Help us spread some Christmas joy!
🎄✨ Please SHARE this with someone who deserves a lovely evening out. ✨🎄
Blackbird Leys in Lights
📅 Saturday 6th December
⏰ 5–7pm
📍 Outside Church of the Holy Family
💛 Free hot drinks · Music · Carols · Community warmth
Christmas is always best shared together.
Hit SHARE to brighten someone’s week. ❤️
Windale Community Hub was delighted to hosted Her Royal Highness Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and celebrate community leaders, groups and a wider group of volunteers contributing to local community. She commended the tireless efforts of everyone involved in making the Windale Community Hub such a success. She highlighted the importance of community spirit and the collective power of individuals working together to create positive change. The Duchess’s visit to the Windale Community Hub on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, served as a powerful affirmation of the invaluable work being done by local community groups in the Leys community of Oxford, showcasing their dedication to improving lives and strengthening the fabric of society.
Date: 24th September 2025
Dovecote Voluntary Parent Committee a community-based organisation dedicated to supporting
disadvantage children, young people, families, and local residents by creating welcoming, accessible
opportunities and activities that are both engaging and inclusive is thrilled to announce it has been
awarded a four-year grant from the National Lottery Community Fund through its Reaching Communities
programme.
The substantial funding will enable Dovecote Voluntary Parent Committee to expand and deepen its work
with children, families and senior living in Blackbird Leys and surrounding areas]. The grant will support the
charity’s efforts to tackle social isolation, improve mental health, create community-led initiatives, etc.
“This funding is a game-changer for us,” said Rachel Partlett Chair of Dovecote Voluntary Parent
Committee “It means we can continue working alongside our community, growing our services and
responding to the real needs people are facing every day. We’re incredibly grateful to National Lottery
players for making this possible.”
Over the next four years, the grant will enable us to sustain our existing services while developing a range
of new initiatives to meet the evolving needs of our community. This includes the creation of welcoming
‘warm spaces’ like a Tea & Toastie Café, a wider programme of social and family events, and stronger
partnership working with local organisations. The funding will also help us make greater use of the
Dovecote by collaborating with other groups, create new community hubs, offer more volunteer
opportunities, and expand our team with new staff roles.
Quote from a community member, “ It’s really nice interacting with the kids at the SKIP (Senior & Kids
Intergenerational Programme) session. Staff are great with the children and make the sessions fun for the
young and us oldies from the Leys” Jean
The Reaching Communities fund is designed to help voluntary and community organisations make positive
changes in their communities by supporting people who are facing challenges and bringing communities
together.
For more information about Dovecote Voluntary Parent Committee and its programmes, visit
www.dovecoteproject.com or follow facebook; dovecotevoluntaryparentcommittee, Instantgram:
thedovecotecentre
Long standing after school and holiday club provide BLAP is due to close its doors in September unless they can secure 40k of additional funding to secure their provision for the year and bed in their fundraising strategy.
Find more details on their website and message to parents and do get in touch if you can help! http://blap.org.uk email them at [email protected]
A True Engine of the Leys
Maggie Lewis was the beating heart of our community—ever watchful, always welcoming, and deeply devoted to connecting neighbours near and far. Through her cherished Facebook page and tireless work with the neighbourhood watch, Maggie wove bonds of trust, care, and unity throughout the Leys. She believed in the power of people and the strength of togetherness.
The Leys Engine website stands as a tribute to Maggie’s vision. It exists to bring our community closer, to unlock potential, and to create pathways toward health, wellbeing and opportunity—just as she always dreamed.
Her spirit lives on in every story shared, every connection made, and every positive step forward.
The Leys Engine Team