alternative route to the busy B481, which has semi-blind bends and uneven surfaces.

The project was first proposed in 2020 and despite support from residents, several barriers to its completion remain in place, which include negotiating with landowners to secure a route and finding the funding for its construction.

Mr van Mierlo joined about a dozen cyclists to ride from Sonning Common village hall in Wood Lane along the B481 to the village shops in Emmer Green and back.

AN antiques shop in Henley had its shopfront smashed and cash box stolen during a late-night rampage.

Thames Valley Police confirmed that the burglary at Corner Copia in Friday Street was linked to a spate of vandalism and theft of a car.

John and Jennie Pacitto were woken up at about 4.45am on by a call from police which informed them that their shop had been broken into.

The couple, who live at Swiss Farm, arrived at the shop to find that a hole, half a metre wide, had been smashed into the glass front door and a petty cash box with £100 inside stolen.

Several cars parked in Queen Street and Friday Street had also been broken into and a Land Rover Discovery left in the car park of the Anchor pub was stolen and found abandoned in Vicarage Road.

POLITICIANS in Henley had mixed feelings following the resignation of Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC.

Davie, who lives just outside Henley, admitted “mistakes were made” after it was revealed that a speech by President Donald Trump that the BBC aired in October 2024 had been edited and was “misleading”.

His resignation was accompanied by that of Deborah Turness, the head of news.

A GP in Henley turned his passion for music and writing into reality with the release of his new album and book.

Dr Will Hearsey, 40, is one of the partners at the Hart Surgery in York Road and has been with the practice for 10 years.

He said: “It’s never been anything more than a hobby really but I’ve always felt that there was an itch that needed to be scratched.”

Recording for his album, Ink in the Margins, first started around three years ago and each of the 11 songs are based on a year of his 20s.

THE Mayor of Henley has said that the act of remembrance should be used to shape a better future for us all.

Councillor Tom Buckley was addressing hundreds of people at the Remembrance Sunday service in Market Place.

From a wooden lectern on the steps of the town hall he said that the poppy should not be seen as a “badge of nationality” but as a symbol of “compassion, fairness and unity”.

THE condition of a terminally ill dad has worsened since his diagnosis two years ago despite all attempts to halt the disease.

Simon Cromack, 51, a former landlord of the Baskerville pub in Shiplake, was diagnosed with glioblastoma in November 2023.

Fundraising raised more than £282,000, which has allowed the aggressive tumour to be stabilised using advanced treatments such as immunotherapy and an Optune cap, which uses alternating low-frequency electrical fields to kill cells within the tumour.

But recent scans revealed the original tumour has grown and begun to spread, affecting his mobility, meaning he now has to use a wheelchair.

OPPONENTS of plans to shut Henley fire station said new data undermines the “flawed” case for its closure.

An Oxfordshire County Council review of emergency responses across the county recommended the on-call station in West Street should be earmarked for closure due to low fire engine availability.

While the fire station is in Oxfordshire, it covers a wider area including Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

The council’s review said the Henley crew attended 77 incidents per year from July 2022 to March 2024. But, according to call logs from the station, when incidents in the neighbouring counties are included, this figure rises to 101 incidents.

A FRIEND of murdered schoolboy Olly Stephens has urged parents to normalise “uncomfortable conversations” with their children.

Demi Urquhart spoke about the reality of being a teenager in today’s world and the online pressures young people face in front of a group of residents.

The 18-year-old attended Emmer Green Primary School with Olly, who was 13 when he was fatally stabbed in January 2021.

A RUNNER from Wargrave ran a personal best time while completing a challenge to run seven marathons in seven days in seven continents.

Sam Jolly, 23, who works at Hurlingham Stretch Tents, an events company in Maidensgrove, finished the first marathon in Cape Town setting a pace of 3.20 minutes per kilometre to place fifth.

Mr Jolly finished ninth overall in the challenge which also included marathons in Wolf’s Gang in Antarctica, Perth in Australia, and Abu Dhabi in Asia.

THE landlord of a pub in Henley said it was “miraculous” that his staff escaped without serious injuries after a car crashed into the kitchen wall in the middle of dinner service.

At around 6.45pm a car left Remenham Lane and ploughed into the Little Angel pub, tearing a hole in the side of the Grade II listed building. Five staff members were inside at the time and one suffered minor injuries.

By the time the kitchen staff went outside to see what had happened, the car had driven off, leaving only plastic car parts in the road.

Thames Valley Police launched an investigation but the offender has not been located and no arrests have been made.

JERRY Hall described Henley as the “friendliest” place she had ever lived at this year’s Christmas Festival.

The American model and actress was the guest of honour at the event and turned on the lights of the Christmas tree in Market Place with Mayor Tom Buckley.

Hall, who lives near Henley, told the crowd outside the town hall on Friday night that she was “such a big Christmas fan”.

“My favourite part of Christmas is having my children and grandchildren with me,” she said. “It’s all about family and having a wonderful time.”

Asked by compère Daisy Smith how Henley compared to other places she had celebrated the festive season, Hall said: “Henley is the prettiest town I’ve ever lived in and the friendliest,” which was met with cheers.

HENLEY’S MP has said that the evidence provided as part of a public consultation does not justify the potential closure of the town’s fire station. It is the first time Freddie van Mierlo has commented on the proposals by Oxfordshire County Council, which is looking to improve Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The Henley station, in West Street, is one of three that could go due to “persistent low fire engine availability”.

Mr van Mierlo’s comments come after about 100 protesters gathered outside County Hall in Oxford against the proposed cuts to the service.

INDEPENDENT retailers in Henley were disappointed with the first Shop Under the Stars event, as it was spoiled by wet weather.

More than 25 shops stayed open later than normal for the late-night shopping event, which was designed to boost trade in the run-up to Christmas. There was a range of added attractions, including performances by musicians and shops offered refreshments.

But most traders blamed the poor weather for putting people off while the event, organised by the town council, had not been properly co-ordinated, they said.

FOUR women helped to rescue a female cyclist who fell into the river while out on a morning run.

Courtenay, 31, and Meaghan Barron-Cutts, 29, of St Andrew’s Road, founded Oumono Club and hosted their first running meet.

While running along the towpath between Henley Bridge and Temple Island, a woman cyclist veered off into the River Thames to avoid an oncoming cyclist.

The Barron-Cutts sisters and two running club members, Amber Fane-Barrow and Lucy Mann, pulled the woman, a member of Upper Thames Rowing Club, from the water.

AN actress from Henley has returned to the stage having credited her GP with saving her life.

Lottie Bell, who lives in New Street, was rushed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital last month with severe gynaecological pain.

The 26-year-old was found to have an ovarian torsion, caused by a 13cm sac of fluid on her fallopian tube.

Miss Bell attempted to manage the pain with painkillers as she was due to perform in the first showing of the play A Word, an intimate drama about friendship and denial.

But the night before her appearance at the Drayton Arms Theatre in London the pain intensified and she was unable to find relief.

Miss Bell saw her GP, Dr Nicole Doling at the Bell Surgery, and she sent her to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

She recalled: “They found a 13cm cyst which was twisting one of my fallopian tubes and if it wasn’t removed, I might have died.

“There was also a chance that I could have got sepsis if my immune system could not fight it off... always trust your doctor.”

STUDENTS who travel to The Henley College by train have called for an extra carriage due to concerns about overcrowding.

Ivy Higley, who works at the college, has launched a petition for the carriage to be added to the Great Western Railway service from Twyford to Henley during peak travel times.

Students have said delays caused them to be more than an hour late for lessons and that the number of people “squeezed” into carriages caused them to feel unwell.

HENLEY Town Council’s clerk took centre stage during the Living Advent Calendar.

Former professional singer Sheridan Jacklin-Edward performed at the Christ Church Centre. He appeared alongside string group “String Beans”, which was supported by members of Henley Symphony Orchestra.

The group performed several mash-ups they had devised, which entailed setting traditional carols and Christmas songs against unconventional tunes.

Songs included All I Want for Christmas Is You, to the tune of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town to O Holy Night.

THE Kenton Theatre in Henley has recorded its first surplus since facing insolvency two years ago.

The New Street venue had its most successful year to date, bringing in a total revenue of £887,505, an increase of more than £169,000 from the previous year.

This helped to generate a surplus of £5,119 for the year 2024/25, which wound up at the end of August.

Revenue from ticket sales had increased by 25 per cent and bar revenue by 27 per cent with more than £74,000 being received in subscriptions and grants.

Tara MacLeod, chair of trustees, said the result was driven by an overhaul of operations, including finance, staffing, marketing and programming.

CAMPAIGNERS say they are confident council leaders have been convinced of the need for an 18-tonne weight limit on heavy goods vehicles in Henley.

Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak, who sits on the town and Oxfordshire county councils, wants to stop HGVs from using Henley as a short cut.

He has met with fellow county councillors, including leader Liz Leffman, and clean air campaigners in Henley to look at the impact of HGVs.

The meeting was part of the authority’s stakeholder conversations which would form part of an exploration of solutions to minimise HGV impact.

The council has said other consultations will take place with haulage industry representatives and neighbouring councils.