A church congregation from St Nicholas Church, Marston, is moving to the pub for a series of meetings. St Nic at the Vic, at the Victoria Arms pub in Old Marston, is aimed at getting congregation members together in an informal, social way, and will
Fire crews were called to tackle a blaze at a home in Chipping Norton on Tuesday. Two teams from Chipping Norton and one team from Banbury were called at 10.26am to a two-storey home in West End. It is believed the fire started in a waste paper basket
County businesses are struggling with complex rules on applying for council contracts, an MP warned. Conservative Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood said local firms tell her it is important to be able to bid for council contracts. Yet applying
A developer is looking to build up to 350 homes on a site north of Grove. Gallagher Estates Ltd has asked Vale of White Horse District Council for its opinion about possible development on the land next to the Williams F1 centre close to Grove Wick Farm
TOWER HEIST (12A). Comedy/Action/Romance. Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Tea Leoni, Stephen Henderson, Judd Hirsch, Gabourey Sidibe, Director: Brett Ratner. Thanksgiving is one of the
IN TIME (12A) Sci-Fi/Action/Thriller/Romance. Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser, Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Wilde, Johnny Galecki, Matt Bomer. Director: Andrew Niccol. New Zealand-born screenwriter
Omid Djalili talks about stand-up, SJP, The Mummy and ambition with Katherine MacAlister. Omid Djalili is desperate to convince me that comedy is not the be-all-and-end-all, and that compared to most comics it doesn’t set his world on fire
A whiff of nostalgia greets KATHERINE MACALISTER as she samples the delights of a new-look old favourite. It was slightly unfortunate that on the day we visited the newly-refurbed Royal Oak in Woodstock Road, the autumn/ winter menu had been
Find out about the feast of entertainment on offer at Oxford’s new Old Fire Station. YOU will have heard how Oxford’s Old Fire Station is reopening tomorrow to great fanfare. Now no longer just a theatre, club and bar, it also houses a
Dave Gorman speaks to KATHERINE MACALISTER about being reminded how funny comedy can really be. Comedian Dave Gorman is charming, attentive, focused, committed and more importantly elusive. Because after speaking to him for half an hour
ANDREW FFRENCH muscles his way into our latest Book of the Month. THE AUTHOR: BACK in 1995, Jim Grant, right, a 40-year-old father-of-one, got made redundant from his job as a presentation director for Granada TV. He had decided
TIM HUGHES talks to Radiohead drummer turned singer-songwriter Philip Selway about life in, and outside of, the world’s greatest band. Philip Selway is, without doubt, one of the most recognisable musicians in the world. As drummer with
The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band tell TIM HUGHES why they’re looking forward to Saturday’s special gig. CAROUSING, barn-storming rabble-rousing jazz-jive monsters, few bands harness the energy of The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band. Playing
Much-loved sausage restaurant The Big Bang is to make a comeback, two months after it closed due to redevelopment plans in Jericho. The bangers and mash eaterie will reopen at the Brookes Restaurant at Oxford Brookes University’s Headington campus in
The seventh Oxfordshire Schools Sustainable Development conference will be held at St Gregory the Great in Cowley on November 23. Lord Mayor Elise Benjamin will attend.
AEA Technology 2.05 BMW 5197 Electrocomponents 216 Nationwide Accident Repair 89 Oxford Biomedica 5.1 Oxford Catalysts 51.75 Oxford Instruments 807.75 Reed Elsevier 542.25 RM 74 RPS Group 183.35 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
7.30pm on Thursday 8 December 2011 at The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury The Victorians virtually invented the modern idea of Christmas with crackers, presents and cards, so explore the traditions and sounds of Victorian Yuletide. The fully costumed
Thursday 17 - Sunday 20 November 2011 at The New Theatre, Oxford An evening of awe and wonder awaits as Theatre on Ice producers, Wild Rose, present the internationally acclaimed Russian Ice Stars in a truly magical production of the well loved
8.00pm on Saturday 10 December 2011 at Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot Showstopper! The improvised musical – Festive Edition A brand new musical is created from scratch at each performance of this award-winning production, which has played
WINES FOR GAME MIXED CASE OFFER FOR NOVEMBER – SPECIAL DISCOUNTED CASE PRICE £114 (NORMAL PRICE £133.62) With the game season well under way, we are being asked for suitable wines to go with this excellent source of low fat organic free range
DAY dreaming is being encouraged at Oxford’s Pegasus Theatre where workshops are helping teenagers to unlock their creativity. Groups of 10 to 13-year-olds are creating their own plays, inspired by the power of dreams, and will showcase them during
PRIME Minister and Witney MP David Cameron heaped praise on an Oxfordshire firm which has just opened a new £3m production line. Mr Cameron cut the ribbon on the state-of-the-art industrial safety helmet manufacturing line at JSP based at Worsham Mill
SIX bright young things are looking forward to a successful future after being named Oxford’s best apprentices. The fifth Annual Apprentice Awards were held at Oxford Town Hall, in St Aldate’s, on Tuesday, for young people who have made an ‘outstanding
Cyclists flouting the law by riding without lights were stopped by police in the city centre last night. Officers handed out 162 £30 fixed penalty notices to riders without front or back lights in High Street and Botley Road between 6pm and
Lady Margaret Hall’s Simpkins-Lee Theatre struck me on first sight — and indeed on second and third sights too — as a cross between a crematorium and a cinema. This makes it an appropriate setting for a revival of Terry Johnson’s 1994 hit Dead
AGEING hospital buildings no longer suitable for patients could be shut or sold off as part of a drive to treat more Oxfordshire people in modern health facilities. Making better use of Oxford’s new multi-million pound hospital buildings will be a priority
OXFORDSHIRE’S Gus Jones captained the side and scored a try as England Under 18s defeated London Academies 54-5 at Harrow School. Jones (above) started at openside flanker in the victory, which completed England’s half-term training camp. Meanwhile,
BANBURY Under 11s won the Northampton Saints Festival for the third year running, although this time they had to share the Land Rover Cup. Their final against Northants champions Long Buckby finished 0-0 after Banbury twice had tries disallowed. Banbury
SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Section 1 Tadmarton Heath 1 (1pt), Burford 2 (3) (Tadmarton Heath first): S Hallam & J Burman lost to J Wilks & D Henderson-Sowerby 2&1, I Manning & C Lowe lost to B Gaertner & A Salter 2&1, G Sambrook & O King
TWO teeth have allowed Oxford University researchers to shed new light on when the first modern humans arrived in Europe. Using latest scanning methods, the researchers showed that two milk teeth and jawbone were not Neanderthal as previously
Alan Oliver struck with the last ball in the 200 pocket to snatch a dramatic 3-2 victory for Premier Section leaders Vikings Club at Didcot Conservative Club in the Johnsons Buildbase Oxford League, writes PETE EWINS. Dennis Atkins (11,100) had given
Banbury's Jason Weller struck a double-sixer in the opening two legs of the 6-0 win against Castle Quay in the Banbury Indoor League before seeing his dream of an 18-doll maximum shattered in the last. Weller was able to muster only four dolls with his
RETIRED Chief Inspector Michael John Clist, who dedicated 30 years of his life to policing the roads of Oxfordshire, has died of pneumonia at the age of 79. An enthusiastic bird watcher and nature lover, Mr Clist had fought a long battle with Parkinson
NORMANDY veteran Frederick Wheeler, who lived and worked for many years in Wallingford and Cholsey, has died aged 96. Frederick Kenneth Charles Mons Wheeler was born in St John’s Road, Wallingford, on October 25, 1914, taking one of his names
COMMUNITY stalwart Pete Bonney has brightened up an Oxford estate with his annual charity festive light display... 55 days before Christmas. Now an annual institution in Nuffield Road, Wood Farm, Mr Bonney and his wife Carol unveiled their impressive
Research from Incomes Data Services (IDS), revealing that pay for the directors of the UK’s top businesses rose 49 per cent over the past year, has brought a quick response from the Government. IDS said the average pay for a director of an FTSE 100 company
FIVE Oxfordshire curry houses have beaten hot competition from 2,700 other restaurants to win a place in the final 100 of the British Curry Awards. Finalists include Aziz in Cowley Road, Oxford, Dil Raj in Ock Street, Abingdon, Elaichi in Millbrook Square
Oxford City Stars shot up two places in English National League South Division 1 following their home weekend double-header, which brought a 10-4 win over Bracknell Hornets and a 6-3 defeat by Invicta Dynamos. Stars went 2-0 up inside the
A VIOLENT rapist slipped under the radar by telling police he was living in a tent while actually staying in a Didcot flat. Paul McLaughlin, living in the community on licence having been jailed for 10 years, is on the Sex Offender Register for life.
WITNEY head coach Phil Harper has challenged his players to maintain a greater consistency. Harper’s men showed what they are capable of in Saturday’s 35-13 defeat of Reading, but they also demonstrated their fragility during last season’s nine-match
TWO brothers in their 40s were attacked outside their business by a group of drunken men queuing for a bus. Mark Ingram and Christopher Owens were sentenced at Oxford Crown Court yesterday after the incident in Nuneham Courtenay. Prosecutor Matthew
OXFORDSHIRE golf star Eddie Pepperell is now officially attached to Frilford Heath. The 20-year-old, from Abingdon, has switched allegiance from Drayton Park, returning to the club where he had much success as a junior. Pepperell, who will seek to come
Jetting off to Brazil for a couple of years and an endless supply of free chocolate might sound too good to be true but for one Oxford couple, the dream is a reality. Rebecca and Giles Atwell are letting their three-storey home in Bainton Road
A letting agent is urging Oxford landlords to be ready for possible changes to the way rental properties are assessed and regulated. Bob Urwin, of Martin & Co, pointed out the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) had advised landlords to
While many of us tighten our belts, sales of million pound houses have hit a four-year high, according to new figures. Research by Lloyds TSB based on Land Registry data shows £1m-plus properties are changing hands more than at any time since the housing
SEVEN Oxfordshire colleges have lost their right to accept international students under a Government crackdown on illegal immigration. More than 450 language and business schools across the UK have been banned from bringing foreign students into
A CONGREGATION has been forced to spend nights sleeping in a church to defend it from thieves. St Nicholas Orthodox Church, a Russian orthodox church in Marston, was targeted in raids on two consecutive nights, prompting the sleep-in.
TODAY we profile Jane Haynes, who has been involved with Faringdon Area Project for five years. The organisation identifies community needs and finds ways to address them. Jane Haynes, 54, was given Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action’s volunteer
* IF OXFORD Lord Mayor Elise Benjamin looks a bit taller recently, there’s a reason for it. The diminutive councillor, 5ft 2ins unshod, told the Insider she’s been forced to start wearing heels to official engagements after the combination of looking
COME on Sainsburys of Heyford Hill, Oxford! You’re the ones who put the bakery even further to the back of the store. How about selling a good range of walking shoes for your customers? I only wanted a loaf of bread recently and had to walk what seemed
I am surprised that people can get caught out with money scams that ask you to put money up front to get your big win. I had one some time ago. I said how happy I was with my big win, so I told them to take the fee out of my winnings and guess what
SORRY to knock lady drivers. On the road they are ok but, oh dear, with trolleys in supermarkets! They just leave them in vacant spaces or push into trolley parks without any thought that they can roll into other cars. The dents they cause are hardly
THE European Union (and Common Market before it) has brought peace, prosperity and democracy to our continent. Talk of a referendum to leave the Union is simply potty. The EU is Britain’s biggest trading partner. It has given Britons much improved employment
I WAS sorry to hear of Jane Reeve’s friend’s experience of over-familiar and patronising staff in an Oxford store. A couple of weeks ago, while I was choosing an item from a stall in the open market, it was all “yes, sir”, “sorry, sir”, “£5.99, sir”
WITH reference to your story (Friday 28, Clampdown On Bikes With No Lights). How convenient to tell cyclists the exact time and day the police will be targeting them next week. These offenders should have their bikes seized, as car drivers
THE strength of Oxford University’s squad means Varsity Match selection is proving a difficult job for captain John Carter. Oxford have just four matches remaining until their annual date with Cambridge at Twickenham on December 8, which means they are
BURFORD secured the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League Section 1 title after a dramatic final day. Their 2-1 victory at Tadmarton Heath, coupled with Frilford Heath’s 3-0 defeat to The Oxfordshire meant Burford finished top. Burford’s hopes looked
RE: Rolling back the years. I was sorry I could not attend The Swinging Sixties show on Saturday night at the Rover Sports and Social Club, it sounds like a good time was had by all. If I had been able to attend I would have been a little sad, as in
RE road rage (Oxford Mail, October 28) with the fear of more traffic in Marston and Northway, should the 1,000 new homes be built in Barton West: The article states that the city council owns the land so the houses will get built whatever. No problem
RE: Fukushima report and Oxford meeting. As the UK continues undaunted with its nuclear power programme, a report published online by US and European experts estimates the catastrophe at Fukushima this year produced twice as much radioactivity as declared
I COULDN’T help thinking that Jane Reeve, or rather her friend, who felt shop staff were being too friendly (letter, October 28) has a problem. I could name two well-known city centre shops where one is lucky to get a “bored grunt” from shop staff.
I WAS appalled last weekend to read in the national media of David Cameron’s comments on the Occupy London protests. It was more worrying that they came in a week in which our local MP and Prime Minster also dismissed our democratic right to have our
A number of the houses at Folly Park View, in Faringdon, can be bought using the Government-backed FirstBuy scheme, designed to help people on the property ladder. The Bloor Homes development includes three-, four- and five-bedroom homes, with prices
Ryan Clarke says Oxford United players are keeping their feet firmly on the ground – and boss Chris Wilder is making sure they do! The terrific 2-1 win against fellow promotion-chasers Port Vale moved them to fourth in the table, making it
POSING nude for a charity calendar has become a real growth industry, but florists from Wallingford have pruned any photos that might offend. Staff from Keri Harvey florists in Station Road and their friends bravely bared all to raise funds for the Sue
A WAR hero who lost both legs and an arm in a Taliban bomb blast has been moved 140 miles from home after claiming he was bullied by an officer. Triple amputee Corporal Tom Neathway has been moved from a specially-adapted flat at RAF Brize
CHRISTOPHER Travis enjoyed dining out at restaurants across the country. It’s just the 52-year-old didn’t enjoy picking up the bill too often. Even an antisocial behaviour order (Asbo) banning him from every restaurant and pub in England and Wales failed
A FORMER paratrooper has spent this week delivering 52,000 poppies after a lack of volunteers left shops in Blackbird Leys without any to sell. Dad-of-three Simon Elliston, from Blackbird Leys, tried in vain over the weekend to buy a poppy
WOODSTOCK Harriers’ Steve Naylor will be a red-hot favourite to retain his Oxford Mail Cross Country League overall and senior men’s titles as the season gets under way at Crown Farm, Ascott-under-Wychwood, on Sunday. Naylor cruised to the title last
OXFORD Saints have appointed former player Andrew Day as their new head coach. Day, who has worked as the club’s defensive co-ordinator, will take charge of team affairs for the 2012 season. He first joined Oxford Eagles as a junior, before making his
We wonder how many people would have put in the effort which Simon Elliston has managed. The former paratrooper has spent the week delivering 52,000 poppies around Littlemore and Blackbird Leys. Simon had tried without joy to find a
Christopher Travis is arrogant beyond belief. Most of us enjoy a meal out, most of us regard it as a treat once in a while. Most of us also manage to pay the bill. Travis didn’t, he rarely managed to dip into his pocket in fact
Over the past few weeks, I have been able to subjugate my more violent side by immersing myself in the four-yearly rugbyfest, the battle for the Webb Ellis Trophy. When other kids at school used to threaten me with a policeman father it was good to
Sir – I’m sure that everyone involved with the production of Downton Abbey will be dismayed to learn that, despite not having watched a second of it, Christopher Gray remains resistant to its “alleged appeal”. Equally, huge numbers of viewers will be
Sir – I have just gratefully received the City of Oxford Orchestra’s Winter/Spring list of concerts. The concert in the Sheldonian on March 17 will be to honour the Queen’s Jubilee — Handel, Gabrieli, Schutz and Monteverdi will all participate. The last
Sir – In your edition of October 20, your second leader concerning the county’s educational performance, was most timely. For many years the county was fortunate in having a former distinguished headmaster as the cabinet member for education
Sir – Mr Evans takes issue with me over my defence of the use of Berkshire in Count Tolstoy’s postal address (Letters, October 27). I feel my case would be clearer if I mentioned a couple of facts. The Post Office abolished postal counties
Sir – In reply to the letter entitled City given wide berth (October 13), surely, when there is a brownfield site available such as the former BP oil terminal at Littlemore, it is in the council’s interests to compromise on affordable housing provision
Sir – I regularly visit Kennington Library and am aware of impending changes caused by the financial cuts affecting us all. The proposed changes would reduce the services of the present professional library managers and recruiting volunteers to work
Sir – Re queries about the problem of horse droppings should horse carriages be introduced to Oxford. We were in Engelberg, in Switzerland, this spring and admired the solution they found. Each horse has a shute attached to its backside through which
Sir – I am writing to correct a misunderstanding behind last week’s letter from Robin Gill of Headington. The University of Oxford is not merging with the city’s hospitals. The University will not suddenly be involved in the running of patient services
Sir – The blue plaque to honour and commemorate Salvador de Madariaga’s periods of residence in Old Headington (Plaque unveiled at Spanish scholar’s home, October 20), which, when he and his family first moved in, was at Boxtrees, 3 Church Road (subsequently
Sir – I am writing to ask the people of Oxford to support this year’s Poppy Appeal. This is the time of year when we honour and remember those member of the armed forces who have made sacrifices to protect the freedoms of citizens everywhere. I am
Sir – This week I had occasion to use a small branch of a major supermarket in Oxford. At 8am, there were no tills open with personal service, only the unreliable ‘self-service’ tills with long queues. I left and found a more obliging shop. Presumably
Sir – I take issue with the selective use of statistics by Keith Mitchell. While it is true management and support costs are being reduced by £273,000, that is only a partial picture. The library service is being cut by 25 per cent and of that 25 per
Sir – As winter approaches, Oxfordshire council tax payers are bracing themselves for cuts to front-line services as well as escalating fuel and food costs. Meanwhile, our council sees fit in these austere times to advertise for not one, but two deputy
Sir – Sietske Boeles (Letters, October 27) accuses me of an “offensive” attack on my fellow residents of East Oxford who are calling for a recount of undergraduate students living in the area. By contrast she calls for “a rational debate how we can best
Sir – At a recent committee meeting of Oxfordshire Pensioners’ Action Group, we discussed, inter alia, the Care Quality Commission’s report on hospitals and the John Radcliffe Hospital. We were shocked to hear from a member, a former Lord Mayor of Oxford
From landscape-scale projects to pocket-sized nature reserves, an essential part of the wildlife trust’s work is to help people feel connected to wildlife. As part of the community reserves team RHIANNON HARRINGTON explains how. The green leaves of summer
Norwegian cinema has rarely captured the wider imagination. But it can now boast two fine film-makers in Bent Hamer and Joachim Trier, who follows up his impressive debut, Reprise (2006), with Oslo, August 31st, a riveting study in isolation and despair
The recent tragic deaths of IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon and MotoGP ace Marco Simoncelli make the DVD release of Asif Kapadia's Senna all the more timely. It's 17 years since the three-time Formula One champion was killed at the age of 34 during the San
THE Spirit of Christmas carol event has attracted major stars to Christ Church Cathedral in recent years to help raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. But a 44-year-old mother from near Banbury will be playing a key role at next month’s big
The Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) gets under way next weekend. Oxford 2 and 3 will try to lay down markers for the season in the third division. Oxford 2 in particular have a strong enough team to have a realistic chance of promotion and indeed only
A new residents’ association is up and running in the Lye Valley area of Oxford and has made parking and student homes its first issues to tackle. More than 40 people gathered for the inaugural meeting of the Lye Valley Residents’ Association. Several
MARRIOTTS Walk Shopping Centre in Witney could be expanded to accommodate a pizza restaurant. Plans have been submitted to almost double the size of the unused Starbucks unit, extending it into the square. If the Pizza Express scheme is approved, the
Police numbers in Blackbird Leys have been boosted by a new recruit, bringing the number of PCSOs on the estate to seven. Alex Benjamin, 21, joined the team last week and spent his first five days getting to grips with the estate. The former Gosford
Teenagers have tried their hands at ancient crafts and traditions at Cogges Manor Farm Museum in Witney. The 14- to 17-year-olds spent the half term break building an outdoor kitchen out of wattle and daub at the Church Lane attraction. They created
I have only seen the Mona Lisa once. I was about nine years old and my most vivid recollection of the experience was being bitterly disappointed by its diminiative size and how exhausted I was trying to get anywhere near it, so thick were the rows of
Eatwells Community Café is the place to go for affordable homemade food and drinks, to have a chat and to brush up on a few life skills. Housed at Barton Neighbourhood Centre since 2008 for the residents of Barton and visitors alike, the café
