Henley strikes Gold
Henley has won Gold in the Thames & Chilterns in Bloom Awards, scoring 92 out of 100.
Judges praised the town's civic pride and community effort. It is Henley's first entry in six years.
Issue 1 · Thursday 15 October 2026 · 5 min read
Half Marathon Sunday, Gold for Henley, and the bridge news
The Henley Half Marathon takes over the town on Sunday, Henley strikes Gold in the Bloom awards, the Temple Footbridge verdict is in, plus road closures and what's on.
Good morning, Henley, and welcome to the very first Henley Brief.
One short email every Thursday at 7am: the town's news, road closures and what's on, in about five minutes.
Top story: Half Marathon Sunday
Around 2,000 runners take over the town on Sunday morning.
The route starts and finishes at Henley Rugby Club, crosses Henley Bridge and follows the Thames towpath. Not running? The bridge is the best place to watch.
Full race details at henleyhalf.co.uk →
- 📅 When: Sunday 18 October, morning
- 📍 Where: Henley Rugby Club, Marlow Road
- 🏃 Races: Half marathon, 10K, 5K and a family fun run
- 🎟️ Entry: From £40, raising money for the RNLI and local charities
Top stories
Temple Footbridge will be replaced
The footbridge between Hurley and Marlow, closed since May 2023, needs a full replacement, the Environment Agency has decided.
There is a public drop-in about the plans this Friday in Marlow. Until it reopens, the nearest crossing for walkers is Henley, over 10km away.
Green belt row in Wargrave
Just over the river, Wargrave's parish council chairman has put almost 50 hectares of his own green belt land forward for possible development.
Councillors are talking about 350 houses and a petition has launched. No application exists yet, but this could become a big local fight.
Festival farewell
The 20th Henley Literary Festival wrapped up on Sunday, after ten days and about 140 events.
Went to something brilliant? Reply and tell us, we may feature readers' picks next week.
Council and planning
Planning Committee met Tuesday
Henley Town Council's Planning Committee met on Tuesday evening at the Town Hall.
Decisions are published with the minutes, and we will link the ones that matter here next week.
In the planning inbox
A quiet week for Henley, with no major new applications we could verify.
Henley's MP Freddie van Mierlo has also met the Fire Brigades Union this week, to talk about fire crew capacity across Oxfordshire.
Road closures and works
Checked Sunday, and re-checked before every issue.
- Manor Road area · Manor Road, Wootton Road, Blandy Road, Makins Road and St Andrews Road closed for council works until Friday 16 Oct
- Mount View and Badgemore Lane · Closed Thursday 15 and Friday 16 Oct
- Bell Street and Hart Street · Thames Water works finish Thursday 15 Oct, clear by the weekend
- Northfield End (A4130) · Thames Water works, Sunday 18 to Wednesday 21 Oct
- Sunday morning · Half Marathon closures around the Rugby Club, Marlow Road and Henley Bridge
Coming up this week
Plus the Charter Market in Market Place every Thursday. Got an event we should list? Reply with the details.
Thursday 15 Oct
- Simon Yates: My Mountain Life📍 Kenton Theatre · 7:30pm · £25The Touching the Void mountaineer tells his story.
- Art exhibition opens📍 Old Fire Station Gallery · Until Tuesday 20 Oct · Free
Friday 16 Oct
- The Noise Next Door📍 Kenton Theatre · 7:30pmImprov comedy, made up on the spot. Tickets limited.
- Temple Footbridge drop-in📍 Marlow Rugby Club · 4pm to 7pm · FreeSee the story above.
Saturday 17 Oct
- Craft and Gift Market📍 Henley Town Hall · 10am to 4pm · Free entry
- Halloween at Tumblestone Hollow opens📍 Stonor Park · Runs to 1 NovemberSpooky trails and pumpkin fun. Tickets via Stonor Park.
- The Counterfeit Seventies Show📍 Kenton Theatre · 7:30pm · £27.75A night of 70s hits.
Sunday 18 Oct
- Henley Half Marathon📍 Henley Rugby Club · Morning · Spectators freeSee the top story.
- Organ concert with Andrew Nix📍 Henley Town Hall · 3pm
Next week
- WIBN Henley networking lunch📍 Badgemore Park · Tuesday 20 Oct, 12pm to 2:30pm · £35 for visitors
- Gaslight, by the Henley Players📍 Kenton Theatre · Wed 21 to Sat 24 Oct, 7:30pm · £19 on WednesdayThe local players open their autumn production.
Business spotlight
Marc Antoni, Hart Street
The Henley salon group is celebrating 60 years in business.
Co-owner Bruno Giamattei has just won Professional Hairdresser of the Year at the Pro Hair Awards 2026. Sixty years on the same high street, and still winning national awards.
That's a wrap
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🗓️ Got an event, a closure we missed, or a story tip? Just hit reply.
See you next Thursday,
Henley Brief
The weekend weather
- Friday🌦️ 15°C, morning showers
- Saturday☀️ 16°C, sunny
- Sunday⛅ 16°C, partly cloudy, a good morning for the runners
Photo credits: Lead photo: Henley Half Marathon; Kurt C and N Chadwick via Geograph, CC BY-SA 2.0
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