Web designer Niki Peach and accounts assistant Karen Holliday will cycle a gruelling trail from Vietnam to Cambodia to raise funds for a breast cancer charity. The week-long challenge covers 525km and is being completed for Abingdon-based Against Breast
A church choir has raised more than £1,500 for the Bone Cancer Research Trust following the death of former Wallingford School pupil Alex Lewis. Wallingford Parish Church Choir, right, which won a competition last year with record label Decca to record
A nursery school has funded important medical equipment to help save babies in a deprived part of South Africa. The Kidsunlimited nursery in Jack Straw’s Lane, Headington, bought eight £175 foetal heart monitors after raising £1,471 in the summer. The
A charity which has invested more than £100m into research including studies at Oxford is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Action Medical Research was founded in 1952 by Duncan Guthrie in a quest to find a cure for polio. Since then it has helped researchers
A HOMELESS man handed an Asbo for assaults on Oxford City Council staff has now admitted spitting at a housing officer. Big Issue seller Darren Perks, 38, admitted spitting in the face of accommodation officer Naeem Chudry in the city on September 9
Strangers using a secluded copse near Kirtlington for outdoor sex have been moved on by police. The practice of meeting strangers for sex in a public place, known as dogging, had been taking place at a small wood along Port Way. Police took action after
A JUDGE has hit out at the way asylum seekers are processed after a Ugandan man was charged three years after using a false passport. At Oxford Crown Court on Friday Judge Mary Jane Mowat strongly criticised the delays in sorting Wilson Ikabyo’s case
PLANS by Oxford City Council to vacate offices at Bury Knowle House have prompted fears over the future of Headington Library. The library is on the ground floor of the Grade-II listed building with the city council’s leisure department housed on the
TOO many military families in Oxfordshire are isolated from the communities they live in. That’s the message from the organisers of events which aim to reach out to residents on the county’s Ministry of Defence bases. The Oxfordshire Play Association
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TOMMY Steele’s appearance in Scrooge at the New Theatre, Oxford, this week reminded Danny Maskell of the day they played against each other in a football match. Mr Maskell played for Pressed Steel while pop star Tommy turned out for a Showbiz XI. The
THE picture of the mystery football team (Memory Lane, November 28) produced a flurry of interest from readers. All identified it as the Great Tew team in the mid-1950s. David Hawtin, of Over Norton Road, Chipping Norton writes: “The
JEAN Sansom has fond memories of her appearance in pantomime at the New Theatre, Oxford. She has kept a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings to remind her of her moment of fame. She took part, as 13-year-old Jean Kilby, in Aladdin in 1947-8 as one of the
Late last year I received two parcels. Neither contained any clue to the sender but both contained sachets of hair restorative. It is only now, however, that I feel strong enough to talk about it. Badly shaken at the time, I thought it was doubtless
THESE children had good reason to celebrate – they were taking the first dip in their new school pool. Pupils, staff and parents had spent months raising money to pay for the pool at Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford. But for some children, the joy
PLAYING games for 24 hours raised more than £300 for Thame Cottage Hospital’s extension appeal. Corrie van de Werff, Beverly Bryant, Steve Cherrington and Melanie Pitcher, all members of Thame Rotoract Club, sat in the window of the former Martins newsagents
WE’VE seen how the pub landladies celebrated – now it’s the men’s turn. We don’t know where, when or on what occasions these pictures were taken. But we believe they were gatherings of the Oxford and District Licensed Victuallers’ Association. As well
New rules will come into force in February which will rid residential roads of rogue car dealers and could see fast food vans on Oxford’s iconic streets. The city is currently divided into prohibited streets, where pedlars and traders are automatically
102 Corn Street, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 6BU Tel: 01993 705080 Email: mail@proposalsbridalstudio.co.uk Website: www.proposalsbridalstudio.co.uk Proposals are a family run business that has been established since 2004. We pride ourselves
THE Oxford Mail has helped an Eynsham family whose Christmas was blighted after a flying shark gift floated away. The helium-filled remote-controlled shark was bought by Frances Morrill, 55, and her family for her brother Paul Smith, 50.
THE latest instalment of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could turn out to be a horror movie for wildlife in Oxford, experts warned. The popular cartoon will hit the big screen once again in the summer and already looks likely to be a box office hit. But
HUNDREDS of visitors picked up gardening tips from horticulture teachers Ernie Bingham and Jean Taylor when they visited Waterperry Gardens. Now, following their deaths from cancer, a special celebration is being held to remember their lives and their
TWO builders who conned elderly Oxfordshire homeowners out of thousands of pounds have been jailed today. Rogue trader Trevor Bateman, 54, of Oakham Close, Swindon, has been sentenced to four years by Oxford Crown Court, after being found guilty of 10
OXFORD Anthony Davis, 32, of Sheriffs Drive, Wolvercote, Oxford, admitted shoplifting two joints of meat valued at £35.68 from Sainsbury’s in Kidlington on November 12 and failing to surrender to court bail on November 22. Given a 12-month
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Kidlington’s new joint player-managers Danny Leggett and Christian Perkins suffered a bad start as their new charges went down to a 3-1 home defeat against Oxfordshire rivals Thame United at Yarnton Road on Saturday. The defeat saw Kidlington
Ardley United suffered a blow to their Uhsport Hellenic League championship charge as they crashed to a 2-0 home defeat against mid-table Ascot. The leaders were seeking their 15th Premier Division victory in a row, but it all went wrong for Kevin Brock
A teenager was punched in the face by a man demanding to know where he could buy drugs. The 19-year-old victim and his girlfriend were walking along Burford Road, Carterton, at 9.45pm on Wednesday when a white van pulled up alongside. The passenger
OXFORD’S main hospital paid tribute to a woman who transformed services for vascular patients in the region. The Jackie Walton Vascular Studies Unit at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital was named in memory of the late NHS worker, who died last February
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a small fire at a city hotel on Saturday morning. A blaze took hold in a first-floor room at the Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotel in Abingdon Road at 4.20am.
SOME 20,000 books remain unreturned to Oxford University libraries. The students are the second-worst offenders in the UK for not returning books, according to a survey. There are 20,923 Oxford University library books unaccounted for, topped only by
FOOTBALLER Lee Steele did not play for Oxford City on Saturday after the Oxford Mail reported a controversial remark he made on website Twitter. A remark about openly gay former Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas appeared on the 38-year-old’s account
DIAL-A-RIDE services could be hit by cuts to operating hours after three district councils refused to stump up any cash. The door-to-door service for OAPs and the disabled will operate from 10am to 3pm instead of 9am to 5pm in Oxford and the
Oxfordshire ace Deta Hedman saw off Rhian Edwards 2-1 to reach the last four of the World Professional darts Championship at Frimley Green. Former county ace Trina Gulliver dedicated her 2-0 quarter-final win over Lisa Ashton to her mother, Muriel, who
FIREFIGHTERS were called to a blaze at Wildmere Industrial Estate, Banbury. The fire took hold at a car workshop in Acorn Way at 5.15am on Saturday. A car and machinery were burnt.
A man has denied being at fault for a crash which killed a motorcyclist. Jonathan Bridger appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Friday to deny death by careless driving. Biker Christopher Mason was killed on the B4100 at about 7.20pm on
North Leigh left it late before taking all the points in a 1-0 win at Evo-Stik Division 1 South & West high-fliers Sholing. With time running out, it looked as though Mark Gee’s side would have to settle for a point, but James Organ’s superbly-struck
Didcot Town had another day to forget as they crashed to a 4-0 defeat to the Evo-Stik Division 1 South & West promotion-chasers. It was the seventh time Didcot have lost at their npower Loop Meadow Stadium. Early-on, Didcot looked the
Oxford City moved up to third in the Evo-Stik Premier Division table as they ended Chippenham’s ten-match unbeaten run with victory against the fifth-placed side. The victory, their first for six matches, puts Mike Ford’s men back in the play-off zone
OXFORDSHIRE’S young men who died fighting for their country in the world wars were remembered at the weekend. A Turning of the Pages ceremony was held in the military chapel in Christ Church, Oxford, where names of county soldiers killed in action were
OXFORD’s Sikh community has finally found a building to turn into a permanent home. They were previously thrown out of a three-bedroom house in Cherwell Drive, Marston, after using it as a temple without permission. In 2010 they were ordered to move
SOMEBODY in a letter stated foxes were beautiful animals. So they are, but they are also ruthless. Years ago, I witnessed the carnage when one or more foxes got into a hen house holding 100 birds. One was missing, the rest were headless and strewn around
I WOULD like to comment on the article in the Oxford Mail January 4, ‘Force employed (22 PCSO) officers with convictions’. As your article states these were crimes that were probably committed before they joined the force and possibly when they were
CONGRATULATIONS to Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Sara Thornton on the successful year for her hard-working constabulary. I was particularly interested to note that “criminals have been arrested”, and intrigued to learn that their Gay Police Association
HOMES, churches, schools and businesses in the county are all suffering increasing levels of metal theft, with lead roofs, copper piping and electronic cabling all considered fair game. Metal is a tempting target, not just because it is worth so much
While I enjoyed the programme Endeavour (the young DC Morse), I am convinced that the police adviser to the broadcast must have ‘nipped out for a tea break’! The scenery, costumes, etc, were first class, even down to the police helmets. But the actors
On New Year’s Eve I traversed the city in a bright plastic tub. I’d misunderstood the idea of doing the Charleston and found myself pushed adrift with a two-handed paddle in a boat named for this fast and furious 1920s dance craze. But fast and furious
Glenn Walker kept his head from the penalty spot as Banbury United got back to winning ways in the Premier Division with a narrow 1-0 victory at Frome Town. Banbury went close to breaking the deadlock within the opening 20 seconds when Ricky Johnson
Oxfordshire’S Jack Brooks failed to take a wicket as England Lions lost by six wickets against Bangladesh A in the first one-day game. The tourists were all out for 139 in Chittagong. Bangladesh A reached their target with ease, Brooks returning figures
WHAT a lovely story you published in Friday’s Oxford Mail. I refer to Mel Spencer, who overcame her cleft palate problems and became a beautiful soprano singer. Mel, I would love to come and hear you sing. I think, also, I would feel emotional. All
READING the article that Didcot Town Council is discussing a new wave pool and that it is to be high on the priority list for 2012, I feel I must point out other priorities that should be addressed first. As a regular visitor to Didcot, I have a family
l SUSAN Thomas includes an awful lot of tosh in the many letters she sends to you. Her latest letter (January 4) contains the ludicrous suggestion that Keith Mitchell, leader of the county council “has never been in favour of paid parking in Oxford
WHAT a fantastic firework display from Big Ben and the London Eye to welcome 2012. It was the best ever to welcome a new year which is going to be very exciting. We have the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, both the London Olympics and Paralympics, and football
JON-PAUL Pittman says he is going to continue ‘doing his thing’ – because he’s loving life back at Oxford United. After scoring his first goal for the U’s against Crawley, Pittman was handed a first league start at Aldershot on Saturday. And he responded
PART of the M40 was closed for an hour on Saturday evening after a car fire on the hard shoulder. Fire crews were called to the northbound carriageway between junctions six at Lewknor and seven at Milton Common at 5.45pm. No-one was injured.
A WOMAN in her 20s had to be cut free from her car and airlifted to hospital after it hit a tree. The crash happened on an unclassified road between the M40 and Christmas Common, near Watlington, at about 1.30pm on Saturday. South Central Ambulance
MOVIE premieres are usually held in London’s Leicester Square, with a glamorous guest list and a glittering backdrop. But a world away from the West End, hopes are building that the A-list could be getting ready to descend on Oxford. Slumdog Millionaire
DRINK-DRIVE arrests increased over the festive period, Thames Valley Police figures show. County police arrested 77 motorists between December 1, 2011, and January 1, 2012 – 15 more than the same time the previous year. Across the Thames Valley, 299
A CAMPAIGNER has hit out at news a controversial plan to run a high-speed train line through the Oxfordshire countryside is set to go ahead. Finmere resident Mike Kerford-Byrnes spoke out after it was reported the £17bn line from London to
OXFORDSHIRE residents are being urged not to let the county become a royal party pooper for the second time. After a distinct lack of patriotic fervour during 2011’s Royal Wedding, partygoers have high hopes for this year’s Queen’s Diamond
OUR story about possible cuts in hours to dial-a-ride bus services for OAPs and the disabled is worrying. As public finances are squeezed, councils are increasingly looking at services they have no or limited obligation to legally provide.
DESPITE all the economic doom and gloom, Britain and Oxfordshire have two very good reasons to feel good this summer that we should seize with both hands. The London Olympics and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee are an opportunity to celebrate our nation
CHRIS Wilder was delighted with Oxford United’s impressive 3-0 win at Aldershot on Saturday which moved his side back into the League Two play-off places. Goals from Jon-Paul Pittman, Michael Duberry and Peter Leven saw the U’s climb to
ORGANISERS of Barton’s second learning day hope it will be a case of New Year, New Start for residents eager to get back to work. The first Barton Learning Fayre was held at the estate’s Neighbourhood Centre last September. It included taster sessions
Rail passengers in Oxfordshire are being asked for their views on ways to improve services ahead of a decision on who will run the Great Western rail franchise from next year. Commuters, councils and other interested groups are being invited by the Department
WHEN Tim Wright put on weight, he knew it wasn’t because he was ‘big boned’ or had a ‘genetic problem’. It was because he ate too much and didn’t get enough exercise. The married father of two would stand in front of the fridge and gorge on calorie-laden
