Archive

  • U's quintet stuggling

    OXFORD United have injury worries over five players ahead of their trip to Lewes. Midfielders Adam Murray and Joe Burnell missed training yesterday, to add to the concern over Phil Trainer, who came off with a groin injury against Cambridge. Striker

  • United fans rally behind club

    Oxford United fans say they will dip into their own pockets to help buy its £13m stadium from former owner Firoz Kassam, as they rally round the club. Supporters were responding to a statement from chairman Nick Merry who said he would welcome "initiatives

  • First time triumph for gardener

    Oxford's keenest gardeners were blooming with pride tonight at the city's annual flower awards. The Oxford Mail-backed Oxford In Bloom presentation evening — held at Roman Way Sports and Social Club in Cowley — was attended by hundreds of green-fingered

  • Nursing move sparks protest

    Nursing staff staged a protest today following plans to switch their Oxford workplace — a move they claim will hit patient care. Officials from the unions Unison and the Royal College of Nursing are in dispute with managers regarding the proposed

  • Rats lead to £365 fine

    A landlord has been fined after failing to deal with a faulty drain which led to a rat infestation. Aslam Javid Dogar, of Lime Walk, Headington, admitted failing to comply with a legal notice served under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act

  • 2,500 miles with 200 hitches

    A charity fundraiser has shared his experiences of life on the road after traversing almost the entire length and breadth of the country by hitchhiking. Stephen Hancock spent two and a half months on the road — travelling more than 2,500 miles and

  • Man jumped to his death

    A depressed man jumped to his death from Templars Square multi-storey car park in Cowley, an inquest heard. Simon Ashmore, 41, of Coach House Mews, Bicester, had been fighting depression and anxiety problems for years in the lead-up to his death on

  • Landlord fined for rat problem

    A landlord has been fined after failing to deal with a faulty drain which led to a rat infestation. Aslam Javid Dogar, of Lime Walk, Headington, admitted failing to comply with a legal notice served under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, when

  • Nursing move sparks protest

    Nursing staff staged a protest today following plans to switch their Oxford workplace — a move they claim will hit patient care. Officials from the unions Unison and the Royal College of Nursing are in dispute with managers regarding the proposed move

  • NHS joins forces with university

    Oxford's major hospitals could be reorganised into a ground-breaking academic super trust as early as next year. Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust is in the process of redrawing its existing bid to become a foundation trust, in order to create a

  • Easy riding on restored towpath

    The latest phase of a £1m scheme to repair the River Thames towpath in Oxford has been completed. Sections of towpath in the Fiddler's Island area of Oxford have been resurfaced at a cost of £400,000. Philip Swan, of cycling group Cyclox, is pictured

  • Woodstock Festival is growing fast

    Four years ago, the Woodstock Literary Festival was launched as the little brother of the Oxford Literary Festival. Now it is all grown up, with its own special identity — and has attracted the backing of a major sponsor, The Independent and

  • Helping hand for disabled

    A directory offering information on services and organisations for disabled people has been launched in Oxford. Oxford City Council has teamed up with Oxford Brookes University to create the city's first disability directory. The directory

  • Funky Monday

    It seems that this week has been THE week to launch your new club night. Wednesday saw the launch of You! Me! Dancing! at the Regal, and Monday saw the launch of Monday Club at the Carling Academy. Monday Club is a welcome addition to the Oxford clubbing

  • Still rockin'

    Spending his 60th on a tour bus in Hull isn't exactly rock-and-roll. But then not much is for Rick Parfitt these days, except the legendary Status Quo stage show, of course, which steams into Oxford's New Theatre next Saturday. Because Rick

  • Tired old myth

    It is a tired old myth that Prime Minister Winston Churchill chose to ‘sacrifice’ (or to ‘martyr’) the city of Coventry rather than risk revealing the existence of the ‘Ultra’ code-breaking facility (Oxford Mail, September 22). The facts, conveniently

  • Appeal over £56k fraud case

    Police have released an appeal in connection with a £56,000 fraud. A brief statement issued this afternoon said detectives were appealing for information after money was fraudulently taken from a woman. Det Tracey Nicolson, investigating the incident

  • Shaky ground

    Derek Honey's assertion that the Gospels contradict each other (Oxford Mail, September 16) rests on very shaky ground. Nowhere does Matthew claim that Jesus's family was well-to-do. The fact that his genealogy includes King David simply confirms Jesus's

  • Child abuse — remain alert

    Richard Tammadge asks if paedophilia is worse today (Oxford Mail, August 28). I remember several years ago, a man from Kidlington wrote to the Oxford Mail suggesting that the Childline helpline for children was exaggerating how many calls it received

  • Star quality

    Anyone who watched BBC2's Masterchef Professionals will have stared in awe as three chefs competed neck and neck for the coveted prize in Friday's final. It was pretty obvious from the start that there were only really two contestants, and one of them

  • Kidnapping bid fails

    A man jumped out of a car and tried to grab a woman in what police are treating as an attempted kidnap. The 25-year-old woman was walking in Marsh Road, towards Crescent Road, in Oxford, at 11.15am yesterday, when a silver 4x4 car — possibly a Mercedes

  • Man jumped to his death

    A depressed man jumped to his death from Templars Square multi-storey car park in Cowley an inquest heard. Simon Ashmore, 41, of Coach House Mews, Bicester, had been fighting depression and anxiety problems for years in the lead-up to his death on April

  • More jobs as airport expands

    OXFORD Airport is expanding its private jet facilities, as mass-market airlines struggle to stay afloat. Next month, 15 new engineering jobs will be created at Oxford by aviation company PremiAir, which is moving its fixed-wing maintenance operation

  • Perm visitors eye up centres

    Visitors from Oxford's Russian twin city of Perm have been getting a taste of the local community spirit. Envoys from the city have arrived on a fact-finding mission to learn how community centres in Oxford are run. They will be visiting community

  • Friend rescued from house fire

    A pensioner who rescued his best friend by hauling him free from his burning home has won a top bravery award. Trevor Wood, 70, was praised by firefighters for battling through smoke and flames to rescue his 90-year-old neighbour Reg Ingram. Mr Ingram

  • Hero helped to save crash man

    An off-duty police officer has been hailed a hero after racing to the rescue of a man trapped under a van. Oxford's crime reduction adviser Graham Milne, 48, was driving home from a wedding in Scotland when he saw a van lose control, veer off a road

  • Single parents combat stress

    Single parents are using the power of meditation to combat the stress of screaming children and running a home. Mothers in Oxford have been attending a series of workshops aimed at teaching them how to cope with the aggravation that goes with raising

  • Hitchhiker's 2,500-mile charity trip

    A charity fundraiser has shared his experiences of life on the road after traversing almost the entire length and breadth of the country by hitchhiking. Stephen Hancock spent two and a half months on the road — travelling more than 2,500 miles and hitching

  • Dads plan to go wild

    Penalty shoot-outs, a climbing wall and live music will be among the attractions at Oxford’s first Dads Go Wild event. Up to 300 people are expected to attend the celebration of fathers at South Oxford adventure playground, off Whitehouse Road, on Saturday

  • Hospitals back 'super trust' plan

    Oxford's major hospitals could be reorganised into a ground-breaking academic super trust as early as next year. Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust is in the process of redrawing its existing bid to become a foundation trust, in order to create

  • Cabbages and Kings

    "You're from the sticks — you must know.” This observation was made by Marjorie who, until a decade ago, was a school ma'am of the old school, instilling into sixth formers, and in equal measure, knowledge of the Classics and fear of failure.

  • Crash man, 73, dies

    An Oxford pensioner who was injured in a road accident in Northamptonshire last month, has died. Thomas Braun, 73, of Lonsdale Road, Oxford, died today, following the crash on the A361 on August 22, near the Aston le Walls crossroads, north of Banbury

  • THE WOMAN IN BLACK at the Oxford Playhouse

    LIKE Blood Brothers, Les Misérables and — pre-eminently — The Mousetrap, The Woman in Black has become one of the great cash cows of West End theatre. Novelist Susan Hill could hardly have guessed as she penned her macabre mystery at her Oxfordshire

  • Crash pensioner dies

    An Oxford pensioner who was injured in a road accident in Northamptonshire last month, has died. Thomas Braun, 73, of Lonsdale Road, Oxford, died today, following the crash on the A361 on August 22, near the Aston le Walls crossroads, north of Banbury

  • Police respond to rise in complants

    Complaints levelled against police have risen by 15 per cent, the latest figures revealed today. There were 967 complaints made against Thames Valley Police in 2007/08 according to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). This is an increase

  • Rail problems fixed

    Problems on rail lines at Didcot have been fixed, according to Network Rail. A points and track circuit failure occurred at 11.41am. Network Rail spokesman Nathan Quigley said: "A reduced service continued to run between Reading and Oxford, and Reading

  • TAKEN (15)

    Action/Thriller. Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Katie Cassidy, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, Olivier Rabourdin, Leland Orser, Holly Valance. Director: Pierre Morel. IF JASON Statham wasn’t bus racking up points on his licence for speeding in

  • Woman defrauded of £55,000

    Police are appealing for information after a woman from Oxford had about £55,000 fraudulently taken from her. Det Tracey Nicolson, who is investigating the incident, said: “This woman has lost a large amount of money to a man who works as a financial

  • DEATH RACE (15)

    Action/Thriller. Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, Natalie Martinez, Max Ryan, Justin Mader, Robert LaSardo, Robin Shou, Frederick Koehler, Jacob Vargas, Jason Clarke. Director: Paul WS Anderson. LOOSELY based on the

  • RIGHTEOUS KILL (15)

    Thriller. Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Carla Gugino, Brian Dennehy, Melissa Leo. Director: Jon Avnet. DE NIRO and Pacino. Pacino and De Niro. Two titans of the big screen with three Academy

  • SWING VOTE (12A)

    Comedy/Drama. Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, George Lopez. Director: Joshua Michael Stern. ON NOVEMBER 4, more than 100 million voters will cast their ballots for the

  • ARCHERY: Simpson going for World Cup glory

    Oxford's Nichola Simpson aims for glory this weekend in the FITA World Cup Grand Final, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The 52-year-old competes in the women's compound tournament, alongside three rivals Jamie Van Natta, 30, of the United States, Croatia's

  • RACING: Cole tribute to River Proud

    Whatcombe trainer Paul Cole has paid tribute to stable star River Proud after he collapsed and died at Longchamp on Saturday. Oliver Peslier had cut out much of the running on the classy three-year-old in the Group 3 Prix du Prince d’Orange. However

  • RUGBY UNION: Chinnor back Neilson

    Chinnor will defend flanker Angus Neilson at next month's RFU disciplinary hearing after he was cited for an illegal tackle. Neilson was cited by Henley Hawks following the tackle on Jack Shaylor in their National 3 clash at Kinsgey Road on September

  • FIXTURES: September 26

    SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. BLUE SQUARE PREMIER. Lewes v Oxford Utd. FA CUP. 2nd qual round: Oxford C v Tiverton Tn. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Div 1 South & West: Didcot Tn v Bishops Cleeve, North Leigh v AFC Hayes, Uxbridge v Abingdon Utd

  • ROWING: Miles and Maguire strike silver

    Kirsty Miles, of Oxford Brookes University, and Lindsey Maguire, of Wallingford, returned from the European Championships with silver medals, writes Mike Rosewell. Rowing in the Nos 6 and 7 seats of the British women’s eight, the duo had to adapt quickly

  • Rail problems ease

    Problems on rail lines at Didcot have been fixed, according to Network Rail. A points and track circuit failure occurred at 11.41am. Network Rail spokesman Nathan Quigley said: "A reduced service continued to run between Reading and Oxford, and Reading

  • Bloomsbury pays £2m for Oxford publisher

    AN OXFORD academic publishing company has been bought by Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury in a £3m deal. Bloomsbury will pay £2m initially for Berg Publishers, which pioneered the concept of fashion theory. Another £1m could be paid

  • RUGBY UNION: Quins without six

    Oxford Harlequins are likely to be much-changed when they travel to South West 1 leaders Redingensians tomorrow. Lock Adam Pearson, back-row forwards Ed Davies and Ferdi Gerber, fly half Mark Forth, centre Andy Noyce and full back Huw Jones are all

  • TRIATHLON: Mytton is champion

    Oliver Mytton won Oxford Tri Club's championship after a strong finish. Mytton, Crispin Hetherington and Matthew Rowley were all in with a shout of victory, going into the run. But Mytton raced clear to beat Hetherington by 26 seconds on a course

  • ROWING: Mattick beats them on his own

    The 2007 world lightweight champion Paul Mattick proved unbeatable when he returned to local waters at the weekend. After finishing fifth in the GB lightweight Olympic four, Mattick, racing in a single, was the fastest boat of the day – 7mins 4.2secs

  • Today's local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 37.25 BMW 2295 Electrocomponents 163 Nationwide Accident Repair 126.5 Oxford Biomedica 8.25 Oxford Catalyst 171 Oxford Instruments 233.25 REED 575.75 RM 169.5 RPS Group 270.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • CRICKET: Over 50s aim to fulfil Primett's dream

    There will be one person firmly on the minds of Oxfordshire Over 50s cricketers when they take on Lancashire in the final of the ECB 50+ Championship on the Nursery Ground at Lord's this Sunday. Derek Primett, who set up and ran the side for more than

  • Oxfordshire talks business

    The Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group is set to launch its brand new events calendar in October. The new programme will include one core event per region to run alongside its varied calendar of events. These events will be uniform, taking place

  • FOOTBALL: Abingdon sweat over injured trio

    Abingdon Town could be without three keys players for their FTL Futbol Hellenic League Premier Division clash with Reading Town at Culham Road on Saturday. Defender Louis George suffered severe concussion following a blow to the head in last

  • CRICKET: Meet Oxon's Over 50 Lord's finalists

    Andrew Wingfield Digby. (Bicester & N Oxford). Captain, left-hand batsmen, right arm seamer. Born 25/7/50. Educated: Sherborne & Oxford Univ, where he gained four Blues. Captained Dorset to victory in the Minor Counties Holt One-Day trophy at Lord's

  • Our Country's Good, Watermill Theatre, Newbury

    Twenty years ago to the month, in the year of Australia's bicentenary, Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good premiered at the Royal Court Theatre. This harrowing depiction of life in the penal colony of Botany Bay (based on Thomas Keneally's

  • Local author

    Sophie King is the pen name of journalist Jane Bidder, who lived near Thame for many years before moving to Herts. The Supper Club (Hodder, £6.99), her fourth novel, is about the lives and loves of a group of friends who take turns to hold dinner parties

  • Sighs matter at Chez Gerard

    Chez Gerard sounded like a bad 80s flashback when leg-warmers, Wham and deep pan pizzas were the new kids on the block. But hey, I'm not one for prejudices and once inside the French brasserie, I was ready to be surprised. SO WERE YOU?

  • Riflemind, Trafalgar Studio1, London

    A man stands silhouetted in the light from an open door, half-singing, half-talking to himself. Solo, repetitive, gruff, swaying, twitching, bags under his eyes, greying hair, rubber sneakers and thousand-wash jeans. He seems to be waiting for his words

  • Paperback choice

    A Short Walk in The Hindu Kush Eric Newby (Picador, £8.99) A 50th-anniversary edition of a great travel classic, with the original preface by Evelyn Waugh, a new epilogue by Hugh Carless and photographs of the legendary journey from Mayfair

  • Russell Howard, Oxford Playhouse

    ‘This gig is on!" yelled Russell Howard as he loped on stage 50 minutes after the audience had filled the Playhouse. (The arithmetic is simple, by the way: 8pm announced start, followed by a just-adequate 20-minute intro from one Stephen Hall and

  • The Woman in Black, Oxford Playhouse

    Like Blood Brothers, Les Misérables and — pre-eminently — The Mousetrap,The Woman in Black has become one of the great cash cows of West End theatre. Novelist Susan Hill could hardly have guessed as she penned her macabre mystery at her Oxfordshire home

  • 'Allo 'Allo

    This wasn’t so much a comedy as a tale of desperate folk grappling with a script in which drama was strictly rationed and the jokes had gone AWOL. On the opening night, the acoustics were poor, though this flaw might have been an oversight by the

  • Steeped in war

    What makes a novel special? Obviously, it is a highly subjective exercise, but in Dennis Hamley’s latest novel, a chapter involving Elgar’s Cello Concerto does it for me. Divided Loyalties is about the impact of the Second World War on a family in England

  • War in pictures

    The military historian Richard Holmes — not to be confused with the biographer of the same name who will be at the Woodstock Literary Festival next month — is a prolific author and TV presenter, famous for the War Walks and Wellington BBC series. Now

  • It's crunch time for cutting those bills

    Buying British food during the credit crunch is something that the organisers of British Food Fortnight are addressing in earnest this year. With food prices accelerating at their fastest rate since records began, and with no assurance they will ever

  • 34 weeks been and gone!!

    Well 34 weeks has been and gone, i feel the size of a house and this little fella is giving me lots of pain. Braxton hicks are coming every day and really regular now, im waiting for the day that its not braxton hicks and its the real thing. I have

  • Anglo-Indian Apple Crumble

    Great British Food (Dorling Kindersley, £22) is a compilation of the very best recipes from Great British Recipes and Great British Menu Cookbook, two earlier books produced to accompany BBC 2’s television series Great British Menu. It gathers together

  • Fun at the festival

    LOVE ALL Elizabeth Jane Howard (Pan Macmillan, £17.99) The organisers of the Independent Woodstock Literary Festival seem to have found the perfect speaker in Elizabeth Jane Howard. Her latest novel features a group of characters, each wrestling with

  • Country cookery lore

    WISE WORDS & COUNTRY WAYS FOR COOKS Ruth Binney (David and Charles, £9.99) You don’t have to have a kitchen bristling with equipment to be a good cook, though sharp knives and a few well-constructed pans will always come in useful. What you need

  • Student money

    They apparently live on a shoestring but somehow they always seem to have enough money to spend on beer, and they wear the latest designer trainers. If you live in Oxford, there is almost certainly a bunch of them moving into a house near you. But mock

  • Harvey crowned Porsche champion

    Tim Harvey was crowned champion in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Brands Hatch after finishing second to Tim Bridgman in final race of the season. There was disaster for poleman Tim Bridgman (Stansted) in round 19 as the grid assembled when

  • Complaints against police rise

    Complaints levelled against police have risen by 15 per cent, the latest figures showed today. There were 967 complaints made against Thames Valley Police in 2007/08 according to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). This is an increase

  • Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, New Theatre

    For a musical that revels in being politically incorrect, it’s ironic that Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is set in Oregon, a state that in recent years has been downright liberal in regard to sexuality, recreational drugs and environmental activism.

  • Landlord fined over rat problem

    An Oxford landlord who failed to deal with a faulty drain that led to a rat infestation has been prosecuted by Oxford City Council. Aslam Javid Dogar, of Lime Walk, Headington, pleaded guilty at Oxford Magistrates' Court to failing to comply with a

  • Robbery trial due to start

    A 15-year-old boy accused of robbery will have his case heard at Oxford Crown Court tomorrow. The teenager from Blackbird Leys, Oxford, who cannot be named, was remanded in custody at Oxford Youth Court today. He faces two charges of

  • Private jet firm creates 15 jobs

    Fifteen new jobs are being created as Oxford Airport expands its private jet facilities. Aviation company PremiAir is moving its fixed-wing maintenance operation from Blackbushe, in Surrey, and by the end of the year, its Oxford base will have a workforce

  • FRATELLI'S, 247 COWLEY ROAD, OXFORD

    Kevin Coulson tries out 'twelve inches of fun' at a former Italian restaurant ... WHEN La Capannina restaurant closed after 44 years and a new management team bought the lease, a swift six-week renovation began. Now Fratelli’s has emerged offering

  • Today's local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 37.5 BMW 2268 Electrocomponents 161.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 128.5 Oxford Biomedica 8.4 Oxford Catalyst 171 Oxford Instruments 236.75 REED 566.75 RM 170 RPS Group 269.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Lord Mayor offers reward

    The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Susanna Pressel, is offering a £100 reward for the return of her bag that was stolen from the Town Hall, Oxford. At 8.48pm on Tuesday, a man walked into the Lord Mayor’s Parlour and stole the Lord Mayor’s work bag. Ms

  • Dr John Barron: Classicist and former master of St Peter's

    Distinguished Oxford University scholar and leading figure in the world of British higher education John Barron has died aged 74. His time in Oxford began in 1953, when he came up to Balliol College to read classics, where he was greatly influence

  • Bicester wins In Bloom award

    Bicester scooped second prize last night in the prestigious Britain in Bloom competition. The town was presented with the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) Silver Gilt Award at a ceremony held in Chester. Almost 70 communities had been shortlisted

  • Kate Stanley: Defended qualities of Summertown

    A determined defender of the special qualities of Summertown and Woodstock, Kate Stanley, has died at the age of 88. For more than 50 years she was a resident and familiar figure in both communities, often rallying support to protect and promote its

  • Phil Warr: World-ranked senior tennis player

    A tennis coach from Oxfordshire who died of a heart attack was described as a loving family man. Father-of-two Philip Warr, of Warborough, near Wallingford, suffered a fatal heart attack at home on September 6, aged 56. Partner Sarah Kilby, 43, said

  • Chicago food scheme inspired Oxford charity

    The Community Emergency Food Bank serves people in Oxford who are facing a domestic and financial crisis and cannot feed themselves or their families. CEF is a charity founded by Jane Benyon, a retired social worker, who was inspired by a similar idea

  • Unearthed: the fishy tale of college dining

    Fish was the food of the day for the dons of medieval Queens College, writes CHRIS KOENIG The chairman of the UN Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change — who last year jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize — would certainly have approved of the

  • Now let's hear it for Science Oxford . . .

    By Anne Lechelle, marketing manager, Science Oxford Since Science Oxford first opened in October 2005 it has been enthusing visitors, young and old alike, about the wonders of science. Whether it is families with children learning through playing

  • Late maybe but so full of colour

    VAL BOURNE on the ability of irises to repeat flower in the autumn The Indian Summer has so far failed to arrive. It’s been more like November in Cardiff — warm, grey and wet — with apologies to the rugby capital. So I have been clutching at

  • 'A wonderful natural beauty'

    For half a century Aston Rowant Nature Reserve has given pleasure to thousands of visitors, as well as protecting important flora and wildlife This month Aston Rowant Nature Reserve celebrates its 50th anniversary. The South Oxfordshire habitat

  • Dual approach to performance of choral works

    GILES WOODFORDE talks to the two conductors who are the inspiration behind the new Oxford choir, Encoro "A camel is a horse designed by a committee,” goes the rather unkind expression. But plainly conductors Janet Lincé and Sarah Tenant-Flowers

  • Dawn chorus

    SIMON COLLINGS previews English Sinfonia concerts — and a debut single English Sinfonia celebrates the release of the orchestra’s debut single on Monday on its new record label ES Digital. The recording features Towards the Dawn, a recently composed

  • Passion of the tango and some baroque gems

    The Latin theme of this year’s Oxford Chamber Music Festival mixes South American, Spanish and Italian music. NICOLA LISLE talks to artistic director and violinist Priya Mitchell It takes Priya Mitchell several months to put together the Oxford

  • Man dies in crash

    A 31-year-old man from Banbury has died after a car and a lorry were involved in a collision on the A361 in Northamptonshire. The crash near Banbury Lane, Chacombe, on Wednesday at 9.40am, involved a Ford Focus estate car and a Leyland DAF skip lorry

  • Gang 'attacked teen with bar'

    A gang of youths from Didcot wielding baseball bats and metal poles attacked a teenager and left him with temporary brain damage, a court heard yesterday. Shane Hare, of Mereland Road; Benjamin Sinclair, of Kibble Close; and Damon Bishop, of Churchill

  • Baby left with brain damage

    A father who shook his baby daughter so hard he left her permanently brain damaged has been jailed for six years. Gary Johnson "lost it" after he was woken by his eight-week-old daughter Nicole screaming — and shook her to the point she was left

  • Move 'will lead to poorer service'

    MOVING Oxfordshire's fire control room to a regional base in Hampshire will lead to a poorer service and increase the potential for 999 call handler mistakes, a former fireman has warned. John Farrow, a county fireman for 38 years, fears the

  • Ingenious

    What a novel idea to solve a water crisis. Allotments at North Hinksey have no fresh water, causing difficulty for existing plot holders and making it hard to attract newcomers. So parish councillors decided to call in an expert in the ancient art

  • No mercy for this evil father

    There are few crimes more repugnant than physically shaking your own baby so hard it causes permanent brain damage. Yet that is what 21-year-old Gary Johnson did to his daughter Nicole, all because he "lost it" when she woke screaming one morning, as

  • FOOTBALL: We're right behind boss says Foster

    Oxford United's key defender Luke Foster says all the players are firmly behind manager Darren Patterson to get the U's back up the table. Last season's player-of-the-year returned from a four-game suspension to play his part – and a significant part

  • Baby left with brain damage

    A father who shook his baby daughter so hard he left her permanently brain damaged has been jailed for six years. Gary Johnson "lost it" after he was woken by his eight-week-old daughter Nicole screaming — and shook her to the point she was left unable

  • Hats off to 99-year-old

    A 99-year-old widow has knitted 400 woolly bonnets for premature babies born in Oxford. Helen Sherman took two years to reach the milestone. And the feat was made all the more impressive considering she was forced to abandon her home for nine

  • Sale to aid children's memorial

    A couple who launched an appeal to raise £10,000 to build a children's memorial in Hardwick Cemetery, Banbury, and buy monitoring equipment for the Horton Hospital have organised a car boot sale to boost funds. The sale takes place on Saturday at the

  • Event targets older people

    Volunteer charity WRVS is holding an open day and information fair on Saturday, September 27 at the Cornhill Centre, Castle Street, Banbury. The event is aimed at older people living across Cherwell. As well as being able to pick up information about

  • Young carers take to the sky

    Young carers were treated to a taste of the high life — after taking off for a fun flight. The treat was designed to reward children from the Witney Young Carers scheme. Around 60 children were taken up in two and four seater planes by local pilots

  • Stars take to stage

    Four dance-mad girls from a school in Oxford have been chosen to take part in a thigh-slapping musical at the New Theatre. Connie Brady, ten, Isobel Brook, nine, Hannah Crook, nine, and Amy Paddick, ten, all attend the Vera Legge School of Dancing

  • Gang 'attacked teen with metal bar'

    A Didcot gang wielding baseball bats and metal poles attacked a teenager and left him with temporary brain damage, a court heard yesterday. Shane Hare, of Mereland Road; Benjamin Sinclair, of Kibble Close; and Damon Bishop, of Churchill Close, all aged