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The Varsity Blind Tasting Match was created in 1953 by Harry Waugh and is the oldest organized Blind Wine Tasting competition in the world. It celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
Those who have competed in, coached for and judged this match over the years believe that the time, effort and competitive spirit of the match deserves to be recognised for "Blues" status as awarded through the Blues (sporting and "mind sport") Committee. We invite past competitors, Judges and members of their respective Blind Wine Tasting Societies and Wine Clubs to sign this petition in support of Blind Wine Tasting earning its Varsity Blue status.
To view a video report on this year's Blind Tasting Match visit: http://www.youtube.com/embed/kqyD-3jovq4
2. Support the Oxford Christmas Market 
Dear Supporter,
The Oxford Christmas Market is a German-style Christmas Market that was established in 2009 by NiRa Events, a small local business.
The market has been located at Oxford Castle since 2009, however discussions have been held each year with Oxford City Council to host it in Broad Street – our preferred location. Various issues and regulations have always stood in the way of the application being successful.
Unfortunately, despite different marketing approaches and great supporters such as Jack FM, First Great Western, Oxford City Guide, Oxford Times and Oxford Mail the footfall during the weekdays at Oxford Castle remained too low to make the market a viable option for 2012.
We therefore contacted the Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council in early 2012 and handed in a new application to move to Broad Street.
After a considerable amount of work by ourselves and Council officers we were given to understand that our plans had met with approval.
But on 27th September we received an email from the Council stating that our "application has been turned down on the basis that there are no strong grounds to support a move away from the Oxford Castle site."
We appealed against the decision, but were told that it "is the Council's intention to re-open discussions with stakeholders about the use of Broad St for market events and to seek to draw up a fresh agreement with them. But that will not happen until next year (2013)."
After many emails supporting the Oxford Christmas Market, we have set-up this petition to support our final application for next year.
Please support the Oxford Christmas Market by signing this petition if
- you have been to the Oxford Christmas Market in the past 3 years or
- you intended to visit the Christmas Market this year
and would like the Oxford Christmas Market to return in 2013 on Broad Street.
Many thanks!
3. Oxford Pools, Exercise, Health and Sport
A new pool for Oxford should be built where all Oxford's competition pools have been built since the first one in 1840, in COWLEY!
The present 25 year old Temple Cowley Swimming pool, Diving pool, Training pool, Gym, Exercise studio, Steam and Sauna rooms could be repaired and refurbished very affordably, saving council tax payers millions of pounds to spend on things people DO want in Blackbird Leys, Rose Hill, Wood Farm etc.
Temple Cowley Leisure Centre in Cowley, is not just a swimming pool and is used by all ages and groups, children, older people, women, ethnic minority groups, disabled and many would have to give up their health routine if we lose facilities in this area of Oxford.
And we want to keep Temple Cowley Library!
The Council will close the Cowley Marsh Works on Marsh Road. This site has good road access, good bus access, is next to a large recreation park and sports pitches, is already a brownfield site therefore virgin park land would not be lost.
IF the City Council insist on building a new pool and replacing all the excellent facilities we already have, then this must be in COWLEY, using already-City-Council-owned land like Cowley Marsh, and where we can ALL access it.
4. Make Schnazzy an official word
The word Schnazzy has long been used in schools around the globe. In this fast-changing world, we plead that the Oxford English dictionary recognize this word as true English.
5. Save Parking in the Iffley Road
Oxfordshire County Council proposes to remove the parking bays along the Iffley Road from The Plain to Bullingdon Road in order to make way for a cycle lane.
This plan is permanent and the bays will be gone for good, not just during the current roadworks. This plan will result in
- The severe reduction of parking spaces for local residents, which will be especially grave during the proposed redevelopment of the St Clements' Car Park.
- The severe reduction of parking for customers of businesses in the area with the removal of short term parking bays in the Iffley Road.
- The dramatic increase in road noise and vibration caused by large vehicles passing much closer to the houses in the Iffley Road once the parking bays have been removed.
- The inevitable increase in speeding vehicles in the Iffley Road due to the removal of the parking bays which currently calm traffic and provide an effective chicane, in due course make cycling MORE dangerous not less.
Given that the proposed removal of the parking bays will only provide a cycle lane for a matter of a few hundred yards the overall improvement for cyclists will be minimal, yet it will also be at substantial cost to the already hard-pressed ratepayers of the borough.
Meanwhile the Iffley Road will be turned into a quarter mile straight which cars, buses and lorries can power down unimpeded, with one zebra crossing in the middle – an accident waiting to happen ?
6. A Living Wage for all Oxford University employees
A Living Wage is the minimum level of pay required to maintain a decent standard of living. Unlike the minimum wage, it takes into account many factors including the actual costs of housing, council tax, transport, food and childcare in that area.
The Living Wage is calculated by a formula from the National Income Standard, which is authorised by the Rowntree Trust.
Oxford City Council pays a Living Wage. The Greater London Authority promotes and pays a Living Wage. Universities, such as UCL and LSE, pay a Living Wage.
It is time Oxford University pays a Living Wage.
This petition demonstrates the wealth of student support for the Living Wage Campaign and will force the university and colleges to recognise that this is an important student and community issue.
How you can get involved:
1. You can come along to weekly meetings and get involved in helping to run the campaign. If you are interested in becoming a regular member please email: livingwage@ousu.org
2. You can be someone who we call on when we need to show the university that our campaign has support across the wider student community. This involves showing up to demonstrations and signing this petition! See ”What’s on in OUSU” in the OxStu for updates.
7. Save Local Democracy in Oxford
The Executive Board of Oxford City Council proposes to abolish or downgrade Area Committees and/or remove their local planning powers.
We want to keep our area committees because:
-they are held in our communities and are easy to get to;
-they allow us to raise local issues and get problems fixed;
-they give us the chance to tell our local councillors what's important to us, and debate big local issues;
-we can use the backing of area committees to help us with campaigns for better services;
-the councillors who make planning decisions about where we live and how developments will affect us must be people who know the area and understand our needs.
8. Oppose the Redevelopment of St Clements Street Car Park
A planning application has been submitted to Oxford City Council for the redevelopment of St Clements Car Park to provide 4 blocks of student accommodation (141 bedrooms) upto 6 Stories in height.
The development will reduce the number of public car parking spaces from 113 to 63 and there no arrangements in place for the provision of a temporary car park during the estimated 12 - 15 month construction period. Businesses and other services in St Clements and Cowley Road, Iffley Road and the lower end of the High Street are totally dependent on the car park given that the only alternative is strictly controlled on-street permit only residential parking. The inability of customers to park within reasonable proximity will seriously undermine the ability of local businesses to survive, which will lead to the potential decline of what is a well established and vibrant area.
The proposals amount to a vast over development of the site. The amenity of adjacent properties would be adversely affected and the outlook towards the River Cherwell and Angel and Greyhound meadow beyond would be diminished. The design and scale of the buildings would have a harmful impact on the St Clements and Iffley Road Conservation Area and the adjacent Grade II listed James Stirling Florey Building and 27 St Clements Street. Trees which positively contribute to the site will be removed to facilitate the development and proposed new planting is entirely inadequate.
9. Stop the Oxford English faculty dropping Paper 1 (The English Language)
Currently proposed curriculum reform leaves no space for a language or criticism paper. We believe this move to be regressive, and lacking in proper student consultation.
Dropping Paper 1 would be detrimental to the University. Narrowing the course would limit the extent to which Oxford can attract and maintain the most capable and aspirational students and faculty.
Whilst aspects of the curriculum may warrant reform, losing Paper 1 in favour of maintaining space for the period papers is misguided. Learning how to analyse a text and to understand how a language can be unstable and changing brings you the confidence to approach even the hardest texts by actually beginning with the words on the page. Moreover, these skills enhance studies for the period papers.
There would be no literature without language. Scrutiny and investigation of the language we use, its history, and modes of application can only be worthwhile study.
10. End the postcode lottery for Oxfordshire residents
End the postcode lottery for Oxfordshire residents when it comes to IVF funding and to ensure that current guidelines for IVF funding are adhered to by Oxfordshire PCT.
NICE clearly state in their guidelines for fertility;
“Couples in which the woman is aged 23-39 years at the time of treatment and who have an identified cause for their fertility problems (such as azoospermia or bilateral tubal occlusion) or who have infertility of at least 3 years’ duration should be offered up to three stimulated cycles of in vitro fertilization treatment.”
Unfortunately, many PCT’s do not adhere to this, leaving many couples facing a tough financial commitment or the bleak possibility of having to wait until they are old enough to meet the PCT’s criteria. Whereas some PCT’s do not offer funding for treatment at all.
Please note: Waiting for treatment reduces a women’s fertility rate.
It seems that funding for IVF is not given on the basis of fairness, but on where you live.
For example, if you are in Coventry, your local PCT will follow nice guidelines, however in Oxford your PCT use their own rules making you wait until 35 years old. At this age success per cycle drops to only 23.6% (HFEA 2006).
This discrimination is unacceptable as National Health Insurance is not dependant on where you live, so why should healthcare be?
Former Secretary of State for Health, Dr John Reid, said that he wanted “all PCTs, including those who at present provide no IVF treatment, to offer at least one full cycle of treatment to all those eligible. In the longer term I would expect the NHS to make progress towards full implementation of the Nice guidance”. His deadline for this was April 2005, but little has changed
All I am asking for is - End the postcode lottery for Oxfordshire residents when it comes to IVF funding and ensure that current guidelines for IVF funding are adhered to by Oxfordshire PCT.
11. Caring for Families of New Osney - Probation Super-Centre No Way!!!
New Osney is a small, family neighbourhood near the centre of Oxford. We are made up primarily of young families, and elderly residents.
The proposed probation super-centre is clearly a great concern for all local residents.
The impact of such a centre on the safety of local residents and proposed centre staff, together with significant increases in local traffic levels, clearly make this a proposal that needs to be defeated.
12. Prevention of Influencial Neighborhood Store Closing
The residents of 17th West Oxford Street is writing this petition in reference to the closing of our neighborhood store. For the pass few years this store has served our community and created a positive environment for our community.
Having this store within our community provide a convenient and exciting outlet for their customers. If this store was to be terminated it would create a negative prospection in the community.
With signing this petition you will be supporting the remaining open and continue serve within the community.
13. Do you think Oxford, Alabama Should Have a Chuck E Cheese?
August 1, 2006
Think about it. How many people who live in Calhoun County, Alabama and surrounding counties have kids? How many times does the Chuck E Cheese Commerical come on tv? How many times does your child ask you, I wanta go to chucke e cheese please take me? Do you really want to drive to Bham or Ga to go to Chuck E Cheese?
I believe that if Oxford had a Chuck E Cheese they would triple their profits in one week to pay for the building. Because you will have people coming from Calhoun County, Talladega County, Etowah County, Cleburne County, Clay County and St. Clair County. Possible other counties coming.
We NEED A CHUCK E CHEESE!!!
14. To Change the Word "Customer" to "Canon Fodder" in the English Language
Retail workers of the world unite and seek retribution on the morons that do everything except actually spend money in our stores.
15. Circle Drive Community - stop speeding traffic on Circle Drive
We, the undersigned, are asking the City of Oxford to do something about the speeding traffic on Circle Drive.
A petition to allow people to skate in the paddling pool in hinksey park.