• Council Services
• Bike Shops
• Food, Drink and Groceries
• Special shopping hours
• Food Banks
• Non-food shopping - open online & for click& collect

Council Services

Parks and outdoor spaces maintained by Oxford City Council remain open, as do Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum, and Waterperry Gardens

Oxfordshire County Council's Birth and Death Registration services are still running although some offices are closed. Under the national lockdown rules introduced November 2020, funerals may take place for up to 30 attendees, but weddings and civil partnerships (apart from deathbed weddings) are not permitted.

Almost all of of Oxfordshire’s household waste recycling centres (Alkerton, Ardley, Dix Pit, Drayton, Oakley Wood, and Stanford in the Vale) have re-opened with reduced hours (8am-4pm) and social distancing guidelines. Redbridge is closed until 30th November for planned structural repair work.

Oxford City Council is still taking bookings for its bulky waste collection service. For more information, a list of accepted items, and to book a collection, please visit the City Council website.

Bike Shops

At a time when staying fit, not coming into close contact with others, and avoiding public transport where possible are of paramount importance, bikes are a great option for people who need to get around.

Broken Spoke Bike Co-op is open for bike repairs and second hand cycle sales, Tues and Fri, 9am-5pm

Summertown Cycles remains open on usual hours, with extra measures in place to minimise face-to-face contact. Its sister business Bike Zone Oxford will stay open as usual for the rest of this week (5th-8th Nov), after which point the owners will take a decision on how to proceed over this next lockdown.

Walton Street Cycles is open and offering all normal services for folks who rely on their bicycles, with have extra safety measures in place in store. The team are extending their mobile services to all key workers outside of standard working hours – if you are a key worker or know someone that relies on their bike, please get in touch on 01865 311 610 and the team will do their best to help.

Special shopping hours

Most supermarkets' websites no longer mention offering exclusive access during 'priority hours' for NHS workers and vulnerable shoppers, but Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Tesco are instead offering priority access for these customers at any time - which means if there's a queue due to the limiting of shopper numbers, you can skip to the front. The following still offer priority hours:

Morrisons stores are open from 6-7am Monday - Saturday specifically for NHS workers.

Asda will be prioritising NHS workers in larger stores every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am - 9am.

Food Banks and Community Larders

In addition to what's below, see Oxford City Council's page for food access services. Another useful point of contact food food provision (especially if you're self-isolating) is SOFEA. If you're unsure where or how to access help from a food bank, you can call the City Council Contact Centre on 01865 249 811 or use this online form.

OX4 Free Food Crew is a new partnership between Flo's - The Place in the Park, Ark-T, Waste2Taste and Oxford Hub which has been set up to alleviate food poverty for people affected by COVID-19. They are providing cooked meals for: isolated people over 70 and those with underlying health conditions; isolated single-parent families; people who are homeless or vulnerably housed. Find out more here.

Cowley Community Larder, The Venue, Barns Road OX4 3RQ - 11-2 Tuesday; 11-2 Thursday

Rose Hill Community Larder, Rose Hill Community Centre, 2-4 Tuesday

Rose Hill Methodist Church Community Cupboard - delivery only, follow link for details.

Barton Community Association, Barton Neighbourhood Centre - 2.30-4.30 Tuesdays

Blackbird Leys Community Larder, Blackbird Leys Community Centre - 3-5 Wednesdays

Botley Community Fridge - now running a food parcel delivery service, with deliveries made on Thursdays, and they also provide one-off/emergency parcels on most other days of the week - sign up to receive a parcel here.

Abingdon Community Fridge - current opening hours are Mon-Thu and Sat, 10.30-11.30am. On Fridays, they deliver to people who are self-isolating and in financial need.

Abingdon Community Larder (run by SOFEA) - runs on Fridays from 2:30pm for approximately 2 hours, at the Carousel Family Centre, OX14 5GZ

Abingdon Food Bank is still running. Sessions are on Tuesdays and Fridays 11am-1pm, from their main site at Christ Church on Northcourt Road, OX14 1PL, and on Wednesdays 1-2.30pm at Preston Road Community Centre, OX14 5NR. You need to have a voucher to receive food.

Witney and West Oxfordshire Food Bank at Cottsway House, OX28 4YG, 10am-12 noon, Mon-Fri (open for receiving donations and honouring vouchers). You will need to register in advance for a voucher.

Witney Community Fridge - Open on Tue, Thu and Sun, 11.30am-12 noon, and giving away pre-packed bags of surplus food to anyone in need (just turn up and queue, maintaining a 2m distance, no referral needed) free of charge. Based at Witney Community Support Service on Moorland Road, OX28 6LS. For people who are in financial need but unable to get out (due to self-isolating), they offer a free delivery service in partnership with Witney Land Army. Please email your name, address and any relevant dietary details to [email protected]

Oxford Food Bank has reopened, providing food directly to other charities in Oxford. They cannot accept new volunteers or visitors, but please email [email protected] if you have food to donate.

"Non-essential" shops and other services

Blackwell's booksellers are standing by to ensure your literary needs are catered for this November. Call their Books Hotline - 01865 792792 - for advice and recommendations to help with your Christmas shopping. You can also order by email [email protected] or browse online. You can choose to collect your orders from the Broad Street store, or, if ordered by midday, opt for same day delivery by Book Bike within the ring road.

For Fair Trade and organic gifts and clothing, Indigo's online shop is currently under construction, but in the meantime, they are running a collection service. Keep an eye on Instagram to see what's for sale, place your order by phone (01865 794176) or email, and collect from the shop on Saturdays 10am-4pm.

While the shop has had to close, Fair Trade at St Michael's have just launched a Click&Collect service, offering a pleasing range of Christmas decorations, gifts and food - all completely guilt-free due to their community-centred ethos. Some non-food items can also be delivered - give them a call on 01865722505 or email [email protected] to enquire.

If weeks of staying in the same space are starting to make your home environment feel boring, you may want to liven things up with some new furniture or home accessories. Little Clarendon Street-based interiors emporium Central Living have moved business online for now, offering free delivery on all orders.

Computer Care Oxford are providing remote computer support from Summertown to homes and businesses during the Covid 19 pandemic. No need for a personal visit - they can solve most problems in the Apple, Microsoft and Linux worlds and have been since 2002. Drop off your device or allow them remote access - your choice! Check out their website or phone 01865 463463 to get in touch.

Daisies Flower Shop is offering an online delivery service, and click-and-collect from their Walton Street shop.

Frog Orange Party are selling balloons and balloon bouquets for celebrations at home. Customers can click-and-collect (with strict social distancing and hand sanitising) or select home delivery.

The Garden of Oxford are offering deliveries of cut flowers, plants, and seeds. You can order over the phone (on 01865 240709) or online, with delivery to your doorstep or collection from their Covered Market shop.

Minuteman Press printing services have changed their business hours to the following: Mon - Fri: 10am - 1pm, Sat - Sun: closed. You can stay in touch via telephone and email for all your design needs.

Bike-based laundry collection, cleaning, and delivery service Oxwash are still open for business, and have launched a Donate-A-Wash scheme, where NHS workers as well as elderly and vulnerable individuals can access up to three free washes.

Oxford-based Stone Pine Design sell beautiful art cards, perfect for reaching out to distant friends in a pre-digital way. You'd normally see the cards in Blackwell's, The Bodleian, or indy bookshops round the county. But you can currently buy direct from their website or Etsy store. No delivery charge. Their Christmas cards this year will include a donation to Become, a charity which supports children leaving the care system.