Showcasing youngsters in the Oxford Mail has always been a pleasure.

Our photography team received invitations to many events throughout the year to capture their diverse activities.

Some children felt camera-shy and needed encouragement to stand in front of the lens, while others eagerly embraced the attention.

Due to the volume of photographs our team captured, not every image could make the cut, but with the daily Oxford Mail and our collection of weekly publications, there was a strong possibility your child would be featured somewhere in our editions.

The children in the first photograph were willing models because they hoped readers would contribute funds.

They were members of the Roots organization based in Oxford, and although a minibus appears in the image, it had been rented, so they were seeking to acquire their own vehicle to help them travel around.

Pictured from left to right in 1989 are Adrian Prescot, age four, Shirene Dyce, age four, Samantha Harris, age three, Sharmane Harris, age four, Derron Williams, age three, and Marcel Williams, age two.

We remain uncertain about what four-year-old Josie Pye in the second photograph was dipping her hands into – could it have been an indoor sandpit?

Josie Pye with an indoor sandpit (Image: Oxford Mail)

Regardless of what it was, she was thoroughly enjoying herself at the St Thomas Street day nursery in Oxford during 1997.

The third photograph presents another mystery regarding its location, though it clearly shows children thoroughly engaged in filmmaking while wearing an assortment of costumes.

Lord Mayor John Power, featured in the fourth photograph, participated in the activities at the Balliol day nursery in Oxford in 1993, while the fifth photograph depicts lively scenes at the North Oxford nursery where three-year-old and four-year-old children were spending time with Margaret Baker.

Youngsters with Lord Mayor John Power (Image: Oxford Mail)

Poppy the cat, appearing in the sixth photograph, became a major hit when the Playbus made its way to the Summertown nursery in North Oxford in 1995 – four-year-old Emma Crocombe, left, and four-year-old Emma Davison both enjoyed cuddling the feline.

The Playbus visits Summertown nursery (Image: Oxford Mail)

These photographs were captured by Mail photographers Susie Barker, Dave Fleming, John Lawrence, Athar Chaudhry, and Antony Moore.