Most days, you can enjoy a leisurely walk in Oxford parks with the dog, with friends or on your own, quietly acknowledging the occasional passerby.

At other times, these places become hives of activity, with fun runs, funfairs, organised games, entertainment and much more.

On those occasions, Oxford Mail photographers were often present to record what was happening.

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Picture 1 was taken at the annual Fun in the Parks at Bury Knowle Park at Headington, with the young and not so young taking part in a run.

Health was the theme of the day and many of the attractions stressed the need for people to keep fit.

Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire Health Authority sponsored the event, which included stands promoting everything from healthy eating to footwear and foot care. Members of the ambulance service demonstrated emergency first aid.

Oxfordshire firefighters continued the theme of health and safety by providing an inflatable paddling pool for young children, with guards on duty.

Children turned out with their rackets when the tennis courts at Florence Park at Cowley were reopened after resurfacing work was completed in 2002.

Coaches Sam Richards and Charlotte Stewart are seen in Picture 2 with some of the young hopefuls – left to right, Joseph Renschaw, eight, Robert Hays, seven, Thomas Renschaw, six, Luke Carney, six, and Thomas Akhter, seven.

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There were plenty of activities at Fun in the Parks at South Park at the foot of Headington Hill in 2001.

Risky the clown, in Picture 3, delighted a large crowd with a display on his unicycle. Other attractions included food stalls, sideshows, dancing and rides.

Runners, joggers and walkers, in Picture 4, turned out to mark the opening of the Peace Mile at Cutteslowe Park in North Oxford in 1987. Peace walks were being set up in other cities in Britain and across the world as moves for people to live in harmony, not war, gathered pace. Picture 5 was taken at a fair at Florence Park in 1991 and shows Charlie and Kirsty Dunsmuir, aged three and four, enjoying the flowers on show. Rain put a dampener on a festival at the Elder Stubbs site in Rymers Lane, Cowley, in 2001, but the West African drumming workshop, in Picture 6, kept everyone happy.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.