- The latest NAEA report suggests that some first-time buyers, particularly in areas outside of London are pushing themselves further in order to maximise the benefit of stamp duty relief. In this way, they suggest, they are skipping the traditional first home and making the jump straight up the ladder to what might previously have been their second purchase, thus also saving on future stamp duty costs.
- While shrewd of first-time buyers, if this becomes more widespread, pressure is likely to intensify on next rung of the ladder making it harder for those true ‘second-steppers’ who wish to move up the ladder out of their first home.
As with so many festive traditions, the twelve days of Christmas leading to Twelfth night are familiar, even if their roots seem a little shrouded. Generally recognised as the period been Christmas day and the Coming of the Epiphany the period marked the traditional length of Christmas festivities. Pagan beliefs also explain the tradition of taking down festive decorations on Twelfth Night. These decorations often took the form of evergreen foliage (typically holly and ivy) and some believed that tree spirits sheltered in the decorative sprigs. Removing them either before or after Twelfth Night came to be regarded as unlucky as the disgruntled spirits would exact a toll in the following year’s crops! 
On 9th November 2017, four professionals from some of Oxfordshire’s local businesses gathered together to present at the historic 
