Clarion Weekly, 27 June 2025

Your Friday lunchtime reading is right here! In this edition we have serious commentary on industrial strategy; Thames Valley PCC commissioner Matthew Barber writing exclusively on the future shape of Oxfordshire; plus East Oxford's new geyser, some cracking photos of morris dancers, and a cat. Thank you this week to all our contributors.

This week’s top stories

Consultation has opened on the proposed congestion charge for Oxford, where car drivers would be charged £5 per day to pass any of the six cameras at key points around the city. The charge is described as “temporary” until traffic filters can be brought in. Online consultation is open until 3 August.

The council intends to make a decision at September’s cabinet meeting, with the charge coming into effect in the autumn. We looked at the details of the scheme earlier this month.

The Government published its Modern Industrial Strategy this week. We took a look at the implications for Oxfordshire. Featuring Abingdon's (proposed) reservoir, AI, video game production, defence, and why yet more labs are likely to be built in the county.

What shape should Oxfordshire’s councils take? As the county, districts and city put forward competing proposals, Matthew Barber – Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner and a former leader of Vale of White Horse District Council – wrote exclusively for us this week on their pros and cons, and why he’s backing a single Oxfordshire council.

Meanwhile Oxfordshire County Council has launched a consultation on its plans for a single unitary council, replacing county and district councils. The short online questionnaire asks for residents’ views on council priorities. OCC’s plan for a whole-Oxfordshire unitary is vying with the rural districts’ “Two Councils” plan and Oxford City’s “Greater Oxford” ambition. We looked at the City plans in more depth in a long read recently.

Around the city

• More than a dozen Morris sides danced out across Oxford to mark midsummer and celebrate the 25th anniversary of Armaleggan Border Morris.
• Magdalen College School coaches will no longer stop on The Plain roundabout following a public campaign highlighting the dangers. From September, school buses will use public bus stops on Iffley Road and elsewhere. A statement published this month says “Over 400 pupils use the subsidised buses which MCS operates with Headington Rye Oxford, making this a sustainable and effective mode of home-to-school transport for a large number of children.”
• A 21-year old man drove a vehicle in to a ground floor flat in St Aldates last Saturday. Oxford City Council say they evacuated council tenants from the building and arranged alternative accommodation for them. An engineer confirmed the building was structurally sound; repairs are pending. In a statement the City Council thanked the manager of The Head of the River pub for offering a place for the tenants to rest while they arranged alternative accommodation. A 21-year old man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, taken to hospital and subsequently released into police custody. Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage.
• Thames Water’s litany of woes in Oxford continued on Wednesday with a broken water main on Rymers Lane, seen just after 6am (click for video). The site was subsequently fenced off by ODS, the City Council’s direct works arm, and is now being attended to by the water company.
• A series of festivals at Cutteslowe Park this August have been submitted to Oxford City Council as licensing applications. The Balloons & Tunes event, from 2–3 August, will be “a family event with food, tribute bands, kids’ entertainment area, funfair, stunt shows and hot air balloons displays”. Separately, three music festivals are proposed for the park on 22–24 August: Campfire Country Music Festival (Fri 22), Beatmasters ’90s & Naughties Festival’ (Sat 23), and We Love It ‘Family Music Festival’ (Sun 24).
• Twelve rare books donated to the Oxfam shop in Headington have raised £13,000 at auction. Volunteer Nina Curtis identified the collection of books by philosopher Sir Karl Popper, which included signed copies presented to other academics. A further Headington connection is that Popper corresponded with the Oxford philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin, who lived in Headington House until his death in 1997. A blue plaque is visible from Old High Street.

• The sun shone on East Oxford's annual FloFest/GloFest with festival goers enjoying music, dancing, theatre and community stalls. Can you spot yourself in the pictures?
• Oxford United’s women’s squad has taken a step closer to professional status with (paid) afternoon training. Head coach Sam Rose said: “Moving to a hybrid model is a signal of intent. It says that the club will support players to come away from their full-time job to focus on football. It will help us change the mindset and as a result, it will open us up to a new market of players.”
• Oxford City Council is drawing attention to modern slavery through a video released this week. Nicola Bell, the city’s anti-slavery co-ordinator, says that people are paying between £5,000 and £25,000 to work here, and are then in “debt bondage” to repay their debt.
• The experimental pedestrian space in Oxford’s Market Street has won an award for best infrastructure project from the Institution of Civil Engineers. Parking spaces were replaced with benches and planters in April 2024. The Covered Market management say “the changes are still being trialled – but we’re hopeful they’ll become a permanent part of city life this autumn”.

Around the county

• The 12th century church of Shilton, near Carterton in West Oxfordshire, is getting a bell upgrade with its three “unringable” bells to be rehung and augmented to six – which will enable traditional change-ringing to take place. The work is being carried out by Oxfordshire firm Whites of Appleton, the oldest continuously trading bell-hanging company in the UK. Established in 1824, it has hung bell frames at Christ Church Cathedral and Merton and Magdalen college chapels, among others.
• 350 homes are proposed for the east side of Chipping Norton in the triangle formed by Banbury Road and London Road. Rainier Developments have submitted a ‘scoping opinion request’ to West Oxfordshire District Council. The development would be complete by 2031.
• The decision on Oxford United’s proposed new stadium near Kidlington is expected to be taken at the end of July. An update from Cherwell District Council says: “It is anticipated that the application will be presented for consideration at the planning committee meeting taking place on 31 July 2025.” OUFC has supplied the council with further details on biodiversity, ecology, and community benefits. Cherwell says it is still “awaiting the receipt of further environmental information”.
• Villagers in Dorchester-on-Thames are raising money for a new sports pavilion in memory of former cricket club captain and local resident Malcolm Elias – the legendary football scout who developed Trent Alexander-Arnold, Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and many others. The appeal, supported by the parish council and all three sports clubs in the village, is seeking to raise £50,000 towards the £800,000 cost. Donations can be made online. The cricket club write:

“Until this spring, when a £1,000 grant from Malcolm's former employers Oxford United helped us remodel part of the current pavilion's interior layout, the clubhouse was a shockingly unwelcoming place for women (who had to wash their hands next to the men's urinals). This year, a partnership has been created to allow local state schools without their own pitches to use Dorchester's cricket facilities for free. With a new pavilion we could provide so many more opportunities for young footballers, cricketers and tennis players. Malcolm, we know, would approve.”

• Oxfordshire environment groups including Oxford Friends of the Earth, Oxford Civic Society, Oxfordshire CPRE, and the Oxfordshire Climate Collective are campaigning to challenge the government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill as it is debated in the House of Lords. The groups have approached Baroness Willis of Summertown – Professor of Biodiversity and Principal of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, and also Chair of the ‘Peers for the Planet’ group in the House of Lords – and asked her to work with other peers to amend the Bill. Chris Church of FOE explained: “This bill would cut protection for our most important wildlife sites. Current laws require developments to ensure no adverse effects ‘beyond all reasonable scientific doubt’. The Bill could replace this with only the subjective opinion of the Secretary of State. Many amendments have been suggested by MPs but the government has so far rejected them all: we are turning to the House of Lords in the hope that they will deliver some much needed changes.” Lisa Warne of Oxfordshire CPRE added: “The planning system works best when local people are meaningfully involved. Any streamlining must not come at the expense of public participation and local accountability.”
• Thames Valley Police are seeking help in locating heirlooms stolen from an Abingdon resident in his nineties who served in the Army and worked at Pressed Steel in Cowley. They say “the vintage motorbikes are believed to have been advertised for sale online in the Oxfordshire area”. TVP’s Laura Oakes said: “Please come forward with information to help return these to the family. It is believed the motorcycles were advertised for sale in May, so we would urge anybody with information about the sale to contact police.”
• A new music festival has been announced for Blenheim Palace next summer, replacing the Nocturne Live middle-of-the-road music festival. Nocturne took place last weekend but organisers have said “we will not be returning to the Palace in 2026” and hinted at a new Oxfordshire location. The new Blenheim Palace Festival will be organised by event giants Live Nation and IMG. Dominic Hare, Blenheim CEO, promised “a new kind of festival – one that’s rooted in tradition but designed for the future”.
• Four people have been arrested in connection with last week’s break-in to RAF Brize Norton, where planes were spray-painted red in an action claimed by Palestine Action. Counter Terrorism Policing South East said it carried out the arrests on Thursday in Newbury and London.
• Charlbury gastropub The Bull has been named Pub of the Year in the National Pub & Bar Awards, run by trade magazine Pub & Bar. The award cited “seasonal and considered food”, “admirable design” and “the brilliant team that The Bull always seems to have running its front-of-house”. Other Oxfordshire pubs nominated were the Double Red Duke, Clanfield; The Black Horse, Thame; The Nags Head, Abingdon; and The Trout Inn, Wolvercote.
• A new community cafe for Berinsfield is planned to open in September. The Berin Centre has raised £500,000 for a multipurpose building offering healthy food and cooking lessons to complement its existing community larder. Cafe manager Sam Edwards said “I'm excited to make use of local resources, like the Community Larder and the Community Kitchen Garden, to inspire delicious dishes and reduce food waste.” Berin Centre director Laura Harte added that the cafe space will be available for local residents to hire. The cafe building will have solar panels and an air-source heat pump. Funding came from South Oxfordshire District Council grants and Community Infrastructure Levy as well as local donors.

Oxfordshire politics

A curated roundup of Oxfordshire.politics, local and national.

• As we went to press last week, MPs were walking through the division lobbies to vote on the Assisted Dying Bill. The vote narrowly passed. Oxfordshire’s MPs were split, and not along party lines. Anneliese Dodds (Labour, Oxford East), voted no (letter to constituents); so did Sean Woodcock (Labour, Banbury) and Calum Miller (LibDem, Bicester & Woodstock) (letter to constituents). Voting for the bill were Charlie Maynard (LibDem, Witney) (letter to constituents); Olly Glover (LibDem, Didcot & Wantage); Layla Moran (LibDem, Oxford West & Abingdon); and Freddie van Mierlo (LibDem, Henley & Thame) (social media comment).
• Abingdon North councillor Nathan Ley (LibDem) has launched a Substack, which is the new word for a blog. This week he’s suggested people should “Give Oxford's [Congestion] Charge a Chance”.
• A West Oxfordshire district councillor has been suspended from the Liberal Democrat group after an arrest for coercive behaviour. Adam Clements, councillor for Milton-under-Wychwood, is now listed as an Independent on WODC. He told the BBC the allegation was untrue and connected to the breakdown of his marriage but that he supported the police’s enquiries.

The LibDem MPs have taken to releasing joint press releases again:

• Royal Mail is currently only delivering two-thirds of first class letters on time in Oxfordshire, according to the county’s Liberal Democrat MPs who say Ofcom should step in. 67.9% of first-class deliveries in OX postcodes were delivered on time this year, below Royal Mail’s new target of 95%. Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover said “Missed hospital appointments, delayed medical test results, legal documents arriving late are some of the more serious examples raised with me. A Didcot resident has resorted to going to the sorting office where there is regularly an undelivered pile for him.”
• The county’s Liberal Democrat MPs are also pushing an amendment to block a controversial welfare bill, warning it would deliver “senseless and short-sighted cuts” to disabled people and unpaid carers.  The MPs warned that the Government’s plans to strip away Carers Allowance would be a “false economy”, forcing many carers to stop providing care, further adding pressure on the NHS, social care and local government services. They argue the best way to get the welfare bill down is by addressing the crisis in the NHS and social care, helping get people off waiting lists and back into work: “We strongly encourage people to take part in the Government consultation on proposed PIP changes, which closes on Monday 30th June.”

Separately then, a select digest of individual activities.

• Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds helped out at FloFest/Glofest, asked Thames Water to fix the burst water main in Rymers Lane, and spoke up for the UK automotive sector, particularly BMW Cowley after the publication of the government's Modern Industrial Strategy.
• Banbury MP Sean Woodcock welcomed the Government’s announcement of an investigation into NHS maternity care, saying that he had put reports from local campaign Keep The Horton General on the desk of the Secretary of State within weeks of being elected. He visited All Saints Church in Great Bourton, just north of Banbury, to find out about local conservation projects. And retweeting the Clarion story about the Bull in Charlbury winning ‘Pub of the Year’, he called it a “great pub… worth a visit”.
• Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller is hiring for a new head of office. Fancy it? Details here. As party spokesperson for Foreign Affairs he called for a Parliamentary vote on UK involvement in the Iran conflict, and opposed a proposed Chinese Embassy building in central London on national security grounds (it would be built over communication cables for the City of London). President Trump apparently agrees with Miller.
• Freddie van Mierlo, MP for Henley & Thame was at Thame Pride. He joined calls to address what he says is Europe’s shortest paternity leave, branding the UK offer as “woefully inadequate” and “out of step with modern family life”. (Fathers in the UK are entitled to two weeks paternity leave vs Spain where new fathers can claim 16 weeks.) As the new Chair of the APPG on Fatherhood he joined fellow campaigners at Dad Strike, a demonstration at the Department for Business and Trade, saying: “As a new dad, I know how important it is for fathers to be supported in playing an active role in their children's lives.” He visited the Dementia Research Institute, and brought the concerns of his constituents on waiting lists for ADHD services to Parliament in this heartfelt speech.
• MP for Didcot & Wantage Olly Glover has been advocating for electoral reform campaign Make Votes Matter, following the British Social Attitudes survey results published this week.
• MP for Witney Charlie Maynard celebrated having resolved 5000 pieces of casework since he took office. In Parliament he reflected on Palestine Action's incursion into RAF Brize Norton in his constituency; you can see the video here. He will meet with the Armed Forces Minister to discuss security at the base.
• Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has announced new video resources for educators, parents and carers to help prevent child exploitation and online harm. Prepared by experts, they draw on the lived experience of victims. Mr Barber said: “Our priority is to protect children. We found that working in partnership and reaching out to those who work with children & young people can make a difference. We urge both parents of children in schools, & schools themselves to learn, use and share these videos.” The videos can be found on the PCC YouTube channel here and here. If you run a local business which has been impacted by crime, he'd like to hear about your experience; there's a survey here. And, of course, he wrote for the Clarion on council reorganisation.

University and research

• Wednesday was Encaenia, the ceremony at which the University of Oxford awards honorary degrees. Chancellor Lord (William) Hague led the procession through Radcliffe Square followed by degree recipients including long-distance runner Sir Mo Farah. The only woman to be honoured this year, New Zealand prime minster Dame Jacinda Ardern, was unable to attend.
• The pronunciation of 🥑 has shifted over the last century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, who in their latest update have amended ‘avocado’ to reflect contemporary vowels replacing /ɑːvəʊˈkɑːdəʊ/ with /ˌavəˈkɑːdəʊ/. The latest update to the OED Dictionary includes nearly 600 new words, phrases, and senses, including ‘beating heart’, ‘busy bee’, ‘secret admirer’, ‘ditto’, and ‘cold turkey’.
• Physicists from Oxford & Lisbon have simulated a phenomenon that relies on a strange quantum property – that electron-positron pairs can spontaneously form in a vacuum, interact with light & disappear again. The simulation involves three intense laser beams generating a fourth beam from darkness. While this is a sophisticated computer simulation, it can be used to plan experiments using high-power lasers to test quantum theory and to search for hypothetical particles such as axions and millicharged particles that are possible candidates for dark matter. Lead author Zixin Zhang said “Our computer program gives us a time-resolved, 3D window into quantum vacuum interactions that were previously out of reach.” More details.
• In last week’s King’s Birthday Honours List, Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell was appointed Companion of Honour (CH), a special award for those who have made a major contribution to arts, science or government, with only 65 members at any time. She co-discovered the pulsar in 1967, for which her co-discoverers won a Nobel Prize, and led an influential career in astronomy. In 2018 she was awarded a £2m ‘Breakthrough Prize’ and used this to fund more diversity in research.
• Oxford University researchers have been recognised in the Royal Society of Chemistry Prizes for 2025. Professor Saiful Islam in the Department of Materials was awarded the Environment, Sustainability and Energy Prize for using computer modelling to understand the atom-scale processes in lithium batteries and new solar panel materials called perovskites. Professor Mauro Pasta, also of the Department of Materials, was awarded the Corday-Morgan Mid-Career Prize for Chemistry for work on the properties of new electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries; electrolytes are the substance in the ‘middle’ of batteries and have a key role in battery performance. The Biocatalytic Nitro Hydrogenations team in the Department of Chemistry was awarded a Chemistry-Biology Interface Horizon Prize for its work developing a greener process to synthesise amine-containing chemicals, which are used to make medicines, agrochemicals, and materials. (Team Clarion know that all of these achievements will have been based on the shoulders of a team effort, so we share our congratulations with the co-researchers, lab technicians, support staff and many others that made this great science possible.)
• An Oxford University spin-out plans to create sustainable aircraft fuel from waste carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Oxford Carbon Capture Utilisation developed their process using a novel iron/sodium/zeolite catalyst. They are now running a 1kg a day demonstrator at Oxford Airport, creating the ‘Power to Liquid’ from carbon dioxide from ethanol production and hydrogen from electrolysis; they aim to open a 160kg/day plant in Hull in 2026. While firms have used batteries in small air taxis, the high energy density of hydrocarbon fuels gives them a big advantage for large aircraft, if they can be made sustainably – although harvesting carbon dioxide from the air remains a distant prospect.
• A new study by researchers at Oxford Brookes University, funded by the charity Prevent Breast Cancer, offers new insights into how public health campaigns can better communicate the link between alcohol and breast cancer among UK women. Dr Emma Davies, the lead author of the study said: “We often think of alcohol as causing liver disease, but there’s plenty of research showing that drinking alcohol can lead to seven types of cancer, including breast cancer. We need to change how we think about alcohol at all levels of society.” The study found that cultural norms and stigma dilute the impact of health warnings and that fear-based messaging can backfire, triggering denial. It recommended campaigns acknowledge the social role of alcohol - situations like catching up with friends - and offer credible alternatives.

Walking and cycling

• The Thames towpath will be closed all summer between Folly Bridge and Donnington Bridge for essential repairs to the eroding riverbank, with additional works by the Isis Farmhouse pub. The popular walking and cycling route is planned to reopen in September. This stretch was resurfaced and widened at a cost of £1m in 2019, following previous repairs in 2011. Robin Tucker of the Oxfordshire Cycling Network said: “This is a loss for several months of a major walking and cycling route for both commuters and leisure use, with no safe and direct alternatives. We understand the need for repairs, but this is going to cause significant problems for people.”
• Oxford has been ranked only the ninth best city for cycling in the UK by American advocacy group PeopleForBikes. Cambridge was in first place, followed by the London boroughs of Hackney, Islington, Newham, Waltham Forest, Southwark and Westminster, then Edinburgh. Oxford’s score of 79/100 was calculated from an automated Bicycle Network Analysis assessing routes to common destinations. Across Europe, Paris was ranked as the top city, followed by Delft, The Hague, Brussels and Lyon.
• A £1.7m scheme to raise pavement crossings at side roads on Banbury Road and Iffley Road has been approved. The ‘side road entry treatments’ are similar to those recently installed on Woodstock Road, where the side road is brought up to the level of the pavement at the crossing and priority changed. Iffley Road will be tackled first, between July and September, with locations being Radcliffe Road, Iffley Turn, Westbury Crescent, Courtland Road and Cornwallis Road. On Banbury Road, works will take place at Belbroughton Road, Linton Road, Rawlinson Road, Norham Road, Bevington Road and St Margaret's Road. The programme is funded by the Government’s Safer Roads Fund. Oxford Pedestrians Association said it supported the works, while Cyclox voiced concerns about forward planning: “when proper cycle tracks are put in on Banbury Road, the SRETs will need to be demolished”.

Trains and buses

• Stagecoach bus ticket prices are “changing” (read: going up) this weekend. With the £3 fare cap still applying, the main changes are to all-day and multi-day passes.
• GWR’s Community Rail Conference this week heard more details of Project Churchward, the plan for a new fleet of regional trains to replace the 1990s diesel Turbos which are currently 70% less reliable than typical electric trains. The new trains are likely to have a battery power option to enable them to operate away from the wires, such as on the lines from Oxford to Banbury and Didcot. George Jackson Churchward was chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway from 1902 to 1922.

Charity begins at home

An occasional series; please do submit entries.

• Oxford coffee purveyors Missing Bean have announced a collaboration with Oxford United Football Club called 'Can We Talk?'. OUFC offer free mental health workshops in partnership with Oxfordshire Mind and the Joey Beauchamp Foundation, named after the footballer who died in 2022. Missing Bean have created a bespoke coffee blend, designed to be used at these workshops (and at home) to accompany difficult conversations. All retail profits from the coffee go to the club’s Joey Beauchamp Foundation, and it is available from July.
• Rainbow of Ribbons is raising funds for Sobell House Hospice from Sunday 20 July at the University Parks; remember a loved one with their name on a coloured ribbon tied around an oak tree.

Dates for your diary

• Much Ado about Nothing 3 July, the Earth Trust. Pedalling from venue to venue with all of their set, props and costumes on the back of their bikes, The HandleBards are a four-strong troupe of actors bringing environmentally sustainable Shakespeare to venues across the UK.
• And another travelling theatre company, the waterborne Mikron Theatre Co, are visiting Oxfordshire from the end of July, taking in the Plough at Wolvercote, the Boat at Thrupp and the Wharf House at Cropredy.
• Oxfordshire’s homegrown indie music festivals are all coming up in July: the Magdalen Road Rusty Street Party (July 12), Charlbury Riverside Festival (July 19-20) and Truck Festival at Steventon (July 24-27). You can read about them in Nightshift’s July issue.

This weekend

• Friends of Old Headington Open Gardens. Sunday, 2.30–5.30pm, with teas in the village hall.
• Canal, Castle, and Chapel Walk, part of Oxford Festival of Arts. A waterside walk to uncover the intimate relationship between Oxford’s Castle Gaol and its 18th century canal.
• Wellbeing in Nature, Saturday at the Earth Trust, Little Wittenham (short bike ride from Didcot Parkway station). Embrace the natural world in the tranquil surroundings of the Earth Trust's arboretum. Booking essential.
• 'Treasured' at the Weston Library. Running until 26 October, this exhibition showcases some of the renowned items from Bodleian collections – the Gutenberg Bible, manuscripts of Jane Austen and JRR Tolkien, and the Herculaneum scroll – alongside objects from around the world.
• Charlbury Beer Festival. Saturday, Charlbury Cricket Club. Just across the road from the station, which itself is a 15-minute journey from Oxford.
• Bands on the Boundary. A free 3-day festival in Didcot's Great Western Park. Starts Friday evening, ends Sunday afternoon.
• Bloxham Steam & Country Fair. Steam engines, wildlife, classic cars, fairground… all of that. Just south of Banbury. From 10am Saturday and Sunday.
• The Deddington Festival. Deddington (near Banbury) on Saturday from 2pm. Music, food, drink, games, stalls and lots of fun!
• Henley Royal Regatta, 1-6 July. Needs no further introduction. Not strictly this weekend either. Yes, we did put Friends of Old Headington Open Gardens before it, why do you ask?

Oxfordshire’s independent media

• The Oxford Sausage, ever excellent, this week visits the Ruskin Walled Garden and its crinkle-crankle wall.
• Bitten Oxford visits Taste Tibet on Magdalen Road. (Clarion tip: also take a cool bag and stock up your freezer from their freezers… but not until they are back from feeding people at Glastonbury.)
• Daily Info reviews Big Society on Cowley Road.
• Cherwell chronicles the £3.4m spent by St Catherine’s on concrete (RAAC) issues.
• Ox in a Box reviews Twelfth Night at Oxford Castle.

Ozymandias update

An occasional section with updates from Magdalen College's newest fellow.

We have been inundated with a comment (thank you, Mrs Trellis of North Oxford) asking for a kitteh update. Oh, okay then.

Notes from Clarion HQ

Wales Online, part of the mighty Reach group (one of the three horsemen of the local news apocalypse), visited Chipping Norton this week. Or rather, they spoke to ‘Bianca’ who had moved there because of Jeremy Clarkson. The story is so unintentionally hilarious we’re not even convinced it’s real:

She commented: "I moved here because of Jeremy but I'm probably going back to London. There's literally nothing here. I feel like I probably didn't do enough research. I probably should have stayed here in a hotel for a week first to see what it was like."

Why wouldn’t it be real? Well, Press Gazette reported this week that the local press are not above printing PR-inspired stories about “real people” who may not actually exist. And as Jim Waterson of the excellent London Centric observed, these stories are regularly pushed into people’s phone notifications courtesy of Apple News and similar aggregators.

If you’re really out there, Bianca, come and talk to us! We’d be delighted to show you the good bits of Chipping Norton.

What people like, and pick up on, is a source of endless fascination to our crew of writers. We can be fairly sure that traffic, bikes, or cats will melt our phones with notifications. But sometimes we try and break new ground and we were delighted that Physics Content™, bellringing and Morris dancing seem to be interesting to you… plus people arguing in our mentions as to whether the little Clarion should fact-check the venerable OED on the pronunciation of ‘avocado’. All of which is to say that we have the best community of readers, and commenters, and contributors, and we're very glad you're here.