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 the Clarion OG celebrity, Ozymandias, is back.

This week’s long reads

We’re putting the finishing touches to our local elections report, rounding up the state of play in every single City ward, plus an overview of what’s happening in West Oxfordshire and Cherwell. It’ll be with you in Friday’s newsletter, but keep watching oxfordclarion.uk and you might spot it earlier.

Are you planning on staying up all night to greet May? Or dancing through the streets of Oxford very early on Friday? We wrote about this uniquely Oxford tradition in 2024. Enjoy.

May Morning – an Oxford tradition

On 1 May thousands of people will congregate on Magdalen Bridge, listen to some children sing madrigals up a tower, then go watch some trees dancing to melodeons before going to find a bacon sandwich. All before 8am. Only in Oxford! Here’s everything you need to know. It’s a VERY

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This week’s top stories

Oxford United FC have been relegated from the Championship. Hopes of a great escape were dashed when fellow strugglers Charlton Athletic beat Hull, removing the possibility that OUFC could win their last matches and climb above them. Nonetheless, the U’s went out in style by beating Sheffield Wednesday 4-1, with Wednesday looking set to achieve the rare feat of finishing the season on negative points.

Club chairman Grant Ferguson was positive and promised a quick return to the second tier.

“This campaign, we have fallen just short of what was required to retain our Championship status. Now, our focus is on how we respond. We will regroup quickly, make improvements and approach the summer with clarity and purpose. We will continue to strengthen to attack League One next season and build a team which can challenge for promotion. We recognise what is required and will act accordingly. We have one game remaining to end the season with pride and professionalism, and then we will do everything possible to return as quickly as possible.”

Thousands of people attended the public opening of Oxford University's Stephen A Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities on Saturday, as it launched its cultural programme with a free day-long "open house" event – smashing expectations with a turnout of around 8,000 people.

Among the concerts, dance performances, talks and exhibitions were the world premiere of Es Devlin and Nico Muhly's choral installation 360 Vessels; performances by the Scottish Ensemble and ZooNation; and the unveiling of new art installations by AI pioneers Refik Anadol and Anna Ridler, in a programme studded with Oxford arts groups and Oxford University students and researchers.

Richard Curtis’ bespoke sketch for the Schwarzman Centre, ‘What have the humanities ever done for us?’ was performed by the actor Tim McInnerny. John Fulljames, for the Schwarzman Centre, said: “I’m delighted to see audiences engaging with such a breadth of work. Here, we bring together researchers, artists and communities to spark new collaborations that deepen the University’s research, and help us explore what it means to be human today.”

Tickets for future cultural performances in the Schwarzman Centre are available now.

Ever wondered how your street got its name? Rose Hill and Iffley residents can wonder no more after a set of explanatory signs were installed yesterday, with local councillor Ed Turner securing a financial contribution from new developments (Community Infrastructure Levy). The new signs, which echo a design often found in Germany, commemorate:

• Carole’s Way: Carole Roberts (1944-2015), Lord Mayor, first manager of Rose Hill & Donnington Advice Centre.
• Norman Brown Close: Norman Brown (1914-1985), Rose Hill Community Association Chairman, local newsletter founder.
• Constance Norman Way: Connie Norman (1913-1994), headteacher of Rose Hill School.
• John Parker Close: John Parker (1914-1989), Lord Mayor and founder of local youth football teams.
• Williamson Way: Canon Tony Williamson (1933-2019), Lord Mayor and Anglican worker priest at Pressed Steel (Cowley Works).
• Krebs Gardens: Hans Krebs (1900-1981), biochemist, Nobel Prize winner and Iffley resident.

Local historian Liz Woolley and Oxford City Council officers provided background information and support. Cllr Turner said “everyone loves the idea”:

“There were so many nice moments: Norman Brown's daughter Carol, granddaughter and great grandson were present for Norman Brown Close; likewise Tony Williamson's son Hugh and grandson Lukas. There was a terrific turnout of Carole Roberts' family for Carole's Way, as well as people who worked with her at the advice centre (which to this day is at the end of Carole's Way). In each case, we were joined by people who lived in the road, including a tiny boy called William who was born in Williamson Way! I hope in future other parts of Oxford may do the same.”

Around the city

• It’s (almost) all food news this week. Seventh generation family butchers, Aldens, have relocated their fish shop in Osney Mead to their meat and produce store. The new store was busy when we visited, with customers excited about the new, expanded footprint on the site, with its fresh and frozen fish offer. Isaac Alden established the business in Bear Lane in 1793, which has remained in Oxford since then, having supplied both town and gown through "nine monarchs, 42 prime ministers, two world wars and eight pandemics".
• Kelpie Coffee has opened its second outlet, on the Abingdon Road. It too has been received with rave reviews by locals, and long queues. It was born out of a coffee truck in Hinksey Park. Their first location, in Castle Mound, opened at the beginning of March. Both locations feature Proof Social pastries.
• Cambridge’s Sicilian cafe Aromi has doubled its Oxford opening plans. 1-3 St Michael's Street will be a cafe and pizzeria, while the Turl Street branch will be a gelateria. A licensing application with Oxford City Council envisages 9am-11pm opening at St Michael’s Street.
• In exciting news for Littlemore residents, Smarts Fish and Chip shop is to re-open on 30th under new management. The Clarion East Oxford contingent will be among the first in the queue.
• The Churchill Hospital has begun running ‘Super Surgery Days’, carrying out double the number of operations on a Saturday to make use of theatre capacity. In the most recent event, nine endocrine surgery procedures were carried out by a specialist team in under eight hours. The specially assembled team included surgeons, anaesthetists, anaesthetic nurses, a scrub team, & a consultant. Felicity Taylor-Drewe, chief operating officer at Oxford University Hospitals, said: “Our teams are working tirelessly and innovatively to bring waits down.”

Around the county

• In a response where you can practically feel the incredulity radiating from the monitor, Oxfordshire County Council has said a transport assessment by Bloor Homes for a 2,500-home development on the northern edge of Carterton is “entirely incorrect and misleading”. Bloor had argued that since the A40 was already congested, 2,500 new houses would not be “sufficient to result in a material change in delay conditions along this corridor”. They also suggested that journeys between Carterton and Witney, where there is no railway and safe cycle route, would be “predominantly be undertaken using sustainable modes of transport”. OCC have listed a series of assessments they want Bloor to carry out.
• EV news: Oxfordshire County Council is running a series of events encouraging people to 'Go Electric'. Test drives of EVs and e-bikes are available, plus car club information. Events take place in Abingdon, Banbury, Oxford and Didcot.
• But will you have anywhere to charge them? The saga of electric vehicle charging at Eynsham continues with plans for six ultra-rapid charging bays at the Firehouse restaurant, formerly the Evenlode pub – close to the forthcoming Park & Ride site. Promoters Believ believe (?) it is “an ideal hub location”.
• The speed limit on the Witney bypass could be cut to 60mph. Oxfordshire County Council says this would improve safety when more local traffic is routed onto the bypass after the new slip-roads at Shores Green open. Consultation is open until 15 May.

Oxfordshire politics

Everyone wished everyone a happy St George's Day, so we'll take that as read. Here's what you need to know in political goings-on (and some stuff you didn't really, but it tickled us anyway).

Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for adult social care, Tim Bearder, has sent a strongly worded letter to the Government over the impact of proposed immigration changes on care services, warning that this means fewer services at higher cost: “In a desperate attempt to out-Reform Reform, this Government is attempting to look tough on immigration. In doing so it is breaking agreements, forcing parental separation and jeopardising the safety of our most vulnerable residents. They need to rediscover the compassion and sense of fairness people thought they were going to get when they voted for a Labour government.”

Onwards to our national representatives...

• Banbury MP Sean Woodcock celebrated an 11.8% improvement in A&E 4-hour wait times at Oxford University Hospitals. He shouted about the Labour government's record on renewable energy, putting renewables on public land, making it easier to install solar panels, and providing more money for social housing upgrades (side-eye at the imminent Botley West decision?). As a – usually – loyal back-bencher, he intervened in the debate over the vetting of Peter Mandelson, asking the Prime Minister about focusing on the cost of living. He doubled down on this in a Times Radio interview. (Prime Ministerial gold star for Woodcock.)

• Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller has been out with Thames Valley Police's Rural Crime Taskforce. As the LibDems’ foreign affairs spokesperson, this week he wrote to the Foreign Secretary, asking the government to stop letting US planes use UK bases if Trump restarts war with Iran and targets civilian infrastructure. Wading in to the aftermath of Hungarian PM Orban's defeat, he praised the approval of an EU loan to Ukraine and increased sanctions on Russia, calling on the UK to seize frozen Russian assets. He wants to proscribe the IRGC citing a threat to the Jewish community and the Iranian diaspora. Finally, commenting on the shooting at the White House Correspondents dinner, he said: "However profoundly we disagree in politics, we should do so in words and through the ballot box. Violence must have no place. No one should be silenced by intimidation." We can all agree on that.

• Witney MP Charlie Maynard attended a St George's Day lunch with the oasis of harmony and collaborative working that is Carterton Town Council. He followed this with a visit to the Burford Cadets. This image is from a LibDem press stunt, but the comment that accompanies it says: “Trump’s Iran war, which Reform and the Tories cheered on, is pushing up prices for everyone in shops and at the pump. We need fuel duty, bus and train fares cut now. The Government needs to act.” (And, ahem, active travel…?)

• Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds met students from Oxford's EMBS College in Parliament, founded in 1988 as Ethnic Minority Business Service, and Oxford's Chinese communities. She spoke up for the Ultimate Picture Palace in Parliament, as we flagged up last week. She continues her support of Sudan, asking the Foreign Secretary to ensure “the belligerents feel the economic consequences for constant attacks on civilians”.

• Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran cautiously celebrated the planning approval of Warneford Park, saying she hoped it was a stepping stone towards world-class mental health provision in Oxfordshire.

• Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover described Donald Trump's behaviour towards the UK as “bullying” and said we should pull the King's state visit to the US. (He was evidently at the same press stunt as Maynard, and issued a similar quote – come on, Olly, we’re relying on you to remind the national LibDems that active travel is a thing.) His cheery round-up of his goings-on included a drop-in event at a Bikeability event (you see!) in Parliament. Finally, after his speech in Parliament on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), the Minister promised to meet with him to discuss action on this.

• Henley & Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo celebrated World Curlew Day (we swear we are not making this up) by meeting David ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’ Gray to discuss the conservation of curlews in the UK, home to around 30% of the global population. (Your Clarion sub-editor was in Cropredy the other week and encountered some very happy twitchers listening to a curlew call!) In more serious news, he's tabled an amendment to support the enfranchisement of British voters abroad. After news broke that a woman was sexually assaulted in a Travelodge after her attacker lied to staff to get a room key, van Mierlo met them at their Thame head office; in this interview, he explained they were undertaking a review led by a KC, but called on the entire hotel industry to do more.
• Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber, in between reporting potholes on FixMyStreet, has been out and about in Sandford-on-Thames. (We hope someone told him about Proof Social.) Here is his weekly round-up.

University and research

• New College is proposing to build a new “song school”, the rehearsal space adjoining the chapel, for its choir. It says the current song room lacks a teaching room for beginner choristers, toilets, space for a sheet music library, or tea-making facilities, and that its awkward layout poses safeguarding challenges. The C14th chapel is the largest medieval chapel in Oxford.
       The college believes the works – next to the C13th City Wall – offer “the potential to reveal more about history from the Anglo-Saxon history onwards”. The proposals, first mooted in 2015, are with Oxford City Council for consideration. The architects write: “New College remains fundamentally a college chapel with an educational imperative.” (The Clarion has heard from two impeccable sources that college fellow and noted atheist Richard Dawkins once suggested closing the chapel, only to be told “Our statutes let us close the college, but the chapel has to stay.”)
• Another Oxford University spin-out is to scale up in Oxfordshire's Science Vale. Wild Bioscience, which uses genetic biology and AI to harness traits from heritage plant species will expand in Milton Park, thanks to £45m investment from the Ellison Institute of Technology, Oxford Science Enterprises, Braavos (the venture capital fund, not the Game of Thrones city) and the University. The investment enables an expansion of lab facilities into two sites on Olympic Avenue. Wild Bioscience’s Ross Hendron, said: “Since founding, we've been building a powerful design engine to create resilient crops. AI is now dramatically accelerating that capability, but to realise its full potential we need to scale pipelines that turn predictions into validated crop products. In turn we will feed real-world results back to continuously improve our models. This expansion in infrastructure, team, and technology is a key step in developing the engineering loop that bridges computational design and plant biology.”
• In Pope/Catholicism news, industries that continue to rely on fossil fuels will risk recurring price shocks in the future, a University of Oxford analysis has found. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is causing concern that energy prices will rise drastically in the coming months. The report finds that as much as 75% of global industry is exposed to recurring price shocks, but electrification may offer a path to more stable energy costs.
• As we enter the season of garden plays in Oxford's colleges, Worcester College is paying tribute to 'The Storytellers' with a public exhibition of contemporary sculpture in its extensive gardens. Nineteen works by 14 artists from every continent will be on display. The exhibition opens on Friday 1 May and runs until Sunday 5 July; free timed tickets are available to book now. Worcester's exquisite gardens and ornamental lake are normally open free to Oxford residents with OX1 and OX2 postcodes.
• Christ Church Cathedral Choir are returning to the airwaves tomorrow for their first appearance in eight years on Radio 3’s Choral Evensong broadcast (the network’s longest-running programme). You can listen online or attend live, for which you’ll need to be seated at the cathedral by 2.45pm.
• Oxford academic Alexander Betts set a world record at the London Marathon for the fastest time while dressed as an academic, finishing the course in 2hr55 – an average speed of just under 9mph. He is Professor of Forced Migration and International Affairs at the Refugee Studies Centre. Other records broken on Sunday include "Fastest marathon blindfolded (tethered)", "Fastest marathon wearing foam clogs", and "Longest scarf knitted whilst running a marathon" (5.59m in 5hr48).
• Oxford University’s new malaria vaccine candidate has been licensed to the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume. Serum Institute of India aims to develop the R78C blood-stage vaccine candidate as part of a next-generation multi-stage malaria vaccine. Simon Draper at the Department of Paediatrics said: “By combining multiple antigens that target different stages of the parasite lifecycle, we aim to achieve stronger and longer-lasting protection. This collaboration is central to ensuring that these vaccines can be manufactured at scale.”

Trains and buses

• East Oxford bus routes are changing again. The “orbital” services are being rejigged from May 3, with three routes serving the south of the city:
       600: station, city centre, Redbridge, Kassam Stadium, Leys, Cowley, Churchill (via the hospital grounds), JR, Thornhill. (Run by Oxford Bus Company; timetable.)
       800/900: Horspath Road (800) / Kassam Stadium (900), Redbridge, city centre, Summertown, Oxford Parkway. (Run by Stagecoach; timetable.)
• Meanwhile, Stagecoach’s sprawling no 10 bus route is to be split into four. A circular route will run between the city centre, Cowley and the John Radcliffe, numbered 9 (clockwise) and 10 (anti-clockwise), skipping the diversions to Wood Farm, Horspath Road and Templars Square. The new 12 will run from the city centre to Templars Square and Horspath Road, and the 13 from the city centre to the JR, Wood Farm, Horspath Road and Templars Square. These changes are due to come into effect on 31 May.
• CrossCountry is plugging the gaps in its Oxford timetable from 17 May – but the new trains won’t stop at Banbury. Five new services (0841, 1141 and 1743 southbound; 1012 and 1911 northbound) will run non-stop through Banbury station, leaving an hour’s gap in services between the stations. The services are a further step towards reintroducing the Reading–Newcastle trains which were cut for Covid, resulting in frequent overcrowding between Oxford and Banbury. CrossCountry is expected to be the last operator to be nationalised, with a scheduled date of 17 October 2027.
       After the Clarion reported this on Bluesky, Banbury MP Sean Woodcock called on CrossCountry to reconsider. “I receive frequent complaints from constituents who face overcrowding and delays. The absence of additional stops at Banbury risks increasing these concerns. I would urge you to reconsider this approach.”
• Voting for the annual ‘Brand the Bus’ competition closes this week, in which Oxfordshire charities get a chance to have their message emblazoned on an electric double-decker bus. This year 71 entrants are competing for the prize. Voting closes at 23.59 on Thursday.

Charity begins at home

• South Oxford Adventure Playground in Grandpont is appealing for help from the community after “reaching a bit of a crossroads”. They say that their after-school sessions are at risk after incurring a significant unexpected cost to repair the ramp into their hut, and that they are critically short of volunteers. You can donate online; if you’d like to volunteer, contact Naomi Waite (naomi.waite@soapoxford.org).
• Oxford and Abingdon charity Flexicare, which provides in-home care for children with severe disabilities, is looking for a “special person” to take on the role of nominated individual with the Care Quality Commission. The voluntary trustee post would suit someone with healthcare experience. They’re also recruiting for a (paid) part-time coordinator.

Ozymandias latest

Our irregular update on Magdalen's furriest fellow. Ozzy has been to the vets (picture one), plotted vengeance (picture two) and hung out being floofy. Happy Tuesday, everyone.

Notes from Clarion HQ

There is not much that makes our heart sink more than a council happily proclaiming “We have changed our online planning system!” This week it’s the turn of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse, following Oxford City the other month. This inevitably breaks our automated system that looks for new planning applications, so apologies in advance if we’re a bit slow on the uptake for new developments south of Oxford: let us know of any we should be covering. (Memo to local councils: it’s 2026, you should really be providing machine-readable feeds of this stuff!)

Congratulations to the Oxford Mail, whose website in March amazingly attracted the sixth most users of any local paper. It was only beaten by papers in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, London and South Wales. Interestingly, the OM doesn’t register in the top 60 for engagement (i.e. the length of time spent viewing the site), suggesting a large number of one-off visitors.

That’s more than enough ‘inside baseball’ for now! We’ll see you, bleary-eyed, on the streets of Oxford on Friday morning. Then it’s another all-nighter the week after for the local elections. Some online volunteer endeavours are funded by “buy me a coffee” microdonation sites. In our case, we don’t want the funding right now, we just want the coffee…