Archive

  • Summertown Cobras U10s end season on a high

    Football is not about winning. The Cobras have played some good football this season, and despite losing 13 games against strong opposition they remained upbeat and energetic. On Saturday their last match was against local rivals Summertown Eagles, who

  • BULLFINCH UPDATE: Gagging Order blocks reporting

    THE Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times has been gagged from reporting details of a hearing involving an Oxford businessman which took place in a neighbouring court room. The hearing was held at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court at the same time as the six

  • Bedroom furniture stolen to order from shop

    BURGLARS smashed their way into an independent shop to steal enough furniture to kit out a bedroom, The thieves disabled the CCTV at the Oxford Furniture Warehouse in Abingdon Road, Oxford, before shattering the front door with a concrete slab to get

  • Cowley Road reopened after crash

    COWLEY Road is now reopen after being closed to traffic when a Hyundai Coupe hit two parked cars and overturned. The woman driver was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital with bruising as a precaution after the crash at 2.30pm this afternoon.

  • Cowley Road closed

    COWLEY Road is closed to traffic after a car overturned at 2.30pm this afternoon. The fire service was called to make the road safe, but did not need to free anyone from the vehicle which overturned car between Southfield Road and Divinity Road.

  • School's special skills are praised in report

    IT provides care and education for some of the most vulnerable and challenging children in the country. And now the Mulberry Bush School, in Standlake, is the latest special school in Oxfordshire to be rated outstanding by schools inspectors from Ofsted

  • Safety fears on Oxford footpath

    PLANS may be afoot to improve an Oxford park which has been the subject of safety concerns for nearly a decade. People have walked through Spindleberry Park to get between Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys ever since Oxford City Council installed a bridge

  • Serious crash closes southbound A44

    TWO people have been taken to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries after a crash on the A44. The southbound carriageway near the London Oxford Airport turning at Langford Lane is currently closed. One lane of the northbound carriageway

  • Future's bright for reopened village pub

    AN award-winning publican who has a passion for beer has come to the rescue of the last pub in Leafield. Alan Watkins already runs the Swan in Faringdon and the Radnor Arms in Coleshill, just outside Faringdon, along with two Gloucestershire pubs, the

  • 'Help youngsters turn their lives around'

    FOR the past three years, Angelina Abayateye and her husband Philip have been helping troubled young people turn their lives around. As hosts for Cowley-based charity Stonham Supported Lodgings, they have taken four young adults into their home and supported

  • Party marks a new era for Rose Hill

    Neighbours old and new celebrated the end of a massive building project on their estate with music, food and laughter. Hundreds of people gathered in Rose Hill for a big party marking the end of the area’s £20m regeneration. The celebration on Friday

  • Sixth-formers exhibit grand design

    SIXTH-FORMERS at an Oxford school have created an exhibition of their art coursework at the Burford Garden Company. The exhibition consists of almost 50 pieces produced by AS-Level design and technology students at St Edward’s School in Woodstock Road

  • Suited and booted for a day in the park

    For this group of smartly dressed young men, a walk in Blenheim Park at Woodstock was usually on the Sunday afternoon agenda. They would put on their Sunday best – suits and ties – and enjoy a breath of fresh air. On this occasion, in the 1950s, one

  • The changing face of OXFORD

    Gordon Hill, the Oxford City Swimming Club coach, who famously swam the Channel, is seen with team members before a swimming gala in 1968. Left to right are Michael Hoggett, Peter Slay, Julie Apter, Hazel Langthorne, Julie Chowings, Christine Kingdom

  • Diner time

    Working at John Allen & Sons wasn’t all about building cranes and other types of machinery. Staff at the factory at Cowley, Oxford, enjoyed a good social and sporting life, as this picture shows. It was taken at the annual dinner of Allen’s Sports Club

  • A shot from the 1960s?

    We can't tell you when and where this picture was taken, or the names of any of the players. All we know is that it is football team from John Allen and Sons’ Sports Club at Cowley, Oxford. The long hair of some of the players suggests it might

  • Patrol of the riverside

    The picture of the Home Guard at Osney, Oxford, during the war reminded David Walker of his time with a similar wartime organisation. While the Home Guard kept an eye for suspicious activity on the land, the Upper Thames Patrol was responsible for what

  • Youth club is reunited

    John Bunyan Baptist Church had one of Oxford’s most successful youth groups. Up to 80 young people aged from 11 to 18 would flock to the hall adjoining the church in Crowell Road, Cowley, to enjoy a range of activities. Members of the Young People’s

  • Tackling a man's world is goal for mums

    MUMS are being helped to get into the male-dominated world of football with training sessions in Witney. The beginners’ sessions are running every Wednesday at the Windrush Leisure Centre and this week saw the first five women take part. FA coach Vicky

  • Local shares (AM)

    AEA Technology 0.26 BMW 5635 Electrocomponents 254.1 Nationwide Accident Repair 61.5 Oxford Biomedica 3.2 Oxford Catalysts 47.5 Oxford Instruments 1173 Reed Elsevier 559.25 RM 77.5 RPS Group 243.6 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley,

  • Jail for dealer

    DIDCOT: A 32-year-old drug dealer has been jailed. Simon Lightfoot admitted two counts of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply at Oxford Crown Court on Friday. He was found with heroin and cocaine on December 22. Lightfoot, of Kynaston

  • Prison term for driving offence

    WALLINGFORD: A 32-year-old man has been jailed for a motoring and public order offence. Stephen Roberts was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday having earlier admitted dangerous driving and affray. The charges relate to an incident on the A4130

  • Baking contest is such a sweet idea

    OXFORD’S first bake-off was the icing on the cake for those with a sweet tooth and a taste for homemade pie. The Oxfordshire Bake-Off on Saturday at Oxford Town Hall was such a success the organiser last night pledged to hold another. More than 50 amateur

  • RACING: Webber bangs the Drum

    Banbury trainer Paul Webber was glowing in his praise of Devon Drum after the gelding made a winning debut at Newbury on Saturday. The four-year-old quickened up in good style for Dominic Elsworth to beat Polly Peachum by four and a half lengths in a

  • RACING: Circumvent foiled in Winter Derby thriller

    Circumvent, from Paul Cole’s Whatcombe stables, near Wantage, ran a cracker to take third behind Premio Loco in the Blue Square Winter Derby at Lingfield on Saturday. Jimmy Fortune gave Cole’s five-year-old a terrific ride, overcoming a wide draw with

  • FOOTBALL: Abject Abingdon crash to ten-man Yate

    Abingdon Utd 0 Yate Tn 2 (Stone pen 58, Purnell 75) Abingdon United’s long wait for a first win in 2012 – and even a goal which now sees their barren run stretching to 12 hours and four minutes – goes on despite playing against

  • FOOTBALL: Precious point for Banbury battlers

    St Albans City 1 (Newton 69) Banbury Utd 1 (Johnson pen 60) Banbury United picked up a valuable point at in-form St Albans City in their battle against relegation from the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division. St Albans were the better side

  • FOOTBALL: Confident City back on track

    Oxford City 2 (Basham 36, Lyon 57) Evesham Utd 0 Oxford City got their Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division play-offs’ challenge back on track with victory over relegation candidates Evesham United at Court Place Farm on Saturday. Following their

  • Driver hurt in road rage incident

    A 45-year-old man was arrested over a road rage assault. Police said the drivers of two cars had a scuffle by the side of the road after a driving incident at 7.30am by the Ducklington Mill turn, Ducklington, on Thursday Both cars, a grey BMW estate

  • House prices show biggest monthly rise for two years

    House prices have shown their biggest monthly rise in two years. The Government’s Land Registry shows the average property in the county in February cost £238,620, up one per cent on the previous month. The last time prices rose by one per cent was in

  • Skipper Wright delighted at shut-out

    A BUMPY playing surface at Whaddon Road ruled out any prospect of Oxford United playing attractively, according to skipper Jake Wright, writes DAVID PRITCHARD. The visitors did not hit the heights of previous games in the 0-0 draw at Cheltenham Town

  • FOOTBALL: Hafiz at the double

    Aftab Hafiz’s quickfire double set Headington Amateurs on the way to a 3-1 home win over Lydney Town in the Uhlsport Hellenic League's Bluefin Insurance Brokers Challenge Cup quarter-final. He produced a superb chip to give Headington an eighth-minute

  • FOOTBALL: Ardley miss chance to catch up

    Ardley United squandered the chance to draw level on points with Oxford City Nomads – who were without a game – at the top of the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division as they crashed to a 1-0 defeat at home to Binfield. The decisive goal came after

  • FOOTBALL: Odhiambo's strike gives Didcot a lift

    Didcot Tn 1 (Odhiambo 62) Paulton Rovers 0 Anaclet Odhiambo’s second-half strike gave Didcot Town victory over Paulton Rovers in Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West at the npower Loop Meadow Stadium. Defences had been on top before the

  • Girl dies from meningitis bug

    A CHILD from Oxfordshire has died from suspected meningitis. It is believed the child was a girl in the foundation stage of Appleton Primary School, near Abingdon. She died on Friday morning after being admitted to hospital earlier that day. Last night

  • Familes do their bit for Sport Relief

    FAMILIES did their bit for charity yesterday with a sponsored mile around Oxford’s Cutteslowe Park. More than 600 people ran and walked the distance to raise money for disadvantaged people at home and abroad through Sports Relief. The event began with

  • Pupil dies from meningitis bug

    A CHILD from Oxfordshire has died from suspected meningitis. It is believed the child was a girl in the foundation stage of Appleton Primary School, near Abingdon. She died on Friday morning after being admitted to hospital earlier that day. Last night

  • New Leys pool gets grant for moveable floor

    The planned Blackbird Leys swimming pool has won a £75,000 grant for a moveable floor. Oxford City Council secured the funding from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund. It will allow the floor to be positioned at different depths. A Town Green bid

  • Runners enjoy sunshine for OX5

    HUNDREDS of people enjoyed the spring sunshine as they took part in the annual OX5 Run. The event, which was this year celebrating its 10th birthday, is organised by the Oxford Mail and raises cash for Oxford Children’s Hospital. Almost

  • RESULTS: March 24-25

    FOOTBALL NPOWER LEAGUE TWO Cheltenham Tn 0, Oxford Utd 0. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Oxford City 2, Evesham 0; St Albans 1, Banbury Utd 1. Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd 0, Yate Tn 2; Didcot Tn 1, Paulton Rov 0.

  • MOTHERING SUNDAE: Socks

    I know, I can’t believe it either. I’m starting the week writing about socks. But I’m totally baffled. Where do they go? I would have noticed if the children had an odd number of feet and yet, in an experiment on the sock distribution through our laundry

  • Tots say cheese for Baby of the Year 2012

    BONNY babies smiled for the cameras as the Oxford Mail’s Baby Of The Year competition kicked off at the weekend. Youngsters posed for shots at Matalan in the John Allen Centre in Cowley on Saturday. Among them was 15-week-old Evie-Pixie

  • LIT FEST DIARY: Opening event in great spirits

    IF ANYONE had told me 48 hours ago I’d be sitting here nursing a hangover after attending my first Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival event...I’d have ordered a stiff drink. But pride comes before the fall and I readily admit I eagerly slipped into

  • You don't have to watch hospital television

    IF people find the cost of watching television in hospital exorbitant let them do what I did in the John Radcliffe three years ago – listen to the radio, read books and newspapers and, if possible, chat to the staff and fellow patients. Besides this,

  • OAPs hit hardest

    YET again the vulnerable OAPs suffer from attacks on living standards. The county council made the front page of the Oxford Mail with a possible 150 per cent consultation rise in care cost. Then there is the closure of bus routes meaning the disabled

  • Budget disaster

    IN 2007, in his last budget as Chancellor, Gordon Brown announced that basic rate tax would be reduced to 20 per cent. When the change came into effect the following year, it became apparent that the tax cut had been financed by abolishing

  • Poor use of bylaws

    SO Jericho and Osney councillor Susanna Pressel says that boats coming from all over the country are a problem. She appears to be judging people by where they are from. From this it would appear that the “solution” for her would be to send them back

  • Too young for sign language

    IS there anything wrong with our education system? The reason I ask is because a friend of mine is concerned about two of her grandchildren. They attend school in Thame and are five and seven years old. They are being taught sign language, even though

  • Put a spoke in it!

    So your columnist James Styring missed his train. Dear oh dear! It was definitely a bad hair day for James. He claims this city was built upon the university together with the car factories. Most people I know gave up riding pushbikes at about 16-

  • Fear of flooding

    REGARDING the letter from Adrian Taylor concerning the lack of river maintenance (Oxford Mail, March 14), while I agree with some of the points Adrian makes, I must say that his second paragraph doesn’t make any sense. If Thames Water takes steps to

  • COMMENT: Families in need bank on support

    Outsiders who see Oxfordshire as an affluent, rural county may say say it has little need for emergency food banks. This view will be exaggerated even more when it comes to West Oxfordshire – home to the Prime Minister and gaggles of celebrities epitomised

  • Patient Worley gets his reward

    HARRY Worley credited an excellent individual performance in Oxford United’s goalless draw at Cheltenham Town to keeping a level head throughout a difficult season. The defender has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Michael Duberry last

  • What could have been for Oxford United at Cheltenham

    CHRIS Wilder felt hard done by as yet another penalty claim went against Oxford United, but admitted it would have been harsh on Cheltenham Town to take maximum points on Saturday. The promotion rivals played out a gripping goalless draw and although

  • OX5 Run set to provide a pile of cash for children's hospital

    THEY came from across the county and every single runner had one aim – to raise cash for Oxford Children’s Hospital. Almost 1,000 people signed up to pound the grounds at Blenheim Palace as the 10th annual OX5 five-mile run, organised by the Oxford Mail

  • Burglar foiled by don and builders

    Town and Gown joined forces to nab a burglar at an Oxford college after an academic chased a crook before builders pinned him to the ground. A don from St Hugh’s College gave chase to burglar Arron Gardner, before decorator Tony Thomas, 52,

  • COMMENT: Long-running aid

    IT HAS been 10 years now since the launch of the first OX5 Run. And during that time the event has grown in popularity, profile and – most vitally – charity cash raised. In yesterday’s warm spring sunshine hundreds turned out, among them veterans and

  • Repatriation standards are given blessing

    THE standards lowered by veterans at Oxfordshire’s repatriation ceremonies were blessed at a special service yesterday. About 200 people gathered at St Mary the Virgin Church in Kidlington to watch the dedication service. Standards from the Coldstream

  • Abigail's a natural at pooh Sticks

    ABIGAIL Ryan is a little more than a year old, but she can say she is the second best in the world at playing Pooh Sticks. The tot from Benson was one of hundreds who took part in the annual world championships in Little Wittenham yesterday

  • OPERATION BULLFINCH: Six kept in custody facing 34 charges

    A FATHER-OF-TWO, a hospital porter and a security guard were among six Oxford men at court accused of involvement in an alleged child prostitution ring. The men appeared at court on Saturday to face a total of 34 charges including child rape, trafficking

  • Countdown to Leys adventure playground reopening begins

    CHILDREN, parents and volunteers celebrated as the opening date for a long-awaited playground grew ever closer. The Blackbird Leys Adventure Playground closed because of financial concerns in December 2009. But after more than two years and tireless

  • Two win council tax paid for a year

    Two men will have their council tax paid for a year after winning a contest. David Rickeard of East Hagbourne and Lee Warriner from Abingdon won the prize after signing up to pay for the tax online. South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District

  • Students in running to help keep London Olympics safe

    DOZENS of Oxford students could be helping to keep the London 2012 Olympics safe. In all, 192 students at Oxford & Cherwell Valley College took a door supervisor qualification, learning about everything from communication skills to conflict management