PURE Spa Witney Lakes has been named alongside the best in the globe by SpaSeekers.com, a spa booking agency.

Found to catch the eye more than almost every other spa in the UK, the Oxfordshire spot ranked third in the country.

This was only behind the likes of Hoar Cross Hall in the Midlands and Cheshire’s Carden Park.

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Set within the Oxfordshire countryside and bordering the Cotswolds, the agency says it provides a truly luxurious spa experience.

The results of the study come as Google searches for “relaxing holidays” are up by 353 per cent in the last month alone.

The study took images of 50 spas that are often revered online for their eye-catching aesthetics and analysed which spots grab people’s attention the quickest, as well as holding it the longest.

READ MORE: Former Oxford University student ‘swung sledgehammer at police officer’

Spa therapist Maddie Evans said: “Whether you’re planning a bucket list holiday or for a special birthday treat, a visit to a spa can make the occasion even more memorable, especially when the surroundings are just as impressive as the treatments on offer.

“These spas double up as a form of sightseeing and allow you to take in breath-taking views while relaxing.

“With so many spas around the world, there’s also something for everyone – so whether you love the sound of tropical hot springs in New Zealand or a forest getaway in England, there’s always going to be something for you, and we hope our research helps to provide inspiration for your next trip.”

Samuel Corner, a Palestine Action activist, is accused of injuring a police officer at the UK site of an Israel-based defence firm.

He has now said he swung a sledgehammer at her to “protect” a fellow participant who he thought was being “seriously hurt”.

The 23-year-old told jurors at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday he “would never want to seriously hurt anyone”, and denied it was part of a plan to use violence against people during the raid.

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A stock photo of a sledgehammer. (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Corner said he brought the tool down on Police Sergeant Kate Evans after he heard “someone screaming” and feared they were being injured by security guards during the raid at the Elbit Systems site near Bristol on August 6, 2024.

Alongside the former Oxford student, Charlotte Head, 30, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, are on trial, accused of criminal damage over the incident.

Corner, a former linguistics and philosophy student at Oxford University, faces a further charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Sgt Evans, which he denies.

In his evidence, Corner told jurors the intention of the raid was to “shut Elbit down” so it could no longer make weapons from the site.

Asked by defence barrister Tom Wainwright what he intended to do on the day of the incident, he said: “We intended to destroy weapons and things needed to make weapons which we believed were going to be used to cause death and destruction.”

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A female police officer was involved in the incident (stock photo). (Image: Newsquest Archive)

Asked what he thought the weapons were being used for, he said: “To cause death and devastation. Kill people, injure people.”

Jurors previously heard that Corner hit Sgt Evans in the back with the sledgehammer as she was on her knees trying to arrest Rogers.

Mr Wainwright asked the defendant why he swung the sledgehammer at the officer, and he replied: “To protect. I heard someone screaming… and I thought she was being seriously hurt by security.”

The barrister asked Corner what he had hoped to achieve in “bringing the sledgehammer down in the way you did”.

In response, he said: “To protect her.”

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He added: “I would never want to seriously hurt anyone.”

The court previously heard that Sgt Evans suffered a fractured spine when Corner hit her with the sledgehammer.

Corner was sprayed “straight in the face” with an incapacitant after police arrived at the factory, he told jurors.

He said: “I immediately couldn’t open my eyes or see. Luckily, I could walk away and not hit anything, but there was just all-consuming pain in my face.”

He told the court the organisers of the action told participants “we wouldn’t have to worry” about security guards during the demonstration.

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The court heard that Corner discovered Palestine Action in 2020 after coming across a video of the group on YouTube.

Mr Wainwright asked him: “What did you know about the type of action they carried out?”

Corner said: “I knew that they would go to these arms factories and occupy them and destroy weapons and other things inside them.”

Mr Wainwright asked him: “So far as you were aware, did the action involve violence to people?”

In response, Corner said: “No.”

Jurors were previously told that the defendants allegedly crashed into shutters outside the factory in a prison van, which was driven by Head and used “as a battering ram”.

Once inside, they used sledgehammers and crowbars to destroy computers, drones and other equipment, and sprayed the walls and floor with red paint using fire extinguishers, the court heard.

The defendants deny all charges, and the trial continues.

Performing on Saturday, April 18 at the shopping centre, the Charlotte Mendly Voice Centre Choir from Nottinghamshire sang from 12.30pm to 1.15pm.

Originally set up in 2012, the choir has released a charity single and won the choir class at Selston Music Festival 2019.

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A spokesperson for the choir called its Oxford tour “unforgettable” and “filled with laughter”.

After the choir’s performance at the Westgate, the group then performed at St Michael’s at the North Gate, sharing the space with a Ukrainian choir.

A spokesperson said: “It was such a special experience bringing music and cultures together.”

On Sunday, April 19, the group then performed at Oxford Castle.