AN OXFORD primary school has been praised for making rapid improvements. Windale Primary School, in Windale Avenue, Blackbird Leys, has a large number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals and the number of pupils with special needs or disabilities
A NUN who has spent nearly four decades teaching at an Oxford school is finally stepping down. Sister Marie Ann is the last nun left at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Headley Way. She has been at the school for 39 years, 33 as deputy headteacher
A motorcyclist has died following a collision with a van on the A40 in Lewknor. The 29-year-old motorcyclist, from Slough, was travelling up Aston Hill towards Lewknor, at about 4.20pm yesterday, when his Yamaha R1 collided with a Mercedes Sprinter van
Staff at a doctors’ surgery got a shock when a lump of ice crashed through the roof. Staff at North Bicester Surgery, in Barberry Place, heard a bang and found that the ice – the size of a melon – had smashed through the roof above a stairwell. They
A 15-YEAR-OLD Spanish language student was robbed of her iPhone in Oxford. The teenager was walking through the Liddell Road and Dodgson Road area of Cowley at about 1.30pm on Saturday when she was pushed by a man, who then grabbed the white
MORE than £2m of uncollected council tax has been written off in Oxford over the past five years. Some of the uncollected cash is down to tax evasion, but a proportion is due to bankruptcy and people dying. The city’s tax collection rate – the amount
THE CRAZY world of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory was brought to life by pupils at Bladon Primary School for a special production. Children at the school put on a performance of Willy Wonka to fellow pupils, parents and members of the community on Monday
How can business charge cards help your new start-up?When you are starting your own business, there are all manner of financial questions you might be faced with. Many of these might not present themselves until you are already up and running
Oxford United are back in the big time. Chris Wilder's men are preparing for their first season in League Two and you can get the best preview of the season in the Oxford Mail. There's 24 pages packed with everything to help you look forward to the
‘Nothing but blue skies,” sang the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire Marie-Jane Barnett, and out on the lawns of Towersey Manor this seemed a perfect description for what we could see overhead. Sun shone on happy crowds enjoying Pimm’s, champagne, strawberries
‘Nothing but blue skies,” sang the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire Marie-Jane Barnett, and out on the lawns of Towersey Manor this seemed a perfect description for what we could see overhead. Sun shone on happy crowds enjoying Pimm’s, champagne, strawberries
I was saddened, like so many, to learn of the imminent closure of Gill and Co, the hardware shop tucked away off Oxford’s High Street. The business dates back, astonishingly, to the 16th century. This was the place where you went for “you know
The first thing Gwyneth Williams should do in her new role as Controller of BBC Radio 4 is ask why details of her appointment took precedence on the station’s flagship 6pm news last Thursday over the death of the great conductor Sir Charles Mackerras
If you don’t like garlic this recipe is not for you, but if you love the combination of crispy bacon and lush green beans that come with a strong garlic flavour you should enjoy this salad which can be served either warm or cold. By using the dry
We arrive in Abingdon by bus, 30 minutes early for dinner at the Camino Restaurant. This is deliberate. A colleague had advised that we might enjoy a drink at the nearby Brewery Tap. We certainly do. Though it’s a shame there is no longer a brewery
For more than 20 years Jane and Andrew Bowler, from Dews Meadow Farm, East Hanney, have been producing pork and additive-free pork products, which they sell in their shop and at farmers’ markets throughout Oxfordshire. Over the years they have worked
For centuries the great and the good in Oxford had an aversion to washing on the grounds that it opened the pores and let in diseases such as cholera, typhoid or smallpox. Indeed it was the great, including dons and doctors, who went unwashed just as
The Rebound has been sitting on a shelf for more than a year and, in truth, that’s where it should have stayed. Bearing striking similarities to the Uma Thurman film Prime, Bart Freundlich’s predictable romantic comedy asks whether love can truly bridge
The Oxford Shakespeare Company’s much-praised production of The Tempest is joined in the gardens of Wadham College from Sunday until August 20 by its second offering of the 2010 season, Noël Coward’s razor-sharp comedy of manners, Private Lives. Nicholas
Celebrating the English Garden, the summer exhibition at the Brian Sinfield Gallery, in Burford, offers something for everyone. As a packet of mixed seeds grows up, delivering the pretty, the decorative, familiar, eccentric, or plain unexpected, this
I found myself poring over my maps when I got home from the British Library. I spent ages comparing them and places I knew with what I’d seen at the fascinating Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art exhibition. Of the 100 maps on view, one will
Make no bones about it, this is the show to go to this summer in Oxford. Modern Art Oxford exhibits 25 paintings by Sir Howard Hodgkin, all from the last decade, some never before seen by the public. It is 30 years since Hodgkin last showed at Oxford
Received with almost universal acclaim by the critics, and now booking to October 2, the superb revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, starring David Suchet and Zoë Wanamaker, is a theatrical event that should on no account be missed. Suchet and Wanamaker
For four days each summer Art in Action brings together a wide range of artists and craftspeople, more than 450 this year, providing a wonderful opportunity to revisit the media you know and to explore those that are new to you. In addition, it affords
How much toothpaste can you squeeze out of a tube? It’s a question you could well ask about the Barry Manilow musical Copacabana. Starting life as a catchy single in 1978, Copacabana went on to become a TV movie, then an hour-long stage show. Finally
One of the most common stories told in popular culture is that of the artist who achieves great success when they’re no longer around to appreciate it. How this applies to Adam Green, who at 29 is far from being in the same situation as Stieg Larsson
Creation Theatre has a special relationship with Romeo and Juliet and always brings a winning touch to productions of it. It was with this play that the company first set out its stall as a purveyor of accessible, unstuffy Shakespeare as long ago as 1996
A queue that stretched beyond the Holywell’s smart new railings, and the turning away of some unlucky punters, could only mean one thing: Jack Gibbons was back in his spiritual home, and as always people were flocking to see one of Oxford’s most famous
It must be frustrating for Elliot Minor still to be playing places the size of the O2 Academy’s upstairs room. Ever since their debut album in 2006 they’ve been touted as a band about to capture the imagination and reap the rewards of the record
21/07/2010 AEA Technology 16.25 BMW 3478 Electrocomponents 220.1 Nationwide Accident Repair 81.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.75 Oxford Catalyst 72.5 Oxford Instruments 336 REED 515.25 RM 144 RPS Group 183.6 Courtesy Redmayne Bentley
A YOUNG comedy double act who have performed in New York and written for the BBC are to do their first home show in two years. James Bishop, 24, of Faringdon Road, Abingdon, and Chris Douch, 24, of Charlton Village Road, Wantage, will be bringing
BURFORD'S Visitor Information Centre has improved its green credentials in a national awards scheme. The centre has moved from a bronze to silver rating from the Green Tourism Business Scheme, which recognises eco-friendliness. The centre
Homeowners have been given a final say on plans to double the population of their village, but the parish council fears some people will have missed out. Councillors believe many missed out on the chance after leaflets promoting the weekend exhibition
A £3.8M science block at Marlborough School, in Woodstock, was officially declared open on Monday, and has been dedicated to the memory of Oxfordshire county councillor Brian Hodgson, who died in 2007 after a short illness. He had been governor
AN OXFORD charity which has helped 2,000 children deal with the death of a friend or relative has marked its 10th birthday Celebrity chef Raymond Blanc cut the birthday cake as about 300 children and their families came together at Kingston Bagpuize
Oxford City are hosting the Great Britain Deaf team in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, July 31 (3pm). The match is part of Britain’s preparations for the 2011 European Deaf Football Championships. Tickets for the clash at Court Place Farm cost £5
TWO men tried to pull a 17-year-old girl’s top up as she walked home, police said last night. The teen was walking along Cherwell Drive, Marston, Oxford, on Saturday, July 10, at about 10.45pm. She had turned into Oxford Road to take an alley that leads
INDIE-rock band Foals last night said they were “really happy” after scoring a nomination for the country’s most prestigious music award. The five-piece, who share a house in the Jericho area of Oxford, were nominated for the Barclaycard Mercury Music
A FORMER Oxford Mail journalist has received the ultimate accolade for his business book – praise from Virgin Group boss Sir Richard Branson. Andrew Cave left the Mail in 1996 to become associate city editor at the Daily Telegraph, commuting from his
Horspath's super season shows no sign of letting up, with all four teams still topping their respective MP Sports Cherwell League divisions. Robbie Eason’s first team now lead Division 1 by 36 points and have not lost a game. Horspath
MIDWIVES and the families who support the Silver Star Society have scored a great victory with the announcement that the specialist Oxford unit for women with complicated pregnancies will stay open this summer. However, it raises more questions
A POLICE Community Support Officer was torn off a strip to raise money for a children’s centre in Abingdon. Pcso Chris Cochrane, above, had his chest waxed by Sharon Hagen, an inspector in the Special Contabulary, at South Abingdon Children
CAMPAIGNERS celebrated last night after Oxford hospital managers did a U-turn over a decision to close the Silver Star high-risk pregnancy unit. Two weeks ago, the Oxford Mail revealed that level six of the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Headington
Oxfordshire saw their hopes of a Minor Counties Championship victory over Wales ended by rain at Pontarddulais yesterday. The visitors were wellplaced to win the Western Division match after dominating day two. But the third day, like the first, saw
On first viewing of the new Oxford United home shirts, my initial reaction was very pleasing, but after reading about diehard fans disliking the fact that the shirts are “too blue” how about making a yellow panel on the back, that would equate
I SEE that a series of Building for Schools projects in Oxfordshire have been halted by the Government. Now there is talk about cancelling free school meals for poorer families, as well as reducing benefits for the needy. Furthermore, the Institute
Council’s London Road remodelling has raised a few controversies. Filling in the pedestrian underpass was one, but this has released space needed for better pavements and bus stops. The planning team for the remodelling has been good not only at planning
WELL it finally happened. Last week I had my faith in the generosity of the human race restored by a complete stranger. Okay, not exactly a complete stranger, I’ve known who he is and what he does for quite a while, but until last Friday we had never
OVER the weekend I acquired an original copy of the Daily Mirror, dated Friday, July 30, 1948, priced one penny. While the headline referred to Mr Molotov the Soviet Foreign Minister and a problem over Berlin, it was the small printed news in brief
When will the county council realise that road safety in Headington should be given higher priority? There was yet another serious accident at the notoriously dangerous London Road/Windmill Road junction a few days ago, which could potentially have
PARENTS who lost their only child in a road smash have paid tribute to their energetic teenager . Tom Kahl, 18, from Yarnton Road, in Kidlington, was cycling along the A4260, near Thrupp, just after midnight on Saturday, July10, when he was
Paul Hemming admitted to feeling somewhat sheepish after his five-wicket haul saw Shipton-under-Wychwood race into the npower Village Cup quarter-finals. Shipton’s captain claimed 5-12 in 3.4 overs as Somerset champions Wembdon collapsed to a 133-run
“I HAVE had my homecoming. But there are 322 soldiers, and 322 families, that will never have one.” Former Abingdon soldier Joe Glenton, 28, who was sent to prison for refusing to fight in Afghanistan, has vowed to continue his campaign against
JOE Glenton, the former soldier recently released from military prison after being jailed for desertion, believes he is a lucky man by comparison with the hundreds of soldiers who have lost their lives in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.
HUNDREDS of people lined the streets of Oxford to pay tribute to four British servicemen, including three killed by a rogue Afghan soldier. Major James Bowman, Lieutenant Neal Turkington, and Corporal Arjun Purja Pun, all of First Battalion The Royal
In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive
THE Government last night halted plans for an £800,000 play park at the eleventh hour – a week after children were promised it would go ahead. Oxfordshire County Council believed Play Barton, an indoor and outdoor play area based on three sites on the
Six Bells Kidlington took over at the top of the Premier Section with a 2-1 win at the Three Pigeons. Roger Goodall led the way with 15 dolls (5-6-4) as they won the first two legs 34-25, 34-24, but lost the last 22-32. Ady Cross, Alan
THOUSANDS of Oxfordshire victims who lost their life savings following the near collapse of Equitable Life have launched a last-ditch attempt to get compensation. The Government is preparing to report on how it will deal with payouts following
School holiday day trips to France PLUS 15% saving on wine. For the school holidays, why not plan a family day out to Cherbourg? With a choice of early morning High Speed service from Poole to Portsmouth to Cherbourg you have a choice of two
Nelson A upset the odds by ending Northway’s unbeaten run with a 2-1 victory in Section 7. Nelson were in top form, winning the first two legs 21-17, 16-13 with Northway grabbing a consolation point in the final leg 16-13. Craig Greenough top scored
Chris Wilder is convinced Oxford United will get more goals from midfield next season after seeing Asa Hall’s impressive performance in United's 0-0 draw at Livingston. Although the U’s were unable to break through against the Scottish second
CAMPAIGNING fathers have vowed to “cause mayhem” in Witney if they are not allowed to demonstrate peacefully. The New Fathers 4 Justice group plans to camp on Wood Green, off Woodstock Road, this weekend. Its members claims more than
A BABY ostrich has some unusual playmates at the Cotswold Wildlife Park. Bernie, who was born at the park near Burford last month, is living with young chickens as surrogate siblings to show him the ropes. Because his mum Myrtle laid such a big clutch
KEEN gardeners are bringing a touch of The Good Life to one corner of Oxford. Like Tom and Barbara in the 1970s TV sitcom, tenants in Knights Road, Blackbird Leys, are feasting on home grown vegetables and enjoying summer flowers and strengthening community
