Latest news with #Witney
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Thames Water should be put in administration, MP says
An MP has called for Thames Water to be put into administration after a US firm pulled out of a deal to buy the struggling utilities company. Lib Dem Charlie Maynard, who represents Witney in Oxfordshire, said the government had a "big problem" after private equity giant KKR withdrew from a £4bn deal. Maynard had previously argued against a £3bn rescue deal for Thames Water, but an appeal against it was dismissed in March. Thames Water has called news of the failed bid "disappointing" but said it would proceed to work with other potential investors. Speaking to BBC Radio Oxford, Maynard said the government would now be "scrambling to try and fix" the situation. He renewed his calls from earlier in the year that the company should be put into government-supervised administration. "They should be in bankruptcy, because you can't deal with this enormous amount of debt... you've got to cut it down into something sustainable."He added: "The government is just doing anything it can to not do the fundamental thing that will actually fix it." Maynard said he was considering taking his case for putting the company into special administration to the Supreme Court. The government has previously said it is ready to take over Thames Water in the event that it cannot continue to Thames Water and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have been contacted for comment. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Rare guitars donated to Witney charity shop fetch £12,000 at auction
A collection of rare guitars anonymously donated to a charity shop, including two favoured by Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan, have fetched more than £12,000 at six valuable guitars and an amp were donated to the Oxfam shop in Witney towards the end of last been assessed by shop volunteers, the guitars were quickly identified as being potentially very valuable and went up for auction last week, where they raised £12, those sold was a Gibson Custom Shop Banner 1942 J-45 acoustic guitar, which was a personal favourite of Elvis Presley. It sold for £2,200, whilst a Martin D-28 acoustic guitar - favoured by artists like Dylan and Neil Young - fetched £3,400. Explaining how he and his fellow Witney volunteers received the donation, Chris Meadows said: "Near the end of last year, a chap came in and asked if we took in guitars as donations.""I don't know anything about guitars, but I remember seeing the cases and thinking they looked valuable – not knowing quite how valuable they were."Mr Meadows said he and his fellow volunteers researched the collection and "pretty quickly realised how special" the guitars were."The very generous gentleman who donated them must have known they were very valuable, and knew what kind of money they might be able to help make for Oxfam," he added. The collection, which was sold at Ewbank's auction house in Woking, Surrey, also included a Gibson ES 335 electric guitar and a Gretsch White Falcon G6136-55VS electric Silke, Ewbank's Music Valuer, said each one of the guitars would be "high on any guitar players' dream list"."Instruments of this quality and condition don't come in every day so this was a very special and generous donation. It is fantastic that they have been able to raise so much money for Oxfam," he said. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Witney smoking shelter used for research after bird's nest discovery
A smoking shelter has become the centre of a scientific study after a chance discovery of a bird's nest in one of the smoking Olsen from the electronic manufacturer HYDAC Technology based in Windrush Park in Witney, Oxfordshire, opened the bin to find the great tit nest and Russell, senior curator for birds' eggs and nests at the Natural History Museum (NHM) in Tring, Hertfordshire, said scientists thought birds were choosing cigarette ends as materials to add to nests "because it decreases parasite load" as the nicotine "kills parasites".The closely-monitored nest will be collected for chemical analysis by the NHM team after the chicks have left it. Ms Olsen said her colleague had thought there had been a frog at the smoking point at first because it had jumped up."So I went and retrieved the key, opened the back and there was a nest with eggs inside."Ms Olsen reported the nest to the RSPB who in turn contacted the team behind the study. George Candelin, keeper of the swifts at the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History, has been monitoring the temperatures inside and outside of the metal container with Ms Olsen's help."We've had temperatures up in the high 30s, the perspex itself on one occasion was over 40C," he added he was "amazed" that the birds had been "so comfortable with people so close". "We only go in the shelter for a few minutes to take the readings but you can stand over in the corner there and you'll see the birds coming in and out totally unaffected by it." Mr Russell said it was "a wonderful opportunity" to study the behaviour."We also know that birds pick up cigarette ends and incorporate them into nests," he said."And we think that birds are choosing those cigarette ends a materials to add to nests because it decreases parasite load because the nicotine kills parasites."But Mr Russell also previously said there were more than 7,000 chemicals found in cigarettes and smoke, including some 80 chemicals known to cause cancer."You're sucking in all those horrible compounds that are associated with cigarette smoke but you're also drawing in the road pollutants as well."And those are then getting concentrated within the bin, so either way it is a highly toxic, highly awful environment in which to bring up your young." Currently, the brood seems to be thriving, with 10 of the twelve eggs already chicks, which have been ringed under license, look set to leave the nest in the coming days. Mr Russell said the research aimed to draw attention to the widespread behaviour and to "try to understand what the chemical exposure to those young within that particular nesting environment is"."But I think the real positive from this is what it shows you is we need to put up more nest boxes," he said."If you put up more nest boxes even in these urban environments, the birds will use them." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Oxfordshire mental health garden 'completely transforms lives'
A private garden dedicated to supporting people who have experienced serious mental illness can "completely transform lives", its director has told the charity Bridewell Gardens, in Wilcote near Witney, includes a walled garden and organic vineyard spread over more than six acres (2.4 hectares), and recently featured on an episode of Gardeners' site is looked after by people recovering from serious mental health issues, and is usually closed to the Sunday, there will be an open day at the garden between 11:00 and 16:00 BST, giving the public a rare opportunity to explore the estate. Rachel Green was previously a user of the garden after being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder -a mental health condition that is marked by a mix of schizophrenia symptoms, such as hallucinations and now works there."In 2017 I found myself here as a gardener," she said."I'd been in hospital and some of the other inpatients told me 'you've got to check this place out, it's absolutely beautiful'." Ms Green said she stayed at the garden for two years during her recovery and "absolutely loved it"."I still don't know anything about gardening but I loved following instructions, I loved working as a group and meeting other people," she garden takes patients from across Oxfordshire and has the capacity for up to 16 gardeners each Madder, Bridewell's director, said the site could be "transformative" for those recovering from mental health conditions."When you're in the gardens it's really deceptive, it seems really effortless, but when you listen to staff and you hear from people who have moved on from Bridewell we know that the gardens can completely transform lives," she well as Sunday's open day, Bridewell will also be open to the public this summer on 15 June, 6 July and 7 Green said for the gardeners the days were a "chance to bring their families here and show them, 'this is what I've been doing - I planted this'"."We don't want people to think of us as a secret garden - lots of people describe us that way - but we don't want to be secret, we want to let people know that we're here - the general public, but also people who might want to use our service," she added. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Sun
10-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
How death of a loved one could leave you in crippling debt – and how to avoid it
DEALING with the loss of a loved one could hit your finances. A third of people saw their financial situation worsen, according to data from charity Sue Ryder. 1 As the Financial Conduct Authority renews calls for banks and other companies to do more to support vulnerable bereaved customers, here is the help available for those dealing with grief. When Yvonne Bailey's husband John passed away unexpectedly from cancer, just ten weeks after her son Peter had died in a road accident, her world was shattered. Her grief was overwhelming, but she also had to deal with money worries on top. Without John's salary as a delivery driver, Yvonne had no money coming in and her own grief made it impossible to work. "John and I had always made just enough money to get by. We paid our bills on time but had no savings and no life insurance. "When he died, his income disappeared overnight." The benefits Yvonne, from Witney, Oxfordshire, received as a widow were not enough to live on and she began to miss rent payments and other bills. After a year, still grieving, she was forced to go back to work. Now 79, Yvonne still feels the financial impact of John's death. Though she receives his state pension as well as Pension Credit, she still has to budget very carefully. Yvonne is not alone. Joanna Elson, boss of the charity Independent Age, says: 'The death of a partner can be an extremely traumatic event, not just emotionally, but there can also be devastating financial implications - this is especially true when it is sudden or unexpected.' The charity has supported people who were unable to pay their mortgage or turn on the heating because their income fell so drastically. Joanna says: 'Bereavement can be a trigger for poverty in later life, and this shouldn't be the case.' No matter what age you are, losing someone close to you can put you at risk of money problems. While some people will be able to fall back on life insurance or death in service cover from work, others will have no safety net. Research by Sunlife found that a quarter of adults say they aren't sure they could cope financially if someone close to them died and two in five in a relationship reckon they wouldn't have enough money to support themselves if their other half died unexpectedly. Lilly Aaron, from the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), says: 'A bereavement may lead to a loss of income to your household, as well as a shift in financial responsibilities. 'You have to keep up with essential bills, which is hard in the midst of grief, and you may also be more susceptible to things like scams.' Sadly, fraudsters are known to use a death as an opportunity to pounce, knowing families will be vulnerable and may not think things through as carefully as they would in normal times. They may even claim they are owed money by the person who died, or say you're entitled to a large sum of money but that you need to pay to access the cash. STOP DEATH TURNING INTO DEBT Money may not be the first thing on your mind if you've lost someone close to you, but when you are ready, there is a lot to sort out. You need to inform people that someone has died and make sure you don't carry on paying for things like their subscriptions that you no longer need. The Government's "Tell Us Once" service allows you to report a death to most Government organisations all in one go (Bereavement Service in Northern Ireland). You can use the websites Settld or LifeLedger to contact utility companies, banks, pension providers, insurance firms, and TV and broadband providers. Lilly says: 'If you're at risk of missing a payment or in financial difficulty, head to the advice locator at to find free debt advisors local to you.' Take steps now The thing that can make the biggest difference is being prepared. One in ten adults in a relationship admit to not having put anything in place to ease the financial strain on their partner in the case of their death. Just talking about what would happen if one of you died is a good start. Making a will ensures your wishes are recorded. Research DIY will kits to save on legal fees. Fewer than one in four save enough to cover the full expense of a funeral, which can forced loved ones to take out expensive credit. Only 29% have some kind of life insurance cover, found SunLife. The kind of policy you need will depend on things like your age, employment and whether you have a mortgage. The Money Helper website can also help you check how to transfer bills to your name and what benefits could get. Lilly says: 'You may be entitled to a higher level or you may qualify for the first time now that your partner's income isn't being taken into account.' There are specific payments that can help, like Bereavement Support pPayments, Funeral Expenses Payment (Funeral Support Payment in Scotland) and, following the death of a child or stillborn baby, the Children's Funeral Fund. Those who are struggling financially may also be eligible for hardship funds from their local council and, if you are now living alone, you can get a 25% reduction on council tax. Find out if you might qualify for a one-off grant at Lilly says: 'It is a really difficult time following someone's death and dealing with the admin and finance while grieving can just feel really overwhelming. 'I really encourage people to visit to help people stay on top of things a such a difficult and confusing time.' The charity Cruse Bereavement Care ( gives emotional and practical support. 'I wish we'd had life insurance' After her husband died, Cherieda Maw was left with around £10,000 credit card bills and loans to pay – but no money to pay them. When husband Malvin was alive, they didn't miss a repayment, but after he died in February 2014, the bills in Cherieda's name fell solely to her. Living on income support, she couldn't make ends meet. 'Every day I'd get letters and phone calls, but I'd tell them I had no money. 'They chased me for years, but I didn't know what to do about it. 'How could I grieve, when I had so much to sort out?' While mourning Alvin, she also felt some anger. 'He didn't believe in life insurance, but it would have helped me a lot – I could have paid everything off.' Eventually, with her debts now over £30,000, she desperately searched for help online, and found the free debt help organisation Its advisors helped her get a Debt Relief Order, writing off her debts a year later. 'It was a huge weight off my shoulders when the letters and calls finally stopped.'
