Renault are likely to make a decision on their Formula One future next week with two rival groups now in the running to take over the Enstone-based team. The French manufacturing giant's main company board is to address the issue, and it is
TWO teenage robbers who stole almost £40,000 worth of designer watches during a terrifying raid on an Oxford jewellers have been jailed for a total of nine years. Solomon Smith, 18, and his cousin Joel Smith, 17, were convicted of robbery at
A DYING man uttered the words “Champagne bottle” moments after being stabbed in the neck, a jury in a murder trial heard yesterday. Robert Lee Chin, 49, who the jury has previously been told is also known as Champagne, denies murdering Devon
WHEN Sophie Lord first met the Princess Royal 10 years ago, she was a little girl, desperate to communicate despite her disabilities. But when Sophie, who has cerebral palsy, met Princess Anne for a second time today at Headington’s Ace Centre life had
COMMUNITY leaders and shoppers say a recycling depot looks like a rubbish dump and is blighting the area. The recycling depot at the Oxford Retail Park, in Ambassador Avenue, Cowley, is used by hundreds of people every week to dispose of glass, paper
NEW cells for suspected criminals are being built in Abingdon because there isn’t enough room in Oxford. Custody facilities are being upgraded and expanded at Abingdon police station as part of a £3.3m project. Building work off Marcham Road started
THE ageing Museum of Oxford could be set for a revamp and expansion under ambitious plans to safeguard its future. The city council has announced plans to bid for £500,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to renovate the 34-year-old museum and expand its
The organisers of Oxfordshire’s Truck Festival will launch an event in the USA next year, it was announced tonight. The festival, which has run at Hill Farm since 1998, will host a sister event for 1,000 people at the Full Moon resort, near the site
RYAN Kane, of West Bar Street, Banbury, has become the first person in England and Wales to be given a new drinking banning order. He was handed the two-year order by Banbury magistrates today after he repeatedly harassed and intimidated pub staff.
A PERVERT who committed an indecent act on a bus in front of a senior police officer’s daughter had his sentence deferred to see if he was suitable for a community punishment. Hugh White, from Littleworth Park, Littleworth, near Wheatley, has six months
A LOUD cheer went up in the bar when landlord David Patalong took the phone call telling his staff they had won Oxford’s pub of the year award. Far From the Madding Crowd in Friars Entry, in the city centre, has beaten off tough competition from five
NEWSPAPERS are fairly easy targets when a story doesn’t turn out how you thought it would. And so you can just claim the paper got it wrong. Now, the story of Michael Raphel, the gentleman who had his car ‘blown up’ by anti-terrorist police, attracted
Religious allegories and holy imagery normally strike me in that grey spot you find somewhere between apathy and disinterest. It’s not that I’m a complete philistine, though I do better than most. I just struggle to correlate my atheism
A FESTIVE treat is on offer for families in the city with a special celebration of poetry, spoken word and music with a Christmas theme. Christmas Cracker, which will raise cash for East Oxford hospice Helen & Douglas House, is being held at the Port
A SEA captain who spent almost 50 years travelling the world has been recognised for his services to merchant shipping. Captain Nicholas Cooper, of Church Lane, Cropredy, near Banbury, went to sea aged 18 and never looked back. He has been to every
ELEVEN parish councils in the county have stepped in to save their village’s red telephone boxes, but dozens more are set to disappear from the landscape. South Oxfordshire District Council asked 36 town and parish councils whether they wanted to adopt
CHRISTMAS has come early for a blind dog with a new home and the return of his sight. Hamish, a six-year-old King Charles Spaniel, was sent to the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary in Stadhampton because he did not get along with his owner’s cats. At the
HE is fattened up and ready to go. Rower James Nettleton is due to set off on a record breaking row across the Atlantic tomorrow – despite only having taken up the sport 12 weeks ago. Mr Nettleton, from Newington, near Wallingford, hopes to smash the
TV STAR Kate Garraway returned to her home town and was joined by thousands of people as she switched on the Christmas lights. More than 2,000 people crammed into Market Place, abingdon, as the television presenter started the countdown and flicked
Quarrymont Dubh, fresh from an unsuccessful open race stint, is expected to bounce back and land the nap in the S1 over 595m at Oxford Stadium on Saturday. SATURDAY'S RUNNERS 7.35: PARKILL BE GOOD, Black Axel, Coolcotts Do Do,Calahonda Kid, Ballyhoe
Colleagues and staff at Oxford Stadium are mourning the death of one of its champions of greyhound welfare, Stuart Locke-Hart, who died aged 61, last week. A popular owner and chairman of the Oxford Owners Association, he achieved great things
Vikings E took over at the top of Division 2 following a 8-2 success against Haddenham A in the Oxford & District Association. John Cripps picked up Haddenham’s two wins, but Simon Cox's maximum allowed Vikings to take all four points. Gladiators B
Riley B knocked Thame off the top of Division 2 with a 2-1 win against Division 1 leaders Ashton in the Oxford & District League. Roger Tomlin(+90) put Riley ahead with a 150-121 win over Pete Fenn (+50), only for Terry Chambers (Scr) to level with
WOODSTOCK beat Riley C to make it a hat-trick of 4-2 away wins in the Gentworks Premier/Division 1 of the Oxford & District League, writes DAVID WHITE. Ron Reddy shared frames with Riley’s Stuart Reeve, before Justin Page beat Scott Scantlebury to give
Harriett Lymer-Smith, a year ten pupil at Matthew Arnold School, Oxford has been selected for the England squad. It is a remarkable achievement for Harriett, who was injured for most of last season with problems in both elbows, which meant she was unable
AN Oxford community came together today to show youngsters the story of Christmas. More than 200 children from three schools in Headington met the three wise men in Bury Knowle park and went hunting for the star which guided them. They
Police tonight issued an efit into a sexual assault that happened in Charter Way, Wallingford, earlier this year. At about 5.50pm on May 11, a 12-year-old girl was walking home when a man approached her and asked her where the park was. He
A 24-year-old man was today given a drinking banning order by North Oxfordshire Magistrates — the first of its kind in England and Wales. Ryan Kane, of West Bar Street, Banbury, had the order placed on him by the court after he repeatedly breached
A thief snatched a handbag from an 84-year-old woman in Headington today. At about 10.50am, the woman was walking along New High Street when a man approached her and stole her handbag. The man was aged about 30 and was riding a bicycle
Police are urging people to be on their guard after a number of reports of cold callers in the Bretch Hill area of Banbury. In two separate incidents, a man claiming to be from the council called at the homes of two elderly women and spoke to them
A young woman was assaulted by a man in Cowley Road, Oxford, early today. At around 3.45am, the 21-year-old woman was approached by man near to the Milano Bar in Cowley Road. He made a comment to her and grabbed her arm. The woman managed to escape
SALES of the Cowley-built Mini soared in the UK last month, despite the fact the car benefited less than its competitors from the Government's car scrappage scheme. A total of 3,097 new Minis were registered in Britain in November, a huge 79 per cent
Sea Cadets Christmas Tree Sale Open every day until late Also Christmas Decorations Best selection in Oxford Donnington Bridge Road, Oxford
AEA Technology 25.5 BMW 2858 Electrocomponents 168.5 Gladstone 29.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 78.5 Oxford Biomedica 11.5 Oxford Catalysts 54.5 Oxford Instruments 215 Reed Elsevier 468.6 RM 170.75 RPS Group 208.1 Courtesy
Other Results Oakfield: (Wednesday, Swallow-Kingfisher, 16 fished) 1 R Bassett (BGS Garbolino) 25.9.0, 2 J Rodgers (Maggots End) 18.0.0, 3 B Edwards (GOT Oakfield) 15.14.8. Oakfield: (Saturday, Swallow-Kin-gfisher, 13 fished) 1 M Giles (RS Baits)
Linear Fisheries’ Stanton Harcourt complex, well known for its large carp, also holds a fair head of big pike. A couple of matches held there last week on Hardwick, Smiths and Manor Farm, one for juniors, the other for seniors, both produced
One of the weekly angling papers contained an article headlined ‘Bio warfare to kill crays’, which revealed how a type of chemical specific to red signal crayfish and other crustacea could be used to eradicate them from our waters. Oxford angler and
Farmoor I trout fishery is about to receive another stocking, with more fish averaging 3.5lb going in. Fish up to 6lb were caught last week, mainly on small lures. Rod average is three. Farmoor II continues to produced fish to 5lb on
Oxford Drennan GOTBaits celebrated a one-two in the fifth round of the Angling Times Winter League (Oxford Division) on the Aylesbury Arm on the Grand Union Canal. A drop in temperature, plus wind and rain, didn’t exactly make this a comfortable match
Brooklyn-born troubadour Kevin Devine has been quietly building a reputation for years as one of music’s most heartfelt, caustic and captivating singer songwriters. In town on the back of new album Brother’s Blood, his fifth, Devine draws the short straw
This enjoyable triple bill began with Martin Lawrance’s To Dance and Skylark, premiered earlier this year. The title refers to the historical command from a ship’s officer for the crew to come above-decks and get some exercise. In Lawrance
The Ministry of Defence has closed its UFO investigation unit. A hotline and email address for the public to report strange sights in the skies to the military were shut down on December 1. The MoD said it had received thousands of reports
It was the moment everyone had been waiting for. “You’ll never guess what we’re going to do now,” Maddy Prior said, smiling broadly. Cue audience laughter And then – yes, you’ve guessed it – the band launched into their ‘anthem’, All Around My
It seems the modern day woman's Christmas wish lists are pushing the beauty boundaries. More than a third of people would happily give a cosmetic treatment for a gift and 54% would love to receive one. But if you prefer to pop a traditional
So that’s it another show put to bed. It’s strange that when rehearsals are practically every night and nerves kick in, amateur actors sit round and wonder why they offer themselves up for such torture. Then as soon as the play is over there is
A manor house in South Oxfordshire, which has been given a new lease of life, is the perfect home for a family with equestrian interests. Built in 1962 as a home for the manager of the nearby farm, The Manor House, Chilton, was originally a
The best bit about Christmas is sitting at home wrapping presents and singing along to the carols, with a G&T on the go. The worst: hitting the high street before the festivities start. While Christmas might be all about keeping up with traditions
The diet plan’s failed, your gym membership has expired and you’re about to embark on yet another party season minus the killer body you vowed would happen. It’s time to stop beating yourself up and focus on the gorgeous bod you’ve got.
Fifteen jobs have been created with the refurbishment of a historic pub in Thame. The James Figg, formerly the Abingdon Arms in Cornmarket, has been given a £150,000 makeover by the Peach Pub Company which also owns The Thatch in the town. Peach co-founder
Heavyweight Preye Ozeke was in determined mood as he saw off the challenge of Oxford University rival James Ogg inside a round at the Kassam Stadium. The Oxford Boxing Academy claimed nine wins from a possible 13, with Ozeke’s spark-ling display topping
Oxford City Stars have been handed a double boost ahead of Sunday’s match against Cardiff Devils in Division 1 of the English National League. Stars have re-signed classy Slovakian ace Juraj Rusic, and popular forward Alan Green – who rejoins after a
AEA Technology 25.5 BMW 2915 Electrocomponents 167.6 Gladstone 29.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 78.5 Oxford Biomedica 11.75 Oxford Catalyst 54.5 Oxford Instruments 215 Reed Elsevier 465 RM 170.25 RPS Group 206.75 Courtesy of Redmayne
Cherwell overcame Oxford rivals Cheney 15-5 to be crowned Oxfordshire champions in the County Under 13s Trophy final at Gosford Hill RFC. Fourteen schools took part in the tournament, with group games leading to separate trophy and shield competitions
Sandford St Martin started life in Division 2 of the Banbury Indoor League with a crushing 69-run victory over Bodicote. Martin Anson top-scored with 25 not out in Sandford’s 98-3 and then Greg Pearson took 4-6 to skittle Bodicote for 29 in just 5.1
Harry Basterfield smashed three Abingdon Vale records and claimed gold in the City of Coventry November Open. The 12-year-old captured the 50m backstroke title in a club record of 36.90secs. His other records were in the 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle
KATHERINE MACALISTER has Christmas covered with her Top 10 tips for festive feasting. Christmas is all about good cheer.... oh and stuffing your face. So if you’ve run out of inspiration, here’s our top 10 of where to go for Christmas fare
Kimi Raikkonen is to switch from Formula One to the World Rally Championship for next season. It has long been speculated the 2007 world champion would turn his attention to rally after leaving Ferrari at the end of the recent F1 campaign. Raikkonen
ANDREW FFRENCH considers what inspired author Chris Cleave to write our latest Book of the Month. WHAT would you do? That’s the question at the heart of The Other Hand, The Guide’s latest choice for Book of the Month. In some parts of the
PLANET 51 (U). Family/Sci-Fi/Comedy/Action. Featuring the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Justin Long, Jessica Biel, Gary Oldman, John Cleese. Directors: Jorge Blanco, Marcos Martinez, Javier Abad. The future and the past collide with amusing
New car sales soared last month as consumers took advantage of the Government's car scrappage scheme. A total of 158,082 new vehicles were registered in November 2009 - a huge 57.6% increase on the November 2008 figure, the Society of Motor Manufacturers
TIM HOBDEN wobbles his way down the snowy mountains of St Moritz during a ski trip on a budget in Switzerland. A PIECE of information you don’t need to know – I had to move schools when I was a teenager and was deemed too stupid by my new
THE BOX (12A). Horror/Thriller. Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Sam Oz Stone, James Rebhorn, Holmes Osborne, Gillian Jacobs. Director: Richard Kelly. In our hi-tech age, it’s sometimes easy to forget the consequences
JEREMY SMITH finds out exactly what it’s like to be a pantomime dame as he talks to Jack & The Beanstalk star Alan French. There is nothing like a dame...’ goes the song, and that’s doubtless true if the dame in question is a man...masquerading
KATHERINE MACALISTER talks to the producer and cast of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as they prepare to amaze the audience at Oxford’s New Theatre. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s reputation precedes it, so expect a spectacular all-singing, all-dancing
KATHERINE MACALISTER quizzes the cast of Jack and The Beanstalk. l CHRIS LARNER – Fleshcreepy the baddie Q Who are you then and how bad are you? Fleshcreepy is the Giant’s henchman, which means a servant who does all the nasty work required
RICHARD BELL joins the bright young things at Clem on Friday night. The way in which people tend to approach clubbing in Oxford is to choose favourites and then stick with them to the bitter end. This is great for the chosen few, but it
Tim Hughes meets cabaret art-rockers Borderville for a sneak preview of the future of music – and finds it deep, sophisticated and impeccably turned out. BORDERVILLE are a band with sweeping ambition and unflinching artistic integrity. While
Tim Hughes looks forward to the partial return of one of rock's greatest icons: The Jam. (Kind of...). FEW bands afforded the respect of The Jam. At the start of the 80s they were probably the biggest band in the country, with a devotional,
The River Thame is the only waterway in the county still on flood watch today. The Environment Agency alert, which was issued on Sunday, covers the river from Marsworth to Shillingford including, Long Marston, Rowsham, Cuddington, Thame, Shabbington
Oxford United’s on-loan defender Steve Kinniburgh has gone back to Scotland after the scan on his injured knee revealed he’ll be out for six weeks. The left back will continue his rehabilitation at Glasgow Rangers, and inevitably there must be some doubt
A MAN begged for help while staggering through an Oxford graveyard after being stabbed in the neck, a jury heard yesterday. Devon McPherson, 42, died after he was stabbed at SS Mary and John Churchyard, in Cowley Road, before collapsing outside
POLICE are to get their own Facebook pages in a bid to chat with youngsters and neighbours who live on their beat. Thames Valley Police also hopes to put ‘real-time’ news and information online via internet site Twitter. But the Police
