County council chair treks from Oxford to Banbury to raise cash for charity

Cllr John Howson trekked 26 miles from Oxford to Banbury along the canal towpath during Thursday, July 15 and Friday, July 16 in dry and warm conditions.

An Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue crew from Kidlington station met him for a socially-distanced cup of tea along the way and firefighters were also present to greet him when he reached Samuelson House in Banbury at the end of this walk .

He said: “The weather this spring and summer so far has been mixed to say the least so I can consider myself lucky to have chosen two days to walk the full distance between Oxfordshire’s largest settlement and its second largest place on warm and dry days.

“The scenery of the rolling north Oxfordshire countryside and the tranquillity of the villages alongside the canal were glorious and I enjoyed the peace and quiet.

“I also had a special Ordnance Survey map printed for the walk. There is no question that this will be one of the highlights of my year in office.”

Cllr Howson became chair in May having been vice-chair in the two previous years. The chair is the ceremonial head of the county council and the politically impartial civic leader of Oxfordshire.

The charities he was supporting by undertaking his walk and during the 2021/22 year as a whole are:

Abingdon Riding for Disabled

Children Heard and Seen

Maggie’s (cancer support charity)

Oxfordshire County Music Service

Yellow Submarine (learning disability charity)

If you would like to donate, email [email protected]