Oxford News
Pulhams launches contactless tap-on tap-off payment system
Passengers will be able to use the new Freeflow system starting Sunday, July 26, making bus journeys faster and more convenient.
The move follows successful rollouts by sister operators Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel.
Luke Marion, managing director of Pulhams, said: “This is another important step in our ongoing investment in modern ticketing technology.
“We continue to embrace technology and ensure our services are fully accessible.
“With Freeflow, passengers simply tap on and tap off, and the system calculates the best possible fare for their journey.
“It removes the need to carry the right money or choose the correct ticket, and it helps speed up boarding, so journeys are faster and more convenient.”
Developed in partnership with Ticketer, the hardware has been funded by Gloucestershire County Council.
The system works with contactless bank cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
Freeflow automatically calculates the correct fare based on distance travelled and supports daily and weekly fare capping.
Councillor Roger Whyborn, cabinet member for sustainable transport at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “We want to make using the bus as simple and convenient as possible, and this new tap on, tap off system is a great example of how technology can improve the passenger experience.
“It speeds up boarding and helps ensure people always get the best value for their journey.”
The scheme is part of Pulhams’ wider efforts to modernise its ticketing offer and will be available across most of its network.
Oxford News
Drones used amid Hollywood star’s Soho Farmhouse emergency
During a visit to the Oxfordshire retreat, The Sun has revealed that actor Barry Keoghan’s beloved sausage dog was lost.
The Irish actor is well known for his roles in Dunkirk, Saltburn and the Peaky Blinders movie, and is set to play Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes’ quadrilogy about The Beatles.
READ MORE: Bake Off stars Nigella Lawson and Paul Hollywood ‘not getting on’
He was at exclusive members’ club and hotel Soho Farmhouse for a photoshoot with GQ Magazine.
However, at the club, a cleaner accidentally let his puppy out of his room, with the dog subsequently bolting into surrounding fields.
Soho Farmhouse (Image: Oxford Mail)
A drone was used to locate the dog, which was eventually found, with an insider telling The Sun that Mr Keoghan was “incredibly upset”.
Soho Farmhouse is widely regarded as being a popular haunt of A-list celebrities, and one of its London venues was reportedly where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first date.
READ MORE: UK jobs ‘lost’ as John Lewis kitchen firm collapses with £3.8 million debts
Near to the home of David and Victoria Beckham, The Spice Girls recently reunited there for Emma Bunton’s 50th birthday.
Posh Spice shared a post to Instagram to her nearly 40 million followers of herself with Ms Bunton, Geri Halliwell-Horner, who lives near Banbury, and Melanie Chisholm.
The venue has won a number of accolades, with it recently being named one of the best in the Cotswolds in lists by Conde Nast Traveller (CNT) and Vogue.
Oxford News
Bake Off’s Nigella Lawson and Paul Hollywood ‘not getting on’
Seasoned judge Mr Hollywood and newbie Ms Lawson have been filming for the new series of The Great British Bake Off and – according to a source for the Mail Online – “they aren’t really getting on too well”.
The latest season is expected to be shown on Channel 4 in September, although the dates for episodes have not yet been revealed.
READ MORE: Cotswolds car company announces liquidation amid £111,000 debts
There is some anticipation for it as Ms Lawson replaces Prue Leith, who stepped down as a judge at the end of the last series.
The 66-year-old has strong Oxford connections as she was once a student at the Oxford University college Lady Margaret Hall.
Paul Hollywood. (Image: PA)
Ms Lawson read Modern Languages, edited the student magazine Isis, later saving it from financial trouble, and graduated in 1979.
Mr Hollywood has been a judge since the series first aired on the BBC in 2010, sharing the role with Mary Berry and then Ms Leith.
Having struck up a rapport with both, he is getting on less well with Ms Lawson according to Mail Online, partially because he uses a helicopter to commute from his Kent home to the fabled Bake Off tent.
The Bake Off tent (Image: The Great British Bake Off)
The paper’s sources say she finds it “all rather cringe” and that there has been “some sniggering behind the scenes”, although this is not confirmed as being from Ms Lawson.
READ MORE: Television legend Jeremy Clarkson, 66, opens up on difficulties
On the other hand, 60-year-old Mr Hollywood is apparently “put out” by her arrival as she takes some of his limelight.
The source for the Mail said: “He loves himself and revels in being the top dog.”
This will be the 17th series of The Great British Bake Off and it will be presented by Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond.
Oxford News
Oxford Museum of Natural History announce dinosaur exhibits
Timed to coincide with the completion of the museum’s largest redisplay project in its 165-year history, the new displays will open to the public on Monday, July 20.
They feature three long-lost creatures from Oxfordshire, including the world’s first named dinosaur, Megalosaurus.
Dr Gavin Svenson, director of the Museum of Natural History, said: “‘Life, as we know it’ has been a long-term effort to rethink how we present the natural world to our visitors, and it is a pleasure to see that vision now fully realised.
“The new displays bring together thousands of specimens to tell some of the most important stories in science, from the history of life on Earth to the extraordinary diversity of the natural world today.
“We hope they will inspire curiosity, encourage discovery and help visitors of all ages see their place within the wider story of our planet.”
The Megalosaurus was discovered in Stonesfield in the late 18th century and was named in 1824 after analysis by Oxford professor William Buckland.
Visitors will be able to view its fossil remains, including the famous lower jawbone, as part of the museum’s new prehistoric ecosystem displays, supported by Biffa Award.
The final phase of the ‘Life, as we know it’ project also features Eustreptospondylus, a predatory dinosaur unearthed in Summertown in 1870.
This specimen will be displayed for the first time as a fully articulated skeleton, developed through collaboration with the University of Chicago using a mix of fossil material, digital modelling, and 3D printing.
A third dinosaur, Cumnoria, discovered in Cumnor in 1879, will also feature in the fossilisation showcase.
In total, the project includes 48 new displays within 24 modern cases, covering themes such as biodiversity, ecosystems, and evolution.
Interactive elements include touchable mineral specimens and ‘Prehistoric Diver,’ a digital experience that lets visitors explore ancient ocean ecosystems aboard a virtual submarine.
Rachel Maidment, grants manager at Biffa Award, said: “We are delighted to have supported the final phase of the Museum of Natural History’s ‘Life, as we know it’ redisplay project through the Landfill Communities Fund.
“This ambitious programme will help visitors of all ages explore the story of life on Earth, while improving access to nationally significant collections and creating lasting benefits for communities.
“Biffa Award is proud to fund projects that build communities and transform lives, and this remarkable new display is a fitting example of that mission in action.”
The museum, which welcomed more than 877,000 visitors last year, is housed in a neo-Gothic building and remains free to enter.
-
Oxford News3 weeks agoJune heatwave would be ‘virtually impossible’ in 1976
-
Oxford Events3 weeks agoStage Watch: ‘I think we need much more laughter in the world’ says John Cleese
-
UK News4 weeks agoDriver killed in Bedford train crash named
-
UK News4 weeks agoCCTV shows moments leading up to arrest in anti-Muslim attacks probe
-
Oxford Events3 weeks agoStage Watch: Lord of the Dance celebrating 30 years with spectacular return to Oxford
-
Oxford Events3 weeks agoOxford’s traffic filters questions answered
-
Oxford Events3 weeks agoWhat’s on in Oxford & Oxfordshire this July
-
UK News4 weeks agoSpain v Saudi Arabia: World Cup 2026 – live | World Cup 2026
