For some, it might have seemed like history repeating itself – Botley was part of Berkshire until its switch to Oxfordshire in 1974.

But before and after this date, it has always been part of the Oxford Mail’s ‘territory’, with photographers regularly covering events ‘over the county border’.

Picture 1 dates from 1986 when pupils at Botley Primary School got an important message – building sites were not adventure playgrounds.

They were taken on a tour of a construction site at Seacourt Tower to see how accidents can occur.

Site manager David Dibben told them: “There are all sorts of things on a building site which can harm young children. Playing on scaffolding and with plant machinery is especially dangerous.”

2

Botley housewives in Picture 2 carried out an all-day traffic count on a dual carriageway they called ‘death road’.

Sitting on both sides of West Way, they counted every car, lorry and cycle that passed and every pedestrian who crossed the road.

The traffic count was the latest move in a campaign to get an underpass.

Service with a smile earned staff at Bishop’s store in Picture 3 a silver cup and prizes worth more than £3,000 in 1983.

3

The good manners of the 45 workers put the supermarket in the top six in a competition between the company’s 63 stores.

There was great excitement among youngsters when it was announced that a discotheque would be opening at Elms Court in 1969.

4

Disc jockey Mick Murphy is seen in Picture 4 with some of the girls who enjoyed the first evening.

There was more excitement in Picture 5 when young footballers – boys and girls – celebrated the opening of their new pavilion in 1998.

5

They are seen with two football managers, Malcolm Shotton and Malcolm Crosby, who both had spells at Oxford United.

6

Picture 6 was taken in 2000 when Botley joined thousands of other communities to celebrate the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday. Lena Tyrrell, 86, is seen with seven-month-old Frances Shearan in the shopping precinct.

Sam Layne, formerly of Albert Street, Banbury, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on June 10.

The 41-year-old had pleaded not guilty to one count of rape, said to have been committed in Banbury in the early hours of February 15, 2023.

However he was found guilty by a jury during a trial earlier this year.

The court heard the incident took place at Layne’s flat after a night out in Banbury.

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Sam Layne (Image: TVP)

On Valentine’s Day, the complainant had been playing darts at the Dog and Gun, and pool at the Horse and Jockey.

The woman ended up at Layne’s flat in the early hours of the morning and fell asleep. When she woke up, she accused Layne of having raped her.

Prosecution barrister Edward Lucas said: “The defendant is a high risk of serious harm to females. There was a clear abuse of trust.

“The rape occurred when she was asleep, so she was unable to defend herself. This has had a profound impact on the complainant.”

Layne was jailed for seven years.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years and notification requirements indefinitely.

He was also given a restraining order to not contact the victim until further order.

Life on the Thames was their latest weekly theme and they posted lots of photos of rowers, narrowboats and bridges.

Snaps of scenes along the Thames featured a number of well-known bridges and locks in Oxford, Abingdon and beyond.

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Some photographers timed their visits to the river to coincide with sunrise or sunset so they could capture an atmospheric scene.

It was difficult to pick a winner for photo of the week, but in the end we selected Eric Denton’s shot of a relaxed rower moving through the water.

Each week, camera club members post their photos on the club’s Facebook page and a selection of images are featured in the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times. The next theme is ‘village life’.