MOTHER-of-two Rosie Thomas is 50, but that hasn't stopped her heli-skiing in Canada, scuba-diving in the Cayman Islands, white-water rafting and climbing to 20,000ft on Everest, writes Helen Peacocke. Now she can boast that she drove in the 90th anniversary
OXFORD East MP and Employment Minister Andrew Smith says the Government's New Deal welfare-to-work programme is beginning to reduce unemployment. He said recently released figures reveal that 69,000 young long-term unemployed people have so far benefited
THE Government has given Rover a grant of more than £350,000 as part of a national drive to get more freight on to rail. The money will help Rover develop a major new railhead next to the Cowley plant to cut lorry movements. Rover will eventually move
By George Frew ALL the way through Undercover Heart, we had never been sure if loopy Lois would end up back with her husband Tom, or whether she'd settle for fancy-man Matthew instead. The series ended last night and we still don't know. But we do know
Inspectors highlight improvements in English, maths and the quality of teaching in their exemplary report on a primary school. Stephen Freeman School, Didcot, has overcome most of the major weaknesses pointed out in its last inspection in 1995, according
THE Ford Focus goes on sale on October 15 starting in price at £12,850 for the 1.6 and 1.8-litre Zetec three-door models and the 1.4-litre five-door CL. All 28 models in the Ford Focus range will feature standard driver and passenger airbags and low insurance
British rally champion Renault Dealer Rallying aims to end its season on a high with Formula 2 division victory - possibly even a one-two result - on the final round of the world championship, the Network Q Rally. Martin Rowe (above), of Banbury, who
Bookshop boffins have come up with a scheme to beat the A34 roadworks - delivering books free of charge. Blackwell's predicted major roadworks in Oxford would deter customers from visiting the city centre and hit trade. So bosses came up with a scheme
Roadworks causing five weeks of chaos on Oxfordshire roads could have been done in just NINE DAYS. That's the claim of top county council officers, who have has attacked the Highways Agency for its handling of the repairs. David Young, director of environmental
fighting fund bails out United Oxford United's non-playing staff were dramatically bailed out yesterday - by the fans' fighting fund Sous. Two trustees of Save Oxford United Soccer - organiser Terry Gardener and treasurer Geoff Joynson - handed over a
OXFORD United have turned down a £400,000 offer from their former manager Denis Smith at West Bromwich Albion for goalkeeper Phil Whitehead and midfielder Paul Powell. The bid came following the collapse of Joey Beauchamp's move from Oxford to Southampton
UK car buyers are getting a poor deal because they are prevented from buying the car they want, when they want it and at a reasonable price, the Consumers' Association has told MPs. Some car companies stop buyers from shopping around for the best deal
VOLKSWAGEN has launched the Golf V5 five-door hatchback priced at £18,895. At its heart is the new five-cylinder Volkswagen engine, which is derived from VW's acclaimed VR6 engine, but with one cylinder less. Acceleration from 0 to 62 mph, with the car
DO you have any memories of the Cowley car plant and the models it produced? As part of the run-up to the launch of the new Rover 75 in spring, 1999, Wednesday Wheels plans to turn the clock back on car production in Oxford by spotlighting the models
MORE than 80 Hartwell trainees and apprentices have celebrated completing their National Vocational Qualifications in a range of motoring subjects. These included motor vehicle servicing, body repairs, vehicle refinishing, parts, sales and administration
Richard Branson's Virgin Rail look set to announce a rise in ticket prices of up to 26 per cent. Virgin, which runs services through Oxford and Banbury stations, is to raise fares for thousands of passengers travelling on off-peak, open and first-class
FORD'S Escort replacement, the Ford Focus, swept the board in the race to win the title of European Car of the Year 1999. The mid-range car fought off opposition from its arch-rival, the Vauxhall Astra and the Coventry-built Peugeot 206, but emerged as
ROVER has dismissed as "speculative" reports that production of the Mini for the new Millennium could be moved to Hungary. It said both BMW and Rover's preferred option was at Rover's Longbridge plant in Birmingham but it depended on "cost reduction,
DAIHATSU'S Grand Move has been given a series of mechanical and cosmetic improvements, including a boost in engine size to 1.6-litres. Prices stay the same with the Grand Move at £11,595 and the Grand Move+ at £13,595. Pet names HALF of Britain's drivers
Have-a-go hero Adrian Selby was stabbed in the leg after confronting two youths trying to break into his car. One of the would-be thieves plunged a knife into the back of his leg as Mr Selby, 25, struggled with his accomplice. The attack happened outside
A WINDSCREEN repair kit is being marketed by Banbury accessory manufacturer Summit Automotive. The £10 kit uses a syringe to draw the air out of a windscreen chip and inject a specially formulated adhesive into the space to leave the screen free from
VOLKSWAGEN has given its luxury people carrier, the Caravelle, a new dashboard and revised trim levels at no extra cost in most versions. It is also the first people carrier, in eight seat form, to have Isofix child seat mounting points. Meanwhile, Citroen
Councillors are demanding to know the names of the money men behind a Bahamas-based company negotiating to buy the county's top football club. Oxford City Council's director of property and leisure John Arnold told the strategy and resources committee
More than 40 protesters went on the march to protest about plans for an £8m centre for disadvantaged young people. The Government-backed foyer project, planned for the site of the Abbey Place car park in the centre of Oxford, has been named as the city
insurance wrangle DRIVER James Pratley, who has declared war against motorists using mobile phones at the wheel, has another major motoring moan. He is angry about insurance companies he claims short-change drivers after their cars are 'written off'.
The full bitterness of the Morrell family feud will be out in the open on Tuesday at an industrial tribunal. Former chief executive Charles Eld will claim he was unfairly dismissed in May, as he fought plans to sell the brewery and its 132 pubs. Mr Eld
An elderly widow trapped in a house blaze was saved when firefighters kicked in her front door and dragged her out. Julie Morgan, 76, was found spluttering on her knees at her home in Stockmore Street, Oxford, in the early hours today. She was treated
Arsonist Mark Durham has been given a chance to stay out of trouble after he started a blaze at a school. The 22-year-old, of Peregrine Road, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, set fire to papers in offices at Peers School, Littlemore, Oxford, when he was drunk
Sheila Jones, of the Financial Times, reports on the success of an engineering industry sector WHEN Dresser-Rand, the US-owned engineering venture, decided to close a factory in Manchester and make 400 of its UK workers redundant, it looked for an agency
STAFF and partners at the Oxford office of business advisers Grant Thornton have made a tidy £11,000 saving over the last 12 months. And the secret? "Rubbish...or rather lack of it!" says office managing partner, Stephen Dexter. In 1997 Grant Thornton
OXFORD trainer Hazel Walden, described as a credit to the profession by NGRC boss Frank Melville, will hand over the reins to son Paul in the new year. A veteran of over 30 years in the sport, her stock answer to people who asked when she was to retire
Firms are finding that saving the planet is in their commercial interests says Chris Koenig Sipping Champagne with an urbane banker in the Victorian splendour of the Ashmolean Museum may seem an odd way to save the world, but the quietly spoken chief
A PIONEERING hi-tech system is being launched in Oxfordshire which aims to spot burst water pipes - before they happen. Burstcast is a forecasting system designed to anticipate the number of additional busts in cast-iron underground pipes due to cold
The Oxford Mail's KATHERINE MacALISTER finds superstar Tom is as brilliant as ever... It's called the Tom Jones Experience and now I understand why. Love him or hate him, the Welsh legend is one of the all-time great performers. The fact that he's still
A toy manufacturing and distribution firm has become a hive of activity after clinching a lucrative deal to supply film merchandise for a new Disney animated blockbuster. Ravensburger, in Bessemer Close, Bicester, will be distributing jigsaw puzzles based
War veteran Arthur Titherington is just days away from a verdict in his battle to get compensation for former Japanese prisoners of war. The ex-PoW will know on Thursday the outcome of his fight with the Japanese Government. Judges at the Tokyo District
It looks like something from war-torn Bosnia or downtown in the Bronx. But this scene of destruction is closer to home. These four burned out wrecks were spotted in Greater Leys Road, near Minchery Farm, Oxford, this week. Oxford police have received
More than 500 letters protesting over plans to close community hospital beds have been handed over to an MP. Letters to Health Minister Frank Dobson were collected in Witney as part of the Deluge Dobson Day organised by the Save our Community Hospitals
A senior hospital manager claims patients would be better off if two community hospital closed, infuriating campaigners fighting to keep them open. Oxfordshire Community Health Trust chairman Jenny Kirkpatrick said keeping Watlington and Burford Hospitals
DRIVERS using the Ordnance Survey's 1999 Motoring Atlas of Great Britain will get far more than just route information. As well as the one inch to three miles mapping, new features include maps highlighting routes into London from the M25 and a countrywide
By Richard Tilley The Richard Tilley on-line comment page will start next week Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Oxford Apollo (0870 6063500): 8pm, Richard Digance. Sat, Hank Marvin. Oxford Playhouse (01865 798600): Until Sat 7.30pm, Fri 8pm, Sat mat 2.30pm, Oxford University Dramatic Society presents The Libertine by Stephen Jeffreys. Burton Taylor Theatre (01865
England and Wales will be mainly dry but cold with some mist and fog developing. Tuesday: The odd shower is possible in the south-east at first and it will be another rather cold day. However, once any early morning mist and fog have cleared, most of
THE Audi A6 Avant 2.5 TDi scooped the 16th annual Caravan Club Towcar of the Year competition, only the third time that a diesel-engined car has taken the overall title. On the test track, the Audi A6 Avant 2.5 TDi impressed the judges with its punchy
FAST expanding financial services group Perpetual has announced a mini jobs boom in Oxfordshire. The company is mounting a drive to recruit an extra 50 staff to meet increasing business. The firm, which is one of the most successful independent investment
MOTOR enthusiasts are gathering in Oxford later this week to celebrate the 60th anniversary of a "forgotten marque." This year marks the diamond jubilee of the Morris Eight Series E, which was built at Cowley from 1938 to 1948. The Series E remained in
A businessman is accusing South Oxfordshire District Council of killing off traders by forcing through crippling rent hikes. He claims businesses are already suffering and are unable to bear the burden of rising, back-dated ground rents. Howard Brett,
VAUXHALL has announced competitive prices for its new Astravan. The range starts from £9,895 for the Envoy 1.6i up to £12,065 for the LS 2.0Di. Frugal Lupo is launched VOLKSWAGEN has unveiled a new little car which it claims can squeeze more than 94 miles
JAGUAR has taken the wraps off its new 150mph mid-sized sports saloon - the S-type. To be produced at the company's Castle Bromwich plant in the West Midlands, the car is being given its world debut at the British International Motor Show at the NEC.
A couple say their son's education is suffering because he cannot get a place at a special needs school. Gerald Cox, and his partner, Karen Bigvand, both 40, said their son, Shane Cherril, six, was not getting the education he needed from his current
After almost 50 victories in world class rallies in all corners of the globe and 30 years of competing at the highest level of the sport, rally fans will bid a fond farewell to the works Ford Escort at the Network Q Rally. The event marks the final appearance
An Oxfordshire stately home makes its debut as the backdrop for one of next Sunday's special stages of this year's Network Q Rally of Great Britain. Last year rally crews blasted through the grounds of Blenheim Palace, this year it is the turn of Cornbury
LAND Rover is recalling 10,500 of its Freelander models in the UK because of a rear suspension problem. The recall involves vehicles built before June 1998 and concerns the welding in the joints of the rear suspension arms. The company said there had
JOEY Beauchamp's name was not high in the popularity stakes among Oxford United staff following the collapse of his move to Southampton. Mystery surrounds the exact reasons for Saints pulling the plug on the deal, but it appears that it was not merely
Midlands-based car company Peugeot has held out the hope of creating more than 3,000 extra jobs. The company said it was "in a good position" to introduce an extra, third, shift at its Ryton plant at Coventry where its new Peugeot 206 model is being made
A NEW sporting flagship from Saab, the Saab 9-3 Turbo Sport, goes on sale next month. Available in three-door coupe, five-door and Convertible formats, it features a 200 horsepower, 2.0-litre turbo engine, leather interior, sports bodystyling and chassis
VAUXHALL'S new Astra saloon joins the range for 1999 completing the main model line-up. The new car offers customers the choice and added security of a separate, enclosed boot - and for extra load space, the rear seat folds forward. The saloon will be
HARTWELL Ford has hosted a workshop for primary teachers to promote the Ford-sponsored educational pack Motoring Through History. The pack was launched by Ford last year, and has been designed for teachers of seven to 11-year-olds. It celebrates 100 years
The 1998 International Motor Cycle Show will be staged at the NEC, Birmingham, from November 14-22. The organisers, Motor cycle Industry Exhibitions Ltd, have expanded the show to satisfy visitors and exhibitors needs. Extra floor space - increased to
Companies are being warned about a gang which has carried out ten delivery scams involving £10,000 worth of goods. Police in Oxford are worried the fraudsters will increase their activities in the run-up to Christmas. The conmen leave a £50 deposit with
ANTIQUE metalwork restorer Alan Bourne has a painstaking labour of love on his hands. Alan, of Drayton, near Abingdon, is in the process of restoring a 1927 Morris Oxford car which he found in 1974. The car was in a completely derelict state in a lean-to
VOLKSWAGEN UK will be selling left-hand-drive models of the eagerly-awaited new Beetle from spring next year. Demand for the new Beetle in the United States, following its enthusiastic reception at the Detroit Auto Show last January, has already caused
BRITAIN'S business fleet market gains a new contender next spring with the launch of the new SEAT Toledo. The sleek four-door is aimed squarely at the heartland of the medium sector where most new cars are sold in the UK. The car, which is expected to
CAN anyone remember who created the bizarre class of off-road vehicle that never dips an elegant toe in anything deeper than a Park Lane puddle? I blame Suzuki for the rise and rise of the phoney 4x4. The rot started back in 1979 with the arrival of the
WITH world launches, live motorcycling action and free test rides, this week's International Motor Cycle Show is expected to be Europe's most popular biking show. More than 190,000 people will visit Birmingham's NEC to see the launches of over 80 new
FORGET the green wellies, the Tata Gurkha is for wearers of black wellies - with reinforced steel toe caps. Rugged it may be - but refined it is not. Tata may be a rare name on the roads, but the Indian manufacturer is busy chiselling itself a small but
Villagers can be forgiven for thinking something fishy's going on with their new mobile police station. The £20,000 purpose-built station has recruited a new partner in its fight against crime - an equally mobile fish and chip shop. Visitors to the new
A businessman is accusing South Oxfordshire District Council of killing off traders by forcing through crippling rent hikes. He claims businesses are already suffering and are unable to bear the burden of rising, back-dated ground rents. Howard Brett,
Chairman designate of area's development agency informs Brian Groom, of the Financial Times, it is in line for ten per cent growth a year SOUTH-east England can achieve economic growth rates of nearly ten per cent a year and become one of the world's
The merger of Southern Electric and Scottish Hydro is likely to herald yet more bid activity in the sector, writes Andrew Taylor of the Financial Times THE spate of mergers among UK electricity utilities, which face their biggest period of change since
By Emma Simon, personal finance correspondent of the Press Association TERM time is here again. For parents who chose pay for their children's schooling this can be an expensive time of year, as the cost of educating just one child outside the state system
SIX internationals, including former Wales captain Ieuan Evans, will grace Iffley Road tonight when Oxford University begin their home programme with an attractive looking match against Bath. Such is Bath's great strength in depth that none of the six
THE Oxfordshire women's tennis team, fielding their strongest-ever line-up, romped to a clean sweep and promotion from Division 4 of the LTA Winter County Championships at Hull. Having beaten Cambridgeshire 8-1 on Friday, they repeated the scoreline against
EVERYONE knows that, as with evolution itself, many bright ideas which might have changed the world never saw the light of day, writes Chris Koenig. They fell upon stony ground. No-one could or would finance them. But Oxfordshire people have less excuse
OXFORDSHIRE tennis ace Tim Henman aims to bounce back from losing his Battle of Britain 6-2, 6-4 against Greg Rusedski when he takes on Spain's Carlos Moya in the ATP Tour Championship semi-finals in Hanover today. Henman, from Weston-on-the-Green, said
Patricia Hockley despaired of ever finding Mr Right. The 38-year-old single mum had tried all the normal avenues and had just about given up when she was persuaded to join an introduction agency, writes Katherine MacAlister. Now happily wed to her first
Every year, there are £14m worth of competition prizes to be won in this country - which is why every morning, Robert White gets out of bed at 5.30am and spends a couple of hours before work dreaming up slogans that could win him anything from a load
DO you have any memories of the Cowley car plant and the models it produced? As part of the run-up to the launch of the new Rover R75 in spring, 1999, Wednesday Wheels plans to turn the clock back on car production in Oxford by spotlighting the models
Opening times October 23-31: 9.30am-7pm November 1: 9.30am-5.30pm Theme Days Classic Car Day: October 29 Motorsport Days: October 30 and 31 Adventure Day: November 1 Admission Prices Adults £10; Children (under 16 and senior citizens) £5 Preview Day £20
PLANS are currently being developed to celebrate the 40th 'birthday' of a motoring legend - the Mini. Launched on August 26, 1959, the Austin Seven and the Morris Mini Minor took the world by storm. Now in its 40th year of production, the Mini, as it
Brave Caroline Braddick tried to revive two women killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in a country pub. Accountant Caroline, 26, of Carterton, near Witney, raised the alarm when two friends failed to show for breakfast at the 16th century Crown Inn in
