Five things in Oxfordshire

  • Published

Here are five stories from Oxfordshire which people have been clicking on this week.

1. Beer and yoga: 'What's not to like?'

Media caption,

The beer yoga classes last one hour

Beer yoga, a fitness craze which began in Germany, has arrived in the UK.

The hour-long classes, combining ale with "downward-facing dog" and "sun salutations" moves, have sold out so far in Oxford.

Summing up the general reaction to this video, one of our Facebook, external users wrote: "This is my ideal exercise class!". And we can see why.

2. Church bells to sound after 100 years

A bell for an Oxfordshire church was one of the last to be cast at a workshop which has closed after 450 years.

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry made Big Ben, and has cast a bell for St Mary's in Longworth.

Media caption,

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast a bell for St Mary's

3. Xanda, son of Cecil the lion, 'killed by hunter' in Zimbabwe

Image source, BERT DUPLESSIS/FISH EAGLE SAFARIS
Image caption,

Xanda was reportedly shot on a trophy hunt

Two years after Cecil the lion was killed by a trophy-hunter in Zimbabwe, prompting global outrage, his son may have met a similar sad end.

Xanda, a six-year-old lion with several young cubs, was reportedly shot on a trophy hunt.

His tracking collar was returned to Oxford University researchers.

4. Downton Abbey's 'cottage hospital' roof restored

Image source, Save Bampton's Old Grammar School
Image caption,

Hugh Bonneville played Robert Crawley in the show and urged Downton Abbey fans to help save the building

The roof of a 17th century building used as the cottage hospital in Downton Abbey has been restored after a "miraculous" fundraising effort.

The Old Grammar School in Bampton, Oxfordshire, is a tourist magnet thanks to the hit TV series, but was in urgent need of repair.

Campaigners and several actors from the show, including Hugh Bonneville, raised £125,000 to complete the works.

5. Swan upping: What do the Queen's markers wear?

Media caption,

Swan upper

The annual census of swans - or swan upping - on the River Thames finished this week.

The count, which began in the 12th century, is full of tradition - including what the Queen's swan markers wear.