Planted Plates, founded by Didcot entrepreneur Henna Afzal, began as a food truck at the park’s street food pop-up event, Milton Feast, in 2021.

After five years of steady growth, the business has moved from its first bricks-and-mortar site on Eastern Avenue to a larger unit at Signal Yard, marking a return to its roots within the Milton Park community.

Ms Afzal said: “When I started Planted Plates, I simply wanted to create food that people genuinely looked forward to eating. For me, it’s always been about flavour first.

“You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy great food, and we’ve been incredibly lucky to build such a supportive community of customers over the last few years.

“Milton Park has been part of our journey from the beginning.”

Planted Plates offers a daily-changing menu of plant-based breakfasts, lunches, pastries, and barista coffee.

The new space includes a larger seating area designed to encourage people to meet, work, and socialise throughout the day.

Ms Afzal added: “Starting at Milton Feast gave us the opportunity to test ideas, build a following and grow the business.

“Opening at Signal Yard feels like a full-circle moment and we’re excited to welcome both familiar faces and new customers through the door.

“I am incredibly proud of how far the business has come.

“This move gives us the opportunity to expand our offer, grow the team and continue building something that people genuinely enjoy being part of.”

The cafe also provides vegan catering services to businesses across Milton Park, using a zero-CO2 delivery vehicle.

Ms Afzal’s brother, Jack, has now joined the team as the company looks to recruit further staff.

The opening of Planted Plates is part of Milton Park’s £14m investment in Signal Yard, which aims to create a new social and retail destination for the park’s 280+ companies and the wider community.

Clare Fleet, asset manager of Milton Park at Federated Hermes Real Estate, said: “One of the ambitions for Signal Yard has always been to support independent businesses and create a destination that brings people together.

“Planted Plates perfectly captures that vision.

“Henna has built a fantastic business at Milton Park over the last five years and we’re delighted to see her become the first food and beverage operator to open at Signal Yard.”

Signal Yard is bringing together a mix of independent retailers, food and beverage operators, and health and wellbeing services in a central location at Milton Park.

Planted Plates has also been shortlisted in the Ox in a Box Awards, which celebrate Oxfordshire’s favourite independent food and drink businesses.

Public voting is open via the Ox in a Box website until 20 June 2026.

Rhubarb Seating, based in Oxfordshire, earned the title in Design Conformity’s 2026 industry report, which assessed the sustainability performance of more than 170,000 furniture businesses across the UK and Europe.

It was one of only four UK companies to receive the ‘Leader’ classification, reserved for just 0.1 per cent of those evaluated.

David Matthews, director at Rhubarb Seating, said: “Rhubarb has always got one eye on refurbishment and future-proofing when developing a product, focusing on making it easy to reupholster, repair and re-use.

“Being recognised above most of the sector’s biggest names validates what we’ve always believed: good design and sustainable design are the same thing.”

The recognition follows independent verification of Rhubarb’s Cantay and Banquette seating ranges through Design Conformity’s Carbon Efficiency platform.

Both products achieved C3 Carbon Efficiency Ratings, reflecting strong performance in planned reuse.

The analysis found the Cantay 2-Seater Sofa had a verified carbon footprint of 60.99kg CO₂e, while the Banq Medium Back Straight unit recorded 69.48kg CO₂e.

Mr Matthews said: “There is definitely something inherently beautiful about a board of timber, utilised to its maximum, to create the component elements of a piece of furniture.”

Certified products are now listed on the Design Conformity directory.

Widmore Park in Sonning Common, Oxfordshire, is once again backing Rotherfield United Walking Football Club and will provide two new goalposts as well as tournament shirts for the entire squad as part of its sponsorship.

The support builds on a growing partnership which has previously included sponsorship of a charity music event to help raise funds for the club’s nominated charities.

Ian Beale, a member of Rotherfield United Walking Football Club, said: “Sponsorship from Inspired Villages has been a very welcome boost to our club.

“We are a thriving Walking Football club but Inspired Villages support enabled us to buy new goals and a set of great new shirts which are used in monthly league matches.

“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary in 2026, we are looking to continued success and fun future years too.”

Widmore Park, owned and operated by Inspired Villages, is set to open this summer.

Georgina Ackary-Hawthorn, village manager at Widmore Park, said: “Rotherfield United Walking Football Club has been a fantastic community partner from the very beginning.

“Supporting the walking football team feels like a natural next step, as it reflects everything we stand for at Inspired Villages.

“We’re excited to see how this partnership continues to benefit both the team and the wider community.”

Widmore Park will offer 133 sustainable homes for residents aged 65 and over.

It will also feature communal amenities including a restaurant, café, hair salon, wellness centre, and fitness studio.