Oxford News
UK pub chain ‘ready’ ahead of World Cup 2026 Cotswolds mania
Fuller’s has said it is “garden-ready” for the summer season and the FIFA World Cup, as more consumers book ahead and opt for staycations.
The company nonetheless took aim at tax rises it said were helping fuel pub closures and youth unemployment.
Fuller’s, which has 337 pubs and hotels across the south of England, reported revenues of £397.8 million for the year to March 28, up 5.7 per cent on the prior year.
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This was driven by higher food and drink sales as well as room bookings at its hotels.
Sales growth has continued since April, rising 4.4 per cent in the first 10 weeks of the financial year, compared like for like with the year before.
Fuller’s said it was well prepared for the summer and to host football fans coming to pubs to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will see England and Scotland play in the group stages of the tournament in the coming weeks.
It also highlighted strong hotel bookings linked to an increase in demand for staycations, particularly in the Cotswolds.
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Fuller’s executive chairman, Simon Emeny, said: “As we move into our summer season, preparations have gone well.
“Our garden investment programme has seen fresh space created for peak trading, advance bookings for the World Cup have been strong, and we are seeing increased demand for staycations benefiting our excellent rooms business.”
Mr Emeny said the group has been managing to grow sales “against an increasingly challenging macroeconomic and political backdrop”.
He said the industry has grappled with “unprecedented government interference, additional taxes and regulations”, particularly taking aim at last year’s increase to employer national insurance contributions, as well as costs like alcohol duty and sugar tax.
“These decisions come with consequences,” he warned, pointing to an increase in levels of youth unemployment and the closure of pubs in the UK.
Oxford News
Police officer accused of sexualised language & behaviour
Edward Reed will stand before retired detective chief constable Paul Mills during the panel hearing at Thames Valley Police Headquarters in Kidlington next month.
From Wednesday, July 15, he will defend allegations from various dates in 2023 about the “unwanted” use of sexualised language and behaviour toward and in the presence of female colleagues.
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During that time, Mr Reed was an officer based in Oxfordshire, prior to his resignation.
It is alleged that Former Police Constable Reed breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in relation to Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Equality and Diversity and Discreditable Conduct.
The appropriate authority allege that if these allegations are proven, the conduct would amount to gross misconduct for which dismissal would be justified.
Oxford News
Jeremy Clarkson issues heart breaking cancer update
The 66-year-old broadcaster and journalist made the announcement during the final two episodes of the fifth series of Clarkson’s Farm, released on Wednesday.
He shared the news with co-stars Kaleb Cooper and Charlie Ireland during a conversation at his Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire.
Mr Clarkson said: “I’ve got cancer.”
When Mr Cooper asked where the cancer was located, Mr Clarkson replied: “Where it is, is of no concern to anybody.
“I’ve known since May.”
He explained that the cancer was detected early following a medical in May and described it as “aggressive”.
Mr Clarkson said: “I was praying we could get the harvest done and then I could go and get some treatment, but it’s going to be slap bang in the middle.”
Later in the episode, he revealed he had surgery to remove 10 per cent of his prostate.
He also reflected on what has been a difficult year for his health, including a serious heart issue that required the fitting of two stents.
He said: “So we started the year and I had coronary heart disease and ended it with me with cancer.”
The series ends with footage of Mr Clarkson in a hospital bed as he undergoes treatment.
He told viewers: “Some of the treatment has gone awry, let’s say.
“I’m going to be here for a little while.
“I’m nil by mouth, I don’t know what’s going to happen.
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“What I wanted to say was if this is all successful, I’ll see you for season six, and if it isn’t, I won’t.
“Take care, everyone.”
Despite his diagnosis, Mr Clarkson continued working throughout 2025.
Production on the sixth series of Clarkson’s Farm is now expected to pause to allow time for his recovery.
What do you think of the latest Clarkson’s Farm series? Let us know in the comments
Oxford News
New Oxford pubs and bars app shows live pub deals and offers
Charlbury-based Richard Coffey launched Bar Trender around six weeks ago to help businesses facing damage, and ultimately closure, from rising costs and economic uncertainty.
Richard Coffey started the venture which has been accepted by a plethora of Oxford pubs and bars (Image: Richard Coffey)
In the city, 22 venues have signed up, including pubs in hotspots such as Cowley Road and Jericho.
The venture was seeded while travelling in Australia. There, he noticed Sydney and Melbourne’s bar scenes were built around happy hours, a culture which he said didn’t really exist back in the UK.
After 10 years of hard work, after leaving a London start-up, he pursued the venture with the help of Artificial Intelligence to cut team and budget requirements.
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He said: “I kept finding myself not knowing what was on, where had decent deals, or which pubs had the features I was looking for. The information existed, it just wasn’t anywhere in one place.”
The app, which provides full autonomy to the business, helps to boost their sales by providing visibility and awareness for the consumer.
Bar Trender app (Image: Bar Trender)
He says this comes at a time when people are “more conscious than ever about where they spend their money”.
He said: “The idea of being able to see what deals are near you before you decide where to go is genuinely useful right now in a way it perhaps wouldn’t have been five years ago.
“The cost of living crisis has fundamentally changed how people make decisions about going out.
“It’s not that people don’t want to go out, but they’re making more considered choices about where they spend their money.”
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The venture will also support the wider hospitality sector, which is also under “enormous pressure”.
Bar Trender is proud to support Tom Kerridge’s VAT’s The Problem campaign, which is calling for a 10 per cent cut in VAT for hospitality venues.
Bar Trender app is available on app stores now (Image: Richard Coffey)
He said: “Energy costs, wage increases, food and drink inflation and the lingering effects of the pandemic have squeezed margins to the point where venues that were thriving five years ago are now struggling to survive.
“We’re seeing more pub closures than at any point in recent memory and once they are lost, are very rarely replaced.”
A launch event will take place at Plush on Friday, June 16, with free shots and drink vouchers available to anyone who has the app downloaded.
Christopher Farr, owner of the LGBTQ+ night club and bar, said the venue is committed to making clubbing safe, affordable and fun.
He said: “The partnership is the perfect way to communicate our affordable drink deals in a fun and easy to use app.”
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