Oxford News
England flags – national pride or public nuisance?
Controversially, it was revealed in January that Oxfordshire County Council spent £14,800 removing 332 flags across the county – the equivalent of around £44 to remove each flag.
The authority previously warned the public that placing flags or painting them on or near highways can create “serious safety hazards”.
Among the areas where flags have been placed in Oxfordshire include around the Headington Roundabout in Oxford and in towns such as Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage.
St George flags were also painted on the mini roundabouts at Marcham Road and Ock Street in August, when the movement was at its height.
The council has confirmed it has received more than 200 complaints regarding Union Jack and St George’s flags on lampposts.
In January, Oxford Labour councillor Susanna Pressel was caught in a secret recording urging for police to “lie in wait and nab the b******* who are reinstalling them so quickly”.
It caused controversy, but activists then turned up to her street and raised extra flags – leading to safety concerns for Ms Pressel.
The Oxfordshire Raise the Colours group recently said on social media: “It is the council taking our flags down, we will not surrender, we will always find a way to stop you.”
And according to Oxfordshire County Council, workmen hiding their identity with face coverings have encountered “aggressive behaviour” from some individuals when taking down the flags.
But what do you think about having England flags up in your area? Is it national pride or a public nuisance? Let us know in the comments below.
UNESCO first adopted March 21 as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
The heritage organisation said: “World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.”
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This time on Looking Back, we’ve found a selection of fantastic poetry celebrations in Oxfordshire from the year 2014, now 12 years ago.
Language lovers converged for the day of celebration on bookshops, schools, at recitals and conferences.
Take a look back through this Oxford Mail archive gallery to find pictures from a decade ago of World Poetry Day celebrations in Oxfordshire.
We’ve made a gallery of pictures showing all the Oxfordshire spots which have been used for TV and film sets over the years.
Some of the biggest productions filmed here in Oxfordshire include Spectre in the James Bond franchise, which transformed Blenheim Palace in Woodstock into the Palazzo Cardenza in Rome.
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Many period dramas were also created in the county, like the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, which was partly filmed at Chastleton House in the Cotswolds.
Cotswolds villages have been repeatedly transformed and used as filming locations for their historical appeal, like the villages of Brill, Broadwell and Castle Combe.
Find all the pictures in this archive gallery of historic Oxfordshire filming locations here.
Three Year 10 pupils from Aureus School in Didcot travelled to London for the Royal Navy International Women’s Day event, held on HMS President during Careers Week and designed to showcase opportunities within the Royal Navy and beyond.
Students Antonia Pop, Ellie Swan and Tilly Mulvey are all taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
Ellie Swan said: “It was fantastic to see the possible career paths within the Navy.”
Rob Hayden, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award manager at Aureus School, accompanied the students to the event.
He said: “During the day, students had talks from individuals within the Navy and from guest speakers, including Hannah Botterman, who last year won both the Rugby World Cup and the Six Nations with England.”
He said: “Students also had the chance to network with the speakers and other attendees.
“The event showed the students a wide range of inspirational females within the Navy and other careers.”
Aureus School, part of the GLF Schools multi-academy trust, says its vision is focused on ‘cultivating ambition’ and ‘high standards for all’.
Headteacher Kirsty Rogers says the Didcot-based co-educational comprehensive has undergone a ‘transformative journey’, creating a community where students feel a strong sense of belonging. She emphasises inclusivity, high expectations, and a broad curriculum that encourages ambition, resilience and respect, supported by dedicated staff and diverse extra-curricular opportunities.
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