Find out more about the exhibition by visiting Philippa James’ website.

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Following an earlier motion, the council’s cabinet is now set to discuss rolling out a scheme to provide period products in 18 libraries and eight children and family centres across Oxfordshire on a trial basis.

Lorna Baxter, Executive Director of Resources said: “During the cost of living crisis, residents have been forced to make difficult decisions about which essentials they can buy.

“We know that in 2023, Action Aid found that 21 per cent were struggling to afford period products – an increase of nearly 10 per cent in just a year. This is a trend that is even higher among younger age groups.

“No doubt it is very distressing for those experiencing period poverty but it can also pose a real health risk. This is why it’s so important that we make it easier for everyone who needs them to access period products.

“Being able to access period products at school, work or in a public place free of charge could be the difference for some between staying at home or being able to go to school, work, exercise, socialise and more. This all can have wider implications for a person’s mental health, wellbeing and future.

“Since the period poverty motion went to the full council meeting of all county councillors back in September 2023, we’ve been working to look at how we can best implement any such scheme.

“We have been looking at a number of options to support residents, including disposable and reusable products. We hope that this trial will help us to determine the most effective way to support those experiencing period poverty in the county.” 

If approved, the scheme will provide period products to anyone who need them in larger libraries, libraries serving priority areas of deprivation, children and family centres, and for council employees in larger council offices.

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The gender pay gap is the difference between the average (mean or median) earnings of men and women across a workforce.

 A report to a meeting of full council (all 63 county councillors) in December reported that there had been a decrease in the mean gender pay gap from 2.3% in 2022 to 1.2% in 2023.

Cllr Liz Leffman, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council said: “We are committed to improving our approach to equalities, inclusion and diversity. While councillors were welcoming of news that the gender pay gap is so small and better than nationally there is still a small way to go to equalise the situation. We are keen that there should never be any barriers for women to progress into higher paid roles, or roles where they are under-represented.”

Since 2017, an employer that has a headcount of 250 or more employees on a ‘snapshot date’ has been required to comply with regulations on gender pay gap reporting. Gender pay gap calculations are based on employer payroll data drawn from a specific date each year.

This specific date is called the ‘snapshot date’. The ‘snapshot date’ for Oxfordshire County Council (as with most other public authority employers) is 31 March every year.

The council must report and publish its gender pay gap information by 30 March of the following year.

More than 105,000 people are living with HIV in the UK. Globally, there are an estimated 36.7 million people who have the virus. Nearly three quarters of all women diagnosed with HIV in the UK are from BAED communities.

The videos have been produced in different languages to help raise awareness of HIV across different communities and specifically to target women that may have otherwise struggled to get the information and support they need.

Dr Shakiba Habibula, Oxfordshire County Council Consultant in Public Health, said: “HIV affects all communities, and like all women, some members of BAED communities may be reluctant to talk about HIV because of the stigma they feel. It is important that all women know that there is no shame in having the virus and the support is there for them if they are concerned that they may have it.

“The sooner that somebody is diagnosed and begins treatment the better. With medication, it is possible for individuals to live long lives and start a family without the risk of passing the virus on.

“Always remember that using a condom is still one of the most effective ways of not contracting HIV or any sexually transmitted disease.”

Sobia Afridi, Anti-HBA Facilitator at Oxford Against Cutting said: "Our team is pleased to help raise awareness of HIV on World AIDS Day as this illness affects all communities including BAED communities. It is important that families can understand sexual health information in their mother tongue and that we support family and friends to speak up".

The annual World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day.

People with HIV in the still face ignorance and discrimination which prevents them unnecessarily, living full and happy lives. Often those with HIV are more likely to have low incomes and are also more likely to suffer from poor mental health.

Although the number of people being diagnosed with HIV in the UK is slowing, nearly half of people who test positive are finding out they have HIV very late, meaning the virus may have damaged their health permanently.

More information

• The most recent estimate suggests there were 105,200 people living with HIV in the UK in 2019. Of these, around 6,600 are undiagnosed so do not know they are HIV positive (source)
• Early diagnosis usually results in normal life expectancy, while a late diagnosis leads to a tenfold increase of death within one year.
• Those who are undiagnosed spend an average of three to five years unaware they have the virus.(source)
• Videos are available in Urdu, Punjabi and Arabic.
• Oxford Against Cutting is a rights-based group working to end harmful cultural practices suffered by girls and women living in the Thames Valley. These include:
  • Female genital mutilation (FGM)
  • Honour-based abuse (HBA) and early and forced marriage (EFM)
  • Female cosmetic genital surgery
• Their mission is to end cultural practices that harm girls and women by:
  • Providing education
  • Supporting survivors
  • Raising awareness of support services
  • Empowering young people to champion initiatives against harmful practices
•  For more information see the Oxford Against Cutting website.

While preventing the spread of Covid-19 is a public health priority, it is still vital that members of the public go to scheduled vaccination appointments to stop outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and to protect vulnerable groups including children, babies and pregnant women.

As long as those attending appointments, including parents of babies or children, do not have symptoms or are not self-isolating because someone in the household is displaying symptoms, all scheduled vaccinations should go ahead as normal.

Dr Kiren Collision, GP and Clinical Chair of Oxfordshire CCG said: “We are doing all that we can to ensure that practices are safe for people to get their immunisations.

“Having a vaccine is really important; it can prevent outbreaks of serious diseases and also protect vulnerable groups of people.”

The national immunisation programme is highly successful in reducing the number of serious and sometimes life-threatening diseases such as whooping cough, diphtheria and measles.

It is important to maintain the best possible vaccine uptake to prevent a resurgence of these infections.

When attending appointments, people should follow government guidance and ensure they are two metres apart from anyone outside their household and minimise time spent outside.

If a patient or a member of their household develops coronavirus symptoms, they should follow government guidance and reschedule their appointment.

Ansaf Azhar is the Director for Public Health at Oxfordshire County Council: ‘I would like to reassure parents that these immunisations are available to maintain the health and well-being of your children. Please, do not ignore these appointments. Right now, the government has issued social distancing rules that include: we’re only allowed to go outside for essential travel. Attending the immunisation appointment for medical care is classed as essential travel, so you will be welcome to attend’.

If individuals or members of a household need advice from a GP practice about symptoms not related to coronavirus, they should contact the practice online or by phone to be assessed.

The famous South Oxfordshire town will host a Big Bike Breakfast on the morning of the race, Wednesday 12 June. Crowds will line the streets, cheering off participants on the 145 kilometre-leg that will finish outside Blenheim Palace in West Oxfordshire.

Elite cyclist Sophie Wright announced that Oxfordshire’s race section will start from Market Place in the centre of Henley.

Oxfordshire’s county, city and district councils announced last month that a stage of the OVO Energy Women’s Tour, the UK’s most prestigious women’s cycle race, had been agreed to race through the county for the next three years, in partnership with event organisers SweetSpot Group.

From Henley, stage three will traverse the Chilterns via Pishill to Watlington, before returning via the climb of Britwell Hill to Sonning Common and Goring.

Crossing the River Thames at Wallingford, the route will pass through Didcot, Harwell and Wantage, crossing the Vale of White Horse to Faringdon, before looping through the West Oxfordshire towns of Burford, Charlbury and finally Woodstock in the closing kilometres.

Oxfordshire is expecting economic and health benefits from hosting the prestigious event, with cycling fans expected to visit the county to watch the race, generating additional business for restaurants, bars, hotels, B&Bs and shops.

In a comparable stage in last year’s race in Warwickshire, additional local expenditure linked directly to the event totalled £2m by around 100,000 spectators. Nearly two-thirds (63%) came from outside the county and 67% of spectators said they were inspired to cycle more often.

Starting in Henley, about 100 professional riders will weave their way through towns, villages and rural areas, inspiring local schools to organise themed sport and fitness lessons. Highlights of the race will also be screened on ITV4.

Families are expected to line the route to cheer on competitors, turning the event into an exciting community spectacle. Spectators will be encouraged to use healthy and environmentally-friendly transport to reach vantage points to watch the race.

Yvonne Rees, CEO of Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council said: “We are delighted to welcome the Women’s Tour to Oxfordshire, with a start in Henley, a tour of our fantastic countryside and the finish at Blenheim Palace – this will be a fantastic stage.

“From past experience, this event will bring economic benefits to our communities, but for me, I am really excited about inspiring more of us to get on our bikes and be active. Let’s take this opportunity to take that step – get out and about – get healthy. Come rain or shine, let’s use 12 June to kick start our ambitions – plus show the world the county at its best.”

Mark Stone, Chief Executive of South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Councils said: “This is wonderful news for residents and businesses in Henley and across our two districts – the economic benefits will be significant. It will hopefully inspire lots of people to take part in healthy activities like cycling, but just as importantly it is going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to watching it.”

Janet Wheeler, Henley Town Council’s Town Clerk, said: “On behalf of the Mayor of Henley – and the Henley Town Councillors – we are delighted to host the start of this prestigious event. Henley loves a good party; and this looks like an event to inspire us all to leave the car behind and travel on two wheels!”

The OVO Energy Women’s Tour is Britain’s longest-running professional women’s race and part of the prestigious UCI Women’s World Tour series.

Thanks to title sponsor OVO Energy, the award-winning independent energy supplier, the event will once again back a prize fund equal to that of the men’s Tour of Britain for the second year running.

Commenting on the announcement, OVO Energy Women’s Tour Race Director Mick Bennett, said: “Oxfordshire is a historic and world-famous county; therefore, I am looking forward to the Tour visiting there over the coming years. To have our 2019 stage – the first ever to take place in Oxfordshire – start in Henley will provide the most incredible backdrop; and leave our world-class field with a truly unforgettable memory and reinforce the prestige of the event."

The 2019 OVO Energy Women’s Tour will begin in Suffolk with Stage One from Beccles to Stowmarket on Monday 10 June. Further details of this year’s OVO Energy Women’s Tour, including the full race route and competing teams, will be released in the coming weeks.

Read more, including FAQs

Watch That’s Oxfordshire TV’s coverage of the Henley launch event

There are 32 female operational firefighters in Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service. They are mums, shopkeepers, marathon runners - regular people doing extraordinary things.

It is not just about fires and fitness, it’s emergency planning, educating on safety and prevention and safeguarding people in our communities.

For the frontline staff, it’s about fast thinking, putting equipment together, collaborating with other blue light services, being resilient.

The service does a lot more than putting out fires: The clue is in “rescue”, with the Service dealing with a variety of situations like flooding, responding to road, rail and air traffic accidents, dealing with chemical hazards and spills, looking after the vulnerable.

“You don’t have to be the incredible Hulk or Lara Croft, I am neither”, said Rebecca Rimmer. She joined the fire service when she was 21 and never looked back “I would be out with a friend who was a firefighter and she used to be called to incidents and I always wondered about those emergencies, as it all sounded exciting and rewarding.” Rebecca has been with the fire service for 19 years and has two children who are very proud to have a “firefighter mummy”.

“I like helping people and care for people. I joined a station that already had female fire-fighters, but even so, I had never thought about the service being male-dominated. It’s like a second family to me, the friendship and support you receive from colleagues is amazing”. “I am lucky to have a supportive family and great colleagues that I can talk to” said Rebecca.

The main qualities that the fire service is looking for is “determination, enthusiasm, and an open mind. You need to have a positive, nothing can phase me attitude”, she stated.

Shelley Wright is 23 and has been with the fire service for 18 months: “I didn’t know which career path to take and couldn’t see myself in an office job and then I saw a banner for fire service recruitment. It was never mentioned at school as something we could do. When I joined the Wantage fire station there hadn’t been a woman there for five years. When the Chief talked to me recently about being the only woman there and I had forgotten about that - I am just part of the team”.

It’s not all plain sailing. “you do get a bit nervous when you first get alerted, but then the training kicks in” said Shelley. “The main gear weights 25 kilos and that’s without other equipment. However you get all the training you need and one of the advantages that I have in being smaller is that I fit into windows and other places that we need to access”.

Looking at barriers and opening fires station doors

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is actively inviting applications from women as part of their wider recruitment campaign. Being a firefighter is a role that women generally don’t consider and there is now a strong focus on tackling the issue and challenging the reasons why women are not applying for the roles available. It all started in April after Simon Furlong became Chief Fire Officer. He explained “We want to inspire more women to join us so we reflect the communities we serve. Our change in approach, the open days and positive action days are already raising the interest from dozens of women wanting to and embrace community safety and firefighting as a career choice. Women can bring a different dimension to the job, the competences are the same but individuals may have a different experience, that’s why we value diversity”,

A 50/50 target is not easy to achieve when you are starting at around 6% of female firefighters in Oxfordshire (which is just above the national average of 5%). In fact, firefighting is one of the most sex-segregated jobs in the UK.

“It’s an ambitious initiative that involves looking at the barriers for recruitment. The first contact a potential recruit has with the fire service is really important and women may feel intimidated at the idea of knocking on the door of a fire station, so we have opened more ways for them to contact us, via social media, taster days etc. We have also arranged for potential recruits to meet with other female fire-fighters for an initial discussion”. Said Clare Sellman, Employee Resourcing and Development Manager. “Our first taster day was held in September and this was for ladies only, the day involved learning about the role in general, meeting role models, trying out the physical tests that form part of the selection day and providing any support and encouragement as required”, Clare Sellman added.

Fireman Sam and firefighter Penny

Rebecca Rimmer is helping in the campaign to recruit more women firefighters. “Some of the fitness aspects of the role can worry our potential female recruits”.. Upper body strength is crucial, many people may be fit, even run marathons, but not have developed that physical side that will allow them to lift ladders, carry weight, drag casualties and other tasks we are required to do”, she said. One way to overcome this being to help people who want to prepare for the assessments or perhaps have failed to reach the standard by a small margin by giving them a fitness programme that they can follow.

This programme has been developed by a firefighter who is also a personal trainer. In addition there are videos online showing the tests here .

“There is the perception that you have to be very young and fit. There is a required standard to ensure safety, however many female firefighters are mums, they come from all backgrounds and a range of ages,” Rebecca said. Parents for instance can become firefighters during the day, while kids are at school, as the day shifts can be amongst the times most difficult to cover.

Leadership support and backing from colleagues is also a key part of integrating women into the fire service. “Kids watch fireman Sam, don’t they? So, the stereotype is there, although there is also the character Penny Morris in the Pontypandy fire brigade. We try to create an environment that is professional and welcoming to everyone, women included. We challenge prejudices, an example being the language that is used: We are not firemen, we are firefighters”, said Steven Anderson, Abingdon Station Manager.

Taster Days for women and recruitment will continue in 2018. Interested, but not sure if it’s for you? Why not attend one of our taster days or have a chat with one of our female firefighters, email: fire.recruitment@oxfordshire.gov.uk to register your interest and we will let you know when the next taster day is running.

We are recruiting whole-time firefighters in January 2018, applications will open on the 8^th January and you can find out more about the role and application process here 

Or if you would like to find out more about becoming an on-call firefighter visit: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/oncallfirefighters or drop by your local station for a chat on their drill nights https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/fire-stations

On-call firefighters are people that will go about their daily everyday life until they are alerted to an emergency incident in their area; then they have five minutes to get to their local fire station and respond as a professional firefighter.

Those who attend a two-hour taster session will have the chance to talk to on-call firefighters, try out practical assessments such as ladder climbing, hose running and putting on breathing apparatus and find out more about the recruitment process. 

Firefighting is open to people from all backgrounds

Group manager Paul Bremble said: “Our on-call firefighters are the backbone of Oxfordshire’s Fire and Rescue Service and the taster sessions are a great way for anyone who is considering applying to find out more about the role. Firefighting is a career that is open to people from all backgrounds and we are keen for women and people from ethnic minority communities to consider how it might suit them. These sessions are designed to help people decide as you get to experience some of the drills and tasks firefighters get involved with and ask any questions you have about the role.”

Book onto a two-hour taster session

Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming an on-call firefighter in Oxfordshire and is over the age of 18 is welcome to book onto a session.  Participants are advised to wear trainers and clothes suitable for exercising when attending the session.

Sunday April 23 - Have A Go Day at Henley Fire Station

• Session 1: 10am to midday
• Session 2: Midday to 2pm
• Session 3: 2pm to 4pm

For more information or to book your place at one of the sessions please contact:

• Nick Windsor, Tel: 07775 827256, Email: nick.windsor@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

Saturday April 29 - Have A Go Day at Chipping Norton Fire Station

• Session 1: 9am to 11am
• Session 2: 11am to 1pm
• Session 3: 1pm to 3pm

For more information or to book your place at one of the sessions please contact:

• Simon Piper, Tel: 07775 827277, Email: simon.piper@oxfordshire.gov.uk