Parishioners mark Rogation Sunday every year with walks to bless the land.

They joined local clergy in North Oxford in 1977 to say prayers at various points, including the Trap Grounds, the banks of the Oxford Canal and alongside the Oxford-Banbury railway line.

They were led by the Rev N Nenon, vicar of SS Philip and James Church and priest-in-charge of St Margaret’s Church.

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There was also a big turnout that year at Hampton Poyle, near Kidlington, where the rector, the Rev Mervyn Puleston, blessed the River Cherwell.

Tea was served at Home Farm, Hampton Poyle, and a collection was made to help pay for re-roofing the village church, from which thieves had stripped lead.