Are young adults today swapping alcohol for coffee and evening pub trips for morning run clubs, and what has promoted this dramatic shift in drinking patterns?

According to the verywellmind.com, ‘sober curious’ is a term that means an individual is questioning their relationship with alcohol. ‘The Sober Curious movement is a growing group of individuals who opt to drink less or not at all as lifestyle choice’ says Peter M. Vernig, a licensed psychologist and Vice President of mental health services at Recovery Centres of America.

With young adults consuming less alcohol, the hospitality sector is taking a hit as sales decline. University cities such as Oxford, Birmingham, and Brighton are bearing the brunt of this shift, having once been famous for their vibrant student nightlife. Now, many student unions are focusing on promoting alcohol-free events, catering to a wider range of needs and preferences.

As a recent university graduate, I’d consider myself well versed in student life. First year was all about going to the biggest events, meeting as many new people as possible, and seeing where the night would end. By second year, priorities began to shift as the workload increased, although I was still a regular at my local club. By third year, however, I was practically sober and could count on one hand the number of times I’d gone out for a drink. And I was not alone in this.

‘Nobody cares that much,’ States Tallulah, an Oxford Brookes university graduate, who for her dissertation choose to write about the topic of sobriety.

Unlike the rest of her peers, Tallulah never felt compelled to drink, maintaining ‘it never really interested me.’ However, that doesn’t stop her from going out, in fact she loves a boogie, but emphasises to be selective with who you go out with and advises anyone thinking about doing a sober night out to engage in positive affirmations. ‘Try to be confident in yourself, surround yourself with people who are going to lift you up and enjoy the vibe. I like to dance, and if you’re worried about people looking at you, everyone is drunk, no one cares, and don’t not worry they are seeing three of you right now.’

During our interview we discussed the benefits of sobriety and how it’s not only about drinking, but also the ethical position people are put in when they drink and the stigma round drinking culture at University. We discussed sports socials and the pressure there is to drink at sports socials through activities, challenges, and drinking games that actively engage in dangerous drinking habits. ‘There is not a lot of respect; people have to consider people’s boundaries.’

The increasing number of sober and sober-curious students has led to financial challenges for nightclubs and other hospitality establishments, resulting in some businesses facing the possibility of closure. In 2024, popular nightclub chain, Rekom, owner of Atik and Pryzm, found themselves in trouble after the combination of the cost-of-living crisis and the drop in students going out. This ultimately led to the closure of seventeen venues across the UK including Oxford, Leeds, Birmingham, Exeter, and Nottingham. Additionally, new data has been released by the BBC stating that 400 nightclubs permanently shut down between March 2020 and December 2023.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Aash, the manager of The Mad Hatter, a speakeasy cocktail bar in Iffley and Horia, the manager of Kibou, a Japanese restaurant and bar in Jericho, about the problems hospitality face during the rise of student sobriety.

How has [The Mad Hatter/ Kibou] adapted to changing attitudes towards alcohol and nightlife — for example through alcohol-free drinks, themed events, or changes to the atmosphere?

Aash, manager of The Mad Hatter: ‘The hospitality industry has had a massive dip in sales for sure, especially places in university towns as compared to places in big cities.’

Horia, manager of Kibou: ‘Hospitality industry has multiple fields: I think bars and pubs are getting the brunt of it. While drinks are not the biggest part of our profit, it is a key factor too. So, the increase in sobriety is having a financial impact on us too.’

⁠Have you noticed university students drinking less or choosing alcohol-free options more often compared to previous years?

Aash: ‘Yes for sure, we’ve had more students choose not to drink than usual. Though from personal observations & conversations: a huge reason for the sobriety is the cost-of-living crisis, students can’t afford to be drinking when rent is so expensive.’

Horia: ‘Yes, a lot of the young people opt out of drinking. I think they’re more inclined to just having water.’

How have you adapted to changing attitudes towards alcohol and nightlife — for example through alcohol-free drinks, themed events, or changes to the atmosphere?

Aash ‘We have increased our options in alcohol free drinks with kegs on taps, bottles of beers, 0% spirits and non-alcoholic prosecco. We also do offer very thought-out mocktails too that are ordered frequently. We’ve recently started a new section on our menu with heavily discounted, low ABV cocktails, so people don’t have to commit to a lot of alcohol for a good cocktail.’

What are your predictions for September’s Freshers and how this might affect your business?

Aash: ‘Since the Hatter offers experiences and activities along with the cocktails and alcohol, I do still think we’re gonna see a lot of students as usual coming in for a good time. We are bringing about a lot more interactive things to do at student prices to make it more fun than just a regular venue which wouldn’t be appealing especially for someone who wasn’t drinking.’

Horia: ‘I don’t think it will impact us. We get an older clientele. Our interactions with student customers are usually through the summer exchange programs which I predict would be as usual.’

So, with this in mind, what is sober-curious, why is it so popular amongst the younger generation?

Several factors have contributed to the decline of clubbing culture amongst students and young people. These being the cost-of-living crisis, religious beliefs, physical fitness, and of course social media.

Many people attribute the rise in social media for this generation’s abstinence to alcohol, but can we really put all the blame on social media, or a general awareness for one’s health and financial situation? Or could it just simply be that alcohol is no longer being enjoyed like it once was, and the ways in which young people choose to socialise are shifting?

Leigh Bowery still rules the fashion world in one way or another. Being everything from a performance artist to a fashion designer and a club promoter, Bowery did not only leave a one-of-a-kind mark on 80s fashion, but also on the fashion world of the 2000s. He redefined what fashion meant by crossing all possible boundaries and experimenting with such creativity that it ‘challenged the norms of aesthetics, sexuality and gender,’ according to Tate Modern.

His persona shone through every piece of artistry that he created or was a part of, whether that be in nightclubs, galleries, on stage in theatres, or even on television. More than 30 years after his death, Bowery is still talked about, just as loudly as he was expressing himself.

The one, the only – the outrageous Leigh Bowery!

Growing up in Australia in a conservative community, Bowery had it in him from an early age to provoke and shock people. Body distortion became a recurring ethos in his works later in life, but this is actually something he had to face from a young age as he grew really quickly and was already six feet tall by the age of 12.

Bowery, by nature, also experimented with public embarrassment as he discovered that this is something he can weaponise. Instead of being embarrassed, he purposely put himself in situations that would, by the public, be seen as humiliating. But, this is where he thrived.

However extreme Bowery’s designs were, they all screamed freedom and self-expression, which is what today’s designers are also trying to do. Michael Clark’s ‘Yes Manifesto’ perfectly concludes Bowery’s view on not only fashion, but life itself as well, so even though this Manifesto is not about him, it also completely is.

Being inspired by the one and only Vivienne Westwood, Bowery also influenced many designer masterminds of the upcoming generations.

‘Leigh Bowery was part of that force, that force of freedom. It’s that force of delirious depravity, cheerful depravity. I talk about that because I feel like those are the values I need to support because the world can be so harshly condemning and judgmental, and that’s never going away,’ said Rick Owens in an interview with AnOther Magazine. Rick Owens has also famously been influenced by Bowery, recreating the human backpack part of his SS16 collection based on Bowery “giving birth” to Nicole Bateman.

The unconventional yet dramatic Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen, being a showstopper in a rather different sense than Leigh Bowery, found himself in the world of fashion through strange expression.

‘Beauty can come from the strangest of places, even the most disgusting of places’ – Alexander McQueen, The Times

Before Bowery’s death, Alexander McQueen actually attended his last performance in 1994 which foreshadows the influence he will have on McQueen, especially in his Horns of Plenty AW09 Collection which was his last Autumn/Winter show before his death.

Alexander McQueen, being the most influential designer of his generation, inspired many, but was also inspired by many. Similarly to Bowery, he incorporated distortion into his designs in many ways, whether that be facial or bodily.

As Sally Gray has perfectly stated in her review of the Savage Beauty exhibition: ‘In Alexander McQueen’s approximately two decades in fashion, he stunned, shocked, delighted, amazed, and often emotionally overwhelmed the fashion world.’ Just like Bowery.

In this collection, McQueen played around with extensive, almost ridiculous over-lining of lips, which could even be referred to as clownish. But it worked. Not only did he draw the attention to the face, but also to the mix-matched use of prints with the pairing of skirts and jackets, which further create a sense of deformity.

McQueen, similarly to Bowery, amalgamated the bizarre and the fascinating, creating a work of art. The models walked down the runway with painted porcelain-like white skin with the contrast of the heavily overdrawn red lips.

In an interview with Penny Martin for SHOWstudio, McQueen said, ‘it’s good to leave the audience in bewilderment,’ which he definitely did.

When it comes to McQueen’s works, it is all about influence on influence. While taking inspiration from Bowery, historical eras also made either subtle or explicit appearances in his shows, like Flemish, more specifically Hans Memling or the van Eyck brothers, and so did the gothic era.

It can definitely be said that Leigh Bowery and Alexander McQueen were completely different when it comes to their lives and journeys throughout art, yet somehow, they were connected by fashion, culture, and history.

Martin Margiela – The mystery man behind the haute couture mask

Martin Margiela, in nature being the complete opposite of Bowery, could be described as ‘the most mysterious fashion designer ever,’ as James Anderson wrote in his article in i-D. As mentioned, the complete opposite. Bowery, even if he tried, could not have been a mystery to the world.

Margiela went against traditional beauty standards when it came to his shows; he would intentionally cast models who were a little bit ‘diverse and unconventional-looking,’ added Anderson.

At his Fall Artisanal 2013 Couture Show however, the models’ features could not even be seen. From the haute couture flower face mask, through the iconic latex jeans and T-shirt look, to Bowery’s inked dripping egghead look-alike, this collection had everything and more in it.

The theme is reoccurring – fetishism appears in almost all of these pieces, with a lot of specific examples being a nod to Bowery’s works.

‘Masks have long formed a signature part of the Margiela brand, an extension of the incognito nature of the design house’s notoriously private founder,’ said Daisy Woodward in AnOther Magazine.

As Margiela never took part in interviews, and whenever he was asked questions it was him with his team who answered – only via e-mail – the fashion industry started rumours. ‘The daftest rumour was that he didn’t really exist at all!’ wrote James Anderson in i-D.

While Bowery was finding himself in the process of expressing himself and experimenting with masks and covering his face, Margiela did the same in a completely different sense.

For him, the masks were in relation to his personal views on privacy and anonymity, but during his shows it also became about the anonymity of the models as well. In this sense, he was overstepping conventional fashion boundaries, just like Bowery.

If you really think about it, it was never just about fashion, it was about everything else that surrounds it. Culture, history, art, freedom, and lastly, self-expression. This is why Leigh Bowery still sparks up conversations and inspires other designers. Though Leigh Bowery, Alexander McQueen, and Martin Margiela all had fashion in common, they also brought different aspects of their lives to their works.

By all of them being different, they created different collections, yet they had many similarities as at the end of the day this is what fashion is about. Inspiration.

If you take away one thing from this article, let it be this: Do not be afraid to inspire, and do not be afraid to be inspired.

Census 2021 marks the point of clear decline for Christianity in England and Wales, where it became a minority religion for the first time. However, Census 2021 also marks the point for significant increase in ‘other religion’ followers.

For our very own Oxford city, although constituting only 1% of the population, ‘other religion’ followers represented an increase from 796 people in the 2011 Census to 1,448 people in the 2021 Census.

Religion was added as a voluntary question in the UK’s Census in 2001. As per Office for National Statistics (ONS), this is the religion with which people connect or identify, rather than their beliefs or active religious practice. As a voluntary question, ONS recommends caution while comparing data from different years and/or areas.

Keeping this caution into consideration, Oxford’s trend in ‘other religions’ is reflective of England and Wales’ census data for religion. Those who chose to write-in a response through the ‘Any other religion’ category, the largest increase was seen in those describing their religion as ‘Shamanism,’ increasing more than tenfold to 8,000 from 650 in 2011.

Unpacking Shamanism

The term ‘shaman’ originally came from the Siberia and Mongolia region, referring to the spiritual practices and beliefs of the indigenous Evenki people. Shamanism has been described by Paul Francis, founder of the Three Ravens College of Therapeutic Shamanism, as ‘applied animism’.

Whether they use the term ‘animism,’ contemporary western shamans hold diverse beliefs about the cosmos that generally affirm that things other than humans — plants, bodies of water, and mountains — have souls and are just as conscious as humans.

The dividing line between animism and shamanism is a matter of debate, and in common use, the terms ‘animism’ and ‘shamanism’ are often used interchangeably.

Western shamans often resist the idea that they belong to a religion and say that shamanism has no sacred text, priesthood, official institution, or ruling body (See more here)

‘Data lies’ – Real numbers could be much higher

Caitlín Matthews, is an internationally renowned Shamanic practitioner based in Oxford. She has been a Shamanic healer for 30 years, with several books on Shamanism under her belt.

She believes this Census data is just the tip of the iceberg; the real numbers could be much higher. She believes people don’t feel comfortable to always say who they are and what they follow.

‘Shamanic and animist traditions are in all five continents. Since temples were closed at the end of 4th century here and replaced by churches, Shamanism has been the bottom most strata in animism.

‘Also some people will constitutionally refuse to say what it is they do, because of the history of the West, it’s considered still to be an embarrassment. And so you keep it covered. They don’t want to be known for their religion.’

Caitlín says she and other practitioners under the umbrella organisation Pagan Federation advocated for years for Shamanism and other such religions to be included in the UK’s census (PaganFed).

‘Shamans are the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle.’

Caitlín says she sees people who would earlier be called as suffering from ‘hysterical illness,’ but it’s now called a ‘functional neurological disorder.’ She claims cases are quite often referred by psychiatrists to her, as their science cannot help beyond a point.

‘These are the people that are always on that threshold point. You never find shamans in the marketplace. You find them on the edges. And when people run screaming towards the edge, we are the people they meet. I don’t advertise my practice. I don’t need to.’

Rise of Shamanism, rise of ‘No Religion’, decline in Christianity – connected dots?

Census 2021 data for Oxford city also shows a significant decline in followers of Christianity by 15%. Again, this is in line with the country level data for England and Wales. It would be hard to establish any clear connection between decline in Christianity and increase in ‘no religion’ (25% increase) and increase in other religions in Oxford.

Many Shaman believers could have possibly ticked on the ‘No Religion’ category, as they may not associate Shamanism with any institutionalised religion.

At the time of filing this report, data was not available to further analyse the age groups which might explain the rise of other religions like Shamanism.

However, the census data is clearly a telling sign that people in Oxford city, as in the rest of England and Wales, might be seeking alternative answers beyond the traditional religions’ boundaries.

Syrians don’t have to wait for months and pay bribes to get their passports. Syrian men don’t have to enrol in university, or go abroad, to escape compulsory military service.

The fuel is available aplenty to everyone, albeit at a price. No more ‘smart cards’ and the much awaited weekly text to collect the 25 litre quota of fuel and gas.

Electricity is still scarce, but is being distributed more equitably across urban and rural areas.

Limited international flights have now started operating from Damascus airport. Embassies have reopened in Damascus. Syria’s new President has been on a diplomatic charm offensive to the White House and Europe.

Sanctions against Syria have been lifted.

Amjad Saftly, 32, calls it the ‘freedom shock’ which Syrians experienced after the stunning collapse of Assad family rule on 8 December 2024.

As a former aid worker in Syria, I am pleasantly surprised by all these economic and access related developments. However, in a country with religious diversity – Sunni, Alawites, Christians, Druze, Shia – emerging from 14 years of civil war and five decades of one family’s stronghold, there are bound to be old wounds and resentments which might be still bubbling under the surface.

I interviewed Syrians across religious and regional communities at the anniversary of the fall of Assad regime in December 2025 to uncover the unsaid and the nuances behind these economic developments.

The hopefuls

‘This is the first time in 14 years I can cross check points, and not have any fears’

Most Sunni community members seem hopeful and realistic about their country’s future. All admitted to looking at their new leader – Ahmad Al-Sharaa (previously known as Golani–his nom de guerre) – initially with skepticism due to his past alliances with Al Qaeda, and conservative interpretation of Islam.

Abdelkader Dabbagh (Abd.), a Sunni, is from Aleppo governorate. Abd. was an undergraduate student in 2011 when the conflict began. To escape military service, he spent six years completing his undergraduate studies, six years doing his Master’s, and two years on a PhD.

When he could no longer take the education route, he left Syria to work in Yemen with an international NGO. After returning from his foreign gig, he planned to pay the hefty amount many Syrian men ended up paying to the Assad regime just to escape military service.

Aleppo was the first city to fall from Assad regime’s control in late November 2024. Abd. was on his way to Yemen when he heard about the clashes in Aleppo and Idlib between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Assad forces. Such clashes were routine affairs every few weeks in his city.

However, this time it felt different, more serious, more organised.

He feared for his family, and potential separation for years in case he was stuck outside Syria. He made arrangements the next morning to return to Syria.

When he reached Aleppo, he found dead bodies on the streets.

‘For me in the beginning we were afraid of HTS, as we haven’t had any connection with them for years. Some of the groups were known to be very conservative.’

After two days of HTS forces taking over, Aleppo was bombed by the Assad government forces. Aleppians were shocked – the government which was supposed to protect them was bombing them, while the HTS soldiers from ‘the other side’ were distributing bread.

‘I was shocked to see diesel available in the market, as earlier there was such scarcity’

Abd. shares overnight the restrictions on importing most goods disappeared and there was no struggle in finding food. In fact, new cars were available from the second week of regime change. Aleppians were able to travel to Idlib and shop in malls.

Abd. considers the cultural differences between Assad ruled territories and HTS ruled territories to be normal, which can be lived with, and worked on with more interaction as time passes.

This view is shared by Abdulmoute AlDroubi, from Homs governorate. Abdulmoate works in north-east of Syria in Deir Ez Zor governorate with an aid agency. Deir Ez Zor governorate was earlier divided between Assad forces and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) [Kurdish controlled]; HTS forces have taken over the previously controlled Assad areas. He observes that the previous smuggling routes between SDF and Assad government across the Euphrates river have stopped, as the country has opened for import and most goods and services are available in the market.

He feels his city, and in fact the whole of Syria, avoided the worst ethnic and religious clashes that were expected immediately after a regime change of such nature.

Syrians across governorates and religious divides agree that there is finally access to a variety of goods and services.

And that’s where the agreement ends

Mahmoud Bieruti, a Sunni, a Syrian Palestinian, left Syria more than five years ago to Belgium in search of a better life. When he visited Syria in early 2025 for a few days, he could feel the sense of joy and relief amongst all sections of Syrians.

However, Mahmoud doesn’t agree with the current government’s treatment of Alawites, and Druze communities.

‘We need to avoid creating the new leader as a hero, as a saviour. We are only recreating the old model this way. People need to be educated about democracy, their rights. Democracy cannot be expected after 53 years of one family’s dictatorship.

‘The HTS were unprepared for such a sudden and quick takeover of Damascus. They lack the experience to rule such a diverse demographic. There is a contradiction between the current government’s claims and their actions towards minorities.’

Minority Report

‘We were scared to put up our Christmas tree’

Noor Baladi*, 44 years old, an Orthodox Christian, left Syria with her husband and two children to a country in Western Europe in October 2025. After living through 14 years of civil war, she couldn’t jeopardise her children’s future to more uncertainties anymore.

For Noor, the fall of the Assad regime was a scary unknown.

‘We didn’t know who was coming. And those people we had in mind were jihadis, they were in Idlib, they would come and kill everybody who chose to stay here (Assad controlled Syrian areas), because they would assume we were living here and we were okay with the regime of Al Assad.

‘We were against the Assad regime, but we kind of found a way to live with the restrictions of not being able to talk about politics, not being able to criticise the President and his party, and to work in places that are not political.’

Noor shares that in summers she was afraid to wear sleeveless clothing (which is quite normal in Damascus). She instructed her 16 year old daughter to also not wear shorts or anything revealing. Her son, 11 years old, was stopped twice for wearing shorts.

‘Some of them were distributing brochures and posters posted on some of the public institutions’ doors, how you should enter, to work here, how you should cover your hair, the halal (lawful) way of wearing things. So we were afraid of the people because they will start accusing us of being a kufar (non believer).’

That December Noor says, ‘We were a little bit scared to put up our Christmas tree, as it might attract attention. We didn’t put any cross either.’

Noor still felt hopeful in the months that followed, with transitional government formation, recognition by the West, and Syria finally shedding its pariah status.

This hope was short-lived. In March 2025 there were clashes, or massacres as minority communities describe it, in the coastal areas of Syria between the government forces and Alawite community.

And then the deadly clashes happened in Sweida – governorate with a large Druze community. Noor’s husband belongs to Sweida, and his parents were stuck for weeks with limited provisions.

That seemed to be the last straw.

When an opportunity arose in Europe, they grabbed it despite the risk of pulling out their children in the middle of the school year. She now has a chance to give a better life to her children.

Noor was also able to put up the Christmas tree last year.

‘For me enough is enough’

Amjad Saftly, a Christian Orthodox, is also hoping for a better, safer life. He left for Germany in February 2026. He fears after Alawite and Druze massacres, soon it could be Christians who could be targeted.

Amjad was living in Jaramana – a suburb of Damascus, where primarily the Druze and Christian minorities reside.

He feels just like the Assad government is to be blamed for the horrors during the long rule, similarly it is the government of the day which needs to bear the responsibility for these clashes with minorities.

‘We don’t trust the system anymore. We see that the government is using one colour [community] to fill any gap, to fill important positions with one colour – mostly Muslim Sunnis, from Idlib.’

‘For me enough is enough. I am leaving my mother behind, which is not an easy decision. But after the massacres, I see more focus on external relations with the USA and Europe, which is great, but not fixing things inside.’

Amjad observed for the first three to four months there were no bribes, no favouritism, or nepotism, but now everything is running the same old way. Maybe in spheres like traffic police, there are lesser bribes, but in governmental departments, bribing still exists.

For fixing things internally, Amjad recommends major steps need to be taken by the new government: reconciliation and peace with Alawite and Druze communities, sharing some high ranked political positions with minorities, introducing hate speech regulations, and justice for the old regime’s victims.

Sweida Saga

‘I feel devastated. What was I doing for people all these years who are now seeing me as someone who supports Israel?’

Ehab Al Matni, 32, belongs to the Druze community, and has lived in the Jarmana neighbourhood for many years.

Despite the initial misgivings about the new regime, Ehab was encouraged by the new regime’s takeover of Aleppo, and their treatment of people there. The situation was surprisingly calm. There was no revenge on the streets. People were celebrating in Damascus.

‘So we decided this is our time. And we can do something for the country. We waited for years for the Assad regime to fall. We started doing meetings, public sessions on constitution, transition, and invited analysts in Jaramana.’

However, the coastal clashes took place and mass killings of the Alawite community were reported.

‘I started to freak out, as Jaramana is a place consisting mostly of minorities and a massive surrounding area of majority of Muslims.

‘As someone who lived in Jaramana, and spent all my life in Damascus, and most of my career working for and with people who suffered from the Assad regime, I felt what was I doing in those 14 years, for people who are now seeing me as someone who supports Israel?’

Ehab secured a visa for a Gulf country in August 2025. He has no plans to return to Syria.

Alawite Angle

‘We Syrians can now adapt to anything’

Atheel Mohammad, 30, an Alawite, lives in a suburban neighbourhood of Damascus, which mostly comprises Alawite community. Atheel’s neighbourhood was traditionally divided into the civilian side and the Syrian Arab army side. Post Assad regime’s collapse, there have been massive demographic changes in the neighbourhood, which has been worrying for the Alawite community, fearing revenge from thr Sunni community. The former Assad military side of the neighbourhood now consists of the new government’s army personnel.

At 4 am on 8 December 2024, she heard frantic footsteps in her building, and opened the door to a neighbour saying ‘Khalas (finish), Damascus has fallen.’

As an Alawite, she feels most of the community felt protected as a minority community under Assad regime. But that’s that. In terms of services, they suffered just as much as others. When the Assad regime fell, she felt collective shame on learning the horrors of Sednaya prison.

She doesn’t feel safe travelling between Damascus and the suburb, returns home before sunset, dresses more conservatively, and uses a trusted taxi driver.

‘I was not into politics earlier, but now as a minority, we see a pattern, and feel excluded as Alawites, Druze, Shias, Christians.’

She does however feel hopeful.

‘This hate is not the true Syrian people. Syrian people love to live, laugh. Ideally I would not like to leave a place where I have childhood memories, my people.’

‘I don’t have much, but it is my country.’

The Ashmolean Museum was founded in 1683 as the world’s first university museum founded by Elias Ashmole, who gave his extensive collection of curiosities to Oxford University.

I recently visited the first floor of the museum and was astounded by the amount of history, information, and artistry contained within its walls. What impressed me most was not only that I would love to re-visit and take a look at the other floors, but how connected I was to my own humanity. Bringing centuries of human creativity and discovery together in one place can make the past feel vivid, personal, and remarkably alive.

The Ashmolean is far more than a gallery of ancient artefacts and fine art – it is a living archive of human curiosity. As the first public museum in Britain, today its significance is often referred to as ‘crossing cultures, crossing time,’ renowned for its vast collections of archaeological findings.

At the heart of the Ashmolean Museum lies a story that stretches across centuries, cultures, and civilisations. From Egyptian mummies and classical sculpture to Renaissance paintings and contemporary exhibitions, its collections reveal the ways people have sought to understand the world and their place within it, offering a unique journey through history under one roof.

The Arundel Marbles Collection

These remarkable sculptures once belonged to Thomas Howard, one of England’s greatest art collectors during the reigns of James I and Charles I. By the time of his death in 1646, Howard had assembled an extraordinary collection of over 700 paintings alongside sculptures, inscriptions, jewellery, drawings, and furniture, earning him a reputation as one of the most important patrons of art in seventeenth-century England.

Among the marbles on display was a striking statue of a woman posed with her arms held tightly across her body in the classical ‘Pudicitia’ stance, a style commonly used in Asia Minor, now modern-day western Turkey. Dating from the late Hellenistic period between 200 and 1 BC, the sculpture conveyed both elegance and restraint, reflecting the ideals of femininity admired in the ancient world.

Another memorable piece was a marble bust of a woman featuring the distinctive hairstyle of Antonia Minor, the daughter of Mark Antony and niece of Emperor Augustus. Interestingly, the museum notes revealed that the head and bust were created in entirely different periods – the head dating from 41–54 AD, while the bust itself was produced much later, between 1600 and 1750. This unusual combination highlights the long and complex history behind many classical artworks and the ways they have been restored, altered, and preserved over centuries.

Excavations in Rome

For Thomas Howard, collecting ancient art was not simply a hobby, but a statement. The ideals of ancient Rome, particularly gravitas, honour, virtue, and nobility deeply appealed to him, and he surrounded himself with objects from Greece and Rome that reflected these values.

During a visit to Rome between 1613 and 1614, Arundel was even granted permission by the papal authorities to carry out excavations, uncovering several ancient statues. Although, in a twist worthy of an archaeological reality show, later rumours suggested some of the objects may actually have been planted for him to ‘discover.’

One of the most striking statues linked to these excavations was a marble figure of a man wearing a toga, nicknamed ‘Cicero.’ The statue gained its famous identity because restorers in the 1700s added a wart to the right cheek.

Nearby stands a draped female marble statue inspired by representations of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation – blending Roman craftsmanship with earlier Greek artistic ideals.

Another portrait bust revealed just how complicated the survival of ancient sculpture can be: the head and body did not originally belong together, and the cut beneath the neck suggested the head had once been attached to an entirely different statue. Ancient art restoration often seemed less like careful conservation and more like an enormous historical jigsaw puzzle with several missing pieces.

The collection also includes a beautifully carved marble throne dedicated to the gods Isis, Osiris, and Anubis by a Greek priest named Archidamos. Originating from Delos during the Hellenistic period, the throne highlighted the mixture of Greek and Egyptian religious influences that shaped the ancient Mediterranean world.

Elsewhere, a colossal marble head of Apollo dominated the gallery. Its nose, mouth, chin, and even sections of the hair had undergone repeated restorations since the 1600s, making it difficult to know exactly where the ancient sculpture ended and later repair work began. Still, the sheer scale of the piece made it impossible to ignore.

Some of the most haunting objects in the museum came from Roman Egypt. The mummy of a young woman from Hawara in the Fayum region featured an encaustic portrait painted on limewood, her hairstyle and jewellery reflecting contemporary Roman fashions. Despite being nearly two thousand years old, the portrait felt surprisingly modern, almost like an ancient passport photo. Nearby were portraits of bearded men painted in the same style.

However, not every object in the collection celebrated power or beauty. A tombstone from Smyrna depicted a mourning woman accompanied by servants, while the names of the dead had been deliberately chiselled away over time.

Another marble sculpture showed Eros, the god of lust, asleep with his torch turned downward. This is a Roman symbol of death used in memorial art, representing a gentle, peaceful passing.

Finally, part of a marble sarcophagus showed two drunken revellers returning from celebrations in honour of the wine god Bacchus. Restored during the 1600s, the scene captured both the extravagance and absurdity of ancient life. It was oddly comforting to realise that even two thousand years ago, people still enjoyed parties a little too much.

Ancient Egypt meets Greece and Rome

The Egyptian galleries at the Ashmolean Museum offered one of the most absorbing parts of the entire museum, tracing three thousand years of history from the earliest Egyptian kingdoms to the arrival of the Roman Empire. Around 3100 BC, Egypt became unified under a single ruler, beginning a cultural tradition that would continue for millennia with remarkable consistency.

This section focused on the rule of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which governed Egypt from 305 to 30 BC after the death of Alexander the Great. The dynasty was founded by Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander’s generals, and ended dramatically with the defeat of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony by Augustus in 30 BC. From that point onwards, Egypt became part of the Roman Empire. It was strange to realise that figures usually associated with dramatic films and Shakespeare plays were connected directly to the very artefacts in front of me.

The galleries dedicated to burial traditions were especially fascinating. Wealthy Egyptians carefully followed ancient burial rites in the belief that they would secure eternal life after death. Some mummies were wrapped in linen designed to imitate the net of Osiris, the god of the underworld, resurrection, and fertility. Painted portraits placed over mummies often showed individuals dressed according to Roman fashions, reflecting the merging of Egyptian and Roman identities during this period.

One particularly emotive piece was the mummy of a young boy from Hawara in the Fayum region who died before reaching the age of two. Unlike many others, the child had no painted portrait, but his wrappings were carefully arranged to resemble Osiris himself. Small gilded studs still decorated the linen, while nearby CT scan reconstructions attempted to reveal the child beneath the layers. It was difficult not to pause longer at this display because suddenly, history felt far less distant, and far more human.

The museum also highlighted Egypt’s close relationship with ancient Nubia, the region south of Egypt along the Nile in what is now Sudan. Egyptian rulers repeatedly invaded Nubia in pursuit of gold mines and trade routes, but over time the Nubian rulers of the Kingdom of Kush grew powerful enough to conquer Egypt themselves, ruling as the 25th Dynasty between roughly 715 and 657 BC.

One of the standout pieces connected to this history was a granodiorite statue of Taharqa. Depicted wearing an elaborate plumed headdress and holding the crook and flail symbols of kingship, the statue projected authority even after more than two and a half thousand years. Ancient rulers clearly understood the importance of political image.

Another memorable feature of the gallery was the collection of funerary stelae, which are carved stone memorials placed in tombs as focal points for offerings to the soul, or ‘ka,’ of the deceased. These inscriptions included names, titles, images, food offerings, and spells intended to sustain the dead in the afterlife. Reading them felt oddly familiar, almost like ancient versions of personalised memorial plaques, except with considerably more references to eternal spiritual nourishment.

What made the Egyptian galleries so compelling was not simply the age of the artefacts, but the continuity of belief they revealed. Across thousands of years, despite invasions, dynasties, and foreign empires, many Egyptian traditions remained remarkably consistent.

Standing among the statues, mummies, and carved inscriptions, it became clear that ancient Egyptians were just as concerned with identity, memory, family, and legacy as people are today.

Early scripture

The ‘Adoption Papyrus,’ written in hieratic script during the reign of Ramesses XI around 1104–1075 BC, revealed just how complex family life and inheritance could be in New Kingdom Egypt. Far from being a dry legal document, the papyrus read almost like an ancient family drama filled with adoption arrangements, inheritance negotiations, and carefully planned attempts to keep property within the household.

If modern inheritance law can already feel complicated, ancient Egypt clearly had its own equally bewildering system. The document records the actions of a childless couple, Nebnefer and his wife Rennefer. In an unusual legal move, Nebnefer formally adopts his own wife as his ‘daughter,’ so that she could inherit his estate after his death, rather than allowing it to pass to other relatives.

After Nebnefer’s death, Rennefer explains that she and her husband had previously purchased a slave woman who later gave birth to three children, likely fathered by Nebnefer himself. Rennefer raised the children and legally adopted them as her own. She then adopted the husband of the eldest daughter, Padiu, who was also, somewhat awkwardly, Rennefer’s brother, ensuring he too could inherit part of the estate. Finally, the document records that Rennefer emancipated the three adopted children and transferred the estate to them and Padiu.

Beyond its complicated web of family relationships, the papyrus revealed something genuinely fascinating about ancient Egyptian society: women in Egypt possessed legal rights. They could own property, inherit wealth, and pass estates on in their own name. In many ways, Rennefer emerges from the text as a determined and capable figure carefully managing her family’s future through legal means. It was strange, and oddly entertaining, to discover that more than three thousand years ago, people were already dealing with inheritance disputes, blended families, and complicated paperwork – proof that human society has always been slightly chaotic, no matter the century.

However, the world’s earliest known writing systems developed around 3300 BC. Bone and ivory tags in tomb U-j at Abydos were inscribed with groups of signs, perhaps representing geographic and personal names, commodities, and numerals. Continuous texts did not appear until several centuries after the invention of the hieroglyphic script.

Egypt’s Earliest Inhabitants

Humans first populated Egypt around one million years ago. The climate was less arid than it is today, enabling plants and animals to thrive in areas that have since become desert.

The fertile Nile Valley was used by hunter-gatherers who produced flint tools. Agriculture first developed around 5500 BC, as settlements moved closer to the River Nile. This was because the River Nile was so dependable that farming did not appear until after this time.

New types of blade technologies appeared around 50,000 years ago, including small flint elements (microliths) set into composite tools.

The city of Akhetaten and the Amarna ‘Revolution’

When Amenhotep IV ascended the throne during the 18th Dynasty, he rejected Egypt’s long-established religious traditions and introduced the worship of Aten, the sun disk, as the supreme divine power.

In honour of this new belief system, he renamed himself Akhenaten, establishing a new capital city under this name, known today as Tell el-Amarna. The city quickly became the centre of an artistic and religious movement that reshaped Egyptian culture.

Although Akhetaten was abandoned only two decades after its creation, archaeologists excavating the site in the 1890s uncovered a wealth of remarkably preserved material that revealed the vibrancy of life during the Amarna Period.

The city’s temples, palaces, and private homes contained elaborately painted pottery, colourful faience and glass ornaments, and architectural decorations that reflected the importance of Aten and the beauty of the natural world. Together, these discoveries provide valuable insight into a brief yet revolutionary era that transformed Egyptian art, religion, and political identity.

The Kingdom of Kush

The Kingdom of Kush emerged as a powerful civilisation in Nubia following the decline of Egypt’s New Kingdom around 1075 BC. Expanding their influence throughout the Nile Valley, the Kushite rulers eventually asserted control over Egypt itself under King Piye, founding Egypt’s 25th Dynasty and ruling from approximately 715 to 657 BC.

During the Napatan Period, the Kushite capital was centred at Napata, but it later shifted southward to Meroe under King Aspelta, marking the beginning of the Meroitic Period, which lasted from 270 BC to AD 350.

Although Kushite society was deeply influenced by ancient Egyptian culture, it gradually developed its own distinctive forms of art, religion, language, and technology. The Meroitic Period in particular became known for advances in metalworking and craftsmanship.

Bronze was the most commonly used metal, though the tin required for its production had to be imported, making bronze objects highly valuable. Iron, an even stronger and more prized material, was also imported into the region.

Archaeological discoveries from the Meroitic cemetery at Faras reveal the sophistication of Kushite artisans, including bronze boxes, bowls, bottles, tools, and decorative items, some featuring Greek inscriptions that reflect connections with the wider Mediterranean world. These objects demonstrate the Kingdom of Kush’s political strength, cultural independence, and technological achievement during one of the most influential periods in northeastern African history.

Faience and Stone Animals

The ‘Main Deposit’ at Hierakonpolis contained many models of animals in faience and stone. Some of the creatures depicted were hunted by the ancient Egyptians, while others feared for their power and destructive force. These models may therefore be associated with the performance of rituals at Hierakonpolis, including the presentation of food offerings and animal sacrifice.

The predynastic Egyptians were inspired by the landscape of the Nile Valley. Animals were popular within art, occurring on a wide range of pottery vessels, palettes and clay models. Their presence as grave goods suggest the belief that they would be recreated in the next life for the benefit of the deceased.

Bone and ivory combs and hairpins, usually decorated with animals, were also often depicted in graves. Below is a section of hair with three bone hairpins and a spoon from a grave containing a female body. Abadiya, grave B378 E.1035-38.

Ancient Cyprus

Ancient Cyprus reveals a rich and complex history through objects that reflect its language, warfare, and connections with the wider Greek world. A limestone block from a monument dating to about 500–300 BC, probably from Amathous, is inscribed in Eteocypriot, an undeciphered local language written in syllabic script. This inscription highlights the cultural diversity of Cyprus in antiquity and the survival of local traditions alongside Greek influence.

Another important artefact is a bronze spearhead from Marion, Agios Demetrios, tomb 2, dating from 400–350 BC. The spearhead reflects the armed conflicts and political instability that affected Cyprus during this period, when rival kingdoms and outside powers competed for control of the island.

The wider story of the ancient Mediterranean and Europe is represented by several remarkable objects and historical developments. The Parian Marble, compiled on the island of Paros in 264/3 BC, is the oldest surviving example of a Greek chronological table, recording significant events from as early as 1581/0 BC. One fragment came to Oxford in 1667, while another was lost during the English Civil War and a third was rediscovered on Paros in 1897.

Another wow-factor statue is the cast of a bronze statue of a man from about 470 BC, based on the original statue recovered by divers near a shipwreck off Cape Artemisium on the island of Euboea in the years 1926 and 1928.

European Prehistory to AD 100

The earliest inhabitants of Europe were not modern humans. Earlier homininis occupied Europe intermittently from around 1.8 million years ago, while Homo Sapiens, the direct ancestors of modern people, probably first arrived only about 40,000 years ago.

Below is a skull from 1.8 million years ago, of the earlier homininis.

Whether you visit the Ashmolean Museum for the art, the history, or simply the chance to pretend that you understand abstract pottery, what you see, read, and hear will leave you feeling inspired and connected to a world so visually different, but so meaningfully the same. If you can make the journey, I would highly recommend it.

For more information, visit: https://www.ashmolean.org/

Maison Margiela’s Autumn/Winter 2026 was their first runway show outside of Paris since it was founded in 1988. It took place on April 1st in an industrial shipyard in Shanghai and showcased their ready-to-wear and artisanal pieces together for the first time.

This marks the beginning of a new initiative called the Maison Margiela/Folders that allows people to explore the four codes of the fashion house – Artisanal, Anonymity, Tabi and Bianchetto.

Following the fashion show came four pop-up exhibitions in four cities around China. The Artisanal exhibit in Shanghai brought together 58 couture pieces from 1989 to the present day. Next was Anonymity, an exhibit in Beijing that focused on masks. First introduced in their debut 1988 show and now a staple of Margiela, the veil-like masks have evolved but still play on identity and self-expression.

Following this was a Tabi collectors’ exhibit in Chengdu. The iconic split-toe shoes were displayed in an exhibition that recreated the collectors’ wardrobes. Lastly, the Bianchetto experience in Shenzen. Bianchetto refers to the white overpaint technique that leaves visible brush strokes that was introduced by Martin Margiela himself. Maison Margiela invited people to paint an item of their wardrobe using this technique.

It all started with their fashion show in Shanghai. The collection was designed by Glenn Martens who became creative director in 2025.

Maison Margiela used materials of shattered porcelain, beeswax, and organza to create a collection that looked like an antique shop come to life with ‘living dolls of porcelain; destroyed tapestries and distressed dresses too fragile to repair.’ Martens builds on the legacy of avant-garde and non-conformity that began in Paris in 1988 and this collection shares a similar tone to his first Autumn/Winter Artisanal collection in 2025 with its anonymising masks that draw attention to the clothing and the repurposed materials.

Several designs were created by layering organza and airbrushing the fabric with colour to achieve a glazed porcelain effect, similar to that found on antique porcelain dolls. This took approximately 140 hours to create, and the effect was well worth it. The models look like dolls come to life, their exaggerated makeup visible under the organza covering their faces.

@maisonmargielaA celebration and evolution of our House codes, the FW 2026 show in Shanghai brings together ready-to-wear and Artisanal collections.

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Another notable look was the design created with 500 pieces of shattered porcelain. Ceramic pattern pieces were fired and glazed before being broken and attached to the dress. The piece of clothing took 300 hours to make and was accompanied by a mask that was fashioned with the same technique. The model looked like a statue that had been broken and glued back together again.

Adding to the distressed and thrifted tone of the collection, one look was inspired by an Edwardian mourning gown with its high neckline. It was then dipped in beeswax. This effect added dimension to the dress and created a stillness that further associated it with porcelain dolls.

The most memorable feature was the masks. Erasing the features of the model and replacing them with eerie organza masks with the impression of blurred faces underneath. The models are uniform in their anonymity. Other masks have ceramic pieces stuck to them or latex with the iconic Bianchetto effect.

Margiela showcased their Ready To Wear and Artisanal collection together blending together the wearable items with the art. Tuxedo jackets, dresses, and knitted garments can find their way into the consumers wardrobe while the ceramic dress and beeswax gown reflect the hundreds of hours of meticulous work that went into the show. They are symbolic of the Parisian flea market that Margiela aimed to recreate. The use of innovative materials and techniques to create the couture pieces show the artistry and detail behind the fashion house.

The Ready To Wear garments share elements with the couture, like the Edwardian touches of high necklines and lace finishes but in a more wearable manner. It allows the consumer to bring the creative flair of the Margiela fashion house into their everyday wardrobe.

@maisonmargielaOur atelier team handcrafts pieces for our FW26 show, exploring the resourcefulness of unconventional materials found in Parisian flea markets — from 19th-century found tapestries to broken ceramic fragments, gold stars or bees-wax.

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Industry Insight

Famous musicians such as Sam Fender, Tom Misch and Adele have publicly discussed how the cost of equipment, studio time and unpaid labour influence who is able to build and sustain a career in music. It is no secret that emerging artists are struggling to find the money, time, equipment or industry connections to get their music heard.

Youth Music, a charity supporting grassroots music-making projects, revealed a telling statistic within their 2025 Diversity Report titled ‘Just the Way It Is?’. They found that 70% of young people in music industries cite insufficient funding and earnings as the main barrier to pursuing a career in the industry.

Sam Fender exclaimed the music industry is “rigged” against the working class, stating the industry is “80 percent, 90 percent kids who are privately educated” who are likely to have access to so much more. Access to industry connections, recording equipment, music studios, audio interfaces, DAWs, studio monitors etc. and the additional support needed to produce professional sounding music.

Echoing Sam Fender’s concern, The Guardian 2025 analysis found that almost a third (30%) of artistic directors and other creative leaders were privately educated, compared to a national average of 7%.

Over the last four decades, a string of academic reports entail how the arts have become increasingly elitist, with the music industry standing centre in this change. One piece of research reveals that the proportion of working-class actors, writers and musicians has shrunk by half since 1970.

However, emerging singer-songwriter, Lily Marsland, does not fall into this category.

Student Singer-Songwriter, Lily Marsland

As a full-time student herself, Marsland still releases well-produced folk, indie music on streaming platforms such as Spotify. Alongside this, she regularly plays gigs at live music venues such as The Exchange or The Louisiana in the city of Bristol. But her success is not pot luck, yet more a linear product of her love for music, hard work, grit and determination.

Marsland opened up about the financial setbacks that occurred during the making of her debut single ‘Butterfly Effect’, stating that “if you do not have the facilities at your fingertips, it is incredibly hard to record”. She goes on to say ,”it is hard to start because even just starting out is a big investment and you have to have a lot of trust in yourself”.

‘Butterfly Effect’ was released on Spotify February 1st 2026. Marsland detailed how “you have to pay to get your song on a streaming platform (like Spotify) and then pay more to promote it” which alongside the cost of equipment and studio time “does build up for an independent artist”.

This begs the question - is this sustainable?

Another setback today’s emerging artists face is the density of the music industry. Without industry connections, it is significantly harder to get your voice heard. Yet in Marsland’s professional and personal opinion she believes, “experience is probably more valuable - getting to work alongside other artists and putting your music out there even if it is in the form of unpaid gigs”.

Talent vs Love

Talent alone may not be enough but the most evident common denominator that runs through both student artists like Lily Marsland and professional musicians like Sam Fender, is the pure passion and love for the art.

The softly spoken opening lyrics of Tom Misch’s song ‘Before Paris’, released in 2018, exemplify the importance of this pure love.

He sings:

“If you’re starting to be a musician or artist”

“Or something like that”

“Because you want to make money”

“Because you wanna do a job”

“That’s the wrong way”

“You have to do this because you love it”

“You have to love it and breathe it”.

Sustainability and the Future

The Guardian 2025 analysis found that fewer than 1 in 10 arts workers in the UK had working-class roots. One major cause for this is the cost to keep producing music; in reference to both money and time.

Unless you’re a commercially successful artist, it is not a financially secure or sustainable career. Music charities such as Help Musicians provide funding for emerging independent musicians to help bridge this gap.

Patrick Fennelly, Ambassador and Media Relations Manager, at Help Musicians states:

Ultimately, the future of music depends on whether the industry can become more accessible to those without financial privilege. It is also dependent on ensuring passion, rather than privilege, continues to determine who gets heard.

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But this historic site is one of Oxford’s oldest landmarks.

I recently visited, and learned much more than I had expected about Oxford’s rich history, which blends medieval might with later penal gloom, wrapped up in a surprisingly entertaining package.

General Knowledge (for your next pub quiz!)

Oxford Castle was built shortly after the Norman Conquest, by Norman Baron Robert D’Oyly, around 1071. Its purpose was to keep the locals in line and remind citizens who was in charge. Constructed as a classic motte-and-bailey castle, it features earth works, timber defences, and later, stone upgrades.

Naturally however, it didn’t take long for drama to unfold. The legendary feud during the Anarchy – a 12th century civil war, meant that the Empress Matilda, the granddaughter of William the Conqueror, besieged here in 1142. She was hiding from her cousin who had taken to the English throne – King Steven of Blois. At the time, Oxford wasn’t just another medieval town, it was briefly stated as the capital of England, making it a symbol of national power.

Once the King had found out about Matilda’s whereabouts, he and his men surrounded the castle, awaiting Matilda to run out of food and surrender. Rather, Matilda famously escaped, by sneaking out at night, wrapped in bed sheets that matched the December snow. She walked backwards, away from the castle, so that her footprints would look as though she were still inside it, escaping to her freedom.

St Georges Tower: Climb if you dare!

The surviving St. Georges tower is one of the oldest parts of the castle, predating the Norman takeover, linking back to Saxon Oxford. The winding stairs were purposely made. Each one of them is a different size and shape, so that attackers that entered the tower would trip and fall onto their own sword.

That being said, if you do visit the castle, do not overestimate the strength of your knees.

At the top of the tower, keep an eye out for a carved cross. Over time, many of them have crumbled, however the castle has rebuilt one to look like an exact replica from back in the day.

What’s interesting is that the crosses at each point of the tower serve for no religious purpose, but rather protection. They were designed for the shaping of a bow and arrow, whilst hiding the bowman behind it, therefore protecting them from any outside battle – a clever warfare advantage.

From fortress to prison: A career change

By the 18th century, the castle transitioned into a prison – because apparently, if your fortress isn’t terrifying enough, you can always add inmates.

Prison life was harsh, and inmates were subject to manual labour such as tread-wheels and stone-breaking. Below is the remains of one of the labour activities where inmates would walk around in a circle for hours on end, pushing the water wheel around.

The point? None, as once inmates stopped pushing, all of the water that they had travelled to the castle, would flow back down again. What remains is the footprints of the inmates that did this job, as shown by the dents in the floorboards.

Prison cells were cramped and very cold, with three to five inmates per room and no soft furnishings. Think less boutique hotel, and more stone boxes with regrets.

Prison deterrents included public executions and humiliation. Prisoners were beheaded on the nearby mound, conveniently acting as a viewing platform, because nothing says community like a good execution.

Public humiliation included the pillory or stocks. People’s heads and arms would be placed into these, and society could throw whatever they wanted over you as a punishment for misbehaving.

Later, this evolved, and the misbehaved ears would be nailed into these devices so that they could not avoid whatever was thrown at them. In regards to freedom, the misbehaved would be handed a knife to cut their own ears off or guards would do it for them. This showed people that you are, or once were, a criminal – a long form version of public shame.

Collapse, Rediscovery, and a Cryptic Surprise!

Over time, much of the castle’s original structure has fallen into disrepair. Large sections were demolished, and in the 18th century, workers stumbled upon a long-buried crypt that had been hidden for centuries.

The crypt was used for religious purposes. When people had passed away, their bodies were given to the monks inside of it. However, these bodies were not disposed of for a very long time.

Today, the crypt carries the reputation of being one of Oxford’s most haunted spots. Visitors have reported strange sounds, cold drafts, and the unsettling feeling that someone is watching.

This crypt used to lay under St Georges chapel, and at the time of rediscovery, had partially collapsed. The builder, working on a tight budget, reused the fallen materials such as stone and rubber to patch it up. The ‘builders’ also expanded the crypt, for its original state would have been very small. The result? A wonderfully uneven, chaotic structure that somehow still stands.

This job was prisoner labour, and so much of the design there was made by inmates themselves.

Prison life through the ages

As time went on, prison conditions evolved . . . but not always for the better. The Victorian period was particularly grim. Strict discipline, isolation, and relentless labour made it arguably the harshest period for inmates.

Oddly enough, if you had money, prison wasn’t so bad! Wealthier prisoners could afford better food, bedding, and significantly better degrees of comfort.

Prisoners were obligated to have three meals a day, their own cell, and also had access to healthcare, long before the NHS existed. There was even a hospital ward – and somewhat ominously, a padded cell for those deemed ‘unwell.’

These luxuries were in some cases preferable to the outside world, and so many people, including children, started committing petty crimes so that they could spend a few weeks having filling meals and a bed to sleep in.

So steal a loaf of bread, and suddenly you’re a part of Oxford’s long and stored penal history.

Pints behind bars: the female wing re-imagined!

One of the more unexpected twists in the site’s long history is the old female prison wing – which today, has traded shackles for ciders.

What was once a section of Oxford’s Castle and Prison, is now a Wetherspoons pub, specifically known as ‘The Swan and Castle.’ The same walls that echoed the clank of cell doors, now hosts the clink of pint glasses.

There is something oddly fitting about it though. The space has gone from confinement to conversation, from punishment to pub lunches. If nothing else, it proves that Oxford has a talent for reinventing its past, preferably with chips on the side.

Lights, camera, incarceration . . .

The castle closed its prison doors in 1996, and in more recent years, the castle has opened its eyes to the world. It has found a second life as a filming location as its atmospheric corridors and historic architecture have made it a natural choice for film and television.

Featuring films and programmes such as ‘102 Dalmatians,’ ‘Bad Girls,’ and ‘The Bill,’ big names including Brad Pitt, Glenn Close, and Gerard Depardieu have all stepped in front of the camera here, adding to Oxford’s reputation as a creative hub.

Final Thoughts and Information

Today the site is far more welcoming than its past. Guided tours bring its stories to life, often with a dose of humour which balances out the darker history.

Ticket prices range from £15–£20, and also include a student deal, though it is best to check latest prices on their website at: https://www.oxfordcastleandprison.co.uk/

Oxford Castle and Prison isn’t just a place where history sits quietly – it looms, creaks, and occasionally gives you goosebumps. From a Norman stronghold, to royal escapes, and a Victorian prison full of ghostly whispers, it offers a layered, slightly eerie glimpse into England’s past.

And if you do hear footsteps in the crypt . . . well it’s probably just another visitor

. . . probably.

Growing up, I always struggled with spelling and grammar. I labelled myself as dumb and incapable, but soon realised my brain didn’t work the same as others. As a perfectionist, I didn’t understand why I couldn’t proofread, why I couldn’t spot spelling or grammar mistakes, or comprehend grammar rules. When doing creative assignments, I would excel; My attention to detail was impeccable, and my ability to create an idea was endless. My imagination had no limits. Yet writing it all down was where I struggled. I felt defeated and controlled by my learning difficulties.

From mixing up my ‘B’s’ and ‘D’s’ to using the wrong their, there, and they’re, it felt impossible to keep up with my peers. I began to hate everything about writing and reading. I started to believe that there was no right job for me. Who would hire someone that can’t spell? It wasn’t laziness or lack of passion. I would re-read work multiple times, but the simplest spelling mistakes would go unnoticed to me.

My hatred for literacy later developed into a hatred for reading. In my early years, I was obsessed with storytelling, from books to films to plays, and I loved escaping into a new reality. As I grew up, I let my learning difficulties control my passions. I stopped reading and writing for fun and turned to other creative outlets. From singing and dancing to theatre and art, I distracted myself with the arts to fulfil my passion for storytelling.

From buff paper to blue-tinted glasses, I was provided with the tools to battle dyslexia. What I thought would be a quick fix was actually a temporary solution. Although my reading improved, my spelling was still atrocious. The buff paper throughout primary and secondary school made me feel alienated. It was then that I had written off a career involving literacy, though my passion for storytelling lingered in the back of my mind.

When lockdown hit the UK in 2020, following the outbreak of COVID-19, I was bored out of my mind, and having to do online independent learning felt impossible. Stuck in my room on Zoom calls, I truly felt I had reached academic rock bottom. Struggling with isolation and boredom, I watched hundreds of films. Longing to escape reality further, I picked up a book for the first time in years. Over primary and secondary school, I was forced to read. My learning difficulties made it feel like a task rather than entertainment, which I finally reversed in lockdown.

It was then that my love for literature flooded back to me. My passion for storytelling was reignited, and I had hope. Although I still struggled with reading and writing, it no longer felt like a chore to pick up a book. Throughout my English literature lessons, I was entranced by the plots, the characters, and the worlds built. Escaping into new stories each lesson, analysing the language, tone, and its impact felt blissful. Yet this passion was never reflected in my grades. The analysis was detailed and accurate, but the quality of writing and spelling weighed my marks down.

Over time, practice and hard work improved my writing, and continuing to read strengthened my language and grammar. From F Scott Fitzgerald to Jane Austen to George Orwell, I worked my way through literature. I revisited books from my childhood that I loved to read, like those from Enid Blyton and Eva Ibbitson. I read for pleasure, not purpose.

I went on to get a 5 in English GCSE in both language and literature. To some this may seem low, but for me, this was a great achievement. My hard work and countless hours of revising had finally paid off. I, however, still had no clue what I wanted to do with my future. With A levels pending, I had a decision to make. Do I pick passion over passing or take the safe route that would guarantee my grades?

I took a gamble and took English literature at A level, along with media and fine art. It was then that I was introduced to journalism. I took media A level for fun, thinking it would be an easy subject that I would enjoy. It was then that my love for all things media began. From magazine design to newspaper analysis, I loved everything communication. It combined my love for English literature with my creative side, without the stress and pressure of grammar or spelling. Although this was still important, it wasn’t as looming and daunting as English literature.

I coasted my way through my first year loving art, loving media, and loving English. My grades in art and media reflected this, but my English was still behind. As the second year approached and studying became more serious, it came time to decide what to prioritise. Should I choose a subject I have a love for, but can’t guarantee my grade in, or a subject so new to me, that I know I can do well in?

I filled my spare time in college with extracurriculars to pad my university application. From marketing enrichments to completing an EPQ on visual marketing, everything that I did started to be encompassed by media. For two years, I was the editor-in-chief for our student art magazine and fell in love with magazine creation. The magazine was then entered into the Shine Media Awards, where it received a highly commended award. This alone made my decision final: Although I love literature, it wasn’t my future. Storytelling is such a broad concept that could be expressed in many ways, so I had decided that this is what I wanted to explore.

When looking for university courses, I was spoilt for choice in English, journalism, media, and communication, but nothing seemed to fit. Everything was either too creative or too much writing until I discovered Media, Journalism, and Publishing at Oxford Brookes. It truly felt like this course was made for me, with magazine design, storytelling, essential journalism, and children’s publishing. This was my kind of heaven. I eagerly applied, and when I received my reduced offer, I was over the moon. A flip switched, and I was determined to get these grades.

I shook off the thought of getting a high English grade; it loomed over me, causing copious amounts of stress and anxiety. I put blood, sweat, and tears into my media coursework, doing everything in my power to get the highest grade possible. I studied endlessly for the exams, knowing the content all by memory. From theorists to case studies to analysis, I knew the media papers like the back of my hand. I came out of the media exams confident in my answers, and as I exited my English exams, I knew I did my best with what I could do.

When I arrived at my college on results day, I didn’t know what to expect. I had mentally prepared myself for every outcome. I was told to wait for my media teacher to arrive, my nerves were through the roof, but knowing I did everything and anything to get the highest grade I would be happy with my outcome. On the day, the college had news outlets recording people opening their exams. As it was my turn to open the envelope, a camera approached and started recording.

It was here that I learnt my first rule of journalism: No swearing on camera! Overjoyed with my grades, I let a few profanities slip out as I rejoiced with excitement. Unfortunately, the footage never made it anywhere due to my choice of language.

So here I am, three years later, about to graduate, and finally telling my story. My story of struggle and passion, the battles I faced with dyslexia and the obstacles I overcame. To anyone out there doubting themselves or unsure of what to do, everyone has been there. Don’t let a learning disability take away from your hobbies and enjoyments. To many more years of writing. I look forward to sharing my stories and others’ stories.

Her artwork hung around her like fragments of colour against the grey rhythm of the city. People passed by without looking for long. Some glanced. Some smiled politely. Most kept walking.

Then I stopped.

‘My name’s Jo Richardson anyway,’ she told me with a grin. ‘I’m an artist from Brighton, based in Brighton really. But I’m having a tour of the UK with my art at the moment.’

Jo is 65 years old. Five years ago, she gave up her home, her possessions, and what many would consider a conventional life. Since then, she has lived outdoors, travelling, creating art, and surviving largely through the kindness of strangers and the sale of her work.

Now, she is on an 11-week journey across the UK, a spiritual and an artistic pilgrimage she plans to end at the summer solstice near Stonehenge.

‘I live in the universe,’ she said simply.

There was something different about the way Jo spoke, like she had lived but never enough to see the world colourful. She spoke about ‘energy’ the way some people speak about weather: something constantly moving between people, shaping encounters, invisible but undeniable.

‘To bring colour to the universe,’ she said, describing her purpose, ‘and to all these beautiful people.’

Jo believes modern society has disconnected people from themselves. Throughout our conversation, she returned repeatedly to the idea that people are trapped in routines they never chose.

‘We’re hardwired to do that when we’re born, aren’t we?’ she said. ‘You go, get a job, get married, have children, do all that society crap.’

To her, much of society resembles ‘a herd of sheep,’ people moving in the same direction without questioning why. She sees herself as someone who stepped outside that system after decades of conventional work.

‘I worked for the man for 40 years,’ she told me. ‘Paid all my taxes. And after lockdown, I thought, you know what? I just can’t be oscillating this.’

The pandemic became a turning point. Jo described spending months in a communal camp creating ‘peace trees,’ artwork, and music with friends. The experience transformed her understanding of freedom and inspired the life she now lives.

Her philosophy centres around one phrase: follow your joy.

‘If it’s not your joy, don’t do it,’ she said. ‘And if it is your joy, then do it.’

The idea sounds almost deceptively simple, but Jo speaks about it with the conviction of someone who has already tested it against reality. She told me stories of days when she had no food or water, only for strangers to unexpectedly appear with something she needed.

‘Once you accept that lack,’ she said, ‘the universe will always provide.’

At times, her beliefs drift into spiritual mysticism. She described encounters as ‘messages from the universe,’ and spoke about positive and negative energy as forces that shape daily life. Yet beneath the spiritual language was something profoundly human: a longing for connection.

Several times during our conversation, Jo thanked me simply for stopping.

‘Hundreds of people walked past before,’ she said. ‘And not one really stopped.’

She told me about a pair of birds she had spent over an hour watching in silence earlier that day. Their stillness inspired a drawing she later created. The tenderness with which she described them felt almost symbolic of how she sees the world, attentive to small moments most people overlook.

Jo also spoke passionately about truth, perspective, and journalism when I told her I wanted to pursue travel journalism.

‘What you see is different to what I see,’ she explained, gesturing to the mug she held. ‘But when you put all those perspectives together, that’s where the truth is.’

‘I have this Giraffe I am yet to complete.’ She showed me an incompletely coloured giraffe, ‘I think they see things that lot of people don’t see.’

That conversation left me wondering, ‘Will the way we think change over age?’ Maybe not, maybe with experience it will. She also said, ;Maybe I’ll reach those heights one day. But now, I’m sort of a donkey level.’ If she is at a donkey level, what level are we all at?

In an era shaped by algorithms, outrage, and constant noise, Jo’s worldview feels both deeply idealistic and quietly rebellious. She rejects material success, distrusts mainstream narratives, and believes modern life has distanced people from joy, creativity, and genuine connection.

Some may dismiss her ideas as naive. Others may call them radical. But standing there listening to her speak, it became clear that Jo is not trying to convince the world to become her. She is simply trying to live honestly according to what she believes.

Before we parted, she smiled warmly and said she hoped to one day see me ‘speaking truth’ somewhere in the future.

Then she picked up her artwork and continued to paint, one more bright streak of colour moving through an increasingly grey world.

On 25 February 2025, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announced that the UK would raise its defence spending to 2.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2027.

This increased investment in defence will come at the cost of reducing aid spending from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% in 2027.

The UK contributes to international aid through the Official Development Assistance (ODA) to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries. It is bound by International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2016 to spend 0.7% of GNI on aid.

Between 2013 to 2020, the UK has met this target each year.

Not meeting this target requires an explanation by the government to Parliament, and meeting one of the three reasons — 1) economic circumstances, such as a fall in GDP (which was the case for UK aid reduction from 0.7% to 0.5% of GNI in 2021 due to the impact of pandemic on the UK’s economy); 2) fiscal circumstances and the effects on taxation, public spending and public borrowing and; 3) circumstances arising outside the UK.

Neither of the above three circumstances exist currently, which would warrant a drastic reduction of ODA.

Reducing the aid budget to 0.3% would mean next year’s aid budget would be £ 9.2 billion.

This amount would be the UK’s lowest ODA contribution in 20 years. The last time the UK’s aid contribution was around the £9 billion mark, was in 2007 — when the UK was in the midst of Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Post- Brexit identity crisis for the United Kingdom?

‘It’s the strategic position the UK has ended up in post-Brexit. Britain is now awkwardly positioned between the US and Europe — neither fully European nor fully aligned with the Anglo-sphere. That creates strategic insecurity’, says Prof. Glen O’Hara, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the Oxford Brookes University, and author of New Labour, New Britain? How the Blair Governments Reshaped the Country.

‘One way the British state tries to compensate is through defence spending and defence relationships, particularly with France. Defence becomes a way to remain relevant and connected.’

Despite France’s strategic importance as an actor in the defence sphere, its military spending remains much lower than the UK, at 1.94 % of its GDP.

The UK’s average military spending is already more than its comparable GDP counterparts — France, Germany and Japan.

In the last two decades (2004-2024), the UK spent an average of 2.26 as a percentage of its GDP on military. This is much higher than 0.98 % of Japan (Japan’s constitution limits it to 1% of GDP spending on defence), 1.26 % of Germany, and 1.94% of France.

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Ironically, in these two decades, UK’s involvement in full scale military wars has largely reduced, as its troops withdrew from Afghanistan and Iraq, and limited military involvements in Syria, Libya, and Yemen.

The public confidence in PM Starmer’s decision to not involve the UK in the USA and Israel’s attacks on Iran have also been high. Polling data from IPSOS in the UK, conducted between 3-7 April 2026, reveals:

65% Britons favour using diplomacy with the US, Israel, Iran, and other countries to try to de-escalate the situation.

An overwhelming 64% reject sending British troops to the Middle East to support the US and Israel in military action against Iran.

Efficiency, not deficiency

‘Britain is terrible at buying military equipment on time and on budget’, says O’Hara. ‘Large projects — armoured vehicles, nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers — massively overrun costs. The nuclear programme alone absorbs billions. So a lot of defence spending isn’t about expanded capability, but inefficiency.’

Dr. Samuel Perlo-Freeman from the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) in a quote provided over email says, ‘The Ministry of Defence (MoD) wastes vast amounts of money on nuclear weapons that can never be used, do nothing to increase security, and involve the threat of horrific crimes against humanity.

‘A lot of other spending is wasted on expensive prestige projects that give huge profits to arms companies, while running over time and budget, and often failing to deliver the capabilities promised, which in any case are often ill-suited to real security needs. If there are genuine needs for military capabilities that would contribute to UK and European security, they should come from this vast wastage of current military spending, rather than from international aid or other areas of spending.’

O’Hara believes there are domestic political and economic benefits for any government in the UK to increase defence spending, ‘Defence exports can be framed as re-industrialisation and job creation, especially in regions Labour wants to win politically.’

ADS, the defence sector’s trade body, claims it has added £15 billion worth of value to the UK economy, provided direct employment to 181,500 people, and £13.7 billion to exports.

‘The public vastly overestimates how much Britain spends on aid. They assume it’s far higher than it actually is’, says O’Hara.

‘Charities are also expected to be altruistic and non-professional. When voters see salaries, offices, and logistics operations, they feel uncomfortable — even though professionalisation is essential for effectiveness.

‘Voters also focus strongly on domestic problems. When they believe money is being siphoned off abroad, resentment builds — even when aid is in the UK’s strategic interest.’

Development Engagement Tracker (DEL), which tracks public engagement with overseas aid and global issues, in a survey by YouGov of 1500 GB adults, revealed less than half of the public (45%) support keeping or increasing aid spending levels.

Arms industry lobbying and revolving door

Seven arms producing and military services companies from the UK are in the top 100 in the world (SIPRI 2024). Transparency International’s open access tool (access here), which collates data on ministers’ meetings with external organisations, shows these seven companies commanded 22% of all lobby meetings with the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

And a single defence company BAE Systems (sometimes along with other firms) had 262 meetings with the MoD since 2012.

‘The UK arms industry exercises grossly excessive influence on UK government policy, in relation to both military spending, arms procurement, and arms exports’, says Dr. Freeman. He attributes this to an ‘unparalleled level of access afforded to the industry by government, through a constant stream of high-level meetings and a plethora of government-industry forums, supported by the revolving door between top levels of government, especially the MoD, and the arms industry.’

During the press release of Dr. Freeman’s 2024 report— From revolving door to open-plan office: the ever-closer union between the UK government and the arms industry (available here), he said ‘This is a broken system. No industry should have this level of influence over government, especially one that deals in death and destruction.

‘This level of influence is profoundly undemocratic and means that shareholder profits are protected at all costs – even if this means complicity in appalling war crimes.’

Declassified UK has also reported that several British Conservative party MP’s who rejected a parliamentary motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have owned BAE shares.

In a recent report, Prospect uncovered the gross misuse of revolving door policy and conflicts of interest between ex MoD staff and defence firms in the UK. Prospect identified more than 120 applications by former senior military officers, civil servants and politicians to take paid positions with firms either directly holding MoD contracts or bidding for them, or operating within the wider defence sector.

Prevention better than cure

International Development Committee Chair, Sarah Champion, said the aid cuts are ‘deeply shortsighted’ and ‘our finances should be spent on preventing [conflict], not the deadly consequences’.

A recent study in the Lancet has found that aid cuts by the US, the UK, and other western countries, are likely to cause 22.4 million excess deaths by 2030 (See here). Dr. Freeman of CAAT says while the share of this accounted for by the UK is not clear, but is likely to run into millions of excess deaths. There is no conceivable security benefit from the increased military spending that could outweigh this horrific impact.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) the fiscal consequences of the government’s plans and ambitions for defence spending include reduced spending on other areas (for now aid). The second is to increase tax revenues to fund the increased spending. The third option is to borrow.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves in recent interviews to the press has clearly said she does not favour tax hikes or higher borrowing to pay for increases in defence spending.

Borrowing for a permanent increase in defence spending is unlikely to be sustainable, and would be hard to justify on the grounds that defence spending will boost long-term economic growth.

The fiscal impact of returning to 0.7% of GDP for aid is small relative to the defence budget, making it a feasible reallocation.

More importantly, it would keep the United Kingdom on the right side of history —preventing poverty, conflicts, and distress migration.

Whilst poverty levels are rising all around the UK, the significant increase in rough sleeping for prison leavers has continued to fly under the radar.

In the year up to March 2025, there was a 311% increase since the year up to March 2019 in prison leavers forced to rough sleep on release, according to data from the Ministry of Justice; 19 times the increase in all prison leavers in the same time period.

This continuing upwards trend, when ignoring data affected by the ‘Everyone In’ scheme (a scheme designed to move all those rough sleeping into accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic), has now led to rough sleeping becoming the 3^rd most common type of accommodation on release for prison leavers.

But what are the reasons behind this increase, and how does being forced to rough sleep affect other aspects of prison leavers’, and everyone’s, lives?

There are many contributing factors to why so many prison leavers have to rough sleep on release, instead of receiving appropriate accommodation. When in custody, most prisoners will lose any benefits they would have previously received, unless their sentence is below 13 weeks, and are unable to reapply for housing benefit whilst still in custody. Whilst prisoners are able to prepare for this process, without essential paperwork from this application it is far more difficult to get accommodation not previously arranged.

In addition to this, a significant lack of social accommodation means there is simply not enough housing to give everyone who needs it. This is an issue Darryn Frost – co-founder of Own Merit, a non-profit organisation with a mission to address the prison-leaver homelessness crisis safely and cost-effectively – is incredibly familiar with.

He explained that in terms of allocating prison leavers housing, “the real issue is structural: responsibility for housing sits with local authorities, not the prison or probation service, so there is a persistent communication gap between the offender manager in custody, the one in the community, and the council expected to allocate.

“Prison leavers are not a ‘priority need’, which puts them at the bottom of a long queue for social housing. The 56-day window for the Duty to Refer [a duty in place for specific public bodies to refer those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to the local authority] is often missed.”

There have been attempts to aid prison leavers in finding accommodation when it is not provided for them through the Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Act 2023. The Act ensured prison leavers would not be released on Fridays, to allow them enough time to access housing before services closed for the weekend.

However, this effort is not wholly effective. Mr Frost commented that “stopping Friday releases is a solid idea, however, it hasn’t fixed the underlying issues. Without those basics locked in, the Friday reform is just a better-timed drop-off.”

This problem with securing housing is also not self-contained. Rough sleeping makes re-entering society and rehabilitation considerably harder by causing further problems.

Dr Grace Low, a criminology lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, confirmed this, explaining that “without stable housing, it can then be impossible to sort out other aspects of reintegration, such as obtaining employment.”

It can also lead to reoffending becoming an inevitable cycle for prison leavers, which in turn affects society as a whole. Data from the Ministry of Justice states that 77.5% of adult offenders who rough sleep on release from custody reoffend, the highest rate of reoffending out of any accommodation status.

A prison leaver’s status as homeless can directly lead to them having to return to custody. When prisoners are released from prison on license, license conditions often state where prison leavers must live, and they must hold a suitable, approved address they can be visited at. If they break these conditions, potentially through being homeless, they can be recalled to prison for 56 days, which has recently been increased on 31^st March 2026 by the Sentencing Act 2026 from shorter recall times of 14 and 28 days.

Dr Low calls these recalls “particularly disruptive”, stating that through them “people can end up losing their homes, custody of children, and their job, if they had one, while receiving no constructive support within prison to support their desistance [stopping reoffending].”

Issues with reoffending continue to be systemic, as prison-leavers who are already more likely to reoffend, for example those committing lower-level crime, are also more likely to become rough sleepers on release from custody; increasing the likelihood of a reoffending cycle.

68.4% of adult offenders with a sentence less than or equal to 6 months reoffend, and those with the same sentence made up 62.4% of rough sleepers in the year up to March 2025.

As to why so many low-level offenders face street homelessness, Mr Frost explained that “sub-12-month sentences strip any existing tenancy [and] give the Duty to Refer no time to work”, meaning when they are released they have little choice other than rough sleeping.

Lower-level offenders are considered vulnerable before facing homelessness, as Mr Frost said short sentences “are served disproportionately by people with addiction, mental ill-health and care experience.”

Whilst a small number may reoffend specifically to get accommodation and food through prison, “the dominant reason this cohort is over-represented is because lower-level offenders never get any real support to change their behaviour or change their circumstances.” By providing appropriate support, reoffending could decrease for this cohort.

The systemic challenges lower-level offenders face are also demonstrated by prison leavers who committed theft offences being more likely to rough sleep on release from custody, penalising lower-level crimes again.

The seeming inescapability of reoffending increases with theft, with Mr Frost stating that “theft is very often acquisitive offending to feed an addiction, so you have two cycles running at once. Custody interrupts both without breaking either.

“The system effectively manufactures homelessness for this group and then treats their return as a surprise.”

In order to tackle crime as a society, and reduce the £23.6bn cost of reoffending every year, then it is clear that providing housing for prison leavers is a necessary step, with Mr Frost saying accommodation “is the single largest contributor to reducing reoffending.”

Dr Low also affirms the importance of prioritising housing when looking at reoffending as a whole, stating that “it provides a base, for example, to attend treatment programmes or engage with community support. It provides a base to go to and from work.”

Distinguishing living under a roof, compared to having a home, she continued that “somewhere which feels like ‘home’ offers important psychological benefits. For example, a space in which you have control and ownership over and which you can express yourself.”

In order to assist this, instead of the current system of CAS3 (Community Accommodation Service Tier 3) providing 84 nights of temporary accommodation, which Mr Frost says “buys time without buying outcomes”, he suggests “that spend would do far more work if it incentivised private landlords, housing associations and councils to prioritise this cohort, backed by real support: help with evictions, a route for dealing with anti-social behaviour, and indemnity against damage or incidents.

“A tax incentive for private landlords, charities and CICs who take this group on would move the dial further.”

Accessing housing is the problem at the centre of many issues both prison leavers and wider society face, therefore implementing such methods would have an unexpected wide effect. As Mr Frost stated: “Fix housing first and the other interventions actually get a chance to work; skip it and you are pouring resource into a sieve.”

I moved to the UK in September and, since arriving, have run along the Thames Path most mornings. My route — about ten kilometres through Oxford — takes me past houseboats, under bridges, and along a dew-fresh field where cows sometimes graze. As picturesque as it may be, it’s missing the one thing every runner eventually needs: a public toilet.

At first, I chalked it up to being an outsider. In the coastal Canadian city where I’m from, I knew the location of every public toilet along my regular route, confident I could reach the nearest one should my pre-run fuel demand a swift exit. Surely, once I became familiar with Oxford, the same would be true here.

That assumption, however, was short-lived.

When I searched online for a ‘Thames Path toilet map,’ I expected to find a simple guide. Nothing appeared. The closest result was an app called Flush, which listed every nearby toilet, rather than just those on or near the route.

So I decided to make my own.

Using a grid reference finder and an online list of public toilets along the non-tidal section of the Thames Path (from the Cotswolds to Teddington), I began plotting each location onto a digital map of the route. To ensure accuracy, I cross-checked the information against local council records and government data on lock facilities.

What emerged was a patchwork geography of public toilet access.

I began with the first listed facility in Cricklade, more than eleven miles from the start of the route in the village of Kemble. The next toilet was a similar distance away in Lechlade. After that, the gaps narrowed for a stretch of around thirty miles, making access less of an immediate concern.

But the pattern changed again around Oxford.

Once I passed Hinksey Park in my mapping and continued south of the city centre, the next available toilet was more than eight miles away, in a car park in Abingdon. The data showed I hadn’t missed them on my morning jogs; they simply weren’t there.

This was the largest gap in any urban stretch along the non-tidal Thames Path. Across the full route, I plotted fifty-eight public toilets. Exactly half were located at locks. Yet in Oxford, none of the four main locks — King’s, Godstow, Osney, and Iffley — had public toilets.

Instead, users appear to rely on facilities in town: parks, shopping centres, and transport stations. In places such as Reading, Staines, and Windsor, official listings simply note ‘various’ locations, leaving path-users to navigate those sections independently. Many of these options are neither close to nor easily reached from the path itself.

I mentioned the project during a phone call with my mother. ‘It’s much easier for guys,’ she said. ‘Women can’t just pop behind a bush if they need to go.’ I hadn’t asked for her input, but it widened my focus. The issue wasn’t just mine — it depended on who was using the path, and how.

I produced a simple chart to illustrate travel times between toilets based on average running pace. The gap between Oxford and Abingdon, for example, takes around an hour to run. For those walking the route, it could take several times longer.

I contacted a company that supports long-distance walkers on the Thames Path to discuss the story I was working on. They said the findings would be ‘very helpful to walkers’ and noted that toilets along the route are sometimes out of service for months due to vandalism.

At the time of publication, I was still contacting councils, agencies, and organisations to understand who is responsible for provision, funding, and maintenance for public toilets along the Thames Path. What is clear, however, is that responsibility is fragmented and provision uneven.

For now, while longer stretches of the path remain without relief, I may have to adjust my route, heading closer to town where facilities are more readily available.

This increase in shoplifting is in dramatic contrast to the overall decline in crime. During the same period, theft declined by 7%, burglary by 12% and vehicle related offences by a substantial 18% in the Thames Valley. Nationally in England, shoplifting rose by 6% while total recorded crime declined by 2%. Violence against the person showed a slight 1% increase locally, compared with a 1% decrease nationally.

As shown in Figure 1, shoplifting is the only major offence category increasing, while other crime types continue to decline.

Figure 1: Percentage change in crime by offence type – England compared with Thames Valley (year ending September 2025)

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Police Recorded Crime Statistics

When adjusted for population size, the Thames Valley continues to be one of the safer police force areas in the country. It recorded approximately 71 offences per 1,000 people in 2025, well below the England average of 88. Violent, theft, burglary and vehicle crime rates were significantly below the national rate. Shoplifting, though, was one of the categories in which Thames Valley and England were nearest to each other, which is an indication that the issue is experienced more evenly across the regions.

The figures tell a story of two trends: positive improvement in general population safety and an infuriating and noticeable increase in retail theft that is becoming a concern to store owners and employees.

In Oxford’s Cowley area, the impact is tangible. Rashid, who runs an Afro-Asian grocery shop serving the diverse Cowley community, says shoplifting has become a daily headache.

“It’s increasing day by day,” he told me. “Due to inflation and high product costs, especially food, people are trying to steal more from shops. Sometimes three or four cases happen in one day. We don’t even report it to the police anymore because it wastes time and we get no compensation. The law is not strict enough.”

Rashid’s frustration is common among small retailers. Many report that the combination of rising living costs and what they perceive as lenient consequences is emboldening thieves. The economic context plays a major role; most of the households are only just recovering the impact of inflation, and retailers experience tightened margins and increased competition from online platforms.

Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has made tackling shoplifting a clear priority. In a statement issued in August 2025, he emphasised the need for shared social responsibility:

“I believe in social responsibility and in people being engaged in their communities to help keep them safe. People should not turn a blind eye to crime… I have made tackling shoplifting a priority for Thames Valley Police and that has resulted in more criminals being charged, more patrols being visible, easier sharing of evidence from stores, more support for retailers and a focus on the most prolific offenders.”

Barber urged retailers, staff and shoppers to report incidents and, where safe, perform simple actions like alerting staff or taking evidence. He stressed he was not asking people to put themselves in danger by physically confronting offenders.

His comments, however, sparked controversy. Liberal Democrat MPs Joshua Reynolds and Freddie van Mierlo criticised the approach as “irresponsible and dangerous.” Reynolds argued that “expecting the public to do the job for the police is not the way,” while van Mierlo said the public should call the police rather than confront criminals.

The discussion brings up broader issues regarding the societal reaction to retail crime. Meanwhile, the official numbers indicate the positive change. Barber previously highlighted a 98% increase in charges for shoplifting offences in the force area between April and mid-October 2024 (from around 850 to 1,700). He has also pointed to initiatives such as a new Business Crime Team, Operation Purchase for increased visible patrols in retail areas, and better information-sharing platforms for retailers.

Even with this action, a significant number of shopkeepers are still sceptical of the effects on the ground. Others claim that the response times by the police are still too slow and that repeat offenders are hardly deterred. Not all residents in Cowley share the retailers’ sense of rising insecurity. An unnamed local man said everyday life actually feels safer than in previous years:

“Things have become cooler and calmer. There’s less crime going on in our communities recently. You can go out freely at night now. I give big praise to Thames Valley Police — they’ve been very visible and they’re working hard to crack down on crime.”

Oxford Brookes University student Raj, an international student living in the area, echoed a similar personal sense of safety:

“I walk at night a lot of times and I didn’t see any crimes happening. For me it feels safe here. But the types of crimes that concern me most are theft and robbery — especially if someone comes with a knife or tries to scare me to take my things.”

These opposing voices depict how crime patterns are experienced by various groups of people. Frontline retail workers who are the most affected by shoplifting are under daily pressure, and many residents and students are the main beneficiaries of better street security and law enforcement.

Police-recorded crime statistics need to be looked at with a certain degree of caution. The numbers can be affected by changes in recording practices, population readiness to report offences, and enhancement of police systems. The ONS itself notes that not all forces have fully consistent recording standards in recent years. Nevertheless, these figures remain the most comprehensive official measure of crime that comes to the attention of the police.

The consistent increase in shoplifting takes place on a challenging economic background. Retailers are dealing with increased expenses, lower margins and long-term implications of the cost-of-living crisis. On a national scale, the past few years have seen shoplifting at record or nearly record levels, and campaigners are demanding harsher sentencing of habitual offenders and a quicker police response to retail shoplifting.

The problem is especially evident in busy neighbourhood centres in Oxford, and the wider Thames Valley, where there are independent shops alongside larger stores. Local police neighbourhood teams have stepped up efforts in the city centre and Cowley, but retailers say more needs to be done.

As Rashid put it: “The problem is growing every day. Without stronger action, it risks becoming normal.”

Although the general crime rates in the Thames Valley are on the right track, the particular increase in shoplifting incidents indicates the emergence of the strain on the local high street and convenience stores. Bridging the gap between falling overall crime statistics and the lived experience of retailers will likely remain a key challenge for police, politicians and communities in the months ahead.

‘We are so happy that Orbán is finally gone,’ says one young Hungarian. ‘We are glad to feel some sense of hope, finally,’ adds another. ‘We changed the system!’

After 16 years in power, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a galleon figure of the European far-right, had just lost his re-election. Decisively.

And on the other side of the Atlantic, another far-right heavyweight faces dismal approval ratings and a possible electoral rebuke in November. ‘The Trump vibe shift is dead,’ declared New York Times columnist Ezra Klein late last year.

Is this it? Is this the beginning of the end of the cultural vibe shift towards the political right that many commentators had diagnosed across the West?

‘I do think there is some argument for that,’ says Dr Jon Wheatley, who researches European politics, political parties, and autocratisation at Oxford Brookes University. But before hearing that argument, let’s take stock of the status quo.

The era of the far-right

Populist parties of all political orientations, meaning parties that put the people versus some sort of elite, have gained in strength significantly over the past 25 years in Europe, according to the Votes for Populists Dataset.

Right-wing populist parties specifically have constituted the only major party family that has seen an increase in vote share across 36 Western democracies since the fall of the Soviet Union, as an analysis of the Comparative Political Dataset shows.

Dr Wheatley explains that the most recent increase in popularity started off the back of the 2008 financial crisis and the European financial crisis thereafter—as can be seen in the data. The rise was ‘then perhaps turbocharged by the migrant crisis of 2015 as well.’

By the mid of this decade, the far-right had become a major political force in Europe: They formed governments in nine EU member states, filled a quarter of seats in the European Parliament, and were involved in all major EU decisions, according to the German think tank SWP.

Some 51 far-right parties sat in European parliaments in 2022, as an analysis of the so-called Popu-List dataset reveals.

Reform UK, France’s National Rally (RN), and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) now lead the polls in Europe’s three largest economies. And, of course, the Republicans are in power in the US.

Being right goes mainstream

That is also where the vibe shift towards the political right reached a climax, under the Capitol’s historic dome in Washington D.C., in front of old paintings and an American flag.

On 20 January 2025, shortly after noon, everybody was giving standing ovations to the newly inaugurated 47th president of the United States, walking up to a podium bearing the presidential seal. Donald Trump, a far-right populist. Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, and Mark Zuckerberg were seated directly behind him on the stage, clapping.

Wayne Gretzky, Rupert Murdoch, and countless politicians sat in the audience. In front of the eyes of the nation and the world, the shame in supporting Trump seemingly gone.

‘This week, I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life,’ his voice carried across the storied, crowded hall.

‘As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.’

Positions like that are typical of the recent wave of far-right politics, explains Dr Wheatley. ‘They’re sort of combining anti-immigration, even nativist stances, with anti-trans, so-called anti-woke, often anti-net zero positions.’

He agrees that there has been a vibe shift, and not only in the US. ‘I think you’ve got a normalisation of discourses that would previously be considered far-right, that are now considered sort of normal.’

It’s the culture, stupid!

Culture and identity are key issues for voters on the far-right. Anatole Champel, a 20-year-old undergraduate at Oxford Brookes who is originally from Paris, says that the most important issues to him are immigration and cultural preservation.

‘What we do want is that the people that are coming in are here to respect the rules and blend into society,’ he says, emphasising that he is concerned about his culture and not about the racial makeup of France. Mr Champel has been a supporter of the French RN for the entirety of his politically conscious life.

Indeed, culture and identity are the deciding factors when it comes to the rise of RN and the like. ‘One of the reasons why these parties are doing well, I think, is because this culture-identity axis has suddenly become salient,’ analyses Dr Wheatley. ‘That now matters.’

Throughout the 20th century, that had been different: ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’ was the mantra.

Of the two dimensions dividing left and right — the economy and cultural identity — the latter has become pressing, according to Dr Wheatley. Traditional conservative parties were oftentimes unable to capitalise on that.

While Mr Champel likes some of their economic views, traditional conservative parties ‘don’t act on the issues that me or my social group are concerned about.’

Another look at the Comparative Political Dataset reveals that right-wing (not necessarily far-right) parties have become ever-so dominant in governments of Western democracies over the past quarter century, at the expense of centrist and left-wing parties.

At first, working-class voters began to abandon their traditional political home: the centre-left. Over the last five to ten years, ‘that seems to have happened to the centre-right as well,’ says political scientist Dr Wheatley.

A reverse vibe shift?

So what about Orbán’s election loss, and Trump’s declining popularity? Is the rise of the far-right at an end?

Maybe. But maybe only after they have been in power for a bit.

Far-right parties can get into trouble when in government. ‘Because part of them do have a populist message: the pure people versus the corrupt elites,’ says Dr Wheatley.

‘But what happens when they become the corrupt elites? And this was the case of Orbán.

‘People were getting disillusioned,’ he explains. ‘So when these guys do get into power, they face pushback.’ A possible reverse vibe shift.

And in government, their handling of the economy does matter. ‘They will deregulate. They will increase inequality,’ says the political scientist.

RN supporter Mr Champel has a vision for when his party wins over the government: ‘I think we would have a lot more safety.’

That is also part of what the German AfD promises: ‘When did all of this actually start?’ is what a melancholic voice says to the sound of thoughtful retro music. ‘That nothing works anymore.’

‘There was always enough money, be it for bankrupt southern European states or millions of migrants from all over the world.’

The voice belongs to a 2025 election ad that revokes memories of supposedly happier and richer days, to the backdrop of slick imagery of Germany. Landmarks, flags, an eagle.

‘Now is the time for our families … for our security … for our country.’ The music turns electronic and energetic.

‘This trend is here to stay’

According to Dr Wheatley, far-right parties will become a key political force in Europe.

And with it, the danger of dwindling democracy. ‘There is a risk because these parties are authoritarian,’ says Dr Wheatley.

Mr Champel dispels concerns about authoritarianism or even fascism. ‘We cannot compare the right today to fascism,’ he argues. ’I think that’s a lot of speculation from mostly left voters.’

The political scientist Dr Wheatley thinks that a full-blown rise of authoritarianism in Europe is unlikely.

‘Hungary is a ray of hope to a certain extent because, despite the fact that Orbán had been there for 16 years, despite the fact that he basically controlled the media and everything: he still lost.’

523 care homes in England have not been inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for at least eight years, new analysis reveals.

The backlog has grown sharply since the pandemic, although the first significant increase appeared as early as 2017.

The analysis also shows that the average care home in England has now gone over four years without a full inspection.

Outdated ratings raise concerns that standards in some care homes may have declined without being identified by the regulator.

An Age UK spokesperson said: “Delays to care home inspections mean older people being placed at unnecessary risk by poor quality homes not complying with standards. This is unacceptable and needs to be urgently addressed.”

Families searching for a care home may be relying on an indicator that no longer reflects the current quality of care. Some well-rated homes may have declined, while others may have improved but still carry lower ratings. An alternative is for families to assess homes by visiting in person, speaking to staff and asking questions.

Andy Gill, founder of Dementia Active, a charity providing social activity groups for people with dementia, said:

“From our work with families at Dementia Active, one of the biggest challenges is that moving into a care home is rarely just a practical decision - it is an emotional one.”

He added that decisions are often being made under significant time pressure: “A hospital admission, a fall, a carer becoming unwell, or a sudden deterioration can force families into making choices quickly.”

This can make visiting a care home beforehand difficult in practice.

Mr Gill added: “My advice is always to start exploring options earlier than feels necessary. Looking early does not mean acting early.”

In response to the new findings, Chris Badger, the Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at the CQC, told us:

“We know that we need to increase our rate of assessments to make sure that we update the ratings of providers and give the public confidence in quality of care.”

The CQC is the independent regulator of health and social care in England, overseeing around 12,000 care homes, as well as hospitals, GP practices and other services.

The regulator has faced significant scrutiny in recent years. A review conducted in 2024 found serious organisational failings, impacting its ability to carry out regular assessments. The number of inspections fell from almost 15,800 in 2019 to 6,700 in 2023. The CQC accepted the review’s recommendations at the time.

Following this latest analysis, the regulator reaffirmed its commitment to increasing the rate of inspections.

Mr Badger said: “In the short term, we are making progress and on track to meet assessment targets as agreed with the Department of Health and Social Care.”

Previously, care homes received two full inspections each year: one announced, and one unannounced - a standard that has not been met since 2016.

Now, the CQC says it collects other information to monitor care homes continuously and direct resources to the highest-risk settings. This includes safeguarding concerns, as well complaints and feedback from staff, carers, and families, with the aim of carrying out responsive inspections where risks are greatest.

Mr Badger added: “When people share their concerns about poor care with us, they can have confidence that we will act to hold providers to account to ensure people are kept safe and treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

Some operators suggest the current approach is insufficient. Methodist Homes (MHA), a not-for-profit operator of 71 homes, says 10% of their homes have not had a full inspection in nine years. While it values the CQC’s work, it is calling for a higher inspection rate.

MHA said: “Our biggest ask of CQC is that they increase the rate of inspections they carry out, so no service has an inspection report which is more than five years old, as old inspection reports do not reflect current practice in a home.”

Where care home operators change ownership, new operators also inherit existing ratings, meaning any improvements made after a takeover may not be reflected for several years.

MHA added: “All inspections also need to look at the whole service rather than focus on specific areas where concerns might have been raised.”

It also said inspections play a wider role in sharing good practice across the sector, which can be limited when fewer inspections are being carried out.

The new figures indicate a growing backlog that could prove increasingly difficult for the CQC to address.

An Age UK spokesperson said: “Regulation of the care industry has been repeatedly cut back over the years due to cuts in funding and this issue is not going to be resolved without fundamental reform.”

“The Government has to recognise that up-to-date information, regulation and inspection is essential to help older people and their families make decisions about services about care in later life.”

The government is considering reducing the number of EHCPs (Education, Health, and Care Plans) in England, proposing to limit them only to children categorised with the most “specialist” needs by 2035.

An EHCP is a legal document that identifies a child’s specific needs and determines support details.

Parents, schools or professionals, such as speech therapists, apply to the local authorities for an assessment. The authorities commission experts to evaluate the needs of both the child and their family.

If it’s determined that the required support exceeds what the mainstream school can provide, they will draw up the EHCP. However, if an application is turned down after the assessment, the authorities may only produce a written report, such as recommendations that have no funding or legal binding.

Pupils currently holding EHCP will retain access until September 2029; however, after the end of primary school, they will be reassessed.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated that these plans aim to make mainstream schools more inclusive and “deliver better life chances for children”, according to the BBC coverage.

What is the ISP?

The alternative plan for those who do not qualify for an EHCP is the introduction of an ISP (Individual Support Plan). This plan will be made for individual needs through consultations between teachers and parents. The reform divides SEND support into three tiers: targeted, targeted plus, and specialist.

Targeted support involves an individual support plan, while Targeted Plus involves engagement from professionals.

Dr Rachel Falkner, a Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University in Education/SEN/Inclusion, who also worked as a teacher and a SEND coordinator, notes that the final form of ISPs remains uncertain.

While schools in Oxfordshire currently use a one-page “pupil-profile” to summarise a child’s strengths, needs and teaching strategies, there are cases in other counties like Buckinghamshire where templates can reach over 14 pages.

She noted that if the documentation is too extensive, it will inevitably increase the workload of teachers. The key challenge lies in determining what format these plans should take.

The increasing demand for EHCPs

Looking at the Department of Education statistics, 18.2% of pupils now have an EHC plan or receive SEND support, an increase from 17.1% the previous year. Primary schools have seen the largest spike, with an additional 21,000 pupils receiving plans since 2024.

It is clear that local authorities are failing to keep up with the exploding demand for EHCPs, and there is no choice but to implement reforms. The Oxfordshire council revealed in the budget report for 2024 that the council is relying on SEND reforms to avoid going bankrupt.

Under the current statutory obligations, local authorities are required to allocate extra high needs funding to schools with SEND units. However, compared to the original funding of £6000 to £10000 per place, the additional allocation is only £539 per pupil.

Is Funding enough?

While the newly introduced ISP might be effective in helping the Council save money on EHCPs, an important question remains: Is the government’s overall school funding actually enough?

The Department of Education data from 2016/17 to 2026/27 compares the normal cash funding per pupil (ages 5-16) with the real-term value adjusted for inflation.

This reveals that, although the government’s website indicates a continuous increase since 2011, per-pupil funding has grown only by a mere £790 over the last decade.

With rising costs, the government’s outlook on funding for children with SEND feels very optimistic.

Staff Shortages and Training Gaps

Beyond the lack of funding, schools are facing a severe shortage of support staff, particularly Teaching Assistants (TAs).

Each school is staffed with a SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator), a lead who holds a national professional qualification in SEND. While all teachers learn the basic knowledge of special education, the government is now pushing for additional mandatory training.

In contrast, there is currently no such requirement for TAs. Dr Rachael pointed out that TAs’ hours for supporting children are being cut due to increasing pressure on school budgets.

According to the NFER study, support staff make up more than half of the school workforce, and this continues to grow year on year. This is largely a result of increasing numbers of secondary school students and rising demand for special educational needs and disabilities support.

Furthermore, the data from NFER shows that 74 per cent of senior leaders in primary school stated that recruiting teaching assistants is “difficult or very difficult”.

Dr Rachael told Hybrid that anxiety toward the SEND reform is increasing among parents.

“The head of SEND in Oxford is saying there are now 9000 EHCPs in Oxfordshire. Parents worried that the legal protection of a document will be lost. And I know on things like “SEND jungle”, which is a parent forum, there’s been a lot of concern on that as well.”

However, it might be too early to conclude because, with the implementation still some way off, the plans remain subject to change depending on the future, she added.

“Children still need assessing, but if it’s not such a costly process—if the schools had more money upfront—they would be able to support those children, so they perhaps wouldn’t need an EHCP,” she explained.

“Research shows that one of the best ways of improving things is training teachers well so that they feel confident to support different children.”

3 Heads Agency is a family-run video production and social media agency.

On working with established names such as Chelsea FC, Champneys and Lego, Ross is ‘proud of the work we deliver, the clients we work with, and where we’re going’, and says what continues to motivate him is the team that comes in everyday.

Ross Testa is the Founder of 3 Heads. The name of the business reflects the family and their Italian culture. Their origins are in Italy, and there are three members of the Testa family who are a part of the company - Roy, Jodie, and Ross. Jodie is Ross’s sister, and Roy is their dad. Their surname, when translated into English, means ‘Head’, creating 3 Heads Agency.

Ross says: ‘there is a lot of respect between my sister and my dad, just like any other business partnership.’ Family is an integral part of Italian culture. ‘You get to answers quicker because families are direct and honest. They will tell you when something could be done better. I feel very lucky to have that, and there is a lot of mutual respect.’ When talking about Roy, who is managing director, Ross says ‘he brings huge value to the team and the dynamic of the business’, and is a ‘great asset’.

Whilst starting up the business, Ross was balancing university with a full time job. When reflecting on his journey, he said: ‘we started at a time when social media was really taking off. Back then it was Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and Instagram didn’t even have video yet. What we discovered was the huge demand for content, especially video.’

‘Companies were struggling to produce high volumes of video for social media and websites, so we positioned ourselves as the partner to do that.’ Looking at social media platforms now, there are apps such as TikTok that have taken over, and you can see that 3 Heads have moved with the times.

The business stays in touch with evolving trends and landscapes ‘through industry events, training, and relationships with the platforms themselves.’ Additionally, ‘spending time with platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn helps us understand what’s coming.’ They stay at the forefront of video production through ongoing industry training.

An example of a case study success story taken from the 3 Heads Agency website, is Bebeto. Bebeto is a popular Turkish sweet brand. Their aim was to grow brand awareness in support of the first UK store launch. In a year, 3 Heads Agency had grown the TikTok from 0 to 43,300 followers and reached over three million people with the content they produced.

In addition to video production and social media, the business also offers other services such as podcast production, live streaming, and personal branding.

3 Heads have worked on personal branding for clients such as Touker Suleyman (Dragon on Dragons’ Den), David Haye (Former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion) and Charlie Sloth (DJ and TV presenter).

Robin Deller, Founder and CEO of Imagine Cruising has previously said, ‘the quality of the product from any video agency is obviously vital to us. You’ll clearly see and very quickly see from the interaction we have with 3 Heads Agency that they take extensive personal pride in all the work that they deliver.’ ‘That need for them to deliver you with the most amazing outcome is definitely something that they strive for every single time and we find that makes a significant impact on the final results that we see.’ Imagine Cruising have found over time that customers want to know more about the holiday they are going to travel on, before they go ahead with the booking.

‘If you’re serious about getting great results from your video content I cannot recommend 3 Heads Agency enough.’ A fine example of a happy client, and work that 3 Heads have delivered on.

There was a campaign with Simba Sleep that Ross’s other family members took part in. ‘My niece and older sister were involved, and we’re a very close family. Seeing my niece involved in that campaign made me really proud.’ This shows just how much Italian culture revolves around family and the importance that is placed on it.

Combining business and family have created an incredible force. ‘We’re partners to some of the biggest brands in the UK, including Lego, TUI, and others.’ Supported by their clients’ testimonials, this is a testament to the repertoire that 3 Heads Agency have built.

Ross says: ‘I’m most proud of the fact that I genuinely love going to work every day. It doesn’t feel like work, and my team says the same.’

Oil prices are influenced by global supply and demand, political tensions, and economic instability. Recently, increasing tensions around key shipping routes like the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most important oil transport channels – has increased concerns about supply distribution.

Around 20% of the world’s oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) tends to pass through the strait, but due to recent hostilities, the amount of ships transporting has dramatically declined. This has sent shock waves across the global economy and caused fuel prices to soar.

Decisions made by major oil producing countries, including those in OPEC (The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries), mean that when supply is threatened or reduced, prices increase.

Donald Trump recently told the UK, ‘Drill baby, drill!’ meaning that he wants Britain to increase their oil drilling in the North Sea in order to boost oil supply and lower energy prices. In theory, this would eventually work – drill more oil, increase the supply, and therefore prices decrease.

But there is a big catch. In reality, this would take a really long time. According to the Energy Climate and Intelligence Unit (ECIU), most of UK oil is already depleted, and around 93% of North Sea oil has already been extracted, meaning that though new drilling would increase supply, it would not have a significant immediate impact.

Oil prices are also set globally, not just in the UK. So even if the UK did drill more, prices would not fall soon, and the UK would still depend on global markets.

When people think about oil prices, they often think about petrol costs. But oil influences far more than just driving. Flights, food and production, heating, and electricity prices are all impacted.

When oil prices rise, businesses often pass on higher costs to consumers, meaning that students may see higher prices across multiple areas of their lives. Students will experience higher utility costs in shared accommodation, increased food prices, more expensive bus and train fares, and expensive flights.

For international students flying to and from home, higher flight prices have practical and financial impacts – especially for those travelling long distances. The sparsity of fuel means that many long-haul flights are more expensive and some even cancelled.

This means that students may have to take fewer trips home, plan travel much earlier, or stay longer during the holidays to reduce costs.

Rising oil prices affecting inflation – the general increase in prices across the economy – means that interest rates may also stay higher for longer, affecting borrowing and the wider job market.

This may shape economic conditions for students entering the workforce in coming years as companies cut back on spending, influencing fewer hiring positions, and reducing the amount of pay raises. If graduates do achieve job positions, salaries may be lower than expected.

Looking ahead, oil prices may fluctuate as markets can change quickly. However, current global volatility may continue in the near future. For students, this highlights the importance of budgeting, planning ahead, and staying aware of economic trends.

How do you connect in a world with one half embracing AI, and the other half doing a digital detox? With conflict raging in one part of the world, there is an expected side effect of avoiding news. How do you connect with your hobbies, your heritage, and your loved ones in this deteriorating world?

Our feature articles will transport you from South Asian creativity to the Australian mountains. They will also delve into the challenges of giving up smart phones for a week, and how to beat loneliness in university.

Our writers will take you on a temporary escape and disconnect!

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