Saturday 2nd August 2025
Blog Page 787

The 39 Steps preview – ‘guaranteed to be a comedic spectacle of no small intensity’

Alice Taylor
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The 39 Steps preview – ‘guaranteed to be a comedic spectacle of no small intensity’

The 39 Steps is a comedy based on the adventures of stiff-upper-lip hero Richard Hannay, who is caught up in a satirical spy plot involving a number hilarious and improbable predicaments. With a cast of five playing around forty characters, this show is guaranteed to be a comedic spectacle of no small intensity.

The play acknowledges the Hitchcock film it is adapted from, and director Antonia Hansen says that she intends to incorporate a ‘play-within-a-play’ element to her production, as we watch the actors within it struggle to create the film itself.

Hansen told me that she sometimes think student theatre can take itself too seriously, and says that the main aim of this play is to create a fun atmosphere for the audience, which incorporates a self-awareness of the amateurishness that is intrinsic to student theatre.

I enjoyed the three scenes I watched in Mansfield college, and felt I gained an essence of how the production will fit together as a whole. Its greatest strength seems to lie in its physical comedy, and the range of talent displayed by its small cast.

Benedict Turvell is a strong lead, and he demonstrated the kind of baffled despair which is integral to carrying out such farcical theatre. I particularly enjoyed a scene in which a woman (played by Miranda Mackay) dies on top of him, and he is forced to wiggle out from underneath her.

Most impressive was a scene in which all five actors are on a train together, with more physical comedy displayed by Turvell, Jon Berry and Carlo QC, as they struggle to get past each other in a cramped train carriage. Berry, QC and Miranda Mackay play multiple role throughout, and I was impressed by the range demonstrated by all of them. Jon Berry played three different ‘salt-of-the-earth-bloke’ characters in the space of two scenes, but each of them felt distinct and well characterized.

Another scene involved Hannay finding himself handcuffed to a woman (played by Teddy Briggs) who hates him, and the two of them are forced to share a hotel room together. Although this scene is all set to guarantee laughs from the audience, I felt it was somewhat let down by QC’s ‘Scottish maid’ character, whose accent was so over-the-top it became virtually incomprehensible. Although this seemed to be part of the joke, in practice it only served to upstage the otherwise hilarious handcuff situation.

Although I only saw a small section, this production still feels a little rough around the edges, and the company have hard work ahead of them over the next week. However, I feel confident that they will be able to pull it off, and by opening night the show will have the energy and precision it requires to be a success. I certainly intend to buy a ticket.

Restaurant Review: Shoryu

Julia Alsop
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Restaurant Review: Shoryu

Delighted at the array of new restaurants that the Westgate has to offer, I was more than happy to sample the delicacies that Shoryu had to offer, on not one occasion but two – attending both their grand opening and also taking the opportunity to spend a leisurely lunchtime satisfying my ramen cravings. Although notably, whilst there are extensive ramen options on the menu, there are a large number of other options to satisfy even the fussiest guests you bring along, even offering a vegan set menu to kick off the new year.

Initially it struck me as particularly remarkable how different the atmosphere of the restaurant changes during from lunchtime to dinner. From a bustling environment, filled with families tucking into bowls of delicious ramen, to a place with a classy vibe, with a plethora of orders flying out from the bar. This made me feel that I would be comfortable visiting with family who’ve come up to Oxford, a group of friends, or even on a date. The staff enthusiastically lead you to your table, hitting a small gong, and declaring “irasshaimase!” (“welcome to the store”).

Indeed, the staff of Shoryu are very proud of what they have to offer. The CEO, Tak Tokumine, explained how important it is that he can serve the most authentic and carefully crafted Japanese food. I must confess, having eaten my way around Japan this summer, I was slightly concerned that nowhere on this side of the world would be able to create the same delicious flavours, or source the high quality ingredients necessary. Tokumine, however, assured all guests that they import their ramen noodles, and spend twelve hours cultivating the tonkotsu broth that makes up the base of the meal, joking: “it’s better than Wagamama.” But as much as I’m a sucker for a katsu curry, he’s right: I cannot fault a single item of the menu. From the karaage, to the teriyaki, to the yakitori, the sashimi, and the tonkotsu ramen itself, I was won over; it was like being in Japan. This is far more thoughtful and detailed than the majority of anglicised adaptations of meals. Perhaps the only thing that could’ve made the experience more like a Japanese ramen restaurant would be if you had to order and pay for your meal using a vending machine and, within two minutes, have a steaming bowl of creamy ramen in front of you.

The varied menu is, ostensibly, an exciting prospect until you realise that you actually want to try everything on the menu. But whatever you do, you need to try the buns – I particularly enjoyed the prawn tempura buns, filled with juicy prawn and golden batter; the winning ingredient tying the starter together was the Japanese mayo (what is in it, who can know? But it was perfection). I think it would be a shame not to shout out the wonderful drinks menu, which fulfilled all my Instagrammable, visually aesthetic fantasies. There is a large offering of vibrant drinks, offering cocktails made from Japanese spirits and fruits, a healthy selection of whiskey and sake or, a personal favourite of mine, plum wine with soda.

Shoryu is not in the average student dining out budget, but I’d still highly recommend it for a special occasion, as a place to catch up with friends over hot drinks and sweet treats. You can order lattes in an array of rainbow colours from matcha green, to bright red or cool blue. The cakes, sundaes and cheesecakes use the tangy citrus flavours of yuzu, earthy matcha, or fresh sakura (blossom flowers), to offer tasty desserts unlike anything else you could find in Oxford, and all are beautifully presented.

Oxford has a wealth of ornately crafted international cuisine for a small city, and Shoryu fills the gap of a central restaurant offering Japanese cuisine, away from the westernised lunch spots like Wasabi or Itsu.

@juliaisobela

Back staff strikes, in solidarity not charity

Hugo Raine
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Back staff strikes, in solidarity not charity

When our academics go on strike on 22 February they will not just be walking out to defend their working conditions. They will be taking part in a wider battle to turn our universities into centres of a free education system rather than marketised institutions characterised by spiralling fees and precarious employment. It is in students’ interests to support the strike in every way we can.
The University and College Union has called a nationwide strike to protest changes to the pension schemes of university staff.
The scheme, known as the University Superannuation Scheme, is being retrospectively changed to depend on investments rather than contributions. This means that the amount the pension fund pays out will depend on how its investments are faring.
Workers who have put money into their pensions for years, on the expectation that they would have the security of a guaranteed income in retirement, will now be left at the mercy of the stock market. It is estimated that this change will lead to the average lecturer losing £200,000 from their pension.
On 25 January, Oxford SU released a highly equivocal statement of support for the strike, which focused on concerns over the effects the strike will have on students. Such concerns falsely place the interests of students in opposition to the interests of tutors. We must remember that whenever austerity bites for academics, students also suffer.
The current pension cuts are just one part of a wide-ranging assault on the pay of academics. According to The Guardian 53 per cent of Russell Group academics are currently on insecure contracts. Approaching academic works so casually particularly effects the PhD students who frequently take our tutorials and mark our work.
This further demonstrates how misleading Oxford SU’s division between students and staff is. Our SU exists to support PhD students, as well as undergraduates, and it should be actively encouraging us to join the strike.
Alongside the changes to their contracts, academics have also been subject to the hugely damaging public sector pay cap, meaning that their real wages have been cut by 10 per cent over the last eight years. The image many of us still have of the overpaid and underworked Oxford professor luxuriating in his office could not be further from the truth.
Taken together, these measures have left academia an unattractive profession to enter and an incredibly stressful one to be in. Academics must be properly paid, have decent pensions and job security for them to be effective teachers. Yet, our interests lie with the academics not just because we need them to be motivated for us to benefit from their expertise. We must understand the current dispute as being part of a wider struggle.
For the last eight years, both students and academics have been in the government’s crosshairs. While academics have seen their pay and conditions slowly eroded, the government has driven through the trebling of tuition fees and the scrapping of maintenance grants.
On all of these issues, the UCU has stood with us. What is at stake here is two contrasting visions for education.
The government wants education to be marketised. In a market, students are consumers to be squeezed for as much cash as possible and public-sector workers and their unions are little more than nuisances.
If these pension cuts are forced through the most powerful union of university workers across the country will have been decisively defeated and academics will be poorly treated workers delivering a commodity rather than an education. In other words, if this strike fails, we will all be a huge step closer towards the government’s vision of a marketised, extortionately priced education system.
The alternative, for which we must strive, is a fully funded free university system accessible to all in which students and academics are partners, partaking in the public good of education.
In fighting for such a system, students and academics are allies. Every positive reform for which Oxford students are currently campaigning hinges on this conception of the university.
Such changes require the government to see us as active participants in our education, rather than simply passive consumers. Inaction is no longer acceptable – opposing marketisation is a prerequisite for any progressive change at Oxford. Our position will be irreparably weakened if our academic allies are defeated in their upcoming strike.
We saw the power of industrial action when the threat of public sector strikes forced a partial u-turn over the pay cap for police and prison other officers. Students must join their tutors on the picket lines.

The many egg-cellent things you can do with eggs

Ailin Cheng
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The many egg-cellent things you can do with eggs

I am going to try and convince you of the excellent versatility of eggs. They’re a common occurrence these days – be it in your kitchen, or in the form of some avocado-related concoction in a hip-and-happening cafe. Yet one rarely encounters an egg cooked in any form other than fried, boiled, scrambled, and so on.

We need to be adventurous with eggs. I am by no means snubbing the scrambled, poached or fried fantasies that usually appear when one contemplates eggs, but nonetheless I am calling for some new additions to the ‘egg canon.’ Some ways to spice up your egg repertoire may simply be to add a new twist on an old classic. Take Japanese omurice, for instance: an omelette on top of fried rice, glazed with curry sauce. This omelette is no ordinary omelette. It’s a melt-in-your mouth, tastes-like-a-cloud type of omelette; it’s perfectly cooked and then slit neatly with a cool knife, so that the sides of the omelette come apart and spill over the rice with an oozing, dribbling action. Alternatively, if omurice sounds too ambitious, Asia offers another delight: the Chinese tea-stained egg. Simply hard-boil an egg, crack the shell, and leave it to marinade in a mixture of soy sauce, tea and spices. You can experiment with any type of tea as well – maybe it’s a way to enjoy your morning cuppa and breakfast in one.

An egg doesn’t really have to be in a typical ‘egg form’ at all. That sounds inaccessible, but it’s actually my next idea: spaghetti carbonara, with a lazy and healthy twist. Blend an egg yolk with half of a mashed avocado, lemon juice, garlic and a tablespoon of cream to create a rich sauce. Pour this concoction over some spaghetti and stir in some olive oil, salt, black pepper and parmesan. Tear up some parma ham or prosciutto to garnish, if you wish. Dinner is served. And for breakfast you can have the leftover egg white in the form of an omelette with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach, or maybe as meringues for dessert. I call that an eggcellent meal.

Town triumphs over gown as Oxford descends upon Union

Kit Eastwood
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Town triumphs over gown as Oxford descends upon Union

A lively crowd at the Oxford Union saw the Oxford University Amateur Boxing Club lose out narrowly at the annual Town vs Gown boxing event.

With 16 fights, pitching OUABC in the blue corner against town boxers in the red, the fixture staked its claim to be one of the most exhilarating University sporting events of the year.

The atmosphere was a lively one, each fight punctuated by the blaring out of a familiar chorus of ‘Feed ’em to the Lions’ or Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’. From the outset it was close. The first match pitted OUABC women’s captain Lydia Welham against Petra Banrtakova. Despite Banrtakova’s strength and quickness in the first round, Welham managed to reassert herself as the fight progressed, earning an impressive split decision win for the blue corner. OUABC’s Sasha Skourow and Ella Penny were less fortunate, losing out to stronger opposition.

A handful of fights pitched two Oxford students against one another. Tash Fairweather’s attritional win over Sofia Lindqvist was a standout moment, albeit a little gruesome. She ended the bout with her gloves covered in the blood of her opponent, much to the delight of the hysterical fans.

The OUABC’s men started strongly against their town opposition. Before the interval, Owen Karau and Chris Huang pulled off brilliant wins to put the gowns ahead. Owen was a particular force; rumour has it that the live stream was turned off for his fight, to prevent Cambridge from getting a preview of one of Oxford’s best assets before this year’s Varsity match. Meanwhile, Chris Huang took special pleasure bearing his muscles to the crowd and blowing kisses around the venue after his victory.

However, after the break the gowns succumbed to the town boxers from the particularly strong Blackbird Leys ABC.

The standout match of the evening was fought between OUABC’s Alec Murphy and the town’s Daniel Robinson. It was Robinson’s brawn against Murphy’s technique. For the first two rounds, Murphy put on an impressive show, slipping Robinson’s punches and landing some of his own. However, in the third Robinson seemed to have got the measure of his opponent and bounced back strongly, eventually claiming a win by the final bell. OUABC’s Gustav Dermen suffered a brutal defeat at the hands of Daniel Bogatinjous, although Ravi Hayer provided some respite for the blue of Oxford, weathering an onslaught from the young Djouly Mailereau before picking him off in the final round.

The night’s final fight saw Oxford’s Hugo Brewer end up on the receiving end of some monstrous punches from Shaun Yearwood. Ultimately, it was the town’s night.

The event was not without its more uncomfortable moments. Boxers and spectators shared the same bathrooms, and it was disturbing to see the potentially concussed town fighter Jamie Anderson throwing up into the sink, asking his coach, “I don’t understand. What’s going on?” moments after we had celebrated his defeat.

An event such as Town vs Gown necessarily lacks the anonymity of a professional fight, and at times it makes for bizarre viewing to sit behind a boxer’s parents as their son gets knocked around the ring like a punch bag.

Nevertheless, the University boxers gave a good account of themselves, the event living up to the hype as one of Oxford’s most popular sporting traditions today.

An Ode to Cookbooks

Anna Lewis
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An Ode to Cookbooks

My family has a rigid formula for choosing presents, neither innovative nor successful, largely intended to reduce stress for the giver.

First, discern a category of things that your target likes. Second, purchase something in that category. That’s it. I was once gifted all fifty-one episodes of the anime adaptation of Soul Eater based on a brief interest in manga. Although the strategy yields many near misses, it can also produce some presents to which you can only nod and say, “fair enough, that’s me”. So it was when my dad presented me with the Hungry Student Vegetarian Cookbook. I am, indeed, often peckish, enrolled in full-time education, disenchanted with meat, and on the hunt for recipes.

Hungry Student sits on my shelf, brushing shoulders with the more adventurous books that combine utility with celebration and curiosity. Ruby Tandoh’s Crumb opened up a world of baking, de-mystifying tense exchanges on GBBO, while the Leon vegetarian cookbook became a sort of home away from home when I missed the comforting presence of the Saturday Guardian’s cooking supplement. The best thing about it is the number of recipes that need only one pan, maximising deliciousness on minimum hob space.

Recipes can tell you so much about an author’s tastes, but more comes from the layout of a great cookbook. I knew I’d love my latest purchase, Fresh India, when I found an entire section on dahl and another on aubergines, accompanied with brightly coloured printed patterns and sturdy, unpretentious paper ready to soak up plenty of spilled madras sauce.

Hungry Student Vegetarian Cookbook has pages like ‘Shopping On A Budget’ and ‘How To Impress Your Mates’. Recipes come with no preamble, though there are many pictures to let you know what dinner will look like. I find the genre strange: the absence of personality and simplified instructions remind me of colouring by numbers. Follow these steps, and you will have food.

I was raised by two separate single parents who rarely had time to slave over an oven. The cooking lessons we shared were generally in the holiday mode, centring on treats: pale, puddled rock cakes on my dad’s boat, or the sweetly stodgy crumble that gave me my first burn. The meals that I did learn as a child often used ingredients that I now rarely buy for myself, mirroring a widespread generational shift in eating habits.

I hesitate to mourn the loss of the hereditary recipe, given that my Irish grandmother’s favourite pork chops were frequently so tough as to necessitate sawing. I’m happy to remember her with Bisto and rich tea biscuits. But the Hungry Student book fulfils a similar purpose: that of a parent pushing the food into your hands and saying, “make it like I would”.

Cambridge edge out netball Blues

Catherine Lavender
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Cambridge edge out netball Blues

A closely-fought clash in Wednesday’s Bucs game against Cambridge ended in heartbreak for the Women’s netball Blues.

The game was level-pegging right up until the final quarter, but a late push from the visitors saw Oxford edged out 44-42.However, with key players set to return in time for the all-important Varsity clash later this term, the Dark Blues could take plenty of positives from their performance.

The Blues came into their match facing significant team disruption. With Emily Ostridge and Laura Hindley out for this game, and Catherine Lavender out for the rest of the season, the Blues had just one sub, and an untried starting line-up.

Those on the sideline unaware of this, however, would not have noticed: Oxford were quick out of the blocks, and up by three after the first five minutes. Though initially pegged back by Cambridge, the momentum continued to swing in Oxford’s favour, helped by tips and intercepts from Izzy Picton-Turbervill and Kirsty McCann, in goal defence and goal keeper respectively.

Incisive feeding from Isa Cooper, helped by an almost-telepathic connectionwith captain Elsa Wakeman, saw the shooting circle open-up to Oxford’s advantage. It was neck-and-neck at the end of the first fifteen minutes.

With the start of the second quarter came the real test. Oxford had started well, but could they be consistent? Both Ellen O’Brien, playing her first game in the Blues, and Becca Annells, playing out of her preferred position, led from the front and made vital contributions in the attacking end. Cambridge came out with renewed energy, making a key substitution at goal attack to swing the momentum back into their favour.

Half-time saw Hannah Danbury enter the game at goal defence, and she quickly made her mark, with excellent rebounds and direct attacking play. The second-half also proved to be the time to shine for wing defence Cat Ellis, who picked up key interceptions around the circle edge, stifling Cambridge’s attack. 32-32 at the third-quarter whistle. The Oxford team had given the game everything they had, and just needed to find that little bit extra to bring the game home.

But despite the Dark Blues’ valiant effort, Cambridge nicked a turnover late on to make the final score 44-42. Though it was an anguishing end to the game, the confi dence gained from this performance with Varsity just a few weeks away will be invaluable.

Those in need of any more convincing that netball is fast, furious, and at times, nail-bitingly tense, should get themselves to Iffley on Sunday 25th February. After Wednesday’s game, Varsity looks set to be an exhibition of high-quality and free-flowing netball.

UCU Strike: SU calls emergency meeting after criticism of official statement

Finlay Field
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UCU Strike: SU calls emergency meeting after criticism of official statement

Oxford Student Union have voted to hold an emergency meeting next week to address concerns over the SU’s stance on strikes organised by the University and College Union
(UCU).

At Student Council, held in Wadham’s Moser Theatre on Wednesday evening, JCR and MCR reps voted to hold more talks to finalise the SU’s position, with 57 in favour and 11
against.

The meeting proposed by ex-OULC Co-Chair Tom Zagoria, follows Oxford SU’s statement on the strike action, which noted it was “regrettable” that proposed action could adversely effect students’ education.

The SU was criticised for appearing to not fully support the plans for industrial action proposed by the UCU in its January 25th statement.

Catherine Canning, Oxford SU vice president for Access and Academic Affairs, said the Union encouraged students “to stand on the picket line with the academics.”

However, a first year from Wadham, Hugo Raine, said the wording of the SU’s original statement implied “placing the interests of academics against those of students.”

A graduate student at Somerville, Rowan Davis, called the Oxford SU’s response “really weak” and “a bit disappointing.”

They said: “You’ll still be able to work at home”, “read your books”, and “chill out”.
Postgraduate students who teach at the University as part of their research work are eligible for membership of both the Oxford SU and UCU.

One member of both unions, from St. Cross College, expressed concerns that the motion “starts from the middle of the story” and argued that “the onus should be put on the
employers” to negotiate on behalf of academics affected by the strike.

Responding to criticism of its statement, SU sabbatical officers directed the audience towards the FAQs section of the SU website – where “full solidarity” with the UCU strikes is now expressed.

They added their intention to reissue a version of the previous statement in the coming days, with the removal of the term “regrettable” in response to disagreement “across the board” with its use.

UCU’s planned walk-outs are a response to proposed reforms of the Universities Superannuation Scheme, as reported by Cherwell last week.

Independent estimates suggest that the changes would cause a typical lecturer to lose £200,000 in pension contributions by the time of their retirement.

Local MP backs student homelessness petition

Oscar Baker
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Local MP backs student homelessness petition

Layla Moran MP has supported Oxford SU’s petition to end the Vagrancy Act of 1824.

The ‘On Your Doorstep’ campaign is pressuring the government to end the nineteenth century law, which gives police the power to arrest any person found begging or sleeping rough in public.

At the time of print, the petition had almost 14,000 signatures, meaning it will receive a government response.

The Lib Dem MP for Oxford West and Abingdon said: “The treatment of people homeless and sleeping rough across the UK and in Oxford is getting worse and worse, with more of an emphasis seemingly put on punitive measures and not nearly enough on support.

“We have found that not nearly enough is being done to tackle homelessness, but more than this, the money that is being spent isn’t being used effectively either.

“We need more money…that will be spent fixing the core root of the problem and looks at why people are homeless in the first place.”

The Chair of the ‘On Your Doorstep’ campaign, Alex Kumar, started the petition. He told Cherwell: “We appreciate of the support of the Member for Oxford West and Abingdon.

“The Vagrancy Act is an abominable law, and I am confi dent that we may build a popular front in opposition to it; within the Labour Party, past calls for its repeal have come form such disparate MPs as Jeremy Corbyn and Frank Field.

“Now is the time to rally together and force the issue. I urge all MPs who are ready to move beyond the persecutory anti-homeless laws of the nineteenth century.”

The Liberal Democrats made repealing the Vagrancy Act party policy at their Autumn 2016 conference.

They passed the ‘End to Homlessness’ motion which noted the requirement for more social and affordable housing.

Finn Conway, Treasurer of Oxford University Liberal Democrats (OULD), told Cherwell: “We’re thrilled that Layla has endorsed On Your Doorstep’s petition…we’re very happy to see this issue gaining momentum theway it is.

“The homelessness crisis in Oxford is one of the worst in the country, with the number of people sleeping rough here almost doubling in the last year alone.

“Since the City Council is failing to address [these problems] sufficiently, it falls on MPs like Layla to take these issues to a national level to get things done.

“We have utmost confidence in her ability to champion this issue and effect real change to help some of the worst off in society.”

In 2014 and 2015, 3,071 homeless people were brought before courts under the Act. The legislation also permits the police to ask the homeless to move along. The Vagrancy Act has already been repealed in Scotland and Ireland.

‘On Your Doorstep’ have also launched another petition aimed at Oxford City Council, which has now received more than 36,000 signatures.

It campaigns to change the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) so that it is activated on every night with sub-zero temperature forecasts, rather than when three consecutive nights are scheduled to be freezing.

In November of last year, 61 people were sleeping rough in Oxford, the highest recorded figure in the city’s history.

New College student remembered

Cherwell News
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New College student remembered

A New College first-year student has died.

Isobel Mogg, a medicine student, passed away on Friday 26 January. Her death remains unexplained, but is not being treated as suspicious.

New College JCR President, Conleth Burns, said: “Issie was the very best of New College. A medic, a rower, a net-baller and above all else a friend to so many in our College community.

“Issie brought people together with her laugh, her smile and her love for those around her. Issie touched many hearts at New College. Those hearts are sore at her passing.”

In a post on the College’s Facebook group, Burns said: “Spending time with Issie’s friends, I got to know Issie better. The Issie who loved them and who they loved back.

“Over the next few days, everyone will be affected by this devastating news in different ways. There is no ‘right way’ to take this news, for those who knew or didn’t know Issie.

“Talking about Issie has helped me in the last day, and it might help some of you too.”

A scrapbook was set up for students to remember their experiences of Issie or place pictures. This will be shared with Issie’s family as a mark of her time in Oxford.

In a message circulated to students, Miles Young, Warden of New College, said: “Issie…had entered wholeheartedly into the life of the College.

“She was loved and admired by her friends.”

Young added in a college statement: “Our deepest sympathy goes out to Issie’s family, and to all who knew her. The College has come together to help her many friends here cope with their grief. Issie was a giver. She contributed so much in her brief time here, and we are conscious that we have lost someone very special.”

Please get in touch if you would like to share your memories of Issie in Cherwell.

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