Connect and Thrive Live will take place in Cowley on Wednesday, May 27 from 10am to 1pm at the Don Bosco Centre.

It aims to show that a dementia diagnosis does not mean giving up the activities you enjoy.

Organised by Dementia Oxfordshire, a service provided by Age UK Oxfordshire, the event will bring together organisations, community groups, and activity providers from across the county.

Information stands will offer details about a wide range of activities, from art classes to inclusive choirs, book groups to days out.

A programme of taster sessions will run throughout the morning, including Tai Chi, poetry workshops, and a seated dance class.

These are designed to encourage guests to try new things in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Attendees can also enjoy refreshments from a Paris-themed café and relax to live music in a friendly setting.

The event is free to attend, and all are welcome.

Seats are up for grabs on Oxford City Council, Cherwell District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council in the county today, Thursday, May 7.

Across England, Scotland and Wales, more than 5,000 council seats hang in the balance today in the largest set of contests since the 2024 general election.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire elections – what is needed to vote confirmed

Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm, and voters will need to take ID to be able to vote.

Voters go to the polls today, May 7 in Scotland, Wales and many parts of England

Voters do not need to take poll cards with them to vote, but should have received them according to the local authorities with seats up for grabs.

Oxford City Council has 48 councillors in total and two in each of the city’s 24 wards.

Half of the city council’s seats, one councillor per ward, are elected every two years and serve four year terms. Today, 24 council seats are contested.

READ MORE: Oxford City Council election – List of candidates revealed | Oxford Mail

The count is expected to take place overnight for the city, and will decide the political makeup of the council in what is expected to be its last ever election ahead of local government reorganisation.

Candidates for the city are standing for all parties, including Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, Greens, Independent Oxford Alliance and Reform UK.

The full list, broken down by ward, is available on the Oxford City Council website.

Polling Station (Peter Byrne/PA) (Image: Peter Byrne/PA)

In Cherwell District Council, a third of seats are up for grabs on the council which has been under no overall control since 2023, but is currently led by the Liberal Democrats.

READ MORE: What’s at stake at the 2026 local elections in Cherwell?

Eighteen seats are being contested across 16 wards, with two councillors to be elected in both Banbury Calthorpe & Easington and Bicester West.

In total, 95 candidates are standing: 18 each from the Green Party, Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK, 13 from Labour, eight from the Independent Party, and one each from the Animal Welfare Party and the Social Democratic Party.

The count is expected to take place tomorrow, Friday, May 8, with results coming in during the afternoon.

Similarly, West Oxfordshire District Council is currently run by a Liberal Democrat minority.

READ MORE: Local elections 2026 – what’s at stake in West Oxfordshire?

Of its 49 councillors, 16 are up for election in this cycle, a third of the council.

A total of 102 candidates are standing, representing parties across the political spectrum, to contest 21 seats currently held by the Liberal Democrats, four by Conservatives, two by Labour, one Green and one Reform.

Across the county, Labour under Keir Starmer’s premiership are expected to suffer a sweeping downturn, with major seat gains for candidates outside the main parties, including Reform and Greens.

Joining the ranks of Primark, TK Maxx, John Lewis and more, the toy shop is the latest addition to the city centre retail spot.

A spokeswoman for the Westgate previously confirmed that the shop will be opening in “early May”.

Then in February, hoardings started to appear, covering the empty ground-floor unit, which Lego is set to move into.

READ MORE: Look inside new Lego store opening at Westgate Oxford today

Queues outside the new Lego store at Westgate Oxford on Thursday morning. (Image: Newsquest)

With interest high in the shop, it was then revealed in the past few weeks that the official opening day would be today (Thursday, May 7).

The day has now rolled around, and excited shoppers have arrived in their droves with huge crowds forming outside the new Lego store this morning.

Customers could be seen queueing outside the shop, all the way through the entrance/exit to the shopping centre, located adjacent to the store.

Crowds became so big that shoppers then started to queue outside the Westgate itself on the pavement on Old Greyfriars Street.

READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson signs exclusive major deal with supermarket giant

Queues outside the new Lego store at Westgate Oxford on Thursday morning. (Image: Newsquest)

The Oxford Mail was given an exclusive look around the new Lego store last night (Wednesday, May 6) and spoke to manager Will Wylie.

“You’re always a bit nervous but excited too because of the buzz it creates, and I have thrived on that from previous jobs,” he said.

“I’m unbelievably excited, as when you love something, it’s a lot easier to work with it.

“As a kid, I had Jurassic Park Lego as well as the Harry Potter train set from the early 2000s, so to be able to work and sell it now is a dream come true.”