The outbreak of Coronavirus in 2020 has caused devastation to the way of life all around the world. New restrictions and advice were being given daily by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and two specialist advisers each day at 5pm from the week beginning Monday March 16th 2020.

It was announced during this week that all schools were to close but the pupils of key workers could still go to nominated schools to allow their parent to continue with his or her essential job. Also, pupils who would normally have free school meals would be able to go in order to have at least one square meal per day.

On Friday, the list of key workers was published and this article from the on-line Witney Gazette lists those key workers.

An instruction from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York this week said there would be no services until the risk of catching coronavirus has passed. Weddings can take place with a maximum of 5 people attending but that did not say if it was the bride and groom and the clergy plus two, or those 3 plus 5. Not helpful.

Mr Govier work for Mr Wadman at Hobbs Buildings, the farm on the Brize Norton side of Bampton. He is seen here holding one of the bulls

Ted Dixey took a very active part in Bampton life. He was a Morris Dancer for several years as was his father. He learnt to bellring in 1943 when ringing was permitted again and rang to within a very few years of his death.

Dr Alan Cole came to practice in Bampton in 1959 and was here long enough to have in some cases, looked after three generations of a family. He was 90 in 2020.

Freda Bradley wrote a lovely book called 'Bampton; The Way It Was.' These are photographs of her parents and grandparents and of Freda when young with her brothers Jim and Ken with their grandmother Mrs Dewe, taken in 1937.

The Bampton Community Archive puts on three exhibitions each year which run for two months. In September 2018 Janet Newman put up a wonderfully researched exhibition on some of Bampton's Families. Family trees were printed out on scrolls for people to see as well as written text. In this picture, young Devon Townsend and his father David can be seen looking at one of the family trees and have found themselves on it much to young Devon's delight.

Olive McCage was born and grew up in Bampton; she was a typist at Brize Norton air base where she met a young American, married him and she emigrated to the USA when his tour of duty here was over.

As part of the exhibition on A History of Trade in Bampton, Mavis Newing kindly supplied this historical account of Sherbourne houses, 1 and 2 in Bridge Street

This picture is of Edie Quick, mother of Fenella Gray, Jenny and Ken and wife to John.John along with Paul Bovington was a founder member of the SPAJERS.