January

Oxfordshire joined the rest of England in a third national lockdown.

The Prime Minister ordered people to ‘stay at home’ and closed all schools to pupils as part of the strict measures.

Community groups across South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts announced further help for local people struggling to put food on the table, as well as for those who had mental health problems or being were advised to shield again.

A week later, it was reported that two GP surgeries in Wantage received more than 1,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

This was a major step forward in bringing the vaccine to the masses in the largest vaccination programme in history of the NHS.

February

A planning application was submitted for two data centres in part of the former Didcot A Power Station.

The application was made by Willow Developments LLC in January, they said that it is hoped that the data centres will be a valuable addition to the Science Vale and its economy, it would also offer hundred of construction jobs, as well as direct employment once it is built.

The former Mayor of Didcot, Eleanor Hards said she did not know the identity of the company behind the plans for this new project and suggested that it would stay secret until later in the planning process.

March

Wallingford Town Council applied for funding to ensure the ruins of the College of St Nicolas in Wallingford Castle can be preserve for years to come.

The remains of the Grade I building were placed on the national Heritage at Risk Register in 20218.

Nearly half of people in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Areas with the highest coverage in the two districts included Wheatly and Great Haseley.

April

At the beginning of the month, the countdown to freedom started as the Government confirmed plans to allow pubs and restaurants to reopen outdoors dining, as well as non-essential shops like hair dressers and gyms.

A week later, shoppers rushed back to Soth Oxfordshire’s shops as retailers opened their doors again for the first time in months after the easing of lockdown restrictions.

May

Didcot elected a new Mayor. Mocky Khan became the Asian mayor of the town.

Wallingford residents voted in favour of a Neighbourhood Plan that aims to push sustainable developments, good health care services and public transport use.

Staff at the Newbury Street Practice in Wantage, published an open letter to users, about the increased pressures in the last few months of the pandemic.

Despite the success of the vaccination programme, the site had to endure ‘surprising levels of rudeness and aggression’ from patients.

June

Diners fuelled a spending boom as people were allowed to eat inside.

According to data by banking firm Revolut, customers in South Oxfordshire spent 28 per cent more over the week when they were allowed to dine inside in comparison to when they were only allowed to dine outside.

Environmental activists from Extinction Rebellion, blocked the access road to Didcot B Power Station, accusing the RWE energy company of ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘greenwashing’.

They sat across the access road next to a carboard washing machine and clothes lines.

July

Bags of waste abandoned by dog walkers - from Abingdon, Didcot and surrounding areas - turned into a big problem for the owners of Milton Hill farm.

Dog fouling became a major problem for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse after a surge in puppy ownerships during the pandemic.

It was reported that the investigation on the Didcot Power Station boiler house collapse that claimed four lives, was still ongoing, five years on

In a statement prepared for senior coroner Darren Salter and read to Oxford Coroner’s Court, the senior investigator officer on the joint Thames Valley Police and Health and Safety Executive investigation into the 2016 tragedy said his team had so far taken 2,429 witness statements and collected 180,000 ‘artefacts’ as part of the evidence.

Individuals and companies suspected of committing alleged offences over the tragedy had been questioned under caution, and probably this would have to be done again.

August

Vale of White Horse District Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the outline plans for 4,524 homes at Valley Park, one of the biggest housing estates ever planned for Oxfordshire.

The project was approved after NHS trust vowed to give money for GP centre or land, as there are only three in the area and would not have been able to handle the rising number of people that would come with the development. Opposition remained.

Sami’s Barbeque and Pizza Takeaway in Abingdon was fined £120,000 for breaching fire safety regulations.

Director, Mustafa Dumanli was given six months’ imprisonment suspended for two years.

September

Lissie Harper, widow of PC Andrew Harper - originally from Wallingford -, vowed to fight to change the law in her late husband’s name to introduce life sentences for those who kill emergency workers while on duty.

It was reported that Homes England had chosen to demolish the derelict buildings on the land near Didcot Park Way Station early, in preparation for the long-awaited Didcot Gateway scheme.

In December 2020 it was revealed that more than 260 homes, shops, offices, cafes and a new health centre had been approved to be built as part of the multimillion pound scheme.

October

Abingdon Michaelmas Fair, Europe’s longest street fair, took place in the first week of the month after it was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

South Oxfordshire MPs faced backlash after voting against amendments to the Environment Bill that would have placed a legal duty on water companies not to dump sewage into rivers.

MP for Henley, John Howell and member for Wantage David Johnson were among more than 200 Conservative MPs to vote down the amendments.

November

Builders in Abingdon dressed in bight pink hats and vests for breast cancer awareness campaign.

Molly Hargreaves, 19, from Abingdon, reported being spiked with a needle on a pub crawl in the town when she was celebrating Halloween with her friends.

Miss Harper shared her experience on Facebook and told Thames Valley Police of the events. A spokesperson said that an investigation was ongoing.

Didcot joined the list of South Oxfordshire towns being affected by postal delays. According to Claire Moore, she and other people in the town had been affected by these postal delays. She explained she had not received at least six pieces of post since October.

December

Abingdon Christmas Extravaganza was cancelled. The event which traditionally kicks off the festive season in town was called off by the Chamber of Commerce, which said it had been unable to get sponsorship or organise the fun.

Didcot Boxing Academy become an affiliated club to England Boxing, the governing body for the sport. This affiliation means that members could start training to become potential Olympic champions.