Oxford chairwoman on meeting Lenny Henry and 2022 highlights

I’m already half-way through my year as chairwoman of Oxfordshire County Council.

The role is the equivalent of the Lord Mayor of Oxford, except that it covers the whole county.

Co-incidentally I am also the Lady Mayoress, just because I happen to be married to the Lord Mayor. We think it is the first time this has ever happened.

I’m having a brilliant time.

I go to lots of engagements to say well done and thank you to the fantastic workers and volunteers at all kinds of organisations – public and private, cultural, educational, sporting and others.

There is so much to celebrate in our wonderful county.

If you know of an event or a celebration, please consider inviting me! One of my ambitions is to visit every corner of the county, but that may be impossible...

Among the many high points so far have been the proclamation of the accession of the new king, where I had to make a speech from a dais at Carfax, two visits to Dorchester Abbey and some outstanding concerts.

Susanna Pressel, county council chairwoman (Image: Newsquest)

Some of these were by the Oxfordshire County Music Service, which has many different ensembles of talented young musicians.

This is one of the charities I have chosen to raise money for during my year as chairwoman. The others are AgeUK Oxfordshire, Asylum Welcome and ARCh, which stands for Assisted Reading for Children.

It is an excellent charity that trains volunteers and sends them into schools to help children discover the joy of reading.

I have also been lucky enough to meet some amazing people so far during my year as chairwoman, including Lenny Henry, Philip Pullman, Lemn Sissay and Frank Bruno.

READ MORE: Lenny Henry honoured at Oxford University's Encaenia event

And I have been to some amazing performances at the theatre, including Mamma Mia at the New Theatre and Cinderella and Oxford Opera at the Playhouse.

If I could send just one message to people at this special time of year it would be to urge all of us to try to be kind.

It may be difficult – I know people who are stressed sometimes lash out, but that just makes things worse.

A friendly smile or a little kindness can make the world a better place. We also need to try to be kind to ourselves, if you can find a way to do that.

I hope all readers will have a very merry Christmas/festive season/Chanukah/holiday and a happy and peaceful New Year.