Carruthers provided Mark Bradstock’s Letcombe Bassett stables, near Wantage, with a fairy-tale victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday. The eight-year-old gelding, bred by Lord Oaksey, the father of Bradstock’s wife, Sara, put up a terrifically
Last post dates for Christmas are looming for those sending gifts and cards to friends and family abroad. The Royal Mail says presents for Australia or New Zealand must be in the post by next Monday. The same deadline applies to parcels bound for South
A PARALYMPIC medallist who represented Great Britain for over a decade says she is being forced to live in a flat too cramped for her disability. Danielle Swann, nee Watts, swam for her country at the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Paralympic Games. She
DIDCOT: A convicted rapist who misled police about his whereabouts has been given a community order. Paul McLaughlin was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court yesterday. McLaughlin had served the equivalent of a four-month sentence on remand ahead of his trial
A HOMELESS man robbed a friend who had given him a room for the night then tried to commit suicide over his guilt. Steven Storer, who was living rough in a tent in Oxford, attacked Matthew Bodey in his house and took his mobile phone. The incident took
THE Christmas spirit was definitely lacking when children came face-to-face with Scrooge. The infamous hater of all things festive greeted visitors at Blackwell’s in the city centre as part of the Broad Street bookshop’s family day on Saturday
A 75-year-old woman has been missing from her home in Townsend, Abingdon, since Saturday. Police have appealed for help in finding Valerie Adam, who is described as 5ft 4ins tall, of medium build, with blue eyes and straight, white collar-length hair
AEA Technology 0.59 BMW 4510 Electrocomponents 207.8 Nationwide Accident Repair 68.5 Oxford Biomedica 4.7 Oxford Catalysts 51 Oxford Instruments 996.5 Reed Elsevier 511.75 RM 71.8 RPS Group 185.4 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
APPROACHING the end of ‘Movember’ and Oxfordshire is getting hairier every day. Movember – a combination of ‘moustaches’ and ‘November’ – is the international fundraising campaign which encourages men to grow moustaches to raise awareness of prostate
Visit Santa's Grotto in the Stables Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 December 2011 Tickets: £3.50 per child For the first time ever at Blenheim Palace, families can meet Santa in Santa's Grotto in the stables. Mrs Claus will be welcoming
Witney Corn Exchange Sunday 11 December 2011 10.00am-4.00pm Buy beautiful handcrafted gifts for Christmas at a variety of stalls!
High Street, Tetsworth, Oxfordshire Wednesday 7 December 2011 6.00pm-8.00pm Escape the stress of the High Street at Christmas. Come & find all your Christmas needs wrapped up in one enjoyable & relaxed evening. We have an extensive
Sunday 4 December 2011 11.00am-5.00pm The shops will be open and St. Mary’s Street, St. Martin’s Street and St. Leonard’s Square will be closed to traffic from 10.00am to 6.00pm. The Town Christmas decorations will be illuminated and
Abingdon Market Square Saturday 3 December 2011 10.00am-3.00pm There will be a great opportunity to buy Christmas presents with a difference this year at the Abingdon Christmas Craft Fair. Local craftmakers such as jewellery, pottery
Hengrove Farm, Eaton Road, Appleton Until Friday 23 December 2011 Open daily 10.00am-6.00pm (Thursday until 7.30pm) The Appleton Christmas Barn offers a wide range of festive products for the tree and home. You can buy Advent calendars
Tuesday 27 December 2011 at Sulgrave Manor Take part in the ancient custom of wassailing! Sing, shout and make a lot of noise in the orchard to ensure a good crop of apples next year. Be entertained with stories of the twelve days of long
Monday 26 December 2011 at various pubs in Headington Quarry Headington Quarry Morris Dancers and Mummers normally perform outside Quarry pubs from midday on Boxing Day. Visit: www.hqmd.co.cc for more details
Friday 23 - Saturday 24 December 2011 at Christ Church, Oxford The ever popular services of Nine Lessons and Carols will take place at 7.30pm on Friday 23 December and at 3.00pm on Christmas Eve Tickets have now been allocated but it is
Thursday 22 - Saturday 24 December 2011 at Templars Square, Cowley The Storyteller is a very sweet little old man, who may even be related to Father Christmas himself. Sitting inside his little tent, filled with all sorts of interesting objects
Saturday 17 & Tuesday 20 December 2011 at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford For some of us Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without Christmas at Christ Church, our annual celebration of words and music from across the ages. This perennial
Saturday 18 December 2011 at Oxford Town Hall & Museum of Oxford Oxford’s annual charity Christmas carol event. A chance to sing your heart out, accompanied by the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra, choirs from Oxford’s twin towns and local
Saturday 17 December 2011 at The Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford Oxford Bach Choir’s ever-popular Christmas carol concert returns this December after a ‘gap year’, having been cancelled last Christmas owing to heavy snowfall. This traditional festive
HISTORIC printing presses from the Bodleian Library are rolling into action to teach youngsters about the heritage of books. The equipment, some of which dates back to 1669, has been moved from the basement of the New Bodleian to The Story Museum in
Friday 16 December 2011 at The o2 Academy, Oxford The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band, The Long Insiders, Count Skylarkin' & Ms Nelly B Page Tickets: £7.50 (over 18s only) Visit: www.o2academyoxford.co.uk for more details & to
Wednesday 14 December 2011 at The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford The Ashmolean Museum is delighted to welcome Conductor John Lubbock and the Orchestra of St John’s to perform Christmas carols in the last concert of the series in the Ashmolean Atrium
Sunday 11 December 2011 at New College Chapel, Oxford A wonderful, family concert of Christmas songs and readings performed by New College School Choral Society and boys of the Chamber Choir. Conductor: Richard Poyser Soprano: Lianne-Marie
Wednesday 14 December 2011 at The Kenton Theatre, Henley-on-Thames Blunderbus Theatre Company presents The Very Snowy Christmas By Diana Hendry. It’s the night before Christmas and Big Mouse and Little Mouse are putting up decorations. Little
Sunday 11 December 2011 at The Kenton Theatre, Henley-on-Thames Ballet Theatre UK’s renowned company of international dancers, beautiful costumes and glittering stage sets combine to create a magnificent spectacle, all set to a glorious and
Saturday 10 December 2011 at St John the Evangelist Church, Iffley Road, Oxford 130+ voices will entertain with a varied programme of songs from musicals, pop songs, Christmas tunes and classical pieces, including Don't Stop Believing, Merry
Friday 9 December - Sunday 11 December 2011 in the Long Library, Blenheim Palace Friday 9 December 11.00am Wood Green School Choir 11.50am Wood Green School Choir Saturday 10 December 11.00am Daneshill School 11.50am Daneshill
Wednesday 7 December 2011 at Christ Church Cathedral - 7.45pm Our Magical 'Spirit of Christmas' Carol Concert is an opportunity for the local community to join the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign in welcoming in the festive season in the sacred surroundings
A CHURCH hall in North Oxford has been given a £216,000 facelift to become the headquarters for a homelessness organisation which needed new premises. The Gatehouse charity was given notice to quit Northgate Hall in St Michael’s Street, off Cornmarket
Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 December 2011 at Oxford Ice Rink Journey through time with performances from our very own Oxford skating stars. Performances will be held twice daily at 5.00pm and 7.00pm, spectators attending the late shows also have
RICHARD Harrison is dying from a rare degenerative disease. But that will not get in the way of his charity mission. Mr Harrison, who lives in Winterbrook Nursing Home, Cholsey, suffers from multiple system atrophy (MSA) which causes the nerves in his
Sunday 4 December 2011 at Oxford Castle - Unlocked Castleyard - 3.30pm - 5.00pm Enjoy traditional festive carols in the Castleyard around the charming Christmas Market and magical Castle Christmas Tree. Free Entry Visit: www.oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk
Gosford All Blacks’ second-half surge ensured they defeated Faringdon 42-23 in their Oxfordshire Shield quarter-final at Stratfield Brake. The hosts trailed 16-3 at one point, but five tries saw them run out comfortable winners. Darren Clarke kicked
Grove captain Ben Nicholl suffered a broken leg as they lost 22-19 at home to Oxford Brookes University in their Oxfordshire Cup quarter-final. The hosts led 19-5 after half an hour, but passed up and missed several kicks. Brookes opened
Oxford Hawks came back from their trip to Horsham with a 3-2 victory in their final women's Conference East game before the Christmas break. The Sussex side took an early lead, but Hawks were soon level via Becky Odlin after good inter-play with Zoe
Premier outfit Goodlake Arms A had to battle for a 5-4 victory against Section 1 side Cowley Workers Social Club in the Oxford & District Darts Association. Preben Krabben hit 180 in his triumph against Paul Oakley who also notched a maximum
AEA Technology 0.54 BMW 4533 Electrocomponents 206.1 Nationwide Accident Repair 68.5 Oxford Biomedica 4.65 Oxford Catalysts 51 Oxford Instruments 994.5 Reed Elsevier 512.5 RM 71.75 RPS Group 184.6 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Milton United, in desperate straits at the bottom of Division 1 East in the Uhlsport Hellenic League, have been boosted by five new signings. Manager Shaun Smith has snapped up young strikers Frankie Hayes and Kyle Allsworth, from Saxton Rovers and Abingdon
Carruthers could run next in the Coral Welsh National at Chepstow on Tuesday, December 27 following his gutsy victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday. The eight-year-old, from Mark Bradstock’s Letcombe Bassett stables, near Wantage, showed
A clubber had her handbag snatched on the dance floor of a city venue. The 22-year-old victim was dancing at about 2am on Sunday morning in the Cellar Nightclub, Frewin Court, when her handbag was snatched by someone behind her. She turned around,
The woman who set up Bomber Command Association’s Thames Valley branch has died aged 91. Mary Gibson, of Cedar Court, was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during the Second World War and was made an MBE in 2006 for her work with the Bomber
A MAN who racially abused a bus driver, policeman and neighbour has walked free from court having already served time in jail. Michael McDonagh was jailed for 10 months at Oxford Crown Court yesterday having admitted four racially aggravated public-order
THE gathering of mourners outside the John Radcliffe Hospital are usually sombre affairs but a dispute has broken out between two well-known community leaders. John Kelly, the former emergency planning officer at Oxfordshire County Council
Former world championship quarter-finalist Dee Bateman makes her debut when Oxfordshire travel to Hampshire in the Rileys Inter-Counties Championship Premier Division this weekend. With the men’s A and women’s A teams unchanged, Bateman makes her bow
Banbury’s woes continued at the bottom of the Men's South League Premier Division 1 as they went down 4-0 at home to Sevenoaks and finished the game with just seven men. The Kent side picked holes in the Banbury defence, throwing aerial passes over the
Friday 13 January - Saturday 21 January 2012 at The Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon Abingdon Drama Club Presents 'Alice in Wonderland' - Based on the characters created by Lewis Carroll ADC presents a spectacular, all-singing, all-dancing, version
Oxford City athlete Hannah England missed out at the Jaguar Academy of Sport Annual Awards at The Savoy, London. The 24-year-old was nominated for the most inspirational British sportswoman of the year and for the jump off the sofa moment awards after
Saturday 10 December 2011 at The Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon - 7.00pm An evening of traditional Christmas folk music with Magpie Lane, The Grassy Hillbillies & Susanna Starling Tickets: £10.00 Visit: www.abingdonabbey-unicorntheatre.org.uk
FEWER jobs will be cut at Thames Valley Police because of a £4m Government windfall. The one-off grant has been awarded to the force on the agreement that there will be no increase to the police precept in this year’s council tax. It was feared that
OXFORD: A 23-year-old woman was taken to John Radcliffe Hospital with neck injuries after an accident between her car and a bus. Police were called at 5.15pm to the Botley Road, Oxford, after the accident near Halfords.
EAST OXFORD: Five people have appeared in court charged with the stabbing of a 20-year-old man in Cowley Marsh Park in May. Hamin Rahman, 18, of Asquith Road, Rose Hill; Hamid Shah, 25, of Pound Way, Cowley; Mokhtiar Isakhail, 21, also of Pound
FIONA GOODENOUGH knew the cyclist she had come to the aid of in Oxford’s George Street was seriously injured but did not how badly. Mrs Goodenough, 26, had melted back into the crowd after paramedics had taken the badly wounded Tessa Goldin off to hospital
Witney pushed higher league opponents Oxford Harlequins hard in this combative Oxfordshire Cup quarter-final, but lacked the cutting edge to pull off an upset as they succumbed 15-8. The visitors competed with resilience for the full 80 minutes in match
Esher 32, Oxford University 20 Oxford University’s defence looked patchy as they shipped six tries in their final Varsity Match warm-up last night. The Dark Blues used 26 players over the course of the 80 minutes in which they produced a real mixed
Banbury United manager Ady Fuller says his side have the perfect incentive to finish the job when they face Wealdstone in tonight’s FA Carlsberg Trophy third-qualifying round replay. A win at Wealdstone’s adopted Grosvenor Ground in Ruislip would see
Further and further, I am slipping into bicycling geekdom. And the further I slip, the more my geekiness is costing. I’m used to doing rather well in the “What’s your bike like?” stakes. I’ve got six so far, and I say “so far” advisedly: that is, I haven
Today we profile Betty Collins who volunteers for Charlton Daytime Support, a county council-run centre which offers access to leisure activities for those with learning disabilities In her role, Betty Collins supports those who use the centre as well
Re: Trolley confusion. I am writing in reply to RW Tucker’s response to my letter. Your letter that was printed on November 3 started: ‘Sorry to knock lady drivers’, not ‘I consider women drivers to be better’, therein lies my confusion at presuming
We have a disgraceful situation in our care homes where carers are being paid the minimum wage of £6.25 an hour. The job they do to care for our elderly, usually very personal contact, are jobs a lot of us could not cope with. Many eastern European people
I’M afraid that the tail is wagging the dog where our council expenditure is concerned. Instead of providing the services Oxford residents need and doing that economically and efficiently, our administration is prioritising reducing costs of hundreds
IN A WEEK when all the Premier Section sides faced lower-league opposition, performance of the night belongs to the Green Dragon, of the East Division, who overturned loftier opponents, the Six Bells (Headington), in a pulsating contest, 75-71. In doing
The Boundary Commission has published its proposals for the big upheaval in constituency boundaries – so that the total number of MPs may be reduced to 600 – and its consultation period is drawing to a close. As a member of the public I tried to participate
As the war drums are again beating, the poor old British public are being hoodwinked and lied to over Iran and its alleged acquisition of a nuclear bomb, a lie. The new chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Aman, described himself
I feel I must respond to the letter from Roger Tucker (Monday, October 31) regarding the ‘public sector’ issues. Like most people, he believes the spin that we in the public sector receive gold-plated pensions. Well, if you consider an average pension
HALF of Oxfordshire’s schools have announced full or partial closures tomorrow, with more expected to join them today. The full impact of tomorrow’s public sector strikes in Oxfordshire is still unclear, with councils unsure how many workers
THE BISHOP of Oxford has shown himself to have a “wicked” sense of humour in a new book of published spoof letters. The Morello Letters is a collection of hoax missives to a variety of personalities, British institutions and clubs around the country
Williams co-founder Patrick Head has decided to end his involvement with the team in Formula 1. Head, who formed the Grove-based marque in 1977 with Sir Frank Williams and most recently has operated as director of engineering, is to concentrate on the
Andy Melville said that he is still “shocked and numb” following the death of Wales teammate Gary Speed. Oxford United’s first-team coach spent more than 15 years playing for his country alongside Speed, who took his own life on Sunday morning. Melville
Jurors in the trial of a man accused of exposing himself to children while on a mobility scooter have failed to reach a verdict. John Devine, 58, denied exposing himself in the green in Marlborough Gardens, Faringdon, on March 27. Following a trial
A HOUSING crisis is looming in Oxford because benefit cuts will mean people can no long afford their rented homes, experts fear. Oxford City Council says it is already struggling to cope with new caps on the Local Housing Allowance (LHA), which is paid
THOUSANDS of cancer sufferers have been given a new hope through pioneering treatment at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital that ‘cooks’ cancer cells, according to a top doctor. Consultant radiologist Mark Anderson spoke out after the successful treatment
A SURPRISE announcement in Chancellor George Osborne’s financial statement today is expected to give the green light for reopening part of the Oxford to Cambridge railway that closed more than 40 years ago. The £250m scheme would see rail services between
“AS FIT as a fiddle.” Isn’t that a wonderful expression of life and health? Especially so for 87-year-old Ken Cook who, having been diagnosed with lung cancer and then suffering a heart attack, felt his chances had all but run out. But thanks to an
A LANDLORD has been fined £8,000 for letting one of his nine properties fall into disrepair. Ken Herring admitted four counts of failing to comply with regulations for a house of multiple occupation (HMO) at Oxford Magistrates’ Court yesterday. The
OXFORD: An estimated £40,000 stash of cocaine was discovered at a address in East Field Close, Headington. Officers arrested 29-year-old Sarfraz Ali in the early hours on Sunday after a fracas in Park End Street. Five wraps of cocaine were seized, and
THOUSANDS of cancer sufferers have been given a new hope through pioneering treatment at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital that ‘cooks’ cancer cells, according to a top doctor. Consultant radiologist Mark Anderson spoke out after the successful treatment of
GEORGE Bernard Shaw once wrote: ‘Property is organised robbery’. In light of the new cap on Local Housing Allowance (LHA), many people on benefits or low incomes will no doubt agree. Currently, LHA is paid to just over 12,000 people in Oxford, to help
The Enstone-based Lotus Renault GP team today announced that Kimi Räikkönen would race for the team next season. The 2007 World Champion, who left Formula 1 at the end of 2009 to pursue a career in rallying, has decided to make a comeback at
Two motorists were taken to hospital after a head-on collision in Dorchester yesterday morning. The A4074 Henley Road was closed close to the junction of Oxford Road after the crash just before 7.42am.
A man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with a glassing at a city bar. Michael Rendell, 24, was at Oxford Crown Court yesterday charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Stephen Walsh suffered a serious neck
Volunteers got their hands dirty on Oxford’s biggest estate at the weekend as they pitched in to clear an abandoned playground. The Blackbird Leys Adventure Playground closed in December 2009 after financial concerns. But the much-missed play park was
Businesses in Headington say they feel let down after failing to get a city council grant for their Christmas lights. The council supplies more than £30,000 to help pay for the city centre lights but refused to give Headington community members £500.
SHOPPERS with Oxford Mail Loyalty Club cards are being reminded they can take advantage of a VIP shopping night in Witney. Card holders will be able to enjoy special discounts at a number of stores in the Marriotts Walk shopping centre on Thursday. They
JLS band member Oritse Williams has donated one of his very own baseball caps, signed by the man himself, and a postcard of the band signed by all four members of the group, to the West Oxfordshire MS Society in a bid to help them raise funds for the
