Crime & Safety
Cotswolds charity overwhelmed by abandoned cats and kittens
The Cotswolds Dogs & Cats Home (CDCH) has taken in 68 cats since the start of 2026—an average of four per week.
With waiting lists at capacity, the charity is now making an urgent appeal for public donations to help provide emergency care, veterinary treatment, shelter, and daily support for the growing number of arrivals.
Sam Herniman, a representative of CDCH, said: “Behind these shocking statistics are the faces of vulnerable animals, each a precious life in urgent need of care.
“This kitten season will be one of the busiest we’ve ever faced and we’re calling on animal lovers to join forces and donate, so together we can be there for every cat and kitten that needs us.”
The charity is currently caring for four litters of kittens (Image: The Cotswolds Dogs & Cats Home)
The centre is currently caring for four litters of kittens, including six-week-old strays Walter and Jesse. Frankie and Otis are undergoing treatment for painful eye infections.
Other cats include May, a stray mother raising newborn kittens June, July, and August.
Wilma, a two-year-old mother, arrived with a kitten from a previous litter and has since given birth to five more.
The surge in abandoned cats reflects a nationwide trend, with organisations like the RSPCA reporting a rise in pet abandonments since 2021 due to post-pandemic challenges and the cost-of-living crisis.
CDCH is also using the appeal to highlight the importance of neutering as a long-term solution to reducing unwanted litters and easing the strain on rescue centres.
Crime & Safety
Oxford City Farm visitors delighted with new twin baby goats
The kids arrived on Monday, May 18, and are already proving popular with everyone who visits the farm.
One of the farm’s original goats, donated by Norton & Yarrow Cheese, gave birth to the healthy twins at around 10:00am and 10:20am.
Bradley Soule, community grower at Oxford City Farm, said: “It was great timing.
“The kids were born on Monday morning, and later that day we welcomed a new group for our monthly goat milking training.
“It meant trainees got to meet the farm’s newest arrivals straight away, which is a really special introduction to life on the farm.”
Oxford City Farm is a community-led urban farm in East Oxford that offers people of all ages the chance to connect with food, farming and nature.
The farm runs regular goat-milking training sessions and welcomes visitors to learn more about animal care, small-scale farming, and food production.
Nicole Titera, farm lead at Oxford City Farm, said: “As a registered charity, Oxford City Farm relies on donations, fundraising, and income from produce and activities to continue delivering its community programmes.
“Every visit, purchase and donation helps us keep the farm open and accessible to the community.”
The farm is open to visitors and volunteers from 10am to 1pm every Friday and Saturday.
Crime & Safety
Charlbury Bowls Club hosting community event for army
The club will open its gates at 11am on Saturday, June 20, for the day.
Veterans, serving personnel, military families, and the public are being invited to attend the event, which aims to both celebrate and unite the armed forces community.
A range of activities, food, and refreshments will be available at the club on the day.
These will include bacon rolls and bowls sessions from 11am, lunch at 12.30pm, and a community bowls match at 2pm.
The Little Troopers charity, which provides support to military children separated from their families due to service life and deployment, has been selected as the beneficiary of the event.
Raffle prizes and donations are being requested to help contribute towards raising funds for the charity.
The event is being organised by Charlbury Bowls Club and military TBI campaigner, Kate England.
Crime & Safety
Historic golf club and hotel dating 1763 up for £8m sale
Donnington Grove Hotel and Country Club, in the village of Donnington north of Newbury, is being sold after being operated by the current owners since 2005.
The estate, which spans about 283 acres, includes a recently refurbished restaurant and bar, multiple meeting and event spaces, and an acclaimed 18-hole championship golf course.
The hotel and golf course are set within private grounds overlooking the River Lambourn, and the 18th-century Grade II-listed manor house is arranged across three floors.
The hotel has 40 en-suite bedrooms, including rooms within the main house and a selection of outbuildings.
The estate was previously up for sale in 2022 for offers in excess of £10 million but did not sell.
The current owners, who have run the hotel since 2005, said: “After a long period of ownership, and in light of the passing of two of the original company directors, we have decided the time is right to hand Donnington Grove to new owners.
“This marks an important transition, allowing the estate to enter its next chapter and realise its full potential.
“Most importantly, we would like to thank the staff, with whom we have shared this memorable journey, for their hard work and dedication over the years.”
The sale is being managed by Ed Bellfield, regional director of hotels at Christie & Co.
He said: “Donnington Grove is an exceptional property offering scale, heritage and operational depth rarely found in the market.
“The asset is expected to attract strong interest from a broad range of buyers seeking high quality hotel and golf related leisure opportunities in a highly accessible location close to the M4 corridor and within 90 minutes of London’s West End.”
The hotel, dating back to 1763, has links to historical figures like Winston Churchill.
The mansion, built in the ‘Strawberry Hill Gothic’ style by amateur architect John Chute for wealthy historian James Pettit Andrews, has a rich history.
The next owner in 1783 was William Brummell, former private secretary to Prime Minister Lord North, who expanded and landscaped the estate.
However, it was his son, George, known as ‘Beau’ Brummell, who became a Regency-style icon, having a revolutionary impact on men’s fashion—even introducing the suit and necktie to menswear.
In 1795, Donnington Grove was transferred to John Bebb, an East India Company official.
After the death of his widow in 1850, the estate changed hands to Head Pottinger Best.
READ MORE: Search for missing boy, 16, last at Didcot railway station
The house remained in the family until 1936 when it was sold to Mrs Amy Swithinbank.
Like many other country estates, the house was requisitioned in 1940 for Allied Supplies Ltd.
After the war, the estate was sold to the Hon Reginald Fellows and remained in the family until its purchase by Shi-tennoji International in December 1991.
Dave Thomas, one of Britain’s foremost golf architects, was tasked with creating a golf course that was in keeping with the listed landscape gardens and lake to the south of the house.
The construction of the course started in November 1991, and on June 12, 1993, the Donnington Grove Country Club opened.
In April 2000, Donnington Grove changed names to Parasampia Golf & Country Club, a name already used by the company in Japan, but it has since reverted to the Donnington Grove name.
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