Oxford News
Inside new Bicester games cafe which opened this month
Phil Walley opened Noughts and Nibbles in the former HSBC bank on Sunday, March 1.
The building, which was built in 1920 and has been home to a bank for more than 100 years, is not listed but is within the conservation area.
The 51-year-old from Abingdon was inspired by a four-hour family trip to Snacks and Ladders, a games cafe in the Isle of Wight.
While driving back from the cafe, he spoke about what he and his wife would do if they won the lottery.
He said: “Sadly I didn’t win the lottery but when we said we wanted to open the cafe, I didn’t ask anymore, in case she changed her mind, so I just went ahead and did it. That was almost exactly a year ago.”
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While he has used AI to help him learn new skills during his first business and renovation project, he said “people are irreplaceable”.
“This is all completely new to me”, he said.
“It’s the first time I’ve put up a stud wall, put up a ceiling or levelled a floor. There’s been a lot of lessons I have had to learn and fairly quick.”
Mr Walley, who was born in Belgium and moved to Suffolk when he was 11-years-old, has also taken inspiration from his previous careers working as a chef, a police constable, a teacher and in cyber security for 18 years.
He said: “I always wanted to own my own business and when I turned 50 I knew I had to do it now. As I worked as a chef, I have kitchen experience and I’ve got teaching experience so I can host events and explain games to people.
“All those pieces came together and it made sense.”
Blood on the Clocktower, a social deduction game like ‘The Traitors’ TV show, was played at the first event on Tuesday, March 17. He hopes to hold more events including a singles meet-up and dungeons and dragons in the old bank vault.
The menu, which incudes chips, cakes and brownies from local suppliers, will be expanded to include warm foods such as toasties. Other beverages, including draught beer, are also in the works.
His brother-in-law, Jack, has created a 3D printed Noughts and Nibbles game, except the ‘O’ and ‘X’ can be overridden by larger pieces.
Mr Walley added: “What I’ve learnt from my different careers is that you’ve got to make things happen.
“If you’re determined enough, you put the effort in and you’re willing to listen and learn from other people, anything is possible.”
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.
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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.
Three Year 10 pupils from Aureus School in Didcot travelled to London for the Royal Navy International Women’s Day event, held on HMS President during Careers Week and designed to showcase opportunities within the Royal Navy and beyond.
Students Antonia Pop, Ellie Swan and Tilly Mulvey are all taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
Ellie Swan said: “It was fantastic to see the possible career paths within the Navy.”
Rob Hayden, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award manager at Aureus School, accompanied the students to the event.
He said: “During the day, students had talks from individuals within the Navy and from guest speakers, including Hannah Botterman, who last year won both the Rugby World Cup and the Six Nations with England.”
He said: “Students also had the chance to network with the speakers and other attendees.
“The event showed the students a wide range of inspirational females within the Navy and other careers.”
Aureus School, part of the GLF Schools multi-academy trust, says its vision is focused on ‘cultivating ambition’ and ‘high standards for all’.
Headteacher Kirsty Rogers says the Didcot-based co-educational comprehensive has undergone a ‘transformative journey’, creating a community where students feel a strong sense of belonging. She emphasises inclusivity, high expectations, and a broad curriculum that encourages ambition, resilience and respect, supported by dedicated staff and diverse extra-curricular opportunities.
The flights mark a major boost to the airport’s connectivity ahead of the budget airline’s record Summer 2026 schedule.
The new routes form part of Ryanair’s expanded Glasgow programme for Summer 2026, which will see the airline operate over 100 weekly flights across eight routes.
The new double-daily London Stansted service further strengthens Glasgow’s access to the English capital, while the launch of the Warsaw service enhances Glasgow’s international offering.
Jonathan Ford, portfolio manager at AGS Airports, said: “It’s fantastic to see Ryanair’s new services to London Stansted and Warsaw take off today.
“The double-daily Stansted route offers even more flexibility for business and leisure travellers heading to and from England’s innovation corridor, while Warsaw provides a valuable new link that expands the international connectivity available to our passengers.
“These launches mark the start of what will be a record summer for Ryanair at Glasgow, and we look forward to welcoming even more travellers through our doors.”
Last month, Ryanair launched its 2026 plan for Glasgow with 10 routes, including holiday hotspots like Lanzarote, Palma de Mallorca, and Tenerife, as well as city break destinations like Barcelona and Pisa.
The budget airline will also operate extra frequencies on its Alicante, Faro, Pisa, Malaga and Murcia routes.
The new schedule is underpinned by Ryanair’s two Glasgow Prestwick-based aircraft.
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