Crime & Safety
Oxford college to host open evening this May for students
City of Oxford College and University Centre will host an open event on May 6, from 4.30pm to 7pm, offering a chance to explore GCSEs, A-levels, T-levels, BTECs, and apprenticeship programmes.
The college, part of the Activate Learning group, will open its doors to prospective students, parents, and carers, providing a first-hand look at student life and study options in the heart of the city.
Visitors will be able to tour the facilities, meet current students, and attend the Introduction to College presentation, led by the group director of City of Oxford College and University Centre.
Khalid Rahmati, a student who progressed from the college’s GCSE Science Pathway to an Access to Higher Education programme, said: “The teachers provide you with lots of support at college.
“They are always so clear with their instructions, resources and everything.”
T-level tutors and the Apprenticeship team will be available to answer questions and discuss vocational pathways.
Hands-on demonstrations will include beauty therapy, hairdressing, and media make-up, as well as tours of the care suite and art and design, media, music and performing arts facilities.
Staff will also be on hand to talk about bursaries and financial support, improving your English skills, and special educational needs support.
Attendees will be able to submit applications on the night.
Registration for the event is open now via the Activate Learning website.
The City of Oxford College and University Centre is located in Oxford’s city centre.
Crime & Safety
Oxford’s nightlife has been voted among the best in the UK
The city came in 16th place in a study by accommodation provider Canvas, who analysed factors such as drink prices, the number and ratings of venues, and local safety scores.
Oxford boasts 87 venues with an average rating of 4.35, offering a variety of options for students.
Although the average price of a pint in Oxford is £6.20, its mix of bars and clubs keeps it a popular student location.
Bath topped the chart as the UK’s best student nightlife city, with a high concentration of bars and clubs, and an impressive average rating of 4.45 stars.
Despite having only 98 venues, Bath’s per capita access is among the best with 10 bars per 10,000 people.
The average pint in Bath costs £5.75.
Manchester took second place, boasting the highest number of bars and clubs overall, with 606 venues.
Manchester’s venues have strong average ratings of 4.37 stars, and a pint costs an average of £5.50.
Coventry and Leicester were noted as the most budget-friendly cities for student nights out, with the cheapest pints averaging just £4 each.
They also offer the most affordable soft drinks.
Coventry, Bath, and Exeter were ranked the safest for student nightlife.
Coventry leads with a safety score of 70.04, followed by Bath at 66.12, and Exeter at 62.33.
London and Oxford were noted for having the priciest pints, with averages of £8 and £6.20 per beer, respectively.
Crime & Safety
New photos give first look at Clarkson’s Farm series five
The former Top Gear and Grand Tour presenter swapped cars for tractors back in 2019 when he took full control over the day-to-day running of his Oxfordshire farm, Diddly Squat.
This was then released as the Prime Video documentary series in 2021 with favourable reviews, leading to a further three series of the show in the following years.
A fifth season was confirmed at the end of 2024 and filmed last year, officially wrapping at the end of September 2025.
READ MORE: Planning documents confirm new Clarkson’s Farm series for 2027
Clarkson’s Farm series five. (Image: Prime Video)
It was then confirmed this week that this most recent series will be released across the summer, with the first episodes dropping on Wednesday, June 3.
Amazon has now given fans a first look at the new season with the release of some new still shots from the upcoming show.
One photograph shows fan favourite farmhand Kaleb Cooper alongside Mr Clarkson and his girlfriend, Lisa Hogan.
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson reignites council row with new farm planning bid
The other image shows the 66-year-old TV star following a waddling of ducks across the farmland.
Describing what the new episodes are about, a statement from Amazon said: “Amid a government budget that sends the UK farming community into uproar, Jeremy decides some big changes are needed to make the farm run more smoothly.
“But while the farm tries to go high-tech, resulting in Kaleb’s first-ever trip abroad, even bigger developments are heading for Diddly Squat that are going to prove much more of a challenge.”
Crime & Safety
Charity receives record number of childrens books donations
The campaign was run by Oxford-based PR agency Fortitude Communications, which supported Bicester literacy charity Assisted Reading for Children (ARCh) in its search for good-quality softback books to use in primary schools.
Books were donated by business owners, schools, and authors during National Storytelling Week.
Emma Orton, recruitment manager at ARCh, said: “We had an incredible 1,000 books donated, this is going to make such a huge difference to the children that we work with.
“I want to say a huge thank you to Fortitude Communications for the work they have done producing a video for us.
“Having a video like this is going to make a huge difference to our work and raising awareness of the work that we do.”
The book drive was inspired by figures from the National Literacy Trust highlighting declining reading levels among primary school children.
The campaign attracted support from local authors including Adrian Townsend and Sandra Plumb.
In addition to the book drive, Fortitude is producing a professional video for ARCh to help raise its profile across the county.
Greig Box Turnbull, director at Fortitude Communications, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and enthusiasm of people who share our passion for reading.
“Reading is a joy and inspires and broadens the mind.
“It is vital to the development and prospects of children and it’s a profound tragedy many schools now don’t think students can even read a full novel anymore.
“We are grateful to everyone who has supported the campaign, which we hope will make a small difference to the broader challenge of inspiring more schoolchildren in Oxfordshire to read.”
The donated books were delivered to ARCh with the help of Smiths of Bletchington, who provided a driver and van for the delivery.
ARCh sends trained volunteers to deliver one-to-one reading sessions with children in primary schools.
The charity supports children across Oxfordshire who struggle with literacy, providing volunteer readers in more than 100 schools.
It currently has over 300 volunteers, and since becoming an independent charity, ARCh has reached nearly 1,000 children.
Fortitude Communications was founded in 2017 by Greig Box Turnbull, former managing director of Oxford United and a former journalist at the Daily Mirror.
The agency, based on ARC Business Park in Oxford, offers services across PR, marketing, and video production.
Its client base spans multiple sectors and includes support with media relations, social media management, copywriting, photography, drone, and media training.
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