Archive

  • Bus tour aims to find county schools eco champions

    AN ECO-CHARITY bus is on tour to find the county’s most environmentally friendly school. The Northmoor Trust is taking its Wild Waste Show to schools across Oxfordshire. The sustainable living charity is teaching children about recycling, while giving

  • City makes an artistic impression

    If, like me, you usually stride the streets studying nothing but your shoelaces, you could be missing a treat – according to a new guide to unusual landmarks. Discover Oxford’s Public Art is available online from this month and features street

  • 'City can afford to build £16.8m pool'

    OXFORD can afford a new £16.8m swimming pool that will lead to the closure of Temple Cowley Pools, a council boss said on the eve of massive spending cuts. Oxford City Council deputy leader Ed Turner said the Blackbird Leys development was needed, as

  • Thieves target van wheels

    Thieves have stolen six spare wheels from vans in the Oxford area past week. Police believe they are travelling around in a van to commit the crimes, reported in Herschel Crescent, Cowley, Kennedy Close, Cowley, St Giles, and Champion Way, Littlemore

  • ICE HOCKEY: Stars get back on track

    OXFORD City Stars returned to winning ways with a 7-3 victory over Swindon Wildcats in South Division 1. Swindon were a youthful, energetic side, and took the lead in the seventh minute through Ryan Burgess. Stars levelled on 15 minutes when Josh Oliver

  • PM's delight at prise for schools

    TWO west Oxfordshire schools have received glowing praise from education inspectorate Ofsted and the Prime Minister. Witney secondary Wood Green School and Kingham Primary School, near Chipping Norton, were both described as outstanding by inspectors

  • Fewer empty shopping units boost town

    WANTAGE and Abingdon traders are confident of a bright future after the number of empty shop units in the towns fell. A survey found eight per cent of shop units in the Vale of White Horse district are empty, below the national average of 13 per cent

  • Local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 5.75 BMW 4338 Electrocomps 238.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 104.5 Oxford Biomedica 10 Oxford Catalysts 68 Oxford Instruments 514 Reed Elsevier 553.75 RM 173.5 RPS Group 203.7 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Mistaking my whereabouts

    The publication in Weekend today of Theresa Thompson’s review of the Royal Academy’s Treasures from Budapest exhibition reminds me that I owe an apology to my friends at the RA for a silly slip in a piece I wrote about it last month. After first stating

  • All aboard for a journey with long pauses

    ‘Everybody welcome” it says on the sides of the buses. Welcome, I would say, to sit fuming on a double-decker that is going nowhere. Let me explain. Absurdly generous timetabling means that Brookes buses are obliged to make lengthy pauses during their

  • West End transfer for Tracie's Judy Garland

    Tracie Bennett’s sensational performance as Judy Garland, about which I raved in The Oxford Times back in February, is going to be seen by West End audiences from next month until well into the New Year. Royal & Derngate Northampton’s production of Peter

  • The Punter, Osney Island, Oxford

    The nearest pub to my home is also the one closest to my office. Naturally I take a great interest in it. The place began life in 1871 as The Waterman but throughout most of its existence has been known as The Waterman’s Arms (“At the Command of

  • Recipe for apple and walnut bread

    This is a great way of using up windfall apples and fresh walnuts to produce a moist loaf which has a delightful nutty apple taste that goes particularly well with cheese. As both walnuts and apples have been prolific this year, this is one tasty way

  • Delicious juice from the best local apples

    Did you know that there are more than 2,300 varieties of cooking and dessert apples grown in the UK? This is thanks in part to the many Victorian gardeners and nurserymen who were spurred on, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, by the Royal Horticultural

  • The career of John Wilkins, the Warden of Wadham College

    Afriend of mine, a rich bee-keeper, has a problem that many of us would not mind sharing — namely, how to keep his bees out of his swimming pool. The answer, he tells me, is to put a little vinegar (in his case, made from his own apples) around

  • Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

    Style soars high above substance in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, a visually stunning computer-animated yarn torn from the pages of Kathryn Lasky’s novels. Screening in most cinemas in gorgeous 3D, Zack Snyder’s film frequently

  • CUTS: Full Government documents to review

    Spending Review - official Treasury documents Spending Review - Complete document Spending Review - Impact on equalities document Spending Review - Funding policy document Spending Review - Policy

  • Preview of The Royal Hunt of the Sun: Oxford Playhouse

    Earlier this year Oxford University student theatre company Acorn Productions mounted an ambitious and very successful production of Homer’s Odyssey. Now Acorn has moved on to Peter Shaffer’s The Royal Hunt of the Sun — described thus by Felix Barker

  • A Western: The Angel and Greyhound, St Clement's, Oxford

    We were amid the splendours of Christ Church for Murder in the Cathedral last week. This week, in a move from the sacred to the profane, the venue for Playhouse Plays Out (and three further sell-out shows) was the exceptionally welcoming Angel and Greyhound

  • The Duchess of Malfi: Royal & Derngate, Northampton

    The Grand Guignol scenes for which John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi is justly famous are mercifully played down in director Laurie Sansom’s handsome new production at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate. While the strangling, stabbings and poisoning that

  • The Oxford Art Society: Said Business School

    The recent death of artist Annie Newnham means The Oxford Art Society’s Open Exhibition at the Said Business School is a particularly poignant event this year. Seldom has the society failed to hang at least one of her atmospheric paintings, during the

  • I Blame Coco: O2 Academy

    I Blame Coco, or Eliot Paulina Sumner on her birth certificate — let’s get this out of the way first: she’s the daughter of Sting and Trudi Styler and is trying to become the second of their children to make it as a musician. There’s been much contempt

  • The Regal Prom: The Regal, Cowley Road, Oxford

    It was good to see the Regal packed full on Sunday, because this family concert was in aid of Music for Autism, the charity that aims to make the world a slightly less confusing and disorientating place for autistic children through the power of

  • Wrought with the Needle: Witney Antiques

    Elizabethan needlework in fine condition is extremely rare but readers will have the opportunity to see some at close hand, at Witney Antiques’ latest exhibition. This admirable shop in Corn Street, Witney, somehow always manages to produce museum-quality

  • Two Into One: The Mill at Sonning

    Veteran farceur Ray Cooney has assisted The Mill in the thorough updating of Two into One, his 1981 rib-tickler on political life, to take account of the election — sorry, non-election — of the Cameron-Clegg coalition and even the arrival of a new Labour

  • Professor Green: O2 Academy

    Though Hackney-born rapper Professor Green seems to have sprung from nowhere lately, he has actually been trying to break through for about five years. Signed twice and never making a splash in the charts, he has finally made his mark this year with top

  • Evita: Aylesbury Waterside

    Last week Aylesbury’s eye-catching new theatre opened with a kaleidoscopic explosion of fireworks outdoors, and Northern Ballet’s Swan Lake on stage. This week and next, the Waterside presents its first musical — Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita

  • Murder in the Cathedral: Christ Church

    ‘We have to get the theatre into the church and Christianity into the theatre,” T. S. Eliot told a conference audience at Lincoln College, Oxford, in the summer of 1955. Neither ambition appears to have been fully achieved during the 55 years since. Indeed

  • The Big Fellah: The Oxford Playhouse

    Comedy and horror spectacularly collide in Richard Bean’s ribald new play, The Big Fellah. Set in New York over three decades (from the early seventies through until 2001), we follow ‘The Big Fellah’ David Costello (Finbar Lynch), a top brass in the IRA

  • Bins back up 'as long as needed'

    CALL centres fielding 1,000 inquiries a day about Vale of White District Council’s new fortnightly rubbish collections will stay open for “as long as it takes”, the council’s leader has pledged. Despite the flood of queries, the council said the scheme

  • Ex-Morris man clocks up 100 years

    FORMER Oxford car factory worker Tomo Novakovic celebrated with family and friends after reaching his centenary. Mr Novakovic, who lives at Townsend House care home in Headington, was surrounded by his relatives for the 100th birthday party on Monday

  • GIRLS' FOOTBALL: Didcot turn on style

    Didcot Casuals powered past Carterton in an 8-0 win in the Oxford Mail Girls Under 11 League. Holly Porter, Edie Stirwell-Garrett and Freeleigh Parnell got two each, with Shannon Barrett and Olivia Hardy also scoring. Wantage saw off Kidlington 3-1

  • Housing target cuts proposed

    CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 750 homes in Wallingford could be slashed by almost half – but campaigners say it is still too many. South Oxfordshire District Council has proposed slimming down the development – to go on one of three sites – to 400 homes

  • Passport not good enough ID, teenager told

    A TRADING standards boss suggested an 18-year-old girl renew her two-month-old passport after a shopkeeper did not accept it when she tried to buy cigarettes for her mother. David Bradford, principal trading standards officer for Oxfordshire County Council

  • WOMEN'S FOOTBALL: Close control

    Tower Hill’s Karen Slatter (right) gets past Headington’s Nicola Bateman during her side’s 2-1 victory in the Oxfordshire Women’s Cup. Jessica Turner put Headington ahead from the penalty spot, but Samantha Talbot levelled with a long-range free-kick.

  • Local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 6 BMW 4348 Electrocomponents 240.4 Nationwide Accident Repair 104.5 Oxford Biomedica 10 Oxford Catalyst 65.75 Oxford Instruments 508.5 Reed Elsevier 552.5 RM 168.25 RPS

  • GIRLS' FOOTBALL: Class from the captain

    Captain Mac Crook showed some great skills before laying the ball back to Hariette Titchener in the build-up to Didcot Town’s opening goal in their 2-0 win at Carterton in the Under 13 League. Titchener’s first-time cross was converted by Jordan Harris

  • YOUTH FOOTBALL: Milton move off bottom

    OFA Invitation Youth League Milton United moved off the bottom of the Under 18 C League after recording their first win of the season, a 1-0 success at fellow strugglers Greater Leys Youth. In the other game, Hinksey Park beat St Edmunds 3-2 in the

  • YOUTH FOOTBALL: Boyd seals Summertown win

    OFA County Cup Sam Boyd’s 20-yard lob proved the icing on the cake as Summertown beat Deddington 4-1 in the Under 16 competition. Charlie Rundle opened the scoring, only for Deddington’s Sam Pigott to equalise. Dash Ward’s goal restored Summertown

  • Teenager 'too shocked to fight back', Benson rape trial told

    A TEENAGER who said she was raped by an MoD corporal told jurors she was too shocked to fight him off. The girl, who was 17 at the time of the alleged attack in January, gave evidence on the second day of a trial at Oxford Crown Court yesterday. Scott

  • Residents go to the polls

    Residents of Barton and Sandhills will elect a new Oxford city councillor tomorrow. Polling stations, at the Viking Sports Club, Barton Neighbourhood Centre, Bayard’s Hill School and Sandhills School, open from 7am and close their doors at 10pm. Gavin

  • FOOTBALL: Evans cracker lifts Horspath

    Simon Evans’s 30-yard strike gave Horspath a 1-0 win at Kennington in the Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division. After a tight first half, Evans produced the decisive moment midway through the second period when he strode forward to smash

  • FOOTBALL: Red-hot Rover

    AUTOTYPE UTV LEAGUE Premier & Division 1 Rover Cowley showed their Premier Division title intentions with a resounding 5-0 victory over Oxford Yellows, who went crashing to their first defeat, writes TIM SIRET. Gary Brookes cracked a double for

  • YOUTH FOOTBALL: Lethal Lloyd is sharp-shooter

    GILES SPORTS WITNEY YOUTH LEAGUE Lloyd Belcher scored all five goals for Yarnton Blues as they defeated Hanborough 5-3 in the Under 12 C League. Dan Burgess (2) and Lewis Adams hit back for Hanborough. Jai Smith hit a treble to help Clanfield 85

  • SCHOOLS' FOOTBALL: Rampant Vale

    Vale of White Horse inflicted a heavy 6-1 defeat on Swindon in the ESFA Under 15 Trophy second round at Milton United. Sam Earl fired Vale ahead after ten minutes with a 20-yard drive into the bottom corner. Two minutes later, he supplied the cross

  • SCHOOLS' FOOTBALL: Heap hammers a hat-trick

    Ryan Heap hit a hat-trick as Marlborough (Woodstock) ran out 6-3 winners at home to Oxford School in the ESFA Under 15 Schools’ Cup second round. Anthony Muwema bagged a brace, and Charlie Leach completed Marlborough’s tally. Joe Helsby

  • FOOTBALL: Machines knocked off summit

    AUTOTYPE UTV LEAGUE Divisions 2 & 3 Research Machines lost top spot in Division 2 after a surprise 3-1 defeat by Wallingford Exiles. James Evans, Dave Cheeseman and Sabri Veseli were on target for Exiles, Stu Coppock replying from the penalty spot

  • FOOTBALL: Hero Holton stars in Marston victory

    Two classy strikes from young wing wizard Matthew Holton gave Marston Saints a 2-1 extra-time win at home to Bletchingdon in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup first round, writes BRIAN KIRK. Mark Gaul’s perseverance created an opening in the Bletchingdon penalty

  • Iffley Road sports ground redevelopment to be discussed

    Plans to redevelop the historic Iffley Road sports ground will be discussed next week. Oxford University wants to demolish the sports hall and grandstand and build a new sports centre. The athletics track was the site of Sir Roger Bannister’s record-breaking

  • Farm offers a-maze-ing Halloween fun

    A WICKED world of webs, ghosts and ghouls will open at an Oxfordshire farm this weekend. Millets Farm Centre, at Frilford, near Abingdon, will transform its popular 10-acre ‘maize maze’ into a ‘Mass-acre’ maze to mark Halloween and the school half-term

  • Girls put design skills on display

    A GRANDFATHER clock, a writing desk and a walnut chaise longue are among the creations being showcased by talented Oxford schoolgirls. The Oxford High School pupils are putting the finishing touches to their exhibition, which will be unveiled tomorrow

  • Town councillor loses her seat

    ONE of Witney’s most prominent councillors has lost her seat on the town council after failing to attend a meeting for six months. Louise Chapman, who is the county council’s cabinet member for children, young people and families, has lost her Witney

  • Drugs trial nurse traced

    A nurse who went missing after taking part in a medical trial for a treatment for malaria has turned up safe and well in the Netherlands. Matthew Lloyd, 35, above, from Southampton, in Hampshire, was reported missing when he failed to attend an appointment

  • Woman loses appeal over teaching post

    A WOMAN who failed her induction as a teacher at a primary school has lost an appeal to the General Teaching Council against the decision. Linda Christodolou had appealed to the GTC’s Induction Appeal Committee against the local authority’s decision

  • City council moves out-of-hours noise hotline to Cheshire

    IF you try to complain about a noisy late-night party in Oxford your call will now be answered 160 miles away near Manchester. Oxford City Council has moved its out-of-hours call cover north after closing its own centre in Barton last month, making five

  • FOOTBALL: Wootton cruise on at the top

    Wootton & Dry Sandford maintained their perfect start in Division 1 of the North Berks League with a 3-1 home win against Harwell International – their fourth in a row. Tom Srawley, Dave Hump-hreys and Damien Dodds were on target, with Stuart Head replying

  • FOOTBALL: Brothers end leaders' record

    Matt and Simon Baker were on target as Combe ended Ducklington un-beaten run in the Premier Division of the Witney & District FA with a 2-1 victory. It also saw Combe maintain their 100 per cent record. Damon Tolley put Duck-lington in front, but goals

  • COMMENT: A sound decision?

    IT may not be as serious as shifting fire call centres away from Oxfordshire. But moving operators on a city council noise complaint line to Manchester seems a little bit ridiculous. There is an argument that their local knowledge may just fall a little

  • Football thanks

    I WOULD like to thank the Oxford Mail for its support of our charity football tournament to raise money for Pakistan flood relief, which took place earlier this month (Mail, October 11). It was very helpful. We would also like to thank the players and

  • Clean cut ideas

    I would just like to comment on John Green’s dismissive remarks (Oxford Mail letters, October 14) about Julia Gasper, the UKIP candidate for the Barton and Sandhills by-election. His attempt to sneer at Julia as a “serial candidate” and imply that she

  • Fears of crime

    IT was shocking to hear that a first year student had been stabbed on Cowley Road last week. Mary Jane Sareva, until last May, a fellow Green c ouncillor in St Clements, had spoken at our area committee of her concern that knife crime might be a new

  • Take greener option to beat congestion

    You asked in The Issue whether David Cameron was right to support the Cogges Link Road proposal. I agree with the well-written piece by David Condon. But, in contrast to his well-articulated views, the comments made by Ian Hudspeth were a mockery of

  • FOOTBALL: Knipe swoops for treble

    Dwayne Knipe hit a hat-trick as Carterton Pumas thrashed Corinthians 9-0 in Division 4 of the Witney & District FA. Carl Naughton and Kyle Drummon added doubles, with Rob Downes and Simon Gordon completing the rout. OTHER SCORERS Div 4: Spartan Rangers

  • FOOTBALL: Hart hammers super hat-trick

    Joel Hart hammered a hat-trick in Sinclair United’s 3-0 win against Bishops Itchington in the Premier Division of the Banbury District & Lord Jersey FA. Chris McMillan’s strike ensured a share of the spoils for KEA in a 1-1 draw at home to Woodford.

  • ONE IN THREE: A terrifying experience

    SO MUCH for good intentions. I last wrote in August, and this is meant to be a monthly column. I make no excuse for this, due to recent events. I awoke recently to find that I was unable to reach over to turn on my radio. I was unable to control my

  • Fight the cuts

    Thank you for keeping us informed about the dreadful cuts that Oxford city and Oxfordshire county council are making to our services. Although I am not a member of the Green Party, I am helping Mary Jane Sareva, of the Green Party, in her campaign to

  • Give a little respect

    IN RESPECT of pending local authority cuts and the reduction of police power, I believe we, the public, can use this as an important opportunity to reduce crime dramatically. Some crime has been reduced locally, but I believe it can be reduced further

  • GIRLS' FOOTBALL: Magic Melissa lifts Banbury

    Melissa Tovey’s hat-trick helped Banbury United maintain their fine start with a 5-1 win at Summertown Stars in the Oxford Mail Girls Under 15 League. Banbury pressed straight from the opening whistle and after an unfortunate own goal by Joy Perry, Banbury

  • School Focus: Sandhills Community Primary School

    OVERVIEW LOCATED on the edge of Oxford’s Green Belt and in sprawling grounds including its own amphitheatre and wind turbine, Sandhills does not feel like a city school. But most of its pupils travel there each day from inside the ring road, many

  • College campus revamp moves step closer

    ABINGDON and Witney College is a step closer to revamping its Witney campus. West Oxfordshire District Council gave conditional approval to the college’s planning application for a new teaching building and refurbishment and extension of existing buildings

  • FOOTBALL: Benjamin's Trophy tonic

    FA Carlsberg Trophy Declan Benjamin had a hand in all three goals as Banbury United defeated Wimborne 3-1 after extra-time in last night’s first qualifying round replay. The visitors went ahead on 56 minutes when Nabil Shariff latched

  • FOOTBALL: City draw blank again

    Zamaretto Southern League Oxford City’s frustrations continued last night with a goalless draw at home to fellow Premier Division strugglers Halesowen Town. City had the better of the match and created more chances, but all too often the final ball

  • 'I owe my life to amazing JR doctors' says victim of rare bug

    IT was not the diagnosis Martin Webb was expecting. The father-of-four from Didcot was in pain, but had no idea he had contracted a rare flesh-eating disease. By the time Mr Webb reached hospital, his liver had started to fail and medics told him he

  • Deering turns down Kidderminster loan move

    OXFORD United midfielder Sam Deering has rejected the chance to join Kidderminster Harriers on loan. Deering, who has not featured much for United this season, is remaining on trial with League One club Leyton Orient. And U’s boss Chris Wilder confirmed

  • Oxford United's age debate

    Do Oxford United need an old head or two to add some experience and composure when the going gets tough? It’s a question manager Chris Wilder admits he is giving thought to in the aftermath of their second-half capitulation at Macclesfield

  • Wright back for Oxford United

    JAKE Wright is back to bolster Oxford United’s defence against Northampton Town at the Kassam Stadium tom-orrow. The former Brighton defender, a key member of the side that won promotion last season, has been sidelined with a back injury since the start

  • Connie's hoping to Trapp her audience

    ONE of theatre’s best-loved shows is coming to Oxford – complete with its favourite star. The Sound of Music arrives at the New Theatre in December as part of the show’s UK tour. And Connie Fisher – who won BBC1 talent contest How Do You Solve a Problem

  • COMMENT: Sigh of relief as airbase escapes axe

    THERE was a big sigh of relief from south Oxfordshire last night after the Government’s Defence Review. It seems the future of RAF Benson is secure, for the time being. The base’s key Puma fleet seems to be getting a surprise cash injection, while it

  • East Oxford 'could do with Street Pastors'

    A POLICEMAN in East Oxford said Cowley Road could benefit from the city’s ‘guardian angels’ who look out for drunk revellers. A team of church-going Street Pastors stepped out amongst Oxford’s party-goers in the city centre for the first time last month