Upon receiving the award she said: “I’m very honoured to be even thought of.”

Fourteen years ago the Sunningwell-based music teacher nearly died after suffering a brain aneurysm and now counts herself lucky not only to be alive, but not to have suffered any long-term effects.

The East Oxford Community Choir has since performed a wide range of music, from medieval pieces to modern commissions and regularly supports charities through its concerts.

Across Oxfordshire she has has founded two choirs, an orchestra and a youth theatre group, as well as becoming one of the driving forces behind the Oxford-Grenoble Twinning Association, which is nearly 40 years old.

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Mel Houldershaw in Germany for a choir event with East Oxford Community Choir and choir Interlude (from Grenoble) (Image: Mel Houldershaw)

Speaking to the Oxford Mail in 2014 she said: “The international language of music makes it so that you can go anywhere and you’re still singing the same music.”

In 1991, Mel formed the East Oxford Youth Choir with some of her pupils, and realised that many of the parents seemed keen to get involved.

This led to the formation of the East Oxford Community Choir, and this has been hugely successful, exploring a wide repertoire from medieval music to modern commissions and tackling major choral works such as Mendelssohn’s St Paul.

But the East Oxford Community Choir’s biggest success story has been the links it has established with Oxford’s twin towns of Bonn, Leiden and Grenoble, which has resulted in a number of exchange visits and joint concerts with the towns’ choirs and orchestras.

In 2006, she became chair of the Oxford-Grenoble Twinning Association, helping to revitalise the group and deepen its cultural ties.

Ms Houldershaw grew up immersed in music, taking piano, recorder, and violin lessons as a child before moving to Anglesey in her teens, where she played in the North Wales Youth Orchestra.

She later studied at Oxford Polytechnic and became involved with the choral society there.

After earning a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, she began teaching at Peers School (now Oxford Academy) in Littlemore, where her involvement in school productions set her on the path to forming the East Oxford Community Choir.

Anna Proudfoot, the chair of Oxford Padova Link and secretary of Oxford International Links, said: “I sing in a smaller group (Byrd Chorus) with her, we were both founder members.

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Mel Houldershaw in Germany for a choir event with East Oxford Community Choir and choir Interlude (from Grenoble) (Image: Mel Houldershaw)

“I’m Chair of the Oxford Padova Link (twinned since 2019) so when a choir from Padova asked if they could come and do a concert in Oxford (2023 along with Man Choir and Oxford Youth Choirs) the first person I turned to for help was Mel.

“I’d never organised a concert in my life. So I spent my time worrying about ticket sales, sound and light team, breaking even.

“Mel’s response was always ‘it will be fine’. We did another two Oxford-Padova concerts.. and it was fine.”

As reported, accounts for the county council have revealed County Hall has spent £1,406,282.80 on the congestion charge to private companies since it was introduced in October.

Businesses include Portsmouth-based Modaxo Traffic Management UK, which have been given over £330,000 for processing penalty charge notices.

Meanwhile, Exeter-based Unity Five Ltd have been given nearly £100,000 for its permit management software.

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And the Oxford Bus Company was handed nearly £1m in reimbursements to fund the free park and ride bus travel offer.

Driver Stu Hill said: “This is totally wrong. Private companies should net be benefiting. It should be helping to improve systems for the public.”

Meanwhile resident Richard Smith claimed the congestion charge is “more anti vehicle rules” by the council.

“This will kill shops and shopping centres and have an impact on jobs not just in the shops,” he added.

“Have Oxford put in a park and ride system? Does allow shopping trolleys?”

Resident Marcus Flynn said: “What’s interesting is always how councils pass our taxes into private hands.”

Most drivers argued the money could be well spent on other pressing issues across the county.

Liz Brookes said: “Well let’s have some spent on the roads around Oxford they are in a dreadful state… please can this be done before there is a fatal accident?”

While Denise Driver added: “What about spending this money on repairing the potholes in Oxford, the roads are terrible and dangerous.”

Although some drivers argued the millions in spending is worth it given the costs of operating the congestion charge.

Peter Bowyer said: “Nobody ‘gave’ private companies the money – they tendered and were awarded a contract, delivered a service and were paid for it.”

Oxfordshire County Council is expected to generate a £5.2m surplus from the controversial £5 daily charge to drive through six streets in the city.

Roads include Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clement’s Street, Thames Street, Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way.

It comes as 70 per cent of businesses in Oxford say the congestion charge has had no effect, or a positive effect on their business, and 30 per cent report a negative effect.

The results, found in a survey commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council, also found hospitality say it is the hardest hit by the daily £5 fee.

Suburban businesses, particularly those with a shopfront, were significantly less positive than city centre businesses.

Spend data shows year-on-year declines in consumer spending across the city, in line with national trends

Bidding consortium London & Valley Water (L&VW) has put forward plans to inject £3.35b of new equity and up to £6.55b in new debt as it looks to secure backing for its deal.

However, it’s been reported in the Financial Times that the emergency deal would cost Thames Water £160m in fees to senior creditors, if agreed to.

What’s more, an extra £254m in “other costs” would be needed by the utility, comprising mostly of lawyer fees and bankers.

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Thames Water would also pay an estimated £285m in accrued interest owed to creditors on the day a deal was completed, according to the terms seen by the FT, on top of almost £50mn in fees owed to other creditors.

Thames Water’s spokesman said: “Thames Water remains focused on securing a recapitalisation to restore financial stability, continue its operational turnaround and deliver essential services for 16 million customers.

“We are already making significant progress in improving performance for customers and the environment, and the proposed deal is intended to support and accelerate that turnaround.”

The creditor group said that the £10bn of new capital it was providing would help improve services and clean up rivers.

A spokesman for L&VW said told the FT: “Thames Water’s restructuring fees and costs are paid for entirely by its creditors — not a penny will come from customer money.

“Under the turnaround plan, regulators will be given more control and oversight to hold Thames Water accountable for delivering a transformation.

“All fines will be paid, no dividends will be taken until the company is turned around and £9.4bn of debt is written off by investors.”

The creditor takeover would stave off the temporary nationalisation of Thames Water, if it is agreed to.

But time is running out to reach an agreement with Thames Water set to run out of money in October.

Industry body Ofwat must submit any deal to a three-month public consultation, and the deal will also have to be signed off by the High Court.

Creditors first went to Ofwat for approval in June 2025.

Thames Water has been left on the brink of collapse by its nearly £20b of debt.

A rescue bid by creditors is seen as the final realistic option on the table to avoid being placed into the Government’s special administration regime after a previous rescue deal with US private equity giant KKR collapsed in May.

Administrators have already been lined up to step in if needed.