Youngsters’ activities are snapped by our photographers

Our photographers were invited to numerous events every year to record their varied activities.

Some youngsters would be shy and would have to be encouraged to pose for the camera, but others would be happy to find themselves in the limelight.

It wasn’t possible to publish every picture our team took, but with the daily Oxford Mail and our raft of weekly newspapers, there was a good chance your child would appear somewhere on our pages.

The youngsters in Picture 1 were happy to pose as they wanted money from readers.

They belonged to the Roots group in Oxford and although there is a minibus in the picture, it was apparently hired and they wanted one of their own to get them out and about.

Seen left to right in 1989 are Adrian Prescot, four, Shirene Dyce, four, Samantha Harris, three, Sharmane Harris, four, Derron Williams, three, and Marcel Williams, two.

We’re not sure what Josie Pye, four, in Picture 2, was sticking her hands in – was it an indoor sandpit?

Josie Pye with an indoor sandpit (Image: Oxford Mail)

Whatever it was, she was having great fun at St Thomas Street day nursery in Oxford in 1997.

Another puzzle was where Picture 3 was taken, but clearly youngsters were having a great time film making in all sorts of costumes.

Lord Mayor John Power, in Picture 4, joined in the fun at the Balliol day nursery in Oxford in 1993, while in Picture 5, there was plenty of activity at North Oxford nursery with the three-year-olds and four-year-olds seen enjoying time with Margaret Baker.

Youngsters with Lord Mayor John Power (Image: Oxford Mail)

Poppy the cat, in Picture 6, proved a great attraction when the Playbus visited Summertown nursery in North Oxford in 1995 – having a cuddle are Emma Crocombe, left, and Emma Davison, both four.

The Playbus visits Summertown nursery (Image: Oxford Mail)

These pictures were taken by Mail photographers Susie Barker, Dave Fleming, John Lawrence, Athar Chaudhry and Antony Moore.