APPLICATIONS from organisations vying for a share of our £50,000 Comic Relief cash pot are starting to flood in. The Oxford Mail is backing a campaign to help out local charities with grants of up to £1,000 from the Red Nose Day Community Cash
ALFIE Potter’s biggest fan scooped this week’s Oxford Mail Face in the Crowd prize. Charlotte Dean, whose favourite player is the tricky Oxford United winger, walked away with £75 after being spotted by our photographer during Saturday’s win over Rotherham
Lotus Renault GP has announced that Nick Heidfeld has joined the Enstone-based team, taking over driving duties from the injured Robert Kubica. He will start at this week’s test session in Barcelona. The 33-year-old German is one of
SKELETONS could help archaeologists reveal more of Bicester’s past. Builders midway through constructing the John Paul II Centre found the bones under a car park area at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in the Causeway last year. Three of the
MG Motor UK has launched a new logo as part of a new corporate identity. And it coincides with the unveiling of a second new model that will soon roll off the production line at MG Birmingham. The historic MG octagon is retained, but given
AEA Technology 4.8 BMW 5121 Electrocomponents 273.2 Nationwide Accident Repair 100.5 Oxford Biomedica 7.1 Oxford Catalysts 85.5 Oxford Instruments 621.25 Reed Elsevier 576.25 RM 167.5 RPS Group 210 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
A £4M project to unblock one of Oxfordshire’s worst traffic blackspots will finish this week, ending months of misery for motorists. Traffic engineers believe improvements to the M40/A34 junction at Wendlebury near Bicester will combat severe
Villagers have been given a month to save Culham Parochial Primary School. Oxfordshire County Council is considering closing the 160-year-old school as a headteacher cannot not be found. There are now just 24 pupils at the school and funding is dwindling
Police have made three arrests following an armed robbery in Headington. Two men in hooded tops entered the Betfred betting shop in London Road at about 8pm yesterday and robbed it at gunpoint. Police said a man with what was believed to be a gun
RESIDENTS may not find out about building plans that could affect their homes because a council has decided to scrap letter notifications, it has been warned. Conservative-run Cherwell District Council will no longer send individual letters to local
A VILLAGE church is thought to be among the first in the UK to broadcast live video of its Sunday services, christenings, weddings and funerals over the Internet. Worshippers are logging on from as far away as South Africa, Turkey, Canada and Sweden
Sixteen jobs at a Banbury hotel have been saved after it was bought by another hotel chain. Butterfly Hotels Ltd, the former owner of the Holiday Inn Express, in Stroud Park, Ermont Way, Banbury, was put into administration earlier this month. The same
WHEN Jude Farr got nominated for the Baftas she admitted she was more used to dressing film sets than herself. So she roped in her regular hairdresser, Beverley Bates, of Ekko, in High Street, Banbury, to help her get it right on the night. Ms Farr
A FAMILY is in a race against time to raise £60,000 to send their four-year-old son to America for an operation that could change his life. Ronnie Jacob has spastic cerebral palsy, a physical disability that means he cannot stand without help. But it
The West End-bound revival of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, which I review elsewhere on this site, supplied me with the opportunity to savour mature performances by two of its stars whose considerable talents I spotted very early in their careers
Garsington Opera has for me, and for many others, long proved one of the great joys of the British summer. All of us privileged to have attended over the years owe a considerable debt of gratitude to the late Leonard Ingrams (pictured) and his
I used not to believe in horoscopes, but I recently changed my mind about the Chinese variety. Earlier this month we entered the Year of the Rabbit. People born in this year are — a website told me — “articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are
Raising funds for a charity is getting more and more difficult these days, which is why the fundraisers of Helen and Douglas House have launched their Simply Supper campaign again. Helen and Douglas House offers respite, end-of-life-care and practical
Funny how over centuries quaint customs flourish, wither, and then flourish again in slightly different form. Take St Valentine’s Day for instance. In the early 19th century commercially produced cards, such as some of us received or sent this
In keeping with the Mexican theme of the launch, chef Ian Shaw served chilli con carne, along with a Mexican sausage pie and Mexican beef stew — all of which were much enjoyed by the guests attending. He said that chilli con carne was always a popular
According to The X-Files, the truth is out there . . . but you won’t find it in Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s fantastical road movie. In the same way that Shaun of the Dead gleefully gnawed the funny bone of the zombie horror genre, and Hot Fuzz
Note the challenging and intriguing title of Giles Oldershaw’s one-man exhibition of portraits, which is lent gravitas by the portrait illustrated. It captures the jowelled and impassively cruel face of a Marlon Brando style ‘godfather’. It is a small
The new Corsa has gone on sale at Hartwell Vauxhall at the Oxford Motor Park in Kidlington. The Corsa has “Eagle-Eye” headlamps, daytime running lights, chrome grille bar with new Griffin badge and bright new paint colours. Vauxhall’s Touch & Connect
As the winter weather starts to subside and the nights begin to draw out, Oxford Harley-Davidson in Abingdon is enticing customers back to two wheels with the introduction of two new bikes to the Wootton Road showroom. Harley-Davidson UK
HOMELESS people in Oxford will get the chance next week to win a place in the England football squads for the 2011 Homeless World Cup. The international contest will be held in the French capital, Paris, in August. The trials will take
Pupils smashed their way into the record books after running 100 miles on a treadmill in eight hours and 23 minutes. Biology teacher Paul Fernandez and the 11 Radley College pupils broke the world record of nine hours and five minutes on Sunday
Playing in a space normally reserved for up and coming bands, David Ford must qualify as a seasoned veteran. He was once in one of those bands. In 1996 he fronted indie pop trio Easyworld, who looked set to rival bands like Starsailor and Turin Brakes
This play invites you to a wedding reception, in which the guests are you, the audience. The set-up is simple: the audience sits facing each other around some simply decorated trestle tables. On either end are two computers with accompanying sound
Noël Coward was poised, polished and professional in every aspect of his multi-faceted artistic life. Rarely were these qualities better illustrated than in the creation of Blithe Spirit, which was written in just five days in May 1941 and went on to
When Alexander Hawkins turned up at an improvisation session in Oxford a few years ago he already had a fierce technique and a sharply perceptive ear. Now with a burgeoning international reputation as a highly innovative pianist and free improviser Hawkins
THE philosophy at Windale Community Primary is develop “the whole child”. Throughout pupils’ time at the Blackbird Leys school, they will work outdoors, learn French, sing in Christ Church Cathedral, put on shows, and have their artwork displayed
Sara Holmes and Emma Proctor netted doubles as Tower Hill moved up to third in Thames Valley League Division 2 with a 6-2 win over Maidenhead United. Nicola Ostinelli and Sarah Snowdon were also on target, with Hannah Jacobs (2)replying.
Every year I look forward to the OMF concert, knowing that I am going to be impressed by the wealth of talent on display. This year’s offering — the grand finale to two action-packed weekends of competitive music-making — didn’t disappoint for a moment
The teacher who believes education should be about life, not just about passing exams. His inexperienced colleague, who is driven by a headmaster obsessed with league tables. These could be stereotype characters, but in Alan Bennett’s The History Boys
Having last year become the first pianist in the history of the BBC Proms to play all five Beethoven piano concertos in one season, Paul Lewis has now switched to Schubert. In its current season, Music at Oxford is presenting Lewis in three Schubert programmes
It requires a great leap of faith to turn out for a recital consisting entirely of new and little-known music. On Saturday, the Holywell was packed with people who had done just that — and they were rewarded with an adventurous selection of songs that
Not to be confused with a famous beer, Johann Heinichen was a composer, born in 1683. “He was involved in the Dresden Court, and he studied for seven years in Italy,” violist Aliye Cornish explained. “For much of that time he was in Venice, and
The X Factor’s Rhydian (pictured), his accompanist Derek Paravacini, and the Giant Gospel Choir are set to get Oxford Town Hall’s roof tiles rattling at a charity concert on February 25. The concert is in aid of Music for Autism, and it has been organised
‘They sound almost like Bach, but with a twist to them,” said pianist Cordelia Williams as she introduced the first two pieces in her Iffley recital. The works in question were two preludes and fugues by Shostakovich, and the description was apt. Prelude
There’s product placement, and then there’s product placement. The Archers mentioning a specific shortbread brand — BBC idiocy. Sitting in the theology section of Blackwell’s, with philosophy and sociology to right and left, watching Christopher Marlowe
New signing Shelley Knight fired a four-timer in Oxford City’s 4-0 home win over Under 12 leaders Kidlington. She struck after just 13 seconds, before completing a first-half hat-trick and then volleying a fourth after the break. Bethan Dutton and Maisie
A NEWBORN baby died of catastrophic organ failure and brain damage after a midwife failed to monitor vital signs during a high-risk labour, a tribunal heard. Helen Mary Ryder, 48, admitted she failed to monitor the unborn baby’s heart rate during the
Elliot Heritage bagged a brace as Tower Hill secured the Giles Sports Witney Youth Under 12 A League title with a 3-1 win over Eynsham Youth. Bradley Evans also netted for Tower Hill, with Eynsham replying through an own goal. Luke Bolley’s double helped
Didcot Casuals won 4-1 at North Berks League Division 1 leaders Saxton Rovers to reach the Charity Shield semi-finals. A Jake Chaffey strike and a Paul Powell penalty gave Didcot a 2-0 half-time lead, before Mike Beal pulled a goal back early in the
Hinksey kept up their seeemingly unstoppable march to the Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division title with a 4-2 win at third-placed Bletchingdon. Goals from Carl Bloomfield and Liam Gurdev saw Hinksey take a 2-0 lead, with James McCalmon and Marlon
READERS of the Oxford Mail have reacted to a report which said the NHS is failing to treat older people with care and dignity. Yesterday the John Radcliffe Hospital was named in a report by Ann Abraham, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman,
Craig Bloomfield hit a hat-trick as Rover Cowley inflicted Barton United’s first Upper Thames Valley League Premier Division defeat of the season with a 6-1 thrashing, writes TIM SIRET. Luke Bremner scored twice, and Ben Armstrong was on target against
Two men and a woman have been arrested following an armed robbery in Headington. Two men in hooded tops robbed the Betfred betting shop in London Road at 8pm yesterday, at gunpoint. A small amount of cash was taken and no one was injured. Two 25-year-old
Police tried to warn speeding motorists in Barton, Oxford, only to discover their speed indicator device was not working. They took the equipment to Bayswater Road at the junction with Wayneflete Road yesterday and Monday in an attempt to catch
POLICE tried to catch speeding motorists in Barton, Oxford, only to discover their speed indicator device was not working. They took the equipment to Bayswater Road at the junction with Wayneflete Road yesterday and Monday in an attempt to catch drivers
IT’S not every day you spot an Oriental Turtle Dove in the back garden. In fact, it has only ever happened about nine times in the UK. And for one amateur birdwatcher the sight of a turtle dove has heralded the arrival of hundreds of
The number of people in Oxfordshire out of work and claiming benefit increased in January by 340 to 7,526 or 0.8 per cent of the working age population. This is the first rise in monthly jobless figures for the county from the Office of National Statistics
BUILDING a London to Birmingham high-speed railway line will make it easier to provide a train service between Oxford, Bicester and Milton Keynes, according to a new report. Removing long-distance expresses from the West Coast main line through Milton
* Sean Herman, 23, of Ilsley Road, Oxford, admitted possessing 32.4g of cannabis (Class B) in Barton on November 11 and criminal damage to a glass window at Jessops in George Street, Oxford, on January 12. Jailed for 12 weeks and told to pay £3,242 compensation
James Styring’s claim (On Yer Bike, February 8) that roads were built for bicycles is untrue. A high proportion of UK roads were newly created in the 20th century for modern traffic including motor vehicles. Previous roads were largely for animals – either
I write to express my disappointment at the way the death of bomb hero Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid has been portrayed. This man was a hero doing a job many people would not want to do. His memory should not be scarred by comments like “he was impatient
THE health service ombudsman Ann Abraham has condemned our wonderful John Radcliffe Hospital, (yesterday’s Oxford Mail), but that criticism is just a cover for this Government’s ineptitude in providing the necessary funding and staff levels. Of course
I HAVE just spent the past hour learning all about binge drinking, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, ecstasy, burglary, mugging, terrorism and... Santa Claus! In fact, I now know much more about these subjects than I have ever known before, and the people
Ryan Macer bagged a brace as Cowley Crusaders battled back to beat Rose Hill 4-3 in the RT Harris Oxford City FA Premier Cup. A shock looked on the cards as they trailed 2-1 at the break, to goals from Daniel Johnson and Sam Wise, but a second-half revival
I read with great interest James Styring’s On Yer Bike column Oxford Mail (February 8) entitled “We cyclists have more right to the road than drivers.” The well-written piece gave a brief but very interesting comparison of both forms of transport, his
Where does James Styring get the notion that cyclists have more right to the road than motorists? Cyclists contribute nothing. They are a nuisance to us motorists and also a danger to themselves. They gather in packs, sometimes riding
THE most dangerous sort of motorway junction looks to have claimed another life (Motorway shut by fatal crash, Oxford Mail, February 8). At similar road junctions where lane one is the turn-off lane, there are also major problems, especially at peak
Centre back Robbie Cundy grabbed a late winner as Oxfordshire fought back for a thrilling 3-2 win over Merseyside in the ESFA Under 14 Inter County Trophy semi-final at the Liverpool Soccer Centre. After a goalless first half, Oxfordshire took the lead
Pawel Bronk scored a hat-trick as Two Rivers booked their place in the third round of the Witney & District FA's Junior Cup with a 7-4 win over Ducklington Res. Martin Bungay (2), Justin Elford and Pawel Kulczyk also netted, with Lee Beer and Charlie
Heyford Athletic stormed back to the top of Banbury District & Lord Jersey FA Division 1 with a 4-0 thrashing of Bishop Itchington Res. Keith Adams opened their account when he was first to react at a set piece, before Mark Byrne doubled their advantage
A three-vehicle crash today caused delays for drivers travelling between Bicester and Aylesbury. The collision, which happened on the A41 between Wood Street, Waddesdon, and Aylesbury Vale rail station, involved two cars and a lorry. The road is partially
Banbury United’s slide down the Premier Division table continued with a 2-1 defeat at Bashley in the Zamaretto Southern League last night. Mark Gamble gave Bashley the lead on ten minutes, but Robbie Maddox equalised for Banbury on 31. Chris Knowles
AT 5.57PM yesterday, the axe fell on £119m of public services in Oxfordshire. With one decision, 20 libraries and more than 20 youth centres are set to close, home care for the elderly will be passed into private hands and £13m will be wiped
THIS may not find favour with families so hard-pressed by the rising cost of living, but is it responsible for Oxfordshire County Council to freeze council tax while crucial services are cut? No-one will volunteer to pay any tax rise. But there is an
CURFEWED NIGHT by Basharat Peer (Harper Press, £16.99)Peer, now living and working in New York, was born in 1977 in a little village called Seer in Kashmir, between Pakistan and India. He describes a loving childhood, heavily influenced by his grandfather
OXFORD United boss Chris Wilder was not happy with his team’s display – despite another useful point on their travels last night. The U’s earned a second successive 0-0 draw away from home, and many will have felt sharing the spoils at Stevenage’s Lamex
Drivers face long diversions as two of the area’s key roads are closed later this week. The B4022 at Finstock railway bridge will be shut between February 19 and 27, forcing Witney to Charlbury drivers along country lanes or via Woodstock. The road
SYRINGES left by drug users at a disused Marston pub have sparked a warning from police. Officers have urged people to be on their guard after discovering the discarded needles around the boarded-up Friar pub in Old Marston Road, Marston. Last night
A COMMUNITY hall in the centre of Witney could be sold for redevelopment. Witney Town Council is considering selling Langdale Hall in Market Square. A final decision has not yet been made, but councillors have admitted it is an option they have been
The Thomas Gifford Charity, which owns the Playing Close and land allocated for community use at the Spendlove Centre, Charlbury, is looking for a new chairman and trustee. Current chairman Trevor Jones is retiring from the roles at the end of March.
