In 2022, Oxford Archaeology South will be digging the site of a proposed children’s home on the outskirts of the West Oxfordshire village of Aston.

Documents indicate that Aston was founded by the 10th century AD, but little else is known about the subsequent origins and development of the village. Our excavation will shed light on medieval Aston before the time of the Black Death, from the mid-11th century to the mid-13th century AD.

We will share regular updates on our progress and what we've found on this blog in the coming weeks.

There is ​the chance to visit our excavation the week commencing 3rd October 2022. We will be on site between 8am and 4pm each weekday. It's a small site so we expect a tour to take no more than 45 minutes including time for questions and a chance to see the finds.

There is a blog about this excavation where you can read about the background to the project and where we'll be posting regular updates over the next two weeks: https://blog.oxfordarchaeology.com/aston-oxon/

There is a book of condolence in St James Church, Aston which will be open daily from 9am to 5pm to allow those who wish to sign it to do so. It will remain there until 5pm on the day after the funeral when it will be closed.

There is an online book of condolence at www.royal.uk.

Anyone who wishes to sign the book but is unable to get to the church can contact the clerk (clerk@astonoxon-pc.gov.uk) who will arrange for a page to be made available at the person's home address. This will then be added into the book at the church.

The public have been invited to take part in a National Moment of Reflection to mourn the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and reflect on her life and legacy.
The National Moment of Reflection will take place at 8pm on Sunday 18 September, the night before the State Funeral, and be marked by a one-minute silence.
The silence can be marked privately at home, with friends and family, out on doorsteps or the street with neighbours, or at locally arranged community events and vigils.
Community groups, clubs and other organisations across the country are encouraged to take part and people overseas are also encouraged to observe the one-minute silence at 8pm local time.
Details of larger-scale public events to be held across the country will be published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii.

We are holding Oxfordshire Conversation events across the county in September to connect with residents to give them the chance to ask our decision makers their burning questions and share their priorities to help us shape our budget during these tough times.
 We are running a mix of online and venue events.

• Monday 12 September, 11am - 12.30pm, online (Microsoft Teams)
• Monday 12 September, 7pm - 8.30pm, Abingdon, Guildhall
• Wednesday 14 September, 7pm - 8.30pm, Witney, High Street Methodist Church
• Thursday 15 September, 7pm - 8.30pm, Oxford, Old Fire Station
• Monday 19 September, 7pm - 8.30pm, Banbury, The Mill Arts Centre
• Wednesday 21 September, 7pm - 8.30pm, online (Microsoft Teams)
• Thursday 22 September, 7pm - 8.30pm, Didcot, Cornerstone Arts Centre

 Join the conversation.
 
What are the big issues that matter to you and your community?
 
Oxfordshire County Council are holding Oxfordshire Conversations events, in locations across the county and online, bringing together residents and the councillors who lead our county council.
 
This is your chance to ask our decision makers your burning questions and share your priorities to help us shape our budget during these tough times.
 
Find your local event, book your space and start the conversation www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/conversations
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South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) has declared a critical incident today (Monday, 11 July) due to current pressures on our services.
We continue to prioritise our response to those patients with life-threatening and serious emergencies but, due to the current levels of pressure we are seeing, there will be delays in responding to other patients with less urgent needs who are assessed as requiring an ambulance response.
We are asking patients to help us at this time by seeking alternative treatment or advice via NHS 111 online or by calling 111, local urgent care centres or speaking to their GP or local pharmacist.
We are also asking people not to call 999 back to ask about an estimated time unless the patient’s condition has changed. This keeps the line free for someone who may need urgent assistance.
For people calling 111, please do not hang up and call again as this will send you to the back of the queue.
The declaration of a critical incident enables us to seek further support from our partners and alert the wider healthcare system, as well as the public, to our existing challenges in reaching patients as quickly as we can.
We are experiencing an increasing number of 999 calls into our service, combined with patients calling back if there is a delay in our response to them. As a result, our capacity to take calls is being severely challenged.
This is combined with the challenges of handing patients over to busy hospitals across our region and a rise in COVID infections, as well as other respiratory illnesses, among both staff and in our communities.
This week we are also faced with high temperatures across our region which we know will lead to an increase in demand on our service. All of these issues combined are impacting on our ability to respond to patients.
We would like to thank everyone for your support during this difficult time and we will post further updates on both our social media channels and website.

I am pleased to confirm that the Council’s £150 Energy Rebate Discretionary scheme went LIVE late this morning.
The application window will be open for a 4-week period and will close on 5 July.
If you know of any resident within your area who may be entitled to a payment, please ask them to make their application on the Council’s website site:  https://www.westoxon.gov.uk/council-tax-and-benefits/150-council-tax-rebate/
For those residents who do not have access to the system we have officers on hand for support on 01993 861000.
All details, including the eligibility criteria is also available on the website at the above link.