WALLINGFORD’S Christmas lights were switched on tonight in the town’s first ever Edwardian evening. The town centre was transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with ice rink in St Leonard’s Square, a nativity scene by the Town Hall and horse and
CHILDREN on Oxford’s largest estate will be getting an extra Christmas present this year – a £90,000 play area. On Monday, workmen began ripping out the ageing Cuddesdon Way play area in Blackbird Leys, ready to revamp it with state-of-the-art play equipment
A GROUP of men accused of running a cocaine empire have walked free from court after a trial costing at least £1.9m and a police investigation lasting almost two years. It took just two hours today for the jury to acquit all nine men, including
POLICE discovered bags containing what was thought to be cannabis in a raid on a flat in Witney. At around 11am today, a police officer wearing a stab vest used a red battering ram to break down the door of a ground floor flat in Lowell Place. An officer
OXFORD United is hoping to raise more than £100,000 a season from a new membership card being launched tomorrow. The card offers holders discounts with more than 100 local, national and international organisations – ranging from the RAC to Butlins in
Police tonight appealed for witnesses after a girl was threatened in Belbroughton Road, Oxford. At about 8am yesterday, a man approached a 16-year-old girl and demanded she hand over her belongings. The girl refused and hit him in the face
Sauber have been granted a place on the Formula One grid for the 2010 season. The decision by motor sport's world governing body, the FIA, comes after Peter Sauber agreed a deal with BMW last week to take over the team. A statement read: "The FIA
A WOMAN who survived against all odds after being hit by a taxi, days before her 98th birthday, celebrated her centenary today. Selina Boyce spent weeks in hospital after a taxi reversed into her, knocking her down yards from her home in Atkyns
POLICE discovered bags containing what was thought to be cannabis in a raid on a flat in Witney. At around 11am today, a police officer wearing a stab vest used a red battering ram to break down the door of a ground floor flat in Lowell Place. An officer
COUNCIL chiefs will spend £20,000 to investigate building the first new cemeteries in Oxford for more than 75 years. The city council approved funding for the scheme because burial space is expected to run out in Oxford within 10 years. Two of the city
VILLAGERS said they were disappointed tonight after Oxfordshire County Council had not bought Swinford Toll Bridge after it was auctioned for £1.08m. The bridge, near Eynsham, which is used by more than three million vehicles a year, is governed by
Oxford United coach Andy Melville says a third-round FA Cup tie at Sunderland would be a day the players would remember for the rest of their lives. The ex-Wales international – capped 65 times – who played 238 games for the Wearsiders from 1993-1999
Kidlington welcome back Jack Quainton, Danny Leggett, Brad Chalmers, Kieran Sanders and Mark Flanagan, as they aim to bounce back from their Floodit Cup quarter-final defeat by Binfield away to Highworth Town in the Premier Division on Saturday
Witney United boss Andy Lyne says his side are full of confidence ahead of Saturday's FA Carlsberg Vase third round home tie with fellow Hellenic League side Almondsbury Town. Witney reached the last 32 last season, only to go out 1-0 to eventual finalists
Banbury United boss Billy Jeffrey has hailed the efforts of his players and called for more of the same at Hemel Hempstead in the Zamaretto Soutehrn League Premier Division on Saturday. Last weekend, Banbury fou-ght back to beat Hednesford
It was one of the most dramatic nights I can remember for Oxford United in recent seasons. And it demonstrated how invaluable James Constable is to the team, and to the club’s hopes of promotion this season. The energy and menace he brings to United
The Oxford United Youth and Community Sports Trust will be able to provide Skill Centres to help youngsters across the county, thanks to a grant from Sportsmatch. The new skill centres will run across Oxon with the aim to involve boys and girls of all
The 12th Man Initiative invites all fans to a Christmas party at the Priory pub tomorrow after the Ebbsfleet United. Their campaign has been a huge success this season. Having already helped bring Jamie Cook to Oxford United, the Initiative have gone
FOR much of her life Laura Merry has been quietly bringing hope to hundreds of young people with muscular dystrophy. And, fittingly, the tireless 21-year-old campaigner, from Worminghall, took the lead at a Spirit of Christmas event in Christ Church
AN ANNUAL Christmas event being held in the city tomorrow night has helped raise more than £250,000 for cancer victims. Over 13 years, the Celebration of Christmas concert has raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Each year the concert, which is
A PETITION has been launched to save the ageing Temple Cowley swimming pool — three years before it is due to close. Oxford City Council wants to shut the facility and replace it with a multi-million pound competition-style swimming pool in Blackbird
A BENSON butcher’s sausages have been named the best in Oxfordshire, Hampshire, and Berkshire. Gary Smith, 43, who has shops in Benson and Wallingford, won a three counties sausage competition held at the Swan Hotel, in Goring. Mr Smith, who has been
Midfielder Stefan Bailey, who spent a spell on loan to United from QPR two years ago, was the toast of Oxford fans as Ebbsfleet stunned Stevenage in midweek. Bailey (pictured playing for the U’s), is now on loan to Ebbsfleet from Grays.
NEIL Earl waited 26 years to see his favourite composer perform live, but a wrong turn from a bus driver left him listening to apologies instead. More than 850 people packed into Cadogan Hall in London to see a rare performance by Academy Award winning
BATTLE lines are being drawn as campaigners and local and government officials prepare for a summit over the proposed eco-town near Bicester. Three Government departments visit the town on Wednesday for a meeting organised by Cherwell District
Gary Webb (The Issue, Oxford Mail, November 30) contradicts himself when saying it is not necessary to keep wardens in sheltered accomodation blocks, then – in a later sentence – saying there is a duty of care to the resident. He is being judge and jury
Having been through and seen several Ofsted inspections, I write in response to the article (Oxford Mail, November 24) concerning the present framework for Ofsted. Certainly in one school that I visit as a music teacher, the report of such a recent inspection
I am concerned that in quoting me, your article (November 30) on Blackbird Leys left out what I said about all the things which are getting better on the estate. I pointed to our excellent and caring primary schools and the Oxford Academy. Everyone
IF you want to keep something quiet, don’t tell friends. Yet in the case of one second-year student, out to impress a girlfriend’s parents, I’m glad he did. The scene was the King’s Arms in Holywell Street. Five young men were in hysterics. A sixth
Five years ago I wrote to the Oxford Mail complaining that all the independent shops were disappearing and that Abingdon was dying. I also predicted that Abingdon would be dead within five years. But please do not think I am writing to gloat over the
WITH regard to the recent postal dispute, we appear to have forgotten that when the current Post Office senior management took office, they arrived with a reputed skill for closing companies. If I had been in their situation, and wanted to ensure the
CRACK paranormal investigators are hoping to uncover spooky goings-on in a 300-year-old pub. Members of the Thames Valley Paranormal Group are setting up shop in the Highwayman Hotel, Kidlington, tonight armed with cameras and accompanied by two people
Oxford Harlequins director of rugby John Brodley considers that Saturday's match at home to Redingensians in National 3 South West will define the rest of the season. Quins are third, one place ahead of their visitors. “If we can beat Redingensians
AEA Technology 25.5 BMW 2946 Electrocomponents 169.6 Gladstone 29.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 79.5 Oxford Biomedica 11.9 Oxford Catalysts 54.5 Oxford Instruments 217.5 Reed Elsevier 463.8 RM 170.5 RPS Group 208.6 Courtesy of Redmayne
A TOLL bridge over the River Thames in Oxfordshire sold for £1.08m at auction today. Swinford Toll Bridge, near Eynsham, is governed by its own Act of Parliament which makes it a tax haven. The bridge, in Conservative Party leader David
A toll bridge over the River Thames near Eynsham has been sold for £1.08m at auction. Swinford Toll Bridge is governed by its own Act of Parliament which makes it a tax haven. The bridge is one of the last toll bridges in Britain still
Successes at the Scullers Head are not easy to come by, but City of Oxford managed a hat-trick of them over the Mortlake to Putney course last Saturday. All three of the Oxford wins came for their women. Holly Holden, who won her first Great Britain
North Abingdon A sealed their first victory in Division 1 of the Oxford & District Men’s League by beating Park A, from Wheatley, 5-4. The pairings of Mark Newman and Richard King, and Ian Brown and Sean Fry both won two out of their three rubbers for
Anyone in the habit of getting lost while driving needs to take a look at the latest Clio. Renault has done a deal with satnav specialists TomTom to fit the latest Carminat TomTom system into the car for less than £500. What you get
More than 1,200 scam websites targeting Christmas shoppers have been shut down in an unprecedented online raid. Experts at Scotland Yard's e-crime unit working with Oxford-based Nominet, which registers .co.uk website addresses, targeted hundreds
A possible lowering of the legal drink-drive limit has moved a step closer following new moves by the Government. Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has asked legal expert Sir Peter North, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford, to advise
Police are appealing for witnesses after a robbery in Walton Street yesterday. At around 10.30pm, a female employee of the Moves Video Store was about to leave the premises, when a man pushed open the door and threatened her with a broken bottle
Police officers are to get their own Facebook pages to enable them to chat with residents and youngsters who live on their beat. The idea is the brainchild of Thames Valley Police which also hopes to put ‘real-time’ news and information online via internet
FOOTBALL. BLUE SQUARE PREMIER. Oxford Utd v Ebbsfleet Utd. PUMA YOUTH ALLIANCE. Under 18 South West Conference: Hereford Utd v Oxford Utd. ZAMARETTO SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Brackley Tn v Oxford City, Didcot Tn v Rugby Tn, Hemel Hempstead Tn
It was a case of sixth time lucky for Jules Allfrey when Oxford University captain Dan Rosen named his Nomura Varsity Match team today. Allfrey, who gained the nod at inside centre, is in the sixth and final year of a medical degree, but Thursday
Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, New Inn Hall St, Oxford Sunday 13 December 10.30am Worship for Advent, led by the Junior Church 4.00pm Helen & Douglas House Carol Service 6.30pm The Rev. Dr Martin Wellings Sunday
All are welcome to Advent and Christmas services at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin The church is located in the city centre and is accessible via the High Street or Radcliffe Square 6 December 6.00pm International
Police are appealing for witnesses after a cyclist was knocked off his cycle and robbed in Headington. At about 10.15pm on Sunday, a man was cycling along Headington Road when two youths, one also riding a bicycle and one walking, approached him.
St Michael at the North Gate, Oxford’s City Church, Cornmarket OX1 3EY Special Services & Concerts in December Monday 7 December 1.00pm Music on Monday – Mince Pies by Musical Banquet Monday 14 December 1.00pm
St Mary Magdalen C of E Church, Magdalen Street, Central Oxford Sunday 20 December 6.30pm Carols by Candlelight Christmas Eve 11.30pm Midnight Mass Christmas Day 10.30am High Mass of Christmas
St Kenelm's, Minster Lovell December 14 7.00pm Christingle Carols December 24 11.00pm Carols in Church 11.30pm Midnight Mass of Christmas December 25 11.00am Christmas Morning Eucharist with
St Ebbe’s Church In Pennyfarthing Place OX1 1QE All warmly welcome to our Christmas services Sunday 6 December 3.30pm Family Advent Carols Sunday 13 December 4.30pm & 7.00pm Carols by Candlelight Wednesday
St Clement’s Church, Marston Road, Oxford To find Christ in Christmas try Carols by Candlelight on Sunday 20 December at 6.30pm or Crib and Christingle Service on Christmas Eve at 4.00pm or Christmas morning Family service at 10.30am
St Barnabas Church, Cardigan Street, Jericho Sunday 20 December 6.30pm Christmas Carol Service Christmas Eve 4.00pm Family Crib Service 11.30pm Midnight Mass Christmas Day 8.00am Holy Communion
AEA Technology 26 BMW 2945 Electrocomponents 170.1 Gladstone 29.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 79.5 Oxford Biomedica 11.6 Oxford Catalysts 54.5 Oxford Instruments 215 Reed Elsevier 469.9 RM 170.5 RPS Group 209.1 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley,
Christmas 2009 at St Aldates Christmas Nativity Service Sunday 13 December 10.30am Carols by Candlelight Sundays 13 & 20 December 6.00pm Christmas Eve Midnight Communion Thursday 24 December 11.00pm Christmas
First Church of Christ, Scientist, Oxford 36a St Giles’, Oxford, OX1 3LD Sunday Service & Sunday School – 10.30am Wednesday Meeting – 7.30pm Again loved Christmas is here, full of divine benedictions and crowned with the dearest
Botley Baptist Church, Westminster Way, Botley Advent Services 10.30am 1st Sunday in Advent (29 November) led by Kalyan Das 2nd Sunday in Advent (6 December) led by The Rev Hedley Feast 3rd Sunday in Advent (13 December) led
All Saints Church, Lime Walk, Headington December 20 6.00pm The Festival Service of the Nine Lessons and Carols Christmas Eve 4.00pm Crib and Christingle Service 11.30pm Midnight Mass Christmas Day
An attempt is being made to set a new Guinness World Record for the most trees planted in one hour, between 11am and noon on Saturday, trying to beating the current record of 653,143 trees. For more information on the attempt see the BBC website
A cyclist is being treated by paramedics following a collision with a car in West Oxford today. The accident happened at 8.20am at the junction of Henry Road and Botley Road. A spokesman for South Central Ambulance said: “Our staff attended
A cyclist is being treated by paramedics following a collision with a car in West Oxford this morning. The accident happened at 8.20am at the junction of Henry Road and Botley Road. A spokesman for South Central Ambulance said: “Our
Drivers coming across motorists called Lauren and Luke should look out, according to a survey. Drivers with these names were shown to be the most accident-prone in a survey of more than 500,000 insurance claims by elephant.co.uk. Motorists called
James ‘Beano’ Constable, who almost single-handedly salvaged an amazing Oxford United victory from the ruins of a desperate first-half performance at Crawley on Tuesday, said a rousing half-time pep talk by manager Chris Wilder got them in the mood.
When it comes to choice it is hard to beat Italy. This huge wine-producing country makes so many different styles of wine that it is sometimes hard to pick out the cream of the crop. All of these wines have a proven track record in terms of popularity
TWO major redevelopments vital for the future of Oxford have reached intriguing stages but it is time that both moved forward. And quickly. Oxford Brookes University has unveiled its latest rejigged design for a new £150m campus in Headington, asking
TUESDAY night’s come-from-behind win may prove critical in Oxford United’s fight to return to the Football League. While it may be nice to flirt with runs in the FA Cup and Trophy, the Conference has to be the priority. How many would swap
A 14-YEAR-OLD boy with a string of arrests for violence and theft has been slapped with an Asbo, but a court has banned you from seeing his face. Sandeep Kumar, of Saunders Road, East Oxford, is banned for the next three years from being outside
NEIGHBOURS of Oxford Brookes University are being asked to back a smaller design for a £150m campus – or potentially face a fresh fight over the original rejected scheme. The university has revealed substantially altered plans after residents’ objections
It’s a much overworked phrase, but Mickey Rooney really is a Hollywood legend. His cherubic face has appeared in over 200 films, and he’s worked with the likes of Lana Turner and Judy Garland. He’s been married eight times, most famously to fellow Hollywood
There’s a lot of paving and decking in this book. But if you want low-maintenance gardening (and many do) Valerie Easton will give you lots of inspirational design details for outdoor spaces. Timber Press: £20.
This tulip lasts for weeks and as it opens it begins to look like a black cardoon (or artichoke) flower. The multilayered petals resist the weather and (although not as elegant as the single ‘Queen of Night’) this tulip has shape and contour. Use it with
Sir – I am in total agreement with other letter writers to your newspaper regarding the appalling building designs and plans for our historic city. The majority are no more than a pile of bricks which can be found in many business parks around the
Sir – I am writing to canvass some support for our colleagues in the antiques business. There is a petition aimed at asking the Government to afford more support to the UK’s antiques trade. In 2007, the UK’s antiques and art industry generated revenue
If a white suit has long been the trademark of Martin Bell, there is no doubt who is now firmly established in the minds of television viewers as the smart guy in the white hat. The magnificent panama that Diarmaid MacCulloch sported on his travels from
In a factory unit on Osney Mead, an exotic creature was being displayed on a computer screen. “He’s ten feet tall, with one eye. He looks like an enormous, slightly uglier Shrek — or like that Russian boxer, Nicolai Valuev, only even bigger.” The description
Sir – As reported in the local press, the Government has now given the go-ahead for the consultation on the academy run by the United Learning Trust to replace Oxford Community School. The Labour group on the county council would favour a Co-operative
Sir – The city council deserves our enthusiastic support in its zero-tolerance campaign to tackle litter in the city centre. According to Bill Bryson’s recent CPRE report, Litterbugs: How to Deal with the Problem of Littering, the amount of litter
Sir – The county and city councils are hard up. The answer to their shortfall should be an enlightened, radical, tough and businesslike approach to cutting their costs. All businesses, if they are to survive and prosper, have to constantly look at
Sir – I have read with interest the recent correspondence relating to better concert and theatre facilities in Oxford. Like Professor Elliot (Letters, November 12), I have been impressed by concert halls in other towns and cities across the country
Sir – I agree with Professor Elliott’s comments on the poor choice of architectural quality chosen by local authorities in modern times (Letters, November 12). The 1960s period resulted in some of the worst. Not only were buildings of historical
Sir – £1.5m, Mr Keith Slater’s estimate of the cost of congestion following the lorry accident at the Kennington roundabout (Report, November 12), is bad enough, but it is dwarfed by the £60m, or more, that congestion costs Oxford’s commuters each year
Sir – I refer to the letters on November 19 and 26 about cycling on pavements. This topic has attracted letters for the last five years and if things continue as they are, more will appear in the next five years. The problem is, surely, that since
Sir – In October, when police stopped 84 cyclists in the High Street, Oxford, for lacking lights the offenders’ excuses were pathetic. “I just forgot”, “My lights were stolen… and I haven’t had time to buy new ones”, “I feel safe . . . without lights
Sir – Just when most of the outstanding problems with the proposed residents’ parking scheme (‘CPZ’) in the Magdalen Road area appeared sorted, along comes an unlikely alliance of local hairdressers and Labour superhero John Tanner to throw spanners
Sir – At the recent meeting to discuss the Magdalen Road CPZ, it was clear that feelings are running high on both sides of the debate. This is reflected by the mobilisation this last week of the ‘pro’ camp into their own leaflet drop, in reaction to
Sir – Your East Oxford correspondents (Letters, November 26) need to think again. Residents’ parking between Iffley and Cowley Roads will make things worse. It will cost residents £50 a year, plus £15 for visitors permits, to park their car. But there
This delicious soup is one of the many superb recipes featured in Sophie Grigson’s latest publication – The Soup Book. (Dorling Kindersley £16.99). YOU WILL NEED: One large fennel bulb, peeled One red onion Two red peppers, halved and deseeded
PLANS to build a new hospital unit on a century-old cricket ground have been met with opposition. Local residents and representatives of cricket clubs are among those objecting to an application to build on the pitch at the Warneford Hospital, Headington
A new supermarket could be added to the Westgate redevelopment to breathe new life into the recession-hit Oxford shopping centre project. Plans for a major supermarket in Abbey Place, with a multi-storey car park built on top, are now being
What is one to make of this week’s Key Stage 2 results published by the Government? The fact that fewer schools achieved a clean sweep of 100 per cent of pupils at level 4 in Maths, English and Science is neither here nor there as these results are usually
Sir – Many have been the reservations about the collage of designs for Oxford University’s Radcliffe Camera ‘campus’, not least that they simply aren’t adventurously modern enough, but Miss L. King (Letters, November 19) does Rick Mather a disservice
Will your next journey save a life? This is one way that it could . . . The Emergency Blood Transport Volunteers deliver supplies of blood to the region’s hospitals. As a volunteer rider, driver, controller or fundraiser for SERV (Service by Emergency
TRIBUTES have been paid to multiple sclerosis sufferer Vincent McKeown, who fought to stay in the Oxford council home where he lived for more than a decade. Mr McKeown, 55, of Abbey Place, died on November 21. His funeral is being held at Oxford Crematorium
We are encouraged by our report on the Westgate redevelopment this week. We all understand that the recession has delayed Oxford’s much-anticipated new shopping centre, but it is now clear that serious thought is being given to how the scheme can
Oxford Brookes University will renew its fight for a new £150m Headington campus in earnest this weekend. New plans go on public display tomorrow, with the university hoping a planning application could be submitted before Christmas. The university
Books make a great present, particularly if they will encourage members of your family to become creative cooks. This year the Italian Silver Spoon classic has been adapted for children aged ten and over, to enable them to create some really scrumptious
It may seem a little incongruous to be thinking about tulips now. But this is the best time of year to plant them. Tulips are unique in this respect: they are not planted in September along with daffodils and all the other spring-flowering bulbs
A NEW supermarket could be added to the Westgate redevelopment to breathe new life into the recession-hit city shopping centre scheme. Plans for a major supermarket in Abbey Place, with a multi-storey car park built on top, are now being looked
I know that Yuletide is approaching fast when the Mill at Sonning’s Christmas show opens. Everything is done to make you feel festive – crackers, bunting, the aroma of home-made mince pies wafting through the venue. Thoughts of the gloomy weather
