Bucks &amp; Oxon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-sporting-hero-naomi-riches">The sporting hero: Naomi Riches</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="669" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.23.38.png" alt="Naomi Riches" class="wp-image-184926" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.23.38.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.23.38-800x535.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.23.38-400x268.png 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>When it came to choosing a local celeb to switch on <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/festive-marlow-5-unmissable-events-for-your-diary/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marlow&#8217;s Christmas lights last year</a>, there was only one contender. Yup, move over Mary Berry (Christmas 2016) because Paralympic rower Naomi Riches, who lives in Marlow, is a solid gold local sporting hero. Despite being bullied at school due to her visual impairment, she excelled at swimming from an early age and later took up rowing. Well, the rest is Paralympic Games history: Gold as part of the British mixed coxed fours team at London 2012 and Bronze at Beijing four years earlier. Now retired (with an MBE to her name), she&#8217;s inspiring others to fulfil their dreams through her work as a motivational speaker.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-gold-star-entertainer-lil-rice-founder-fools-delight">The gold-star entertainer: Lil Rice, founder, Fools Delight</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.36.42.png" alt="Lil Rice International Women's Day" class="wp-image-184928" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.36.42.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.36.42-800x800.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.36.42-400x400.png 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.36.42-500x500.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>When you hear the cry go out, &#8220;Roll up, roll up, the circus is in town!&#8221;, the creative sprit that is Lil Rice has a big hand in putting on the show in these parts. She&#8217;s the niece of Nell Gifford, of the world-famous Giffords Circus, and stepped in to  run Giffords after her aunt&#8217;s death before launching her own circus, <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/arts-culture-things-to-do/fools-delight-circus-bampton-oxfordshire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fools Delight</a>, three years ago. The Big Top action takes place each summer in the grounds of her family home, Ham House in Bampton, combining world-class circus theatrics with fine dining cooked by Lil&#8217;s husband Dave Cross, a talented chef. Oh, and did I mention Lil&#8217;s Mum is potter Emma Bridgewater? </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-blooming-career-pivot-sam-proctor-chiltern-garden-design">The blooming career pivot: Sam Proctor, Chiltern Garden Design</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Snapinsta.app_445600968_1625593547980499_1944455824913762375_n_1080.jpg" alt="Sam Proctor International Women's Day" class="wp-image-184930" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Snapinsta.app_445600968_1625593547980499_1944455824913762375_n_1080.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Snapinsta.app_445600968_1625593547980499_1944455824913762375_n_1080-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Snapinsta.app_445600968_1625593547980499_1944455824913762375_n_1080-400x300.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The expression, &#8220;bloom where you&#8217;re planted&#8221; has particular resonance for Sam Proctor. She had a long and successful London career in marketing, but gave up the hustle of the City for a flourishing second-stage career as a <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/chiltern-garden-design-amersham/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">garden designer</a>. One Diploma at the London College of Garden Design later (Sam gained Distinction, obvs) she was ready to set up Amersham-based <a href="https://www.chilterngardendesign.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chiltern Garden Design</a>, creating gorgeous gardens of all shapes and sizes across Bucks and beyond. Visitors to last year&#8217;s RHS Chelsea may have spotted her eco-friendly Water Saving Garden, which won a Bronze Medal. Is that Alan Titchmarsh she&#8217;s posing next to? It surely is!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-children-s-mental-health-expert-jasmine-anilmis-co-founder-your-way-psychology">The children&#8217;s mental health expert: Jasmine Anilmis, co-founder, Your Way Psychology</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Professional-headshot-copy-1.jpg" alt="Your Way Psychology" class="wp-image-171300" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Professional-headshot-copy-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Professional-headshot-copy-1-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Professional-headshot-copy-1-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Professional-headshot-copy-1-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Unfortunately, there has been a sharp increase in children&#8217;s mental health difficulties in recent years – but in a ray of hope to struggling parents, Dr Jasmine Anilmis is helping to tackle this worrying trend head on. Her interest in Psychology was sparked at A-Level, and she&#8217;s honed it through years of clinical and research study (culminating in completing a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2018) to specialise in helping children and young adults, with <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/life/parenting/young-minds-supporting-your-childs-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a passionate interest in supporting neurodiversity</a>. While continuing her work as a lead clinician in the NHS, she jointly set up private practice <a href="https://www.yourwaypsychology.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Your Way Psychology &amp; Education</a> in 2022, which offers autism and ADHD assessments plus educational support and consultation with schools.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-high-street-hero-jo-tutchener-sharp-founder-scamp-amp-dude">The High Street hero: Jo Tutchener-Sharp, founder, Scamp &amp; Dude</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="800" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Snapinsta.app_478846080_18396146797097348_536510097953448257_n_1080-800x1000.jpg" alt="Scamp &amp; Dude International Women's Day" class="wp-image-184933" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Snapinsta.app_478846080_18396146797097348_536510097953448257_n_1080-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Snapinsta.app_478846080_18396146797097348_536510097953448257_n_1080-640x800.jpg 640w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Snapinsta.app_478846080_18396146797097348_536510097953448257_n_1080-320x400.jpg 320w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Snapinsta.app_478846080_18396146797097348_536510097953448257_n_1080.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure>



<p>When you browse the animal print-tastic rails of Marlow&#8217;s Scamp &amp; Dude boutique, you may not know the extent to which founder Jo Tutchener-Sharp went through the mill before launching her indie business. Rewind to Jan 2016 and Jo was in the operating theatre for surgery to remove a brain tumour called a cavernoma. Saying goodbye to her children, then aged 1 and 3, before the op was the most heartbreaking experience of her life. Out of darkness came light though, because being given a second chance at life gave Jo a new sense of purpose and superhero-inspired Scamp &amp; Dude was born the same year. It&#8217;s now a B Corp certified clothing brand and for every <a href="https://scampanddude.com/collections/superhero-sleep-buddy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Superhero Sleep Buddy</a> sold, one is donated to a child who has lost a parent or is seriously ill themselves.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-inspirational-head-emma-goldsmith-the-dragon-school-oxford">The inspirational Head: Emma Goldsmith, The Dragon School, Oxford</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="782" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/SCHOOLHEAD-782x1000.jpeg" alt="Emma Goldsmith International Women's Day" class="wp-image-184935" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/SCHOOLHEAD-782x1000.jpeg 782w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/SCHOOLHEAD-625x800.jpeg 625w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/SCHOOLHEAD-313x400.jpeg 313w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/SCHOOLHEAD.jpeg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 782px) 100vw, 782px" /></figure>



<p>For a super-powered Head to celebrate on International Women&#8217;s Day, enter The Dragon School&#8217;s Emma Goldsmith. Her social handle is @head_in_heels – but don&#8217;t be fooled by her appreciation of a designer shoe, because Emma is a firebrand who has brought her experience at the likes of Bloxham School and Winchester House School to forge <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/the-dragon-school-oxford/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Dragon</a>&#8216;s young minds in the mould of its A-list alumni (Hugh Laurie, Emma Watson, Tom Hollander, Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Dancy and friends). Firing on even <em>more</em> cylinders, she&#8217;s also launched her own podcast and is keenly involved with the Boarding Schools’ Association and IAPS – plus an active ISI inspector, Vice Chair of ISEB, and a judge for Muddy&#8217;s Best Schools Awards to boot. No, I don&#8217;t know how she finds the time either.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-master-storyteller-lynne-evans-founder-the-memory-shed">The master storyteller: Lynne Evans, founder, The Memory Shed</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/LYNNEEVANS.jpg" alt="Lynne Evans, The Memory Shed" class="wp-image-184983" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/LYNNEEVANS.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/LYNNEEVANS-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/LYNNEEVANS-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/LYNNEEVANS-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Everyone has their own story – and Lynne Evans&#8217;s life has had more twists and turns than most over the past five years. Chapter One: an unexpected redundancy from a high-powered strategy and sales job at FMCG giant Premier Foods on the eve of the pandemic. Chapter Two: her beloved father&#8217;s diagnosis with terminal cancer, and chemo treatment that took its toll on his mind and memory. Many would be forgiven for giving up at this point, but Lynne turned the experience into the catalyst for a new career as a ghostwriter telling people&#8217;s life stories, starting with the life of her late father. Alongside her new business, <a href="https://thememoryshed.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Memory Shed</a>, she&#8217;s co-founder of a charity, called Pectus Matters, to raise awareness of the chest wall disorder Pectus, after two of her three children were diagnosed with chest wall deformities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-entrepreneur-clare-anderson-lava-massage-shells">The entrepreneur: Clare Anderson, Lava Massage Shells</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="801" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/CLAREANDERSON-801x1000.jpg" alt="International Women's Day" class="wp-image-184965" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/CLAREANDERSON-801x1000.jpg 801w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/CLAREANDERSON-641x800.jpg 641w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/CLAREANDERSON-321x400.jpg 321w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/CLAREANDERSON.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 801px) 100vw, 801px" /></figure>



<p>Oxfordshire entrepreneur Clare Anderson wears many hats. She won the Great British Entrepreneur Award 2022 in the Health &amp; Beauty category for her Elfland children&#8217;s wellbeing products, and recently branched out into writing a kids&#8217; picture book, <em>The Lost Wish</em>. Clare started out as a beauty therapist for Champney&#8217;s and Clarins before launching her Lava Shells heated massage tool (her first account was Sir Richard Branson&#8217;s Bali Leha spa on Necker Island), then her Sensory Retreats range of home spa products, which began as a pandemic Plan B when her entire business shut down during lockdown. Spurred on by beating her childhood dyslexia and losing her brother, who took his own life aged 19, this lady boss has the following advice. &#8220;Growth happens when you&#8217;re outside your comfort zone.&#8221;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-memory-of-our-favourite-style-queen-diana-halley-fabric-boutique">In memory of our favourite style queen: Diana Halley, Fabric Boutique</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/DIANAHALLEY.jpg" alt="Diana Halley, International Women's Day" class="wp-image-184985" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/DIANAHALLEY.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/DIANAHALLEY-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/DIANAHALLEY-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/DIANAHALLEY-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Muddy joins the many paying tribute to the wonderful Diana Halley, co-owner of Old Amersham&#8217;s Fabric Boutique, who passed away in January. As well as running Fabric with business partner Ailsa Feroze, Diana was hugely involved in the community through her role as chair of the Old Amersham Hospitality &amp; Retail Association. Her positive energy, belief in independent ownership, and determination and drive meant she always made time to help the Old Amersham high street grow and flourish – and here at Muddy, her sparkling wit and immaculate sense of style will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Diana&#8217;s husband, Ian, and her friends and family.</p>



<p><strong>By Harriet Dennys</strong></p>


Girl power! Local stars we’re celebrating on International Women’s Day

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