The Lap the Lake open water event, held in Reading on Saturday, May 16, raised £4,368 for Sue Ryder’s palliative care services.

The funds will help support the Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice and the Sue Ryder Palliative Care Hub South Oxfordshire.

Ashni Parmar, regional fundraising team manager at Sue Ryder, said: “It was wonderful to see so many of our supporters at our second Lap the Lake event.

“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part and helped raise £4,368.

“This support means we can continue providing expert and compassionate care to people when they need it most.”

Held at the Hi5 Ski School and sponsored by HPS Reading, the event offered a variety of swim options, including 500m, 750m, and 1km distances, while more experienced swimmers took on the 2.5km challenge in Reading Lake.

Jo MacKenzie from Reading, who took part in the event, said: “Lap the Lake was such a great event.

“Everyone was so friendly, welcoming, and encouraging.

“The event itself was well organised and had great facilities.

“I’m part of a group called the Caversham Owls who all joined me today.

“We’ve attended Lap the Lake twice now and will definitely be returning next year.”

Earlier in 2026, Russell & Bromley announced all but three of its 36 stores were at risk as they had not been bought in a rescue deal.

Next snapped up the luxury footwear business from administration in a rescue deal, but the future of most of the brand’s stores and 440 staff remained uncertain.

Closing down signs then appeared at the Russell & Bromley store at Westgate Oxford, with customers warned of the expected closure.

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The shop has been left completely empty since last month, with its shelves bare after its closure.

The unit, which can be found on the bottom floor of the retail location near John Lewis, now only has a paper notice on the door as a reminder alongside the Russell & Bromley signs.

“This store is now closed,” read the notice.

“Find your nearest store,” it added along with Next’s website link.

Now, according to a report in Drapers, Russell & Bromley’s recently shuttered store in Richmond, south west London, has reopened under the ownership of Next.

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It remains to be seen if the brand would reopen a store in Oxfordshire or if the products will be stocked at Next stores instead.

There is a Next at Westgate Oxford, not far from the closed Russell & Bromley, as well as other stores in the county, including Bicester, Didcot and Witney.

Would-be shoppers were also recently told that neither gift cards nor loyalty points would be accepted at the shoe shop.

A statement in March said: “While the previous operator has ceased trading, the Russell & Bromley brand will be operated by Next in the near future.”

The Next website at the time added: “These can no longer be used and we will not be able to honour these. For any queries about these, please contact the Administrators.”

Volunteers battled for years to remove the noxious plant which stands about 2ft high sporting bright yellow flowers.

All sorts of ideas were put forward to eradicate or at least control the weed without any great success.

One ingenious idea in 1965 was to put more than 1,000 cinnabar caterpillars on the meadow.

According to experts at the Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire Naturalists’ Trust, the only food they liked was ragwort.

Nearby allotment holders objected, arguing that the caterpillars would eat their cabbages and other vegetables, but were assured they would eat only ragwort.

Sadly, the experiment failed when the caterpillars grew fat on the weed, turned into chrysalises, became butterflies and flew away.

The experts scoured the meadow in vain for any sign of the insects, and the ragwort shot up next summer just as hardy.

One strain of the weed was called Oxford ragwort, which came originally from the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily.

It was brought to the Oxford Botanic Garden between 1670 and 1680 and the seeds apparently escaped over the garden wall to the outside world.

Former Botanic Garden superintendent Ken Burras told the Oxford Mail: “Once it had escaped, dispersed by its silky parachute-like wings, the seed was whisked through the city.”

Then, with the coming of the railways, the seeds were transported around the country.

At first, Oxford ragwort, with yellow flowers and 2ft high very similar to the original plant, could only be seen growing alongside railway tracks, but it later spread almost everywhere.

One expert said: “It particularly likes building sites and stone crevices.”

Roger Clarke, of the Naturalists’ Trust, watched by the Sheriff of Oxford, Olive Gibbs, puts caterpillars on the ragwort in 1965 (Image: Oxford Mail)

The most effective way of getting rid of ragwort was to pull it up by its roots and burn it, a job which could be back breaking.

The idea of spraying Port Meadow to kill it was ruled out for fears of killing other flora.

By 1980, another problem was rearing its head – thistles were taking over a large part of the meadow.

Oxford City Council’s answer was to use weedkiller, but that brought immediate protests from Wolvercote Commoners and eminent scientists.

They claimed that cutting the thistles would have “huge advantages” by being cheaper and less destructive.

Other voices were raised in defence of the meadow’s colony of goldfinches. It was claimed they were likely to be left homeless if all the thistles were removed.

With so many different views, beleaguered council officials wondered which way to turn next!

The top picture shows Fred Archer, a freeman of Oxford, examining the ragwort on Port Meadow in 1975 while in the lower picture, Roger Clarke, of the Naturalists’ Trust, watched by the Sheriff of Oxford, Olive Gibbs, puts caterpillars on the ragwort in 1965.