Alex Scott, the head brewer at Loose Cannon Brewery in Abingdon, said the award at the Midlands & West Indie Beer Awards 2026 reflected the “hard work, skill and commitment” of his team.

The microbrewery in Suffolk Way was handed the overall gold medal in the cask category for its ‘Cool Name to Follow’, a strong golden IPA with aromas and flavours of citrus and resinous pine. 

READ MORE: Over 50-year-old Christian school in town listed for sale

Mr Scott said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been awarded overall cask champion at the Indie Beer Awards with our 8.0 per cent Double IPA, Cool Name to Follow.

“To also see the same beer take gold in both the bottle & can and keg categories, along with bronze in the overall bottle & can championship, makes the achievement even more special.”

He added: “What makes this particularly meaningful is the standard of the competition.

Alex, Gav and Lou of Loose Cannon Brewery celebrate their win (Image: Loose Cannon Brewery)

“There were so many highly regarded breweries involved, all producing exceptional beer, and that level of quality really highlights just how strong and exciting the independent beer scene is right now”

The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates organised the awards and at the ceremony, held at the Ludlow Spring Festival (May 8-10) the chief executive Andy Slee congratulated Loose Cannon.

READ MORE: Former CEO at Oxford International College charged with £5m fraud

He said: “To win this you have to first win your style category and then go on to be named the best against all other style winners.

“Well done to them and to all of this year’s winners!”

Losse Cannon Brewery opened in 2010 and since then has brewed more than 60 different beers, including Abingdon Bridge which is often served in pubs across Oxfordshire.

iD Mobile and Mental Health UK have launched a campaign urging people to swap text messages for phone calls.

The move follows new research showing that 51% of Britons feel anxious about making or receiving personal calls.

The polling points to a wider shift in communication habits, with messaging now the default for many even when they believe a phone call would be better. A third of respondents said they call much less than they did a decade ago, while 52% wished they called loved ones more often.

On average, Britons send up to 25 text-based messages a day, yet 14% said they had gone more than a week without speaking to a friend or loved one on the phone. That amounts to about 6.4 million people, according to the organisations.

Younger adults reported the highest levels of discomfort with calls. The research found that 69% of Gen Z and 65% of younger millennials feel some level of anxiety around phone conversations, compared with 32% of people aged 55 and over.

The findings suggest convenience is only part of the shift away from voice calls. The most common reasons for choosing a message were speed and convenience, concern about interrupting someone, uncertainty over whether the other person was free to talk, and discomfort with speaking on the phone.

People also said they preferred to think through what they wanted to say before replying, while some felt messaging was less intrusive or more appropriate. Others worried calls would take too long, that they might say the wrong thing, or that they would not know what to say in a live conversation.

The survey also found signs that text-based communication can be more laborious than users expect. Nearly three quarters of respondents said they had rewritten a text several times because it was difficult to express what they meant, while 31% said they sent long messages or several in succession. Some 43% said messages do not always fully convey what they mean or feel.

In hindsight, 57% said they had sent a text when a phone call would have been more appropriate.

The wellbeing link

The research also examined whether voice contact affects how people feel. Two thirds of respondents said they feel more connected after a phone call with someone close to them, while 75% said calls with loved ones boost their mood. A further 72% said hearing someone’s voice makes a bigger difference to how they feel than reading their words, and 79% said a phone call can make a real difference to someone’s mental wellbeing.

Brian Dow, chief executive of Mental Health UK, said: “Messaging might seem more efficient, even more considerate, because you feel like you aren’t interrupting anyone. Yet we know that for many people, a simple phone call provides a much better opportunity to connect and can change someone’s day for the better.”

He added: “The irony is sharp. Many of us choose the format that feels lower effort, then spend longer drafting a message and still fail to communicate what we want to say.”

Dow said: “Connection is one of the most powerful protective factors for mental health, and as this polling shows, speaking to someone helps us feel closer than a text. Many of us have hesitated before making a call, but that hesitation is rarely as big a barrier as we imagine it to be.

“Our loved ones are often very pleased and grateful to receive a call. There is, of course, a time and a place for a message, but there’s a risk we become over-reliant on them at the cost of speaking to one another, and lose out on something that can significantly boost our mental wellbeing.”

Campaign push

To draw attention to the issue, the campaign features broadcaster Big Zuu, who spoke about the role phone conversations can play in maintaining personal connections. The message centres on turning one text that would normally be typed into a phone call instead.

Research suggests there may be some appetite for that change. When asked who they would be most likely to call, 41% said someone they had lost touch with in recent years, 40% said a friend, and 30% said a sibling. Nearly six in 10 respondents said they would be more likely to make a call if they knew it would last five minutes or less.

Big Zuu said: “Life gets busy, and it’s easy to fall into just messaging people with small talk questions and generic responses – I’ve done that loads. But sometimes, picking up the phone and having a proper back and forth makes all the difference.

“There have been times where I haven’t shared how I’m really feeling, but taking the time to make a call can change that. You feel it straight away, it’s more real, more honest, and it stays with you. Even just hearing someone’s voice on the other end of the phone, knowing they’re there, can cut through a lot of the noise. That’s something we shouldn’t lose as a nation.”

Rohit Vedi, managing director of iD Mobile, said: “At iD Mobile, keeping you connected is what we do best – but we know that means more than just signal and data. We’re on our phones more than ever, yet many of us are missing out on the deeper connection that only comes from a real conversation.

“The research shows just how much of a difference hearing a voice can make to our mental health, so we’re inviting the nation to ‘Make it a Call’ this Mental Health Awareness Week. Alongside our friends and partners at Mental Health UK, we hope this campaign, and the longer-term partnership it represents, can help us all feel a little more connected every day.”

Dow said: “We’re not asking people to transform how they communicate. Just to pick up the phone and check in with someone once this week. It might make more difference than you’d imagine, for yourself and for the person on the other end of that call.”

Cotswold Woollen Weavers has said it is offering “heavily discounted” products as its permanent closure at the end of May approaches.

On social media, the popular West Oxfordshire business said there was a rail of sports coats and jackets currently available.

READ MORE: UK motorsport company with Formula One driver links collapses as jobs lost

It said: “We are still heading towards ‘closing to the public’ at the end of May, and we have a rail of sports coats/jackets in a variety of wool and other natural fibres…and all heavily discounted.

“We are open 10am to 6pm every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Do please drop in…still a lot of stock, and all discounted.”

The shop is the last place in in the Cotswolds where traditional wool textiles are still made and has operated from a historic 18th century barn in the village of Filkins since 1982.

A loom used in traditional weaving (Image: NQ)

As well as the store, the site includes a café and museum, and throughout its life has been run by 73-year-old Richard Martin.

On why the business is closing, he said: “Partly because I’m older, and partly because things change and one thinks about other things.

“I’ve been very pleased to do it here, I’ve had a good life and a good time doing what we’re doing, but I guess things change.”

Richard Martin, owner of Cotswold Woollen Weavers, at Witney Blanket Hall in 2015 (Image: NQ)

For the past 15 years, Mr Martin’s wife Trish has joined him working in the Cotswolds, and the two of them saw the opening of the Witney Blanket Hall on the town’s High Street in 2015.

The blanket hall served as the historic workshop and heart of the Witney blanket trade for some 120 years from 1721, and was reinstated as a culture and heritage centre, and a seller of woven wool blankets, by the Cotswolds company.

Witney Blanket Hall will remain open when Cotswold Woollen Weavers closes, as will Mr Martin’s other weaving business in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, which continues making wool with traditional techniques and has supplied the Cotswolds business for the past five years.

Mr Martin said: “We wove at Cotswold Woollen Weavers for 35 years but stopped that full time about five or so years ago.

READ MORE: Over 50-year-old Christian school in town listed for sale

“It was principally because I either had to do everything myself or teach people from scratch – there’s no one around who can already weave or spin.

“Any of the weavers you bring down from West Yorkshire or Wales just can’t afford the house prices here in the Cotswolds – they’re two or three times the price as over there.”

Even so, the Cotswolds centre has remained the hub for the business, where Mr Martin has designed the textiles, produced samples, and greeted visitors.