Oxford News
Fusion energy strategy announced at Tokamak Energy
The strategy includes a £2.5b investment in fusion energy research and development. This will provide a clear path to commercial fusion that could ensure lasting energy security, support more than 10,000 jobs by 2030, drive investment and grow supply chains.
A central element of the plan is the development of the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme to design and build a prototype fusion power plant at the site of the former West Burton A coal-fired power plant station near Retford, which closed in 2023 and is being demolished.
ILIOS consortium was announced as the successful construction partner to develop the site on Monday, with completion expected by 2040. The contract is worth £200m.
Tokamak Energy, founded in 2009, is a spin-out from the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). It designed, built and operates ST40, the highest field spherical tokamak, and Demo4, a world-first high temperature superconducting (HTS) fusion magnet system.
WATCH: ST40 plasma in action: https://vimeo.com/1130255832?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci
Warrick Matthew, Tokamak Energy CEO, said: “Tokamak Energy brings extensive expertise to the race, including power plant-relevant results on our groundbreaking spherical tokamak and world-first high HTS fusion magnet system.
“We are a market leader in the breakthrough HTS technology the STEP fusion programme will rely on to control the plasma.
“Our focus is realising its full potential for fusion and other sectors, including science, defence, transport, and power distribution for enabling next generation data centres – tomorrow’s technology creating growth, jobs, exports and value today.”
As part of the government’s new fusion strategy to position the UK as a global leader in commercial fusion energy, it is also investing £45m into an AI supercomputer.
Lord Patrick Vallance, minister for science, innovation, research and nuclear (Image: Oxford Mail)
Lord Patrick Vallance, minister for science, innovation, research and nuclear, said: “What we’re trying to do across the whole of the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor is to make this one of the world’s greatest innovation zones.
“With 500 companies working in and around fusion, we are already at the forefront of this and getting real investment from the private sector.
“We are starting in a very good position because we know we’ve got some of the greatest mind and companies here, but what we need to do now is grow them and make them sustainable to create local wealth which is going to be important for the area and the future.”
Dr Tim Bestwick, group CEO of the UKAEA said: “The UKAEA Group is focused on delivering across this important national strategy, including key capabilities in world-leading fusion technologies. Our ambitious programmes are progressing the field of fusion and are closely aligned with the Government’s priorities.”
Oxford News
Faringdon school gets new sensory garden thanks to Tesco
The garden has been developed at Folly View Primary School and is designed to support pupil wellbeing, creativity, and personal growth by providing a calming and engaging outdoor space.
Funding for the project was secured through a £1,500 grant from the Tesco Community Grants scheme, made possible by votes from shoppers using blue tokens at the Faringdon store.
Muddy Spades, a local gardening business led by Royston Oxendale, also played a key role in bringing the garden to life by donating plants and building bespoke planters for the space.
Richard Evans, chief executive of Cambrian Learning Trust, said: “This wonderful sensory garden is a testament to what can be achieved when a community comes together with a shared purpose.
“At Cambrian Learning Trust, we are proud to see Folly View Primary School bringing its core values of belonging, kindness, and aspiration to life in such a meaningful way.
“This space will not only enhance pupils’ wellbeing but also inspire curiosity, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning.”
The garden will also support the school’s gardening club, offering pupils hands-on opportunities to care for plants and learn about the environment.
The school has thanked Tesco Faringdon, Muddy Spades, the PTA, and everyone involved in turning the garden into a reality.
Oxford News
Pictures to celebrate World Poetry Day 2026 in Oxfordshire
UNESCO first adopted March 21 as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
The heritage organisation said: “World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.”
READ MORE: Oxford United ‘told to stop new stadium work or face action’
This time on Looking Back, we’ve found a selection of fantastic poetry celebrations in Oxfordshire from the year 2014, now 12 years ago.
Language lovers converged for the day of celebration on bookshops, schools, at recitals and conferences.
Take a look back through this Oxford Mail archive gallery to find pictures from a decade ago of World Poetry Day celebrations in Oxfordshire.
Oxford News
All the Oxfordshire locations used as TV and film sets
We’ve made a gallery of pictures showing all the Oxfordshire spots which have been used for TV and film sets over the years.
Some of the biggest productions filmed here in Oxfordshire include Spectre in the James Bond franchise, which transformed Blenheim Palace in Woodstock into the Palazzo Cardenza in Rome.
Blenheim Palace featured as a key movie set for the James Bond film, Spectre, when it was dressed up as the Palazzo Cardenza in Rome, 2015 (Image: Andrew Walmsley)
READ MORE: Abandoned Oxfordshire home used as drugs den shut down
Many period dramas were also created in the county, like the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, which was partly filmed at Chastleton House in the Cotswolds.
Cotswolds villages have been repeatedly transformed and used as filming locations for their historical appeal, like the villages of Brill, Broadwell and Castle Combe.
Find all the pictures in this archive gallery of historic Oxfordshire filming locations here.
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