Latest news with #BBCOxfordshire
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Duck feeders asked to stop over 'health hazard'
Residents have been told that feeding ducks and geese at a lake in Didcot is contributing to a "health hazard". Didcot Town Council asked people to stop feeding the birds at Ladygrove Lake. It said it encouraged more to come to the area, increasing droppings - and that the number of geese was becoming "unsustainable". One parent said he did not see the number of ducks and geese as an issue, adding that people should be able to keep feeding them. Resident Matt Booker said he took his son to feed the ducks at the lake, and was surprised by the request to stop. "It seems a bit strange to me... Apparently there are too many ducks," he said "I don't see it as an issue, to be honest. "Particularly for our little son - he likes feeding them and seeing them." Marta Rudnicka said she regularly brought the geese and ducks food, and does not intend to stop. "I don't think they will put a policeman here, guarding the ducks," she said. "The issue is that [the geese] don't have better places to nest. "I don't think geese would choose to nest in a residential area if they had better places. "It's just there is so little of the natural environment left and it's being eroded." Tony Worgan is the deputy leader of Didcot Town Council and said people tended to feed the birds bread, which made them ill. "Excess bread actually attracts rats and it means our water quality in the lakes is affected," he said. "There are lots of complaints about the bird mess. "People come home with ruined clothes, ruined trousers, kids fall over. "The mess and the number of geese is becoming unsustainable." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Case quacked: Flying duck caught by Swiss speed camera is repeat offender Vending machine for ducks to tackle bread feeding 'Our lake is barren because of too many ducks' Didcot Town Council
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
27 years welcoming strangers to live in their home
In the sunlit conservatory at the Garnetts' house, afternoon tea is in full flow. The four residents are recounting the good times - a trip to London for ABBA Voyage, Sunday lunches at the rugby club, and mishaps while decorating the Christmas tree. But this isn't your standard family of four. Over the last 27 years, Kym and Roger Garnett have welcomed 38 people into their quiet Banbury home under Oxfordshire County Council's Shared Lives scheme. It sees paid carers supporting adults with additional needs, like autism or learning disabilities, and helping them to gain independence in the setting of a family home. Those people include Sarah Hopwood - currently munching a bakewell tart - and Phil Law - cracking a somewhat cheesy joke. The pair of them have been calling the Garnetts' house home for at least a couple of years, and the experience has changed their lives. 'I was put where the council put me. I never had a home of my own,' Phil says of the time before he joined Shared Lives. 'Everywhere I went it was hard - ugly and not nice. Even with my parents, when they were alive, I was beaten up, smashed, destroyed. 'But now I live with Roger and Kym, they've turned my life around. And I'm grateful for them.' Sarah struggled with using public transport before she came to the Garnetts' two years ago, which meant she was isolated and dependent on getting lifts. Now she's not only able to get around on the bus (with some forward planning) but she's even landed herself a job. 'I've come on leaps and bounds since I've been here,' she says. 'I'm more independent and more confident now. 'Kym and Roger have been really supportive.' That support ranges from help with finances and appointments to everyday tasks like setting the washing machine. And though the Garnetts earn money through the Shared Lives scheme, they're not motivated by the wage. 'For us it's a way of life,' says Kym. 'I personally like to see them grow and be able to blend in with society. 'We had one client who used to be so shy, and we supported him from hiding away being isolated in a big farmhouse, to be able to actually sit and chat with our friends and our family when they come round.' 'You make friends with them as well,' adds Roger. 'One of the original ones still has contact with us.' And yet the couple know that for all the people they've helped, there are always more who would benefit from a home like theirs. 'We're always looking for more Shared Lives carers so if anyone's thinking "I could possibly do this", we'd love to hear from them,' says Sally Ellis from Oxfordshire County Council, who points interested people to the Shared Lives website. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Oxfordshire County Council: Shared Lives
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
27 years welcoming strangers to live in their Banbury home
In the sunlit conservatory at the Garnetts' house, afternoon tea is in full four residents are recounting the good times - a trip to London for ABBA Voyage, Sunday lunches at the rugby club, and mishaps while decorating the Christmas this isn't your standard family of the last 27 years, Kym and Roger Garnett have welcomed 38 people into their quiet Banbury home under Oxfordshire County Council's Shared Lives scheme. It sees paid carers supporting adults with additional needs, like autism or learning disabilities, and helping them to gain independence in the setting of a family people include Sarah Hopwood - currently munching a bakewell tart - and Phil Law - cracking a somewhat cheesy pair of them have been calling the Garnetts' house home for at least a couple of years, and the experience has changed their lives.'I was put where the council put me. I never had a home of my own,' Phil says of the time before he joined Shared Lives.'Everywhere I went it was hard - ugly and not nice. Even with my parents, when they were alive, I was beaten up, smashed, destroyed.'But now I live with Roger and Kym, they've turned my life around. And I'm grateful for them.'Sarah struggled with using public transport before she came to the Garnetts' two years ago, which meant she was isolated and dependent on getting she's not only able to get around on the bus (with some forward planning) but she's even landed herself a job.'I've come on leaps and bounds since I've been here,' she says. 'I'm more independent and more confident now.'Kym and Roger have been really supportive.' That support ranges from help with finances and appointments to everyday tasks like setting the washing though the Garnetts earn money through the Shared Lives scheme, they're not motivated by the wage.'For us it's a way of life,' says Kym.'I personally like to see them grow and be able to blend in with society.'We had one client who used to be so shy, and we supported him from hiding away being isolated in a big farmhouse, to be able to actually sit and chat with our friends and our family when they come round.''You make friends with them as well,' adds Roger. 'One of the original ones still has contact with us.'And yet the couple know that for all the people they've helped, there are always more who would benefit from a home like theirs.'We're always looking for more Shared Lives carers so if anyone's thinking "I could possibly do this", we'd love to hear from them,' says Sally Ellis from Oxfordshire County Council, who points interested people to the Shared Lives website. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tribute to 'amazing man' killed in business park fire
The family of a man who died in a fire at a business park that also claimed the lives of two firefighters have paid tribute to "the most amazing man we will ever know". Father-of-two David Chester, 57, was killed in the blaze that engulfed the Bicester Motion site in Oxfordshire on Thursday evening, along with firefighters Jennie Logan, 30, and Martyn Sadler, 38. Mr Chester's family described him as "Bicester born and bred" with a "quirky sense of humour". "He was not a victim but a hero, he died the way he lived – helping others and putting them ahead of himself," the tribute added. "Although he is no longer with us he will always be in our hearts and his legacy will continue." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Fire at motor and aviation site 'under control'
A fire at a historic motoring and aviation centre on a former airbase in Oxfordshire has been brought under control. The blaze, initially tackled by 10 crews, broke out at Bicester Motion, Buckingham Road on the site of RAF Bicester, a former bomber station on Thursday at about 18:30 BST. Advice for those living nearby to remain indoors and shut all windows in place overnight has now been lifted, along with road closures. Bicester Motion, home to more than 50 specialist businesses focused on classic car restoration and engineering, has thanked the emergency services. They said the site will be closed today and over the weekend. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said four crews remain at the scene along with support appliances including a hydraulic platform and a water carrier. The cause of the fire is not yet known. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Large fire at historic motoring and aviation site Oxfordshire County Council
