Oxford's top stories from July to September 2020

Cash-strapped ultimate picture palace

Film lovers, staff and volunteers at Oxford’s only independent cinema launched an £18,000 appeal to help it survive months of lockdown.

While larger cinemas were able to open in July, the UPP is delayed to ensure social distancing measures were in place.

Income from ticket and bar sales stopped and overheads amounted to outgoings of £9,000 per month. The cinema received a £10,000 small business grant from the Government, a further £12,683 from the British Film Institute and took advantage of the Job Retention Scheme to furlough staff. however, the 109 year-old picture house needed to raise £18,000 to be able to reopen.

Pubs and restaurants reopened their doors

Super Saturday saw punters flock to get their first sip of a pub-poured pint since March. After more than three months, pubs and restaurants across the city were finally allowed to open their doors to customers – but things looked very different to before lockdown.

Hand sanitiser, food ordering apps and one way systems were all part of the new normal for customers.

Although some were still apprehensive about visiting their local, many braved the drizzly weather to support Oxford city centre pubs. Many families kept away for the first day, leaving mostly people out for a drink rather than a meal. The queues were short, staff were wearing protective face masks and, due to restricted capacity, the tables in the pubs were socially distanced and reserved.

‘Important milestone on way to development of a vaccine’

A huge milestone was reached in the development of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine.

Professor Andrew Pollard, chief investigator of the Oxford University study, said the results were ‘very encouraging’ saying: “What they show is a really important milestone on the path to development of the vaccine.”

He added the findings revealed the vaccine was ‘very well tolerated’ by the 1,077 volunteers who took part in the first phase and scientists were seeing good immune responses both in antibodies and T-cells. The vaccine, called ChAdOx1nCoV-19, is made from a genetically-engineered version of the virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees.

Read also: Sleigh2Give delivers thousands of Christmas gifts in Oxfordshire

August

PC Harper killers jailed

The teenagers who killed Wallingford police officer PC Andrew Harper have been sentenced to a total of 42 years in prison.

PC Harper, 28, suffered catastrophic injuries after being dragged behind a car for more than a mile down country lanes on August 15, last year.

The newlywed officer, who was based in Abingdon, had tried to apprehend quad bike thieves when he stepped into the trailing loop of a crane strap attached to the boot of a Seat Toledo being driven by the thieves.

As driver Henry Long sped away, PC Harper’s feet and ankles became caught in the loop and he was pulled along for more than a mile at a speed of 42mph. Yesterday at London’s Old Bailey, Long, of College Piece, Mortimer, Reading, was jailed for 16 years after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

His accomplices, passengers Albert Bowers, of Windmill Corner, in Mortimer Common, Berkshire, and Jessie Cole, of Paices Hill travellers site, Aldermaston, received 13 years each.

Alfesco dining in city centre gave Oxford businesses a boost

Chairs and tables were set up in the city centre giving a more continental feel as restaurants, pubs, bars and coffee shops were allowed to extend their business into the street.

In a move aimed at supporting businesses too small to reopen indoors with social distancing, Oxford City Council reached an agreement with Oxfordshire County Council – the highways authority for Oxford – to provide space in the road for outdoor dining.

Pupils get results

Just when students, and their schools, thought GCSE results day would pass by much smoother than the A-Levels fiasco, another spanner was thrown into the works. As everyone anxiously waited for their results, pupils awaiting their BTEC grades were forced to wait, after an exam board pulled the results. However, there was still room for plenty of celebrations from those getting their GCSE results.

September

Christmas started early for Courtney Hughes

Having donated 80,000 Christmas gifts since 2012, Courtney Hughes was ready to launch her ninth year of the Secret Santa Appeal in September. Every year in September, Ms Hughes, from Didcot, starts to fill her Santa sack with donated gifts ready to deliver thousands of presents to vulnerable people over the Christmas period. She then delivers the presents to local charities, hospitals, care homes, foodbanks, and homeless outreach projects.

Passionate pair trying to raise £20,000 to fight food poverty

Marie Lehri and Sandra Ruge, who run Waste2Taste cafe in Cowley as a social enterprise, lost 100 per cent of their income during lockdown. However they still managed to provide more than 2,500 meals to those in need. During the nationwide lockdown, the cafe had to shut to the public. However, instead of putting staff on furlough, the team decided to provide thousands of free meals to those in need.

‘Normal’ mum of three swims the Channel for 50th birthday

Mum of three took on the ‘gruelling’ challenge of swimming the English Channel for her 50th birthday – and said she would do it again.

Keen swimmer, Kate Hartwright from Didcot had wanted to swim the Channel since she was nine years-old, but as she got older being a single mum got in the way. She raised more than £5,000 for Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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