Oxford News
I tried Royal Mail’s new digital post box and they are unusable
Royal Mail’s new ‘post boxes of the future’ were introduced at the start of this year, and have sparked considerable debate about accessibility.
The change has been labelled Royal Mail’s “biggest redesign in its 175-year history”, and features a solar-panelled top, a QR code and scanning machine.
Royal Mail claims the new post boxes offer a “convenient way” to send small parcels without needing to go to the post office.
Armed with a friend’s birthday present, I went to test out just how easy they are to use.
The digital post box, which now accepts parcels, was difficult and confusing to use (Image: Newsquest)
As a 25-year-old woman who grew up in the 2000s, I have spent a lifetime teaching older family members how to use QR codes and apps. I assumed I would have no issue using the new post box as a ‘techy’ Gen Z.
Immediately upon arriving at the post box near Ellendune Community Centre in Wroughton, I realised I was wrong.
Instructions on the box say to “press the button to activate the scanner, scan the label’s barcode, and then pop the parcel in the drawer.”
The first issue was obvious – I did not have a parcel label or a barcode and I did not have access to a printer to print one off.
Determined not to give in and go to a post office, I asked a friend to print off my parcel label (extra admin time spent on the Royal Mail website) and returned again for take two.
Instructions on the post box were small and confusing (Image: Newsquest)
For proof of posting, I had to scan a QR code to download the Royal Mail app, and answer a series of questions about my parcel.
This took 10 minutes stood outside battling poor signal and confusing questions.
I had no idea how much my parcel weighed and was adamant I wasn’t going back home again to pull out the scales.
In the end, I took an educated guess, and couldn’t help thinking this would be easier in a post office with a scale and someone helping me scan my parcel.
For me, the new digital post box was a manageable but unnecessary faff. For my grandparents, it would be unusable.
Even if they could navigate the digital challenges of downloading the app, scanning the barcode and figuring out small print instructions, the time it took stood outside was enough to make anyone’s feet tired.
For posting regular letters, the post box works exactly as before.
I can see no issues, although I do think the replacement of crocheted post-box toppers with solar panels is a shame.
When it comes to posting parcels however, I’ll be sticking to my regular post office.
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.”
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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)
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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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