Partner Press Releases

City Council begins project that could see Covered Market transformed for future generations of shoppers

As the jewel in the crown of the city centre, Oxford City Council has begun a project that could see the Covered Market transformed for future generations of shoppers. The City Council will develop a masterplan – a critical document that will set out how the market could be regenerated and improved – during…

New Chief Executive announced for Oxford City Council

New Chief Executive announced for Oxford City Council Caroline Green has been named as the new Chief Executive at Oxford City Council to succeed Gordon Mitchell who is due to step down in the new year following a contract extension. The appointment of Caroline, who is currently Assistant Chief Executive, follows a rigorous recruitment…

Extended Season for Christmas at Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace and Sony Music, the co-producers of Christmas at Blenheim Palace, are delighted to announce that due to popular demand, the Illuminated Trail will be extended to include new dates from 6 -10 January 2021. The Illuminated Trail takes visitors on a spectacular outdoor adventure full of festive cheer. It is the perfect way…

Christmas Lights Bus returns by popular demand

Oxford Bus Company today announced its ‘Christmas Lights Bus’ will return this month to further spread some festive cheer. It follows the success of the Oxford Lights Festival last month, which saw a decorated City Sightseeing Oxford open-top bus lead a tour. Thanks to an overwhelming positive public response to the event Oxford Bus Company…

Oxford City Council, Experience Oxfordshire, Independent Oxford and The Oxford Times refresh campaign to support retailers this Christmas

Oxford City Council, Experience Oxfordshire, Independent Oxford and The Oxford Times have refreshed their campaign to support retailers this Christmas. The four organisations have been working together to promote businesses during the lockdown, and encourage people to support local traders by shopping online. But now, with Oxford moving out of lockdown, the campaign will encourage…

Oxford University’s museums and Bodleian Library to reopen to the public

1 December, Oxford – Oxford University’s museums are reopening to the public this week as Oxfordshire moves into Tier 2 lockdown restrictions. The Ashmolean Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum, History of Science Museum, and the Museum of Natural History, which have been closed since 2 November, are now able to reopen to the public from 2 December. The Ashmolean Museum…

Oxford Bus Company increases Airline services to support students returning home for Christmas

The Oxford Bus Company will reinstate its Airline coach service to Gatwick Airport from Sunday and operate more services to Heathrow Airport. It is increasing the number of journeys between Oxford and Heathrow and Gatwick airports to match services with new levels of demand and continue to support social distancing measures. Services between Oxford and…

New coaches take to the road, a Christmas treat for Oxford Tube passengers

Passengers on the Oxford Tube are set to enjoy the latest in passenger comfort and convenience as the wheels are due to start turning on Stagecoach’s £13 million investment into new coaches on the Oxford Tube. The first two coaches will start carrying customers from Saturday 28th November with the entire fleet being replaced by…

Fairytale Farm has been named as England’s fastest-growing farm attraction

Fairytale Farm has been named as England’s fastest-growing farm attraction, according to the Annual Survey of Visits to Visitor Attractions, just published by Visit England (1). The results from this survey are reported annually, providing an overview of the visitor attraction sector. The newly-published figures, which are for the full 2019 season, show that Fairytale…

Santa Set to “Steam Into Christmas” at Railway Centre

Staff and volunteers at Didcot Railway Centre are working hard to prepare for a very special visitor when the Covid-secure site is able to re-open in December. Father Christmas himself will be at the popular tourist attraction on weekends from 5 – 20 December plus Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23. Visitors will be able to…

Virtual Oxbridge Meet Up – Focuses On Positive Future for Conferences and Events

The first-ever virtual meeting of event professionals from Cambridge and the University of Oxford has just taken place – with representatives from 60 venues, including Colleges, Museums, Libraries and hotels checking in to share ideas on the future hosting of conferences and events in their cities. The Zoom summit, jointly organised by Meet Cambridge and…

Bicester Hotel and Spa Welcomes New Chef

Bicester Hotel & Spa are delighted to welcome their new award-winning, Head Chef, Michael Carr. He will be running the kitchen in Bicester Hotel & Spa while introducing us to some of his delicious dishes. Michael has won the Heinz Gold Award, demonstrating his passion for excellence. Michael’s dream for Grays Restaurant is to fill…

More than 20,000 visitors enjoy open-top bus tour of Oxford

More than 20,000 visitors to Oxford have enjoyed a tour of the city via City Sightseeing Oxford’s open-top bus service since it re-opened in July. The attraction has played a key role in helping draw visitors into Oxford as part of a wider campaign to help the city’s tourism, hospitality and retail sectors through COVID-19….

ENJOY A CHRISTMAS FEAST WITH A SRI-LANKAN TWIST AT STREET FOOD RESTAURANT & BAR, THE COCONUT TREE

Pioneering Sri Lankan street food restaurant group The Coconut Tree will be giving the traditional ‘Christmas menu’ a south Asian twist this winter. The independent boutique operators are front-runners in bringing fresh Sri Lankan dishes to the UK, coupled with a laid-back, convivial atmosphere. Whether it’s Sri-Lankan-style Split Sprouts with Cashews, or spicy Devilled Pigs…

Stagecoach Improve Banbury Bus Service to the Horton Hospital

From Monday 12th October, changes to bus services in Banbury will see improved links to new developments and the main employment sites at the Wildmere Industrial Estate, Horton Hospital and Southam Road sites. Supported through s106 funding agreed with Oxfordshire County Council, the changes will also result in better cross town links and changes to…

Make Magical Memories This Christmas at Bletchley Park’s Vintage 1940s Grotto

Christmas may be a little different this year, but the man in red will be taking up a very special residence at Bletchley Park’s Vintage Grotto to bring festive cheer for families of all ages. Father Christmas and his helpful elves will be taking centre stage in the Bletchley Park Mansion’s Ballroom, a beautiful, spacious…

Hook Norton Brewery opens historic Oxfordshire coaching inn with rooms, The Crown Inn at Benson

The Crown Inn at Benson, a characterful 17th century, Grade II-listed timber-framed coaching inn, is due to re-open its doors on Friday 2nd October 2020, following a major refurbishment. Located in the pretty south Oxfordshire village of Benson, The Crown will welcome all to enjoy it’s bar, restaurant, six en-suite bedrooms, rear courtyard and beer…

Oxford Bus Company has the Golden Touch at keeping the fleet in top condition

The Oxford Bus Company has been awarded a National Express ‘Golden Spanner’ award after excelling in an annual engineering audit – for the second year in a row. External inspectors praised Oxford Bus Company engineers for achieving “exceptional standards” – including “good quality inspections” and minimal break downs. Oxford Bus Company runs the 737 Oxford…

CITY SIGHTSEEING OXFORD OPEN VISITOR INFORMATION POINT

Oxford Bus Company has opened a new Visitor Information Point to help welcome tourists and provide support to visitors. In a timely boost to Oxford’s visitor economy City Sightseeing Oxford have unveiled the new hub that will see local people provide local information to visitors. The Visitor Information Point is in High Street in…

Oxford Open Doors goes Virtual !

From virtual events to self-guided walks, the weekend of Saturday 12th September is a great time to discover the city either on foot or in the virtual world ….. The Programme is out, and we are counting down to Oxford Open Doors! What will you discover? From virtual events to self-guided walks, the weekend of…

Modern Art Oxford presents: Mariana Castillo Deball: Between making and knowing something

2 October 2020 – 3 January 2021 This major new commission by Mariana Castillo Deball (b. 1975 in Mexico City, lives and works in Berlin) fundamentally questions methods of knowledge formation in Western museum collections. Featuring an expansive aerial installation, archival photographs and repurposed museum display cases, the exhibition uncovers hidden stories and individuals, with…