Easter celebrations was the latest weekly theme for club members and they posted a wide variety of colourful shots on the club’s Facebook page.

Flowers, chocolate, rabbits, and nature scenes were a popular choice with photos taken across Oxfordshire and beyond.

READ MORE: New cafe opening in town creates 20 jobs

It’s always tricky to select a winner for photo of the week but Julia Johnson-Fry’s colourful picture of pretty pansies in a garden stood out and confirmed that spring has definitely arrived.

Each week, camera club members are given a theme and then post their photos on the club’s Facebook page.

A selection of photos are featured in the Oxford Mail, The Oxford Times and online and one photo is chosen as photo of the week.

The next theme is signs of spring.

Located in Easington South, the new facility gives residents space to grow their own flowers, fruit, and vegetables in dedicated garden plots.

The site was formally opened during a ceremony led by Banbury Town Mayor, Councillor Kieron Mallon, who described the allotments as a valuable addition to the expanding town.

Councillor Mallon said: “I have been working with local residents to finally get these allotments from the developer and Cherwell.

“As the local member for Easington I personally had to intervene in the prolonged legal negotiations.

“The result is a fantastic addition to the amenities of this new part of our town, now to be managed by the Town Council.

“As a former allotmenteer myself I know the great satisfaction of growing your own can bring, now for the planting and sowing.”

Ownership of the Bloxham Vale site transferred to the council on February 25, and since then the area has been upgraded to meet the council’s standards.

Banbury Town Council, which manages several allotment sites across the area, prepared the site with soil improvements, plot dividers, and green waste composting facilities.

Drawing on experience from its other locations, the council designed the site to be accessible and easy to use for all plot holders.

Residents had expressed strong interest in the new allotments, and the council created a waiting list prior to the official opening to ensure a fair allocation of plots.

Demand for the new space was unprecedented and reflects a clear need for additional garden plots in the community.

Residents who have secured plots are now encouraged to begin cultivating their gardens and contributing to the growing success of the site.

Banbury Town Council hopes the new facility will not only support sustainable living but also help foster a stronger sense of community in the Bloxham Vale area.

Allotments have seen a resurgence in recent years, with many communities turning to home-growing as a way to improve food security, reduce environmental impact, and support well-being.

Banbury Town Council said it looks forward to seeing the allotment flourish in the months ahead and encourages residents who have taken a tenancy to get involved cultivating and producing home-grown produce.

Additional information about Banbury Town Council events and services is available online at www.banbury.gov.uk.

The council can also be reached by phone at 01295 250340.

Updates and news are regularly shared on the council’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Matthews Cotswold Flour, based in the Cotswolds, is encouraging the wider use of regenerative agriculture and working towards making all its flour from grain grown using these methods by 2030.

Regenerative farming focuses on improving soil health, increasing biodiversity and capturing carbon.

Bertie Matthews, managing director and the eighth generation of the family to run the business, said: “We have long advocated for regenerative farming practices, which prioritise soil health, biodiversity and carbon capture.

“Through our Cotswold Grain Partnership, we work closely with local farmers to ensure they adopt practices that protect the environment.

“We are working alongside them to move all our grains to a regenerative farming model as soon as possible.

“These are long term partnerships that will benefit the soil, the farmers and our customers for generations to come.”

The 200-year-old company currently offers nine flours milled from regeneratively farmed grain.

One of the growers involved in the Cotswold Grain Partnership, Ed Horton, supplies durum wheat, spelt, and milling wheat.

Mr Horton said: “Our regen journey started about ten years ago, when I returned to the family farm.

“Our partnership with Matthews Cotswold Flour has enabled us to do this and, as well as the hugely rewarding environmental progress that we have made on the farm, we have reduced the risk exposure related to high inputs such as fertilisers.”

Matthews Cotswold Flour uses a self-developed audit system and set of standards to help farms improve environmental performance.