Crime & Safety
‘Delight’ as Eight Bells named best pub in North Cotswolds
The Eight Bells in Chipping Campden has been voted as pub of the year by members of North Cotswold Camra.
With nearly 30 years at the helm of the historic pub, landlord Neil Hargreaves, said he was absolutely delighted to have won, adding it is ‘a real reflection of not just the pub but the breweries we choose to use’.
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Mr Hargreaves said: “We are absolutely delighted. We’ve been runners-up a few times and won the award a few years back, but it’s nice to get. We were presented with the award on Monday (March 23) evening. We are delighted because it’s nice to be recognised.
“It’s a real reflection of not just the pub but the breweries we choose to use. They are all local. We use Hook Norton Brewery, Wye Valley Brewery, and North Cotswold Brewery.
“It means an awful lot to win the award because real ale is not a product that is ready when you get it. It has to be finished in one’s own cellar. It’s a reflection of how we manage the cellar and our technique.
“It’s about selectivity, local beers, and local flavours. We steer away from national breweries because using local reduces beer miles. There’s a real commitment by local breweries to get it right, and boy to they get it right.
“Locals and visitors often notice the certificates and are both very supportive and happy to have chosen to drink at a pub that is recognised by a wider audience.
“It’s all about promoting real ales. Real ales are a fairly unique product to the UK, and so visitors from all over the world are very enthusiastic about trying them. A lot of them do a lot of research before they visit, which always surprises me.
“If you think there are a lot of different varieties of wine, there are as many, if not more, in beers. I find keeping good standards at the bar helps. Keeping it tidy, keeping the pumps polished, and staff being knowledgeable.
“I would really like to extend my thanks to Camra for what they do for the pub business. For campaigning for many, many years. They are very much the unsung heroes, spreading the message everywhere from Downing Street to Chipping Campden about the importance of pubs in the UK.
The building is rumoured to have been built by the same stonemasons who built the nearby Church of St James, and was later used to store its bells, hence the name.
The Eight Bells is open seven days a week, boasting both a beer garden and a sheltered terrace garden, six en-suite rooms, and a ‘very well-established and experienced brigade of chefs’.
Henry Nowak died aged 18 in police custody last December after being stabbed to death by Vickrum Digwa, of Southampton, who was sentenced to life in jail for the murder on June 1.
Following the sentencing, violent unrest broke out in Southampton on Tuesday night (June 2), resulting in 11 police officers and one police dog being injured.
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The Oxfordshire and Thames Valley Civic, Community and Faith Leaders’ Group issued a statement ‘urging calm and restraint’ in the wake of the riots.
The group also commended the ‘dignity and courage’ shown by Henry’s father, Mark Nowak. who appealed for his son’s murder not to be used to sow division.
Bishop Gavin Collins, acting bishop of Oxford, and Imam Monawar Hussain, who co-chair the Oxfordshire and Thames Valley Civic, Community and Faith Leaders Groups, said: “Yesterday’s verdict in the murder of Henry Nowak brings no relief from the terrible pain of a young life taken so brutally.
“Our hearts go out to Henry’s family, and we hold them in our thoughts and prayers with the deepest sympathy.
“We also wish to honour the courage and dignity of Mark Nowak, whose words have reminded the country that this terrible crime must not be used to divide our communities.
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“That is a message of real moral clarity at a moment of grief, anger and tension. It deserves to be heard.
“We are deeply concerned by the violence and disorder seen in Southampton overnight.
“No family mourning such a devastating loss should see that grief turned into an excuse for further hatred, fear or unrest. We call for calm, responsibility and restraint on all sides.”
The group said space has to be given for the Independent Office for Police Conduct to investigate the police’s response to the situation, and likewise called for people to not place ‘collective blame’ on the Sikh community.
The faith leaders added: “This is a moment to stand with a grieving family, to reject those who would exploit tragedy for division, and to recommit ourselves to the values of decency, peace and shared responsibility.”
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Speaking outside the court after Digwa was sentenced, Mark Nowak, Henry’s father, condemned the police’s treatment of his son as ‘inhumane and degrading’ and said: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension.
“We want his story to help make our streets safer for everyone .”
Following the riots in Southampton on Tuesday night, Hampshire Police Chief Constable Alexis Boon said some people “clearly arrived intent on causing disorder and trouble” and “while we are forced to deal with those determined to spark fear and division, our finite resources are taken away from those who need it most”.
Oxford Stand Up To Racism has accused Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, of inciting the ‘awful violent scenes’ in Southampton on Tuesday night (June 2).
The city where 18-year-old Henry Nowak died and where his killer, Vickrum Digwa, lived became a scene of destruction after hundreds descended to smash car windows, hurl bricks and cause eleven officers and a police dog to be injured.
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Following the disorder, the chief of Hampshire police said those involved were ‘determined to spark fear and division’.
Yaxley-Lennon, who has been jailed multiple times for a variety of offences including when he was imprisoned in October 2024 for contempt of caught, addressed the crowd at the riot.
He said: “I heard someone say this wasn’t about race, this is about race.
“A white boy who done nothing was handcuffed, a murderer in possession of a knife who stabbed someone five times isn’t.”
Oxford Stand Up to Racism is now renewing its call for the Oxford Union to withdraw its invitation for the ‘riot agitator’ to speak on June 17 on the subject of Islam.
He was originally due to speak at the historic debating society on Thursday, May 28 before his appearance was postponed over security concerns and after massive backlash.
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Ian McKendrick, a member of the anti-racism group, said: “Despite Henry Nowak’s family clearly requesting that his death should not be used to promote further hatred, Robinson was at the centre of protests in Southampton last night and clearly inciting violence.
“Giving him a televised platform at the Oxford Union legitimises hate and violence, and gives him the opportunity to incite violence to an audience of millions.
“It does not promote free speech – instead, it promotes fear and intimidation among minoritised communities.
“Already we have seen Oxford fascists alongside Robinson in Southampton and now mobilising to bring more hate onto Oxford’s streets.”
Members of Raise the Colours: Oxfordshire were called to attend the Southampton protest on Tuesday night, with the leader of the group posting on Facebook to ask followers to join the ‘justice for Henry Nowak’ protest.
Mr McKendrick added: “There is a concerted effort by far right leaders and fascist groups to incite outrage and bring people on to the streets to riot.
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“We risk an explosion of violence similar to what we saw around the Southport murders across the UK.
“We’re calling on Oxford to say a clear ‘no’ to this hate and division by protesting against Yaxley-Lennon’s appearance at the Oxford Union.”
Faith and civic leaders of Oxford already wrote to the Oxford Union asking it to rescind the controversial figure’s invitation, and hundreds have signed an open letter calling for the same.
A reported incident at a junction in Witney is causing traffic chaos in the town, with drivers coming off the A40 and elsewhere stuck in long queues.
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