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Sewage fears at Wallingford Beach as it reopens for summer

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Wallingford Beach, known locally as Sandy Bay due to the stretch of sand on the river bank next to Wallingford Bridge, was designated as a bathing place in 2024.

This means the Environment Agency must take weekly water samples from the site during the warmer months, from May 15 to September 10, and test them for two types of bacteria which can cause serious illness.

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The results are published within a few days of each test, on a dedicated page online, but many have said they wouldn’t go for a splash even with the bacteria levels being monitored.

One anonymous local said: “I wouldn’t let my dog swim in the river, let alone human members of my family.”

Wallingford Beach was one of just two inland river bathing sites in the country to be rated ‘sufficient’ last season, an improvement on its first ever rating of ‘poor’ in 2024.

Wallingford Beach on the River Thames, South Oxfordshire District CouncilWallingford Beach on the River Thames (Image: South Oxfordshire District Council)

But would-be river users aren’t impressed with the rating.

Another anonymous person commented: “Seriously we need to clean up the rivers. How can a council have a bathing area on the Thames? The river is basically an open sewer.”

It comes after Channel 4 documentary Dirty Business revealed the scale of sewage pollution in waterways in Oxfordshire, based on the work of the campaign group Windrush Against Sewage Pollution.

Oxfordshire county councillor for Wallingford, James Barlow (Green), said while he still swims it is ‘disgraceful’ that measures have to be taken to avoid getting ill.

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Mr Barlow said: “There are many stretches of the Thames that are clean enough for bathing.

“For us in Wallingford, Bathing Water Status offers not just regular testing but also the legal mechanisms to force Thames Water to clean up its act to make Wallingford Beach consistently clean enough to swim in, by, for example potentially installing further treatment operations at Benson Sewage Treatment Works which would likely lead to improvements.

Wallingford councillor James BarlowOxfordshire County Councillor James Barlow (Image: GARETH CLARK)

“Along with others, I have been regularly and safely swimming in the Thames at Wallingford, year-round, for years, and continue to do so. I understand residents’ scepticism about swimming at Wallingford Beach.

“That the bathing water quality is officially only ‘sufficient’ is a real cause for concern – the impact on nature, including humans is unacceptable.

“As a result, we take sensible precautions – like showering afterwards and not putting our faces in the water. It is disgraceful that we need to do this.”

The councillor added that he, amongst many others, continues to campaign for the Government to force companies like Thames Water to clean up its act and would see the water companies brought back into public ownership.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Last year, Wallingford Beach was rated ‘sufficient’ in the Bathing Water Quality report, one of only two inland river bathing sites in the country to receive this designation.

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“There were no storm overflows from Thames Water sites within 5km of Wallingford Beach during the last bathing season. 

“We are always committed to seeing waterways thrive, but we can’t do it alone. Farming, industry, road runoff, and increasingly extreme weather also play a role in river health. 

“We will continue to work closely with the Environment Agency and local partners to understand where improvements to our assets might be required in future, so that communities can continue to enjoy the bathing water.”





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Oxford City Farm visitors delighted with new twin baby goats

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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.





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Charlbury Bowls Club hosting community event for army

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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.





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Historic golf club and hotel dating 1763 up for £8m sale

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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.

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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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