A scheme to save a village pub by selling off part of its car park and garden for housing may be rejected by councillors. The Swan in Ascott-under-Wychwood has been shut since June 2010 and owner Richard Lait has been trying to sell it – as villagers
Derek Moore, 41, of Balfour Road, Oxford, admitted assault by beating in Oxford on January 8. Given six months’ supervision and told to do 40 hours’ unpaid work. Also told to pay £85 costs. Jackie Phillips, 46, of Verbena Way, Oxford
Residents across Oxfordshire could soon be offered unlimited use of full-sized electric cars, conveniently parked around their neighbourhoods. Three areas of the county could be among the first communities in the country to have their own E-car
Visitors to Blenheim Palace will be able to sip Sir Winston Churchill’s favourite champagne while they relax in a newly-opened bar. The champagne bar, in the Water Terrace Café, is part of a multi-million pound revamp of catering facilities
A LORRY driver was attacked by the driver of a BMW car in a road rage incident at a roundabout in Oxford. Thames Valley Police are appealing for other drivers who saw the incident to come forward with information. The lorry driver was waiting at the
There was a lot of talk on Friday about the announcement of the Government’s Alcohol Strategy. This included a minimum unit price (mup) of 40p a unit of alcohol. This means that those of us that regularly spend £6-£10 on a bottle of wine probably
KATHERINE MacALISTER meets a comedy improviser trying to make both adults and kids laugh. WE NEED to talk about Kevin. Kevin Tomlinson, to be more specific, because if you haven’t heard of him already, you will do very soon. Already a hugely
Choreographer Matthew Bourne’s The Nutcracker is finally coming to town with a breathtaking array of awards and reviews, and Oxford is holding its breath to find out what he has in store for us this time. Here to tell KATHERINE MacALISTER all about it
THE PIRATES! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS (U). Animation/Comedy/Action/Adventure. Featuring the voices of Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Ashley Jensen, Russell Tovey, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton, Brian Blessed, Jeremy Piven
SARAH MAYHEW looks at some sculptures inspired by the 2012 London Olympics. At some point around 2006, when I was working as a curator of contemporary art at a large regional art gallery, I was called into a meeting to discuss “what we
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Talks over putting up burial fees in Bicester will be discussed by councillors behind closed doors. Two opposition councillors say they have been effectively “gagged” by Bicester Town Council because the review is taking place in confidential meetings
For the past 22 years, pupils, staff and parents visiting the office at a Wallingford primary school have been greeted by the smiling face of Rosemary Garner. Now, after more than two decades running the finances and pupil records at Fir Tree Junior
There was a lot of talk on Friday about the announcement of the Government’s Alcohol Strategy. This included a minimum unit price (mup) of 40p a unit of alcohol. This means that those of us that regularly spend £6-£10 on a bottle of wine probably
A COUPLE whose love has kept on rising after meeting at a Bicester bakery are celebrating 60 years of marriage today. June and Wally Kelly both worked for Lanes Bakery, which used to be on the corner of Sheep Street and Wesley Lane, but it took a
POLICE have today appealed for motorists to show calm and avoid queueing out of petrol stations into roads as the panic grows over the fuel dispute. Reports of queueing at petrol stations continue to increase across the county and country - reaching
WHEN Margaret and Norman Davis met, she promised the lorry driver she would teach him how to dance. Sixty years of marriage and two children later, the 80-year-old said she was still teaching him. The couple from Hethe, near Bicester, celebrate their
Petrol stations across the county are being run dry by a surge of panic buying following the threat of a strike by tanker drivers. Yesterday many petrol stations reported that Oxfordshire was not seeing a surge in motorists topping up their tanks,
Building firm Beard is bucking the trend in the construction industry after unveiling record results. The company, based at Cumnor Hill, Oxford, saw its pre-tax profit more than double in 2011 to £1.073m, compared to £464,000 in the previous year. Managing
CHINESE investors are helping launch businesses spinning out of Oxford University. And in exchange, experts from Isis Innovation, which helps commercialise work in the university, are travelling to China to lend their expertise to new companies starting
WORKERS at an Oxfordshire fencing firm could have been forgiven for getting the hump when their jobs came under threat as orders dried up. But bosses at Duralock in Enstone held their nerve and now they are back on track thanks to some lucrative deals
Innovators at Oxford Brookes University are designing smart phone apps to make students’ lives a whole lot easier. One app being considered will help students to cook a meal by listing the contents of their fridge. And another could be a smartphone
Phil Allen was crowned the Kidlington Indoor League’s singles champion with a 2-1 win over Roger Goodall on finals night. Goodall enjoyed ample consolation with victory in the Gavin Anderson pairs, the triples and mixed pairs – hitting sixes
WEST OXFORDSHIRE LEAGUE Charlbury 21 (6pts), Witney Mills Weavers 19 (2) 1st leg: Charlbury (S Cahill, A Laughton, B Busk, P Cahill) 11, Witney Mills Weavers (A Empson, S Empson, D Clarke, A Auger) 12. 2nd leg: Charlbury (S Smith, F Hickman, R Hill
A young Oxford United reserve team went down 5-2 at Luton Res on Wednesday in the North Division of the totesport.com Combination. The U’s, who fielded four triallists, conceded four goals in nine first-half minutes to trail 4-0 at half-time. They then
WEST OXON: Hotel prices in and around Witney have risen more than anywhere else in the UK, according to a new survey. Average one-night room rates rose by 31 per cent – to £83 – between 2010 and 2011, a survey by Hotels.com has shown. Rates across the
OXFORD: Playing easy-going and classical music to surgery patients can improve their healing, research at the John Radcliffe Hospital has found. Experts at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery analysed data from 96 patients split into
A MAJOR scheme to expand Oxford University Press headquarters in Oxford has been put forward. The firm, one of the world’s most famous publishing houses, wants to build a new three-storey wing because it says it is running out of space for staff at its
A MAN who tasered and repeatedly beat up a teenage girl has been cleared of raping and imprisoning her. Jay Dyce was unanimously acquitted of one charge of rape and another of false imprisonment at Oxford Crown Court yesterday. But the 21-year-old is
(senior men unless stated) CARTERTON 10K Kidlington: 9 G Hope 36.36. Oxford City: 6 R Webster (1st V40) 36.11, 16 R Meredith 37.45, 29 D Parsons (1st V60) 39.55, 108 P O'Keefe (V50) 49.52. Witney RR: D Swan 35.54, S Jones 37.12, K Hennesey 39.23,
CHINNOR’S National Colts Cup semi-final at Bedford has been put back to Easter Monday. The change from April 7 to 9 should allow Chinnor to field a stronger side as some of their youngsters could be in senior action on the Saturday. This is because
Traffic was delayed for a short time following a car fire on the M40 yesterday. Two fire crews from Banbury attended the incident on the southbound carriageway at 9.40am, between junction 11 at Banbury and junction 10 at Ardley. No one was hurt.
Burford made a poor start to the defence of their Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League crown when they suffered a 2½-½ defeat away to The Oxfordshire. Donny Henderson-Sowerby and Tom Dexter earned a half in their match to prevent a Section 1 whitewash
North Oxford members have had plenty of celebrating to do this week following three holes-in-ones. Nathan Allen, a ten-handicapper, struck gold at the 150-yard second hole while playing in the club’s Lombard Trophy competition. John Nicholson, who plays
World-renowned authors Julia Golding, left, and Mark Haddon were at an Oxford primary school yesterday to raise awareness of Oxfam’s Water Week. Along with fellow Oxford-based writer Philip Pullman, the novelists have written a letter to Oxfordshire
Didcot Conservative Club put a huge dent in Vikings’ quest for the Johnsons Buildbase Oxford League Premier Section title by beating them 4-1 at home, writes PETE EWINS. Dave Tooke (5,680), Sue Atkins (4,640), Dennis Atkins (6,550) and Stuart Florey
A man has been cleared of exposing himself to children while riding a mobility scooter. John Devine, 58, always denied the alleged offence said to have taken place in Marlborough Gardens, Faringdon, on March 27 last year. Devine, of Coxwell Road in
OXFORD City earned a team bronze medal in the British Masters Cross Country Championships at Bath University. City’s vet 55-64 team of Richard Grant, Stewart Thorp and Roy Treadwell finished third, but were just one second behind silver medallists Swindon
AEA Technology 0.27 BMW 5617 Electrocomponents 250.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 63.5 Oxford Biomedica 3.1 Oxford Catalysts 48.5 Oxford Instruments 1217 Reed Elsevier 554.75 RM 78.25 RPS Group 243.6 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
STEPHEN WALSH is a lucky young man that Pc Laurence East, one of 29 police officers with advanced medical training, was on duty and nearby when he was glassed. Pc East stemmed the flow of blood, knowing he had less than two minutes to save his life because
A 66-year-old hit by a bus in Wallingford Street, Wantage, on Tuesday was still seriously ill in hospital last night. The pedestrian was hit by the number 31 Stagecoach bus just before 1pm and the road was closed until 3.15pm. Police spokesman Lucy
TWO tries from captain Jake Anderson helped Banbury defeat Wallingford 22-12 in the Oxfordshire Under 14 Cup final at Witney. Aaron Taylor and Charlie Mallock also crossed over in the first half, with Alexander Bruce kicking two conversions. Wallingford
OXFORDSHIRE runners had to be content with second place in the Carterton 10k on Sunday. Woodstock Harriers’ Kevin Game (pictured) finished runner-up in 35mins 42secs, while Alchester’s Liz Grolimund was the second lady home in 39.13.
A man with just minutes to live after his throat was slashed had his life saved by a policeman. Michael Rendell sliced Stephen Walsh’s neck with a broken wine glass, cutting his jugular vein and carotid artery. But Pc Laurence East,
A LORRY and a Vauxhall Corsa have crashed on the A41 just outside Bicester. Police were called to the scene at around 9.45am though the road has not been closed. The driver of the Corsa is reported to have a slight shoulder injury. The incident is
Chinese investors are helping launch businesses spinning out of Oxford University. And in exchange, experts from Isis Innovation, which helps commercialise work in the university, are travelling to China to lend their expertise to new companies starting
Running 10km to take part in the Oxford Town and Gown is more than enough of a challenge for most people. But Bernard Finerty, pictured, and his team of merry chimney sweeps – Team Dick Van Bike – are going one better. Before the race
I HAD really wanted to attend The Plague: A Very Short Introduction since yesterday’s uninterrupted sun had put me in such a good mood, but unfortunately had to make do instead with Why Test Cricket Matters. I only say ‘make do’ because at 1.59pm I was
HANNAH England says she is fully focused on athletics, despite increased media and commercial interest in her ahead of the Olympics. The 25-year-old Oxford City athlete was a surprise silver medallist in the 1,500m at the 2011 World Championships in
A FEW eyebrows might have been raised when Oxford United manager Chris Wilder, pictured, said that he didn’t get in until 4am the night before the OX5 Run at Blenheim Palace on Sunday. But the U’s manager was actually taking the race seriously – and
Today we talk to ANDREW ROGERS, Town Clerk at Wallingford Town Council WHAT I’M CALLED: Andrew, Andy or sometimes Rog. I will answer to most things. MY AGE IN YEARS: I’m pushing the magic number whereupon I officially become elderly although I feel
Esther Browning’s Mothering Sundae column about socks (Monday’s Oxford Mail) reminded me of a short poem I read and kept when I first worked in London some 30 years ago: Somewhere there’s a happy land Where all the odd socks go You never see it
At the meeting I attended, and spoke at last Thursday, county councillor Rodney Rose decided to introduce controlled parking zones in the Divinity Road and St Mary’s Road areas and to defer a decision to introduce it in the South Zone (Magdalen Road to
Workers at an Oxfordshire fencing firm could have been forgiven for getting the hump when their jobs came under threat as orders dried up. But bosses at Duralock in Enstone held their nerve and now they are back on track thanks to some lucrative deals
People are being urged to turn out in force today as a former Oxfordshire soldier is repatriated to the county along with two others. Lance Corporal Michael Foley, 25, will be the first soldier to have been based in Oxfordshire to be repatriated to RAF
OXFORDSHIRE may have to pull out of the County Championship Shield if Chinnor reach a promotion play-off. That was the honest assessment of Oxon’s chair of playing Rob Walsh, who said the county needed their best players available if they were to compete
Was it a coincidence I wondered, that I had been offered my own column just two days after my 40th birthday? Had I passed some sort of mental milestone? Did it mean I was wiser and more mature, able to impart knowledge on a weekly basis? Could I
Reading the welcome news about theinstallation of Craig Morse as licensee at the Fox, in Leafield, it does appear that at long last we have Morse running a real ale pub in Oxfordshire. I am sure if the great man had reached retirement age that would
The origins of the disintegration of the Greek economy and, in effect, Greek civil society, are far more complex than either David Diment or Keith Mitchell suppose (ViewPoints, March 8). Pre-Second World War dictatorship followed by brutal Italian and
Nothing like parking issues to get local residents hot under the collar. Local Green Party supremo Craig Simmons wrote (Oxford Mail ViewPoints, March 19) that the anti-CPZ movement was driven by Labour Party lackeys. So I thought I must reply that in
The Government’s plan to withdraw child benefit from households with a higher rate taxpayer has gained a lot of publicity: but there is very little comment on the three-year freeze on child benefit payments which is about to enter its second year. By
CUMNOR: Metal thieves have stolen all the lead from Cumnor Cricket Club’s pavilion roof. The theft happened at the Appleton Road club between 8pm on Tuesday, March 20, and 9am on Friday, March 23. For the full story see tomorrow’s Oxford Mail
BANBURY: A 57-year-old man from the town has died after being hit by a train at a railway station in North Oxfordshire. British Transport Police (BTP) officers were called to Heyford Railway Station on Tuesday night following a report of a man’s body
A village is about to become the first in the UK where everyone can get the fastest broadband speeds possible. Deddington has been chosen as the pilot community for BT’s new fibre-only exchange programme. Residents will be able to download a song in
Sir – Your recent report on work to improve the Oxford Canal towpath north of Jericho has aroused fear in the hearts of some of the many people who enjoy walking along our beautiful canal (Letters, March 22). This is understandable, because I suppose
AS the country counts down to the Olympics, sport-themed art will be taking centre stage at an Oxford gallery. The BT Art of Sport exhibition will run at the O3 Gallery in Oxford Castle from Saturday. It shows sculpture, paintings and
JUST a fraction of Oxford’s shared houses are meeting the required standards. New rules were introduced in January 2010 which meant landlords of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) must have their properties inspected and licensed. During the first
KIDLINGTON: A 68-year-old man injured in a car crash on Monday last night remained in a critical condition in hospital. The man was a passenger in a silver Subaru Impreza which was involved in a collision with a white Smart car on the A44 near Langford
A STORY about a timelord battling tyrannical Cyborgs to save the planet may not normally make it past the school playground. But now the imaginations of four pupils at St Mary’s Primary School in Chipping Norton could be turned into a new Doctor Who
Asa Hall is mystified at the reasons behind the best goalscoring streak of his career, after scoring as many goals in March as in the previous 18 months at Oxford United. The 25-year-old hit both goals in United’s 2-0 win at Accrington Stanley night
News that the Botley Road, Oxford, had been listed as one of the most dangerous roads in Britain for cyclists raised a few eyebrows in this office. But then it became clear that this dubious tag had been gleaned from the perception of cyclists who use
The vision of a group of people opening their own food store and successfully taking on the might of the supermarkets is an appealing one. This vision underpins the idea of a ‘People’s Supermarket’, which is proposed for either Cowley Road or Marston
Well, if nothing else, Oxford can thank the Sunday Times Literary Festival for its extraordinary sway with the city’s meteorology. Authors and broadcasters have come and gone, but the sun has been the festival’s true constant, and what a difference
The number of balloons littering the UK’s beaches rose last year, with campaigners warning jubilee and Olympic celebrations could make the problem worse. Although overall litter levels fell on the UK’s beaches between 2010 and 2011, the number of balloons
Sir – May I thank the Environment Agency for demonstrating their statesmanlike attitude in suspending the intended action over Northmoor Lock. This decision to allow further discussion is a relief to the village and confirms one’s belief in
Sir – I notice that councillor Ed Turner sees the new right-to-buy legislation as “a tremendous boost for profiteering landlords on the backs of people in housing need” and fears that it will “encourage [...] the stripping of social assets”. Yes, indeed
Sir – So Oxfordshire County Council are planning to remove the traffic lights at Frideswide Square, Oxford and replace them with roundabouts. Meanwhile, Swindon Borough Council have recently done the exact opposite. A roundabout in the centre of Swindon
Sir – Your reviewer’s excellent notice (Past Times, March 15) of the new biography of John Aubrey, with his intimate connections with Oxford and his friendship with Anthony Wood, does not quite do full justice to that wonderful man. He was also the first
Sir – One might be more persuaded by councillor Tanner’s strident declarations regarding localism and democracy (Letters, March 15), if he and his fellow Labour politicians on Oxford City Council weren’t hell-bent on demolishing the hugely popular Temple
Sir – I am grateful to Bruce Ross-Smith (Letters, March 15) for supporting the points on academy performance made in my letter the previous week. However I need to correct a misunderstanding: it is academies overall (not specifically ‘converter’ academies
Sir – I read with great interest your article last week concerning the death of Mr Richard Jones (Farewell to a hero of Battle of Britain), one of the last of the few and a man to whom this country will forever be indebted. Your readers may not know
Sir – I read with great interest your brief obituary of Mr Richard Jones of Witney, who was a Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain and who has recently died aged 93. He was one of the RAF Fighter Command heroic “Few” who, against overwhelming odds
If, like me, you need the help of an expert to identify the more unusual plants when you’re out enjoying the countryside, then try the New Holland Concise Wild Flower Guide published in association with The Wildlife Trusts. This handy little book
Sir – So, Richard Tarver and John Tanner (past and present Labour city councillors) despair at the ‘travesty of democracy’ shown by the county council re the proposed controlled parking zone in East Oxford, do they (Letters, March 15)? Well
Sir – Mr Fawcett (Letters, March 22) should know that the new rail service from Oxford to Marylebone — with a new station at Water Eaton — has been widely welcomed in North Oxford and any delay in formal approval has been caused by the statutory duty
Sir – The Dial-a-Ride service in Oxford has been a lifeline for elderly and disabled people, taking them shopping, to visit friends and clubs and to make other trips that other people take for granted. Two minibuses have been working flat
It may not do much for house prices, but Katy Darby’s new book should prove an enjoyable romp for residents of the now posh suburb of Jericho. Her novel takes us into a seedy world of drunkenness and prostitution. Jericho in the 1880s, writes her
A MAN was rescued from his flat in Rose Hill, Oxford, after a fire broke out last night. The ground-floor flat in Ashurst Way had filled with smoke after cooking had been left unattended. The man was taken out of his flat by firefighters and handed
Sir — Your headline article last week appeared to imply that moving the station to the Oxpens site would be incompatible with any use for housing. However, Network Rail is showing in a number of recent station developments that housing, including affordable
Sir – Reading Reg Little’s feature on the dilemma facing the Town Hall as a result of the Government’s right-to-buy proposals (March 22), I was undecided whether the most effective metaphor for the Government’s proposals was ‘rearranging the deckchairs
Sir – What better time is there than now to open the Oxford-Bicester-London Marylebone and the Oxford- Bicester-Milton Keynes rail links? Petrol prices are at their highest ever and are likely to go on rising further. Yet, as Mr Fawcett (Letters
Two women were cut out of their car after a four-vehicle crash in Banbury last night. All three emergency services went to the crash in Horse Fair outside the Odeon Cinema at about 9.30pm. The two women had to be freed but the male driver from the vehicle
DEVELOPERS have promised an investigation after the discovery of an explosive device caused the evacuation of a school near Didcot. About 200 pupils were evacuated from Chilton Primary School yesterday after part of a Second World War rocket was unearthed
THE announcement last night of a proper investigation into a former bomb store next to a primary school is reassuring, if a little late. Yesterday the 200 pupils of Chilton Primary School, near Didcot, were forced to evacuate after the rocket
People who have experienced severe mental health issues often face loss of their housing tenancies, periods in hospital and a loss of the skills and abilities to cope with daily life. They need some help to live as fulfilling and stable lives
Multiplexes across the country are filled each week with the latest Hollywood offerings. Amongst the usual mix of romcoms, dramas and actioners, there is often an effects-laden blockbuster or a kid-friendly animation. By contrast, arthouses will show
There's always something exciting about finding a new film-maker. In the last couple of years, arthouse audiences in this country have become better acquainted with the likes of José Luis Guerin, Lisandro Alonso and Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, who were celebrated
Police are appealing for help to identify this man who used stolen vouchers to buy food. A quantity of Tesco Clubcard vouchers were stolen in a house burglary in Garden Close, Banbury, between November 23 and 27 last year. The offender
NEARLY £50,000 has been donated to help Oxfordshire residents get fit in the run-up to the Olympics. Launched at the iconic Iffley Road Running Track on Tuesday – the place where Sir Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile – the project aims to get
Nearly £50,000 has been donated to help Oxfordshire residents get fit in the run-up to the Olympics. Launched at the iconic Iffley Road Running Track on Tuesday – the place where Sir Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile – the project aims to get
Brave six-year-old Adam Sokoli has proved he’s a fighter by enduring chemotherapy treatment for leukaemia since he was four. So perhaps it was no surprise that the 4 Rifles light infantry unit were so keen to meet the Wolvercote Primary School
