Your guide for your
GROUP
Bicester and surrounding villages Thursday, April 12 - Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Weekly leisure guide for in and around Oxford
Out& About ire
Fun days out with the family
Not tried Japanese food before? Shoryu is a good place to start
Follow the Gruffalo in special concert
Page 2
around Oxfordsh
Solve the clues and explore the city
oxfordshireguardian.co.uk
Former church minister jailed for abuse
leisure time in &
Free
One of 5 pairs of tickets Win!
Page 9
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Ramblers asked to stick to paths to protect woodland By George Welch A CONSERVATION charity has warned ‘once it’s gone, it’s gone’ as it pleads with ramblers to help protect one of the county’s ‘ancient natural gems’. Worried that the ‘very special’ Stoke Wood, near Bicester, could be damaged ‘irreparably’ by ‘trampling’, the Woodland Trust wants to stamp out the problem. The 400-year-old wood is home to uncommon plants and animals, including the bird’s nest orchid, tawny owls and the purple emperor butterfly – but the sensitive habitat would become spoiled if rare flora is walked on. Much of the vegetation is highly sensitive to damage and, while the Woodland Trust says it welcomes many visitors to the site, it is asking people to stick to paths. Assistant site manager Philip Munro said: “If trampled on this delicate environment can be damaged irreparably. “This wood really is a very special place on the doorstep of Bicester and we are lucky to have it. “We welcome people to visit to enjoy this precious environment and there are several new way-marked trails that we have introduced to help visitors explore the site. “We do ask that visitors help us
protect the wood by sticking to the trails so the rare flora won’t be damaged.” Fencing has also been installed in certain areas and signage regularly installed and replaced when removed in a bid to halt incursions. Stoke Wood, which has around 10,000 visitors a year, has carpets of bluebells in the spring – a key indicator of ancient woodland – and a wide variety of bird and butterfly species. Mr Munro added: “Once it’s gone, it’s lost forever.” The 35.5ha site also provides important habitats for invertebrates, such as the ‘very strange’ and ‘extremely elusive’ bird’s nest orchid. A Woodland Trust spokesperson said improvements have been made already and they think “activity is now limited to a few persistent people”. The trust, which described the wood as a ‘rare natural treasure’, is carrying out restoration work at the site to remove non-native species to allow more light in and encourage native flora to grow. Actively involved in the work are a group of five volunteers who meet once a week to carry out maintenance work such as path care and coppicing. Ancient woods, covering around two per cent of the UK’s land area, are the country’s richest land-based habitat for wildlife and homes more threatened species than any other.
Women’s team nets new season kit The players model clothes from Accessorize, Roman, Debenhams, Clarks and Monsoon A WOMEN’S football team have swapped their shirts and shorts for kit of a different kind. Banbury United women’s team has joined forces with Castle Quay shopping centre to showcase some of the products on sale at the centre.
Using the hashtag #QuayLooks to highlight the range of outfits for every occasion available in the centre, it shows real people wearing the clothes rather than styled, made-up models. Castle Quay sponsors the women’s team and centre
manager Paul Jackson said: “We were so excited when the team agreed to take part in this exciting new project. Lots of laughs were had during the shoot day, and both the centre and the team are excited to continue and develop this project!”
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