Oxford News
Former Bishop of Oxford Lord Harries dies at age of 89
Tributes have been paid to Lord Harries of Pentregarth, who died on Wednesday.
The Oxford Diocese said in a statement on Thursday morning that the former Bishop died after a short illness and a few weeks before his 90th birthday.
READ MORE: Oxford American-style diner given low food hygiene rating
A former British Army officer, Rt Rev Richard Harries was the Bishop of Oxford from 1987 to 2006.
On his retirement, he was created a life peer, and continued his work in the House of Lords as Lord Harries of Pentregarth.
A regular contributor to the Church Times for several decades, and to BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day programme, he wrote 26 books.
The Bishop of Oxford, Rt Rev Dr Steven Croft, said: “Bishop Richard will be remembered by very many people across the diocese for his intelligence and kindness, his good humour, and his deep pastoral wisdom.
“He made a very significant impact beyond the life of the Church in the life of the nation through his ministry in the House of Lords and his writing and broadcasting, particularly on Thought for the Day.
“He made key contributions to Christian ethics and to interfaith relationships, particularly the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, both in Oxford and more widely.”
Lord Harries had been “one of the very best speakers” in the House of Lords, Bishop Steven said.
He added: “His speech on assisted dying in September stood out among scores of speeches that day for its clarity and compassion.”
Bishop Steven said the diocese “remained in debt to Richard for his gentle, encouraging leadership, inspiring appointments and skilled stewardship in his long ministry here”.
He added: “Like many others, I am deeply grateful personally for his encouragement and wisdom.
“We give thanks for Bishop Richard’s life and witness. We pray for his wife Jo and children Mark and Clare and their families.
“We grieve his passing and we give thanks for the sure hope of resurrection. May Richard rest in peace and rise in glory. Alleluia.”
The editor of the Church Times, Sarah Meyrick, who previously worked for the Oxford Diocese, said: “We will miss Richard Harries enormously at the Church Times.
“He was a public intellectual and a wonderful thinker. His pieces for us were always well argued and interesting — and always delivered to us on time. His most recent contribution was a thoughtful piece on the atonement for our Holy Week issue.
“At a personal level, he was modest, gracious, and a delight to deal with. In other words, any editor’s dream. He will be much missed and mourned by his many admirers.”
In one of his final articles for the Church Times, Lord Harries wrote: “This life is a journey and a preparation for something beyond it.
“What is beyond is not simply an extension of this life, or this kind of life lived elsewhere. It is that in which all things come together, which exists as an end in itself.”
Lord Harries was involved in a high-profile controversy in 2003 following his nomination of Canon Jeffrey John to the area bishopric of Reading who later declined to accept the post.
The appointment of the homosexual but celibate Canon had threatened a split in the Oxford Diocese with Conservatives calling for congregations to withhold money in protest.
Traffic was halted on the major trunk motorway at about midday on Friday, August 7, because of a serious collision.
Cars were stopped and diverted before junction 10 with Ardley heading northbound on the motorway, before junction 11 with Banbury, and drivers travelling southbound were also stopped to allow an air ambulance to land.
READ MORE: M40 closed with two hour delays due to ‘serious’ crash
Cars experienced delays in excess of two hours on the northbound approach, with six miles of congestion reported, as well as significant delays on the A34 towards the Wendlebury Interchange and junction with the M40.
Thames Valley Police has been approached for more information on what happened but has not provided a response.
The motorway had reopened by about 3pm but residual delays remained for much of the afternoon.
Thames Valley Police’s rural crime taskforce, which frequently patrols the countryside across the north of Oxfordshire, have now revealed its officers were the first on the scene.
A spokesperson said they provided ‘an immediate response and support to those invovled’ and it is understood other emergency responders subsequently attended the scene.
READ MORE: Mum jailed after teen girl beat up man, 50, hours before his death
The officers also dealt with a stolen car in Kidlington and seized a van with no insurance whose driver had no licence.
In Chieveley, the taskforce arrested a driver on suspicion of possession of class A and class B drugs and driving whilst unfit through drugs, without a licence and without insurance.
It was described as a ‘proactive day highlighting the wide range of incidents Rural Crime Taskforce officers respond to across the force area’ by the team.
Environmental charity Earth Trust shared a video of the remnants of a barbecue still smouldering and surrounded by litter and burnt wood at historic chalk beech mounds the Wittenham Clumps in South Oxfordshire.
The fire, discovered on Friday, August 8, came just a day after the charity warned people about the dangers of barbecues at the green space during the extreme drought the county is facing, as ‘a single spark could develop into a wildfire’.
READ MORE: Mum jailed after teen girl beat up man, 50, hours before his death
A spokesperson for Earth Trust said: “The reality is that one small fire could easily burn through the whole of the Clumps and Bessie’s Field grasslands.
“It could spread into the hedgerows, damage the woodlands, and cause real, lasting harm to the archaeology of Castle Hill.
“A disposable BBQ might look harmless. A few glowing embers might seem like nothing. But in dry grassland, that is all it takes.
READ MORE: Police taskforce ‘first on scene’ of crash which closed M40
“Please do not bring BBQs or light fires at the Clumps or any of our nature reserves. Take your litter home. Leave no trace.
“If you see vegetation on fire, no matter how small, call 999 immediately and ask for the fire service. Do not put yourself at risk.”
People are asked to bring picnics instead, take all litter home, leave no trace on the landscape and report any signs of fire immediately to protect the iconic landscape.
The former UK Prime Minister, who lives just outside of Wallingford with his family, was paying tribute to Rod Liddle in a new article in The Spectator following the broadcaster’s death.
Mr Liddle died on Sunday, August 2, after a short illness and having spent his career in journalism and Mr Johnson has now paid tribute to him.
In his Spectator piece, the former Henley MP wrote: “Look at what has happened to free speech in the last couple of decades: J.K. Rowling all but cancelled just for saying a woman is a woman; the cops knocking on your door for non-crime hate incidents; students banning brilliant minds from their campuses; endless ridiculous ‘content warnings’; people fired just for a stray comment on the internet.
READ MORE: UK supermarket giant issues customer notice on Jeremy Clarkson beer
“It’s mad, and yet more and more journalists have been invisibly capitulating. We have been toning it down, cutting that joke, sandpapering things to avoid getting into trouble.
“Not Rod Liddle. In the last few years he seemed to become more and more exceptional: still blazing away from his lonely but glorious redoubt.”
Ms Rowling, who wrote all the books in the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, has told of her growing “fury” after a leading human rights charity branded the sexual violence support centre she founded “anti-rights”.
The sector’s watchdog has confirmed it is investigating the matter.
The Harry Potter author said she is willing to support legal action on the issue, after a report published by Amnesty International UK listed Beira’s Place alongside several other organisations described as “gender critical” and classed as “anti-rights”.
READ MORE: Emotional Mary Berry, 91, admits she’ll be ‘in heaven’ as she opens up
The list also named For Women Scotland, which won a Supreme Court case in April 2025, which saw judges at the UK’s highest court rule that the term “woman” in the Equality Act refers to a biological woman.
Beira’s Place was established in Edinburgh in 2022 by Rowling to provide women-only support for women who have experienced sexual violence.
Rowling posted on X on Friday: “Amnesty’s attack on Beira’s Place has left me burning with the kind of fury that mounts with every passing hour.”
She had previously stated that Amnesty had made a “massive error of judgment” if it believed “organisations it has attacked will be unwilling to go to court”.
READ MORE: MasterChef winner praised by John Torode makes move to Oxfordshire
She added: “They underestimate both the solidarity that exists between the targeted organisations and my willingness to support legal action, not just on behalf of Beira’s Place, but for all women’s and LGB organisations falsely branded ‘anti-rights’.”
The Charity Commission said on Thursday that it was looking into the issue and confirmed on Friday that it had opened a case into the matter; however, it has not yet taken the step of opening a formal inquiry.
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We have opened a regulatory compliance case to further assess concerns raised with us about a briefing published by Amnesty International UK Charitable Trust.
“As part of this, we will be engaging with the charity’s trustees to gather more information.”
The commission, which regulates charities in England and Wales, also said the charity had referred itself to the watchdog by submitting a serious incident report.
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoHSBC UK & Visa test AI shopping with live payments
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoMouser warns against viral hacks to cool overheating phones
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoValarian lands USD $50 million backing for sovereign AI
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoDWP now checking bank accounts for Universal Credit and Pension Credit
-
Oxford Events4 weeks agoHenley Festival 2026 highlights: Five nights of unforgettable performances and festival moments
-
Oxford united FC3 weeks agoOxford United three players who be kept after transfer ban
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoOde launches free AI voice service for poem recommendations
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoZYMIX uses Henley event to pitch social app to Gen Z