From community action to neighbourhood plans to village halls, we have been supporting Oxfordshire’s people and places to work together and thrive for over 100 years. With over 100 years of working with Oxfordshire’s communities, we offer services that support people and places across the county. Community Development
We offer support, advice and training to people and groups who:
- Are intereste
d in starting a community action project or want to get their community involved in volunteering.
- Need support with a community asset, like a hall, shop, or transport scheme.
- Would like to run a community-led plan.
- Are interested in getting involved in community research. Placemaking
We offer support and advice to people and groups (including Parish Councils, Town Councils, Local Authorities, and Developers) who:
- Are looking for support with neighbourhood planning, or other planning issues.
- Want to deliver affordable or community-led housing for their local area.
- Need advice on stewardship and community management projects.
- Want to get the best from new housing development. Whether we’re helping a volunteer update their hall’s fire equipment, supporting a community-led plan, or working with the statutory sector on a major placemaking project, we know how to help. Collaborative and integrity-driven, we are passionate about bringing different people together to nurture community-led action and help places and people adapt to change. Co-founded by Grace Hadow OBE, Community First Oxfordshire initially focused on providing art and literature to rural places, advocating for new public libraries and community halls in rural Oxfordshire. Building a 'community' is always a work in progress, and since 1920, we have adapted our services to meet the county’s needs. However, the provision of better housing and sustaining locally based services and solutions were early aspirations of Community First Oxfordshire and remain so today.
