The Aspen Building, a £9 million investment by The Oxford Trust, will officially open on July 17 at the Wood Centre for Innovation in Oxford.

Dame Anneliese Dodds MP will formally open the site, while the Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire Marjorie Glasgow, the leader of Oxford City Council Susan Brown, and the Lord Mayor of Oxford Chewe Munkonge will also attend the event.

The facility offers containment level 2 laboratory space and flexible offices for science and technology businesses.

It also features a dedicated STEM resources room to support Science Oxford’s education outreach work.

The project supports The Oxford Trust’s mission to help science companies start, scale, and remain in the city while reinvesting in public science education.

In 2025, the Trust supported 28 science and technology firms employing 350 people.

Its education programmes engaged more than 32,000 young people, families, and community participants.

Staff at Shrivenham’s Post Office, originally based at 32 High Street, bid farewell to the building after owners Mathew and Sarah shut their doors after 16 years.

But residents with parcels and letters to send didn’t have to wait long as the post office was just changing address.

The opening of the post office, now based at the former Lloyds Bank building on the High Street, was marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony with local MP, Charlie Maynard, and a Post Office Chief Executive.

Charlie Maynard, MP for Witney, said: “Delighted to officially open the new Shrivenham Post Office.

It was a pleasure to cut the ribbon at the new home of Shrivenham Post Office, which has moved into the former Lloyds Bank building on the High Street.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire county council and five district councils gone: What does this mean?

The post office in its former building at 32 High Street (Image: Google Maps)

“Congratulations to Sarah and Matthew Thorne, whose dedication and hard work have helped the Post Office grow into a thriving hub for the village. Their new premises provide much more space to meet increasing demand for parcel services, everyday banking, and a wider range of retail products.

“It’s particularly encouraging to see a former bank building brought back into use in a way that continues to serve the community.

“With no banks left in the village, the Post Office plays an essential role, providing access to banking services for residents and local businesses alike.

“Wishing Sarah, Matthew and the whole team every success in their fantastic new premises.

“Here’s to many more years of serving the Shrivenham community.”

The reopning of the village’s post office comes after the closure of Chalgrove Post Office in January, after 24 years, and the recent closure of the East Hagbourne Post Office counter, which has prompted significant community concerns and calls for the Post Office to reconsider its decision.

Dr Lennard Lee, an honorary consultant medical oncologist at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) and associate professor at the University of Oxford, received national recognition as one of the top three investigator-led research projects in the country at the Royal College of Physicians’ Excellence in Patient Care Awards 2026.

The award celebrates his leadership of the UK Cancer Vaccine Advance programme, a national collaboration involving the NHS, academia, government, and industry to accelerate personalised cancer vaccine development.

Dr Lee said: “We are now seeing leading scientists from across the UK bringing their expertise together to accelerate cancer vaccine research.

“That has become one of the country’s great scientific success stories.”

The programme aims to enrol more than 10,000 cancer patients in clinical trials, using AI, UK supercomputing, and laboratory automation to speed up the discovery and production of new treatments.

Dr Lee said: “It has been an enormous privilege to lead this work while continuing to care for patients as a consultant medical oncologist at OUH.

“Keeping patients at the centre of everything we do has enabled us to build a truly national programme that is accelerating clinical trials, bringing together AI, supercomputing and medicine, and creating the opportunity to deliver new cancer vaccines for the NHS.”

Professor Andrew Brent, chief medical officer at OUH, praised Dr Lee’s ‘well-deserved national recognition’.

He said: “His work demonstrates the extraordinary impact that can be achieved when clinical expertise, scientific innovation and cutting-edge technology come together with a clear focus on improving patient care.”