A GROUP of Oxford residents are revving up for their largest annual celebrations.

Organisers of the North Hinksey Festival are putting the finishing touches to a planned three-week celebration with concerts, art exhibitions, a street fair and a classic motor show.

The festival was started five years ago because organisers thought not enough was being done to promote community spirit in the area.

This year’s event, which begins today, has been extended from the previous nine days.

The centrepiece will be a large street fair held in the West Way Shopping Centre, Botley, on Saturday, with a vintage car and motorbike display from 2.30-4pm.

There will be about 20 bikes and cars from the 1950s and ’60s in the car park of Grant Thornton accountants in Chapel Way.

Classic motorbike enthusiast Maurice Belcher, who is organising the display, said: “The problem with North Hinksey is it hasn’t got a centre or a village green.

“Our centre is a shopping precinct.

“People have such busy lives these days, it’s hard to get people together, but anything we can do to help people get together has got to be beneficial.

“The festival has helped us to do that previously and let’s hope it can continue to do that.”

The festival starts with a display of photos from Botley’s past and present inside Barclays Bank in the shopping centre, which will last for 11 days.

A concert featuring female barbershop singers and a Paraguayan harp soloist will be held in Botley Baptist Church on Wednesday.

Other events include a two-hour walk to the boundaries of the parish on Saturday, June 12.

A tour of the Commonwealth war graves will be held on Sunday, June 13, before cream teas are enjoyed at St Lawrence Church in North Hinksey.

Organiser Jenny Barker said: “It’s quite a strange parish and it’s difficult to organise things because the area doesn’t really have a ‘heart’.

“But people see things going on and get curious and suddenly start talking to each other.”