Partner Press Releases

Grants available to bring local communities together

Oxford City Council is urging community-focused individuals and groups to apply for grants of up to £5000 in the latest round of its Community Impact Fund. This might be a group wanting to hold a special event to bring the community together (subject to the latest Covid regulations) or to run activities aimed at people…

New Roles Working in Europe’s Most Ancient oak Woodland

Blenheim Estate is recruiting for two new members of staff to join its forestry team. The Oxfordshire UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to the largest collection of ancient oaks in Europe, including several which are more than 1,000 years old. Large areas of the 12,000-acre estate, ancestral home to the Dukes of Marlborough, is…

Bletchley Park welcomes new Director of Development

This January, Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes has welcomed Sarah Harwood as its new Director of Development. Sarah joins Bletchley Park from previous roles as Director of Development at the Almeida Theatre and Head of Fundraising at the children’s charity, Ark. Sarah is also trustee of the Arvon Foundation, a leading creative writing charity. Sarah…

Restore wins Oxford Bus Company ‘Brand the Bus’ Competition

•MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY SCOOPS FIRST PRIZE TO HAVE AN ENTIRE BUS BRANDED IN ITS COLOURS •SECOND PLACE CHARITY BE FREE YOUNG CARERS TO RECEIVE ADVERTISING SPACE ON A BUS REAR Mental health charity Restore has scooped the Oxford Bus Company ‘Brand the Bus’ competition to have a double-decker emblazoned in its messaging. The Oxford based…

New community larder opens to help everyone in Oxford reduce their groceries spend

A new weekly community larder, a low cost food scheme, is opening in Oxford that will help with the rising cost of living and reduce food waste. Supported by Oxford City Council, the Oxford City Larder launches on Friday 14 January and anyone can join regardless of income. It will be the seventh community larder…

Winner announced for Recycling Heroes competition

The winner of ODS and Oxford Recycles’ Recycling Heroes competition has been announced, with the judging panel finding Mae Mitchell’s amazing recycling artwork to be the best of all the entries received. The entry was submitted by Mae’s mother, Stef Mitchell and involved using recycled materials to make a rainbow artwork. Both Stef and Mae…

Bloody History of ‘Duke’s’ Gilded Glass Goblet

Carmen Alvarez, Deputy Collections Manager at Blenheim Palace carefully cleans an ornate goblet, reputed to have been used by the 1st Duke of Marlborough at the Battle of Malplaquet on 11th September, 1709. The battle was the final victory in the War of Spanish Succession, which cemented the Duke’s reputation as Britain’s Greatest General and,…

Sri-Lankan Bar & Restaurant Group The Coconut Tree Targets New Customers with Extended 50% Discount

Award-winning Sri Lankan bar & restaurant group The Coconut Tree has announced it will be offering 50% off all food (Monday – Wednesday, eat in only) until the end of January 2023. The street food pioneers first offered an early-week discount (Mon – Wed) in 2020. After experiencing a marked increase in the numbers of…

Oxford Bus Company Reveal Annual Haul of Items Lost by Passengers

The Oxford Bus Company has revealed the unusual items which were left on its services by passengers last year. Among the belongings left on buses and coaches in 2021 were some Ann Summers lingerie, a coffin shaped wallet, an NYPD hat, a vehicle registration plate, a guitar and a large toy sword. The most common…

Stephen Spencer + Associates launches new workshop helping businesses to get a Platinum Jubilee business boost

Customer experience experts Stephen Spencer + Associates (SS+A) have created a new workshop to help businesses rapidly develop and launch innovative ways of using The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee to excite their customers and attract new ones. Based on the company’s Innovation Toolkit, launched in 2021, this new workshop – “The Platinum Jubilee Business Booster” –…

Conservators Reveal Cleaning Secrets of Britain’s Greatest Palace

New Year is traditionally the time to make a start on some serious house-cleaning. Now visitors to Blenheim Palace can pick up some top housekeeping tips from the experts responsible for keeping ‘Britain’s greatest palace’ looking spick and span. A team of conservation cleaners is hard at work on a ‘deep clean’– a painstaking procedure…

Two day closure of Oxford Ice Rink to improve lighting

Oxford’s budding ice dancers will tripping the light fantastic in a much brighter rink in the New Year when new lighting is installed. Oxford Ice Rink will be closed for two days on Wednesday 5 January and Thursday 6 January 2022 to fit eco-friendly LED lighting over the ice. In a boost to the Council’s…

Veganuary 2022: Three New Vegan Dishes from Sri Lankan Street Food Restaurant, The Coconut Tree

Pioneering Sri-Lankan restaurant group The Coconut Tree will introduce three new plant-based dishes to their menu, to celebrate Veganuary. Available from 4th January 2022, the new dishes add to the existing plant-based options available on the menu, which is naturally abundant in vegan options. The new vegan dishes on offer at the group’s nine restaurants…

Travelling by train this Christmas? When will trains be busiest and where is engineering work taking place?

With Christmas falling on a weekend this year, train operator GWR has released details about which services it expects to be busiest. Data from the number of seats already booked shows that trains on Thursday 23 and on Monday 27 December are the most in demand, with those departing between 1000 and 1400 set to…

Additional support to be made available for Oxford businesses impacted by the Omicron variant

Oxford hospitality and leisure businesses impacted by the spread of the Omicron variant will be able to apply for support funding. On Tuesday 21 December, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced: Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises, plus more than £100 million…

Oxford City Council launches Oxford Community Impact Fund

Oxford City Council is opening its £422,000 Community Impact Fund for the first round of proposals on 20 December. Not-for-profit organisations and community groups are invited to submit expressions of interest for large grants of £5,000-35,000. Two online learning sessions are being held for groups to find out about the new community grant programme and…

Fairytale Farm wins BEST FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE in leading industry awards

Fairytale Farm are very proud to announce that they have won BEST FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE in the Park World Excellence Awards 2021. The annual awards, first established in 2018, are organised by Park World Magazine, the longest established and most well known magazine for the attractions industry. Fairytale Farm was up against four other shortlisted…

Oxford Christmas Light Bus back by popular demand

The Oxford Christmas Light Bus is returning to the streets of the county on Saturday – to visit communities who voted for it to stop in their area. Following the overwhelming success of the recent Christmas Light Bus tour, Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel and City Sightseeing Oxford decided to deliver another day of festive…

Lord Mayor’s Christmas Concert cancelled due to Covid-19

The Lord Mayor’s Christmas Carol Concert has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and in light of growing concerns about the Omicron variant and its impact on the health system. The Carol Concert, which raises money for local charities, had been scheduled to take place in Oxford Town Hall on Sunday 19 December. Proceeds…

Oxford’s Christmas Light Festival 2021 a resounding success

Thousands of Oxonians enjoyed an exciting programme of events and illuminations all over Oxford over the weekend of 19 and 20 November , to mark the start of the festive season in Oxford’s Christmas Light Festival. In previous years, events were presented entirely in the city centre, but this year’s festival shifted the focus into…

Town and Gown come together at Oxford Castle and Prison as St. John’s College provides a Christmas tree for all to enjoy

Town and Gown came together during the spectacular celebrations at Oxford Castle & Prison to celebrate its 950 anniversary year. The 25-foot Christmas tree, delivered from Bagley Wood at Kennington, was a gift from St. John’s College. To mark the occasion Zoe Hancock, the College’s Principal Bursar, joined Debbie Dance, OPT Director and Anne Campbell,…