The 2026 Night of Excellence awards from Greene King Pub Partners included a major shock for one pub in Wallingford.

Attended by hundreds of licensees from across the UK who work with the hospitality sector group, as well as leaders from across the sector and the pub industry, the night saw 16 awards up for grabs.

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These range from ‘community pub of the year’ to ‘pub team of the year’, as well as the coveted overall ‘pub of the year’ award.

This year’s winner of the biggest prize of all was The Dolphin in St Mary’s Street, Wallingford.

The Dolphin pub team have applied to change their kitchen. (Image: The Dolphin)

The pub has been proudly run by the same family for more than 23 years, headed by landlady Emma Cox.

It is known as the heart of the community in the town, and has even been recognised by King Charles, who invited the team to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party later this year in recognition of their service to Wallingford.

READ MORE: Prince William in Oxfordshire today on royal visit

Ms Cox said the award left her ‘speechless’, as pubs up for the overall pub of the year award aren’t told in advance of their nomination.

“To say it was a surprise is an understatement,” the landlady said. “We’re absolutely flabbergasted.”

Although she wasn’t able to go to the award ceremony herself, Ms Cox’s parents, who are the pub’s previous landlords, accepted the award on the night on all of their behalf.

It’s the second accolade the pub has received from Greene King, after the team won Community Pub of the Year in the 2024 ceremony.

The Dolphin team celebrate the Community Pub of the Year award in 2024, with landlady Emma Cox centre, holding award (Image: Greene King)

A total of 11 Greene King pubs and seven licensees took home honours from the lavish ceremony and dinner held at the voco St John’s hotel in Solihull on Wednesday night, April 22.

This year, England World Cup winning legend Sir Geoff Hurst, who has made a beer in collaboration with Greene King, attended the awards.

READ MORE: Wallingford burglar on drink and drug-fuelled crime spree

Dan Robinson, managing director of Greene King Pub Partners, said: “Congratulations to each award winner at this year’s Night of Excellence awards – the standard set by our partners continues to be exceptional.

“It’s a real privilege to partner with such passionate and professional pub operators across the UK, and evenings like this give us the opportunity to recognise our brilliant partners, the incredible pubs they run and the important impact they have on the communities they serve.”

Other winners included Tony Edwards and Iona Roberts, who were jointly presented the lifetime achievement award in recognition of their ‘outstanding’ pub The Five Bells in Henlow, Bedfordshire, and more than 40 years service each in the pub industry, and Gerard Flynn, the founder of True Pub Co., who won the multiple operator of the year award.

The Office of the Public Guardian has confirmed that households on low incomes or certain benefits can apply to reduce the cost of registering a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) or an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA).

Registering these documents normally costs £92 – but many people won’t have to pay the full amount.

Who can pay less – or nothing at all

Support is split into two main types:

• Full exemption (pay £0):
  If the person making the application (known as the donor) receives certain means-tested benefits, they won’t have to pay any fee.
• 50% reduction (pay £46):
  If the donor earns less than £12,000 a year before tax, the fee is cut in half.

Repeat applications can also be reduced to as little as £23.

However, there has been an important update for those on Universal Credit.

From February, people receiving Universal Credit will no longer qualify for a full exemption – but may still be eligible for the 50% discount depending on their income.

A Power of Attorney is more important than a Will. Should you get one?

Just a snippet from my Wills & Power of Attorney Martin Lewis Money show which includes how to DIY a PoA. Watch it back on https://t.co/ChFj8Kq0cD pic.twitter.com/6wEWmpVCeL

— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) March 5, 2026

The changes, detailed in an updated document on gov.uk, come as more families turn to power of attorney arrangements to manage finances and care for loved ones – often during periods of illness, ageing or financial stress.

For households already struggling with rising living costs, even a £92 fee can be a barrier.

There is also extra support available for those facing severe financial pressure.

If someone does not qualify for an exemption or reduction but still cannot afford the fee, they can apply for a hardship review, which may lower the cost further.

What is a Power of Attorney, and why do I need one?

Martin Lewis has been very clear that it is a vital document, and one we should all consider.

There’s more information here, but in short, he said: “I think in many ways, a Power of Attorney is more important than a will, because if you die, you die and the money is going to go on to other people and you won’t use it anymore.

“But if you lose your faculties, if you lose your ability to look after yourself mentally, then the question is what happens to your finances? And the truth is, let’s say it’s a dementia or an accident or a stroke – severe ones – don’t assume your family can access your money, not even if it’s the money needed to pay for your care.

“It can be locked away without anyone being able to touch it. To get it they’ll need to apply via the Court of Protection or equivalent. That’s a hassle. It’s long. It’s costly. You might not get the right person appointed that you would have wanted to take over your faculties.”

There’s more details on his Money Saving Expert website.

How to apply for a Power of Attorney for free or a reduced rate

To get help, applicants must submit a fee support form along with evidence of income or benefits when registering the power of attorney.

The Office of the Public Guardian said applications without the correct documents may be rejected – meaning the full fee would still need to be paid.

Decisions can also be challenged, with applicants given 28 days to request a review if they believe they were wrongly refused support.

Recommended reading:

Scottish types of Power of Attorney (PoA)

Power of Attorney rules are broadly similar across the UK, but Scotland does have some key differences, under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.

These are:

Continuing Power of Attorney

This gives powers to deal with money and/or property

Continuing (financial) powers can be used by the attorney immediately after the PoA document has been registered with us. If the PoA is only to be used in the event of your incapacity, it must clearly state that the powers are not to be used until this happens. You may wish to add a statement about who should make this decision about your incapacity.

For details, contact:

Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland)   

Hadrian House                                                             
Callendar Business Park
Callendar Road
Falkirk
FK1 1XR                                          
Telephone: 01324 678300

Email: opg@scotcourts.gov.uk      

Welfare Power of Attorney

This gives powers to make decisions around health or personal welfare matters

Welfare powers may only be acted upon after the PoA has been registered with us and when you have lost capacity to make decisions on matters to which the powers apply. Read the definition of incapacity.

Combined Power of Attorney

This is the key difference as it gives both continuing and welfare powers

The majority of PoAs registered with the Scottish Public Office of the Guardian are a combination of continuing and welfare powers. However, it is your choice as to the type of PoA you wish to grant.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Chipping Norton fire station said it’s been a ‘busy six days’ with five different call out for the crew.

One of those call outs was to a barn fire near the village, where the contents of the wooden structure, possibly hay or silage, ablaze.

Firefighters from Chipping Norton tackled the barn fire blaze (Image: Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue)

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Images released from the scene show firefighters tackling the large-scale fire with hoses, as smoke poured from the high flames.

Firefighter drill training for Chipping Norton crews (Image: Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue)

A spokesperson for Chipping Norton Fire Station said: “Busy six days for the Chippy crew!

“We’ve had five call outs, including a chimney fire, barn fire, and assisting our colleagues in the ambulance service.

“A cracking school visit to Great Tew Primary School yesterday – thanks for having us! And a busy drill night tonight putting up ladders and practicing applying water to a fire compartment.

“A very productive few days.”