Woodstock Pool is due to reopen on 22 July for six weeks over the school holidays so that families can enjoy the brilliant facility over the summer.
Cllr Jane Doughty, Cabinet Member for Customer Delivery at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “I am really pleased to say that Woodstock Pool will be reopening for the summer holidays. 
“While we haven’t been able to open as normal due to the pandemic, by opening over the holidays families will be able to enjoy the pool at the best time of year. These are temporary measures as lockdown eases and we will be looking at ways we can make improvements in future.
“It is important the pool is available to everyone and so we are keeping the prices low and will be putting on offers for children.
“It is a fantastic facility and I would encourage everyone to use it as often as they can along with the other brilliant local leisure facilities run by GLL such as Carterton Leisure Centre and the Windrush Leisure Centre in Witney.”
The pool has been closed since 2019 due to the impact of Covid-19 but work is now under way to ensure it reopens in time for the start of the school summer holidays, allowing local families to use the brilliant facility.
Prices will also be frozen at 2019 levels to encourage more residents and visitors to come along and take the plunge as part of the Council’s wider ambitions to help improve health and well-being across communities.
Once reopened, the Pool will remain operating until 1 September. Opening hours will be 7am-7pm on weekdays and 9am-5pm at weekends.
Early bird and group discounts will be available along with special promotions such as ‘Kids for £1’ in some sessions.
All bookings will be managed through the online ticketing platform which will enable tickets to be pre-sold to avoid congestion at the reception counter.  Customers who cannot book online will be able to make advance bookings, secured with a payment, at reception.
The facility will fully comply with Covid-19 national and local guidelines at the time of opening.

Organisations across the District which have been helping people affected by Covid-19 are being awarded thousands of pounds worth of funding.
West Oxfordshire District Council has received £467,000 from Oxfordshire County Council as part of the Government’s Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF) which is designed to support public health during the pandemic and is now using some funds to help innovative local organisations.
One organisation which received £20,000 of funding is The Help Hub based in Bladon.
Set up March 2020 by Ruth Chaloner, it provides help for those struggling to cope with access to 800 volunteers, all of whom are trained counsellors or therapists.
Now it is looking to refocus its efforts on young people in West Oxfordshire with the funding going towards the recruitment of a project manager.
Ruth said: “There is a real sense of urgency with mental health issues coming out of the pandemic. Young people are falling through the gap with support.
“We use volunteers to speak to people which can help prevent mental health issues from escalating.”
Another organisation which also received £20,000 is Assisting Parents With Children Affected by Mental Health (APCAM), based in Alvescot.
Led by volunteers, it offers support for families within group sessions, online and one to one as well as offering mental health first aid training.
COMF is designed to provide funding to local authorities in England to help reduce the spread of coronavirus, help people to stay well and support those most affected by the pandemic.
Cllr Merilyn Davies, Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities, said: “Lockdown and the implications of Covid-19 have had a massive impact on the health of our communities.
“Organisations such as these are playing a huge role in supporting our residents with physical and mental health issues caused by the pandemic and this funding will be crucial for their invaluable work as we continue to recover.”
Other recipients of funding are Citizens Advice West Oxfordshire, Reducing the Risk (domestic abuse) and Volunteer Link Up.

Community groups looking to take part in this year’s Great British Spring Clean (28 May-13 June) are invited to contact West Oxfordshire District Council if they need help getting rid of their collected bags of litter.
The campaign is a key milestone in Keep Britain Tidy’s calendar, highlighting the problem of litter in the environment, and brings thousands of people together from across the nation each year to do something positive about clearing it up.
Councillor Norman MacRae, Cabinet Member for the Environment at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We anticipate a high level of interest from residents in this event as outdoor spaces have proved invaluable in maintaining our mental and physical well-being over the past year, providing many with a place of refuge outside the home.  Litter picking also brings its own health benefits, encouraging more of us to get active and making people feel more connected to their community.”
According to Keep Britain Tidy, four fifths of participants in last year’s clean up event reported an increased sense of pride for their local area while 79% agreed volunteering helped improve their mood.
For 2021, the charity is calling on an army of volunteer ‘litter heroes’ to help them achieve a collective target of a million miles of litter picking (#MillionMilesMission).  Members of the public can register, by pledging how many minutes or hours they will commit to undertake by visiting www.keepbritaintidy.org.  All minutes and hours promised will then be converted into miles and counted towards the GBSC target.
Councillor MacRae continued: “We are delighted to be able to offer any group which is organising a litter pick an easy option for disposing of the rubbish once collected over the course of the Great British Spring Clean. Residents just need to contact us and we will arrange collection of the litter that has been collected.”
The collection service will apply to non-hazardous, general litter that can be easily contained within a black rubbish sack.  Residents should report in incidents of fly tipping separately to the Council rather than attempt to move these themselves so that any potential evidence remains undisturbed. This can be done on the Council’s new website - https://www.westoxon.gov.uk/environment/fly-tipping/
Groups are encouraged to present the waste they collect at a suitable collection point where it can be stowed securely until it can be collected.  Community spaces, such as local village halls and churches, with good vehicle access are ideal so long as permission of the relevant landowner has been sought first.
A collection can be arranged by calling West Oxfordshire District Council’s customer services team on 01993 861000 or by emailing [email protected]
Residents wishing to litter pick independent of a group are asked to put the waste they collect in their normal domestic refuse bin.
Last year West Oxfordshire District Council street teams litter picked 147kms of highway verges collecting discarded roadside rubbish.
Guidance on how to litter pick safely can be found at: www.keepbritaintidy.org

Residents in the Witney area and users of the nearby A40 are set to benefit from £180 million of major road and infrastructure improvements.
The county council is now asking for the views of residents and roads users in two new online exhibitions on the plans opening at 12 noon on 10 May until 30 May.
The delivery of infrastructure is key to supporting sustainable development in Witney, Eynsham and related new developments in West Oxfordshire. Since Oxfordshire County Council secured funding from the £102 million Housing Infrastructure Fund 2 (HIF 2) in 2019, it has been working on designs, surveys, stakeholder engagement and land acquisition.
The council is investing in six major schemes, which will deliver:

• a new park and ride
• an extension of the dual carriageway around Witney
• new bus lanes and junction improvements. 

The first exhibition covers the details of the access to Witney road improvement scheme at Shores Green. The second covers the A40 HIF2 smart corridor plans, which include the A40 dual carriageway extension, integrated bus lanes and work at Dukes Cut.
Recognising advice from government on COVID-19 safety, it is not possible to hold a public drop-in exhibition on the plans. Instead, the council is holding online engagement sessions to present the proposals and provide an opportunity for residents to ask questions and offer comments.
Members of the project team will be online to answer questions about the scheme using a series of online live chat events. These will take place on:

• 17 May about the A40 smart corridor
• 18 May about access to Witney
• Saturday 22 May covering both schemes.

Questions must be submitted in advance and visitors are urged to visit the council’s webpage to check the timings of these live events. Any questions that can’t be answered immediately will be responded to as part of an updated Frequently Asked Questions, so please check back to the webpage for these updates.
People who cannot visit the webpage will still be able to share their thoughts and questions during this time. A printed summary of the exhibition material is available for those with limited access to the web.
The exhibitions will be open from 12 noon on Monday 10 May to 23:59 30 May.
​For any queries email [email protected] or call 01865 792422.
URL : http://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/a40-engagement-launch/