Greggs, the largest bakery chain in the UK, opened this week on Cornmarket in Oxford.

There was a queue out the door and across the street as customers flooded to the new store.

The store is open seven days a week, and with 66 seats upstairs, it is one of the biggest Greggs in the country.

Students have been eagerly anticipating the opening of Oxford’s Greggs since jobs were advertised in September 2019 and a planning application was submitted in November.

Regional manager Steve Russell told The Oxford Mail: “Oxford is a great tourist destination and we know we are guaranteed plenty of footfall here in Cornmarket – I’m sure it’s going to be very busy. The Westgate Centre is great but it’s Cornmarket that is the traditional centre. The whole Greggs range will be on sale here including our vegan sausage rolls.”

“I’m delighted with how the opening has gone – customers are already queuing and I’m chuffed to bits – it’s going to be incredibly popular.”

Eve Bennett, an Oxford student and prominent YouTuber, tweeted: “Greggs opens today and I shall be having a steak bake for lunch which is all I have wanted since moving to Oxford. It has a seating area upstairs so I can work and eat there – THIS HAS CHANGED THE GAME.”

The Oxford University Northerners Society hosted a Facebook event on Wednesday titled ‘Come Greggs With Me’ saying: “Today is the big day!!! The day we’ve all been waiting for!!! GREGGS HAS FINALLY COME TO OXFORD.”

Another student told Cherwell: “I love how cheap the food is at Greggs, and how close it is to my college. I will definitely be going there every week for lunch. The vegan sausage rolls are so good – it’s rare to get such quality meat alternatives.”

One student, however, considered the impact on local trade: “It’s disappointing to see yet another corporation taking a spot on the high street which could be filled by a small, local business.”

The firm announced that it made record profits in 2019, partly due to its recently released vegan range, which includes a sausage roll, steak bake, and doughnut. There are plans to open 100 more stores over the next year.

The oldest tree at the Oxford Botanic Gardens has been damaged in the recent storms which have hit the UK.

Storm Ciara, which made landfall on February 9th, left the oldest tree in the gardens with many of its branches collapsed.

The yew tree was planted in 1645 by Jacob Bobart, the first curator of the Gardens.

Despite the severe damage, Oxford Botanic Gardens have said in an article published on their Medium account that they “fully expect the tree to recover in time.”

The article pays tribute to yew trees’ “incredible ability to renew and rejuvenate themselves.”

Storm Ciara brought winds of up to 60 mph to Oxford, and caused widespread disruption across the UK.

A number of parks and sites were closed, including Christ Church Meadows, and Cotswold Wildlife Park. Additional power outages and fallen trees were also reported across Oxfordshire county.

In one case, an entire stable building was blown into the middle of a road near Buckland, in West Oxfordshire.

The article published also clarifies that although the yew tree is the oldest in the Botanic Gardens, it is comparatively young compared to the species.

Yew trees have lifespans of up to 3,000 years, and a yew tree must live to be 900 years before it is considered ancient. This makes the tree in Oxford, at 375 years old, a relatively young example of the species.

Yew trees also hold a prominent place in British history. The oldest tree in the collection of the National Trust, the Ankerwycke Yew, stands at around 2,500 years old.

It has been claimed that Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn under the tree, and some believe that the Magna Carta was signed under the same tree in 1215.

The University of Oxford Botanic Garden, located to the south of the High Street, is the oldest botanic garden in the United Kingdom. The garden was founded in 1621 to be a physic garden, growing plants for scientific research.

The Gardens also had a significant impact on many authors working from Oxford. Lewis Carroll was said to have used the garden as inspiration for his book Alice in Wonderland. J.R.R Tolkien is said to have spent much of his time at Oxford under his favourite tree at the Gardens, Pinus Nigra, which may have served as inspiration for the Ents in Lord of the Rings. Both Evelyn Waugh and Philip Pullman also reference the Botanics in their respective works set in Oxford.

University College has submitted a planning application for new buildings and renovations in North Oxford, prompting numerous resident concerns.

Neighbours have expressed complaints over the 132 trees that will have to be cut down and the visual impact on the North Oxford Victoria Conservation Area.

The plans are for seven new three storey buildings and alterations to create new student accommodation, a children’s nursery, café, gym, and common spaces.

To date, the Oxford City Council website has received 90 public comments since 20th February on this application.

One member of the public stated: “The development proposal is within the Victorian conservation area of North Oxford.. This is one of the most outstanding areas of Victorian architecture in the UK… The proposed development plans would result in a desecration of this exceptional area of the UK’s architectural heritage.”

Another neighbour said: “The removal of 132 trees and other vegetation across the site would have an immediate damaging impact on the environment and the character and appearance of the NOVSCA – this is unacceptable especially as the City Council has declared a climate emergency.”

A spokesperson for the college said that it is important to consider the numbers of trees being cut down are considered in context: “The development will be completed with more trees – 197 trees in total, comprising 78 new specimen trees and 119 trees retained – than will have been felled, with a material investment in British native specimens.

“All of the ‘Category A’ specimen trees on the site have been retained. Of the trees lost, 77% are either diseased or a ‘Grade C’, the lowest category, comprising low amenity value, scrub trees and plants of poor quality. Many of them are self-seeded and do nothing to enhance the Conservation Area’s ‘front gardens’.

“A Habitat Management policy is also incorporated in the planning application and will support the fauna of the area. Bat, newt, bird, and insect life has all been considered in the development preparations. The introduction of 17 different British native trees to replace those trees felled should be welcomed and will, over time, make their contribution to enhancing the flora and fauna for this precious part of the North Oxford Victorian Suburb Conservation Area (NOVSCA).”

The spokesperson also responded to claims that new buildings with “disfigure” the North Oxford Victorian Suburb Conservation Area: “The foregoing makes it very clear that University College values this site enormously. Its aim is to enhance the site with a landscape-led design that has fully considered the demands of NOVSCA. The architect and landscaper have designed a scheme that represents an exemplary development, an harmonious scheme that fits with this Victorian Suburb Conservation Area.”

The design statement of the application states: “The project is a unique opportunity to provide new accommodation to enhance the collegiate setting of ‘Stavertonia’ with a scheme that is heavily inspired and enriched by the neighbouring North Oxford residential context.

“The proposed development should be viewed as part of University College’s wider strategy to address shortcomings in the College’s student accommodation provision. Presently, University College can only guarantee to provide College-owned accommodation for all of its undergraduates, and just one year of its post-graduate members when its current North Oxford site provision is included in the beds available.”

Oxford City Council has announced the allocation of £999,800 in its Youth Opportunity Fund.

The money has been split between twenty four charities which work with children and teenagers, after a cross-party group of councillors spent several weeks deciding how to allocate funds. It will be allocated over a period of two years.

Those receiving the funds include Rose Hill Junior Youth Club, Blackbird Leys Adventure Playground; and Yellow Submarine.

The groups provide important spaces for children and vulnerable teenagers to connect: Yellow Submarine, for example, runs school holiday programs, breakfast clubs, and residential holidays for children and young people with learning difficulties.

Although the council has won praise for allocating such a large sum of money to encourage these groups, it has been criticised for neglecting the seventy one other charities which applied.

Speaking to the Oxford Mail, Rita Atkinson, a trustee of the DAMASCUS youth project called the decision: “the death knell of this charity.” The charity aims to “empower young people through positive engagement that promotes a shared sense of belonging in the community; a commonality of purpose and real ability to effect change, so that they make a difference in their personal lives and in the communities in which they live.”

Atkinson went on to describe how DAMASCUS was a safe place for those who have problems at home in the Abingdon area, including victims of parental abuse or those who have parents addicted to drugs.

Atkinson asked the council to rethink its allocation, stating: “Please have a rethink of how the money has been allocated. The county council cannot support everybody – it shouldn’t – but it should be providing enough support so these organisations can go elsewhere for support.”

Council funding is often a gateway to other organisations providing financial assistance, and Atkinson believes that the failure of the council to provide funding to DAMASCUS means that other organisations will follow suit.

However, Mark Grey, a Cabinet member involved in making the decisions, justified the council’s decision to focus on a smaller number of groups, stating “the reason we decided not to split the money between all 95 groups was it was felt we… would make them untenable: they wouldn’t work”.

The council’s new budget has set aside £200,000 to revive youth support services. It is hoped that this will help to remedy any issues caused by lack of funding for some organisations and groups.