Oxford News
Oxfordshire: Alerts and cancelled events amidst heatwave
The first casualty of the extreme heat was the 12th Annual ‘Have A Go Festival’, which was cancelled due to severe weather risks.
An amber weather warning for extreme heat was issued across Oxfordshire, pushing the event organisers to call off the festival over safety concerns.
The event, a free inclusive sports day geared towards individuals with learning disabilities, was due to take place on Thursday, July 9, at the Horspath Athletics Track.
Organisers, which include the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and the charity Active Oxfordshire, cited the open-air location’s lack of shade as a central safety concern for vulnerable attendees.
Bicester Methodist Church also announced the closure of its ‘Open Doors Café’ on Friday, July 10, due to the forecasted extreme heat, prioritising the health and safety of its volunteers and patrons.
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Alerts have been issued by the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust about the high temperatures impacting the demand for its services.
The ambulance service issued a reminder to residents to only use 999 in life-threatening emergencies.
They also advised people to use the NHS 111 online service for urgent medical advice if it’s not a life-threatening emergency, and to approach local pharmacists for advice on minor illnesses and common summer ailments.
Rail services have not gone unaffected.
Chiltern Railways has warned passengers about the heat expected over the next few days, advising them to stay hydrated and to get off at the next staffed station and seek help if they start feeling unwell.
The soaring temperatures are not just a risk to humans but wildlife too.
Brackley & District Angling Club decided to put a halt to carp fishing due to the rising water temperature and falling oxygen levels, a preventive step to protect their fish stocks.
There have also been warnings for pet owners from the RSPCA.
They said the extreme weather expected over Wales and England can be particularly hazardous for animals.
Pet experts recommend a ‘dog lockdown’ for the coming days, highlighting that temperatures in the high 20s can pose a serious threat to pets.
With forecasted temperatures set to reach up to 29C on Sunday before going into the low 30s on weekdays, the South East could see a peak of up to 34C on Thursday or Friday.
Swimmers are advised to exercise caution after the body of a 14-year-old boy, named locally as Baltazar L’Quy, died in the River Thames in Oxford in May, bringing the total number of people who died in water-related incidents during the hot weather to at least 11.
No updates have been issued on any change in household waste and recycling centres, school closures, or road and driving conditions by Oxfordshire County Council.
St Amand’s Catholic Primary School in East Hendred has said it will be closing at 12.30pm tomorrow (Friday, July 10) due to “severe weather”.
Temperatures are set to hit 33°C in Oxford and will be hotter across the country with the record for the number of days the UK has seen 34°C or higher in a calendar year having now been broken.
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Currently St Amand’s is the only school to have announced a closure to the county council, although some have already broken up for the summer holidays.
During the last heatwave in June hundreds of schools across the county announced full or partial closures over several days.
This was amid record-breaking 34°C conditions.
The results of the 2026 GP Patient Survey for NHS England were released today (Thursday, July 9) containing data including how easy patients find it to contact their GP as well as reception and administration ratings.
The public also gave their views of the ‘overall experience’ of their local GP surgery, ranking them very good, fairly good, neither good nor poor, fairly poor and very poor.
Almost 3 million surveys were distributed by market research agency Ipsos with around 650,000 responses received in England between January and April.
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On average 46 per cent of people gave their GP the highest grade, while only 4 per cent gave their GP the lowest.
In Oxfordshire the best performing GP surgery was Wychwood in Shipton-under-Wychwood, with 90 per cent of respondents rating it very good and none giving it a fairly or very poor rating.
Berinsfield Health Centre near Wallingford also performed well with an 88 per cent very good rating as did Cropredy Surgery on 86 per cent and Sibford on 85 per cent.
The Bell and Islip both received 80 per cent very good ratings.
Technically the worst performing GP surgery in Oxfordshire was Luther Street Medical Practice in Oxford with 14 per cent of respondents calling it very poor.
However only 4 per cent of its patients asked filled in the survey with 55 per cent of them in fact giving it the highest grade, above the national average.
Another Oxford-based surgery, Temple Cowley, wasn’t far behind with 13 per cent saying it is very poor.
Around a quarter of those asked filled in the NHS survey for Temple Cowley (more than the national average), with 3 per cent rating it fairly poor and 12 per cent saying it’s neither good nor poor.
Also performing badly were Nuffield Health Centre in Witney and Woodlands Medical Centre in Didcot, which both received 10 per cent very poor scores.
At Oak Tree Health Centre in Didcot, 8 per cent of patients thought it was very poor.
The survey also revealed that a rising number of people are turning to online GP services to get in touch with their local surgery.
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Some 31 per cent of people contacted their GP service online when they needed care, up from 22 per cent in 2025 and 17 per cent in 2024.
About 69 per cent said the wait for their last appointment was “about right”.
Almost three-quarters (74 per cent) said their last appointment was face to face, up from 69 per cent in 2024.
And 23 per cent were dealt with over the phone, down from 29 per cent.
Great Western Railway has said that damage on overhead electric wires has caused mass disruption on lines between Reading and Paddington, with Oxford commuters often using that route.
A spokesperson said: “Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between London Paddington and Reading all lines are blocked.
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“Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”
Indeed, the majority of trains between the stations are delayed and several have been cancelled.
In addition, the railway company has said trains between Gatwick Airport and Reading may be cancelled, due to repairs.
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