A concert from Wally Ukes was due to take place in Castle Gardens in Wallingford this Sunday, June 7, part of the Castle Gardens Concerts series which are played throughout the summer.

The free-to-attend events proved popular last year, with many locals turning out to hear some of the town’s bands and musical groups perform.

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But this week’s concert – the first in the 2026 series – has been cancelled just days in advance due to ‘poor weather’.

A statement from Wallingford Town Council, who organise the concerts in the council-owned gardens, said: “Unfortunately, due to the forecast of poor weather this weekend, the Wally Ukes concert planned for Sunday, June 7 in Castle Gardens has been cancelled.

“We apologise for any disappointment and hope to welcome the Wally Ukes back at a future date.”

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The Met Office weather forecast for Wallingford on Sunday is ‘sunny intervals’ throughout the day, a feels-like temperature of 16 degrees Celsius and a 30 per cent chance of rain at 10pm.

Castle Gardens Concert series’ next event will be performed by Cholsey Silver Band on Sunday, June 21 from 3pm to 5pm, with free entry.

Attendees are invited to bring a chair of picnic blanket and enjoy ‘an afternoon of live music in the heart of Wallingford’.

The new cafe will be coming to the Wittenham Clumps, near Didcot and Wallingford, possibly as soon as September this year, as part of its new Gateway to Nature Project.

A new visitor hub is set to include a seven-day-a-week cafe, serving hot and cold food as well as drinks and other refreshments.

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The Gateway to Nature project also includes improved paring and vehicle access from Sire Hill to the visitor centre and a new paid-access adventure play experience for families.

It comes as a package of plans designed to improve the welcome starting point to the landscape around the Wittenham Clumps to help more people feel confident accessing it.

Wittenham Clumps in South Oxfordshire (Image: Roy Pyniger)

A statement from Earth Trust said: “We are improving access to this landscape so more people can enjoy it safely and sustainably.

“The existing access, parking and visitor facilities are no longer fit for purpose, and visitor pressure has increased.  

“Now is the right time because we have secured funding, completed the necessary surveys and design work, and aligned this project with our long-term land management and visitor experience strategy.”

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A job advert has revealed the organisation is looking for staff members to join the cafe team, including the manager of the ‘grab-and-go’ cafe which will offer fresh, locally sourced, pre-prepared food and drink.

The cafe is expected to serve around 30,000 customers every year as part of a 364-day visitor operation.

Earth Trust has been approached for comment.

TV network AMC is launching a Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channel soon.

FAST offers free, linear, ad-supported TV programming that you can stream without a subscription.

The news was announced at the SXSW London event, with the channel expected to launch this month across multiple UK FAST platforms.

AMC to launch new channel in UK airing The Walking Dead

Popular AMC shows The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead will air for free on the new channel.

The Walking Dead debuted on TV back in 2010, airing internationally on Fox International Channels.

Following the closure of the Fox channel in the UK and Ireland, the 11th and final season was released on the Star hub on Disney+.

The post-apocalyptic horror drama is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman and stars Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes.

It had a large ensemble cast as survivors of a zombie apocalypse trying to stay alive from both zombies, known as “walkers”, as well as human threats.

The Walking Dead won many awards over the years before the series ended in 2023.

Its first spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead, premiered in 2015 and also ended in 2023, after the conclusion of the eighth and final season.

Further spin-offs have since aired, such as The Walking Dead: Dead City, starring Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Maggie and Negan, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, with Norman Reedus returning as the titular character.

Tom Keaveney, managing director and EVP at AMC Global Media UK, said: “The Walking Dead Universe has one of the most passionate fanbases in television, and FAST lets us open that world up to everyone.

“Launching this channel reflects our broader strategy to meet viewers wherever they are with access to premium content across free, ad-supported environments.

“Widening access and discovery alongside our continued investment in broadcast television are core to our UK business.

“We are making great storytelling free to watch, and easier to find.”

Platform partners for The Walking Dead Universe FAST channel will be confirmed separately, with more updates coming soon.

Other free channels added to UK TVs

The new Walking Dead channel is not the only free channel added to millions of UK TVs recently.

Virgin TV has launched two brand-new 24/7 channels that are available free of charge for current customers.

Both are brand-new streaming channels, with the first being The first is 8 out of 10 Cats, on channel 250.

The second is a Pointless channel, showing the popular BBC gameshow, on channel 251.

The channels can be found on the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG).

Millions of Samsung smart TVs have also received a free upgrade recently.

The new offerings are part of Samsung TV Plus, a free streaming service integrated into Samsung smart TVs and selected Galaxy devices.

Wrestling enthusiasts can now enjoy Wrestling Legends TV, a channel dedicated to WWE programming and behind-the-scenes content, accessible on channel 4613.

Eurovision Sport has also been launched on channel 4611, providing Olympic sports coverage, highlights, and documentaries at no extra cost.

Additionally, fans of Korean dramas can tune into new channels from Series K on channels 4254 and 4259, offering a variety of box sets and shows.

Football supporters are not left out, as a Bundesliga channel is currently showing live matches and highlights on channel 4003 during a promotional period.

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Samsung’s free streaming service is available on all Samsung Smart TVs from 2016 onwards and Samsung Galaxy Devices: Mobile & Tablet – Android 11.0 or higher.

You can watch free TV without a Samsung account, but creating one unlocks extra features.

Did you watch The Walking Dead when it aired? Let us know in the comments.