A teenager was attacked by two men in an unprovoked attack in Banbury town centre. At about 5pm on Saturday, the 19-year-old victim was with friends outside the HMV store in Bridge Street, part of the Castle Quay shopping centre, when they were approached
RESIDENTS have celebrated the opening of two community halls which were hit by fire and a building wrangle. The halls were opened in Nuneham Courtenay, south of Oxford, and in Witney, to the delight of residents. The Nuneham Courtenay hall was damaged
A WOMAN who did not cut her hair for five years said it was “brilliant” to finally snip it off for youngsters battling cancer. Helen Redfern, 42, from Cherry Tree Close, Southmoor, near Abingdon, had grown her hair until it was more than 18 inches long
A VILLAGE brewery has made it to the final of a national competition to win a place for its beer on a supermarket’s shelves. Oxfordshire Ales, based in Marsh Gibbon, near Bicester, is one of just 15 regional winners of this year’s Sainsbury’s Great British
OXFORD faces a growing homelessness problem, city council chiefs have warned. End-of-year figures show Oxford City Council failed to meet two key homelessness targets. Over the last financial year, the council accepted 123 households as homeless –
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Didcot Town has appointed Francis Vines as their new manager. Vines, 49, has extensive managerial experience, which includes lifting the Southern League Premier Division title with Crawley Town in 2004. He came within a point of achieving the same
Hatti Dean is raring to go after being called into the Great Britain & Northern Ireland team for the European Team Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 19-20. The former Radley steeplechaser has made a fantastic start to the outdoor season,
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The splendid photograph on the right surely says all that is necessary about the wonderful landscape surrounding Garsington Opera’s new home on Mark Getty’s Wormsley Estate, in the Chilterns. Enjoying my first sight of it last Thursday, a glass
My favourite sort of pub is one that remains a focus of community life while offering standards of food, drinks and service that were found extremely rarely in English ‘locals’ as they used to be. A pub like The Bell in Standlake, in fact.
How lucky we all are to have a family butcher in Eynsham who is prepared to supply any cut of meat we need. Richard Golsby and his nephews Paul and Martin are amazing — they will prepare anything you ask for, providing they have it in stock. Deciding
Ten years ago the Dawes family from Foxbury Farm proudly opened their first farm shop in West Oxfordshire. It was created from an old farm building, large enough to contain a modern butchery as well the usual shop fittings. Despite being situated
The poor old rich. For centuries they lived in their huge houses — “the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate” (to quote Cecil Alexander’s All Things Bright and Beautiful) — and then, quite suddenly, many found themselves out on their
Prepare for the return of awesomeness in Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s energetic martial arts comedy Kung Fu Panda 2 which comes close to matching the rumbustious fun of the 2008 original. Writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger flashback to overweight panda
From tomorrow till June 26 the Oxfringe Festival will unleash a veritable tsunami of great and varied entertainment at venues all over the city. These are my pick of them. On the music scene there is all kinds of sound, from the quirky Opera
The East Oxford Community Choir embarked on a two-year journey last year, tackling one of their most demanding pieces to date with the first part of Mendelssohn’s St Paul. On Friday, they joined forces with their ‘twin’ choir from Grenoble, Ensemble Vocal
For someone used to treading the boards at the London Coliseum, the Royal Opera House and the like, Mary Plazas looked very much at home in the humbler setting of St Peter’s Church on Saturday night. Not surprising, perhaps; she was born just down the
There is a certain predictability about drama genres these days, especially that which covers family members over a period of time. Thus A and B (let us call them Kenneth and Sandra) meet at a young age and react to each other. Fast forward a couple
The North Wall’s spacious gallery was featuring the work of four artists inspired by watching dance. A fifth exhibit was the work of Claude Harrison, who died last year. His series of commedia dell’arte figures, painted with a Renaissance meticulousness
Garsington Opera begins a new phase of its existence in a glorious home on the Wormsley Estate with a lucid, if oddly unfocused production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Directed by Olvia Fuchs, whose work for the company has included Rimsky-Korsakov
This gala matinée felt rather as if the audience had been invited to lunch with Richard Briers, his wife Annie, and fellow actor Peter Egan — although, to be strictly accurate, lunch was actually consumed beforehand. The atmosphere was of Briers
Oxford’s Café Reason Butoh Dance Theatre probably have something of a reputation for performances that push dance and movement to the outer limits of expectation. It is true that butoh, as an experimental dance form originating in Japan, works by creating
Al Thompson should think again if he thinks that his little bit of lap-dancing sleaze is okay for another bit of St Ebbe’s parish (Oxford Mail, June 3). His proposed site, The Coven club, is next to the Ice Rink, which is attended by hundreds of children
LAST year, Vale of White Horse District Council told everyone that there would be several changes to the rubbish collection service. The Vale Housing Association informed us that each of the blocks of flats in Brookside and Northcourt Road, Abingdon
I WRITE with reference to the article in yesterday’s Oxford Mail about the Mayor of Oxford’s journey, largely by rail, to Bonn. While she is to be commended for travelling in this way, it is nothing new. Some of us have been doing this for years.
we keep hearing our wonderful councillors saying that, as money is very short, more people should volunteer to help out in society to cover for the cuts in social care and youth work. Over the years, the Big Bike Night, held at Cassington in June, has
I deeply regret that my recent letter to you on the subject of the new repatriation route through Brize Norton (Oxford Mail, May 5) could, in any way, give the impression that I was personally being disrespectful towards the memory of the soldiers killed
It was good to have this fine company back in Oxford last week. They presented a varied and exciting triple bill of Alston’s work. It began with Out of the Strong, a long piece danced to Prokofiev’s mainly pessimistic sixth piano sonata, written at the
It takes quite a lot to raise King Rameses of Egypt from his grave — after all, he’s been there since around 1300BC — but some English explorers have managed it, as they try to make off with his best gold treasures. Then there’s the matter of the
PLANS for a controversial new Oxford University chemistry block are expected to be approved by city councillors tonight. Officers have recommended the Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory on the north side of South Parks Road be demolished for
THEY help some of the most vulnerable groups in Oxfordshire – and rely on people giving up their time for free to do so. And now volunteers at four county groups have won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the equivalent of the MBE for people working
Two sex attackers could be on the loose in Oxford, police warned today. Officers now believe four attacks in the Southfield Road area and a sexual assault in Westbury Crescent are not linked. Police have today issued a new e-fit of the
AN ESTATE agent has apologised after part of a prominent old creeper was killed to put up a ‘To Let’ sign in Abingdon. Contractors working for Carter Jonas cut off a major section of the Bath Street virginia creeper when putting up a sign to
J.B. Priestley’s 1934 success Eden End has not received a major London revival since Laurence Olivier directed it for the National Theatre in 1973 as a vehicle for his wife, Joan Plowright. We owe a debt of gratitude, then, to the Royal & Derngate
Witty and inventive or silly and gimmicky according to one’s taste, director Rupert Goold’s ‘takes’ on the classics have included an RSC Tempest translated to an Arctic wasteland and a Turandot for ENO set in a Chinese restaurant. Now we have a Merchant
Kevin Giles clanged off 17 dolls to help the George come from behind to clip the Three Pigeons’ wings 2-1 in the Premier Section, writes ANDY BEAL. Giles (6-5-6) was denied a magical maximum after missing with the first stick of his second throw. The
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A FARMER who left a diseased lamb to be eaten alive by crows was found to have another 12 dead sheep in his fields. Sebastian Peissel, 45, kept more than 100 sheep at South Newington, near Banbury. But in November a walker discovered the dying animal
CORTEGES for fallen soldiers from the Afghan conflict, will go through Brize Norton and around the edge of Carterton as they travel to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, it was confirmed last night. The Oxford Mail reported in April that Oxfordshire County
IT finished honours even last night as Oxford University faced Australian Universities in a ‘student Ashes clash’ in The Parks. Chasing Oxford’s 313 for victory, the Aussies closed day two on 270-9, but it was never as close as that suggests. A seven-over
OXFORD University batsman Neil Kruger has been called into the Netherlands squad to play five matches against Scotland. The 29-year-old postgraduate medical student was born in South Africa, but qualifies via his Dutch mother. Kruger’s first action
FAMILY workshops to create artworks for the Cowley Road Carnival will take place this weekend. The BMW Mini plant will throw open its doors to the public for the sessions this Saturday and the following Saturday between noon and 4pm. Visitors will be
ACADEMICS at Oxford University last night passed a vote of no confidence in universities minister David Willetts. Almost 300 dons backed the motion following a debate in which the Government’s reforms were derided as “reckless, incoherent and incompetent
PLANS to create a housing estate to help ease Oxford’s chronic housing shortage have gone on public display. Last night residents were given the first glimpse of the proposed 1,200-home Barton West development, which is being touted as the key to solving
OXFORD off-spinner Adam Leach is in line for his international debut after being called into the England Disabilty high performance squad. The 33-year-old has been named in a touring party to face Pakistan in Dubai this winter, having impressed
A power cut in Oxford this morning that left 1,500 homes and businesses without electricity continues. Southern Electricity said there was a fault at the Osney sub-station which initially hit 1,500 properties from about 8.30am. Spokesman
PLANS to create a housing estate to help ease Oxford’s chronic housing shortage have gone on public display. Last night residents were given the first glimpse of the proposed 1,200 home Barton West development, which is being touted as the key to solving
SCARECROWS dressed as pop star Justin Bieber and fairy tale character Red Hiding Hood will be among those dotted around Steventon this weekend. The village is hosting its first open garden show on Sunday and every class at Steventon Pre-School and St
A 79-year-old man died following a head-on crash on the A40 near Witney yesterday. The man, from Britwell Salome near Watlington, died at the scene after his grey Vauxhall Meriva was in collision with a van at Barnard Gate just after 2pm.
OXFORDSHIRE health chiefs have been accused of ignoring NHS rules on fertility treatment for couples in the county. A Government report released yesterday claimed a ‘postcode lottery’ existed for women trying to get IVF at £3,000-a-cycle on
WOODSTOCK CARNIVAL – THE FOUR SEASONS SATURDAY 18TH JUNE On Saturday 18th June Woodstock’s annual carnival will take place. The theme of this year’s carnival is the Four Seasons. Woodstock will be alive with stalls, street entertainment including
“I WISH it was me who lost my life that night and not Sid.” Those were the words of Philip Sherriff moments before he was sentenced for causing the death of 19-year-old friend Sidney Spiers by careless driving. The 20-year-old’s Fiat Punto veered
Didcot Town have appointed Francis Vines as their new manager. Vines, 49, has extensive managerial experience, which includes lifting the Southern League Premier Division title with Crawley Town in 2004. He came within a point of achieving the same
OXFORD City Council is pushing ahead with its Barton West development plans. The city needs expansion and this seems like the best, perhaps only, viable plan. Yesterday people in Old Marston were given a chance to see the scheme and offer their
WE KNEW it already, but trying to become a parent could be a little more testing in Oxfordshire. It has been almost two years since the Oxford Mail broke the news about the postcode lottery over IVF treatment. The Government yesterday
OXFORDSHIRE’S MPs received almost £90,000 worth of expenses in the last year, new figures show. Henley MP John Howell spent the most, £22,468, while Witney MP David Cameron spent the least, £3,608. But revelations on a par with the infamous duck house
FOR 32 years, Dr David Howlett has been scouring medieval Latin texts, picking out unusual words and compiling them in one of the world’s most extraordinary dictionaries. But, if that sounds like a lifetime’s work, it’s just a fraction of the
AN Abingdon garage owner might try to keep a full-sized replica Spitfire on his forecourt as a permanent memorial to brave wartime women pilots. The model of the famous Second World War fighter has been catching the eye of passing motorists and
AN Oxford rock star is to present a special city screening of a documentary about Creation Records, the home of Oasis. Ex-Ride singer Mark Gardener will present Upside Down – The Creation Records Story and answer questions about the London-based label
