Wantage Area Weekly News Archives (July to December 2025)

Please note that this section is presented as an archive of past columns and is not updated. Some web links may no longer be active (usually indicated by a score-through), for instance when a consultation has closed. For reasons of space, the Events, Community Notices and News from Your Local Councils sections have been deleted from the archive posts.

To see the current Wantage Area Weekly News section, please click here.

Other archives

Please click here to see the other archived columns for this (and all the other) weekly news sections.

Thursday 18 December 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes the latest newsletter from the Town Council, still time to comment of the mega-reservoir and a message from the Leader – plus carols, a police message, potholes, mummers, repairs and grants. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Christmas Eve Carols and Boxing Day Mummers Play. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• The Town Council’s newsletter

Wantage Town Council has recently published its most recent newsletter. You can click here to see the print version – this is, I think, substantially the same as the emailed one, to the top of which this summary was provided:

December printed newsletter
Town survey
Youth mentoring announcement
Preventing fly tipping and keeping pubs open
Support the Vale & Downland Museum
Christmas Eve carols
Christmas market feedback
Wantage community flood group
Warm homes local grant
Live well Oxfordshire
Are you an unpaid carer?
Free roll of caddy liners

• The reservoir

Vale of White Horse District Council is encouraging everyone in the local area to take part in Thames Water’s public consultation on the proposed South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO), before the 13 January 2026 deadline.

The feedback Thames Water gathers will inform its Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the government, which it expects to submit in autumn 2026. People can have their say on Thames Water’s consultation webpages and read more about the proposals.

“With only a few more weeks to go for Thames Water’s public consultation, I urge everyone to have a say before the January deadline,” Council Leader Bethia Thomas said. “Now is the opportunity to raise any questions or concerns.”

“It’s no secret that we have deep concerns for the reservoir and the impact it would have on our district,’ she added. “Many questions remain around the size of the proposed scheme, its environmental impact and significant (growing) financial and carbon costs, as well as the potential for increased flood risk in local watercourses.

“We are preparing a response to the consultation, which we will publish on our website in due course. We remain opposed to this proposal, and we will continue to urge water providers, regulators and government to listen to local voices and reject these plans. We will continue to do everything we can within our power to ensure that the voice of our community is listened to.”

These feelings have been echoed by many others. This is an issue we’ve covered several times before. Some of the issues or concerns that have been mentioned include that it’s not needed, that a Severn-Thames pipe would be far better in a number of ways, that it involves problematic technology, that the chances of cost or budget over-runs are huge, that it would be dangerous and that it would be very disruptive and carbon-heavy to build.

• A message from the Leader

And, sticking with Bethia Thomas, you can click here to read her Christmas 2025 message to residents.

This includes a whistle-stop tour of some of the main issues with which the Council has been grappling this year, including devolution and re-organisation, the joint local plan (a solution to which might have been presented by the government’s recent loosening of the duty to co-operate), climate and nature policies and ambitions, the Community Hub; homelessness, sanctuary, services over the Christmas and New Year period; and thanks to the area’s many volunteers, community groups and charities.

• This week’s news

• Come along to a special Christmas Eve Carol Service at Wantage Marketplace. From 6.30pm to 7pm, enjoy a warm and festive evening of Christmas carols, with music by the Wantage Silver Band to celebrate the joy of the season. Click here to find out more.

• Thames Valley Police has announced a new initiative aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour among young people in Wantage and Grove, which launched earlier this month. The programme will provide one-to-one mentoring for individuals aged 15–21 who reside within the Wantage and Grove Neighbourhood Policing Team (NHPT) area and have come to attention for low-level offences or anti-social behaviour. To find out more about this programme, click here.

• On Sunday 21 December at 7pm, the Wantage Parish Church will be hosting a Carols by Candlelight event, click here to see all the advent activities they are holding leading up to the big day, including a Crib service with a donkey!

• On Monday 22 December there is a family friendly Christingle event, between 10:30am and 1pm at the Holy Trinity Church in Charlton. This is a free community activity for all ages, in which there will be crafts and carols. Booking a place is advised, which you can do here.

• There have been reports of a bad pothole popping tyres on the Wantage to Lambourn Road (B4001) north of the Sparsholt turning. It has been reported to Oxfordshire County Council on FixMyStreet but nothing has been done about it yet. So if you’re unlucky to get a puncture take a photo and report it and you will get reimbursed (eventually).

• Wantage Mummers invite you to their Boxing Day Mummers Play with three performances in aid of Vale Community Impact: 10am at Faringdon Market Place, 12 noon at Wantage Market Place and 1.15pm at Childrey Village Hall. Come and experience the origin of pantomime with the usual topical embellishments! Music and song will follow the final Childrey performance to give all a chance to be merry and join in the festive cheer. Last year £2,500 was donated to Vale Community Impact.

• The next Repair Cafe, at The Mix, Wantage, will be taking place on Saturday 3 January. The clever volunteer fixers are ready to help you repair all kinds of household and electrical items; from toasters and toys, to hairdryers and hoovers. If you have an item that you would like fixing, make sure you book a slot here.

• Penny Post’s second volume of short stories and parodies by Brian Quinn, Gravity and Rust, is now available from any bookshop, including Wantage and Hungerford Bookshops, and the White Horse Bookshop in Marlborough. Click here for more information. “I don’t know how he’s able to write so convincingly in so many recognisable voices,” local author and QI researcher Edward Brooke-Hitching said. “It’s the perfect story collection, conjured up as if by a dramatic spirit medium, for anyone wishing to disappear into witty musings on politics, cats, aging, unintended consequences and the afterlife, amongst other topics. He’s clearly someone who hears voices – lucky for us they’re so entertaining.”

• South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils continue to offer the Disabled Facilities Grant to help disabled and vulnerable residents make their homes safer, more comfortable, and better suited to their needs. The Disabled Facilities Grant is a means-tested grant providing financial help for home adaptations, such as installing ramps and stairlifts. To find out more about this, including who is eligible and how to apply, click here.

• Save the Date: Grove and Wantage Extravaganza is returning bigger and better than ever on Saturday 13 June 2026. This much-loved community celebration will take place at Grove Recreation Ground, Recreation Lane, Grove, proudly hosted by Grove Rugby Club, in partnership with The Ray Collins Charitable Trust. This marks a new chapter in collaboration and community spirit. If you’d like to get involved please email Volunteering@groverfc.co.uk or join the facebook group here.

• The Wantage Town Community Survey is a chance for you to have your say and help make Wantage an even better place to live, work, and visit. Organised by Wantage Town Council, the survey only takes a few minutes to complete and every response helps to build a clearer picture of what the community needs. To give your feedback click here.

• Quick reminder at this time of year that Sustainable Wantage Draughtbusters offer free visits to assess and fix draughts in your house, which could help you save energy, reduce bills and reduce your carbon footprint. Click here to learn more.

• Wantage Choral Society is a thriving mixed voice choir that always welcomes new singers. For rehearsal times and more details please contact membership secretary Delia Greaves at wantagechoralsociety@gmail.com.

• Quick reminder from Citizens Advice about the most common types of scam, how to avoid them and what to do if you get caught. Sadly, once someone has been scammed, they can be preyed upon by other scammers, pretending to help them. The golden rule is if something seems too good to be true or doesn’t feel right it might be a scam, so take a moment and get advice or just ask a friend.

• Have you ever considered becoming a Volunteer Driver? Even just one drive a week can help someone access vital services and uplift their quality of life. Hours are flexible and can be arranged around your schedule and fuel is reimbursed at 45p per mile for your contribution. If you’re curious to learn more please reach out by contacting Vale Community Impact at 01235 765348 or recruitment@vci.org.uk.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group (dissolved on 5/11/25 but website is still live)

Thursday 11 December 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes social housing in rural areas, trees, stories, grants, an extravaganza, a survey, draughts and choirs. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Green Gym and Christmas Eve Carols. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Social housing in villages

As is becoming increasingly clear, there is a mounting problem with the provision of social-rent homes. In various ways and for various reasons the current system appears to be broken. This is particularly the case in rural areas, where the number of such properties is in general declining; while any new ones tend to be in towns. This is an unwelcome drift as it’s slowly making many villages less vibrant and less viable and making it less likely that people can remain in the communities they know. Moreover, all this is largely driven by market forces over which most councils are fairly powerless.

The good news is that there are things that villages can do to help themselves. Land trusts, rural exception sites and almshouses all exist as ways by which parishes can get at least some of the housing they need and, moreover, have it tied up for permanent community use. There are also organisations which can help them achieve this.

In this separate article, we take a look at this issue and link to some sources of expert advice. If you feel that your parish has fewer social-rent homes than it needs and no immediate prospect of this being remedied, see if any of the organisations mentioned can help.

• This week’s news

• This Saturday 13 December, there will be lots of festive fun happening at Wantage Library. From 2.30pm until 3pm, the Caritas Children’s Choir will be performing Christmas Carols for charity. There will also be hot chocolate and gingerbread on offer. While from 3pm, the weekly story time will feature some Christmas tales. These events are free and there is no need to book, find out more here.

• Sustainable Wantage will be replacing some of the young trees at Manor Road Park that didn’t survive the prolonged drought conditions earlier this year, as well as filling gaps in the hedging along the eastern and southern sides to help create a connected and diverse wildlife corridor along the edge of the park. They have a session replacing the trees on Friday 12 December and hedge planting on Saturday 13 December. Sign up for a slot to join in this friendly active work party.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group (dissolved on 5/11/25 but website is still live)

Thursday 4 December 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes the Dickensian evening, Small Business Saturday, the snowman, bingo, grants, draughts and a survey. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Dickensian Evening and The Snowman Live and Small Business Saturday. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• The wait is over

Christmas officially kicks off in Wantage this Friday with the annual Dickensian Evening with lots of exciting Christmas attractions, local businesses staying open late with festive treats, an artisan market, live entertainment from local groups, carol singers and Morris dancers. There will even be donkeys and reindeers. Find out more about all the attractions here.

The Vale & Downland Museum will be hosting a very special guest. Meet Father Christmas in his grotto, share your Christmas wishes and receive a special gift to take home. Booking a time slot is essential and many have already sold out so book quickly to secure a place here. Wantage Bookshop on Mill Street will be open until 7.30pm with local author Mike White signing copies from 6pm to 7pm of his new book Rogues of the Road: 400 years of Oxfordshire highwaymen.

The Dickensian Committee gratefully thank Bushby who will suspend the parking restrictions in the car parks in Limborough Road (outside Home Bargains and along from Pets Corner to Pure Gym) and to Wantage Leisure Centre for providing overflow parking on the tennis courts.

Please be aware there will be a temporary full road closure from 11am until 11pm. Buses will be relocated to Seesen Way and taxis to Wallingford Street. See full details here.

• This week’s news

• On Saturday 6 December join the Wantage Brass Band for The Snowman Live, a family Christmas concert featuring the best festive tunes from the beloved 1982 film. This will be at The Beacon, Wantage with three showings. Get your tickets here.

• Please support Small Business Saturday in Wantage Market Place and throughout the town this Saturday 6 December. From 10.30am to 3pm enjoy special offers, discover products or services, connect with the local community, and celebrate the amazing small businesses that make Wantage special. See here for details. For example Wantage Bookshop on Mill Street is celebrating with 10% off all books and cards, wrap, jigsaws and more – plus a free giftwrapping service until 3.30pm. They are also welcoming three local authors throughout the day for you to meet and get personalised signed copies of their books as a unique gift.

• The East Hendred Community Larder will be holding a fundraising Festive Family Bingo, at Snells Hall this Saturday 6 December. Doors open from 6.30pm, for eyes down at 7.30pm. As well as the bingo, there will a be food, drink and a raffle. Guests are invited to dress festive. Click here for details.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group (dissolved on 5/11/25 but website is still live)

Thursday 27 November 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes the Town Council’s latest newsletter and closing your bins – plus Alfredfest, a sale, coffee, Dickens, small businesses, an extravaganza, draughts and choirs. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Wantage Artisan Christmas Market & Dickensian Evening. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• The Town Council’s newsletter

The most recent edition of this has just been published and its contents include:

It doesn’t seem to be available online and so I can’t give you a link to it. However the hotlinks above, copied from the copy we were emailed, should take you to the relevant sections: no promises that these will work though. Try it and see.

• Closing the lids

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are reminding residents that crews can only empty household wheelie bins if their lids are fully closed.

“Crew members check to make sure that the waste is fully contained within each bin,” a statement reads. “They need to do this because there is a real risk that an overfilled bin won’t attach properly to the lifting equipment at the rear of the collection vehicle. In such cases, it’s common for bins to become unattached and end up being thrown from the lift, causing a serious danger to collection staff, the public and motorists who might be in the vicinity.”

• Have your say

Have you heard of Science Vale, a term used to describe the Didcot, Wantage and Grove area? Home to approximately 73,000 people, 37 schools, seven medical centres, five libraries, two community hospitals, shopping centres, and leisure facilities including five leisure centres, three museums, and a cinema.

Oxfordshire County Council has a Movement and Place (MAP) Plan for Science Vale, to improve local areas and transport. It aims to make public spaces better for the community and upgrade travel routes and infrastructure. Have your say on the MAP by Monday 1 December. See here for more details.

• This week’s news

• Did you attend Alfredfest in October? If you have any thoughts on what you particularly enjoyed or ideas for what could be improved, take this survey here for a chance to give your feedback.

• Sustainable Shrivenham is holding a closing down sale for the Hub between now and Saturday 6 December. This is to prepare for a major overhaul of the building with the Hub will be re-opening in Spring 2026. To prepare for the make-over they need to clear out all the current stock and they aim to re-home, recycle and reuse as much as possible, so head down there to grab yourself a bargain.

• The Wantage Artisan Christmas Market is on this Sunday 30 November from 11am to 3pm in the town centre. Enjoy a festive day out, browsing over 25 stalls offering unique Christmas gifts, delicious seasonal food, and festive drinks. On from 11am to 3pm, find out more here.

• Join the Charlton Lodge Care Home for its monthly coffee morning alongside the Stroke Association to gain support, share experiences and make new friends. From 10:30am to 11:30am, it is free with complimentary tea and biscuits. Find out more here.

• Next Friday, Christmas officially kicks off in Wantage with Dickensian Night. There will be lots of exciting Christmas attractions throughout the town, as well as lots of the local businesses staying open late with special treats such as a glass of fizz, nibbles and chocolates. There will be an artisan market, live entertainment from local groups, carol singers and Morris dancers. There will even be donkeys and reindeers. Find out more about all the attractions here.

• This Saturday 29 November join the Wantage Choral Society in A Celebration of Christmas Concert, at St Peter’s and St Paul’s Church. Book a ticket here.

• The Vale Council has released a newsletter updating on its response to the government’s request to reorganise local councils. These include to proposals include the Oxford and Shires Council and the Ridgeway Council . It will be submitting its proposal to the government before the 28 November deadline, the government will then consult on all proposals for the area in spring 2026 before deciding later in the summer.

• If you run a business from home, garage or garden shed and don’t usually attend markets, you can be part of Small Business Saturday in Wantage Market Place on Saturday 6 December. From 10.30am to 3pm you can showcase your products or services, connect with the local community, and celebrate the amazing small businesses that make Wantage special. Spaces are limited so if you’re interested in getting involved or want more details, please email andrea.yates@wantagetowncouncil.gov.uk or click here.

• Join in for an evening of creativity, community, at the Kings Alfred’s Head, Wantage with a life-drawing session this Friday 28 November. Whether you’re a regular with your sketchbook or just curious to try life drawing for the first time, come along and give it a go. Click here to book a place.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 20 November 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes Sweatbox, small businesses, a fair, sewing, drawing, singing, trees and volunteer drivers. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Grove Christmas Fair and Wantage Sewing Machine workshop. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• This week’s news

• Children and young people across Wantage, Grove and surrounding areas will continue to benefit from exciting youth activities, as Sweatbox Community Youth Services secures £96,432 of funding from Vale of White Horse District Council. The funds will be used to help them continue to expand their weekly youth activities, which include sports, arts and more.  Click here to read more about this story, and to find out more about Sweatbox and the facilities they provide for the local area, click here.

• Calling all home-based small businesses. If you run your business from home, your garage or garden shed, but don’t usually attend markets, you can be part of Small Business Saturday in Wantage Market Place on Saturday 6 December. From 10.30am to 3pm, you can showcase your products or services, connect with the local community, and celebrate the amazing small businesses that make Wantage special. Spaces are limited so if you’re interested in getting involved or want more details, please email andrea.yates@wantagetowncouncil.gov.uk or click here.

• This Saturday 22 November there’s a Christmas Fair at Grove Day Centre for the Elderly. Entry is free and there will be plenty of stalls selling items like crafts, food, jewellery, gifts and more. There will also be refreshments, as well as a raffle and tombola. Click here for more information.

• Join in for an evening of creativity, community, at the Kings Alfred’s Head, Wantage with a life-drawing session next Friday 28 November. Whether you’re a regular with your sketchbook or just curious to try life drawing for the first time, come along and give it a go. Click here to book a place.

• This November, learn sewing skills at The Mix. On Friday 28 November there’s a ‘love your sewing machine’ session which aims to teach you how to get the most out of your machine.

• Sustainable Wantage invites local young people, aged 16–25 to share their views on clothes swaps. Click here to take part in a short survey, to help them understand how clothes swaps could work best in Wantage and what would make more young people take part. They are also looking for volunteers to join a local focus group discussion about clothes swaps and sustainability, if you’re interested in being involved click the survey link.

• Have you applied to the Oxfordshire Garden Tree Giveaway? You can request up to two trees, which are bare-root whips up to 90cm tall, suitable for small and medium-sized gardens. You can choose from spindle, wayfaring tree, guelder rose, crab apple, rowan and hazel. Trees will be available to collect between Thursday 27 November and Sunday 30 November. Find out more, including how to apply, here.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 13 November 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes Small Business Saturday and Grove’s grant – plus Christmas cards, art, clothes swaps, draughts, singing, sewing and scams. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Fundraising Bazaar and Sparsholt Spirit of the Vale. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Small Business Saturday

• Calling all home-based small businesses. If you run your business from home, your garage or garden shed, but don’t usually attend markets, you can be part of Small Business Saturday in Wantage Market Place on Saturday 6 December.

From 10.30am to 3pm, you can showcase your products or services, connect with the local community, and celebrate the amazing small businesses that make Wantage special.

Spaces are limited so if you’re interested in getting involved or want more details, please email andrea.yates@wantagetowncouncil.gov.uk or click here.

• Grove’s grant

Grove Rugby Football Club is set to receive £83,861 from Vale of White Horse District Council to help improve its facilities. The funding will go towards adding additional kitchen facilities and modernising the existing building.

The project has also been designed “to make the building more environmentally friendly by prioritising energy efficiency and lowering carbon emissions, with the use of energy-efficient appliances, LEDs with motion sensors, and improved insulation.”

You can read the full statement from the Vale Council here.

• Other news

• It’s the annual Charity Christmas card sale at the Vale and Downlands Museum. They’ve been selling fast all week and the last chance to grab yours is this Friday 14 November.

• This Saturday 15 November there is a Charity Bazaar in aid of Cancer Research over at Hanney War Memorial Hall, West Hanney. This includes a table top sale, a raffle, tombolas, refreshments and the chance to buy festival gifts. From 10am to 2pm, find out more here.

• Next Wednesday 19 November it’s the popular Spirit of the Vale Christmas Fair at the The Barn, Eastmanton House, in Sparsholt. Open all day from 10am to 7pm, it’s the perfect opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done. Admission is free and there will also be refreshments served throughout the day, click here to find out more.

• The next Wantage Art Group meeting will look at ‘Painting an interior scene with pastels’, with Kevin Scully at East Challow Village Hall on Wednesday 19 November from 7.30pm. As always, new members and visitors are welcome and the first visit is only £5. For more information, click here.

• This November, learn sewing skills at The Mix. On Friday 14 November, learn ‘Sashiko-style mending’; a Japanese technique that reinforces and revitalises worn clothing. While on Friday 28 November there’s a ‘love your sewing machine’ session which aims to teach you how to get the most out of your machine.

• The Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group is worth joining here.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 6 November 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes new council plans, science, clothes swaps, pumpkins, draughts, sewing and a by-election. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Remembrance Parade & Service and Wantage Cafe Scientifique. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• New council plans formally announced

“Change is coming to local government across England,” a statement from the Vale Council announces, “and five councils have worked together to create a proposal for two new, innovative and locally accountable unitary authorities for Oxfordshire and West Berkshire that will tackle existing inefficiencies, improve services, and support local communities in response to the government’s call for reform of council structures.

“The proposal is one of three being put forward for the area and has the potential to save the most money of all the options – with possible savings reaching £59.8m a year. It would create authorities that are big enough to be efficient, stable and reliable, but local enough to care and be responsive to communities.”

You can read the full statement here.

You can also click here to read the 6 November This Week with Brian column (scroll down to “Across the area”) which considers these options and some of the pros and cos and also wonders if the reorganisation might mean that the chaotic and border-line dysfunctional system of financing local authorities gets the proper overhaul that it’s long needed.

• Other news

• This Sunday 9 November, it’s the Wantage Festival of Remembrance, a concert of local talent. The concert stars at 2.30pm and will last 60 to 75 minutes, with no interval and refreshments served after the concert. Ticket profits will be donated to the Royal British Legion, to book you place click here.

• The next talk from the Wantage Cafe Scientific is next Wednesday 12 November at the Wildwood Cinema, Wantage on the subject of quantum computing. Speaker Daisy Shearer, the Outreach and Education Lead for the National Quantum Computing Centre, has a background in experimental condensed matter physics. Daisy combines a deep technical knowledge of quantum technology with a passion for teaching and public engagement to translate quantum computing concepts to a variety of audiences. Find out more here.

• Sustainable Wantage is inviting local young people, aged 16–25, to share their views on clothes swaps. Click here to take part in a short survey, to help them understand how clothes swaps could work best in Wantage and what would make more young people take part. They are also looking for volunteers to join a local focus group discussion about clothes swaps and sustainability, if you’re interested in being involved click the survey link.

• You can leave your leftover pumpkins out whole next to your food waste bin (or cut up inside your bin) on your usual bin collection day. The Vale’s electric food-waste vehicles are ready to collect them to be turned into energy to help power up to 4,800 homes and fertiliser for local farms.

• On Thursday 13 November, residents in Ridgeway Ward will be able to vote in their local district by-election. The parishes that make up Ridgeway Ward are Childrey, East Challow, Kingston Lisle, Letcombe Bassett, Letcombe Regis, Sparsholt and West Challow. To find out who you can vote for, click here.

• The Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group is worth joining here.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 30 October 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes a treat for history fans and three points from the Vale Council’s Leader – plus a community survey, sustainability, a by-election, scams, sewing and garden waste. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Quiz Night & Sir Tony Robinson at The Beacon. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Treat for history fans

Blackadder, Time Team and Anglo-Saxon history fans will be pleased to grab tickets to see Sir Tony Robinson at The Beacon next Thursday 6 November. The actor and broadcaster will be talking about his bestselling new historical fiction novel, The House of Wolf. The book is an earthy, entertaining and gloriously witty recreation of the Anglo-Saxons, Alfred the Great, and the making of England, “bringing light, danger and excitement to the Dark Ages.”

Expect an evening full of history and fun as Sir Tony Robinson talks to interviewer Rebecca Fletcher about his writing and his fascination with Wantage’s very own Alfred the Great. The event is presented by Wantage Bookshop and Sir Tony will be signing copies after the talk. Book your tickets here.

• The Leader speaks

Three things appear to have dominated the address of the October meeting of the Vale of White Horse by the Council’s Leader, Beth Thomas. All of these we’ve covered recently.

The first was the proposed reservoir. She questioned “the supposed need for it” and highlighted “the potential damage it will have on our district – but for the hugely inflated costs that we are now seeing come out of this proposal” which have “escalated and are already spiralling out of control, with increases in capital construction costs from an estimated £2.2 billion to three times that amount, and this I am sure is not the last of it.”

The second was the joint local plan, which was recently thrown out by the Inspectors for, in their view, failing to demonstrate a sufficient duty of co-operation with Oxford City Council. She said that the Council was confident it could resolve this and praised the plan for being “full of innovative policies which will continue to shape the district. I want to reassure everyone that the council is taking all reasonable steps to ensure that future development in the areas remains sustainable, appropriate and well-planned.”

The third was local government reorganisation. The Ridgeway and Oxford & Shires two-unitary proposal is the one that the Vale, South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire all support, though Oxford City would prefer the three-unitary one by which it remains separate. She described the emerging plan is a “strong, positive, cost-effective proposal that meets the government’s criteria and protects and enhances what’s great about our communities.”

You can read the statement about her address from the Vale Council here, which also includes a link the the full text of her report.

• Other news

• Next week, you can leave your leftover pumpkins out whole next to your food waste bin (or cut up inside your bin) on your usual bin collection day. The Vale’s electric food-waste vehicles are ready to collect them to be turned into energy to help power up to 4,800 homes and fertiliser for local farms.

• This Friday 31 October the Wantage Art Group is holding a fun Quiz Night, over at West Challow Village Hall. Doors open at 7.30pm for an 8pm start. There will be a bar, as well as nibbles and a chance to win a prize on every round. Tickets cost £10, to take part contact wantageart@gmail.com or call 07772 518938. Click here for more information.

• Residents who have purchased a permit for the district council brown bin garden waste collection service in South Oxfordshire or the Vale of White Horse can have extra garden waste collected for free, on their normal scheduled collection day only, between 27 October and 7 November.

• South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have launched a Food and Warmth Grant Scheme. This aims to help local non-profit organisations who are supporting residents struggling with the rising cost of living, by delivering projects that improve access to food and help people keep their homes warm. Applications close midday on Thursday 6 November, click here to find out how to apply.

• The Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group is worth joining here.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 23 October 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes Wantage’s town survey, the Vale and SOx continue to push back on the refusal of the local plan and work finally starts on the Community Hospital – plus Twilight in the Vale, cows, trees, nature recovery, garden food, warmth and volunteer drivers. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Alfred Fest in Wantage and Alina Choir in Sparsholt. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Wantage’s town survey

Wantage Town Council has launched a Town Survey – and the Council wants to hear from you.

“Whether you live, work, or visit Wantage,” a statement from Wantage TC reads, “this is your chance to influence how our town evolves in the coming years. From local services and community spaces to transport and infrastructure, your feedback will help us understand what matters most.”

For more information and to take part, click here.

• The Vale and SOx’s local plan

We’ve mentioned before (see below) about how the joint local plan by these two councils was recently thrown out by the Planning Inspectorate for failing to demonstrate an adequate duty to co-operate with Oxford City Council over housing numbers.

Local plans are a massive undertaking and the Vale and SOx have not given up getting this one passed without a fight. A joint statement issued on 23 October shows that it might have plotted a way through the issue.

“A letter to Planning Inspectors from a government minister could offer an opportunity for the Joint Local Plan being developed by the district councils in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse,” the statement begins. “The plan is currently being examined by Planning Inspectors who recently wrote to the councils recommending they withdraw the plan from the process.

“The Inspectors said the councils had failed in a “duty to co-operate” with Oxford City Council on the single issue of how many homes South and Vale should plan in their districts to help Oxford with its unmet needs. The councils wrote back to the Inspectors setting out concerns they had with the Inspectors’ recommendation.

“And now Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning has written to the Planning Inspectorate, the organisation that oversees all Planning Inspectors, to request that they “be proportionate” in how they apply the guidelines related to the duty to co-operate, and to consider the context.”

You can click here to read the full statement.

• Work on the Community Hospital to start at last

A statement from Wantage Town Council informs us that “the long-awaited refurbishment of the ground floor at Wantage Community Hospital is now underway, with contractors having started a phased approach to the planned works since Monday, 13 October. This follows approval by the Vale of White Horse District Council for £950,000 being allocated to the project from its Community Infrastructure Levy.”

You can click here to read the full statement.

• Other news

• This weekend it’s the annual Alfred Fest, taking over Wantage town centre. On Saturday there is a showing of the King Alfred the Great film at the Wildwood Cinema (booking required), then the main event is on Sunday with a range of fun activities with a variety of live performances on the main stage, historical stalls and demonstrations, historic walks, talks, children’s activities and more. Click here to see the full schedule of events.

• This Saturday 25 October, the Alina Choir is celebrating three centuries of beautiful choral music with the Twilight in the Vale Concert, at Church of the Holy Rood, in Sparsholt. Tickets are £25 per person and include a glass of Crémant (or £15 for under 18s). Proceeds will go towards the Sparsholt Church’s Restoration Fund. For tickets and information please email holyroodsparsholt@gmail.com or click here.

• Three Irish Dexter cows have recently moved to Tuckmill Meadows nature reserve near Shrivenham, as part of a nature recovery programme. The meadows are a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), hosting around 150 plant species and with potential for 300 or more. The cattle were introduced to graze across the site to limit the fast-growing grasses which allows more diverse and delicate and rare plant species space to grow. You can read more about the new cows the the recovery programme here.

• An estimated 10% of people across South East of England were caught out by a scam in the past year, according to new research by Citizens Advice. Here is their reminder of the most common types of scams, how to avoid them and what to do if you get caught. Sadly, once someone has been scammed, they can be preyed upon by other scammers, pretending to help them. The golden rule is if something seems too good to be true or doesn’t feel right it might be a scam, so take a moment and get advice.

• The Oxfordshire Garden Tree Giveaway is now open to applications. You can request up to two trees, which are bare-root whips up to 90cm tall, suitable for small and medium-sized gardens. You can choose from spindle, wayfaring tree, guelder rose, crab apple, rowan and hazel. Trees will be available to collect between Thursday 27 November and Sunday 30 November. Find out more, including how to apply, here.

• The latest Vale of the White Horse Newsletter includes information on the above-mentioned extra garden waste collections, half-term activities, tips on how to reduce waste this Halloween, the upcoming Wantage Literature Festival. Read it here.

• The Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group is worth joining here.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 16 October 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes a report on the latest Wantage Chamber of Commerce meeting, a statement from Wantage Town Council, Halloween news from the Vale and a crime survey from the PCC – plus apples, trees, climate action, garden waste, warmth and volunteer drivers. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Get Growing with Sustainable Wantage and Alina Choir in Sparsholt. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• The latest Chamber meeting

The October public meeting of the Wantage Chamber of Commerce looked at the Love Wantage website and its relationship with the Chamber: Love Wantage being, as the Chamber’s Maeri Howard stressed, “a collaborative effort”.

It also considered how Love Wantage is supporting and promoting events in the town, including both regular events such as the Dikensian Evening and the Literary Festival and one-off ones such as the eightieth anniversary of VE Day. The organisation is also developing partnerships, including with the Southern Oxfordshire Tourism Partnership (which made a presentation to the April 2025 meeting).

More on this and the previous similar events this year can be found in this separate article.

• A statement from Wantage Town Council

On 2 October (see below), we quoted a statement from Wantage Town Council that was confusing as it appeared to mounting a defence against what seemed to be some allegation or issue that wasn’t specified. A request for clarification was not responded to.

More recently, on 15 October, another statement appeared. This is far more specific and we’re happy to reproduce it in full:

“Wantage Town Council has been made aware of racist and offensive remarks shared on social media through an account that publicly associates the individual responsible with the Council.

“We wish to make it absolutely clear that these views are not shared by the Town Council, and do not reflect the values we uphold as a public body. Wantage Town Council is committed to promoting equality, respect, and inclusion in all aspects of our work and within the wider community.

“This matter is being taken seriously and is being dealt with in line with appropriate procedures.”

• Halloween news

Personally, I think this celebration is utterly ghastly: not for religious reasons (though I can see why those with religious views might object to it) but because creates a mountain of waste, much of it plastic. Some of it, however, is in the form of pumpkins. These unloved and, to my mind, unlovely vegetables are grown in vast quantities (and estimated ten to fifteen million in the UK), mainly in order for them to be defaced and then generally thrown away. This seems like a poor return considering the effort involved in growing and transporting them.

In fact, the only half decent thing this event has produced is John Carpenter’s fairly good slasher movie. A number of great things have come out of the USA. Halloween is not one of them.

Regardless of what I think, however, we seem to be stuck with it. The Vale Council has – once you get through the obligatory spook-tacularly cringey puns in the preamble – published some advice about how you can make 31 October a bit less wasteful. You can read the article here.

• How much does crime impact your business?

“I know that crime can affect businesses,” Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber wrote this week, “and I also recognise that low crime and a thriving economy go hand in hand. So I am asking you to share your experiences.” His Local Business Survey (which has some prizes to encourage you to take part) is being done, he explains, partly for him to gather information on how crime affects your business so he can try to improve policing; and partly “to help play my part in strengthening our local economy.”

You can click here to take part in the survey which will, he assures us, take only “a couple of minutes” to complete.

• Other news

• Last Sunday was apple pressing day, and Sustainable Wantage reported pressing 310kgs of apples into 234 bottles of juice (in reusable glass bottles). They will have some bottles available at The Mix on Mill Street for a donation and will also be saving some for their hot spiced apple juice recipe for Dickensian Evening.

• The Vale of White Horse District Council’s Climate Action Fund has awarded a total of £100,000 in grants to 16 organisations including charities and community groups, including the Vale Community Impact Group who aim to use the funds to reduce energy usage and enhance the environmental performance of its Wantage office, as well as continuing its work in the community. Sustainable Wantage were also awarded a grant, which they will be putting towards research and feasibility study to produce a five-year food growing strategy. Read more about these and the other projects funded, here.

• Wantage Community Larder is launching an Umbrella Appeal. If you’ve got an umbrella or two at home that you no longer use (in good working order), they would be grateful for the donation. You can drop them off at The Mix during opening hours, or bring them along next time you visit the Larder.

• Sustainable Wantage‘s mid-month report reveals their impressive impact report. They now have over 1,300 households / individuals collecting free surplus food from The Mix Community Fridge, an increase of 17% on last year. With Mix volunteer rota increasing from 14 shifts a week to 19 to help manage the rise in demand.

• Eastmanton House in Sparsholt has an interesting line-up of events this autumn including The Alina Choir: Twilight in the Vale, at Holy Rood Church, Sparsholt on Saturday 25 October.

• Wantage Town Council is preparing for Alfred Fest on Sunday 26 October, a celebration of the town’s rich heritage and honours King Alfred the Great. It is offering a range of sponsorship packages designed to suit all budgets, giving local businesses the chance to gain valuable exposure while supporting a much-loved community celebration. For more info or to request a sponsorship pack, email us at communications@wantagetowncouncil.gov.uk.

• The Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group is worth joining here.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 9 October 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes the Vale and SOx hit back over the local plan refusal, trees, brown bins, the community larder, food and warmth, story time and volunteer drivers. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Green Gym, apple pressing & still life workshop. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• The Vale and SOx hit back over the joint local plan

We mentioned last week (see below) that the Vale White Horse and South Oxfordshire’s (Vale and SOx) local plan had been thrown out by the planning inspectors on the grounds that it failed to demonstrate a suitable duty of co-operation with Oxford City Council.

The Vale and SOx have hit back and written an open letter in which they have claimed that the Planning Inspectors’ conclusions are “unwarranted and lacking coherent explanation”. To read the full letter click here: a summary can be found here.

• Other news

• Want to turn your surplus apples and windfalls into juice? Book your slot here to have Sustainable Wantage volunteers press them for you this Sunday 12 October. For more details contact Jo on 07918 148828 or josustainablewantage@gmail.com.

• The next Sustainable Wantage Green Gym will be on Friday 10 October. They’ll be meeting by the Wantage Health Centre at 10am, before heading over to Letcombe Brook for litter picking. They even have some waders available in case anyone wants to litter pick in the brook. Anyone is welcome to come along, help look after our natural areas and keep fit in the process. To join in book a slot here.

• Next Wednesday 15 October the Wantage Art Group are back with a still-life workshop, hosted by Sue Klemencic. The session will look at composition, drawing and adding water colour. At the East Challow Village Hall, from 7:30pm. For more information click here.

• September news from the Vale & Downland Museum in Wantage includes new Adult Gallery Talk programme, Toddler Tunes, new Friends’ Talks, Wantage Tramway Exhibition, Wantage Art Group’s temporary exhibition, our monthly Greengage live music lunchtimes, details about our VDM Fundraising 50 Appeal and how to join their monthly 100 Club prize draw.

• Eastmanton House in Sparsholt has an interesting line-up of events this autumn including The Alina Choir: Twilight in the Vale, at Holy Rood Church, Sparsholt on Saturday 25 October.

• Did you know Wantage Library has a Storytime every Saturday between 2.30pm and 3pm? It is free and you can just drop in. Right now the Summer Reading Challenge is also on, so make sure to sign up while you are here. Find out more here.

• Thanks to a joint effort with Shrivenham Parish Council and funding from Sustainable Shrivenham, they have announced that a new community composted soil improver, supplied by the surplus from a fantastic Defence Academy initiative is now available for use. Located at the Shrivenham Memorial Hall carpark, bring your own container and take what you need. This resource is free to use, although donations are appreciated and can be made at the Hub. Find out more here.

• The Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group is worth joining here.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

Thursday 25 September 2025

We’re taking a bit of time off so there’ll be no update this week. Normal service will be resumed on Thursday 2 October.

Thursday 18 September 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes possible good news for the plans to re-open Wantage and Grove’s station, a reminder about the recent Chamber meeting at which the future of the town centre was discussed and the CEO of the Vale and South Oxon stands down – plus an umbrella appeal, plants for sale, a newsletter, sponsorship, compost and volunteer drivers. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include community meal and fundraising bingo. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Railway news

Following a tendering process, Oxfordshire County Council has commissioned SLC Rail to put together the strategic outline business case for the project of re-opening the station at Wantage and Grove. It is expected to be published by the end of September 2025.

“This area has had a rapid increase in population in recent years,” Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy said. “If we are going to be able to meet our ambitious targets set in our Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, rail improvements will be a key factor. Providing fast, regular and reliable transport options that serve our local communities and businesses across the region is essential for supporting the people, our economic centres and climate change objectives.”

The proposed new station would, she added, “support the substantial growth in population that has taken place over recent years and provide residents with a high-quality and sustainable alternative means of travel.”

We’ve heard all these arguments before, of course. I’ve never understood the reasons why a station can’t be re-opened on a section of the main line that that point has four tracks, so permitting non-stopping train to pass through without timetable disruption. Apparently, though, re-opening a station on this main line is impossible unless a Bristol to Oxford service is introduced, perhaps as a kind of offshoot of East-West Rail.

This is one of these things like quantum computing, the wave/particle nature of light, bridge bidding and the American electoral system that I’ve made efforts to understand but somehow can’t. Everything about the project seems to add up. A £2.48 return for every £1 invested seems a good return. The line is there. The site has been safeguarded in the Vale’s local plan. The customers are there, in ever-increasing numbers. The environmental case is well made. What’s the problem?

• Two views on the future of Wantage

As mentioned last week (see below) there were two speakers at the September Wantage Chamber of Commerce, Robin Heath from the estate agents Green & Co and Andy Sweeney from Oxfordshire CC. Both were addressing the same issue (that of the commercial vitality of Wantage) but approached matters in a very different way.

In this separate article we look at what both of them had to say on the matter. Oxfordshire CC has some (rather nebulous) plans for how the centre of the town might be changed and we’ve got the timetable, such as it is, for the next points at which the public can engage with the process.

This precisely describes the situation in which Wantage’s traders now find themselves. Given the length of time that any municipal decisions and works take, this is also likely to be a situation that will persist for several years.

There’s therefore never been a better time for any retailer who’s not already a member to join the Chamber. Information on this can be found in the article as well.

• Council chief steps down

The Vale and South Oxfordshire Councils have announced that “after long and careful consideration Mark Stone has decided to leave South and Vale as of 30 September 2025.”  He has led the councils since July 2017 “as Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service working with multiple administrations.”

The statement adds that “the councils, during Mark’s stewardship, have been high performing and low cost across all key service areas, including, housing, waste collection and revenues and benefits, whilst staff development and retention have been exceptional.”

The Vale and SOx do many things together, including sharing offices, communications team and even a local plan. They also have a shared CEO. Given the government’s merger plans, it’s seems unlikely that the councils will change this arrangement and go back to having one each.

It’s possible they’ll just appoint an interim head until the outcome of the reforms are clearer, which they should be some time after the councils have submitted their detailed plans for any amalgamations in November.

The Vale and SOx’s preferred plan, as is West Berkshire’s, that the three merge to form a new unitary known as Ridgeway. You can find more information and onward links on the proposal by visiting this page of the Vale’s website.

This isn’t the only reorganisation option: Oxfordshire CC, for instance, would prefer a single unitary comprising the whole of the county, which would leave West Berkshire needing to find new partners to the east or the west. The final decision will be taken by the government in due course: not, of course, any longer by Angela Rayner but by her successor, Steve Reed.

In the meantime, the work of the various councils go on despite the uncertainties caused by the reorganisation plans. There’s no suggestion I’m aware of that Mark Stone’s departure is connected to this issue.

• Other news

• Wantage Community Larder is launching an Umbrella Appeal. They wish to to gather a small collection of umbrellas to keep at the Larder, so if it unexpectedly rains while people are waiting in the queue, they can lend them out. If you’ve got an umbrella or two at home that you no longer use (in good working order), they would be grateful for the donation. You can drop them off at The Mix during opening hours, or bring them along next time you visit the Larder.

• Next Wednesday 24 September this months Community Meal with the Down To Earth Café will also include a Creative Climate Action Conversation Workshop on the subject of ‘Reimagining Waste’. Green Arts Oxfordshire Network and Sustainable Wantage will be leading the workshop and discussing ways to reduce waste and increase sustainability, in creative and artistic ways. To find out more and book a place click here.

• The Ray Collins Charitable Trust is holding a Fundraiser Bingo on Friday 26 September at the Old Mill Hall in Grove. Doors Open at 7pm, for eyes down at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £15 per person, which includes 10 bingo games and can be bought here. This aims to be a fun-filled night with prizes up for grabs, supporting a local charity.

• On Sunday 28 September Wantage Market Garden is holding its next Plant Sale from 2pm to 3.30pm. There are outdoor plants available, such as foxgloves, sweet williams, as well as house plants. There will also be homemade cakes and crafts. For more information click here.

• South Oxfordshire and Vale of the White Horse District Council has released the latest Vale Newsletter. This includes the new waste service phone number, a service update, the electoral register and more. Read it here.

• Wantage Choral Society is looking for new singers to join them and is holding at Open Rehearsal on Tuesday 23 September at 7.30pm at Wantage Primary School. No auditions, just enthusiasm required. Alternatively contact membership secretary Delia Greaves at wantagechoralsociety@gmail.com or go along to any standard rehearsals on Tuesdays at 7.30pm.

• Eastmanton House in Sparsholt has an interesting line-up of events this autumn including Foreign Journalist Christina Lamb: Books at the Barn on Thursday 2 October and Hilary Davan Wetton: Reflections on Conducting on Friday 3 October. Wetton will be conducting The Alina Choir: Twilight in the Vale, Holy Rood Church, Sparsholt on Saturday 25 October.

• The Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group is worth joining here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Did you know about Sustainable Wantage’s Library of Things that you can borrow instead of having to buy them? See here for how it all works to save you money and collecting stuff you don’t need to use very often.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 11 September 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes potentially good news for the long-running saga of the Wantage Community Hospital and a look at two different views of the future of Wantage’s town-centre expressed at a recent meeting of the Chamber of Commerce – plus the Vale and Downland Museum, first aid, walking, cycling, art, thrillers and a choral evening. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Green Gym and Crime Writers Evening. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Wantage Community Hospital

The Vale of White Horse Council has recently issued a statement on this long-running saga.

“Following a successful bid to the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fund administered by Vale of White Horse District Council,” the statement says, “work is now ready to start on refurbishing the ground floor of Wantage Community Hospital. This follows extensive local community engagement between health and care partners and the local community to co-design improved access and functionality of the ground floor of the hospital to accommodate a wider range of health and care services with a corresponding increase in clinic space by eight rooms.

“The £950,000 funding has come from CIL Healthcare allocation, which is money collected from new building developments in the area that goes towards local infrastructure – in this case health services – that is managed and distributed by the district council.”

You can read the full statement by clicking here.

• Two views on the future of Wantage

There were two speakers at the September Wantage Chamber of Commerce, Robin Heath from the estate agents Green & Co and Andy Sweeney from Oxfordshire CC. Both were addressing the same issue (that of the commercial vitality of Wantage) but approached matters in a very different way.

Chambers of Commerce are at their best and most useful when the business community faces a period of uncertainty which might result in unwelcome change and where a strong collective voice is required to ensure that its views are taken into account. This precisely describes the situation in which Wantage’s traders now find themselves. Given the length of time that any municipal decisions and works take, this is also likely to be a situation that will persist for several years.

There’s therefore never been a better time for any retailer who’s not already a member to join the Chamber. Information on this can be found in the article as well.

• Other news

• This Friday 12 September it’s the Wild Wantage Green Gym, This month’s meeting takes place at Top Lock Meadow, on Mably Way, Wantage. From 10am to midday Wild Wantage will be scything the meadow and they’re looking for volunteers to help with raking and gathering the cuttings. If you can help please sign up here.

• St John’s Ambulance is offering a free First Aid class on Sunday 14 September in Wantage Band Hall. No booking required, just pop along. See more details here.

• There’s still time to have your say on walking and cycling in the Wantage and Grove. Oxfordshire CC wants to make walking, wheeling and cycling easier and more enjoyable for all in Wantage and Grove. They have drafted a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) and people living in, or visiting, Wantage can have their say on the draft LCWIP through the survey on Let’s talk Oxfordshire until 18 September.

• The Wantage Art Group is back with Julia Sorrell’s ‘My Life’s Journey Through Art’ on Wednesday 17 September. Sorrell will talk through work inspired by nature and trying to be sustainable and her illustrations, paintings and textiles work. Taking place at East Challow Village Hall, guests and new visitors are always welcome. For details click here.

• Wantage Bookshop invites you to a thrilling evening with international bestselling authors Paula Hawkins (Girl on a Train) and Jane Casey (Maeve Kerrigan crime series) on Wednesday 17 September at Wantage Church. Find out about their latest psychological thrillers and meet the brains behind the stories. Book tickets here.

• The Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group is worth joining here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 4 September 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes reflection and remembrance, first-aid classes, a bookshop event, art, science, music, wheels and volunteer drivers. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Grove Horticultural Show and Wantage Community Drop-In Session. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• This week’s news

• On Tuesday 2 September Wantage Town Council held ceremony at the western end of the pedestrianised area of Wantage Market Place to mark the anniversary of the signing of the documents that brought the war in the Pacific to a close, signifying the formal end of the Second World War. The event was well attended and provided a meaningful opportunity for reflection and remembrance. Wantage Town Council expressed gratitude to all who attended, helping to ensure that the legacy of those impacted by the war continues to be honoured for generations to come.

• Grove’s 98th Horticultural Show is this Saturday 6 September at Old Mill Hall from 2pm to 4pm. Pop along to admire all the exhibits of fruit, vegetables, flowers, baking, photography and crafts. Stalls selling refreshments, raffle, cards, artwork, ceramics and jewellery. For show schedules see Grove Garden and Local History Club.

• Do you want to find out more about your community, meet new people, join new clubs and find out what goes on in Wantage? Then come along to the Wantage Community Drop-In Session on Thursday 11 September, between 4pm and 7pm at The Lord Nelson to meet Town Centre Manager Andrea Yates and Community Development Officer Zoe Norton. Whether you have just moved into the area or have been here a while, this is an ideal opportunity to gain information to help you connect to your new community. For more information click here.

• Would you know what to do if a loved one suddenly stopped breathing, began choking, or had severe bleeding? St John’s Ambulance West Berkshire & Southern Oxfordshire are offering free First Aid classes on Thursday 11 and Sunday 14 September in Wantage Band Hall. No booking required, just pop along. See more details here.

• The Wantage Cafe Scientifique, is back on Wednesday 10 September at the Wildwood Cinema, with the talk ‘Aspects of Climate Change Adaptation in Forestry’ with with Dr Karsten Schönrogge, a Fellow at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. The talk will cover both possible adaptations in forest trees to climate change and ways of adapting forestry practice, as well as tree-associated species (insects, fungi, etc.), pests, diseases and biological invasions of trees in relation to climate. Find out more here.

• The Wantage Art Group are currently holding a showcase of its members work at an exhibition in the Squires Gallery at the Vale & Downland Museum. The exhibit will be free and open to view until Saturday 13 September. Find out more here.

• The Vale of the White Horse District Council has released its latest newsletter. This issue covers bank holiday changes to bins, the emergency alert texts and pantomime coming to The Beacon. Read it here.

• Oxfordshire CC wants to make walking, wheeling and cycling easier and more enjoyable for all in Wantage and Grove. They have drafted a document called a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) and people living in, or visiting, Wantage can have their say on the draft LCWIP through a survey open on the council’s digital consultation and engagement platform, Let’s talk Oxfordshire until 18 September.

• Sustainable Wantage‘s August newsletter covers The Mix closing times for August, an update on the ‘Waste-free Wantage’ project, apple pressing, upcoming events such as the Re-Imagining Waste discussion and the Community Meal, as well as volunteering opportunities. Read it here.

• Quick reminder about the recent catch-up newsletter from the local Wantage and Grove Campaign Group which you can read it here. Items covered include the joint local plan, GP practices, new County Councillors for Wantage, Leisure Centre renovations, the Beacon, a judicial review and no pub after all for Crab Hill.

• There is also a Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group which is worth joining here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

Thursday 28 August 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes VJ Day, coffee, volunteering, a council newsletter, stories, compost, campaigns and a chamber. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Community Meal and Art Exhibition. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• This week’s news

• The latest newsletter from Wantage Town Council has just been published. Items covered include: town survey; free electric blanket testing; keeping pavements accessible; doing something special; Alfredfest; VJ commemorations; a community drop-in event; help shape better walking and cycling in Wantage; support for wellbeing; recycling; Ferm Meadows extra care housing; and laying a white wreath for World Peace Day. Due to the way it’s formatted I can’t give you a link but you can click here to sign up to receive them yourself each month.

• Don’t miss the friendly and delicious Community Meal at the Down to Earth Café this Saturday 30 August. Run by Sustainable Wantage, this is a free, tasty meal with members of the local community between 11.30am and 2pm. No booking is required and everyone is welcome. If you like, you can also join in with preparing the meal. To find out more about this contact downtoearthwantage@gmail.com.

• From next Monday, the Wantage Art Group will be showcasing its members work at an exhibition in the Squires Gallery at the Vale & Downland Museum. The exhibit will be free and open to view until Saturday 13 September. Find out more here.

• Wantage Town Council invites all local residents to a VJ Day Commemoration on Tuesday 2 September at noon. This will be a short ceremony at Wantage Market Place, to mark Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day), involving the laying of wreaths, reflections and readings, musical contributions and involvement from local cadets and community members. More information can be found here.

• Next Tuesday 2 September there’s a Coffee Morning at Charlton Lodge Care Home, in Wantage. This will be alongside the Stroke Association to gain support, share experiences and make new friends. It’s free of charge with complimentary tea and biscuits. From 10.30am until 11.30am, click here for more details.

• The Vale of the White Horse District Council has released its latest newsletter for August. This issue covers bank holiday changes to bins, the emergency alert texts and pantomime coming to The Beacon. Read it here.

• There is also a Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group which is worth joining here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 21 August 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes possible good news regarding the railway station, a meal, two newsletters, King Alfred, walking, stories, things and soil improver. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Wantage Family Fun Day and Community Meal. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Railway news

Wantage.com reports that a feasibility study is being conducted for the county council to evaluate the possibility of reopening the train station north of Wantage. The former Wantage Road station was closed in December 1964: since then, trains have whizzed through between Didcot and Swindon (there are now no stops between the two) but of course none have stopped.

Meanwhile, the population of Wantage and Gove has risen considerably. Given the number of applications in the pipeline and the government’s homebuilding targets, this growth is unlikely to stop any time soon.

The article explains that the study “will assess the financial viability of a new station and the best potential location. Although specific services through the station haven’t been finalised, there are suggestions to link it with the East-West Railway to Cambridge, currently under construction.” As Wantage is south west of Oxford, the only way this makes sense to me is if the East-West services were extended to Swindon of Bristol.

One thing that’s been pointed out to me several times, although not being a railway expert I’ve never fully understand the details, is that the timetabling of the main line on this service would make adding new stations very difficult: this despite that there are four track in this area. A new more local service would, it seems, need to be introduced to make this viable.

That and some money, of course. One bit of good news is that the re-opening would, the article continues, have “a favourable benefit-cost ratio of 2.48.” Another is that the influential Harwell Science and Innovation Campus supports the scheme. A third – a double-edged sword, this one – is that if the proposed reservoir goes ahead then Thames Water would need to build sidings for the materials near the proposed site. This could be an opportunity to get the station built as well (I remember making this very point when the reservoir plans were first announced).

Mind you, it would be as well not to rely too much on a quid pro qui from TW, or anyone else. Organisations have a habit of making all kinds of promises to help secure permissions and often later cook up reasons why these can’t be realised. The station plan needs to stand on its merits, There seem to be plenty of these.

More information on the campaign can be found on the Wantage and Grove Station Supporters Group (WGSSG) website.

• Other news

• This Sunday 24 August it’s Bank Holiday Family Fun Day, at the King Alfred’s Head, Wantage. They’ll be a BBQ in the garden, special offers on cocktails, a bouncy castle, face painting and after 6pm, live music from The KD Band. The event is free at attend, find out more here.

• The next Community Meal at the Down to Earth Café, will be on Saturday 30 August. Run by Sustainable Wantage, this is a free, delicious meal with members of the local community between 11.30am and 2pm. No booking is required and everyone is welcome. If you like, you can also join in with preparing the meal, to find out more about this contact downtoearthwantage@gmail.com.

• There is also a Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group which is worth joining here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 14 August 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes mounting costs at the proposed reservoir and the Market Place clean-up seemingly not yet finished – plus teddy bears, a newsletter, sustainability, cycling, soil improver, stories and sponsorship. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Festival Ceilidh/Barn Dance in Grove and Wantage Family Fun Day. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Costing the reservoir

Another day, another story of a major infrastructure project’s mounting costs.

This one concerns Thames Water’s proposed South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) near Abingdon in Oxfordshire. As the BBC reports, this was previously budgeted at £2.2bn. However, TW is now predicting the final price tag will range “between £5.5bn and £7.5bn”. This increase has been pout down to changes to the design, “rapid inflation” and a rise in contracting costs.

The article goes on to say that “customers of Thames Water, Affinity Water and Southern Water will pay for the new reservoir through their bills.” A TW spokesperson said that “about £5 a month would be added to bills by 2040” before adding that “there’s a lot of things that can change that.”

In other words, the cost could rise even further.

Bethia Thomas, the Leader of the Vale of White Horse Council, was quick to comment on the announcement.”The costs of SESRO seem to be spiralling. We have continually urged water providers to consider exploring all the alternative and more cost-effective solutions seriously before committing to this reservoir. I reiterate that call today.

“Water suppliers should instead be focusing on fast-tracking less disruptive alternatives by fixing leaks, educating us all to reduce our water consumption and by exploring the use of water transfers.

“Many concerns remain around the size of the proposed scheme, its environmental impact and significant (and growing) financial and carbon costs, as well as the potential for increased flood risk in local watercourses.

“We remain opposed to this proposal, and we will continue to urge water providers, regulators and government to listen to local voices and reject these plans. We will continue to do everything we can within our power to ensure that the voice of our community is listened to.”

You can also click here to visit the GARD (Group Against Reservoir Development’s) FB page.

• Cleaning the grit

I mentioned last week (see below) about the mess and confusion that was caused by Oxfordshire CC’s painting of white lines (in the wrong place) and their subsequent removal. This caused a good deal of mess, including grit on the pavements, some of which then got trampled into the several of the retailers’ carpets.

Despite several attempts to deal with this, from talking to some affected businesses today it seems this has yet to be properly finished. One retailer described it to me as “work in progress”; the clear hope being that there would be some progress. One issue is who will pay for having the windows and the building frontages cleaned. The retailers feel that this is OCC’s responsibility. What OCC feels about this is currently unclear (though we have asked).

• Other news

• This Saturday 16 August it’s the Festival Ceilidh in Grove. This is a Barn Dance with PolkaWorks, no experience is necessary as they will guide all-comers through each dance so everyone, experienced dancer or complete beginner, can have fun. You can reserve tickets from the website here.

• Sustainable Shrivenham have been collecting teddies for the The Teddy Trust, who send them to children who have suffered trauma in their lives. They are still accepting donations which can be dropped off at The Hub. The Trust have strict specifications for the teddy bears that are suitable so please check those out here before donating.

• The Vale of the White Horse District Council have released it’s latest newsletter for August. This issue covers bank holiday changes to bins, the emergency alert texts and pantomime coming to The Beacon. Read it here.

• Wantage Town Council is preparing for Alfred Fest on Sunday 26 October, a celebration of the town’s rich heritage and honours King Alfred the Great. They are offering a range of sponsorship packages designed to suit all budgets, giving local businesses the chance to gain valuable exposure while supporting a much-loved community celebration. For more info or to request a sponsorship pack, email us at communications@wantagetowncouncil.gov.uk.

• Down to Earth Community Cafe in The Old Stables Makespace behind Wantage Library will be re-opening on Tuesday 19 August folling their summer break. Do follow them on facebook to find about their amazing menus when they re-open.

• There is also a Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group which is worth joining here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Have you considered becoming a Volunteer Driver? If you have a car and a little free time, you can make a real difference by transporting elderly and vulnerable patients to essential hospital and medical appointments which they otherwise may not be able to get to. Even just one drive a week can help someone access vital services and uplift their quality of life. Hours are flexible and can be arranged around your schedule and fuel is reimbursed at 45p per mile for your contribution. If you’re curious to learn more please reach out by contacting Vale Community Impact at 01235 765348 or recruitment@vci.org.uk.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 7 August 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes line-painting problems in Wantage’s Market Square, easier cycling, a friendship café, a sustainable newsletter, sponsorship opportunities, storytime and the mega-reservoir. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Green Gym and Open Mic Night. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Painting the roads

As we reported following a presentation at the Wantage Chamber of Commerce in June, Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) has plans for Wantage.

What exactly these plans are is currently unclear. It appears to be a master-planning or town-centre strategy mainly focussed on the Market Square. You can read more about the proposals on this page on OCC’s website (note that the consultation has now closed).

This has all got conflated with a separate issue, the experimental traffic order (ETO) to pedestrianise the West End of the Square. This was introduced in late 2023 and redently the time came to decide if it should be made permanent. This OCC decided to do at its meeting on 17 July.

One of the results of altering traffic regulations is that the lines on the road need to be changed. A team of OCC’s contractors was duly dispatched to do the job. It was at this point that things started to go wrong…

Unfortunately, they painted these in the wrong place so they had to come back to remove them. Much the irritation of local business owners, this was done in such a way that allowed grit and mud to be sprayed over the pavements and shopfronts. Various attempts at clean-ups have followed, the most recent on 7 August. iI’s hoped that these will eventually remove all the grit which customers have been trampling in the businesses’ carpets and the film of dirt and mud which cakes many of their windows.

Meanwhile, there are other street lines that still need to be dealt with. Hopefully this will be handled rather better.

Although, as explained above, this relates to an issue which pre-dated OCC’s latest ambitions for the town, for many this will be seen as the first step in the county’s attempts to make the centre of Wantage or more pleasant place. The results thus far cannot be regarded as a success. I’ve seen some pretty forthright emails on the subject to OCC. One problem is that a number of business owners already regard OCC’s plans with a certain amount of suspicion, particularly in light of the botched engagement exercise in 2023. This hasn’t helped.

The address in June by OCC’s Head of Place for the Vale, Andy Sweeney, was partly an attempt to re-boot the relationship with local retailers. Now it looks as it another re-boot is required: a Wellington boot, perhaps, or some other footwear that can survive getting covered in mud and grit.

• Other news

• Next Wednesday 13 August there is a Dementia Friendship Cafe, taking place at Charlton Lodge Care Home, Wantage. Join local family carers, share your experiences, make new friends and get helpful advice from Dementia Oxfordshire. To find out more click here or email mark.young@careuk.com.

• Once a month, the Beacon’s Bar is transformed into Wantage’s Open Mic Night – inviting local musicians, singers, performers and spoken word artists to take the stage in a relaxed and intimate setting. The next one is taking place next Wednesday 13 August from 7pm. Find out more here.

• Quick reminder that Down to Earth Community Cafe in The Old Stables Makespace behind Wantage Library is closed for a summer break until 19 August. Do follow them on facebook to find about their amazing menus when they re-open.

• On Tuesday 5 August there will be a Coffee Morning with the Stroke Association, at Charlton Lodge Care Home in Wantage. This is an opportunity for those who have been affected by a stroke to share their experiences, get support and make new friends. It is free to attend and there is complimentary tea and biscuits. Click here to learn more.

• Opposition continues to the proposed mega-reservoir planned by Thames Water for north of Wantage. You can click here to visit the GARD (Group Against reservoir Development’s) FB page.

• How does Reading Council’s desire for a land grab of the eastern part of West Berkshire affect the proposals for a new combined unitary Ridgeway Council for West Berkshire, the Vale and South Oxfordshire Councils? In this separate article we take a look at why it might be important and what WBC thinks of it, as well as at the other decisions that have yet to be taken.

• There is also a Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group which is worth joining here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 31 July 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes sponsorship, fixing the stuff, story time, the reservoir, soil, a campaign group and volunteers. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Repair Cafe and library storytime. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• This week’s news

• Wantage Town Council are preparing for Alfred Fest on Sunday 26 October, a celebration of the town’s rich heritage and honours King Alfred the Great. They are offering a range of sponsorship packages designed to suit all budgets, giving local businesses the chance to gain valuable exposure while supporting a much-loved community celebration. For more info or to request a sponsorship pack, email us at communications@wantagetowncouncil.gov.uk.

• This weekend it’s the Repair Cafe down at The Mix on Mill Street, on Saturday 2 August. A few space are still available, so if you’ve been meaning to get an item fixed, now’s your chance before all the slots are gone. Click here to book a place.

• Down to Earth Community Cafe in The Old Stables Makespace behind Wantage Library will be closing for a summer break between 2 and 19 August. They thank everyone for their support, love and kindness over the past year – and say that getting to know more about the Wantage and Grove community has been a real treat. Do follow them on facebook to find about their amazing menus when they re-open.

• Opposition continues to the proposed mega-reservoir planned by Thames Water for north of Wantage. You can click here to visit the GARD (Group Against reservoir Development’s) FB page.

• There is also a Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group which is worth joining here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 24 July 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes the local landscape, dental care, story-time at the Library, coffee, re-surfacing, the reservoir and soil improver. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include craft workshop and mini music festival. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Local landscape

How well do you know the North Wessex Downs (NWD)? While there are many iconic features across our local landscape, there are plenty more hidden gems, local history and quirky tales off the beaten track. The latest Summer newsletter from NWD Landscape Trust features its collection of ‘Postcard’ sites that offer breathtaking views, fascinating stories, and little-known facts about the NWD, with a prize to be won if you visit a Postcard and take a selfie.

The newsletter also shares a peaceful walk in the Whitchurch area, how to apply for Sustainable Development Fund grants and an exciting spring bulb giveaway for local communities to plant in October. Latest trustee news thanks Peter Lemon for his five years’ service and welcomes Milly Carmichael. Student trustee Ari Robertshaw is graduating, leaving a vacancy for a new student trustee for 2025/26 aged 18 to 30 years with an interest in the environment, landscape, tourism, events, marketing, fundraising. The main commitment is quarterly meetings a year. To apply please send your CV to hello@nwdlt.org.uk

• Other news

• Wantage Town Council wants to know how you feel about access to dental care in Wantage and the surrounding area. Results will be anonymised and used to support local conversations around dental health provision. Please complete the short survey here.

• This Saturday 26 July, ‘Girls are Loud’ a mini music festival, is on at King Alfred’s Head, Wantage. The all-female line-up celebrates the talent of local rock chicks, in aid of Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis. No booking required, this is a free event but donations on the day would be greatly appreciated. More information, including the line-up, can be found here.

• There’s a Children’s Craft Workshop taking place this Friday for members of the Wantage Community Larder. A creative ‘Under the Sea’ themed workshop, running alongside the usual Larder sessions at The Beacon. Children can make fish key rings, magical mermaids or a colourful paper plate fish. All materials are provided. Find out more here.

• Last weekend’s road closure between Beedon and West Ilsley to allow resurfacing work on the A34, was postponed due to bad weather and will now have to be rescheduled for another weekend. We’ll keep an eye out for when they announce the new date…

• Opposition continues to the proposed mega-reservoir planned by Thames Water for north of Wantage. You can click here to visit the GARD (Group Against reservoir Development’s) FB page.

• There is also a Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group which is worth joining here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 17 July 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes consulting on the Market Square, traffic orders (in the same place) and a hosepipe ban – plus a proposed land-grab from Reading, refills, soil improver, a road closure, reservoir opposition and volunteering. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Summer Pour art and wine at Dolphin Art Gallery. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Last chance to have your say

On 10 June we reported on a talk given by Andy Sweeney of Oxfordshire CC about proposals to make changes to Wantage town centre. I found the ideas he expressed slightly hard to follow: however, in his defence, such town-centre strategy schemes are often a bit wooly when first explained. I was similarly confused when Hungerford’s was launched a few years ago.

Businesses in and around the Market Square remain concerned by how these proposals might work in practice. Their concerns will not have been allayed by the memories of an attempt a couple of years ago to introduce a pedestrianisation scheme. The plans for the way this was handled could have been taken straight from a manual of how not to conduct a public engagement exercise.

A new consultation and engagement exercise is currently under way and you can click here for more information. You have until a minute to midnight on Tuesday 22 July to respond.

The re-energised Wantage Chamber of Commerce is getting fully involved in the process. The Chamber’s Marketing and membership Co-ordinator Maeri Howard has suggested three matters that she feels must be addressed:

The critical need to extend free parking at Portway car park from one to two hours (mirroring Farringdon’s successful model);
Importance of improved signage to help visitors locate available parking spaces;
Balancing the needs of businesses, families, and accessibility users in regeneration planning.

You might want to bear this points in mind when expressing your views. If you feel you or your business is likely to be affected or if you want to contribute in any way, click on the consultation or Chamber links above to get involved. Anyone running in a business in or near the town would also be well advised to consider joining the Chamber: see the website (link above) for information.

• Finalising the traffic

A closely related matter concerns the West End Traffic Regulation Order which Oxfordshire County Council agreed on 17 July should be progressed and finalised. This decision represents, a statement from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce says, “a significant milestone in the ongoing discussions about Wantage Market Place’s future.”

You can read the full statement from the Chamber on the matter by clicking here.

One aspect of the matter which was finalised rather sooner than it should have been concerns some road markings in the West End of Wantage’s Market Place which were put down without authorisation. “The council did not specify that these works be undertaken by our contractor who was working nearby to refresh lines around the town.,” OCC’s Andy Sweeney explained. “They have admitted liability for the error and the lines will be removed in the coming weeks, at no cost to the taxpayers. I can only apologise on their behalf for any upset, concern or confusion caused.”

His apology was well judged: any unexpected changes to the traffic arrangements in the Market Place can, and have, caused “upset, concern or confusion” – and frequently all three.

• Hosepipe ban

After the driest spring in 132 years and demand for water increasing by 30% when temperatures rise above 25º it’s no surprise there’ll be a hosepipe ban across Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire from 22 July. Anyone using a hosepipe to water the garden, wash the car or fill a paddling pool can be fined up to £1,000. See more details here.

The temporary restriction covers postcodes beginning with OX, GL, SN, RG4, RG8 and RG9. But even if you live outside those areas, please be mindful of how much water you use at home as our water supply is shared with local streams and rivers. ARK (Action for the River Kennet) reports that “our fragile chalk streams are drying up and water levels will continue to drop this summer. The shallow waters are significantly warmer than the usual chalk stream temperatures and this will be having a serious effect on the wildlife, particularly fish.”

With the recent dramatic increase in water bills, simple measures like taking shorter showers and turning the tap off when you clean your teeth will save you money too.

• Other news

• Next Thursday 24 July enjoy ‘The Summer Pour‘: an evening of art and wine tasting at The Dolphin Gallery, Wantage. A £25 ticket includes: a welcome glass of fizz, two red wines, two white wines and a port to finish the evening. Click here to book a place.

• Opposition continues to the proposed mega-reservoir planned by Thames Water for north of Wantage. You can click here to visit the GARD (Group Against reservoir Development’s) FB page.

• Sustainable Shrivenham’s The Refillery is now open for business, as a new community refill shop. Open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturday. Bring your containers to stock-up on reasonably priced, packaging-free food, personal care products, sweets, cleaning products and more. Pop in to see what they’ve got to offer. Follow them on Facebook for updates.

• A reminder that there will be a weekend road closure on the A34 between Beedon and West Ilsley, from 9pm Friday 18 July to 6am Monday 21 July. To allow for resurfacing work to take place, the A34 northbound will be closed from A34/M4 J13 Chieveley Interchange to the A4185 Chilton Junction. For more information, check out the official diversions for motorway traffic and non-motorway traffic.

• There is also a Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group which is worth joining here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 10 July 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes fundraising for fifty more years at the Vale & Downland Museum and summer activities – plus folk songs, heat, a dental survey, art, a campaign website and tennis. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Museum’s Fundraising Fete and Wantage Tennis Club’s Ladies Open Social. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Help shape the future of the past

Vale & Downland Museum, like many small museums across the country, is facing an uncertain future due to rising staffing and utility costs. It welcomes any support for its new Fifty Years appeal, to help see the museum through another half a century at least, preserving the historic building and everything it keeps safe.

It is inviting supporters to join a new 100 Club, with monthly draws for prizes of £50, at £5 entry per month. It is also launching a new patron’s scheme and sponsorship opportunities to encourage regular donations to help with the day-to-day running costs of the museum which include preparing new exhibitions, preserving objects and offering activities for families to take part in.

The idea of a museum for Wantage began in 1958 when the Urban District Council made an appeal for objects to form a town collection. By the late 1960s there wasn’t enough space to display all the donated artefacts and Dr Dick Squires became determined that Wantage should have a museum that could show off its fascinating history. With the new health centre being built behind the hospital, Dr Squires saw the soon-to-be-vacant surgery as the perfect site for a new museum.

It is now fifty years on from those initial plans and today the museum welcomes over 55,000 visitors a year, from tiny tots enjoying toddler tunes sessions to adults attending informative talks. Schools from across the region explore how life has changed and get hands-on with object-based activities. There is an extensive programme of holiday activities and lots of opportunities for volunteers passionate about local history (including King Alfred of course).

“We love welcoming visitors old and new to the museum,” Museum Manager Lisa Gale says. “Wantage is really lucky to have this special museum, which from the front hides the treasures it has in store. We really need the support of the local community now to help ensure that people can keep using the museum for years to come.”

For more details on how to help, please see the museum’s fundraising appeal webpage here or contact Lisa Gale on 01235 771447 or email manager@valeanddownlandmuseum.org.uk

• Summer activities

Click here for information from South Oxfordshire and The Vale Councils about the range of summer activities available, and related matters.

Topics covered include swimming pools, other holiday activities, litter. health advice in the heat, air quality, food safety, home insulation, waste collection and saving water.

• Other news

• This Saturday 12 July, join the Wantage Choral Society for it’s latest concert: A Fancy of Folksongs. Taking place at Letcombe Regis Village Hall from 7:30pm, tickets cost £15 each and under 16s go free. There will also be the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine and canapes. Find out more here.

• A Yellow Heat Health Alert has been issued for the south east until Tuesday 15 July by the UKHSA and Met Office. This means hot weather could significantly impact health and care services. Please take action to stay safe and support those who are vulnerable. Those most at risk are those aged over 65, those with long-term health conditions, young children, and people living alone. Follow official heat safety advice via UKHSA here.

• The next meeting of the Wantage Art Group is taking place next Wednesday 16 July at East Challow Village Hall. This month’s session will be led by Kate Wade on the theme of Summer Landscape. Kate will demonstrate her technique using watercolour and mixed media. As usual, new members and visitors are always welcome. Click here for further details.

• There is also a Wantage and Grove Campaign Group facebook group which is worth joining here.

• Would you like to keep fit and help protect and enhance our local green spaces? If so why not join Wild Wantage at its next ‘Green Gym’, where you can help with practical outdoor tasks to improve habitats for local biodiversity. This months session on Friday 11 July, they will be meeting at Wantage Library, to tidy up and add more plant to help their garden flourish and welcome more pollinators. To get involved, register here.

• Be aware that this weekend there is resurfacing work taking place on the A34 northbound, between Beedon and West Ilsley. The A34 northbound will be closed from the A34/M4 J13 Chieveley Interchange to the A4185 Chilton Junction, near Didcot, Oxfordshire. Work will begin at 9pm on Friday 4 July and finish around 6am on Monday 7 July. There will be a diversion route in place. There will also be resurfacing work on the weekend of 18 July.

• Wantage Tennis Club welcomes members and non-members of all abilities to their Wantage Tennis Club Ladies Open Socials on Thursday 17 July from 10am to 12pm. Just drop in anytime during a session to find out what the club as to offer.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

Thursday 3 July 2025

Our usual round-up of Wantage area news includes the latest on the town-centre plans, questions regarding Ridgeway Council and a horticultural centenary – plus a science café, resurfacing work, tennis, green spaces and volunteer drivers. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Wantage area events include Wantage Cafe Scientifique and Wantage Choral Society. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities.

• Town-centre plans

Whatever happens in Wantage, I hope matters pan out better than they did there. I also hope they work out better than they did in Wantage itself in 2023 when pedestrianisation plans were propounded for the Market Square. Both these two attempts eventually petered out, Hungerford’s with a bang and Wantage’s with a whimper.

A consultation and engagement exercise is currently under way and you can click here for more information.

The re-energised Wantage Chamber of Commerce is getting fully involved in what seems set to be a long process. Anyone running in a business in or near the town would be well advised to consider joining the Chamber: see the website for information.

The Chamber’s Marketing and membership Co-ordinator Maeri Howard talked about the matter on BBC Radio Oxford recently. The matters that she felt were vital to see addressed were:

The critical need to extend free parking at Portway car park from 1 to 2 hours (mirroring Farringdon’s successful model);
Importance of improved signage to help visitors locate available parking spaces;
Balancing the needs of businesses, families, and accessibility users in regeneration planning.

This one will run for some time. If you feel you or your business is likely to be affected or if you want to contribute in any way, click on the consultation or Chamber links above to get involved.

• Ridgeway Council

With every week that passes, more and more questions are being asked about the effect that local government re-organisations will have and how this will work. Given that nothing’s been decided, there are very few answers. In this separate article we take a look at some of issues that have recently come up, suggest a possible similarity with post-unification Berlin, consider the challenge of re-positioning officers and reflect that councils are damned if they do or if they don’t by considering the matter in detail at this stage.

Various consultation events are taking place on the Ridgeway proposal and we have links to these in the article.

• Grove Horticultural Heritage

Grove Horticultural Society was reformed in 1919 having gone into hibernation during WWI. The new organisation held its first Summer Annual show in August 1920, with much enthusiasm, in a field loaned by a local farmer. Such shows were then a regular entry on the Grove calendar, showcasing local-grown flowers and vegetables. Domestic and children’s classes were added, allowing everyone in the village to exhibit, with sideshows, competitions and entertainment. In the early 1930s a programme of amateur sports activities were included: the tug-of-war being the highlight.

By 1999 lack of practical support, an ageing committee and rising costs meant the event was changed to a smaller, purely horticultural show in the Old Mill Hall, Grove, where it has been held ever since.

Dwindling membership made the committee rethink the purpose of the society and in 2019 it changed to Grove Garden and Local History Club, providing a broader programme of events, in hopes of attracting a wider audience.

In 2027 the club will be hosting its hundredth Summer Show with plans for an exhibition and accompanying book about the story of the organisation. So if you can contribute any anecdotes, stories, photos, past schedules, winning certificates – in fact anything relating to the Summer Show or the club’s 100+ years of history. please contact Jenny at jennycare@btinternet.com. All contributions will be acknowledged.

• The Wantage & Grove Campaign Group

After a log hiatus caused by illness, the latest newsletter from the local campaign group has recently been published and you can read it here.

Items covered include the joint local plan, GP practices, new County Councillors for Wantage, Leisure Centre renovations, the Beacon, a judicial review and no pub for Crab Hill.

• Other news

• Next Wednesday 9 July Wantage Cafe Scientifique is back with a talk on the ‘excavation at Brookside Meadows’, with Francesca Giarrelli, a project officer for Rubicon Archaeology. The preliminary results highlight the long occupation of the site from the late Bronze Age to the end of the Roman era. Taking place at the Wildwood Cinema, Wantage, learn more here.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Chamber of Commerce.

• Would you like to volunteer your business expertise to help Education Business Partnership prepare our local young people? Please see here for more details.

• Click here for the latest news from the Wantage Bookshop.

• Latest local newsletters

• South & Vale Business Support
• Challow News
• Letcombe Register
• Wantage Town Council Town News
• Wantage and Grove Campaign Group

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Theale area; Marlborough area.
News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

To see the current Wantage Area Weekly News section, please click here.

Other archives

Please click here to see the other archived columns for this (and all the other) weekly news sections.