Local Eco News 📰
Summer sun and fun begun, here’s a easy-breezey smattering of news and our calendar of not-to-be-missed eco events.
WILD GARDENS OPEN DAY – Saturday 13th June 2026
As part of Great Big Green Week (a national bonanza of wildlife and ecology awareness-raising events and initiatives), Kidlington Eco Group put on our very own Wildlife Gardens Open Day on Saturday 13th of June supported by Oxfordshire County Council. Nine households generously opened their gardens to the public, to showcase the biodiversity boosting measures they had incorporated into their beautiful homespun green spaces. As well as these private gardens, four community gardening and wildlife spaces were also open to the public and manned by enthusiastic volunteers, so that there was there were more than enough to see, smell, touch and wonder at over the course of the day. With sightings of myriad wildflowers, slow worms, toads, tadpoles, birds, butterflies and bumble bees Mother Nature certainly played her part, serving it all up with a vast slosh of sunshine and blue sky. The day was a delicious success, and hopefully all those seeds of inspiration sown on the wind will bear all kinds of fruit in the gardens and green spaces of Kidlington and beyond in the years to come.
Kidlington Repair Cafe
It seems strange that Kidlington Repair Cafe should only have been going nine months. It’s already proved itself a great success. The team consists of 17 volunteers, with 10 at any given session – doing everything from serving drinks to changing fuses, sharpening sheers, or PAT testing. The most popular service provided is the knife and tool sharpening station – making blunt blades sharp and shiny once more. The team tackle about 40 items per session, and enjoy a success rate of about 80%, and for the tricky cases pointing them in the right direction for further help. So far the Cafe, which meets at the Methodist Church on the second Saturday of the month, has saved about 360kg worth of stuff from landfill.
St Mary’s Fields Special Events
There’s been so much going on at St Mary’s Fields recently. Wildflower planting, pondlife surveying, and reptile refugia checking (including a pregnant grass snake!). The popular Dawn Chorus walk took place on 9th May with a good crowd up bright and (very) early, with 27 different bird songs and species identified. On the 14th May several volunteers also went out with special UV torches to track down Hairstreak butterfly larvae and tracked down 16 of the critters – conservation win!
Calendar 📆
Want to know what ecological things are going on locally over the next few weeks? Well here you go!
| Jun 2026 | |
| ⑯ | Growing Spaces Session | Tues 16th June, 7.30-8.30pm| Ron Groves Play Area – Please drop by to help us tend the planters in the park. Contact growspace@kidlingtontowncouncil.gov.uk |
| ⑳ | Park Hill Monthly Garden Work Party | Sat 20th June, 10am–12pm| Park Hill Recreation Ground (OX5 2DA) – Come and join the volunteers planting, socialising and developing the community garden space in the park. For more info contact growspace@kidlingtontowncouncil.gov.uk |
| ㉓ | Exeter Hall Planters Growing Spaces Session | Tues 23rd June, 1.30 – 2.30pm| At the back of Exeter Hall (OX5 1AB) – Come and join the volunteers tending the accessible planters and garden space. Contact growspace@kidlingtontowncouncil.gov.uk |
| ㉖ | Let’s Walk – Kidlington to Thrupp Canalside Walk | Fri 26th June, 10.30am | Departs from Exeter Hall (OX5 1AB) – Join us for this CRT (Canal & River Trust) Volunteer led walk along Oxford Canal from Kidlington to Thrupp and back. Refreshments and toilets available at Thrupp. Allow 3 hours. Sign up at Eventbrite Let’s Walk or follow QR code on posters at Exeter Hall, library and other locations. |
| ㉙ | Lyne Road Green Growing Spaces Session | Mon 29th June, 10–11am| Lyne Road Green (OX5 1UA) – Come and join the volunteers tending the planters on the Green. For more info contact growspace@kidlingtontowncouncil.gov.uk |
| Jul 2026 | |
| 🪶 | Swift Walks | Details TBC – Watch out for this year’s wildlife and swift-spotting strolls, conducted in partnership with the Cherwell swift project. You may already have seen these bewinged wonders shredding up the summer skies, back from Africa and another 6000+mile migration. The evening usually starts with an introduction to these special birds, and then a gentle walk stopping at key nesting sites. More details to follow. Keep an eye out for our eventbrite sign up page here. |
| ② | Noticing Nature Walk | Thurs 2nd July, 10am-12pm | St Mary’s Fields, Kidlington (OX5 2AZ) – This session is one of several run by TVERC (Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre) across the county that invite people to slow down, look closely, and rediscover the beauty and biodiversity of the natural world around them from urban greenspaces to quieter countryside sites. For more info see here. |
| KEG Meeting | Thurs 2nd Jul, 1pm | Exeter Hall, in the Small Hall or Bar (OX5 1AB) – Join representatives of different local eco groups and enthusiasts to connect, communicate and collaborate. | |
| ④ | St Mary’s Fields Work Party | Sat 4th Jul, 10am-12pm | St Mary’s carpark (OX5 2BA) – Join the team of volunteers working on some summer tasks, encourage nature and monitor river quality. Also enjoy a well-earned slice of Julia or Rosie’s homemade cake at half time! |
| ⑥ | Growing Spaces Session | Mon 6th July, 10–11am| In the playpark behind Exeter Close – Join us as we care for the wildlife & sensory garden beds in the play area. For more info contact: growspace@kidlingtontowncouncil.gov.uk |
| ⑦ | Kidlington Towpath Taskforce | Tues 7th Jul, 10am-2pm | Roundham Lock, Partridge Place OX5 1SL – Come and help improve the canal environment through Kidlington at these drop-in volunteer working parties run by Canal & River Trust. Something for all skill levels. Come for all or part of the time. Sign-up via the Canal & River Trust Portal. Minimum age 18. |
| ⑨ | Woodland Trust Stratfield Brake Task Group | Thurs 9th Jul, 10am-1pm | Stratfield Brake, Frieze Way (OX5 1UP) – Sign up to help carry out a variety of practical tasks under the guidance of the Woodland Trust Site Manager, to keep the site looking great and pathways accessible, as well as help manage the woodland in line with management plans. A great way to learn skills and meet new people, the Working Group also directly contributes to the care and upkeep of valuable habitats. Volunteers need to sign up via the Woodland Trust volunteers page here. |
| ⑪ | Kidlington Repair Cafe | Sat 11th Jul, 10am-12pm | Kidlington Methodist Church, Oxford Rd (OX5 2BP) – Need to repair or restore an item? Drop in for repairs of electronics, household items, bicycles, textiles, toys etc. Also for restoring items, such as knife and tool sharpening. And a coffee while you wait! Last items taken at 11.30am. For more information see here. |
| Coronation Garden Work Party | Sat 11th Jul, 10am-12pm | Home Close (OX5 2DN) – Come along and join other volunteers as we look after the village’s youngest garden. We’ll be planting, weeding, and beautifying this already much-cherished oasis of calm in the heart of the village. | |
| ⑫ | ‘Wildlife by the Evenlode’ in steam event at Combe Mill | Sun 12th July, 10.30am- 4.30pm (last entry 3.30pm) | Combe Mill, Blenheim Palace Sawmills (OX29 8ET) – Combe Mill is a late 19th-century restored steam- and water-powered sawmill on the River Evenlode. At this event, we have invited exhibitors centred around local wildlife, including Bees, Badgers, Butterflies and Swifts. Wild Oxfordshire and Wychwood Forest Trust. All machinery will be running ‘in steam’ and volunteers will be on hand with lots of interesting information. Come along and see the blacksmiths in the forge – you might just be able to make a poker! Tea room, BBQ, Gift Shop. Dogs on leads most welcome. Adults £9.50, seniors/students £8.50, accompanied children (under 16) FREE. |
| ⑭ | Exeter Hall Planters Growing Spaces Session | Tues 14th July, 1.30 – 2.30pm| At the back of Exeter Hall (OX5 1AB) – Come and join the volunteers tending the accessible planters and garden space. Contact growspace@kidlingtontowncouncil.gov.uk |
| ⑱ | Kidlington Gala Day | Sat 18th July, 11am-3pm | Exeter Close Field (OX5 1AB) – Come along to this free community fun day with all sorts of fun activities for all ages. While there, be sure to check out the interactive stalls showcasing the work of community groups geared to ecological issues and encouraging biodiversity! |
| ㉓ | Growing Spaces Session | Thurs 23rd July, 7.30-8.30pm| Ron Groves Play Area – Please drop by to help us tend the planters in the park. Contact growspace@kidlingtontowncouncil.gov.uk |
| ㉖ | Big Hay Rake | Sun 26th Jul, 10am-12pm | St Mary’s Fields, Church St (OX5 2BA) – The annual hay rake on St Mary’s fields is a popular community event. After the grass in the meadows has been mown, it is essential to rake up the cuttings to encourage the wild flowers next spring. Some rakes provided, but if you have one please bring it! All ages welcome! Meet in the car park behind St Mary’s Church. |
If you have any local eco news or events to feed in to our next monthly digest please email: kidlingtonecogroup@gmail.com
Our next KEG meetings are on Thurs 2nd July from 1pm @ Exeter Hall in the committee room. All welcome!
Kidlington Eco Group 
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