Widmore Park in Sonning Common, Oxfordshire, is once again backing Rotherfield United Walking Football Club and will provide two new goalposts as well as tournament shirts for the entire squad as part of its sponsorship.

The support builds on a growing partnership which has previously included sponsorship of a charity music event to help raise funds for the club’s nominated charities.

Ian Beale, a member of Rotherfield United Walking Football Club, said: “Sponsorship from Inspired Villages has been a very welcome boost to our club.

“We are a thriving Walking Football club but Inspired Villages support enabled us to buy new goals and a set of great new shirts which are used in monthly league matches.

“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary in 2026, we are looking to continued success and fun future years too.”

Widmore Park, owned and operated by Inspired Villages, is set to open this summer.

Georgina Ackary-Hawthorn, village manager at Widmore Park, said: “Rotherfield United Walking Football Club has been a fantastic community partner from the very beginning.

“Supporting the walking football team feels like a natural next step, as it reflects everything we stand for at Inspired Villages.

“We’re excited to see how this partnership continues to benefit both the team and the wider community.”

Widmore Park will offer 133 sustainable homes for residents aged 65 and over.

It will also feature communal amenities including a restaurant, café, hair salon, wellness centre, and fitness studio.

Taking place at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School on June 18, the event will see finalists present three-minute pitches followed by a Q&A session.

Emma Crystal, chair of the judging panel and chief executive of Coutts, said: “Oxford has a history of great ideas and innovation.

“Winning pitches do two things really well – they make their idea feel possible and leave no doubt that their team can make it happen.”

Finalists will be assessed on criteria including clarity of vision, market opportunity, traction, scalability, and founder capability.

The event forms part of a UK-wide NatWest competition distributing £1 million to help early-stage businesses grow during 2025 and 2026.

Three winners will share the £100,000 prize fund, with first place receiving £70,000, second place £20,000, and third place £10,000.

The judging panel includes Dr Olga Kozlova, director of innovation and engagement at the University of Oxford, who brings experience as a former biotech founder and a leader in connecting research, innovation, and industry.

Dr Kozlova said: “Great founders come from everywhere, and the best pitches prove it: clear thinking, genuine market insight, and that one memorable moment that makes you sit up.

“I’m excited to see what this Oxford cohort brings, and to help direct real investment towards the ideas that deserve to scale.”

Also on the panel is Thanh Catachanas, director of collaboration and acquisition at JCDecaux UK, who supports founders in reaching new audiences and building commercial partnerships.

Mr Catachanas said: “A winning pitch blends clear impact, real passion and credible numbers.

“It explains why the idea matters, proves it can deliver results, and highlights a distinctive point of difference that sets it apart.”

Judge Michael Tefula, an investor and startup advisor, said: “A great pitch has two qualities: it makes you care and it makes you believe.

“A compelling story gets you the first.

“Evidence of concrete achievement gets you the second.

“Founders who do well deliver both.”

Graham Drury, UK financial services director at Google Cloud, rounds out the panel and brings experience in cloud and AI technology for financial services, regulatory reporting, and sustainability.

Oxford remains one of Europe’s leading hubs for early-stage innovation, with strong links between academia, investors, and industry supporting the rapid development of ideas from research to market.

Great Western Park, a 3,300-home estate was completed in 2022, and was initially granted planning permission in 2008, with a new GP surgery included. 

The planning permission for the new surgery dates back about 10 years but there have been repeated delays.

READ MORE: Delayed GP surgery gets new developer

In April, Woodlands Medical Centre appointed London-based Apsley Henley Med Ltd as the new developer for the long-awaited project.

The AHML team has for over 30 years delivered GP surgeries around the UK from Kent to Scotland.

The appointment follows action taken by the former NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) to identify an alternative developer.

This comes after Assura’s proposal for the new surgery building was deemed unaffordable.

Nick Bastian, director at Apsley Henley Med Ltd, said: “We are looking forward to working with the GP practice, Thames Valley ICB and Vale of White Horse District Council on this exciting scheme. Our team is ready and fired up to get started.”

Partners at the Woodland Medical Centre are hopeful the project can now move forward, while recognising that several “legal hurdles” remain before construction can begin, according to Apsley Henley Med Ltd.

It added that vital next steps include: progressing the required legal agreements between all parties, and completing the land transfer to Vale of White Horse District Council.

Apsley Henley Med Ltd also pledged to continue engagement with Woodlands Medical Centre to keep the project moving and ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements.

Didcot and Wantage MP Olly Glover at Great Western Park (Image: Olly Glover)

Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage, has repeatedly pressed for updates on the delayed scheme.

In October, he raised the issue in the House of Commons with former Health Secretary Wes Streeting urging action to help unblock plans. Following this exchange, Mr Streeting promised to ‘find out what’s gone wrong’.

Mr Glover explained at the time that Great Western Park has added more than 3,000 homes to Didcot, with Valley Park under construction adding over 4,000 more. Yet the GP surgery promised in 2008 remains an empty patch of land.

Great Western Park in Didcot (Image: Oxford Mail)

Despite the council having granted planning permission, Woodlands Surgery being prepared to run the new facility, and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) supporting the case for one, progress was stalled with NHS England, leaving local primary care services struggling to cope with increasing demand for appointments.

Mr Glover said earlier: “Residents in Great Western Park have waited far too long for the GP surgery that was promised years ago.

“With a new developer now appointed, this should provide the momentum that is needed to get this project up and running.

“My constituents deserve access to primary care that keeps up with housing growth, and I will continue to press the ICB to make sure that this project finally becomes a reality.”

Didcot West county councillor Ian Snowdon earlier launched a petition calling for a binding timetable and delivery commitment from the ICB and for urgent interim GP capacity measures such as temporary clinical space, additional staff, or expanded appointment capacity.

About £791,000 in developer contributions was secured for the new surgery in 2016.