Cosmos Chocolat, an award-winning quartet known for their fresh take on traditional French folk music, will perform at Kennington Village Centre in Oxford on Sunday, April 26.

The event is a collaboration between Balfolk Oxford and Oxfolk Ceilidhs, following their sold-out French dance during the Oxford Folk Festival earlier this month.

The band will bring an evening of music and movement to life using the hurdy-gurdy, accordion, fiddle, and French ‘boha’ bagpipes.

A short beginners’ session will take place before the main event, led by Kerry Fletcher, one of the UK’s most loved French dance teachers and Co-Artistic Director of Folk Dance Remixed.

A spokesperson for Balfolk Oxford said: “Some dances are partnered, some are circles, some snake along in long, trancy lines.

“All are lively, soulful, and rich in spirit.

“If you are new to balfolk, this is great opportunity to learn some dances and hear music from a top quality band.”

The workshop begins at 3.30pm, with the main dance running from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.

A bal is a relaxed, continental folk dance and music session, for everyone.

People are encouraged to bring family, friends, children and even their dog to have a dance.

Tickets can be booked through buytickets.at/oxfolkceilidhs.

Stanley Mackintosh, a student at the Rycotewood Furniture Centre based at City of Oxford College and University Centre, will represent the UK in cabinet making at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, an event often described as the ‘Skills Olympics’.

WorldSkills brings together the world’s best apprentices and young professionals across more than 80 countries.

Mr Mackintosh, who is completing a Level 3 apprenticeship in bespoke furniture making, said: “I am very happy to have been selected by WSUK for Team UK Shanghai 2026.

“Since first hearing about the competition in 2023, it has been my goal to make it to the world stage, and it has taken a lot of work to do so.

“The next few months will be challenging, with more milestones to hit and training targets to reach along the way.

“Fortunately, I have the support of Bill Cleyndert and Company and Rycotewood behind me.

“I am very grateful to have the opportunity to represent the British furniture industry and hope to do everyone proud.”

Mr Mackintosh’s selection follows success in regional and national WorldSkills UK competitions and months of intensive, specialist training.

He will now undergo final high-performance preparation ahead of the competition, which takes place from September 22 to 27.

Josh Hudson, Rycotewood Furniture Centre lead at Activate Learning, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to see Stan selected for Team UK at WorldSkills.

“From starting his Level 2 Furniture Manufacturer apprenticeship in 2024 to reaching this incredible milestone, his journey has been nothing short of inspiring.

“This achievement is a testament to his talent, dedication, and hard work and the whole Rycotewood team is proud to be behind him every step of the way as he sets his sights on Shanghai in September 2026 – we know he’s going to do amazing things.”

WorldSkills is a global standard of skills excellence, designed to showcase and drive technical expertise.

This year’s competition is expected to draw more than 250,000 visitors, including government leaders, global employers and education experts.

Competitors will be tested across a wide range of technical disciplines, from renewable energy and 3D games design to health and social care and bricklaying.

Freya Thomas Monk, managing director of Pearson Qualifications, said: “Every member of Team UK has earned their place through exceptional dedication and commitment to their chosen fields, representing the very best of our nation’s talent.

“Pearson is proud to support Team UK as they take on this extraordinary challenge and inspire future generations to aim high and believe in their potential.”

An active travel scheme for Abingdon East St Helen Street was proposed last year in a bid to use some of Oxfordshire County Council‘s £1.5million funding pot for transport initiatives.

Oxfordshire County Councillor Nathan Ley for Abingdon North has said locals showed ‘strong overall support for the proposals when asked for their views.

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Plans include introducing a two-way cycle contraflow along East St Helen Street, giving pedestrians priority by putting in continuous footways at side roads, and installing ‘new and improved’ crossing at the High Street, Bridge Street and Stert Street junction.

The aim is to ‘make it safer and easier to walk, wheel, and cycle through the town centre’ and to add a missing link in the National Cycle Network Route 5 which connects the town to Oxford and Didcot.

Proposed safety improvements for cyclists in Abingdon (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

A consultation was held between September 30 and October 28 last year, which councillor Ley saw strong engagement with the proposals and 345 survey responses submitted.

Of these, 81 per cent expressed support for the main town centre crossing improvements, 77 per cent supported new crossings on East and West St Helen Street, and 76 per cent were in support of improvements at the Lombard Street junction.

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For the cycle lanes contraflow on West and East St Helen Streets, 70 and 69 per cent supported the proposals, respectively.

Cllr Ley said: “Importantly, most respondents said they would be more likely to walk, wheel or cycle if the scheme goes ahead

Dr Nathan Ley, Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Abingdon North

“There was also strong recognition that these changes would make it easier for older residents, people with disabilities, and parents with pushchairs to get around town.”

The councillor said the consultation was held to gather feedback to improve the proposal, and welcomed the “broad support for making Abingdon town centre safer, more accessible and better for active travel”.

Although plans are progressing, he added that the timeline has ‘slipped’, with the final design stage currently ongoing and expected to continue through 2026.

The Market Place in Abingdon (Image: Andy Ffrench)

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Construction is likely to take place from autumn this year until spring next year, and the county council said the ‘close out period’ would be from spring 2027 until spring 2028.

Oxfordshire County Council has been allocated £1,473,679 from the government’s Active Travel Fund, intended to support specific projects to improve walking and cycling infrastructure int he county.

The Abingdon scheme, which is including in the Abingdon Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, was one of the projects that received funding for ‘full project delivery’ from design to consultation and delivery.