Archive

FEARS have been raised over parking problems and traffic congestion if the go-ahead is given to a new pools complex. Oxford City Council has lodged a planning application for the new swimming pool in Blackbird Leys that would be built next

A super-secure tractor is to begin a tour of major rural events in the Thames Valley in a bid to reduce crime. The John Deere tractor will carry a variety of security technology and tags, and will be taken to countryside events by neighbourhood teams

VANDALS set fire to a children’s play area in Oxford just weeks after a £45,000 facelift. New play equipment at the park, in Dene Road, off The Slade, in Headington, was set alight. A climbing net was so badly damaged it will be two months before it

PAUL Fernandez, of Abingdon Amblers, recorded a top-20 finish when he ran for England in the 100k Anglo Celtic Plate in Perth, Scotland. He finished 16th in 8hrs 12mins 26secs to help England to second place behind Scotland. THE 2011 Mota-vation Series

A NEW Internet radio station has launched in Oxfordshire, vowing to give a voice to charities and community groups, as well as unsigned bands. StudyVox FM is the brainchild of husband-and-wife Kevin and Sara Martin, of East Hendred, backed

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A 32-year-old man has been charged in connection with the burglary of a student house in Oxford. Shaun Hewitt, of Clarks Bail Hostel, was arrested by officers on Monday evening, following the break-in of a house in Morrell Avenue at about 9.20pm.

AN award-winning dance company for people with learning difficulties is making a last push to raise the £50,000 it needs to stay open. In the past few weeks Anjali Dance Company has raised £10,000, but it needs five times that figure to plug its funding

A bridal show will help a fundraising to drive to support a a four-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. A percentage of the ticket price of the Fantasy Fairytale Bridal Event, at Ryehill Golf Club, Milcombe, which is being staged tonight from 7.30pm, will

TRIBUTES have been paid to a costumier who travelled the globe dressing stars including Oliver Reid and Tom Cruise. Penny McVitie, 76, died at Katharine House Hospice, Adderbury, on March 22, after an eight-month battle with cancer. Before Miss McVitie

Volunteers helped plant hawthorn, rowan, oak and birch trees in St Louis Meadow, Hanwell Fields, last weekend. The Royal Horticultural Society and Woodland Trust has given up to 200,000 tree saplings to communities across the UK. Nicholas Harrison, chairman

A decision made last week – to allow a huge housing scheme to go ahead on a former US air force base – has wasted millions of pounds during a 17-year fight, a councillor has claimed. George Reynolds, deputy leader of Cherwell District Council, said the

PLANS to redevelop a former aluminium site have been approved, paving the way for new jobs in the town. Cherwell district councillors unanimously gave the green light to build between one and six industrial units at the 53-acre former Sapa site, off

A GRIEVING couple have raised more than £20,000 to support the hospital that gave them 18 precious weeks with their son before he died. Gemma and Luke Froude organised fundraising events in memory of their son, Finnley, for Support for the Sick Newborn

Police today appealed for witnesses after a woman was sexually assaulted in Bicester. A 23-year-old woman was walking home from a party at the Highfield Social Club and as she reached the end of Lawrence Way, a man grabbed her and attempted

I was disappointed, and slightly surprised, to read this week that both Prince William and his bride-to-be Kate Middleton have attended pre-wedding celebrations — stag night and hen night respectively — more than a month before the big day. When did

An invitation to a banquet from my old friend Angela Palmer was hardly to be refused, even if the food on offer was a little — ahem — unusual. Crispy Colombian leafcutter ants, anyone? Or how about oven-baked barbecue flavoured mealworms? These foodstuffs

The Red Lion — its origin, of course, in heraldry — is considered by some sources to be Great Britain’s commonest pub name, though the Campaign for Real Ale thinks it is narrowly beaten by The Crown (668 to 704, as counted in a 2007 survey). Anyway

A long-time admirer of the books and pictures of Wyndham Lewis, I was determined to be present at a talk given about him in Oxford last week by his biographer Paul Edwards. This proved a fascinating evening during which, in addition to learning more about

Hundreds of arts organisations have lost their funding in what Arts Council England's (ACE) chairman Dame Liz Forgan described as a series of "painful decisions". Around 1,300 theatres, galleries and arts groups applied for funding under the

An invitation to a “Trotter Round Oxford” is not to be missed, particularly when it is organised by Rupert Ponsonby and his R&R Teamwork team on behalf of Brakspear beer. Over the years, Rupert has come up with some quite remarkable ways of matching

So sad, the sight of that empty shop in the very middle of the Covered Market, Oxford, which still bears the name of Palm’s Delicatessen. I well remember queueing up with my father in the 1960s, along with plenty of other people of central European

Time certainly isn’t on the side of the gung-ho hero in Duncan Jones’s fast-paced action thriller. He has just eight minutes to avert disaster and unmask a bomber, who has planted a device on a speeding commuter train bound for Chicago. But there’s a

This tasty recipe was devised especially for our pork scratching evening by The Crown’s head chef, Pawel Laska, who loves creating new recipes. Although it is not making a regular appearance on the pub menu at the moment, our positive response to this

It is not often a pair of renowned guitarists can be persuaded to come and perform in a small church on a Saturday evening. It would be almost unheard of for them to do such a show free. But that’s exactly what the charity Friends of Holy Trinity

In the small, but very dedicated world of orchestral folk, Northumbrian collective The Unthanks have enjoyed a meteoric rise. Having pumped out well received albums every other year since 2005, they’ve gone from the top rooms of pubs to damn near filling

They set out to buy a decent sofa for visitors to the cancer ward at a Yorkshire hospital. Now the ‘calendar girl’ strippers of Rylstone Women’s Institute have raised a massive £3m for leukaemia research. The impressive figure was displayed during the

Drumchasers is a fusion of everything that’s great about live performance. It has terrific music and dancing, an intriguing set and one of the best lighting designs I’ve ever seen in the theatre. Above all it has a unique idea that fascinates while it

In the past Keith Wilson has turned puddles, mattresses, and images from particle accelerators into art. Now he takes the serpentine middle part of the Piccadilly line on the London Tube map and turns it into an installation that stands outside the Hayward

Small group improvisation has a long history, going back to the very early roots of music. But free improvisation with a large orchestra can be more complex. Many players improvising together can, without some form of agreed intention, easily collapse

Scottish Dance Theatre is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a double bill of works, Letters from America. This is their third trip south in recent years. Sadly, I found the programme less satisfying than the works presented in two previous visits,

Johann Strauss II is reputed to have written Die Fledermaus to take Viennese minds off a financial crisis in the mid-1870s. Therefore, Budget Day 2011 was an ideal day to see Welsh National Opera’s new production of the old warhorse, and discover whether

The composer John Veale had Oxford in his blood, and lived locally for much of his life. Beginning his education at the Dragon School, he read Modern History at Corpus Christi College. But a musical bug was biting, and he began to take composition lessons

Sunday’s All Saints’ Singers’ Passiontide concert was a bright and vibrant affair, delivered with spirit and a strong sense of commitment by singers and instrumentalists. Caroline Hobbs-Smith’s clear direction ensured close attention to dynamics, crispness

After a double dose last week of dance for comic effect — in the Big Ballet and The Trocks both at the Wycombe Swan — it made a change on Saturday to head north to Chipping Norton for two hours of the serious stuff. Not, I hasten to add, that there was

Shock, horror, a few days ago there was a top-of-the-page story that Radio 3 is to broadcast a new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, in which both Cathy and Heathcliff will utter the f-word. Proof, if proof were needed, that the Brontës

Wow! The Voice is back — and boy, did Russell Watson demonstrate the fact in spectacular style on Monday evening. With no hint of the health problems that have dogged him for the past few years, he took to the stage and instantly captivated the

DIDCOT traders fear their shops will be flattened to make way for the second phase of the Orchard shopping centre. Firms between High Street and the Hitchcock Way roundabout are calling on South Oxfordshire District Council to make clear if

A taxi driver charged with the murder of Sian O'Callaghan has been remanded in custody. Christopher Halliwell, 47, will next appear via videolink at Bristol Crown Court on April 8 after no application for bail was made. He is accused

Joel Thompson hit a cracking brace as Vale of White Horse Under 13s beat Cheltenham 4-2 in a friendly at Winchcombe School’s new 3G pitch. He opened the scoring with a 20-yard drive, and then James Rainer’s free-kick eluded the home keeper

COWLEY-built Minis destined for Japan are being stockpiled as a result of the ongoing crisis following the earthquake and tsunami. Bosses said last night they are holding cars that have already been produced for Japanese customers and will not be building

Triumph has given its Street Triple and Street Triple R models a comprehensive makeover for the 2011 season. The new models feature detail and visual improvements, including the adoption of the headlight design shared with the iconic Speed Triple.

IT must be one of the most unusual qualifications on any CV in the country – an NVQ in helping to bury the dead. But Oxfordshire’s biggest funeral director chain has become the first company in the country to launch a nationally recognised qualification

St John the Evangelist Primary School, Carterton, are through to the national finals of the ESFA Under 11 Seven-a-side Schools’ Cup at Watford on Saturday, May 21. The Oxfordshire champions booked their place after being crowned joint winners of the

Controversy surrounded Oxfordshire Under 14s’ 3-3 draw against Hampshire in the Reed Trophy at Milton United. The two sides were locked together at 1-1 in the second half when, with a Hampshire player lying injured, the home team did not hear the shouts

GILES SPORTS WITNEY YOUTH LEAGUE JACK Wood hit a brace to help Tower Hill to a 5-1 win over Enstone in the Under 13 A League. Wood fired Tower ahead, then Henry Macke rifled in No 2. Wood’s cross shot crept in to make it 3-0, before Harry Thomson

Mid Oxon Under 15s manager Neil Edwards was overjoyed after seeing his team book a place in the ESFA Trophy final for the first time in their 55-year history. Mid Oxon beat holders Liverpool 2-1 after extra time in the semi-final at Chipping Norton,

BERKS & BUCKS INTERMEDIATE CUP DIDCOT Casuals put in a disappointing performance as they went down 3-0 to Chalfont Wasps in the final at Newport Pagnell. The North Berks side held their Hellenic League Division 1 East opponents for the first 45 minutes

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An Oxfordshire man was arrested after a crash in which two teenagers died. At 8pm yesterday, a blue Mercedes 500 and a silver Ford Fiesta were travelling southbound on the A404, Marlow bypass, when the Ford Fiesta left the carriageway and went down an

SUPERMARKET giant Tesco said shops should “relish the challenge” if its appeal for consent to build a new store in Marston was successful. The company went head-to-head with members of the public and city councillors in a public inquiry at

Tesco has laid down the gauntlet in Marston. A two-day planning inquiry into a scheme to transform the Friar pub into a new store is under the spotlight. Yesterday the company’s lawyers suggested local shops worried about their future should “relish

NORTH BERKS LEAGUE Wootton & Dry Sandford put a dent in Lambourn Sports’ Division 1 title challenge – ending their five-match winning streak with a 2-2 draw, writes PHIL ANNETS. Ben Matthews struck twice for Lambourn between Dave Humphrey’s opener

Oxfordshire footballer Jordan Ayris enjoyed an unforgettable moment as he scored his first goal for England Schools Under 18s in a 1-0 victory over Wales. The 18-year-old centre forward, from Bicester, provided the decisive strike in the 53rd

A JUDGE has admitted taking “an exceptional course” in not sending three vigilante attackers to jail. Grace Steele, Liam Garvey and Joseph Curran walked free from court despite being convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent – a charge which

OXFORD United season ticket holder Colin Costar said being this week’s Oxford Mail Face in the Crowd winner was the “icing on the cake”. The 54-year-old builder was picked out by our photographer during Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Burton Albion at the

FORGIVE me Oxford, for I have sinned. Unable to wait even 12 hours after the clocks moved forward, on Sunday I found myself committing a seasonal crime I like to call ‘selective geographical omission’. I’m not proud, but once spring arrives, bringing

The unidentified county council employee (On the Spot, Oxford Mail, March 15) is not the only one to have noticed a disparity between what the council says about the youth service and what it actually plans to do. In Kidlington, we were assured that

The opponents of electoral reform are currently meeting some success by deceiving voters with a confidence trick. The trick is to pretend to support electoral reform, to rubbish the AV system and to con people into voting against it. The deceit is

REGARDING kerbside car sales, I cannot understand why Oxfordshire County Council, as the highway authority for the whole of the county, does not apply for a control order under Section 7 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. This

Wootton Bassett is now called Royal Wootton Bassett, because of the respect the people there have given to our fallen heroes as the corteges pass through. It’s just a thought, but could Headley Way now be known as Royal Headley Way? FRANK CAMPBELL,

Walking around the city centre recently, I have been appalled by a spate of vandalism. Ordinarily it is hard to track down the culprits of this sort of antisocial behaviour, but on this occasion it is very easy to identify those behind the action. I

I write to you with reference to the disparity between garages over the cost of a litre of fuel. There is a small four pump Murco garage five miles south of Cheltenham, on the A40 to Oxford charging 131.9 per litre for diesel. Ten miles further down

UPPER THAMES VALLEY SUNDAY LEAGUE A CONTROVERSIAL opening goal helped Blacks Head Bletchingdon reach the final of the Ridgeway Cup with a 3-2 victory over Oxford FC, writes TIM SIRET. Andy Wheeler’s long throw found its way into the net, thanks to

OXFORD MAIL GIRLS LEAGUE ST Edmunds scored five goals in each half during their 10-0 victory over Chalgrove Cavaliers in the Under 14 League. Anna Jimenez led the way with a hat-trick, Sophie Grimson and April England bagged braces, with Jennifer

WITNEY & DISTRICT FA DUCKLINGTON hit back from 3-0 down against Minster Lovell to snatch a thrilling 5-3 victory in the Premier Division, writes Anthony Barlow. Ed Dunn (2) and Lee Travers put winless Minster on top, but Ducklington hit back in style

YEAR Four teacher Ruth O’Reilly has been instrumental in changing the school’s curriculum since joining North Hinksey seven years ago. Since then, teaching has become more creative and focused on making sure that pupils build up key skills while helping

LYING hidden between the A34 and rolling fields, North Hinksey Primary does not feel as if it is just a few miles from the centre of Oxford. And, according to headteacher of seven years Sally Wheatley, once you come to the school, you never want to leave

How on earth can the city council spend £45,000 sending out notices about planning applications (Oxford Mail, March 21). The number of letters sent relates to a cost of nearly £3 per letter, which is horrendous and proves that the department responsible

I WRITE as a follow-up to R Lee’s excellent letter (Oxford Mail, March 17), regarding the hypocrisy surrounding our pathetic Government, the US, the EU and even the UN. If these cowardly bodies are happy with a no-fly zone over Libya why not one over

How fitting that Wootton Bassett has been renamed Royal Wootton Bassett in tribute to our war heroes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Wootton Bassett residents rightly deserve the Royal prefix – the first for 100 years – after their unconditional displays of

A STRONG Oxford United side booked their place in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup final with a 2-0 win over Banbury United at Thame’s ASM Stadium last night. Banbury, managed by former United favourite Billy Jeffrey, have now lost to the U’s three years running

OXFORDSHIRE’S hospital bed-blocking crisis has worsened despite top-level assurances the problem was easing, the Oxford Mail can reveal. We reported in January how non-urgent operations were cancelled at the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals, as

So, what happened? Earlier this year we were assured the county’s bed-blocking problem was easing. But no, it is once again approaching the level which sparked concern in October last year. And, it seems, nobody really wants to take responsibility.

A YOUNG businessman was killed in a tragic coincidence after being hit by a car driven by his best friend, an inquest has heard. Lee Ostridge was walking back to his mother’s house in Begbroke, near Yarnton, at 2.30am when he was struck by

A COUPLE have been found dead in a house in Lime Road in what is understood to be a double suicide. The bodies of a 67-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman were discovered by paramedics at a property in the North Hinksey street on Monday evening, shortly

CHILDREN with experience of divorce are staging plays to educate classmates about parental break-up. Youngsters from Oxford’s Windmill Primary, Wood Farm, Bayards Hill and St Andrew’s schools will perform four plays to all Year Six pupils at the schools

A JUDGE this week admitted taking “an exceptional course” in not sending three vigilante attackers to jail. Grace Steele, Liam Garvey and Joseph Curran walked free from Oxford Crown Court on Monday despite being convicted of causing grievous

RESIDENTS in Oxford are still worried about fly tipping, rubbish and litter despite an 18-month council campaign to clear up their streets. Blackbird Leys was the original focus of Oxford City Council’s Cleaner Greener campaign, launched in 2009. Backed

An evening of beautiful music at the Church of the Immaculate conception the Causeway Bicester. Join us at Bicester Choral and Operatic Societies Spring Concert of JS Bach's St John Passion on Saturday 30 April 2011. Performance starts at 7:45pm and