Oxford News
Oxfordshire pub crowned UK Greene King Pub of the Year 2026
The 2026 Night of Excellence awards from Greene King Pub Partners included a major shock for one pub in Wallingford.
Attended by hundreds of licensees from across the UK who work with the hospitality sector group, as well as leaders from across the sector and the pub industry, the night saw 16 awards up for grabs.
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These range from ‘community pub of the year’ to ‘pub team of the year’, as well as the coveted overall ‘pub of the year’ award.
This year’s winner of the biggest prize of all was The Dolphin in St Mary’s Street, Wallingford.
The Dolphin pub team have applied to change their kitchen. (Image: The Dolphin)
The pub has been proudly run by the same family for more than 23 years, headed by landlady Emma Cox.
It is known as the heart of the community in the town, and has even been recognised by King Charles, who invited the team to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party later this year in recognition of their service to Wallingford.
READ MORE: Prince William in Oxfordshire today on royal visit
Ms Cox said the award left her ‘speechless’, as pubs up for the overall pub of the year award aren’t told in advance of their nomination.
“To say it was a surprise is an understatement,” the landlady said. “We’re absolutely flabbergasted.”
Although she wasn’t able to go to the award ceremony herself, Ms Cox’s parents, who are the pub’s previous landlords, accepted the award on the night on all of their behalf.
It’s the second accolade the pub has received from Greene King, after the team won Community Pub of the Year in the 2024 ceremony.
The Dolphin team celebrate the Community Pub of the Year award in 2024, with landlady Emma Cox centre, holding award (Image: Greene King)
A total of 11 Greene King pubs and seven licensees took home honours from the lavish ceremony and dinner held at the voco St John’s hotel in Solihull on Wednesday night, April 22.
This year, England World Cup winning legend Sir Geoff Hurst, who has made a beer in collaboration with Greene King, attended the awards.
READ MORE: Wallingford burglar on drink and drug-fuelled crime spree
Dan Robinson, managing director of Greene King Pub Partners, said: “Congratulations to each award winner at this year’s Night of Excellence awards – the standard set by our partners continues to be exceptional.
“It’s a real privilege to partner with such passionate and professional pub operators across the UK, and evenings like this give us the opportunity to recognise our brilliant partners, the incredible pubs they run and the important impact they have on the communities they serve.”
Other winners included Tony Edwards and Iona Roberts, who were jointly presented the lifetime achievement award in recognition of their ‘outstanding’ pub The Five Bells in Henlow, Bedfordshire, and more than 40 years service each in the pub industry, and Gerard Flynn, the founder of True Pub Co., who won the multiple operator of the year award.
Oxford News
Jeremy Clarkson among famous men backing cancer treatment
English actor and broadcaster Peter Duncan, 72, who has written and directed pantomimes for Oxford Playhouse, is urging health authorities to approve focal therapy more broadly across the UK.
Mr Duncan, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019, called the treatment “life-changing” after it successfully targeted the cancerous part of his prostate with minimal side effects.
Jeremy Clarkson is some of a few famous faces who have received focal therapy for prostate cancer (Image: PA)
Other public figures who have received focal therapy include Jeremy Clarkson and former prime minister Lord David Cameron.
Mr Duncan said: “I was originally offered a radical prostatectomy which would have removed the whole prostate, but I was lucky enough to be treated with focal therapy which was better for me and a less invasive option.
“It was a complete success, and I’ve only experienced very minor after-effects, allowing me to continue with my life as before.”
The treatment is backed by Prostate Cancer UK, which is urging the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) to review and approve the treatment for wider use on the NHS.
Peter Duncan received prostate cancer therapy accessed by Jeremy Clarkson (Image: Alistair Wilson)
Amy Rylance, director of health services, equity and improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Without a timeline from Nice, we simply don’t know how long men will have to wait for approval on the NHS.”
A recent report from Imperial College London found focal therapy is as effective as radiotherapy or surgery but carries a much lower risk of incontinence or erectile dysfunction.
One in eight men in the UK will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Oxford News
Criminal broke into Oxford home and slept in owner’s bed, court hears
Richie Reeves broke into the home in Westminster Way on January 12 this year.
Oxford Crown Court heard how the 33-year-old, of Bristow Close, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, spent the night there and then stole some pants and socks before leaving.
As well as this, Reeves was sentenced, on August 6, for stealing bank cards in various locations and then using them to buy things for himself.
Reeves stole a bank card, wallet and cash belonging to John Keen in Oxford on January 17.
READ MORE: Oxford University student from China found dead at accommodation
Richie Reeves (Image: TVP)
He also stole bank cards belonging to Gordon Boland and Aya Zemzam in Milton Keynes in April.
Using the bank cards, the total he spent was £586.87.
Judge Maria Lamb said: “You broke into a young man’s home. You slept in his bed and helped yourself to his belongings.
“The feeling of intrusion to that young man must have been very significant. You were a rough sleeper and entrenched in substance misuse.
“You are now beginning to realise the impact of your offending on other people. It has had an enduring impact. You are now seeking to turn things around.”
Reeves was jailed for a total of 16 months.
The judge added: “I hope you build on the work you are doing already.”
Oxford News
Second weapon unveiled by police to combat e-scooters and e-bikes
It was reported earlier this week that Southampton’s officers had started using DeterTech’s SmartTag spray.
This can be fired from a handheld canister over distances of up to 10 metres, coating riders, clothing and bikes with an invisible marker.
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The spray is only detectable under ultraviolet light and carries a unique forensic code linked to the specific canister used, allowing investigators to match a suspect to a particular incident weeks or even months later.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary says the technology gives officers a safer tactical option when dealing with motorcycles, e‑bikes and e‑scooters being used in crime or anti‑social behaviour, reducing the need for risky pursuits or close confrontation.
The move comes amid growing complaints about riders using powered two‑wheelers on pavements and in public spaces, and follows similar trials by Dorset Police and other forces to tag offenders rather than chasing them through busy streets.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire shop to permanently close with all products now £1
Thames Valley Police has told this newspaper this week that a second spray is being used in Oxfordshire and across the region.
The DNA tagging spray from SelectaDNA acts in a similar way and is also being used to combat e-bikes and e-scooters.
TVP, which covers Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, has already seized more than 100 illegal machines in recent operations and warned that privately owned e‑scooters used on public roads risk fines, penalty points and confiscation.
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