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The Clarion, 28 July 2026

Car-free housing, hubs beyond measure, new restaurants, a whole bunch of AI, plus university, train and bus news. All in a weekend’s work for your Oxfordshire volunteer newshounds. Read on! This week’s long read An unprecedented cross-party coalition is developing in north-east Oxfordshire to oppose a military base

MOD Bicester: an unlikely coalition?

An unprecedented cross-party coalition is developing in north-east Oxfordshire to oppose a military base being turned into asylum seekers’ accommodation. Principled opposition or dressed-up NIMBYism? We listen to the arguments. Calum Miller, MP for Bicester & Woodstock, hosted a ‘town hall’ in the village of Langford, near Bicester, on Saturday.

Clarion Weekend, 24 July 2026

Rumours that the first vehicle under the new Botley Road bridge will be Santa’s sleigh have not yet been disproved. But in better news: Watlington is buying its high street, parents and carers at the JR are getting free meals, and as we click ‘Send’, Arbequina is a few

The Clarion, 21 July 2026

While we are waiting to see if Oxfordshire’s two Labour MPs get the call from the PM, here is the very best of the city and county news: new roads, new homes, new hit (we hope) singles, a new post office and a whole lot of AI. Oh, and

Up the swans

The King’s Swan Marker visited Abingdon yesterday for the centuries-old tradition of Swan Upping. Once established to verify ownership of swans on the Thames, this tradition now focuses on swan conservation, welfare, and education. Our photographer, Roger Close, assisted by the Clarion's Abingdon correspondent, went along to

Clarion Weekend, 17 July 2026

Another fine mess? It’s fair to say not everyone is delighted by the cheeseboard set out by the Government yesterday. We take a closer look. Plus a bumper crop of walking and cycling updates, all the news across city and county, and your essential weekend events and festivals. This

The final cut: it’s three councils

Sharpen the cheese knife and wheel out the Oxford Blue. The future shape of Oxfordshire has been announced, and it’s three councils. In place of the two-tier system we have at the moment – an overarching County Council which does the big-money items of social care and transport, and smaller

The Clarion, 14 July 2026

Royal visits, Union Flag Minis, illegal ‘e-bikes’, shop comings and goings, and the Deputy Lord Mayor’s cat. All in a week’s work for your trusty local newsletter… This week’s long reads His Majesty The King visited Oxford on Friday, officially opening the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities

Regnante Carolo

King Charles III visited Oxford today, officially opening the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, and paying visits to Oriel College and University College. The Clarion was invited to photograph His Majesty's first official visit to Oriel, and as an Oriel alumna and sometime Clarion guest contributor, I was

Clarion Weekend, 10 July 2026

Pour a cold drink, settle down for some calming (or maybe not) reading. We have a world record, CCTV coverage at the Plain (or not), new ways to repair potholes, family days out by bus in Oxfordshire and a cracking set of events in this incredible county of ours. This

Spinning around

Oxford is a city of wheels – the cars and bicycle wheels of William Morris, the mill wheels of the Thames and Cherwell that powered the medieval town. But it has never before seen wheels like Ariel Dempsey’s. Ariel Dempsey is an exponent of the Cyr wheel, an acrobatic, gyroscopic

The Clarion, 7 July 2026

A bumper crop of Oxford shop and cafe news for you this week, lab space, conservation areas, and politics. Plus we cast a design eye over the postcards sent by Oxfordshire’s contenders to become Town of Culture. (Spoiler: far too much AI.) This week’s top stories The debate

Clarion Weekend, 3 July 2026

Oxford’s traffic filters are happening: we have the full details. Plus the flag conflagration continues, hard truths for the John Radcliffe’s maternity provision, and a whole lot of house-building. In lighter news: an all-night croquet match, 1903 cycling… and it turns out there is such a thing as

Book Review: Le Great British Tour de Cake

Me: Do we do book reviews? Clarion editor: Errr… Me: It’s about bike rides. Editor: Hmm… Me: And cake, lots of cake. Editor: Mmm… This is a chatty book. (Possibly more chatty than our editor.) You will often feel that Heth Miller, the author, is right there nattering to

We need devolution

Labour councillor Duncan Enright writes for the Clarion on why he believes a Thames Valley devolution deal is essential. “Good growth in every postcode. Hope in every heart.” Andy Burnham spells out his vision for Britain under devolution – passing power from Whitehall to the nations and regions. From Stornoway to

From 0 to 1497 in 12 hours

How long does it take to learn intricate Renaissance polyphony – and bring it up to performance standard? For one Oxford choir, the answer is “just a couple of days”. Paul Flather finds out more. 25 years ago, Joanna Tucker decided on a whim to bring some of her close singing

Oxfordshire's maternity care: the findings

Oxford University Hospitals’ maternity departments are institutionally arrogant; the buildings are dirty and barely fit for purpose; and while frontline staff care desperately about their patients, the staffing is unsustainable. The wider NHS maternity system in the UK is crumbling, insensitive, institutionally racist, discriminatory, has questionable oversight, is operationally and

The Clarion, 30 June 2026

You're a Clarion reader, you were always cool… but hopefully slightly cooler now. In today’s edition we have local dispatches from the climate emergency (we'll keep covering it, even if everyone else seems to be illustrating their heatwave pieces with bikini-clad women enjoying themselves on

It's an emergency, dammit

It's getting hot in here (Oxfordshire). And while your Clarion correspondents are loosening their cravats, donning their culottes and hydrating like Poseidon and Amphitrite themselves, we recalled that our councils had declared 'Climate Emergencies' a few years ago. It felt an appropriate time to check on

Clarion Weekend, 26 June 2026

We have many fans. Not as in “happy Clarion readers”, but as in the array of air-circulating devices currently pointed at the editors’ desks. In today’s edition: County Council 1, flaggers 0; quiet lanes; forever chemicals and beer (hopefully not in the same glass). Plus some cracking events and

The Clarion, 23 June 2026

Red hot news from (ahem) cool writers. Including this week: the climate emergency, cows that are far away, Oxford's first Hindu temple, a new strategy for SEND, Ozymandias, an owl, two unicorns, two sheriffs, and lots of advice on how to stay safe in the heat (we can

Cool spaces for hot days

We’re in to our second heatwave this year, and it's only June. With predicted summer heat becoming more frequent and severe, residents and tourists may find that there’s a need for accessible, reliable cool spaces. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can be risky, particularly for older

FloFest & GloFest rock Florence Park once again

The much beloved local festival, FloFest & GloFest, rocked Florence Park this weekend. Running since 2013, the annual festival brings together live music, community groups, and local residents for a day—and night—long event. Our photographer Roger Close was there to capture the atmosphere. FloFest is the daytime event,

Clarion Weekend, 19 June 2026

It is midsummer, and for your weekend reading pleasure here is our 'cheesiest' newsletter yet. But if local government re-organisation isn't your jam, we also have the latest on flags, potholes, and other bin fires, together with some incredible events for the sunny weekend and book

Reasons to be Cheeseful, Part 3

Is Oxfordshire’s local government reorganisation all over bar the shouting? The Secret Cheesemonger looks into his crystal ball of Edam… Predicting the near future is usually a losing game. Either you are right, and in retrospect everyone agreed with you and it was obvious all along, or you’re

The Clarion, 16 June 2026

Amid furrowed-brow news on planning, polemics and prisons, we have plenty of reasons to be cheerful this week: South Park’s distillery, an Internet of Birds, the world’s largest display of origami frogs, and an outbreak of Councils Doing Nice Things. Read on… This week’s top stories Cherwell

Local business support in West Oxfordshire

Why are West Oxfordshire businesses receiving visits from mystery shoppers? And how do local shops with minimal staff survive in an age of unforgiving, instant-judgement online reviews? In a guest post for the Clarion, West Oxfordshire District Council explain their new programme to support local businesses. What if better customer

Clarion Weekend, 12 June 2026

The sun’s out again and Friday’s Clarion is everything you need to read for the coming weekend. Featuring the Covered Market, tortoise races, solar farms, and Mick Jagger. Plus we pontificate about local news a bit. This week’s top stories Oxford’s Covered Market will have a

The Clarion, 9 June 2026

It’s a busy week for m’learned friends, with legal bills stacking up in the bids to halt Oxford United’s stadium and building on Iffley’s Horse Fields, never mind Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre. But we also have coffee shops, a restored 14th century pub, EV chargers, and

Oxford Pride 2026

Pride may have had a soggy start, but the weather gods saw fit to bring out the sunshine for the parade. Our photographer, Roger Close, was there to take some gorgeous pictures. While political parties remained banned from the parade, organisations from across the city and county marched in support

Clarion Weekend, 5 June 2026

City centre mobile reception, wheeling to Cambridge, footy scran, £26.5m country estates, coffee horsebox, plus all Oxford’s finest events and some otter-ly brilliant nature news. If there’s a more varied news update anywhere in Britain, we’d like to see it. Step this way… This week’s

The Clarion, 2 June 2026

New town! New bookshop! New science! This way for all the city and county news you need… This week’s long reads Saturday saw the culmination of Oxford’s Summer Eights, the annual college rowing races on the Thames (or rather, the ‘Isis’). Our photographer, Roger Close, was there to

Summer Eights

Saturday saw the culmination of Summer Eights, the annual college rowing races on the Thames (or rather 'the Isis'). Crowds lined the banks from Iffley Lock to Folly Bridge, cheering on the eight-member crews as they attempted to bump each other's boats. Several college boathouses sported

Volunteering in Oxfordshire

Volunteers make this county tick – carers for people, for the environment, for buildings, for the arts, you name it. (There’s even a volunteer online newspaper.) For Volunteers’ Week, which this year runs from 1–7 June, we spoke to Jenny Bowley, Deputy CEO of Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action

Clarion Weekend, 29 May 2026

Relentlessly reporting on the local impact of the climate emergency even if everyone else ignores it... Plus OCC on the move, a new coffee shop, playgrounds, the Kidlington dump, and all your weekend reading. Long reads This seems like a good time to reshare our article, from Oxford horticulturist Amandine

The Clarion, 26 May 2026

A quiet news weekend? Pretty much… apart from the small, unremarked matter of Eynsham Park & Ride. But we do have a bumper crop of amazing research news, the heat death of the universe, and some alpacas. This week’s top stories The amber heat health warning for Oxfordshire remains

Clarion Weekend, 22 May 2026

Councils, cabinets, closure orders. Quarries and quiet lanes. It's been an eventful week in Oxfordshire: here's what you need to know… This weekend’s long(ish) reads Every bookshop in Oxford, listed. From Blackwells to Barkers, Caper to Curio, and many more: new, secondhand and remaindered.

Every bookshop in Oxford

Oxford is a city of books and bookshops. Reporting on a new opening in the city centre encouraged your Clarion team to think about their favourites ... Independent bookshops Caper, Magdalen Road Children's books, cookery books, and more in East Oxford's Magdalen Road Village since 2023. There’

Making the Mayor

Oxford has a new Mayor, Chewe Munkonge – the first black Lord Mayor of Oxford. Our photographer Roger Close attended last night's mayor making ceremony. Councillor Chewe Munkonge grew up in Zambia. He moved to the UK in 2003 and then to Oxford, to be closer to his wife,

The Clarion, 19 May 2026

A dispute over a bridge, another Bridge arrested, a row over rowing, a bumper crop of university news – and how active is your MP in Parliament? Plus the return of Ozymandias to brighten your week. This week’s top stories Labour will continue to run Oxford City Council after recent

Clarion Weekend, 15 May 2026

It’s one of those weeks where almost everything qualifies as a top story. Read on for changes at the top of Oxfordshire’s councils, an imminent start date for direct trains to Bristol, Reform candidate controversy, a bung (money, not plug) for Abingdon Reservoir and much more… This week’

Voles in the Vale… and friends

Council biodiversity reports might not seem the most thrilling reading. But underneath the dry pages of figures is a promising story of rewilding and recovery. The Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils recently released new biodiversity reports, which (perhaps surprisingly) offer an encouraging look at the regions’

An orchid orchestra – bringing back Oxfordshire’s flowers

Pandas are the poster child for endangered species, with their picky diet of bamboo and their habitat being lost, but a species nearly as as exotic and threatened lives right here in Oxfordshire. It’s just that it’s the plant kind. Oxfordshire’s conservationists are quietly holding the line

The Clarion, 12 May 2026

All the fallout from last week’s elections, plus trains to Bristol, college beehives, a new blue plaque and Europe Day. And two photo specials! Read on… This week’s photo stories Can you spot yourself in either of the two mass events in the city on Sunday? Our ace

Town and Gown, May 2026

Six thousand runners of all speeds took on the Oxford Town and Gown 10k in aid of Muscular Dystrophy UK on Sunday. Our photographer Roger Close was out on the course. The day started with a guided warm up, and a 3k junior race. A fast, flat course on closed

Kidical Mass, spring 2026

They came on balance bikes, cargo bikes, tandems, bikes with stabilisers, bikes with doll seats, and just plain bikes. But they filled the city with energy, and joy, and the tinkling of bicycle bells. Organised by cycle campaign group Cyclox, Kidical Mass claimed the streets of Oxford for the afternoon

Clarion Weekend, 8 May 2026

Election fever! Our editorial fingers have barely stopped moving since the small hours. This week’s newsletter is brought to you by coffee, adrenaline and sheer bloody-mindedness. Read on for the latest… This week’s top stories The Green Party was the big winner in the Oxford City Council elections

The Clarion, 5 May 2026

It’s a short week, but a long one. (Can we really call it a “midweek” newsletter on the first working day of the week?) All the Oxfordshire news you need in our election week roundup… This week’s top story Elections for Oxford City Council, West Oxfordshire and Cherwell

Clarion Weekend, 1 May 2026

“Now is the month of Maying, when merry lads are playing.” We’ll stop right there to avoid the more suggestive bits. Our May Day round-up has madrigals, mangos, and maternity wards. Only in Oxford’s most eclectic newsletter… This week’s long reads It’s just under a week

A primer on South Asian mangoes: a very opinionated guide

We thank our brand new mango correspondent for writing the primer on East Oxford's (not so) hidden seasonal fruit that we never knew we needed. We’ll be in the Cowley Road food shops if anyone needs us… Oxford has many signs of the beginning of spring: the

The 2026 election run-down

Elections come but once a year… depending where you live. This time, it's the turn of Oxford City and the northern districts. Each council has a subtly different arrangement for electing its councillors (have we mentioned de Gaulle's 246 varieties of cheese…?), but essentially, every City

The Clarion, 28 April 2026

Come celebrity spotting with us in a very Clarion way. In this edition, we meet a new world record holder; an MP meeting a popstar (and a giant bird); the world premiere of a choral installation; and innovation at the Churchill (because doctors are celebrities in their own way). And

Clarion Weekend, 24 April 2026

For Shakespeare, Oxford and St George! In today’s newsletter: an all-new college, car-free developments, and a bumper crop of events. Your weekend starts here… This week’s long reads The incredible festival of free art that is Oxfordshire Artweeks begins on 2 May. In this very special collaboration with

Oxfordshire Artweeks

As Oxfordshire Artweeks bursts into life next week with a three-week festival of artists' open studios and pop-up exhibitions at 350 venues across the whole county - all of which are free to enter - we ask, ‘what’s it all about and why has it been so successful?

Can Oxfordshire change the future of social media?

Social media is a fixture in many of our lives. Its use and its impact have been polarising. It can be used to find a lost cat or new skincare regime, or learn how to clean a dirty kitchen, or even, dare we say it, to find out about the

The Clarion, 21 April 2026

MPs with pandas, ‘Quarry Roubaix’, tiny bugs, a 10-hour choral marathon, more trains. We love writing about this city. And then there’s potholes… This week’s long reads We know, we don't write about potholes. But they’ve been front page news in almost every other news

Planning applications: there may be leopards

“It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.’ ” So Douglas Adams, writing in 1979, judged the opacity of English councils meeting the legal requirement to publish notice of planning applications.

The hole in my road is letting in water

Britain is getting both hotter and wetter. Cars are getting heavier. And so roads are getting more potholed. It’s that simple. But fixing them isn’t – especially when Government funding to Oxfordshire has dropped by 13% in ten years, yet social care and special educational needs are swallowing up

Clarion Weekend, 17 April 2026

The pound signs are appearing all over Oxfordshire: Government handouts, a Singapore company buying Oxford’s other football club, venture capitalists and a solar farm share offer. Cheque-books at the ready for this week’s newsletter… This week’s long reads You can tell a lot about a person by

Solar power to the people

The headline-grabbing Botley West Solar Farm might lead you to think that solar power is all about big-money investors – but in a corner of Oxfordshire near Bicester, a community project is proving the opposite. Now, Oxfordshire residents are being invited to invest in Britain’s first community-owned solar energy battery,

Political pets

You might have received a leaflet through your letterbox castigating your local council for wasting money on “pet projects”. We thought that was too good to pass up. Politicians all have their pet projects, and many of them have four legs. Because, much though social media might tell you otherwise,

The Clarion, 14 April 2026 (the Morris edition)

Welcome to the Morris edition. With bells on. This week's long read Did the recent burst of spring-like weather turn your thoughts to the garden? Or perhaps one eye on the global stage made you gently reconsider future grocery bills? Today we reshare our recent article on growing

Clarion Weekend, 10 April 2026

Vintage books! New book festival! More police! (Or not?) Sing-along-Wicker Man! And the end in sight to the saga of the Didcot GP surgery? All this, and so much more for your weekend reading, in what has to be Oxfordshire's most eclectic newsletter. This week’s (short) long

Step outside: Oxford Fieldpaths Society turns 100

In 1926, in response to urban sprawl and increasing motor car traffic, a group met at Oriel College to ‘to form a Society for the preservation of Footpaths, Bridlepaths and Commons in the neighbourhood of Oxford.’ The Oxford Fieldpaths Society (OFS) was born from this meeting, and pre-dates even the

Clarion Weekend, 3 April 2026

Start your Easter weekend with our round-up of what’s been happening in Oxfordshire – from greyhounds to grocers, pastries to pedestrian crossings, plus books, events, indie media and a selection of April Fools. And speaking of fools… This week’s top stories National Raise the Colours founder, Ryan Bridge, was

The Clarion, 31 March 2026

Action on flags! A donkey! New whisky! New trains! A new forest! Renewables cheaper than fossil fuels! So much good news this week. Read on... This week’s top stories Raise the Colours has been ordered to stop erecting flags by Oxfordshire County Council. On Monday, the council issued a

Clarion Weekend, 27 March 2026

Abingdon Road flags, council cheese, congestion charge latest, Botley West solar farm, and Banbury – Town of Culture? All your Oxfordshire reading in another packed weekend edition… This week’s long read On Tuesday, activists from ‘Raise the Colours’ erected flags along Abingdon Road in broad daylight. In a special investigation,

The dark side of Raise the Colours

Early on Tuesday evening, amid rush-hour traffic, a ‘Highway Maintenance’-branded van was openly stationed on Abingdon Road affixing St George’s flags to lamp-posts. We ask who is behind it – and why the campaign is so controversial. The group, who call themselves Raise the Colours, worked their way along

The Clarion, 24 March 2026

It’s the end of the phoney war and the start of election season proper. But can Oxford learn from Paris? Plus: Magdalen Choir goes co-ed, new towns, college cats, ring road cycling, and mystery varnish-wielding vandals. This week’s long reads We’ve been looking forward to this. When

A century of muddy boots: Hill End celebrates 100 years

One of Oxford’s favourite outdoor education spaces is blowing out one hundred candles this year.  Since 1926, the Hill End Centre has welcomed an estimated one million visitors to its 67-acre site just four miles from the city centre, running outdoor activities that connect people with nature. The centre

Clarion Weekend, 20 March 2026

It’s a busy weekend for the city with Indie Oxford Day and the start of the Oxford Literary Festival. We have all this, plus city and county news, a feast of walking and cycling updates, and most importantly: a baby binturong… This week’s long reads We’ve opened

In celebration of indie retailers

“I left my phone alone for one hour and you lot have eaten the entirety of Oxford!” So went the Clarion WhatsApp chat when we started discussing our favourite independent retailers in Oxford. 21 March is the first ever Indie Oxford Day, a new annual event launched by tireless indie

Two Councils – the Goldilocks choice

Oxfordshire’s councils are to be combined – and there are competing visions for how to do this, and a Government consultation seeks your input.  In the third article of our short series, Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, writes for the Clarion on why she believes the

The Clarion, 17 March 2026

Library-worrying AI bots, church roofs, ultrasonic hedgehogs, school wars, outspoken MPs, dog breeders and golden train tickets. Plus your old favourites of Thames Water, East West Rail and Oxford buses. Welcome to Tuesday’s Oxford Clarion – Oxfordshire’s most varied news update! This week’s long read Oxfordshire’s councils

There’s only one Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire’s councils are to be combined – and there are competing visions for how to do this, and a Government consultation seeks your input. Oxfordshire County Council leader Liz Leffman writes for the Clarion on why she believes the right way forward is for one unitary council to manage the

Clarion Weekend, 13 March 2026

Friday 13th or Mother’s Day? We opted out of theming our weekend newsletter because, frankly, there is too much real news: the Ultimate Picture Palace, Jericho Wharf, hundreds of new houses, council by-elections and blow-torched hot chocolate. Read on… This week’s top stories The derelict Jericho Wharf looks

The Clarion, 10 March 2026

The most dramatic change to Oxford city centre this century broke cover this week. Plus thousands of new homes around Oxfordshire, politics, university news, electric go-karts, and buses. So many buses. This week’s top stories Oxford could get a new city centre public square as part of ambitious plans

Clarion Weekend, 6 March 2026

Water, water, everywhere… and not a drop to drink. If you’re in West Oxfordshire, that is. Also this week: new tourist attractions at Oxford Castle, another Larry Ellison endeavour in Littlemore, pubs, walking, cycling, and our curated selection of events and weekend reading. Read on! This week’s long

A beginner's guide to growing your own food

Have you ever thought about growing your own food? To reduce food bills, or for the joy of using a few fresh basil leaves or a tomato that has real tomato flavour? We asked the Clarion's resident horticulturist, Amandine Lepers-Thornton for her tips on starting out, whether you

The Clarion, 3 March 2026

Spring is in the air, temperatures are rising and Oxford is stretching its legs – as shown in this wonderful picture of Port Meadow sent to us by Nick Thorn. This week we have new homes (…but are there enough?), carbon savings, the future of streets in Oxfordshire, OUFC’s Great

Oxfordshire’s maternity care

Many Clarion readers will have passed through the maternity ward of the John Radcliffe Hospital, whether as an infant or a parent. It is a place with which Oxfordshire, literally, has a familial bond. But recently it hasn’t all been happy families. On Thursday, Baroness Amos published her Interim

Clariwn Rhydychen*, 27 February 2026

* That’s ‘Oxford Clarion’ in Welsh. It’s St David’s Day on Sunday! Scroll down for our suggestions. Plus a bumper batch of city news, walking and cycling, the best events, election musings and your weekend indie reading. This week’s long reads Oxfordshire’s councils are being reorganised

Oxfordshire councils: the power of three

Oxfordshire’s councils are to be combined – and there are competing visions for how to do this. Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown writes for the Clarion on why it believes a three council setup is the best solution. Most people in Oxfordshire have asked the same question at some

The Clarion, 24 February 2026

In this edition, we pitch a TV show for the county's politicians, celebrate an award-winning midwife and an award-winning wine merchant, tackle the City's budget shenanigans, meet VIP pets, and bring you the best dirt from Vale of White Horse. Welcome to the midweek Clarion, always

House prices in Oxfordshire 2025

Who among us doesn’t sneak a quick look at house prices now and then – whether it’s to eye up your dream home or just to find out what’s happening where you currently live? Where to live, where to work, where to shop and where the kids go

Clarion Weekend, 20 February 2026

Have you been watching the Winter Olympics? Or merely doing the Olympic juggle that is half term? Put the kettle on: here is Oxfordshire's best curated news feed. More homes! More labs! More SEND support! More police? Along with a cracking selection of events and perhaps the most

The Clarion, 17 February 2026

It is (in no particular order) Shrove Tuesday, Chinese New Year, and starting tonight, Ramadan. Which is a pretty wonderful representation of our gloriously diverse city. We hope you enjoy whatever you're celebrating. Crispy (vegan?) duck pancakes after dark? See you at the (newly reopened) Red Star. This

Clarion Weekend, 13 February 2026

It might be Friday 13th today, but tomorrow is Valentine's Day. We could have gone with horror or love; we choose love. So here’s our roundup of Valentine’s events complete with heart-shaped cheese – oh, and city and county news, places to walk, books and more! This

The volunteers helping children find their voice through books

“It’s three minutes past one,” announced B, as we walked from his Year 4 classroom, down the corridor and to our normal reading space outside of the school library.  “So it is B, you did a super job telling the time,” I replied encouragingly. “But you’re meant to

Patrolling toads on Oxfordshire’s roads

The weather is warm(ish) and it’s nearly Valentine’s Day. Which means, for the Oxfordshire toad population, at least, it’s baby-making time.  Toad migrations You’d be forgiven for thinking that toads just hang out around their ponds doing amphibious things forever. But once they’ve completed

The Clarion, 10 February 2026

Let joy be unconfined! The trains are back. We have everything you need to know about county and city budgets, plus toilets, a furore over a Chinese university and a grave situation in Banbury. Happy Tuesday. This week’s long reads Today is Budget Day for Oxfordshire. Right now, the

Budgets 2026: deckchairs on the Titanic?

Oxfordshire’s councils’ days might be numbered – but the cheques still have to be signed, bills paid, and council tax collected. As connoisseurs of Clarion cheese will know, the county, city and district councils are all set to be replaced by ‘unitary’ councils of as yet undetermined shape. So although

Clarion Weekend, 6 February 2026

Will this rain ever stop? Here is a boatload (geddit?) of news, including buskers, bridges and beer, dukes and dogs, pubs and phone boxes. And cheese. Put the kettle on. This week’s top stories The new Botley Road rail bridge is in. The concrete walkways have been manoeuvred into

The Clarion, 3 February 2026

Botley Road, choral music, flags, pubs (award-winning and political), disgraced alumni and a train toilet nightmare. Happy Tuesday! This week’s long reads This week is Oxford Living Wage Week. In a collaboration with Oxford City Council we took a look at why Oxford needs a living wage, and celebrate

Oxford’s trailblazing living wage

Today marks the first day of Oxford Living Wage Week, an annual event celebrating our city’s belief that everyone deserves a decent wage. The Oxford Living Wage was launched in 2018 after a campaign began in 2017. A living wage represents the true cost of living; according to the

Clarion Weekend, 30 January 2026

Congratulations! You’re nearly through January. The weekend is coming. We have news for you to read, and new coffee shops for you to read it in. Plus the latest on the County Hall hotel, a reprieve for Banbury Museum, and more. This week’s long read There are 250

Holding hands in the dark

Protests outside asylum hotels; calls in the national media to “stop the boats”; a polarisation of national discourse, headlines sometimes more for clickbait than facts. What is the real story of refugees and asylum seekers in our county? We asked Sushila Dhall of local charity Refugee Resource to tell us

The Clarion, 27 January 2026

Lots of protests, even more politics, utopian trains, our first ever political cartoon, and the kids are all right. This week’s long reads £10m of Government funding for Oxford was sent back. Could it have paid for the cancelled Dutch-style cycleway on Woodstock Road? In a deep dive, we

Why the Park & Ride should remain free

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company, on why providing the free Park & Ride is integral to the future success of Oxford’s congestion charge. Oxford is a city steeped in history and tradition, and we are all fortunate to live and work in such a wonderful place.

Exclusive: £10m of Government funding for Oxford was sent back

A £10m grant for infrastructure in north Oxford was returned to Government unspent – just as a safe cycleway on Woodstock Road, to be funded by a very similar Government grant, was cancelled due to a £10m shortfall. The Government is funding road schemes across Oxfordshire including the A40 to Witney,