July 7 marks the first anniversary of the London terrorist bombings in which 52 people died.
Thousands of people travel from Oxfordshire to the capital everyday. Jeremy Stern spoke to some of those affected by the attacks. Miriam Hyman was killed in the bus blast at Tavistock Square. Her sister Esther lives on Cowley Road in Oxford.
 | | Esther Hyman |
"Miriam spoke to my father on her mobile phone after she'd been evacuated from the Northern Line Tube. At that point she must have got on the number 30 bus. We just thought she was missing but by the evening we were worried enough to get in touch with the emergency line that had been set up. We waited over the weekend and we were assigned a family liaison officer. Her identity was confirmed on the Monday.
"It's been the most difficult time of our lives, but at the same time with the establishment of the Miriam Hyman Memorial Fund it's been overwhelming how much we've been able to turn the events around and counteract the negativity. That's really helped everyone involved.
"I'd like to think we've had a positive response to the events. We've chosen to focus on the future, but of course we're grieving what we've lost and adapting to the circumstances in which she was lost." Jane Imbush commuted from Didcot Station to Fleet Street, via London Paddington. What started as a normal day turned into one she'll never forget. "I caught the train as normal in the morning. It wasn't until after our meeting finished in Fleet Street that we realised there was a problem. We couldn't get anybody on the phones. Eventually I got hold of my mother and husband.
 | | Jane Imbush |
"I walked back to Paddington. The thing that struck me most was how desolate London was even though there were so many people there. It was so quiet and all the banks and shops were closed. Lots of people were just milling about, not doing anything of any purpose. "It was very difficult walking through London thinking 'Was that bomb the last one?'. Regularly I think back and think it could have been me, and it could still be me. It might happen again."
Oxford Bus Company driver Mark Hastings was in central London as the bombs went off. He went back to London to pick up commuters later in the afternoon. "My departure from Oxford was at 6.40am. We arrived in London at 8.30am. The traffic was very heavy as usual. When we reached Edgware Road it was at a standstill. I wondered what was going on. "We were told on the radio there'd been power surges on the underground system. I saw lots of emergency services vehicles and lots of people.
 | | Mark Hastings |
"When we got to Marble Arch it was horrendous, there must have been 50 or 60 people trying to get back to Oxford on my coach. I still didn't know what was happening. "I only found out about the bombs when I got back to Oxford. I was shocked. In the morning all coaches to and from Oxford were suspended. "I went back to London in the afternoon. It was totally clear. I've never seen London like it. When I got to the bus station, people were agitated, they just wanted to get out. Every coach that came back to Oxford in the afternoon was full up."
11:45am services will take place at:
Banbury Farmers Market, Banbury Cornhill, Marketplace
Henley Town Centre, Falaise Square
Iqra School, Lawn Upton House, David Nicholls Close, Littlemore | 
