Oxford Mushroom Farm officially opened on Monday, May 25 with a launch party from midday to 5pm.

Based at a previously unused patch of land beside Hinksey Heights Golf Club, the new business is providing fresh gourmet fungi to homes and businesses across Oxfordshire.

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Lifelong Oxford local Steve Hart, who attended Cherwell School, launched the farm in January 2024 with an ambition to transform unused ground into something productive, sustainable and community-focused.

Now, after two years of balancing the project alongside a full-time job as a builder, landscaper and heating engineer, Mr Hart has officially opened the farm to the public.

A new Oxford mushroom business has been launched next to a golf club (Image: Steve Hart)

He said: “Every decision has been intentional, from the growing environment to sourcing the best possible ingredients.

“I want the farm to produce high-quality food for Oxford while also exploring the environmental benefits fungi can offer.”

Among the farm’s offering is Lion’s Mane, oyster, shiitake, speckled chestnut and other varieties of mushroom, with the businesses based around sustainability.

A new Oxford mushroom business has been launched next to a golf club (Image: Steve Hart)

Premium mushroom substrates are produced using sawdust sourced as a natural by-product from sawmills in the mountains of Snowdonia, combined with pure Snowdon Mountain spring water in collaboration with North Wales-based growers Fungi Foods.

Alongside supplying fresh produce locally, Mr Hart is also interested in the emerging science of mycoremediation, an eco-friendly technique that uses fungi to help break down ground pollutants and restore damaged land.

He said: “My main goal is feeding Oxford, but also using science and mycoremediation to help heal polluted land and fly-tipping ground in Oxfordshire. 

Steve Hart (L) setting up the Oxford Mushroom Farm (Image: Steve Hart)

“The world needs healing and I hope this will play a part and grow… mushroom!”

The lead farmer, who recently received diagnoses of autism and ADHD, said creating the farm had been a major personal achievement.

He said: “After two years of hard work, I’ve finally turned this space into something positive for the community.

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“I really want to make the mushroom farm a success and create something that helps feed Oxford while bringing people together through food, science, art and nature.”

The launch saw visitors tour the farm and see the gourmet mushrooms growing with music and food on offer.

As well as mushrooms, shoppers can also buy kits so that mushrooms can be grown at home with a range of dried mushrooms also being worked upon.

Products can be purchased at the farm or delivered directly to people’s homes.

The Witney Chamber of Commerce is asking local people to respond to its ‘Transport and Movement Survey’ which comes after the publication of Oxfordshire County Council’s controversial Local Transport and Connectivity Plan for the West Oxfordshire Lowlands.

A row has broken out following the publication of the consultation which is running until June 2.

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The consultation document states: “The availability of free parking discourages the use of alternative modes of transport for short journeys, as people have the ability to do so.”

It adds: “We need to work proactively with community, local stakeholders and businesses to explore options to manage car parking (e.g. removal/ limiting of free parking, re-locating car parking, reducing parking stock) while at the same time protecting the rural local economy.”

Some have taken this as a plan to remove free parking across west Oxfordshire, including Witney, although the county council has said that there are no current plans to change existing parking arrangements.

Witney and District Chamber of Commerce chair Adrian Bullock (Image: Witney and District Chamber of Commerce)

In response, a chamber of commerce spokesperson said on social media: “The main item we want to point out is this plan notes there is very high car use across the region.

“They accept that the aging population and rural setting means car dependency is high YET puts the car at the bottom of a pyramid of hierarchy of transport options.”

The chamber added that there was an “inferred threat” within the consultation to car parking.

A spokesperson for the county council said: “Any potential changes to parking would only be considered in locations that have a good level of access by other modes of transport, prior to future schemes being implemented.”

Free parking in West Oxfordshire is ‘under threat’, it has been claimed. (Image: WODC)

Adrian Bullock, chair of the chamber of commerce, has said the group is working on its own paper about transport in Witney and its surroundings.

As such, a survey has been launched to find out whether local businesses and residents support ongoing transport policy in the region and to feed into the chamber’s own work.

Respondents can take part through the organisation’s website here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KWJXCRH

A statement said: “While we as an organisation represent businesses, our members are employers as well so the needs of residents who work in the area are just as vital to these documents.

“We are not a political organisation, we do not wish to engage in rhetoric, opinions or ideology.

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“We do want to understand as best we can what the people of this area need and want when it comes to getting around.

“To this end we are asking you to complete this survey so we are better informed on your needs and can represent this further to those that are responsible for managing our transport network.”

As well as free parking, the chamber of commerce has spoken out on ongoing construction work on Witney High Street and parking provision within the town.

Phoenix Software has been named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Development by Great Place to Work, ranking seventh in the large company category.

The result improves on Phoenix’s previous position of 11th and extends a run of workplace recognitions for the York-based technology reseller and services provider.

Great Place to Work bases the ranking on confidential employee feedback rather than external judging. To qualify, organisations must score at least 65% on a development index drawn from five employee measures: training, access to resources, fairness in promotion, the absence of managerial favouritism, and trust in management.

The responses test whether staff believe they have meaningful opportunities to progress and whether workplace systems support that progression.

Phoenix said its approach to employee development centres on regular manager contact and individual plans. All employees have monthly one-to-one meetings with line managers, alongside personal development plans to track training, goals and potential progression.

It added that promotion decisions are based on merit and potential rather than tenure. That reflects several of the survey statements used in the ranking, including whether promotions go to those who most deserve them and whether managers avoid favouritism.

Workplace ranking

The latest recognition adds to a broader set of workplace awards for Phoenix. Earlier this year, it placed fourth in the large company category on the UK’s Best Workplaces list, and it has also appeared in rankings focused on the technology sector and on women in the workplace.

Phoenix operates in software licensing, hardware, software asset management and managed IT services. It says it has more than 30 years of experience and works with customers on IT strategy, deployment, licence management, cost control, artificial intelligence and cyber security.

The ranking is significant in part because labour retention and skills development have become more prominent issues across the UK technology sector. Employers have faced pressure to show clear progression routes and stronger internal development as competition for experienced staff remains intense.

For companies in IT services and software sales, staff development can also affect customer relationships. Teams often need to keep pace with changing vendor programmes, compliance requirements and new technologies, meaning training and internal mobility have direct operational consequences.

Phoenix’s result suggests its workforce rated the company strongly on those development measures compared with peers in the large company category. Great Place to Work’s methodology puts employee perception at the centre of the ranking, making staff sentiment the deciding factor.

That distinguishes the list from honours based on written submissions or judging panels. In this case, the outcome depended on how Phoenix employees assessed day-to-day management practices and their own prospects for growth within the company.

In a statement accompanying the recognition, Clare Metcalfe, managing director of Phoenix, outlined the company’s view of development.

“We are immensely proud to be recognised as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Development for another year. But this is more than a badge; we see it as a baseline that we’re determined to keep building upon. We remain committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, supported and inspired to do their best work. We’re continuing to invest in the tools, structures and culture that make Phoenix a place where people can build careers, not just fill roles. This is because we believe that when our people thrive, the organisation thrives. The best outcomes for our customers come from a team that’s genuinely fulfilled, growing and proud of where they work,” Metcalfe said.