The first-ever Sri Lankan night took place at Beckley Village Hall on Sunday, May 3.

The evening attracted around 85 people, many working in the main hospitals, care industry as well as local businesses.

It featured lively performances from three artists who travelled from Sri Lanka: Rajiv Sebastian, Anthony Surendra, and Shyamen Dangamuwa.

Music was provided by UK-based Ishan Perera, while the event was hosted by well-known UK emcee Sajith Wathsala.

The evening was organised by the Oxford Sri Lankan Society whose main members are Shimal Livera, Thilini Fernando, Sanjeeva Hennayake, Udani Liyanage, Ravi Chandrasekera, and Samantha Mirihana,

Organisers said it was an opportunity for everyone to enjoy ‘lively music, good vibes and networking’.

Matthew Barber, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner and former leader of the Vale of White Horse District Council, has taken up the role with the Friends of the Ridgeway.

The group works to protect and promote the Ridgeway National Trail, an ancient route stretching 87 miles from Wiltshire through to Buckinghamshire.

Mike Lewington, chairman of the Friends of the Ridgeway, welcomed the appointment.

He said: “Matthew shares our passion and commitment to this very special Ridgeway National Trail.

“I warmly welcome him to the role of president, and his support for the Friends of the Ridgeway’s objectives to promote enjoyment and use of the Ridgeway by walkers, runners, cyclists and equestrians.”

Mr Barber, who lives in West Hanney near Wantage, said he enjoys walking on the Ridgeway with his Labrador, Oscar.

He said: “The Ridgeway is not just another place to walk, wonderful though that is.

“The 87 miles of the Ridgeway is part of our living heritage.

“For over 5,000 years people have used this trail for commerce, for warfare and as an intrinsic part of the community.

“Today, it remains a working part of the countryside, essential for those who farm the land around it.

“I love discovering the history of the trail, and there is always more to learn.

“It is a privilege to become President of the Friends of the Ridgeway and I look forward to working with this amazing team of volunteers to help champion the Ridgeway as one of England’s most important national trails.

“The Friends of the Ridgeway seeks to preserve this vital part of our heritage for recreation, education and to support those who are guardians of this wonderful landscape.”

The Friends of the Ridgeway was founded in 1983 and originally focused on campaigning to remove recreational off-road vehicles from the trail.

This remains a key part of its work today.

Mr Lewington said: “We will continue our campaign to restrict recreational use by unauthorised vehicles, which damages the trail’s surface and has negative impacts on the enjoyment of other Ridgeway users.”

Mr Barber succeeds Lord Bradshaw, who served as president for 20 years until his resignation in 2022.

In 2015, the Friends of the Ridgeway established the Ridgeway National Trail Partnership, which now manages the Ridgeway National Trail.

The partnership includes the national landscapes of the North Wessex Downs and the Chilterns, and organisations representing users of the Ridgeway.

The Evenlode Landscape Recovery scheme, covering parts of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, is one of the UK’s first large-scale projects to move from planning into full delivery.

More than 3,000 hectares of land across the region will be restored under the scheme, which aims to tackle flooding at its source by improving soil health, restoring floodplains and increasing the landscape’s capacity to hold water.

The scheme is delivered partly by the North East Cotswold Farmer Cluster (NECFC) and forms part of a £100 million funding package that has been secured with Natural England and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Initial investments from infrastructure owners like Network Rail, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), and Oxfordshire County Council over the next three years is expected to be in excess of £3,000,000.

Natural flood management methods are being introduced to slow and store water higher up in the catchment.

Tim Field, executive director of Evenlode Landscape Recovery, said: “This partnership marks a new chapter in how we think about flood prevention and asset protection. 

Drone footage from the catchment of reconnecting floodplains (Image: Supplied)

“By working with Network Rail, SSEN and Oxfordshire County Council we’re supporting infrastructure resilience with practical changes on the ground. 

“Farmers are uniquely placed to manage water at source. 

“By restoring habitats and improving soil structure across the catchment, we can reduce flood risk downstream while strengthening farm businesses for the long term.”

The scheme pays farmers to create wetlands, woodlands and meadows on less productive or flood-prone land.

This benefits nature, improves resilience and helps protect infrastructure from flood damage.

Ryan Barrett, weather resilience and climate adaptation programme manager at Network Rail, said: “In this area the railway crosses the Evenlode River 27 times, creating multiple pinch points where flooding can disrupt services. 

“Investing in natural flood management gives us an opportunity to reduce risk before it reaches the railway and we are looking forward to working with ELR on our key risk areas to make the railway line more resilient now and into the future.”

Chris Bratt, director of asset management at SSEN, said: “We have critical electricity infrastructure in the Evenlode catchment, including substations that must remain operational during extreme weather. 

“By investing in nature-based solutions upstream, we can reduce long-term flood risk to these assets. 

“This proactive approach strengthens network resilience and, over time, helps avoid costs that would otherwise eventually end up being passed on to customers.”

The work will be carried out by specialist contractors and local farmers, who will be paid to maintain the changes for at least 20 years under a blended finance model.