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A TODDLER was approached by a woman claiming to be from social services in what police last night called a ‘suspicious incident’. The two-year-old girl was being looked after by a woman in a communal garden in Stratton Way, Abingdon, on Wednesday afternoon

Clive Newcombe, of Pinnocks Way, Dean Court, Botley, was astonished as he captured a series of pictures of a bird of prey making a kill in mid-air at Farmoor Reservoir. The keen photographer and occasional bird-watcher, saw the rare scene while resting

I GREATLY enjoyed the letter from IWCA leader Cllr Stuart Craft about MP Andrew Smith’s expenses claims (OxfordMail, June 15). I’m astonished the Mail has been so soft on Mr Smith, not detailing the sheer penny-pinching involved in some claims. In

THE production line at the Cowley Mini plant will be closed until Monday, bosses have revealed. A strike at a supplier of steering components in France has meant the plant will continue to be closed throughout the weekend until the early shift

I HAVE got to hand it to those dismal bunch of Mill Street Protesters. They are resilient. They now have a name for their cause. It is West Oxford Campaign Against Mega Probation Centre otherwise known as WOCAMP. I do not believe this will have any

IN REPLY to Labour MP Andrew Smith (a man with wife secretary and office staff) on wrongful claims. I never thought I’d live to see the day Labour MP Andrew Smith confessed to making three wrongful expenses claims between 2004-2008 (Oxford Mail, June

I READ that the Equality and Human Rights Commission are attempting to challenge the BNP’s constitution and membership rules with a threat to effectively close down the BNP and disenfranchise those who voted for the party. Are they to challenge the

BACK in 1635, King Charles I appointed Thomas Withings as Postmaster General in Oxford, stipulating that the London-Bristol mail coach should run through the city. Exactly how many letters and parcels were delivered back then is unknown, but

HE was confrontational rather than aggressive. He was just sounding off, perhaps the consequences of a too salty breakfast kipper or pain from an ingrowing toenail. “I don’t expect you’ll have anything to write about now the anniversary of the chap who

A memorial service was held today at the school of a teenage air cadet who died in the mid-air crash above Drayton on June 14. Nicholas Langley-Rice, 15, of Calcot, in Reading, died in the collision which also killed 62-year-old RAF flight instructor

A motorcyclist is in hospital after a collision involving a bike and a car at the Heyford Hill Roundabout in Oxford this evening. The incident happened at about 6.35pm. A spokesman for South Central Ambulance said a 30-year-old man was taken to the

A CITIZENS Advice Bureau is to tackle Thames Water over fears it will target the genuinely struggling families in its scheme to restrict water flow to non-paying households. The Abingdon CAB has written to its head office and is to contact the utility

YVONNE Bishop has clocked up a decade of helping children safely to school. Mrs Bishop, right, from Sandy Lane in Yarnton, is one of 22 people honoured by Oxfordshire County Council for never missing a day during their years of service as lollipop men

Two men robbed an Oxford off-licence by pinning the shopkeeper into a corner and making off with vodka and cigarettes. The pair robbed the 7-Eleven shop, in Iffley Road, after one of the thieves asked to take a bottle of vodka outside to show it to

Philip Pullman surveyed the scene as he received an honorary degree from Oxford University and said no other institution could do it better. The writer of the His Dark Materials trilogy, set in a parallel version of Oxford, had the honour bestowed upon

Two men robbed an Oxford off-licence by pinning the shopkeeper into a corner and making off with vodka and cigarettes. The pair robbed the Seven Eleven in Iffley Road after one of the crooks asked to take a bottle of vodka outside to show it

A toddler was approached by a woman claiming to be from social services in what police have called a “suspicious incident” in Abingdon. At 1.40pm yesterday, the two-year-old girl was being looked after by a woman in a communal garden in Stratton Way

Police are appealing for witnesses after an Oxford shopkeeper was pinned against a wall while another man stole drink and cigarettes. At about 8pm on Sunday, a man walked into Seven Eleven in Iffley Road and asked the shopkeeper if he could look at

THOUSANDS of young cooks will be cooking up a storm at a festival of food this weekend. Children’s Food Festival director Eka Morgan, 43, from East Oxford, said she hoped visitors would top 16,000 – the number who came along to the inaugural festival

MP EVAN Harris has claimed efforts to censor parts of receipts of parliamentarian’s expenses published online were excessive. Dr Harris is standing by every claim he has made to run his office and says he believes there should be even more

BUSINESSES in Carterton have claimed plans to build a supermarket on the outskirts of the town centre would kill trade. Last week, it was revealed that Sainsbury’s planned to build a 26,000 sq ft store in the West Oxfordshire Business and Retail Park

FORCES veteran Bob Edwards is calling on people across Oxfordshire to honour the county’s servicemen during the first British Armed Forces Day on Saturday. Organisers hope the event will become an annual opportunity for everyone to show their appreciation

SWEETHEARTS Vic Chown and Hilda Hudson met at an open-air dance in Oxford’s Florence Park during the Second World War. The couple, who now live in Florence Park and are both 82, celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary today. Mr Chown

Farmers are being invited to join a scheme to cut down on rural crime in the Thame area. Police have been visiting farms in Thame, Chinnor and Watlington to encourage them to join Country Watch as they revitalise the scheme. PC Ian Kent, Neighbourhood

PRIMARY schools eager to win a makeover in our SOS contest have just over a week left to collect vouchers to be in with a chance. We are offering one lucky primary school a £7,500 facelift during the summer holidays, courtesy of the Leadbitter

PEARL Livett never imagined the charity she set up to make small donations to cancer research would become the money-spinner it has. But now, almost 20 years after the Friends of Kennington Cancer Fund held its first wine and cheese evening, the small

Police today issued a warning about a woman posing as a social worker who approached a two-year-old child in Abingdon. At about 1.40pm yesterday, a woman was looking after a two-year-old girl in the communal garden area in Stratton Way when

A BAND has been shaking Oxford with its samba beats for 10 years after its founding members met while working in a pub. Brazilian drum troupe Sol Samba, which has led the Cowley Road Carnival and played a host of city festivals, has now notched up a

AFC Wallingford, who just over a year ago were playing Hellenic League Premier Division football, are in danger of folding. A shortage of committee and players means that, for the first time in 87 years, the town could be without an adult football club

MCCA Trophy Oxfordshire captain Ian Hawtin admitted there had been some tough selection calls ahead of Sunday’s semi-final with Norfolk at Horsford (11). Hawtin and his fellow selectors have gone for a squad of 12 as Oxon bid to reach the final after

npower Village Cup Aston Rowant captain David Ridgley is giving his players every chance to fight for their place in Sunday’s last-32 clash clash at Ashcott & Shapwick. Ridgley, who skippers Rowant’s village cup team as Wes Morrick is ineligible,

Sunningwell CC take on radio station Jack FM next Tuesday in a match to raise funds for Oxford-based charity Sobell House. Proceedings get under way with juniors playing a game of ‘kwik cricket’ before the main match and a barbecue. Sunningwell are

AEA Technology 25 BMW 2237 Electrocomponents 141.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 80.5 Oxford Biomedica 12.4 Oxford Catalysts 55.5 Oxford Instruments 140 Reed Elsevier 458 RM 154.75 RPS Group 198 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Second-placed Banbury make two changes for the visit of Welwyn Garden City in Divsion 1 on Saturday. Damian Shirazi replaces Chris Smith (unavailable) at the top of the order, while Luke Ryan

Cholsey A lost their unbeaten away record when they visited North Oxford A in the Wilson OLTA League’s Mixed Yellow Division on Saturday. North Oxford fielded a very strong team, comprising of Jack Rooney & Hannah Booth, and Andy Sides and Louise Purton

Oxford's Sophie Marriott will be walking in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal and Venus Williams after winning at the county finals stage of the HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 and Under Challenge this week. Fourteen-year-old Marriott will represent Oxfordshire

SATURDAY. CRICKET. SERIOUS CRICKET HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE. Div 1: Banbury v Welwyn Garden City, Henley v Tring Park, Slough v Oxford. Div 2 West: Aston Rowant v Wokingham, Thame Tn v Gerrards Cross. THE OXFORD TIMES CHERWELL LEAGUE. Div

Didcot Phoenix successfully defended their title as fastest team in the area by winning the Ben Owen Memorial inter-club ten-mile time trial. Phoenix won by just five seconds in what turned out to be a tightly-fought race. Teams of five

Wantage & District (Poole Hamworthy, 17 sent 212): 1, 10, 11, 15 K Smith 1354, 1343, 1340, 1314; 2, 3, 4, 5 G Seeney 1353, 1349, 1348, 1347; 6, 19 P Kenny & V Segesdy 1346, 1297; 7 Mr & Mrs E Stoivin 1346; 8, 9, 14, 18 E Ilsey 1344,

A 27-year-old man was robbed as he walked home in Didcot. Police today appealed for witnesses after the man was approached from behind near the junction of Wantage Road at Manor Road at about 2.30am on Saturday. The robber demanded his victim put

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was robbed in Didcot. At about 2.30am on Saturday, a 27-year-old man was walking along Wantage Road. He stopped near to the BP Garage to have a cigarette and then carried on walking. When he was by

A MAN was discovered in the female shower and changing room of an Oxford sports centre. A woman was using the shower at Ferry Sports Centre, in Summertown some time between noon and 1.40pm on Sunday, when a man walked in, police said today.

A man was discovered in the female shower and changing room of a North Oxford sports centre. A woman was using the shower at Ferry Sports Centre in Summertown sometime between midday and 1.40pm on Sunday when a man walked in, police said today

AEA Technology 25 BMW 2285 Electrocomponents 144.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 80.5 Oxford Biomedica 12.8 Oxford Catalyst 55.5 Oxford Instruments 139.5 Reed Elsevier 452.5 RM 151.5 RPS Group 196.5

THREE cars were involved in an accident on the A420 between Swindon and Oxford this morning. The crash happened shortly before 8.15am, on the westbound carriageway, near the Watchfield roundabout. Traffic was forced to slow down past the scene while

Paul and Adele Dixon are no strangers to hard work, as the house they built a few years ago is on the market and they are already thinking about their next project. Their family home, Lawrence House in Freeland, near Witney, is a stylish, superbly

A three-car crash today partly blocked the A420 near Watchfield. The crash happened on the westbound carriageway before the B4508 Majors Road / Faringdon Road (Watchfield Roundabout). The crash happened shortly before 8.15am. Emergency

I was interested to read last Friday the comments of Benedict Nightingale, the drama critic of The Times, on the surprising laughter from the audience during the National Theatre’s new production of Racine’s Phèdre. By strange coincidence he provided

‘It’s a pub that doesn’t sell food because its customers don’t want it,” I wrote 22 years ago about The Bell, a tiny one-room local at Hampton Poyle. If only its then landlord Ernie Soanes could see the place today! The 17th-century building, which

I would not have missed this week’s production of Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy at the Oxford Playhouse, even if I had not been there to review it. The play has a special place in my affections, partly for its own merits but chiefly because

‘Fishing is a way of getting as close to nature as you can,” says Jim Robinson, the general manager of the Loch Fyne restaurant, in Walton Street, Oxford. Jim has been working with Loch Fyne for several years. He believes that his love of fishing

The South of France remains a very exciting place in which to make wine. Producers are not bound by all the rules governing strict usage of certain grape varieties that tend to prevail in many other areas of the country. The result is an array of interesting

It takes at least three years to produce an oyster of a good size, sometimes even longer. Loch Fyne oysters are harvested from a 60-mile-long loch in Argyll, Scotland, which is completely free from pollution. The loch is fed by two rivers which ensures

In the mid 19th century a Royal Commission found that fewer than one in eight children in England and Wales were going to school, or receiving any kind of education at all other than, perhaps, at Sunday School. That Commission reported in 1858, some

What do you call a comedy without a single laugh? The answer is Year One, Harold Ramis’s ramshackle road movie through the Paleolithic era headlined by Jack Black and Michael Cera, two of the most gifted comic actors of their generations.

My father is a civil engineer and I spent a considerable amount of my childhood looking at reservoirs, motorway bridges and roundabouts. What I remember most vividly about going to see them was less the structures themselves but the stories he told

The Barn at Blackbird Leys was a new venue to me, but with its rustic legacy and up-to-date facilities, it made a perfect setting for Oxfordshire Theatre Company’s new production, Dancing In My Dreams, in which Karen Simpson with musical director

Sir Fred and Mr B is the title of a new programme in which the company salutes two of the great choreographers of the last century, Sir Frederick Ashton and George Balanchine. Mr B’s contribution is Mozartiana, which I reviewed recently when it

The Oxford Bach Choir broke new ground last Saturday – and had they not done so, one might have suspected more than a touch of midsummer madness – with a programme of Gershwin (a Gershwin Portrait comprising many of his greatest hits, arranged by Mac

The leafy delights of an Athenian wood with its fairy denizens were swapped for the dank and depressing atmosphere of a jail as Propeller followed its production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a second Shakespeare play performed last week at

It’s the under-18s who will be excited to hear that two new Horrible Histories will be coming to The New Theatre next week. Despite the massive number of novels that Terry Deary has written, his name will mean very little to adults. However, it

While Patrick Hamilton’s excellent novels provide an uncomfortably accurate picture of life as it was led (by rackety characters such as himself at least) in the first half of the last century, his much-better-known stage plays, Rope and Gaslight

Astrantias are dainty plants with branching stems. Each individual pincushion of tiny flowers is held together by an attractively veined jagged collar of bracts. In recent years there has been an explosion of varieties and they now come in a far wider

Carlo Goldoni was a comedy writer so prolific – with more than 150 plays to his name, plus several dozen libretti – that our own Sir Alan Ayckbourn (72 plays so far, and rising) looks costive in comparison. Garsington has in the past delighted audiences

The breeding season is now over for many birds. Some of those surviving this period of extreme activity will have been successful in their efforts to produce more birds of their kind. Individual species have followed their own special patterns. Some

‘Orwellian’ needs something of a refit. The overused and abused adjective is rarely employed except to qualify the (supposed) ‘nightmares’ of our security-paranoid age. Really, though, in almost all circumstances, nightmarish or merely discomforting

Imagine what it would be like to look out to the horizon, knowing that nature is stretching out as far as the eye can see. Or consider the possibilities if wildlife intermingled with our daily lives in bustling towns and cities, giving us the chance to

This year is going to be Henry VIII’s. Imprinted on to our minds as a big rotund man, a tyrant of a king famous for having six wives and beheading two of them, and for the break with Rome and dissolution of the monasteries, with the 500th anniversary

Ever built a room from scratch in two minutes? Probably not, but that’s what the chorus, doubling as scene shifters, have to do in Longborough’s new Figaro. The work must be finished by the time conductor Gianluca Marcianò completes the overture, and

Timing is everything in comedy. Obviously it’s a great pity that current events made Iranian-born Shappi Khorsandi’s appearance so topical. But then she has been advancing from the horizons of stand-up rapidly to the point that she’s everywhere: a national

Henley’s spectacular riverside jamboree — now 27 years old — has two heart-throbs in this year’s line-up. Stunning Welsh songstress Katherine Jenkins is sure to set male hearts a-fluttering, while West End star John Barrowman will undoubtedly have the

‘What’s that smell?” Ab asks as the boat passes the Houses of Parliament. No, wrong, it’s not what you’re thinking – the smell in question has nothing to do with moats being cleared, or claims for non-existent mortgages. It’s 1858, the year of the Great

It’s always an intriguing concept: staging Janácek’s Cunning Little Vixen at one of the country house opera festivals. As humans stroll about before the performance in evening dress, real vixens live and die nearby. At Grange Park, the point was vividly

Yaron Herman and Pat Thomas are both pianists, they both explore improvisation and they’ve both played in Oxford’s Holywell Music Room. But the music they create illustrates the diversity within contemporary jazz. Pat Thomas, whose album Derek Bailey

After ten years in existence, the Oxford Philomusica continues to delight with its imaginative and exciting programming, and its two-month Haydn Festival will surely be looked upon in years to come as one of the pinnacles of its achievements. In true

Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy is a superbly crafted play that manages at once to be gripping, moving and – surprisingly – extremely funny. ‘Surprisingly’ because its subject matter – the legal battle to clear the name of a 14-year-old cadet expelled

Having overcome adversity herself, project manager at the West Way Day Centre, Sheila Jenson decided to create a happy place at the social day centre. After a car accident left Sheila with mobility problems, doctors warned her that she would no

Fire crews were called to Radley Lakes near Abingdon last night after a Land Rover accidentally caught alight. The blaze started close to one of the lakes off Thrupp Lane, at 7.15pm. Shortly before 9pm in Bicester, a fire started in a garden workshop

Ferrari president and Formula One Teams' Association chairman Luca di Montezemolo is revelling in the toppling of a man he has described as a "dictator" in FIA president Max Mosley. Di Montezemolo made it abundantly clear, in light of a peace pact

SATURDAY. CRICKET. SERIOUS CRICKET HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE. Div 1: Banbury v Welwyn Garden City, Henley v Tring Park, Slough v Oxford. Div 2 West: Aston Rowant v Wokingham, Thame Tn v Gerrards Cross. THE OXFORD TIMES CHERWELL LEAGUE. Div 1

THE Oxford Mail Centre will close at the weekend, ending a history of sorting post in Oxford that dates back more than 350 years. Back in 1635 Charles 1 appointed Thomas Withings as Postmaster General in the city, stipulating that the London-Bristol

Headington School completed a great treble when their eight won the Junior school event event at the Henley Women’s Regatta, writes Mike Rosewell. This gave the local schoolgirls the seldom achieved “big three” with wins in the Schools Head

TACKLING the recession is child’s play, according to David Fynn, who will open Toys UK in Didcot on Tuesday. He has also identified another site in Oxfordshire for his business. He said: “We saw an opportunity in Didcot to open a traditional

The Marquess of Blandford quit a reality TV show about being homeless after spending just two nights ‘on the street’. The marquess, who is the eldest son of the Duke of Marlborough and is also known as Jamie Blandford, had agreed to sleep rough

THE woman who fell 74ft to her death from Carfax Tower was thousands of pounds in debt, her grieving husband revealed last night. Patricia Stoute, 61, of Dunnock Way, in Blackbird Leys, died after falling from the tower, narrowly missing shocked

Oxford United’s new signing, Matt Green, says his move back to Oxford “ticks every box” – and has asked fans not to view him as a villain for leaving the club 12 months ago. The 22-year-old striker, who on Monday rejoined United on a season-long

INFAMOUS Oxfordshire aristocrat the Marquess of Blandford quit a reality TV show about being homeless after spending just two nights ‘on the street’. The troubled peer, who is the eldest son of the Duke of Marlborough and is also known as Jamie

Sir – John Graham’s comments about the hazards of letterboxes ( Letters, June 18) are very true indeed. During the electoral campaigns of 2005 I injured a finger when delivering leaflets. So, I later learnt, did Andrew Smith, our local MP, who

Sir – I am writing to encourage your readers to do something amazing in 2009 by jumping on their bikes to help children with cancer. CLIC Sargent, the children’s cancer charity, is giving people the chance to swap their cycle helmet for a sombrero

Sir – It was June 15, at 5.30pm, and I needed to go out in my car. We had just had a torrential downpour and it was rush hour. Oh dear, I thought, the traffic is always worse when it rains. I drove out of Mill Street, and saw a miracle. There was

Sir – During the last local elections, a constant stream of leaflets from the Liberal Democrats besieged my letterbox. All had a constant theme that the scandal of MP’s expenses was largely due to Labour and Conservative MPs and that bar the odd aberration

Sir – Carterton U3A is researching the town’s war memorial. We would welcome help from anyone who has information about A Gibson, P A Harris, or C White, who all died in the 1914-18 conflict. Originally the responsibility for putting names forward

Sir – Thanks to the county council for their sensitive restoration of the Thameside path north from Botley Road bridge — it’s a pleasure to see all the flag irises they planted out. Julian Le Vay, Oxford

Sir – I believe all the residents of Witney and the surrounding area will welcome the opening of the Marriotts Close with the new job opportunities and increased shopping outlets. However I have yet to find anyone who approves of the actual construction

Sir – Your readers may like to consider the difference between shared aspiration and effective and accountable leadership. Ms Tomlinson states (County schools slipping behind, June 18) that she ‘wants to see Oxfordshire schools comparing more favourably

Sir – Every day, men and women from across the south east of England risk their lives for the defence of our country. It is only right and proper that we recognise their courage and show them the respect they deserve. This week, events will

Sir – I think your correspondent (June 18) is exaggerating in claiming the hydrogen-fuelled car as ‘The future of motoring’. The salient features of the car that contribute to its energy efficiency are its lightweight composite body and the

Sir – What is most repugnant about the BNP is the misconceived notion of nationhood. The reality is that immigration is actually one of the chief things which defines Britain. Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Normans, Danes and Norse were all once immigrants

Sir – Timothy Oates (Letters, June 11) has exposed only half the electoral truth. The Tory vote was 43 per cent of the 38 per cent of votes cast. In other words, 16 per cent of the total electorate control 70 per cent of the elected members of the county

Sir – The county’s parking plans for East Oxford will make a difficult situation even worse. It is vital that local residents respond by July 9 to the ill-thought out plans for residents’ parking. The Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) for the Magdalen

Sir – I know the side of the Churchill Hospital where the new cancer hospital is located, as it is by the renal and transplant wards. It used to be flower meadows, leading to a stream and a pond, with ducks. There were rabbits. Nature was very accessible

Sir – Your front page: “Work starts on changing city’s centre” (June 11) was interesting because we are told the High Street isn’t changing, but merely being repaired. Councillor Hudspeth has explained clearly and at great length how inadequate the

Sir – Margaret Coombs is wrong to write that ‘NHS managers do not understand the vital need for green spaces’ (Letters, June 18). We do. She is spot-on, however, when she writes that ‘wards can be noisy and overcrowded places’ which can ‘feel stifling

HOMES at risk of flooding in Oxfordshire are in line to receive hundreds of thousands of pounds of Government cash to help protect them. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) today announced Oxfordshire councils will

In this column we like to paint an alternative picture to the doom and gloom that has enveloped the economy over the last 12 to 18 months and point to some of the reasons why Oxfordshire at least can look to a rosy future. Last Friday’s Oxfordshire Business

POOR old Jamie Blandford. The troubled aristocrat couldn’t even stick a few days experiencing the life of the homeless in a reality TV show before quitting. And his behaviour was a little rum too before he upped sticks for considerably more comfortable

IF drafting in some Police Community Support Officers cleans up the dog excrement and litter in our neighbourhoods then that is a good thing. But it again raises the question about what Pcsos are actually there for. They were originally a hugely controversial

Residents of Oxford are no shrinking violets when it comes to campaigning for what they think is right or against what they think is wrong. These campaigns routinely feature in the pages of The Oxford Times — the two most vociferous recent campaigns being

Veteran Bob Edwards is calling on people across Oxfordshire to honour the county’s servicemen during the first British Armed Forces Day on Saturday. Armed Forces Day is an annual opportunity for everyone to show its appreciation for those who have served

THE woman who fell 74ft to her death from Carfax Tower was thousands of pounds in debt, her grieving husband revealed last night. Patricia Stoute, 61, of Dunnock Way, in Blackbird Leys, died after falling from the tower, narrowly missing shocked shoppers

THE Tories have promised to freeze council tax bills in the county if David Cameron wins the General Election next year. Speaking to The Oxford Times, Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell said the newly-elected administration at County Hall

THE go-ahead is set to be given to the second phase of a £3.6m improvement scheme to combat traffic congestion in London Road, Headington. Oxfordshire County Council wants to spend £2.3m to install a bus gate on the arterial route to reduce

A CONTROVERSIAL Muslim leader in Oxford has backed French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans to ban full-face veils. Dr Taj Hargey, chairman of the Muslim Education Centre of Oxford and Imam of the Summertown Muslim congregation, described the burka and