Our History
Our Centenary Review
In October 1920, Grace Hadow, Dr WGS Adam, and AH Griffiths formed Community First Oxfordshire – initially called Oxfordshire Rural Community Council.
With Britain recovering from the fallout of World War One, Community First Oxfordshire was created in response to a growing need for public services in rural areas.
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New ideas are stirring in the countryside, men who have come back to service across the sea, women who have come back from work in munition factories have learnt a new independence and a new vision… we need a wider vision of better living.
Sir Horace Plunkett, Sidney Ball Lecture, Oxford, 1920
Community First Oxfordshire was the first rural community council in England. It initially focused on arts and literature and the provision of public libraries and village halls. However, in alignment with a growing appetite for social change, the charity soon began addressing a broader spectrum of societal needs, including housing, unemployment, planning, education, health, community assets, and enterprise.
Community First Oxfordshire has changed significantly since 1920. Initially focusing on rural communities, our work now extends across the county. Building a community is always a work in progress, and we have adapted our services to meet the county’s needs since the very beginning. However, the provision of better housing and sustaining locally based services and solutions were early aspirations of the organisation and remain so today.
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