ONE of the organisers of the Otmoor Challenge half marathon, Ted Ogden, has died after an illness, aged 75.

This year, the event, which starts and finishes in Horton-cum-Studley, will celebrate its 25th anniversary on June 5. Walkers as well as athletes take part.

Basil Lyster, the co-organiser, said: "Ted will be badly missed. He was operations director of the Otmoor Challenge for 22 years as operations director looking after the runners and walkers.

"Ted was a very good villager."

Born in March, Cambridgeshire, Tom Edward Ogden, who was always known as Ted, read architecture at Magdalene College, Cambridge, after National Service in the RAF.

At university, he met his future wife Julie, whom he married in 1954.

He spent two years at Birmingham School of Art and Department of Architecture and completed his qualifications at Harlow Development Corporation.

Later, he became architect to the ruler of Qatar. From 1956 to 1960, he designed everything from an elephant house to law courts and an asylum.

After Mr Ogden returned to work in Oxford, he and two colleagues set up Drought and Partners, specialising in hospital architecture in Oxford and Thame.

They were responsible for the original Sobell House hospice in Headington.

Mr Ogden became a magistrate and in 1975 went back to the Gulf to be architect to the Sultan of Oman, moving on to work in Dubai.

In 1983, he and his wife settled back at Home Close, Church Lane, Horton-cum-Studley, which they had owned since 1964.

He had started the Studley Singers in 1964, having been asked to get a group together to sing carols to raise money for Oxfam at Christmas.

The tradition has continued ever since with concerts in aid of the Save the Children Fund, of which Mr Ogden was the first Oxfordshire chairman.

He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

His funeral was held at St Barnabas Church, Horton-cum-Studley, on February 16.