Latest news with #Oxfordshire-based
BBC News
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Terrible' artwork to feature in Oxford hospice art campaign
An artist who has become famous for his "terrible paintings" will be featured in a charity art campaign raising money to train end-of-life Lee Matthias, who went viral after presenting an artwork to his wife on their wedding day, has painted a portrait of BBC Radio Oxford presenter Sophie Law that will be featured in Sobell House Hospice's exhibition My Lovely project received submissions from more than 600 artists, including exhibition of the mini masterpieces will take place this weekend at The Cloister Gallery at St John the Evangelist Church in Oxford. Presenter Law received her portrait via the charity's fundraising director Beth Marsh, while Mr Matthias joined the show on the said he had "caught her best side"."You've caught the very witchy-looking hair I get this time of the morning when you get up," she picture was modelled on a photo she had taken with Tony, an ox created for BBC Radio Oxford by Oxfordshire-based yarn-bomber artwork was sold for £2,800 at auction for the hospice in September."I've never seen a portrait of myself quite like that before," Law Matthias said he received multiple orders for his art from "all over the world" since going viral."They send such lovely messages about the joy and the laughter that it brings," he said."We advertise it as 'terrible', I know my ability in art and it's not very good." The project is in aid of Beth's Bursary Fund, which supports palliative care nurses with training and was set up by the family of Beth Foreman, who died aged 32 in 2016 and was cared for by Sobell House project has featured original pieces by celebrities including Dame Judy Dench, Mel Giedroyc and Mark postcards will be available through Sobell House's online auction between 1-25 May. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
New York Times
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Oscar Piastri's trademark calm emerges as his best weapon in F1's championship fight
I went to Oscar Piastri's 21st birthday party. It was a gloriously sunny evening overlooking the golden beach of Brighton, south Melbourne, in April 2022. Formula One was back in Australia's sporting capital for the first time post-pandemic; people were in the mood to celebrate. Alpine, employing Piastri as a test and reserve driver and running a private testing program to build his experience before his F1 debut, wanted to keep the Brighton boy as sweet as possible. Although he wouldn't race at home that year, it was essential to keep Piastri front of mind for the F1 press corps. (As if the double rookie champion in Formula 3 and Formula 2 in the two preceding years would be ignored.) Advertisement But we know from the fallout of Piastri's subsequent contract dispute with Alpine after he had signed with McLaren that the Oxfordshire-based team had good reason to make what fuss it could. Piastri and his camp, led by steely former F1 racer Mark Webber, were frustrated with Alpine's slow progress towards his F1 graduation. An unexpected turn towards a 2023 race seat with Williams that Piastri didn't want was the final straw that led to their efforts to seal a deal with McLaren. A birthday party was the least Alpine could do for its emerging young star, who was already put out enough to consider jumping ship without ever leaving port. McLaren had yet to show just how mighty a team it would become, even after the false dawn of a win (in the 2021 Italian Grand Prix) the year before. Between the bottled beers and canapés, however, there was little sign of the brewing tensions behind the scenes. Among Piastri's friendly family, all appeared well. Webber's speech was glowing, but unfussy. He and his charge were aware that they still had everything to prove on their stalled F1 journey. Piastri did the rounds, charming and chilled. It's not hard to be the most charismatic person in a room filled with F1 journalists, but the man of the hour didn't seem fazed. Here, then, finally, is the lesson pertinent to the 2025 F1 world title fight. Three years later, Piastri is a five-time grand prix winner, snaring another fine and often forgotten Qatar sprint win late in his debut F1 season, before McLaren started rolling towards its position as championship dominator. He has long since proved he's worthy of a berth at the top level. But that straightforwardness has remained a key part of his game. To watching fans, it's his signature detached style. He discussed in Jeddah last week how he had learned to avoid the 'negative impact' of being overly emotional behind the wheel. But this has combined with his natural tendency for 'being calm and trying to stay relaxed' in a car cockpit. Advertisement What's different in 2025 is just how much Piastri has improved in two key areas where his McLaren teammate Lando Norris still held a clear edge in 2024: qualifying pace and in-race tire management. Norris still retains a slight edge on pure speed, but his high-energy driving style makes his McLaren too edgy at key times, and mistakes follow too often. His Jeddah Q3 crash at the weekend was a further example. Piastri, with his smoother style (he regularly takes single sweeps of the steering wheel compared to Norris's multiple stabs), continues calmly onwards. He was really the second-fastest McLaren driver in Saudi Arabia, but that tranquillity paid him back handsomely. Piastri has closed the gap to Norris so well that McLaren has altered its previous strategy of prioritising its more experienced driver for new car parts. McLaren's decision-makers know they must now provide the same equipment to two title contenders on either side of the orange garage. Before the Jeddah weekend, the only thing missing from Piastri's challenge — and the title credentials of all those hoping to usurp Max Verstappen as world champion this year — was definitive proof he can handle the white-hot sear of fighting the Red Bull driver in racing combat. Well, Piastri faced everything Norris encountered in his fights with Verstappen in 2024 and came out on top and unruffled. He just got his car stopped enough to stay within track limits as Verstappen was again deploying his art of turning defence into aggressive attack — this time while quickly earning a penalty. But, really, the evidence of several 2024 battles was enough to know Piastri could rise to this most difficult of challenges. In the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, Piastri ruthlessly passed Norris early on when he was fighting against the 'number two driver' tag Webber had discovered can be so devastating at Red Bull against Sebastian Vettel. Norris was long established as McLaren's only realistic title prospect by the Italian race last year. For an example of Piastri's great racecraft, look to the race that came right after Monza 2024. As awkwardness had followed his first F1 grand prix win in Hungary around Norris's team orders saga, Piastri fully celebrated a brilliant follow-up win in Baku — the key to this triumph being a well-judged, last-gasp pass on longtime leader Charles Leclerc and then shrugging off an age of the Ferrari driver's harrying to try and reclaim the lead. Advertisement In 2025, Norris is out to prove he 'can be a world champion, but doing it by being a nice guy,' as he told the Guardian this month. This was an apparent reference to Verstappen's willingness to do whatever it takes around F1's complex and often confounding racing rules to gain an edge in battle. F1 observers have seen the lengths to which Piastri will go to take on the championship's most aggressive racer, but the sport had already got something of a preview when witnessing how he shut down Verstappen's overly ambitious Turn 1 lunge in the 2024 Abu Dhabi season finale. His 'move of a world champion, that one' response to their subsequent twin spins was so quietly withering it entered a long and celebrated list of Piastri's cool team radio putdowns. After he finished third in last year's Qatar Grand Prix, his 'oh dear, I've caused a scene' dry response to knocking over a drink with his microphone wire in the post-race press conference reinforced the belief that even among the distracting, lucrative trappings of the F1 bubble, Piastri is still delightfully himself. He is the same as he was that sunny April evening in Brighton three years ago. He is popular across Australia because, even as a Monaco resident, he still follows cricket and regularly sports the jersey of his favorite Australian rules football team, Richmond. Ice-cool and unfussy — that's Oscar Piastri. He is already discovering the value of that composure when fighting for F1's top prize. There is still a long way from anyone claiming that, but Piastri has already shown his class.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Oxford University medical students raise £27k for health charities
A group of Oxford medical students have raised £27,000 for charity after finishing the year with their annual pantomime. The Tingewick Society, made up of fourth-year medical students from the University of Oxford, balance their medical studies with fundraising efforts. This year, they supported Oxford Hospitals Charity, which raises funds to make a difference across hospitals in the county, and Restore, an Oxfordshire-based mental health charity. With fundraising events ranging from a ceilidh to climbing the Three Peaks, the year culminated with the annual Tingewick pantomime, this year named 'Beauty and the Yeast Infection'. The Tingewick Society's charity pantomime (Image: The Tingewick Society) Athena Henderson, Tingewick producer for 2024, said: "It has been an absolute delight to fundraise for both of these wonderful charities this year. "Every day, as the medical students are on placement in hospitals in Oxfordshire, the Tingewick team get to see the impact of Oxford Hospitals Charity funding, from overnight packs to provide essentials for patients that are admitted without any warning, to cutting-edge medical equipment helping speed up diagnoses. "The money raised really does make a difference to patients and staff across the trust. "On one of these clinical placements, the Tingewick Society also had a chance to experience Restore's work, through their Beehive recovery group, creative workshop, and therapeutic garden. "The students saw first hand how therapeutic interventions outside the hospital setting benefit mental health recovery. "Inspired by the visit, they set out to support Restore's work for better mental health locally. The Tingewick Society's charity pantomime (Image: The Tingewick Society) "The year has been an unforgettable and incredibly fun experience for the whole committee and we are overjoyed to have raised this much for these two special charities." Oxford Hospitals Charity supports hospitals, wards, and departments across Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Eleanor Jones, head of fundraising at the charity, said: "We never fail to be amazed by the enthusiasm, ingenuity, and unending talents of the Tingewick Society who work in and out of our hospitals to make a difference for patient care. "A huge thank you to them all." Founded in 1977, Restore works to support individuals to take control of their own mental health recovery through involvement in recovery groups, training, and coaching. It supports people to develop skills, build confidence, and connect with others, offers a pathway towards work, training, or volunteering, and runs professional training programmes which benefit thousands of people each year. Libby Peppiatt, the charity's CEO, said: "Tingewick's runners, climbers, dancers, actors and supporters have been incredible, with a determined enthusiasm - from summit to stage - to help Restore and support our work to improve mental health."
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Consultation launched on £600m theme park proposal
Theme park company Puy du Fou has launched a public consultation on proposals for a new £600m history-based attraction based in the Oxfordshire countryside. The attraction near Bicester would include four period villages and 13 live shows in which visitors can "immerse themselves in British history". Plans also include three hotels based on different periods of British history, restaurants and a conference centre. Puy du Fou has history-themed parks in Les Epesses in France since 1978 and in Toledo, Spain, since 2021. On the continent, it has showcased historical events such as the Roman Empire and figures like patron saint of France, Joan of Arc. Under the proposals, the new Oxfordshire-based park would open between April and October each year. Natural features such as ponds, lakes, and gardens, and more than 40 acres of wildflower meadows and 20,000 new trees, are also included in the plans. The French company has launched an online consultation on the scheme. Three consultation events will also be held at Weyland Hall in Bicester, Whatley Hall Hotel in Banbury and Bucknell Village Hall on 6, 7 and 8 February. Olivier Strebelle, chief executive of Puy du Fou, said: "I look forward to listening to local people and businesses as we work on finalising our plans for this exciting project." "This would be a £600m investment in the local economy over the next 10 years, and would employ 700 people, plus create as many as 2,000 new jobs at hotels, suppliers and other local businesses, from its first year of opening. Mr Strebelle said the park would also be home to the "first new forest in Oxfordshire for generations". He added that previous consultations had "helped us draw up proposals that will create a world-class destination" that "excites British visitors" while "still being a good neighbour to local people". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. New £300m 'immersive' theme park planned Puy du Fou consultation
BBC News
28-01-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Puy du Fou launch consultation on history theme park proposal
Theme park company Puy du Fou has launched a public consultation on proposals for a new £600m history-based attraction based in the Oxfordshire attraction near Bicester would include four period villages and 13 live shows in which visitors can "immerse themselves in British history".Plans also include three hotels based on different periods of British history, restaurants and a conference du Fou has history-themed parks in Les Epesses in France since 1978 and in Toledo, Spain, since 2021. On the continent, it has showcased historical events such as the Roman Empire and figures like patron saint of France, Joan of Arc. Under the proposals, the new Oxfordshire-based park would open between April and October each features such as ponds, lakes, and gardens, and more than 40 acres of wildflower meadows and 20,000 new trees, are also included in the French company has launched an online consultation on the consultation events will also be held at Weyland Hall in Bicester, Whatley Hall Hotel in Banbury and Bucknell Village Hall on 6, 7 and 8 February. Olivier Strebelle, chief executive of Puy du Fou, said: "I look forward to listening to local people and businesses as we work on finalising our plans for this exciting project.""This would be a £600m investment in the local economy over the next 10 years, and would employ 700 people, plus create as many as 2,000 new jobs at hotels, suppliers and other local businesses, from its first year of Strebelle said the park would also be home to the "first new forest in Oxfordshire for generations".He added that previous consultations had "helped us draw up proposals that will create a world-class destination" that "excites British visitors" while "still being a good neighbour to local people". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
