One World Family

There are some weekends that remind you exactly why community matters.

Today was one of them.

I had the great pleasure of opening the One World Family Festival 2026, a vibrant celebration of the many communities and faiths that call Oxfordshire home. This year’s theme was Nature – a wonderfully unifying choice. After all, whatever our tradition, language or belief, we share the same earth, the same seasons, the same responsibility to care for what we have been given.

From traditional Chinese and Nepalese dance to eco-pilgrimage lantern-making, from Moroccan moon stories to crafts, music and conversation woven throughout the Museum, the atmosphere was joyful, generous and curious. Families moving from space to space, children asking questions without inhibition, adults learning something new. It felt hopeful.

I was particularly delighted to share the stage with Moira Darlington DL, our High Sheriff in Nomination for 2027-28, alongside Mark Lygo, Chair of Oxfordshire County Council, and Mike Rowley, Deputy Mayor of Oxford. Civic life works best when it is shared, and there was something quietly powerful about standing together to affirm that Oxfordshire’s strength lies in its diversity, not despite it.

In my year as High Sheriff, I have spoken often about listening – about hearing voices that are sometimes overlooked. Festivals like this do that instinctively. They create space for stories to be told, for traditions to be understood, for children to see that difference is not something to shrink from but something to celebrate.

Nature, as a theme, also carried a gentle challenge. Across cultures and faiths, care for creation is a recurring thread. Stewardship is not a modern invention. It is ancient wisdom. Whether expressed through dance, story, craft or prayer, the message was the same: we belong to one world family, and our actions ripple far beyond ourselves.

Thank you to everyone who organised, performed, hosted, guided, crafted and welcomed. Events like this do not happen by accident. They happen because people care.

And today, Oxfordshire felt richer for it.

Anne, Chaplain to the High Sheriff, writes:

I have often wondered why we spend so much time and energy, dividing ourselves into groups by age rather than by common interest.

The One World Family Festival is a wonderful opportunity to experience integration in its finest form – sharing ideas, cultures, traditions and skills – with families of all ages. Pushchairs to wheelchairs – all were present at the Ashmolean Museum today with visitors enjoying the experiences on offer.

The Festival is an absolute treat, hosted so generously by the Ashmolean Museum. Wherever there was an exhibition, Ashmolean staff were quietly alongside, ensuring those volunteers who were providing cultural experiences to a very interested and diverse audience, were themselves ‘fed and watered’.

I enjoyed the mix of permanent exhibitions with Festival additions. From Chinese tea culture represented through music and dance, to embossed print making, weaving and Hindu musical storytelling, the Festival exhibitions all fitted perfectly between ancient artifacts, collected hundreds of years ago from across the world, which the Museum has on permanent display.

On Level 1, I particularly enjoyed the stand of Water Stories from Poland. A vibrant river-themed collage, which visitors were invited to add a fish, helping to develop a sense of community in the shared experience of a great river growing and evolving. Chat followed, not least the difference between modern Poland and the country I visited, as a teenager. Then it seemed quite a grey country, buildings dated and in poor repair. Today I enjoyed hearing about the cheerful modern country which has emerged since independence in 1989. Construction has made an important statement in perhaps changing the perception of Poland to ‘light and bright’.

Next came the Islamic Calligraphy demonstration, which I feel is a must. A small stand but with such beautifully displayed words. My favourite painting could be loosely translated as ‘learn something new every day’ which is something I often quote to my staff. How wonderful it was to find such a close connection and words and language, despite my not being able to read the texts. My tutors – the father and son Baig family – gave meaning to how expressive Islamic text is including by the positioning and shape of a line or curl. Thank you very much, Misters Baig.

And then, within a short distance, I was transported to an inter galactic Moon and Morocco Talk by Natty Mark. Fact fun, African astronomy and a rapid fire quiz – Wowzer!

A great visit and a wonderful ‘Round the World’ experience in just a few hours.