The day‑long street festival in east Oxford, which turns Cowley Road into a pedestrianised parade of colour, music and community, has been a hit with people across the county in previous years.

After a five-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic and funding difficulties, the carnival returned in 2024, headed by Pax Nindi.

While the leader of Cowley Road Works, a charity that promotes community engagement through the arts and culture, has stepped down, its future doesn’t seem so bleak.

The appointment of several new trustees to its board marks an exciting new chapter for the organisation to ensure “long-term sustainability, transparency and community leadership of this much-loved cultural event”.

Thousands of people turn out to enjoy the Cowley Road Carnival. (Image: Newsquest)

Rosie Jones, director of Independent Oxford, has stepped in as the chair of trustees. She will provide leadership as the organisation strengthens its governance and fundraising activities.

She said the message it clear that “this is a carnival built by and for the community”.

The leader added: “Cowley Road Carnival is one of Oxford’s most vibrant community celebrations, bringing together artists, performers, schools, businesses, charities and residents for a day that showcases the creativity and diversity of the area.

“The intention is to build on the spirit of recent years while creating opportunities for even wider participation.”

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Alan Brown, the site and production manager of Leys Festival, has joined as the part-time general manager.

Mr Brown, who is embedded within the city’s grassroots cultural network, will bring his extensive hands-on experience delivering large-scale community festivals in Oxford, to strengthen the operational capacity of the organisation as planning gathers pace.

He described the carnival as a “powerful expression of our community’s creativity, diversity and culture.”

He said: “With a strengthened board and experienced operational leadership in place, we are focused on building the partnerships and securing the funding needed to bring the carnival back in a sustainable and community-led way.”

An active fundraising campaign is now underway as the charity awaits a decision on its application to Arts Council England, which has been unsuccessful in the past.

The organisation said it is welcoming funders, sponsors, volunteers and community groups to get in contact “to be part of this next chapter.”

Oxford City Council has also confirmed it has received a placeholder application for this year’s event but is waiting for more information from the organisers.

The party began as the Caribbean Carnival 40 years ago before Cowley Road Works organised its first event in 2001.

Pax Nindi, who is the CEO of Global Carnivalz Ltd and the World Carnival Commission, has been contacted for comment.

The funding will support a ‘Housing First’ programme, which gives individuals with a history of rough sleeping a permanent home and personalised, long-term support.

Homeless Oxfordshire has been awarded a 12-month contract to support 40 people in Oxford under the scheme.

Councillor Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing and communities, said: “Oxford City Council has pioneered the ‘Housing First’ approach to solving long-term homeless since 2021.

“It’s a proven way of helping people move on with their lives and recover from homelessness after more traditional style rough sleeping services have not worked for them.”

The contract includes the option to extend for a further four years, depending on future funding.

The Housing First model focuses on housing individuals without preconditions and offers tailored support to help them maintain their tenancies.

All that is required is a willingness to keep a tenancy. Support is offered based on individual needs and is not tied to accommodation.

The approach differs from other homelessness services in that housing and support are generally not delivered by the same provider, which allows for more flexible care.

Housing First is a key part of the City Council’s Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, and also supports the Countywide Homelessness Strategy, aiming to end rough sleeping in Oxford.

More information about the contract is available on the Oxford City Council website.

Gratia Cura Residential, in Park Road, Didcot, was hit with a £40,000 fine following an Immigration Enforcement investigation.

The business, registered as Gratia Cura Residential Ltd, was published in a recent list by the Government of businesses that had been found to have employed illegal workers.

No further details have bene released by Immigration Enforcement about the circumstances of the fine and who the business employed.

Gratia Cura Residential was approached for comment and further details, but no response was provided.

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The care company describes itself as a “dedicated specialist provision” for children aged seven to 17 years old with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

“We are committed to providing a nurturing environment where children can grow, thrive, and rediscover their potential,” its website says.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection carried out in April 2025, Gratia Cura Residential was rated as being ‘inadequate’.

“There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress,” Ofsted’s social care inspector Shaheda Dhandia said in a report about Gratia Cura Residential.

At the time of the report, the care provider was recruiting for a manager but Timothy Kosmala was the one responsible for the business.

Ofsted’s damning report on the care home said: “Two children have lived in the home since it registered with Ofsted in November 2024.

“Both children had short stays with unplanned endings. The children did not have the opportunity to develop positive relationships with staff.

“Overall, the standard of care they received did not support them to make sufficient progress.

“Children’s experiences have been poor. The staff failed to protect them from harm as they did not provide safe and consistent care.

“Children’s experiences were poor from moving in until when their care ended abruptly shortly after.

“Staff did not adequately understand the children’s needs. They did not consider the children’s previous experiences and the effect these have had on them.

“Staff did not read key plans from the placing authority that provide rich guidance on how to support the children.

“As a result, this led to the children being involved in serious incidents that placed them at significant risk of harm.

“The children’s emotional health needs were not understood well enough by staff. Staff did not access appropriate therapeutic support from external agencies to ensure that the children were protected from harm.

“As a result, the children were not supported to build positive relationships with staff or to develop the skills to manage their own difficult feelings.”