A NEW wine bar is hoping to keep punters in West Oxfordshire rather than going into Oxford city centre for food and drink.

The No12 Bar has been open for just over a month in Langdale Court in Witney.

The new bar is occupying the same site where Nortons bar was situated.

Following the birth of her child, Witney resident Lucy Dixon began looking for a new project after 10 years working in finance.

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The 30-year-old said the journey since has been far from smooth, however is now firmly looking ahead to a bright future.

The owner of No12 Bar said: “I’ve always had a dream to open a wine bar.

“I had a baby in September but I’m the kind of person who can’t stand still so I was looking for projects to stimulate my mind.

“Nortons was up for sale back in November so I thought it was a great opportunity.

“The business then went bust in January so there was no business to sell but I was able to finalise a lease at the end of February.

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“Our first opening was horrific, with everything going on at the time and then things started to get more and more serious.

“However I kept my head down and pressed on with things, and pushed forward the timeline for opening.”

During this time, the business was open for takeaway coffees as it sought to build up its customer base.

Then came the Government announcement that pubs and bars could reopen on July 4.

“We read all the guidance and saw we could open safely and it’s grown really well since then, much better than I thought especially with a global pandemic,” said Mrs Dixon.

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“In the daytime we’re doing teas and coffees, and light snacks.

“At the beginning, we thought there’s enough places to eat so the focus was on drinks but we’ve soon realised the people of Witney love eating out so we’re trying to push that.”

The new bar will be taking part in chef residencies on Thursday to Sundays, allowing a chef to come in for two weeks and cook up their cuisines.

So far, both Spanish and Japanese food are on the menu for these residencies.

There will also be coffee and gin tasting clubs where the public can learn more about different coffees and gins.

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Mrs Dixon said she hoped these events would provide a way for the new business to connect with the public.

“For me, the main thing is that I do something that people don’t have to go out into Oxford city and instead do things here in Witney,” she said.

“We want to offer an experience rather than just going out for a meal and a drink.”

To highlight the new bar’s commitment to the local area, the business has teamed up with Charlbury-based SpecialEffect with proceeds from whipped coffees going to the charity, which helps people with physical disabilities play video games.