Police are appealing for information following the sexual assault of a 19 year old woman in Rose Hill, close to the Cowley Road area, late last Friday night. She was reportedly paying a visit to the shops on Asquith Road, before she was dragged to an open area in the vicinity and attacked.
The investigation is being led by Detective Inspector Steve Duffy who commented, “We are still at the very early stages of this investigation but we would urge anyone who saw anything that could be connected to this attack to come forward.”
The man suspected of committing the assault has been described as black, medium build and 5ft 6ins tall. He was also said to be dressed in all white clothing. Inspector Duffy added, “We would also encourage anyone who matches this description, or anyone who has seen someone arrive home last night wearing this very distinctive clothing, to come forward so that they can be elimi- nated from this inquiry.”
The attack follows a spate of similar incidents in the area last term in which five sexual assaults occurred in the space of eight days. Cowley Road is home to many Oxford students, making sexual crime a worry for some.
Lucy Marriott, Women’s Welfare Officer at Regent’s Park College said, “I am obviously quite concerned about incidents such as these, especially with people living out of college this year, and having to walk long distances late at night.
“I would suggest that all girls living out are cautious after dark and try to be accompanied whenever possible. I would also suggest that the university look into the policy of handing out free rape alarms to female students.”
However, not all students were as concerned by the risks. One female undergraduate said, “The fact that there has been a more recent attack makes me wonder if I should be more careful, but I really doubt I’d change my routine or actions. I feel pretty safe on my bike at most times of the day or night – I’d be far more concerned about this if I tended to walk anywhere. I think pretty much everyone at Oxford knows that parts of Cowley can be a bit dodgy, but I’m probably more worried about my bike being stolen most of the time.”
Another student agreed saying, “I don’t think [this attack] makes living out unsafe … it’s not necessarily more unsafe than college and the in- dividual chances of attack are low.”
Yuan Yang, Vice President for Women at OUSU, disagreed that sexual crime was relatively uncommon, stating, “The National Union of Students recently reported that 1 in 7 female students have experienced rape or attempted rape while at university. Sexual violence is more prevalent than we realise.”
Yang added, “Students have the right to feel safe and confident walking around Oxford at night … this is why I continue to campaign on better prevention and awareness-raising within the University.”
Another incident, in which the vic- tim was a 20 year old woman was assaulted, occurred this week in Bravissimo on Broad Street. The woman was approached by a man who began talking to her and then proceeded to grab and grope her. Police are appealing for help with their investigations, but PC Ria Kumar, who is investigating the case assured the public that “this appears to have been an isolated incident. We are working closely with the store and following a number of lines of enquiry, including reviewing CCTV.”
Blog Page 1778
Break in at Hugh’s
Two St Hugh’s students were victims of a burglary last week, as an unknown intruder broke into their rooms and stole a number of their possessions.
Ellie Wilson and Sam Evans arrived back from a pub in Jericho at around 9.30pm to discover that someone had been into their rooms and stolen both their laptops, along with Evans’ watch and phone amongst other possessions. The burglar is thought to have entered through the window. Wilson and Evans told Cherwell how “windows into both rooms can be opened from outside” with no evidence of forcible entry. Evans added, “This initially led me to believe that my belongings had been hidden by my friends as a joke.”
The students’ rooms, both in the basement of a house on Woodstock Road, are situated on the fringes of the college grounds and can be easily accessed from the main road through a small car park.
While restraints had been fitted to stop the windows from being opened completely, Evans said, “One window in my bedroom can be opened by more than a foot from outside – enough space for a person to climb through”.
Both victims said that they are satisfied with the way that the college has helped in the aftermath, with Wilson saying that they have been “so supportive”.
In fact, their qualm seems to rest with the insurance company Endsleigh, with whom St Hugh’s have an insurance policy. Wilson described her attempt to claim for the stolen items, telling Cherwell, “I didn’t get a response until Monday, when after 30 minutes of questions I was told that my claim had been rejected.”
When asked by Cherwell why the claim was refused, Endsleigh’s Communications Manager said, “It’s essential that when students leave their property they check that all windows and doors are closed and locked. This is especially important for rooms on the ground floor or if there are easily accessible doors or windows. If windows or doors are left open and property is stolen the insurance cover can become invalid.”
The thief has not yet been identified but Wilson and Evans doubt that it was the work of a fellow St Hugh’s student.
Evans seemed particularly baffled at the intruder’s choice of items to steal, saying, “They had also taken my pencil sharpener and a bottle of Lamb’s Rum, leaving my Hendrick’s Gin and Black Bacardi untouched.”
Some freshers, especially those living in the house on Woodstock Road, feel that the incident has cast a dark cloud over their first week. Nick Williams, a fresher who had moved into the building only two days beforehand, expressed his concern, saying that the break-in was “not a good sign, just two days into my Oxford experience”.
Following the incident, college staff sent an email on behalf of the Dean reminding all students to “lock their rooms, including the windows, when not present”. They added that “security on a site of this size depends very heavily on the vigilance of all members of the community.”
Ellie Wilson and Sam Evans arrived back from a pub in Jericho at around 9.30pm to discover that someone had been into their rooms and stolen both their laptops, along with Evans’ watch and phone amongst other possessions. The burglar is thought to have entered through the window. Wilson and Evans told Cherwell how “windows into both rooms can be opened from outside” with no evidence of forcible entry. Evans added, “This initially led me to believe that my belongings had been hidden by my friends as a joke.”
The students’ rooms, both in the basement of a house on Woodstock Road, are situated on the fringes of the college grounds and can be easily accessed from the main road through a small car park.
While restraints had been fitted to stop the windows from being opened completely, Evans said, “One window in my bedroom can be opened by more than a foot from outside – enough space for a person to climb through”.
Both victims said that they are satisfied with the way that the college has helped in the aftermath, with Wilson saying that they have been “so supportive”.
In fact, their qualm seems to rest with the insurance company Endsleigh, with whom St Hugh’s have an insurance policy. Wilson described her attempt to claim for the stolen items, telling Cherwell, “I didn’t get a response until Monday, when after 30 minutes of questions I was told that my claim had been rejected.”
When asked by Cherwell why the claim was refused, Endsleigh’s Communications Manager said, “It’s essential that when students leave their property they check that all windows and doors are closed and locked. This is especially important for rooms on the ground floor or if there are easily accessible doors or windows. If windows or doors are left open and property is stolen the insurance cover can become invalid.”
The thief has not yet been identified but Wilson and Evans doubt that it was the work of a fellow St Hugh’s student.
Evans seemed particularly baffled at the intruder’s choice of items to steal, saying, “They had also taken my pencil sharpener and a bottle of Lamb’s Rum, leaving my Hendrick’s Gin and Black Bacardi untouched.”
Some freshers, especially those living in the house on Woodstock Road, feel that the incident has cast a dark cloud over their first week. Nick Williams, a fresher who had moved into the building only two days beforehand, expressed his concern, saying that the break-in was “not a good sign, just two days into my Oxford experience”.
Following the incident, college staff sent an email on behalf of the Dean reminding all students to “lock their rooms, including the windows, when not present”. They added that “security on a site of this size depends very heavily on the vigilance of all members of the community.”
OUSU back Muslim prayer room
OUSU has given its support to the Islamic Society’s campaign for the University to provide a prayer room for Muslim students.
In a meeting on Wednesday night OUSU Council heard that currently the 70-80 members of the Oxford University Islamic Society have to go to either the Centre for Islamic Studies, which closes at 5pm, or to a mosque in Cowley to perform their required five daily congregational prayers.
Adam Ali of Green Templeton College, and Liban Saleh of New College, proposed the motion, which asked for the support of the student body for the general idea of having a Muslim prayer room. It did not contain any details about the location or cost of the room.
The motion passed unanimously and the issue will now be taken to the University Proctors for further consideration.
Saleh, who is President of the Islamic Society, and Ali issued a joint statement to Cherwell outlining their reasons for launching the campaign.
“As Muslims it is a requirement of our faith that we pray five times per day. Having a prayer room on the main campus, something that over 80 different higher education institutions around the country already have, would make it much easier for students to complete their prayers and avoid rushing back to their rooms to pray in between lectures.
“There are certainly enough Muslim students at Oxford University to ensure that good use would be made of a prayer room both for congregational prayers and other activities including study circles and inter-faith discussion groups.”
82 other higher education institutions provide a prayer room for Muslim students.
The University’s Equality and Diversity Mission Statement states that its objective is to allow students to reach their “full potential” and to “remove any barriers which might deter people of the highest potential and ability from applying to Oxford, either as staff or students”.
Speaking in the meeting, Ali suggested that the lack of a central prayer room might be a concern for prospective students. He said, “We actually get asked quite a lot by potential students if we have a prayer room”. Students at the meeting raised the question of whether college chapels could be used as Muslim prayer rooms.
Andrew Gregory, University College chaplain, commented, “Most college chaplains are happy for people of all faiths and none to use their chapels in a range of ways. But most Muslims (and indeed other faiths) would not wish to use a Christian chapel beacuse of the religious imagery that it contains.”
“I would be very surprised if with a little imagination a space could not be found within the University that could be used as a large prayer space at certain times – and that would be a jolly good thing”.
Ali added in his speech to Council that students of other faiths seem to have more central provisions for worship.
Robbie Strachan, a student in the Christian Union, commented, “Christians believe that everyone, regardless of religious background, should have the freedom and provision to seek God and carefully investigate who He is. As such, the question of “fairness” is really a non- issue.
“I am delighted that there are so many devout Muslims in Oxford who aregenuinelypursuingarelationship with God, and I pray they will be blessed as they do so.”
A spokesperson for the University said, “The provision of facilities for religiousobservancesisachallenging issue in any University, particularly one as disparate as Oxford where provision for such facilities is distributed across the University and the Colleges.
“The University takes issues surrounding faith provision very seriously and wants to make sure that wherever possible appropriate facilities are provided for students and staff in Oxford.”
“Working with the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, the University has made some facilities available for Muslim students and this arrangement will continue. A group of senior University officers are currently looking at options for improved faith facilities.”
In a meeting on Wednesday night OUSU Council heard that currently the 70-80 members of the Oxford University Islamic Society have to go to either the Centre for Islamic Studies, which closes at 5pm, or to a mosque in Cowley to perform their required five daily congregational prayers.
Adam Ali of Green Templeton College, and Liban Saleh of New College, proposed the motion, which asked for the support of the student body for the general idea of having a Muslim prayer room. It did not contain any details about the location or cost of the room.
The motion passed unanimously and the issue will now be taken to the University Proctors for further consideration.
Saleh, who is President of the Islamic Society, and Ali issued a joint statement to Cherwell outlining their reasons for launching the campaign.
“As Muslims it is a requirement of our faith that we pray five times per day. Having a prayer room on the main campus, something that over 80 different higher education institutions around the country already have, would make it much easier for students to complete their prayers and avoid rushing back to their rooms to pray in between lectures.
“There are certainly enough Muslim students at Oxford University to ensure that good use would be made of a prayer room both for congregational prayers and other activities including study circles and inter-faith discussion groups.”
82 other higher education institutions provide a prayer room for Muslim students.
The University’s Equality and Diversity Mission Statement states that its objective is to allow students to reach their “full potential” and to “remove any barriers which might deter people of the highest potential and ability from applying to Oxford, either as staff or students”.
Speaking in the meeting, Ali suggested that the lack of a central prayer room might be a concern for prospective students. He said, “We actually get asked quite a lot by potential students if we have a prayer room”. Students at the meeting raised the question of whether college chapels could be used as Muslim prayer rooms.
Andrew Gregory, University College chaplain, commented, “Most college chaplains are happy for people of all faiths and none to use their chapels in a range of ways. But most Muslims (and indeed other faiths) would not wish to use a Christian chapel beacuse of the religious imagery that it contains.”
“I would be very surprised if with a little imagination a space could not be found within the University that could be used as a large prayer space at certain times – and that would be a jolly good thing”.
Ali added in his speech to Council that students of other faiths seem to have more central provisions for worship.
Robbie Strachan, a student in the Christian Union, commented, “Christians believe that everyone, regardless of religious background, should have the freedom and provision to seek God and carefully investigate who He is. As such, the question of “fairness” is really a non- issue.
“I am delighted that there are so many devout Muslims in Oxford who aregenuinelypursuingarelationship with God, and I pray they will be blessed as they do so.”
A spokesperson for the University said, “The provision of facilities for religiousobservancesisachallenging issue in any University, particularly one as disparate as Oxford where provision for such facilities is distributed across the University and the Colleges.
“The University takes issues surrounding faith provision very seriously and wants to make sure that wherever possible appropriate facilities are provided for students and staff in Oxford.”
“Working with the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, the University has made some facilities available for Muslim students and this arrangement will continue. A group of senior University officers are currently looking at options for improved faith facilities.”
Noughts and Crosses – Director’s Blog Week One
Daunted at first by the Oxford drama scene I was scared to put on my own show, but after acting in an unconventional and original production-Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls- last term that was personally and theatrically rewarding for me, I thought why not? One of my favourite books at school was Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman and the RSC adaptation of the novel is one of my top-ten theatre performances. I thought it was time to dive into the deep end and take my armbands off.
The process of getting a cast together is much more difficult than I originally perceived: from audition slots clashing, people dropping out and what sometimes to be just plain bad luck, I still haven’t got a complete cast yet. Although the play is being performed in 7th week, the complex relationships and social context of the play demands adequate rehearsal time- but I’m not worrying…
What worries me the most is that I won’t find enough black actors in a play with at least 10 different characters that need to be non-white: some might say that I should have thought about this, but I initially saw this as a challenge rather than a big obstacle. The fact that many students of other ethnic origins have showed their interest in participating has opened up a new angle to the play that I hadn’t necessarily thought of at first.
Well the venue is sorted at least: the new Simpkins Lee theatre at Lady Margaret Hall is a really exciting performance space that enables me to be technically adventurous. Over the summer I saw some really interesting pieces of theatre from some great companies: Kneehigh and Shared Experience utilise sound and lighting to stimulate the audience’s imagination and inspired me into thinking of ways I could heighten the audience’s emotional response to the play through technical aspects.
So far the popularity of the book has generated a lot of interest in me putting on a dramatic adaptation which is brilliant: I already have a producer, production manager and co-director who are all equally passionate about this production which revs me up even more.
Noughts and Crosses – Director’s Blog Week Two
One click on SEND and that was it: my cast list was finalised and sent out- there was no going back. After more than three months and countless hours of auditions, I’ve finally got my cast!! Over the past few weeks, I’ve come across some really talented actors who have already opened up my eyes to new and interesting ways of approaching the text and I can’t wait to get started on rehearsals.
At the beginning of the week, I was beginning to doubt as to whether I could actually go ahead with the production: my desperation got to the point that I was thinking I would have to start rehearsals with about 75% of the main roles unfilled. But as the week progressed, my fears were allayed by the steady influx of actors of all ethnic backgrounds who came to auditions, filling up the empty cast list for both Nought and Cross characters.
However, my relief has been short-lived as the enormity of the feat I am about to embark upon is resting its heavy weight on my mind. I keep on thinking of possible disastrous scenarios that could occur at any moment or towards the eve of performance: what if the actors don’t gel with each other on and offstage; what if there’s a storm and the LMH theatre is flooded and destroyed; what if there is no interest whatsoever and no one turns up to see the play? Aaaah!! So many questions, so little time.
Anyway, I’ve just got to get my head in the game. It’ll be alright on the night. The show must go on. Anymore clichés? Well, it’s like Frumpy Fran says in my favourite film Strictly Ballroom: “A life lived in fear is a life half lived.” It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey- okay okay, I’ll stop now. It’s all about enjoying the process of creating a piece of theatre that you’re passionate about: nothing can go wrong if I keep that in mind. Right?
Oxford climbs Times rankings
Oxford has overtaken Cambridge as the UK’s top university, according to the latest international league tables.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings were published on Thursday, placing Oxford as 4th,with Cambridge trailing behind in 6th. For Oxford, this is an improvementon last year’s rankings, where the two universities were joint 6th.
The league tables are put togetherby Times Higher Education in conjunctionwith Thomson Reutersusing five broad categories: teaching,research, citations, industryincome and international outlook.Whilst overall Oxford is high up thetable, in some areas it is behind the competition. Notably it is only 47th in terms of industry income and is 8th for teaching, one place below Cambridge.
Further rankings showing the top universities for Life Sciences, Artsand Humanities, Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences and Clinical, Preclinical and Health are due to be published later this month.
First place overall this year went to California Institute of Technology, which has only 2000 undergraduates. Harvard, last year’s top university,came in joint second along with Stanford University.
All the top 10 universities are either British or American. US universities dominate the table, with 74 in the top 200. Inside the top 50 thereare seven UK institutions, including Oxford and Cambridge. Imperial College rates highly at number 8 and Manchester has shot up the rankings from 87 to 45.
The Oxford University Press Office declined to react to Oxford’s performancein the table, telling Cherwell that they do not comment onleague tables and rankings.Some students questioned expressed apathy at the results. Eleanor Hall, a second year at Hertford College, said, “I’m not bothered about these league tables; they don’t mean much to me as an undergraduate. I’m here and just need to carryon with my degree really.”
But Elena Harty of Magdalen College was proud of Oxford’s success,saying, “I couldn’t care less, but as long as we beat Cambridge, I’m happy!”
Hugh’s in booze walkout
Frustrated members of St Hugh’sCollege JCR have unanimously passed a motion to “boycott formal hall until further notice” in response to the price hike and new alcohol restrictions reported in Cherwell last week.Tuesday’s Formal Hall was attended only by MCR members and college fellows, as all undergraduate students complied with the JCR’s decision.
There was a high turnout for Sunday’s JCR meeting, and the resolution, proposed by JCR President Victor Greenstreet, was passed after just 15 minutes of debate. An email was sent to all JCR members on Monday morning informing them that “it is now JCR policy to advise its members not to attend Formal Hall.”
The proposal came after Greenstreet had voiced his concerns to the Dean, Bursar and Catering Manager but had received no offers of compromise other than the possibility of an end of term review. Under the implemented changes St Hugh’s Formal costs £10.40 and include two glasses of wine or fruit punch. Further drinks are prohibited.
St Hugh’s student Joseph Williams described these measures as “patronising changes to the system without any consultation”, reflecting the JCR’s anger at the college’s alleged unwillingness to engage in serious debate about the matter.
Greenstreet described his meetings with college authorities as“cordial”, but added, “It was made clear that the changes to Formal Hall were still going ahead.” He said, “The motion is a symbolic expression of the JCR’s opposition to the changes, which individual members are free to disregard but will (hopefully) follow.”
He also stressed that it is still individuals’ free choice whether they wish to attend, since ticket sales are not controlled by the JCR and remain available to undergraduates.
The JCR stated that the college’s explanation for the changes is that they are designed to “enhance the quality of the experience for everyone present, and to address the issue created by a small number of students bringing excessive amounts of alcohol into Formal Hall and thereby creating difficulties for the serving staff.”
However the JCR also points out that there was no disciplinary action taken against any student regarding Formal last term.One undergraduate commented, “College should ban rowdy members of the college from attending Formal rather than dampening the experience for everyone.”
Another argued that the college were persecuting those who did not drink wine, stating, “I don’t think that charging an extra £3.15 for two glasses of fruit juice is an acceptable penalty for non-drinkers.”
Another student claimed that St Hugh’s was treating its JCR members “like juvenile delinquents”, suggesting that “Formal Hall should be about camaraderie, college solidarity and upheld tradition rather than a bland restaurant imitation.” Clemmie Shott tried to provide a degree of perspective on the issue. She said, “To charge £10 for a Formal ticket for the privilege of eating mediocre food and drinking two glasses of wine seems absurd.”
JCR members hope that the move will force the college to reopen consultation and will prevent a term of Formals being wasted. One student remarked that the threat of boycott was “probably the only chance to change the situation”.
A former JCR President said, “It has shown to the college that theJCR is prepared to take action and I am sure serious discussion between college personnel and JCR representatives will follow.”
St Hugh’s College itself was not prepared to explain its reasoning when approached by Cherwell this week. The Dean, Peter Mitchell, said, “My colleagues and I have discussed the issues you mentioned with the JCR and MCR Presidents. I have no further comment to make.”
The St Hugh’s MCR president Solomon Pomerantz declined to explain why the MCR chose not to follow the decision of the college’s undergraduates.
Lifestyle Interview: the Hairy Bikers
Simon King and David Myers, better known as the BBC’s bearded cookery duo, ‘The Hairy Bikers’, have made a name for themselves as experts in the foodie road trip, their travels having extended across the globe from Transylvania to Vietnam. Yet what really stands out as I talk to these guys is their passionate for unpretentious, homely soul food, and its power to bring people together. With great chemistry and an honest, friendly on-screen demeanour, it’s easy to forget that the pair started their careers behind the scenes, rather than in front of the camera.
Simon King and David Myers, better known as the BBC’s bearded cookery duo, ‘The Hairy Bikers’, have made a name for themselves as experts in the foodie road trip, their travels having extended across the globe from Transylvania to Vietnam. Yet what really stands out as I talk to these guys is their passionate for unpretentious, homely soul food, and its power to bring people together. With great chemistry and an honest, friendly on-screen demeanour, it’s easy to forget that the pair started their careers behind the scenes, rather than in front of the camera.
‘We were on the film crew for several TV drama series,’ recalls Si. ‘We were both working on Catherine Cookson when we became mates. We had the same interests in food, travel, bikes and things. We’ve been friends now for nearly 20 years. I sold him a terrible bike once; it conked out in the middle of the Scottish highlands with a girlfriend on the back! I don’t think he saw her again.’
Dave clearly didn’t hold a grudge, as he responds, ‘We started cooking together after that. The kind of projects that we do are so much better when you’re doing it with your best mate.’
He goes on to explain how the transition to becoming TV chefs was somewhat unplanned. ‘The earlier Hairy Bikers never started out as a cookery show. It was more about travel.’ Yet, on visits to places like Namibia, it became apparent that food culture was central to all their travelling experiences. ‘Food was the currency of the programmes. Eventually, it slowly morphed into a proper BBC cookery show.’
Their most recent project, ‘Hairy Bikers: Meals on Wheels’, is an attempt to breathe new life into a vital but much neglected service. Meals on Wheels was pioneered in the 1940s by the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, who cooked and delivered fresh meals to the elderly and infirm every day.
Today, Meals on Wheels is in danger. In the last five years, the UK has lost around a third of its Meals on Wheels services. One problem is that the service is fragmented, and differs vastly depending on the local authority. In some areas it is fuelled entirely by volunteers, but in most others it has been replaced by bi-monthly deliveries of frozen meals which must be paid for by the recipients, sometimes costing up to a third of the weekly state pension. Elsewhere there is no help available whatsoever. With tight budgets and the constant threat of yet more cuts to funding, food quality is notoriously low.
‘In our affluent society, it’s upsetting that we don’t have the foresight to see the problem,’ says Si. ‘I think it was Mahatma Ghandi who said that civilised society is judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable members. These people have contributed to society all their lives, and there is a tendency to sweep them under the carpet.’
Dave adds, ‘If they could do it in 1943 when rationing was still happening, why not now? It’s a bit of a slap in the face for modern society.’
With the help of Meals on Wheels staff, many enthusiastic volunteers, and marketing input from world-renowned advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi, the Hairy Bikers have been working to give the dying institution the resources, energy, and identity it needs to continue for years to come. They have been particularly focusing on the shift from frozen foods to freshly prepared meals, and from fortnightly deliveries to daily visits.
‘There is not a single Meals on Wheels volunteer who hasn’t saved a life at some point,’ says Si. The visits are a vital lifeline for those living alone, particularly to older people who have lost a partner. ‘It’s sad when there is a married couple where one dies and the other is left alone,’ says Dave. ‘They need an outlet for their grief – there are people hurting in silence.’
The initiative is one close to their hearts, as both Si and Dave have experience caring for ill and ageing parents. Si’s mother became dependent on her family due to long term illness. ‘The family found it hard to cover mealtimes,’ Si tells me. ‘We tried to find her a good service, since she was a great food lover; it was her raison d’être. The food quality wasn’t to her liking, so we had to step into the void.’
Dave also cared for his mother, who suffered from MS. ‘My father was 55 when I was born, so when I was eight, he was already 63. I took over most of the cooking myself when I was 14 or 15.’ The BBC approached us with the concept of the programme because they felt we’d be good to present it, and when we heard the facts, we couldn’t not do it.’
‘Food is important for the body and soul, and socialisation of people,’ says Si. ‘People should be afforded a level of dignity and respect through the food that they are served.’ But both Si and Dave make it clear that they are not out to get embroiled in political debate. ‘This is not about some Tory thinktank, working out ways to contribute to the ‘Big Society’. On your bloody bike, mate! We didn’t want to engage in the politics of it all because it’s a cul de sac. It’s always been about people, not politics.’
I ask if the recent popularity of fresh food is likely to continue, or whether food producers will fall back into cutting corners due to financial constraints. Si explains, ‘We’re very much time dependent now. We have busy lives, it just needs a shift in the thought process about how we’re able to eat and deliver fresh food. Companies who mass produce tend to look at pounds, shillings and pence, but there are lots of responsible food producers out there. It’s not about romanticising food – it’s about stripping away the bullshit. At the end of the day, fresh food is better.’
When I ask if it’s possible to recover the community spirit which originally drove the Meals on Wheels service, Si responds with characteristic enthusiasm.
‘We always have been that way. It’s not lost. We’re community minded. Us Brits have a keen sense of injustice, and can rise to the challenge when we see that there is one.’ I also discover that, as a result of the programme, the Hairy Bikers’ BBC website crashed three times when it was inundated with volunteers.
The bikers still keep in touch with many of the volunteers and meal recipients they met along the way, making it clear that this is not something they plan to walk away from.
‘We’ve already filmed a Christmas special,’ says Dave, ‘and I’d really like to see a follow-up series some time in the next year. ‘
Yet the BBC programme is only the beginning. They appeal for continued support, and extol the benefits of volunteering to students.
‘It’s fun! It’s a good laugh,’ Dave tells me. ‘We looked forward to visiting the people we got to know over the programme. The benefit you can give is huge, but the benefit you get back is fantastic.’
‘Give me two hours a month, that’s it,’ says Si, ‘If you can, you should. It’s about being engaged with the world around you. The world of academia can become a bit cosseted, and this is a great way of interacting with your community. They’re not a different species; they’re us!’
Bearing in mind their culinary éclat, I use the opportunity to ask the Hairy Bikers if they have any parting tips for Cherwell readers who are struggling to feed themselves.
Dave recommends that students go to fresh produce markets. ‘You’ve got a cracker there in Oxford, you should use it. If you go to a market where suppliers know their ingredients, you’ll very often come away with a recipe.’
‘Lentil curry,’ says Si, almost immediately. ‘It makes you fart, but it’s great and really tasty!’
To find out more about volunteering opportunities, visit www.bbc.co.uk/hairybikers
‘We were on the film crew for several TV drama series,’ recalls Si. ‘We were both working on Catherine Cookson when we became mates. We had the same interests in food, travel, bikes and things. We’ve been friends now for nearly 20 years. I sold him a terrible bike once; it conked out in the middle of the Scottish highlands with a girlfriend on the back! I don’t think he saw her again.’
Dave clearly didn’t hold a grudge, as he responds, ‘We started cooking together after that. The kind of projects that we do are so much better when you’re doing it with your best mate.’He goes on to explain how the transition to becoming TV chefs was somewhat unplanned. ‘The earlier Hairy Bikers never started out as a cookery show. It was more about travel.’ Yet, on visits to places like Namibia, it became apparent that food culture was central to all their travelling experiences. ‘Food was the currency of the programmes. Eventually, it slowly morphed into a proper BBC cookery show.’
Their most recent project, ‘Hairy Bikers: Meals on Wheels’, is an attempt to breathe new life into a vital but much neglected service. Meals on Wheels was pioneered in the 1940s by the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, who cooked and delivered fresh meals to the elderly and infirm every day.
Today, Meals on Wheels is in danger. In the last five years, the UK has lost around a third of its Meals on Wheels services. One problem is that the service is fragmented, and differs vastly depending on the local authority. In some areas it is fuelled entirely by volunteers, but in most others it has been replaced by bi-monthly deliveries of frozen meals which must be paid for by the recipients, sometimes costing up to a third of the weekly state pension. Elsewhere there is no help available whatsoever. With tight budgets and the constant threat of yet more cuts to funding, food quality is notoriously low.
‘In our affluent society, it’s upsetting that we don’t have the foresight to see the problem,’ says Si. ‘I think it was Mahatma Ghandi who said that civilised society is judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable members. These people have contributed to society all their lives, and there is a tendency to sweep them under the carpet.’
Dave adds, ‘If they could do it in 1943 when rationing was still happening, why not now? It’s a bit of a slap in the face for modern society.’ With the help of Meals on Wheels staff, many enthusiastic volunteers, and marketing input from world-renowned advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi, the Hairy Bikers have been working to give the dying institution the resources, energy, and identity it needs to continue for years to come. They have been particularly focusing on the shift from frozen foods to freshly prepared meals, and from fortnightly deliveries to daily visits.‘
There is not a single Meals on Wheels volunteer who hasn’t saved a life at some point,’ says Si. The visits are a vital lifeline for those living alone, particularly to older people who have lost a partner. ‘It’s sad when there is a married couple where one dies and the other is left alone,’ says Dave. ‘They need an outlet for their grief – there are people hurting in silence.’
The initiative is one close to their hearts, as both Si and Dave have experience caring for ill and ageing parents. Si’s mother became dependent on her family due to long term illness. ‘The family found it hard to cover mealtimes,’ Si tells me. ‘We tried to find her a good service, since she was a great food lover; it was her raison d’être. The food quality wasn’t to her liking, so we had to step into the void.’
Dave also cared for his mother, who suffered from MS. ‘My father was 55 when I was born, so when I was eight, he was already 63. I took over most of the cooking myself when I was 14 or 15.’ The BBC approached us with the concept of the programme because they felt we’d be good to present it, and when we heard the facts, we couldn’t not do it.’‘
Food is important for the body and soul, and socialisation of people,’ says Si. ‘People should be afforded a level of dignity and respect through the food that they are served.’ But both Si and Dave make it clear that they are not out to get embroiled in political debate. ‘This is not about some Tory thinktank, working out ways to contribute to the ‘Big Society’. On your bloody bike, mate! We didn’t want to engage in the politics of it all because it’s a cul de sac. It’s always been about people, not politics.’
I ask if the recent popularity of fresh food is likely to continue, or whether food producers will fall back into cutting corners due to financial constraints. Si explains, ‘We’re very much time dependent now. We have busy lives, it just needs a shift in the thought process about how we’re able to eat and deliver fresh food. Companies who mass produce tend to look at pounds, shillings and pence, but there are lots of responsible food producers out there. It’s not about romanticising food – it’s about stripping away the bullshit. At the end of the day, fresh food is better.’
When I ask if it’s possible to recover the community spirit which originally drove the Meals on Wheels service, Si responds with characteristic enthusiasm.‘We always have been that way. It’s not lost. We’re community minded. Us Brits have a keen sense of injustice, and can rise to the challenge when we see that there is one.’ I also discover that, as a result of the programme, the Hairy Bikers’ BBC website crashed three times when it was inundated with volunteers.
The bikers still keep in touch with many of the volunteers and meal recipients they met along the way, making it clear that this is not something they plan to walk away from.‘We’ve already filmed a Christmas special,’ says Dave, ‘and I’d really like to see a follow-up series some time in the next year. ‘
Yet the BBC programme is only the beginning. They appeal for continued support, and extol the benefits of volunteering to students.‘It’s fun! It’s a good laugh,’ Dave tells me. ‘We looked forward to visiting the people we got to know over the programme. The benefit you can give is huge, but the benefit you get back is fantastic.’‘
Give me two hours a month, that’s it,’ says Si, ‘If you can, you should. It’s about being engaged with the world around you. The world of academia can become a bit cosseted, and this is a great way of interacting with your community. They’re not a different species; they’re us!’
Bearing in mind their culinary éclat, I use the opportunity to ask the Hairy Bikers if they have any parting tips for Cherwell readers who are struggling to feed themselves.
Dave recommends that students go to fresh produce markets. ‘You’ve got a cracker there in Oxford, you should use it. If you go to a market where suppliers know their ingredients, you’ll very often come away with a recipe.’‘Lentil curry,’ says Si, almost immediately. ‘It makes you fart, but it’s great and really tasty!’
To find out more about volunteering opportunities, visit www.bbc.co.uk/hairybikers
It’s not all about the money
Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know!’ Here we go again. My dad has just seen my bank statement for the last month and is screeching down the telephone about the value of a penny, and someday I will have to pay this student loan back, and when he was a student and am I still listening?
Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know!’ Here we go again. My dad has just seen my bank statement for the last month and is screeching down the telephone about the value of a penny, and someday I will have to pay this student loan back, and when he was a student and am I still listening?
This phone call has become a monthly ritual since I started university, and this time the message is loud and clear: it’s time to tighten my belt, cut my losses and start saving. And re-route my bank statements so he can’t read them anymore. I’ve put myself on an extreme budget. I have £1 to spend for every day for the following 5 days. No excess, no extravagance, no waste. This week is going to be about the bare necessities and nothing more.
‘It’s impossible’, my friends argue. The idea has not been received very well. It fact, it was met with outright hostility. No more lunching at Alpha Bar, no more lashmonkeying around Camera, no more glorious Marks and Spencer’s sandwiches. I’m taking the moral high ground though. ‘If 1.1 billion people in the world can do it, then I can definitely do it.’ And I’m not even slumdogging that much – I still have my 100% Egyptian cotton bedsheets and my hot showers. Still, spending less than a pound a day altogether on food and fun is no cakewalk.
Day 1
Armed with £5 cold hard cash, I enter Tesco. I load up my basket with all the stuff I would normally buy for the week – bread, milk, cereal, yogurt, M&Ms at 2 for £3, mangoes, apples, bananas and blueberries (for my 5-a-day), crisps, sushi because it’s on sale, beautiful creamy goat’s cheese.
Only £20 over budget; no problem, I just need to whittle it down to the essentials.
The M&Ms are the first to go, then the sushi, crisps and the cheese. The cereal is too expensive, nor can I have milk. The mangoes and blueberries are too much of a treat, but most depressing is the choice between apples and bananas because I can’t afford both. The wholemeal soya and linseed bread is swapped for Tesco value, and I add some tomatoes and carrots to the cart from the clearance section.
On the way home, I steal sachets of salt, pepper and sugar from a coffee shop while trying to avoid eye contact with the judgemental-as-hell waitress.
I carefully measure out rations of food for each day and try to hold out as long as I can before starting to make dinner. Despite a complete lack of intrigue, the rice and carrot combination is simple but satisfying. I can definitely live like this for a week.
Day 2
Sugar cravings are skyrocketing and I’ve had free samples of fudge every couple of hours. I change my entire outfit every time for fear of being recognised and judged.
It’s my friend’s birthday and the plan was to take advantage of the 2 for 1 offer on cocktails at the Blue Boar. Of course, this doesn’t apply to me. The drinks look amazing: cocktails in every shape and size, adorned with pieces of luxury tropical fruit.
My friends offer to buy me one but I don’t want to scrounge so I order a glass of water. Obviously I can’t go to the Bridge afterwards so I make an early exit.
Back at college, I discover a welcome evening for the Freshers complete with free drinks. Excellent.. I sneak my way in past the JCR committee, justifying my presence to myself with the immeasurable contribution I’ve made to college life in the last two years. Hobnobbing with the cool-looking kids, I manage to swipe two glasses of slightly warm wine and even a few cold canapés. Well, beggars can’t be choosers and it did stop me minesweeping my way around Bridge.
Day 3
Freshers’ fair! Having commandeered a shift, my plan is to carbo-load on the free Domino’s. I ingeniously use a fake name to avoid getting pizza-related emails for the rest of the term. I also decide to stock up on stationery and condoms, current food energy levels permitting, obviously. Damn those lost blueberries. My total bounty consists of 4 pens, a USB stick, sweets, 1 balloon, a lanyard, 8 stickers, 2 key-rings, 2 beer mats, lube and a t-shirt. And if I eke a few days wearing the free t-shirt to the gym, then I’ll save money on washing too (although I might avoid getting too close to my fellow treadmillers). Rice and carrots are getting boring, so my dinner becomes a banana smoothie. This has 2 ingredients: banana and ice. Total cost: 20p. Total taste: negligible.
I add 4 sachets of stolen sugar, which helps a little bit. This was a terrible idea; I should have just eaten the banana whole. I make myself a piece of Tesco value cardboard-flavoured toast.
Day 4
A friend suggests we go to the cinema. Even if it was a Wednesday this would obliterate my budget, so I suggest something fun and free. Museum, a walk, window shopping? All are met with as much enthusiasm as a trip to the dentist in the face of Lion King 3D. We decide on a gentle cycle ride but I’m soon sitting down dizzy on a bench when 3 days on a pitiful food allowance catch up with me. My friend recovers with a milky coffee in a nearby café; I sip my tap water. I’m ready to give up. I have seriously considered shoplifting. Why did I decide to do this? I know I’m moaning but I cannot eat any more toast and rice. This was a terrible idea. But there’s no point giving up now. I put the rice on and go to my room while it starts heating up. Twenty minutes later, I run into the kitchen, hoping and praying that the smoke I was smelling wasn’t my dinner. It is. Despair.
How could I have been so careless? I scrape off the top layer of rice, which amounted to about 2 spoonfuls.
On any other day I could have made some more but I didn’t want to cut into the next day’s ration. Two spoonfuls of rice and one carrot later I go to bed, cursing the day I dreamed up this godforsaken plan.
Day 5
The last 24 hours. I feel like Paula Radcliffe on the final leg of her marathon. Success is so close, I can smell it.
My friend offers me a chocolate chip cookie which I know is technically cheating but I don’t really care anymore. I ran out of foundation last night, so I’m bare-faced all day. The lack of vitamins over the last four days has left me looking dull and tired. I perked up a little when a stranger in the street said I was looking well, until I realised they were talking to someone behind me.
Forcing down more rice and toast as usual, I savour it this time because I know I won’t have to eat this meal again in a very long time.
I’ve finished everything I bought at the start of the week; nothing has been wasted. Apart from my breakdown on Thursday, it went pretty smoothly.
But it definitely brought home to me that I convince myself I need a whole lot of things that I could actually do without. Britain wastes £10 billion of food every year and some conscientious shopping is all that’s required.But still, there is really no excuse to buy Tesco value bread. Save yourself. If I stop buying all those M&Ms my loan might even stretch until the end of term. That said, M&Ms are an essential, right?
This phone call has become a monthly ritual since I started university, and this time the message is loud and clear: it’s time to tighten my belt, cut my losses and start saving. And re-route my bank statements so he can’t read them anymore. I’ve put myself on an extreme budget. I have £1 to spend for every day for the following 5 days. No excess, no extravagance, no waste. This week is going to be about the bare necessities and nothing more.
‘It’s impossible’, my friends argue. The idea has not been received very well. It fact, it was met with outright hostility. No more lunching at Alpha Bar, no more lashmonkeying around Camera, no more glorious Marks and Spencer’s sandwiches. I’m taking the moral high ground though. ‘If 1.1 billion people in the world can do it, then I can definitely do it.’ And I’m not even slumdogging that much – I still have my 100% Egyptian cotton bedsheets and my hot showers. Still, spending less than a pound a day altogether on food and fun is no cakewalk.
Day 1
Armed with £5 cold hard cash, I enter Tesco. I load up my basket with all the stuff I would normally buy for the week – bread, milk, cereal, yogurt, M&Ms at 2 for £3, mangoes, apples, bananas and blueberries (for my 5-a-day), crisps, sushi because it’s on sale, beautiful creamy goat’s cheese.Only £20 over budget; no problem, I just need to whittle it down to the essentials.
The M&Ms are the first to go, then the sushi, crisps and the cheese. The cereal is too expensive, nor can I have milk. The mangoes and blueberries are too much of a treat, but most depressing is the choice between apples and bananas because I can’t afford both. The wholemeal soya and linseed bread is swapped for Tesco value, and I add some tomatoes and carrots to the cart from the clearance section.
On the way home, I steal sachets of salt, pepper and sugar from a coffee shop while trying to avoid eye contact with the judgemental-as-hell waitress.I carefully measure out rations of food for each day and try to hold out as long as I can before starting to make dinner. Despite a complete lack of intrigue, the rice and carrot combination is simple but satisfying. I can definitely live like this for a week.
Day 2
Sugar cravings are skyrocketing and I’ve had free samples of fudge every couple of hours. I change my entire outfit every time for fear of being recognised and judged.It’s my friend’s birthday and the plan was to take advantage of the 2 for 1 offer on cocktails at the Blue Boar. Of course, this doesn’t apply to me. The drinks look amazing: cocktails in every shape and size, adorned with pieces of luxury tropical fruit.
My friends offer to buy me one but I don’t want to scrounge so I order a glass of water. Obviously I can’t go to the Bridge afterwards so I make an early exit.Back at college, I discover a welcome evening for the Freshers complete with free drinks. Excellent.. I sneak my way in past the JCR committee, justifying my presence to myself with the immeasurable contribution I’ve made to college life in the last two years. Hobnobbing with the cool-looking kids, I manage to swipe two glasses of slightly warm wine and even a few cold canapés. Well, beggars can’t be choosers and it did stop me minesweeping my way around Bridge.
Day 3
Freshers’ fair! Having commandeered a shift, my plan is to carbo-load on the free Domino’s. I ingeniously use a fake name to avoid getting pizza-related emails for the rest of the term. I also decide to stock up on stationery and condoms, current food energy levels permitting, obviously. Damn those lost blueberries.
My total bounty consists of 4 pens, a USB stick, sweets, 1 balloon, a lanyard, 8 stickers, 2 key-rings, 2 beer mats, lube and a t-shirt. And if I eke a few days wearing the free t-shirt to the gym, then I’ll save money on washing too (although I might avoid getting too close to my fellow treadmillers). Rice and carrots are getting boring, so my dinner becomes a banana smoothie. This has 2 ingredients: banana and ice. Total cost: 20p. Total taste: negligible.
I add 4 sachets of stolen sugar, which helps a little bit. This was a terrible idea; I should have just eaten the banana whole. I make myself a piece of Tesco value cardboard-flavoured toast.
Day 4
A friend suggests we go to the cinema. Even if it was a Wednesday this would obliterate my budget, so I suggest something fun and free. Museum, a walk, window shopping? All are met with as much enthusiasm as a trip to the dentist in the face of Lion King 3D. We decide on a gentle cycle ride but I’m soon sitting down dizzy on a bench when 3 days on a pitiful food allowance catch up with me. My friend recovers with a milky coffee in a nearby café; I sip my tap water. I’m ready to give up. I have seriously considered shoplifting. Why did I decide to do this? I know I’m moaning but I cannot eat any more toast and rice. This was a terrible idea. But there’s no point giving up now. I put the rice on and go to my room while it starts heating up. Twenty minutes later, I run into the kitchen, hoping and praying that the smoke I was smelling wasn’t my dinner. It is. Despair.
How could I have been so careless? I scrape off the top layer of rice, which amounted to about 2 spoonfuls.On any other day I could have made some more but I didn’t want to cut into the next day’s ration. Two spoonfuls of rice and one carrot later I go to bed, cursing the day I dreamed up this godforsaken plan.
Day 5
The last 24 hours. I feel like Paula Radcliffe on the final leg of her marathon. Success is so close, I can smell it.My friend offers me a chocolate chip cookie which I know is technically cheating but I don’t really care anymore. I ran out of foundation last night, so I’m bare-faced all day. The lack of vitamins over the last four days has left me looking dull and tired. I perked up a little when a stranger in the street said I was looking well, until I realised they were talking to someone behind me.
Forcing down more rice and toast as usual, I savour it this time because I know I won’t have to eat this meal again in a very long time.I’ve finished everything I bought at the start of the week; nothing has been wasted. Apart from my breakdown on Thursday, it went pretty smoothly.
But it definitely brought home to me that I convince myself I need a whole lot of things that I could actually do without. Britain wastes £10 billion of food every year and some conscientious shopping is all that’s required.But still, there is really no excuse to buy Tesco value bread. Save yourself. If I stop buying all those M&Ms my loan might even stretch until the end of term. That said, M&Ms are an essential, right?
Review: Trophy Wife – Bruxism
Summarising their musical style self-deprecatingly as ‘ambitionless office disco’, Oxford indie trio Trophy Wife have nevertheless attracted much admiration for the soft-hued tones of their mellow songs. Bruxism, their debut 5-track EP, confirms their fidelity to that particular brand of spare and modest indie pop, particularly given that the band took the risk of moving out of their comfort zone by drafting in a different producer for each track.
Jody Prewett’s delicate vocals floating above the band’s characteristically glittering, shimmering textures provide an ambience befitting Bruxism’s theme: each song is an exploration of that spaced-out zone existing somewhere between being asleep and awake.
Moments in Jody’s life associated with ‘waking dreams’ are captured in the first track, ‘Canopy Shade’, and the last,‘Wolf’, produced by Yannis Philippakis, front-man of fellow Oxford band Foals.
The gentle propulsive quality of the opener, achieved by intermittent entries of subtly funky synth patterns, steers the song away from bland monotony – an ever-present danger with this style of indie pop. Perhaps the most innovative track on the EP, ‘Wolf’ is a hypnotic experiment in textural layering, and, happily, is far removed from any trace of ‘office disco’.
The title track plays with understated and simple guitar solos, but is melodically uninteresting and repetitive in comparison with ‘Sleepwalks’. The latter is produced and mixed by Ewan Pearson, the acclaimed electronic artist and DJ; its mingling tones of brass, strings and glockenspiel create a real freshness unequalled on the other tracks in this collection.
The ambience of ‘Seven Waves’ (which takes delirium as its subject) echoes the song title perfectly, its sighing backing vocals arching overthe beat, and the ebb and flow of its dynamics and instrumental layering setting up a wave-like motion.This sleep-themed release steers clear of being soporific, but still maintains a pleasurably hypnotic vibe that those familiar with Trophy Wife’s first musical ventures will appreciate and enjoy.