Well-being at the SSL

 

Food and Drink:

Although we ask that food and drink (excluding water/hot drinks in KeepCups) is not brought into the library itself, there’s still plenty to be had on-site! During regular opening hours you can grab some hot food at the Manor Road Café upstairs or the Missing Bean just up the road in the St Cross Building. Out of hours, there are still two vending machines in the balcony area behind the café. These offer an array of drinks as well as crisps, chocolate bars and flapjacks. You can eat them at the seating area provided, the sofa at the entrance or even outside on the benches on a nice day.

 

Outdoor Spaces:

As well as our outdoor seating area, there are several green spaces within just a few minutes’ walk of the SSL. Below are a couple of choice spots for taking a relaxing study break:

University Parks (7 minute walk) – from the Southern entrance you can choose a variety of different paths, such as the Oak and Thorn walks, or along the River Cherwell. The Parks’ website features a helpful mA bench built from wooden slats beside a large tree trunk covered in lichen and moss. Sunlight is shining through the trees behind.ap of these routes, as well as a guide on the different types of tree found along them. For example, the Oak Walk features a Tibetan Whitebeam tree which blooms with tiny white flowers in late spring. The South Walk also takes you past the ‘Genetic Garden’, dedicated to genetics researcher Professor Cyril Dean Darlington. Darlington first established the garden in 1964 to showcase the evolutionary spectacle of plants, and many of the original trees and shrubs are still there. For more information, visit the Universty Parks website: https://bit.ly/3Ez8Ygw.

Marston Meadows (10 minute walk) – the Marston cycle path runs down the southern edge of University Parks. If you follow it down across a bridge, you will come to a grassland meadow which lies adjacent to the Cherwell. Several plants on the Rare Plants Register have been found growing within the meadow, as well as in the other grasslands that lie along this stretch of the river. The path is a nice route to walk along to take a half hour away from study. Watch out for cyclists though!

Oxford Botanic Gardens (10 minute walk) – thought to be Britain’s oldest botanical gardens, the Oxford Botanic Gardens were founded in 1621 to supply the University’s medical students with useful herbs and plants. The Walled Garden provides a lovely space to relax amongst the plant beds, or there is a variety of different glasshouses to explore featuring plants from far-away climes. Entrance is free for students who can produce a valid ID card.

 

Getting Support at Oxford:

The University of Oxford provides a number of different seA graphic of a person facing to the left sat at a computer wearing a headset as though listening to a caller. One of their hands is on their keyboard and the other under their chin.rvices to support their students’ wellbeing. These include the University Counselling Service, Peer Support Programme and Oxford SU Student Advice Service. In addition, the student-run confidential listening service Nightline is available between 8pm and 8am every night of term if you need someone to talk to. For further information about these services and their contact details, please visit how the University of Oxford’s Welfare and Wellbeing page at: https://bit.ly/3vZlFyJ.

 

 

 

 

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