Archive
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End of an era as Turley departs
CHRIS Wilder said that he would give “decent references” to clubs interested in signing Billy Turley, Kevin Sandwith, Chris Hargreaves and Franny Green “because they have been first class”. Oxford United’s manager informed the out-of-contract quartet
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Woman gives birth to sextuplets at John Radcliffe
AN Oxfordshire mother has given birth to six babies – beating odds of one in 4.5 million. Her babies are currently in intensive care after being born prematurely at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital. The 31-year-old woman gave birth to
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A light sentence
STEPHEN TUGGEY is a danger to women, but his five-year jail sentence for rape seems remarkably light for the horrific ordeal he subjected a woman to in her own home. To be handed a sentence which amounts to only two-and-a-half years in prison hardly
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Curtain rises on theatre's £7.4m revamp
THEATRE managers say their venue is set to become a major cultural hub for the community. Work on a £7.4m revamp of East Oxford’s Pegasus Theatre has now been completed, with the Magdalen Road venue looking to re-open on September 4. And today the Oxford
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Council tax vow 'puts jobs at risk'
COUNCIL jobs and services in Oxfordshire are under threat after the Government unveiled plans for a council tax freeze. The Labour leader of Oxford City Council, Bob Price, issued a stark warning of the effects of the proposal, outlined in
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Church volunteers start clothes bank
A CHURCH in Cowley has launched a project handing out new clothes and shoes to the city’s refugees. Word Fountain Christian Ministries, in Hollow Way, Cowley, has started opening its doors once a month, so the needy can kit themselves out for free.
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Dog advert led rapist to victim
A HARWELL man has been jailed after being found guilty of raping a woman who sold him a pedigree dog. Stephen Tuggey answered an advert to give a home to a dog which the owner was forced to sell because of ill health. The 42-year-old – who has a sex
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CRICKET: Taylor to face Oxon re-union
MCCA Trophy Oxfordshire will come up against their former all-rounder Dave Taylor when they face Dorset at Weymouth in Sunday’s final Group 3 match. Taylor, who played club cricket for Kidlington, Banbury and Henley, joined Dorset this
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Artists to reveal their talents
RESIDENTS can get a rare peek inside an art studio hidden in a corner of Bicester when it throws open its doors for Artweeks. Figures, faces, animals, birds and all manner of strange objects adorn the garden and workshop of the George Muller Studio,
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Man avoids jail for glass attack
A 20-YEAR-OLD who threw a glass at a man’s face has escaped being sent to prison after a judge urged him, “for goodness’ sake, learn from your mistakes”. Christopher Parsons attacked Joseph Dobson after a night out in Oxford, leaving the victim with
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CRICKET: Mehmood injury blow
Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Oxford youngster Wasim Mehmood has been ruled out for three to four weeks with a hamstring injury. The teenage batsman misses Saturday’s Division 1 trip to High Wycombe after picking up the
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CRICKET: Ferraby bags ton
Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup Nick Ferraby smashed 101 off 59 balls as Oxford cruised into round two with a 95-run victory over Oxford Downs. Stewart Laudat was unbeaten on 51 in Oxford’s 206-2, while Stefan van Dyk claimed 3-23 in Downs’ 111-8.
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Have loads of free fun at Barton Bash
ORGANISERS of the annual Barton Bash are putting the finishing touches to the popular Oxford estate’s shindig. Face painting, fun inflatables, and the popular pottery workshops will all return this year alongside martial arts displays, dance routines
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CRICKET: Caunce is master blaster
ECB 50+ County Championship Ian Caunce fired Oxfordshire Over 50s to a nine-wicket victory over Worcestershire at Droitwich in Group 4. The opening batsman un-leashed eight sixes and 12 fours in his 133 not out, well-supported by Paul Tew (79), as
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Church unveils new facilities
A NEW suite of community rooms will be opened in Didcot on Saturday as part of a £275,000 extension to the town’s Methodist Church. As well as the new function rooms, contractors have fitted improved heating and installed wheelchair ramps and disabled
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Dog attack shocks couple
THE Big Issue has banned a homeless man from selling the magazine when his dog is with him after the animal attacked a pet Jack Russell in Oxford’s Cowley Road. Ed Chipperfield’s eight-year-old dog Sailor was bitten on the neck and pulled to the ground
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RUGBY LEAGUE: Cavaliers seek first win
Oxford Cavaliers are hoping to break their duck when they visit Southampton Spitfires in the Co-operative Rugby League Conference on Saturday. It has been a frustrating start for Cavaliers who recruited more than 40 players but have yet to earn a point
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PIGEON RACING: Results
Oxford Central (Exeter, 10 sent 165 birds): 1, 19 R Clarke 1394 ypm, 1325; 2, 5 Mr & Mrs Ward 1385, 1366; 3, 8, 9 E Irving 1379, 1349, 1348; 4, 10, 17 Sherman & Wells 1370, 1347, 1328.3; 6, 7, 12 L Hall 1366, 1365, 1342; 11 Mr & Mrs Hall 1343; 13, 15,
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CYCLING: Spire hits the heights
Jared Spire showed his liking for heights when winning Oxonian CC’s club time trial at Brill. Starting from the windmill, the event swept down Muswell Hill, taking a circuit around Brill for about 16 miles. It included the steep climb up Brill Hill,
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RUGBY UNION: 'Underdogs' in Twickenham bid
Oxford head coach Richard Williams has labelled his side underdogs for Saturday’s semi-final against Dorset & Wilts at Swanage & Wareham (3). Dorset have won all three matches so far whereas Oxon had to rely on points difference to reach the last four
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Group for blind can keep going thanks to good Samaritan
A GROUP set up to support blind people in Abingdon has been rescued from closure. The Abingdon Macular Group has been a lifeline for people with failing eyesight since it was founded eight years ago. The club provides a meeting place and a chance to
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Rugby tribute to Marine killed in Afghanistan
RUGBY players from the Royal Marines will take on an Oxfordshire club side tomorrow in memory of a fallen soldier. Keen sportsman and Marine Dale Gostick was killed in action in Afghanistan’s Helmand province in May 2008. The 22-year-old, from Great
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Campaign aims to cut teenage biker accident rate
POLICE are working to cut the toll of deaths and injuries among teenage motorcyclists on Oxfordshire’s roads. Young motorcyclists are being told how to get proper motorbike training and about wearing the right protective gear. Officers running Operation
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MP wades in over plans for incinerator
BICESTER’S MP has waded into a campaign urging Oxfordshire County Council to reject a waste firm’s second application for an incinerator. Tony Baldry sent a letter to council chief executive Joanna Simons urging the authority to refuse Viridor’s application
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County issues plea for foster carers
A GRANDMOTHER who has been fostering children for more than 25 years has backed a call for more potential parents to step forward. Doreen Sillman, of Abingdon, believes there is ‘good in everyone, it is just a matter of finding it.’ The 77-
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Actress takes leading role in new theatre school
AN OXFORD actress has returned to set up a theatre school for children in the city that inspired her career on the stage. As a teenager, former Cherwell School pupil Anna Glynn was a regular in Oxford Theatre Guild productions. She also performed with
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School head off to work Down Under
THE headmistress of one of Oxford’s top independent schools is to leave after seven years to go on an Australian adventure. Anne Coutts, headmistress of Headington School since September 2003, will leave in December after being headhunted to become the
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Local share prices (PM)
AEA Technology 18.75 BMW 3083 Electrocomponents 213 Nationwide Accident Repair 88.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.75 Oxford Catalysts 65.5 Oxford Instruments 268.5 Reed Elsevier 472.5 RM 179.5 RPS Group 194.4 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Bogus power worker steals £800
A man posing as a power company worker stole £800 after tricking his way into a home in Haddenham. The man, in his late 40s, approached the resident of a property in Willis Road, Haddenham at 10.50am yesterday and said he was working for the electricity
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Celebrating village’s restored windmill
Wheatley’s windmill is in full working order again after a restoration campaign spanning more than three decades. A celebration marking the completion of the work on the 18th-century mill, one of only a handful of working windmills left in the county,
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Make nature count in your garden
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds wants to know what sings, chirps, snuffles and barks in your garden with its summer wildlife survey, Make Your Nature Count. It will run from June 5 to 13 and asks people to record the wildlife which appears
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Discover Oxford’s green spaces and help the fight to save them
Oxford’s green spaces make the city one of the most desirable places to live and work. Yet they are under constant threat from housing and commercial development. The Oxford Green Spaces Circular Walk has been created by Friends of Warneford
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Songs for the wildwoods
Voice Box, a choir from Witney, is helping to raise £70,000 to purchase an area of land known as The Wild Gardens for the villagers of the Wychwoods. The choir will perform a special fundraising concert on July 17, at New Beaconsfield Hall, Shipton-under-Wychwood
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Man assaulted in Bicester
Police today appealed for witnesses after a man was assaulted in Bicester. The victim, a 29-year-old man, was walking with a friend along Sheep Street, when three men approached them from behind and assaulted him. The victim received a cut to his
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Burglars target Summertown store
Thieves stole £100 after burgling a shop in Summertown, Oxford. The burglars broke in by smashing the glass panel of the front door of the Lebanese food store, LBS, in Banbury Road, sometime between 6pm on Tuesday and 5am yesterday.
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Man indecently exposed himself in Wantage
Police are appealing for witnesses after a man exposed himself to two teenage girls in Wantage. Two students from King Alfred’s School, one of whom is aged 16, were walking through Manor Park, when a man approached them. He was exposing himself and
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All Souls’ notorious one-word exam deemed outdated
EVEN among the brightest minds at Oxford University, it has long been viewed as the one examination most likely to stir fear and self-doubt. The one-word essay set by All Souls College every year has been the stuff of Oxford legend since 1914
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Independent cinema pulls in film fans
An independent cinema in Witney is fighting back after customers drifted away to watch movies at a new multiscreen complex. John Richards has been running the single-screen independent Screen @ the Square cinema at the Corn Exchange for the
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Paths revamp given thumbs up
Ramblers have welcomed improvements made to popular Oxford footpaths which connect green spaces in Old Marston and the university parks. Following requests from walkers, stiles in the area have been replaced by gates to make the paths easier
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Independent cinema pulls in niche film fans
AN INDEPENDENT cinema in Witney is fighting back after customers drifted away to watch movies at a new multiscreen complex. John Richards has been running the single-screen independent Screen @ the Square cinema at the Corn Exchange for the past 16 years
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Man held after village post office raid
A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbery after an incident in Steeple Aston. Police were called after a man went into the Steeple Aston Post Office and Harris Store, in South Side, yesterday making threats and demanding money. He then
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Surprise as Hips go
PROPERTY experts in Oxfordshire were taken by surprise as the Government announced the immediate suspension of Home information packs (Hips). Key Hips was set up in Botley in 2007, when sellers were first required by law to provide the packs
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FOOTBALL: Leggett celebrates double
Kidlington's Danny Leggett won the Terry Wiffen Trophy for supporters’ player and the manager’s player accolade at the club’s annual presentation night. Chris Weedon was players player’. OTHER AWARDS First team – joint scorers: J Deabill, M Baker; young
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FOOTBALL: Duo face old foes
North Leigh and Abingdon United will renew rivalries with Almondsbury after the Hellenic League champions were placed in Division 1 South & West of the Zamaretto Southern League. REVISED MAKE-UP Division 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd, AFC Totton, Almondsbury
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FOOTBALL: Wilkinson quits Milton
Milton United are looking for a new boss after Bobby Wilkinson quit last week. Wilkinson left the FTL Fut-bol Hellenic League club to take over at Southern League outfit Hungerford. The former Henley Town manager, who had been in charge for a season
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FOOTBALL: Initiative given royal approval
A scheme run by the FTL Futbol Hellenic League which rewards clubs for good behaviour has been given the royal seal of approval by Prince William. The Prince, who is president of the Football Association, presented a Respect Award to the league
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United sign Luton ace Hall - and release four players
Oxford United today made their first summer signing by capturing midfielder Asa Hall, from Luton Town, on a two-year deal. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder has been at Luton for the past two years and scored 15 goals for the Hatters in League Two
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Local share prices
20/05/2010 am AEA Technology 19.25 BMW 3176 Electrocomponents 222.2 Gladstone 33.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 88.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.4 Oxford Catalyst 65.5 Oxford Instruments 263.5 REED 486.4 RM 180.5 RPS Group 203.4
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Car stolen in Bampton burglary
Police today appealed for witnesses after a burglary in Bampton in which a car was stolen. Burglars forced their way into a property in Chetwynd Mead and stole a number of electronic items, including two laptops, a Nintendo DSI, an MP3 player
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University tops league table
Oxford University is the best in the country, according to a new league table published today. Oxford took the top spot overall, followed by Cambridge, the same as last year, according to the table compiled by the Complete University Guide, published
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Green paths revamp given thumbs up
Ramblers have welcomed improvements made to popular Oxford footpaths which connect green spaces in Old Marston and the university parks. Following requests from walkers, stiles in the area have been replaced by gates to make the paths easier to access
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FIXTURES May 21
SATURDAY. CRICKET. SERIOUS CRICKET HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE. Div 1: Banbury v Aston Rowant, High Wycombe v Oxford. Div 2 West: Thame Tn v Reading. MP SPORTS CHERWELL LEAGUE. Div 1: Bletchley Tn v Bourton Vale, Cumnor v Great Tew, Horspath v
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Banbury move
An expanding vehicle electronics company has moved into new premises in Banbury. R&D Vehicle Systems has taken 11,420 sq ft of space at 15 Beaumont Close, part of an established commercial area close to Banbury Cross Retail Park. Established in 2004
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Mean streets
BAD LIEUTENANT (18) Thriller. Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner. Director: Werner Herzog. As an exercise in controlled madness, Werner Herzog’s remake of Abel Ferrara’s celebrated 1992 film certainly has plenty of
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Wantage improvement
A cash windfall is set to improve Wantage town centre. After a five-year process to secure funding, the town council was this week due to sign, seal and deliver the final agreements to secure £98,000 from the South East England Development Agency (Seeda
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Lidl aims for Bicester
Discount food store Lidl is planning to open a supermarket at a former office building in Bicester. The German food chain has submitted a planning application to demolish part of the former CCH Editions building, known as Publishing House, on the corner
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Household store in Wallingford
A family firm has moved into Wallingford’s former Waitrose store. Household store Circle 7 has moved into the unit, which has been empty since the supermarket moved to the other end of the Market Place five years ago. Director Harpreet Samra, 31, and
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Persian gulf
PRINCE OF PERSIA (12A) Action. Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Sir Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Toby Kebbell, Richard Coyle, Ronald Pickup. Director: Mike Newell. Inspired by the best-selling video games series, Prince of Persia: The Sands
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Hydac expands
The former Alden Press building in Witney has been sold to a manufacturer and major Oxfordshire employer for an undisclosed sum. Ninety staff from Hydac Technology will uproot from their current base in Charlbury to the prominent 48,000 sq ft site on
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'More offices needed'
A predicted jobs boom in Oxford over the next decade could be hit by a shortage of offices, a new report has revealed. A report by propert agent Carter Jonas shows that in Oxford, a total of 4,562 new jobs are predicted between 2010 and 2026 — an average
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Crendon Industrial Park
A major redevelopment of an industrial estate is attracting a broad range of occupiers. The Crendon Industrial Park at Long Crendon, near Thame, has seen £5m worth of new units constructed, while there has also been a £350,000 refurbishment of buildings
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BITE-SIZED FOOD NEWS
The Inspiring Middle-earth Tolkien exhibition at Banbury Museum now has an extra attraction – visitors can also have a Hobbit ’Second Breakfast’ during their visit on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The museum's canal-side 'Cafe Quay' is offering the
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Chateau gateau
Apparently Raymond Blanc has got a bit of a soft spot for a chocolate eclair. Don’t tell me I haven’t got my finger on the pulse, or his eclairs for that matter. You heard it here first. And if chocolate’s not your thing, then there’s also a vanilla
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Reputation management
The nature of 24-hour media means we are continually being bombarded with masses of material. This material contains messages often relating to dozens of different topics and the nature of news means that these messages can be negative or positive, which
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Volcano fallout
Now that almost everyone has got back to their desks, the time has come to assess the effects of the disruption to the performance of contracts caused by the Icelandic volcano. There are many businesses which have been unable to meet contractual deadlines
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Vergelegen: a fabulous history and good wines
I am excited, having just had a preview of the wines that we will be drinking at The Oxford Times Wine Club Dinner at the Cherwell Boathouse. The South African Vergelegen estate has a fabulous history. It was founded in 1700 when Willem Adriaan van der
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Cop caper is crime against cinema
COP OUT (15) Comedy. Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Ana de la Reguera, Kevin Pollak, Adam Brody, Guillermo Diaz, Rachida Jones, Michelle Trachtenberg, Seann William Scott. Director: Kevin Smith. Since his ultra-low budget 1994 debut, Clerks, writer-director
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Boys' zone
FORMER journalist Eleanor Updale worked on BBC news programmes The World at One and Newsnight for about 15 years so she knows what makes a good story. A graduate of Oxford University’s St Anne’s College, she started writing fiction in the year 2000 and
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Theatre briefs
HIT Mel Brooks musical The Producers is being performed at the New Theatre until Saturday by the Oxford Operatic Society. Based on the 1968 film of the same name, the show follows the story of failed producer Max Bialystock and his timid accountant Leo
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Terrafirma on track
Necessity is the mother of invention and, for one Oxfordshire business owner, using underwhelming products simply spurred him to search the world for something better. Hugh Robertson had been handling successful recycling contracts, particularly with
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Life of O'Briain
Mention Oxford and comedian Dara O’Briain lights up. “Solero man,” he shouts excitedly in his Irish brogue. “Oxford was where we found Solero man, comedy gold.” “Comedy gold” is one of Dara’s favourite sayings because it’s what makes him tick. When
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VW Caravelle
Volkswagen’s Transporter range is something of an institution. It’s not just a van — it’s a motorhome, utility vehicle and even an accomplished off-roader — and for some it’s part of a lifestyle. The latter sentiment is true, judging from the popularity
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Geek chic
One of my favourite TV shows ever is the seminal and exceptional Freaks and Geeks, in which I always identified most with the hapless and supremely geeky Bill Haverchuck. As a child I discovered the series of Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett and continue
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Minoli tile dynasty
Anyone who has ever been to Italy can hardly have failed to notice the simple elegance of tiles there, on floors and on walls, and not only in kitchens and bathrooms. So perhaps we are lucky to have a supplier in Oxford that has its roots deep
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Crowd pleasers
I’m more excited about music at the moment than I’ve ever been,” says Neil Finn in his laid-back New Zealand tones. “The next five years will be especially prolific because I’ve got my studio at home in Auckland, which I’m starting to feel
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What Katy did
Did you know that Katy Brand grew up in Oxford and went to university here? Yet her impersonations of the Queen and Amy Winehouse are a long way from a theology degree. So where did it all go right? “I grew up in Summertown, before moving to Amersham
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Win tickets for a Wilde classic
The savage power of ancient myth collides with 20th-century decadence in Oscar Wilde’s astonishing verse tragedy Salome, a dazzling and shocking study of erotic obsession. Salome is the step-daughter of King Herod who agrees to perform the mysterious
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Anyday soon
YOU’VE conquered Europe, attracting a fanatical overseas following, and had your records played on primetime national radio, winning over tens of thousands of new fans. So what do you do next? The answer, if you’re The Anydays, is to get back
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Appetite for ’80s caught by the Fuzz
Pop quiz: What was the most successful all-girl British band? And by band, I mean they play their own instruments... so no Girls Aloud, Spice Girls or Sugababes. Struggling? Here’s a clue: “Pink, Pink Sunshine!” On the tip of your tongue? I’ll put you
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Car production up 44% in April
Car production accelerated ahead again last month, rising 44% compared with April 2009, it has been announced. A total of 98,290 cars were made in the UK in April 2010, with the increase emphasising just how deeply in recession the motor industry
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Helping hand
Think of a business that may prosper even when dark clouds appear on the economic skyline. Not easy, but the answer seems to be to help others to help themselves when austerity looms. Rachel Trett, 32, who in May last year lost her job with the Royal
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Help your venue win nationwide gig
JUMP to it! Oxford’s O2 Academy is going head-to-head with venues nationwide in the race to win a free gig by hit dance act 2manydjs. And you can help swing the result. The house legends will be laying on a show for dance fans at one of the UK’s 10 O2
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Managing the risks
It was the tragic fatality of a child at Glenridding Beck in Cumbria in 2003 that brought the safety of outdoor school visits and activities into the spotlight. The death of ten-year-old Max Palmer resulted in the prosecution of a teacher, and opened
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Tree-mendous festival
GO wild in the country… but spare a thought for our woodland folk while you’re doing it! That seems to be the mission statement of what claims to be the country’s greenest music festival – Wood. And with bicycle-powered sound system, showers heated
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Prince of Persia (12A)
Inspired by the best-selling video games series, Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time (12A) is a rollicking escapade which marries gorgeous Moroccan locations with state-of-the-art visual effects. The time-bending storyline of Mike Newell’s big budget
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Mr Hudson/Tinie Tempah: Northampton Roadmender
Choosing a support act is a delicate decision for any artist, but it’s particularly brave of Mr Hudson to take someone as charismatic and high profile as Tinie Tempah out with him. Strolling on to the Roadmender stage to hysterical whoops from
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Fancy a dollar gamble?
My wife and I attended a friend’s wedding in the French town of Quimper last month, a delightful experience underpinned by a genuine sense of celebration. Of course, there were similarities between weddings much closer to home. Most guests, fuelled by
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Graduate Art Show: Oxford Brookes
Try to visit the Oxford Brookes Graduate Art Show before it ends on Saturday. If there are children and young people in your family interested in the visual arts, they will enjoy this show. Get them exercised on Daisy Teague’s interactive sculpture, chosen
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White Hart, Fyfield
The sad decline of the English pub has been the subject of much debate in recent years. Many theories have been put forward about why so many have closed, but ultimately it is down to a fundamental shift in society. Gone are the days where the working
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Diana Vickers: O2 Academy
The chances of achieving a long and fulfilling career for any X-Factor contestant are unpredictable to say the least. Even if you win the competition, this won’t necessarily save you from HMV’s bargain bins and getting by gigging on cruise ships: just
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Garsington Opera preview
For Daniel Norman, performing at Garsington has a huge advantage — he can just jump on his bike to get there. “There’s a lot of travelling in this job — a lot of the best-earning jobs are away, in mainland Europe,” he says. “So it’s nice to be able to
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Phronesis: The Spin
Jazz is as much a natural breeding ground for egotistical playing as any other form of music but with its reliance on improvisation and group interplay it is equally dependent on musical equality. By this description a trio is either the perfect stage
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Oh! What a Lovely War: Oxford Playhouse
Broad Street in the centre of Oxford was in rather celebratory and victorious mood on Tuesday evening — involving a bus and a very large number of United supporters. A few hundred yards away at the Playhouse, the Northern Stage production cast
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Just Like That: Oxford Playhouse
Tommy Cooper, for people of a certain age, was simply the funniest ITV television performer of his generation. Over four decades, his act of bathetic one-liners, disastrously-failing magic tricks and a trademark harrumph of “Jus’ like that!” — all addressed
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The Producers: New Theatre
Away with Pirates, The Merry Widow and Oklahoma! — all excellent shows for an amateur company to perform, but for their annual outing at the New Theatre this year Oxford Operatic Society has taken on a big, and very different challenge: one of the first
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Britain to bask in summer weather
Britain is set to enjoy a summery spell as forecasters predicted the highest temperatures of the year so far. The mercury is expected to hit 26C in some places over the weekend - about ten degrees above the average for this time of year. The
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Fun Run: OFS Studio, Oxford
This is a brand new play by prolific local playwright Joe Graham, most recently behind last year’s OFS hit Fistful Of Mondays. Set in an advertising agency, it tells the story of five characters organising a charity fun run. Now, you would think that
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The Lion’s Face Oxford Playhouse
This latest work from The Opera Group tackles the issue of dementia and the ways in which sufferers can feel increasingly isolated from the world around them. Presented in conjunction with a series of talks and workshops to mark Oxford’s Dementia Awareness
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Crime of the Century: Oxford Playhouse
Chickenshed is a London theatre company that is open to anyone, but it has a professional group that specialises in tackling socially relevant subjects. The crime of the title is knife crime, and in particular the murder, two years ago, of 14-year-old
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English Music Festival: Dorchester
Opening this year’s English Music Festival brochure is rather like opening up a menu and finding such a tempting array of deliciously tasty treats that you are spoilt for choice. Once again, Em Marshall — who founded the festival in 2006 — is serving
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Cider with Rosie: Oxford Playhouse
In the hall of fame of books written on either childhood or the countryside, Laurie Lee’s Cider With Rosie figures hugely. Of all the books I read at school this was the one I enjoyed the most. Ever since then I have always owned a copy of
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Vaccines mission
Vaccines began in the late 18th century, when Edward Jenner developed protection against smallpox using cow pox. He coined the term vaccine from vacca, the Latin for cow. In the developed world, vaccines are routine, either given during childhood or
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Internet success story
Every day Ian Mason comes to work knowing that his company order book — for the UK and Europe at least — is blank. But this situation, which would cause panic among other stock market-listed large firms, is perfectly normal. That is because during the
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Football win 'will boost economy'
OXFORD United’s promotion to the Football League could be worth £5m to the local economy, according to David Doughty, chairman of the Oxford Economic Partnership. He believes that, as well as up to £1m more revenue for the club, the win will have a much
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Capital gains tax changes
New Prime Minister and MP for West Oxfordshire David Cameron now has four houses at his disposal — Number 10 Downing Street, Chequers, his constituency home near Dean in Oxfordshire, and the London home in which he lived while leader of Her Majesty’s
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Interview with Barbara Trapido
Ballet, opera, art and music are woven throughout Barbara Trapido's latest novel, but she says: “I wasn't thinking, ‘I will write a very cultured book, with references to ballet and opera’. It just happened that these things sparked off images for me
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Mirada miracle
Mirada Medical has been through more change than most companies during its turbulent 12-year history. The company develops medical imaging software solutions which are used by doctors to assist in the diagnosis of cancer. In its lifetime
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Boom and bust
Corsets feature large in the history of North Oxfordshire, but now a lingerie company is making a success of offering less constricting underwear. Bob and Jane Fleming have spent most of their working lives making bras, and following the demise
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Little Kickers
For Helen Johnson the death of a family friend was the catalyst to re-think her life and make huge changes. And she hasn’t looked back. Mother-of-two Mrs Johnson, 35, was stuck in a rut, working long hours for an Oxford publishing firm, constantly felling
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Autobiography lessons
Life is often stranger and more interesting than fiction, and adult education tutor Jackie Sherman has found a niche helping people to unlock the story of their lives. After putting together a distance learning course on how to write autobiography, she
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Life in lettings
Darren Hazell, owner of the letting centre, Headington, Oxford, describes how taking the plunge to become his own boss was one of his best decisions What was your first job and what did your responsibilities include? I worked as a waiter
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Charity shop expansion
The jumble sale image of charity shops has long disappeared, but many people would be surprised at the hard work that has gone into their recent transformation. As well as design makeovers to update them for modern shoppers who no longer like picking
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Carving out a niche
Stuart Barr should be the poster boy for a generation of young people who leave school at 16. He is proof positive that you do not need A-Levels and a university education to get on in life. After taking a National Diploma in Furniture Design at Rycote
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Stained glass craft
Stained glass has been used since medieval times, to beautify churches and depict stories from the scriptures. And it is often a feature of private houses — perhaps incorporating a coat of arms. Today, specialist craftsman David Lloyd Williams, of Cotswold
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How to destroy the planet
Most environmentalists would be upset if they developed a game to show the dangers of climate change, and then found that most players just wanted to destroy the world. But not Gobion Rowlands. Climate Challenge, his computer game developed with the
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Paperback choice
Adventurous Pub Walks in the Chilterns Jean Patefield (Countryside Books, £8.99) Route number three is subtitled The Bluebell Walk and there should be a fine show this weekend on most of the other routes. Each has up-to-date details of a pub conveniently
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Stuart Wells
Stuart Wells wrote his first children’s novel after being nagged by his three children to write an adventure story in which they featured. The Desert in the Dining Room tells of three children living in Brightwell Baldwin (not far from his home in Stadhampton
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The Garden in the Clouds
THE GARDEN IN THE CLOUDS Antony Woodward (Harper Press, £16.99)Woodward’s garden is in the clouds because it’s more than 1,000ft up in the Black Mountains (more about that altitude later). Based on childhood memories of his grandmother’s Cotswolds garden
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The Swimmer by Roma Tearne
The Swimmer Roma Tearne (Harper Press, £14.99) A captivating and unconventional story of love and war, The Swimmer subverts expectation and shuns sentimentality through the author’s refusal to offer easy answers or trite consolation. The Swimmer is
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Embroidery Originals
Textitle artist Sue Rangeley takes her inspiration from gardens and the natural world, creating dazzling embroidery. Her first book Embroidered Originals (D4Daisy, £19) is illustrated with lavish examples and ideas for using embroidery to create fashionable
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New MP Nicola takes her place
OXFORDSHIRE’s newest MP Nicola Blackwood took her place on the famous green benches of the Commons for the first time this week. As she entered the chamber as MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, the Oxford music graduate admitted feeling a little
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Oxford United put up ticket prices for first time in 5 years
It will cost Oxford United fans more to watch their promotion-winning team next season,with the club increasing matchday prices for the first time in five years. And chairman Kelvin Thomas is urging supporters to continue their fantastic backing by
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Shopping superstars
IT is amazing how it all adds up. The Summertown branch of Oxfam is about to celebrate its 25th birthday at its present site and in that time it has earned the aid charity more than £3m in profit. That equates to roughly £384 a day, every day, averaged
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Roundabout revamp on right lines
THE new design proposed for the Heyford Hill roundabout looks like a sensible option to improve traffic flow on a key section of Oxford’s ring road. Alterations to improve access to the Sainsbury’s supermarket are long overdue. And it is good to see
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THE INSIDER: Smith's true colours
RUMOURS that Oxford East MP Andrew Smith had joined the Con-Lib Dem coalition love-in have proved unfounded. The Labour MP was spotted in jubilant mood sporting a blue and yellow scarf, below, but he was at Wembley, not Westminster. The MP was savouring
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U'S PROMOTION: Businesses could reap benefits
THE impact of Oxford United’s promotion to the Football League could be worth more than £5m to the local economy, an expert predicted last night. U’s chairman Kelvin Thomas had predicted a Wembley win and promotion could mean £750,000 more revenue for
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Second 'hamburger' plan for Oxford roundabout unveiled
A NEW ‘hamburger’ roundabout at Heyford Hill may ease traffic problems on the Oxford ring road. Sainsbury’s has submitted plans to create the new ‘hamburger’ junction, similar in scale to the scheme completed three years ago at the Green Road
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Threatened spaces
Sir – Last week, Oxfordshire County Council registered Warneford Meadow in Oxford as a Town Green. CPRE Oxfordshire would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Friends of Warneford Meadow who have campaigned tirelessly for four
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Literary variety
Sir – I regret that your paper published inaccurate information concerning the lecture by best-selling author Alison Weir in Woodstock. Your books page listing (May 6) gave May 10 as the date, when in fact the lecture was on May 11 (this date
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Unlocking the hidden market
Many desirable properties in Oxfordshire are never advertised on the open market and remain out of reach of most house hunters. That is the view of experts Sonia Kearns and Cathy Dunbabin who claim to have the answer with their Oxford-based
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Space and classic style in the heart of north Oxford
A gothic-style rambling family house in the heart of the central north Oxford conservation area provides four storeys of living space. On the lower ground floor of the house in Norham Road is a kitchen, separate breakfast room with an open
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Foot-stamping uproar
Sir – Roger Blackburn (Letters, May 13) understandably objects to standing ovations after concerts. Even worse, in my view, is the stamping of feet, creating a harsh cacophony that drives thoughts of the music one has just head from one’s head. Sadly
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Pavement priorities
Sir – I occasionally drive down Rawlinson Road to cross between the Banbury and Woodstock Roads. A few months ago a beautiful maintenance job was done to the footpaths and entrances to the houses in Rawlinson Road. To avoid the roadworks caused by
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First-class plan
Sir – I am writing in regard to the issue of the Barton Pavilion (Letters, May 13). I totally agree with Ms Pippa Gwilliam regarding the awful state of this building. As soon as Labour won the local city election in 2008, I was given the position
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Ideal home for buyers with designs on Wolvercote
Award-winning designer Susan Bradley has put her home in Wolvercote on the market, including the garden studio where she has created many of her designs. The four-bedroom house has been renovated and extended by Ms Bradley in keeping with its
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One-word exam ending
EVEN among the brightest minds at Oxford University, it has long been viewed as the one examination most likely to stir fear and doubt. The one-word essay set by All Souls College every year has been the stuff of Oxford legend since 1914, when
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Well done!
The disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion has been all but forgotten after Oxford United’s triumph in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday. Three superbly taken goals gave United the success they have been craving for the last four
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Worrying picture
Sir – Having been at the count myself, I found it interesting that Bob Price, in understandably ebullient mood after his Labour group took control of Oxford City Council, congratulated returning officer Jeremy Thomas and his staff on doing an excellent
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Power where it belongs
Sir – The new coalition is the first government with a majority of national votes since Churchill’s 1940-45 coalition. This makes it the first government with real moral legitimacy in 65 years. Critics denigrate coalitions, but every party is a coalition
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Driving in heaven
Sir – I am astonished that Chris Minchin considers English drivers to be the worst in Europe (Letters, May 13). I have also driven in many European countries and my conclusions are completely the reverse of his. The Italians are undoubtedly the worst
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Get out and go wild
Myriad of moths: In our daily lives it can be easy to overlook the breathtaking variety of life that surrounds us. Take moths, for example. Most of us would probably struggle to name a single type of moth, so you might be surprised to find that in Britain
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Pause for lights
Anyone who uses the Heyford Hill roundabout on Oxford Ring Road will know that it is not to be taken lightly. For starters, you need to watch out for those who do not use it regularly and are never quite sure where they should be for the Ring Road, Sainsbury
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The great juniper hunt
The decline of juniper in Oxfordshire is threatening many important species that depend on it. More than 40 species of insect and fungus cannot survive without it, and many of them are already endangered. Among its dependants is the juniper
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Intimidating experience
Sir – This morning, my wife and I took our two children — four and two — to visit the Natural History Museum on Parks Road. We walked up Keble Road to Parks Road to cross at the pedestrian crossing. The Town and Gown Run was taking place
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Dull prospect
Sir – I did not like proportional representation when we had the election for the European Parliament. The area covered was so vast and I didn’t know much about the candidates, especially the minority parties. Maybe for a very large area in Europe
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Proving your identity
Sir – In The Oxford Times of May 13, prominent Greens appear three times (two reports and one letter) complaining about irregularities or abuse involving students (and perhaps others) during the election in East Oxford, with Sushila Dhall pointing out
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Best candidate
Sir – The letter sent by Nuala Young (May 13) had unfair insinuations that the St Clements result was skewed against the Greens. It is obvious that the best candidate won on the day and this was the spirited and tree-loving gentleman councillor Graham
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Destructive reservoir
Sir – Henley MP, Dr John Howell, joins Parishes Against Gravel Extraction in finding it unclear why there is such a large apportionment of gravel extraction to Oxfordshire, believing large amounts would have to be exported to other counties (Report,
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Kidlington school passes Ofsted test
A school issued with a ‘notice to improve’ by education watchdog Ofsted in March has been rated as ‘satisfactory’ after its first monitoring inspection. Senior staff at West Kidlington Primary School raised concerns about a new Ofsted framework
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Champagne tasting at 10,000ft
The May blossom is out, the countryside is lush and a glorious fragrance suggestive of spring fills the air – in other words it’s time to brush the dust off the picnic basket and consider eating al fresco. Having bought myself a picnic rucksack that keeps
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Gooseberries: Berried treasure
The gooseberries in my garden are already starting to swell especially the green-fruited ‘Invicta’. I planted six standards which I bought from Waterperry Gardens, four years ago. Two are ‘Rokula’, a pink-fruited later variety that never seems to get
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New recycling centre on way for Kidlington
A NEW £3m recycling centre will be built in Kidlington as part of a plan to beef up the county’s waste recycling efforts. The flagship recycling facility will be created on farmland off Langford Lane, near Oxford Airport. The county
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Number of cancelled hospital operations rise
A RISE in the number of cancelled operations in Oxfordshire’s major hospitals over the winter is being blamed on an increase in patient numbers. New figures released by the Department of Health show 252 patients booked in for procedures at the John Radcliffe
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Plan to end ring-road bottlenecks
A revised roundabout at Heyford Hill funded by Sainsbury’s could signal major improvements to Oxford’s ring road, The Oxford Times can reveal today. Sainsbury’s has submitted plans to create a new ‘hamburger’ junction — complete with traffic
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Vergelegen Estate, £74
In advance of our Vergelegen Estate South African Dinner Tasting at The Cherwell Boathouse hosted by winemaker Andre Van Rensberg on Tuesday, June 1, we are offering a taster case of some of the more affordable wines that we will be tasting. If you would
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Summer is a time to study
It was widely regarded as a mistake for Vishy Anand to agree to play BulgarianVeselin Topalov in Sofia. Last week, however, after a thrilling climax , the Indian, Anand, had won through. Exciting news is that it is widely predicted Anand’s next
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Man who cracked Narnia's code
C.S. Lewis, the author of the Narnia stories, was a man of secrets. But there can be no doubting what his greatest and most closely guarded secret has been — that’s if the Oxford college chaplain Dr Michael Ward is to be believed. Dr Ward is the writer
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New recycling centre planned for Kidlington
A NEW £3m recycling centre is set to be built in Kidlington as part of a plan to transform the county’s waste recycling services. And there are proposals to redevelop the Redbridge recycling centre, off Abingdon Road, Oxford. County
