GIRL guides and Brownies mucked in and planted 105 trees in Carterton to help celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. About 60 girl guides, brownies and their parents and leaders took part in the planting, in Willow Meadow off Alvescot Road, on Sunday
AN APPEAL for spooky hospital stories has unearthed a host of unearthly tales. Last week the Oxford Mail asked for your ghost stories from the old Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford’s first hospital. Former workers Jacquie Pearce-Gervis and Susan Sugden contacted
Builders will move into Abingdon’s tired 1960s shopping centre as work on a long awaited £4m revamp gets going. Developer Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) was handed planning permission for the Abbey Shopping Centre scheme in December
Every single cake was made with a little bit of love because the bakers knew each one would help their comrades. A team of military chefs from St David’s Barracks, near Bicester, and Army wives baked and decorated more than 700 cup cakes, cakes, cookies
A PRIVATE firm says it will imminently submit a planning application for a second hospital in Bicester. In February medical developer Arkanum stepped into the long-running community hospital saga and offered to build a 30-bed facility for free
THEY are the family who have been part of Abingdon’s scouting scene for nearly 50 years. And this weekend the Shipmans gathered at their group’s headquarters to celebrate their organisation’s 90th birthday. The 2nd Abingdon Scout Group was set up in
COLLECTED ESSAYS by Hanif Kureishi (Faber, £17.99)The first part of this well-written and thought-provoking collection of essays opens with The Rainbow Sign, which the author thinks was the first essay he ever wrote. Originally intended as an introduction
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Snakes smuggled from Thailand to the Cotswolds in hand luggage are among the untold tales of a top Oxfordshire attraction. The history of the Cotswold Wildlife Park has now been unearthed by an author who spent months living at the attraction
A TEENAGER accused of murder has appeared in court this morning. Haydan O’Callaghan spoke only to give his personal details and to confirm he understood proceedings at Oxford Magistrates’ Court. The 18-year-old, of Saunders Road, East Oxford, is charged
Witney kept their supporters on tenterhooks before edging past Swindon 22-15. They started brilliantly before running out of gas as mistakes began to creep in, but in the end, the home side had enough in the tank for a narrow victory. With the wind
IT’S not often people imagine the Easter bunny arriving on two wheels. But youngsters at Oxford Children’s Hospital must have thought exactly that when more than 100 bikers delivered eggs on Sunday as part of the annual delivery from H Cafe
A MOTORIST who slammed into another car as he undertook and then drove at the occupants after they got out has been jailed. Andrew Richardson was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday after the incident in Bicester. The 35-year-old, of Banbury Road
A last-minute penalty from James Comben earned Henley Hawks a 21-21 draw away to Hartpury College in National 2 South. It was a pulsating finish to a game which saw the lead change hands no fewer than five times. Two Comben penalties
Gosford All Blacks gave Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier Division leaders Drifters a mighty fright before going down 20-16 on their rock-hard Farnham Common pitch. Two Mark Bannister penalties put the home side ahead, the second coming after winger Ben Bodinham
Harwell have one hand on the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Championship crown after a thrilling last-gasp victory 30-29 victory at Aylesbury Athletic. Only a bizarre turn of events can prevent them finishing in top spot. They came from behind to lead 16
Full back Mark Chase bagged five tries and fly half Henry Calver 32 points as Chinnor clocked up 1,000 points for the season in National 3 South West by thrashing Newbury Blues 92-12. Tries from Pip Seymour, Tom Gray and Liam Gilbert put Chinnor
Alchester led promotion-chasing Windsor 13-0, but eventually succumbed 26-13 in Southern Counties North. A penalty and a try late in the first half saw the home side 8 -0 to the good at the interval after pinning Windsor back in their own half for much
Suffice to say, it was a truly well-thumbed event. A new favourite I’ll want to return to, again and again, despite its cracked spine and biscuit-peppered pages. And best of all, there wasn’t a Kindle in sight... The Oxford Literary
Oxford Harlequins moved out of the relegation zone in National South West 3 with a crucial 49-14 triumph over fellow strugglers Amersham & Chiltern. Defeat would almost certainly have condemned Quins to the drop, but they are now a point clear
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A TEENAGER cried hysterically after being locked up for the offence of ‘taking revenge’. Chelsea French was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court yesterdayhaving earlier been convicted by jurors of the charge. The 19-year-old, from Howard Road, Banbury, assaulted
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after four cars were set on fire around Rose Hill and Iffley in Oxford in the early hours of Sunday. Fire crews were called to the blazes in Bears Hedge, Abberbury Avenue, Ashurst Way and Iffley Turn between 3am and
OXFORD reached the Middlesex Berks Bucks & Oxon Regional Division 1 play-offs, despite losing 4-3 in a dramatic match away to Ashford on Saturday. By losing their final game, Oxford opened the way for Oxford Hawks 2nd to overtake them into
FORMER British National Party deputy party leader Simon Darby cancelled a visit to OX105FM yesterday over fears of being “vilified”. He had been due to join presenters and take calls on the Blackbird Leys-based community radio station, but
A RARE 213-year-old piece of Wallingford’s history has been recovered – after being used as a doorstop. David Rayfield, of lettings agent Lesters, was doing a valuation at a house in Didcot when he spotted the 1799 volume propping a door open in a bedroom
KIDLINGTON made it four promotions in as many seasons when they beat Bracknell 4-2 in Division 2 of the Trysports 3-Counties League on Saturday. The result ensured Kidlington wll play in Division 1, the first time they have played at this level
A DRUG dealer tried to swallow his stash only to vomit it back up in front of police. Waqas Khan, who has six previous drug offences, was spotted on CCTV selling narcotics in the centre of Oxford at about 1pm on January 18. When police swooped in Shoe
OXFORD Hawks’ under 12 boys’ team qualified for the National Championship for the first time by winning the South Region finals at Teddington on Saturday. Kiran Patel scored both goals as they beat Southgate 2-0 in the semi-finals. Patel was again the
Oxfordshire crashed to a heavy 24-12 defeat away to BDO Inter-Counties Championship Premier Division title hopefuls Lancashire. The visitors’ chances of taking anything from the trip to Bolton looked remote from the outset, as the ladies’ B team suffered
OXFORD: A by-election to replace two North Hinksey Parish Council members will be held next month. Residents can vote at Seacourt Hall on May 17. Debby Hallett and Colin Hathaway resigned in February.
OXFORD: A 21-year-old man has denied raping a woman. Alan Wahid appeared at Oxford Crown Court yesterday and denied one charge of raping a woman on August 14. Wahid, of Trafford Road, Headington, was remanded in custody to stand trial on June 18.
OXON: Staff at the Oxfordshire branches of video games retailer Game were celebrating last night after their jobs were saved. The troubled company, which went into administration last week, has been bought by investment firm OpCapita saving 333 stores
MOVING Oxford railway station to a new site remains under consideration by Network Rail, according to its regional boss. But Patrick Hallgate, the rail infrastructure firm’s Western route director, said that for the moment it was pressing ahead with
MUSICIANS who collaborated with tragic Aaron Buron yesterday labelled the 29-year-old as a man who wanted to give his message to people through his hip hop. Mr Buron was stabbed in the chest in St Martin’s Road on Saturday night and was pronounced
BANBURY: A 57-year-old man who died when he was hit by a train has been formally identified as Robert Courts from New Road. Mr Courts was killed by a train at Heyford Railway Station last Tuesday night. An inquest into his death has
North Leigh boss Mark Gee has warned his players against complacency when they face Uhlsport Hellenic League side Thame United in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup semi-final at Oxford City tonight (7.45). Although Thame are mid-table in the Premier
THE news recently has rather curiously and suspiciously been dominated by the Government’s latest pledge to increase the price in shops of cheap lager, cider and spirits. The main reason for imposing a minimum charge per unit apparently being, by virtually
MAY I suggest that all those staff at Larkmead School who countenanced the “Wall of Shame” should themselves have their names entered on a Wall of Apology. I have spent the last 40 years as a teacher and a tutor and I totally reject this form of humiliation
I was shocked to read in your pages that the city council is to force local taxi drivers to install CCTV (with audio recording) into all of Oxford’s cabs and private hire vehicles. It is to be only the second city to do so after Southampton. This is
FOR a change there is some good news for Oxfordshire pensioners. Thumbs up to the county council, who have withdrawn the 11pm Monday to Friday curfew on the concessionary bus pass. That meant that from Monday you could travel from 9am to midnight, Monday
Doesn’t it get your goat when a local authority’s attempts to solve a problem that never existed, would have been better left un-“improved”? The other night I was driving around the ring road when I had to brake suddenly. In front of me was a large metal
Shortly before retiring to bed last Thursday evening, I ventured one last perusal of my ‘inbox’, and discovered a slightly downbeat email from Beth, captain of the Six Bells (Headington). Although informing me that her side had just prevailed over the
THE issue of travellers can be an emotive one. But rules are there to be obeyed for both travellers and non-travellers. In Eynsham there are two traveller sites – one which is legal and another which is not. Each case needs the
I WOULD like urgently to appeal to any of your readers affected by prostate cancer to take part in an important survey launched by the Prostate Cancer Charity. As someone who has been directly affected by the disease, I know that choosing which treatment
FURTHER to my letter published Wednesday, March 27, entitled Watering Problem, I have been thinking, if Thames Water get the go-ahead to build a large reservoir in the Drayton area, then they will have hundreds of tons of earth and stones to get rid of
THE Chancellor in his ‘wisdom’ has reduced the tax allowance of pensioners. But what is not realised is that pension companies are forced to buy government bonds/gilts. The reducing value of these bonds means pensioners in effect are subsidising the
WHAT I’M CALLED: Paul Bellchambers, otherwise known as The Late Chef. MY AGES IN YEARS: 50 ish...... WHAT I DO: I started my catering business in 2009 after 30 years in the IT industry. I have been developing The Late Chef over the last three years
A COMBINE harvester was left hanging over the edge of the A34 yesterday after a crash with a lorry. Recovery work was due to take place last night after the crash caused problems for motorists in the area through the afternoon. The lorry
THE handling of two travellers’ sites has come under the spotlight in West Oxfordshire. West Oxfordshire District Council has been criticised for the way it has dealt with the two sites in Eynsham. The council had warned travellers on
Oxford MCCU suffered a second batting collapse on the way to a 253-run defeat by Glamorgan on the final day of their opening first-class match of the season in The Parks. Having been shot out for 123 in their first innings, the students fared
BANBURY: A pensioner has been arrested on suspicion of sexual exposure after a man exposed himself to two 14-year-old girls. The incident happened at around 4.15pm on Sunday in Peoples Park. The 71-year-old man has been bailed until April 30.
WITNEY: The funeral of a 20-year-old found dead in a lake will take place on Wednesday, April 11. John Godfrey, known as ‘Little John’, went missing on March 23 and was found in Tar Lakes last Wednesday. His funeral will be held at Witney Congregational
OXON: Last week Oxfordshire was experiencing the warmest March since 1997 and more than 161 hours of sunshine. But the warmth may soon be a distant memory as temperatures plummet and some areas may even see some snowfall tonight. Met Office spokesman
WORKERS at the Cowley Mini plant are being urged to reject a six per cent pay rise that includes a condition to cut tea breaks by 11 minutes. Union leaders opened a ballot on the pay offer made by BMW yesterday and, if it is rejected by the 3,000 permanent
JUST a few years ago, Oxford’s tower blocks looked destined for demolition. And while it is true that, perhaps, they are not the most aesthetically pleasing buildings in the city, to many people they are home, and to many more they are symbols
Oxford United will look to extend the loan deals of forwards Dean Morgan and Cristian Montano to cover the final games of the season. Both players signed one-month agreements which expire in the next fortnight, but the U’s are keen to keep
THE streets of Oxford are famous for their history and tradition. But now the city has been picked as a test pad for the latest technological innovation in the car industry. Experts from Oxford University are planning to test driverless cars around
SERVICE stations say fuel sales are returning to normal but their stocks remain lower than usual because of last week’s panic buying. Filling stations across the county ran out of petrol and diesel last week after Government warnings for people to be
OXFORD’S tower blocks are to get an £8m refurbishment. Oxford City Council is borrowing the money to fund the regeneration scheme for its five “vertical villages”. It will be part of a £77m investment to help combat Oxford’s chronic
Hearing loss is a hidden disability affecting around 87,500 people in Oxfordshire. And like the disability it serves, Oxford Deaf & Hard of Hearing Centre is hidden away, despite being in the centre of bustling Oxford city. Hearing loss brings
Bus users in the Chipping Norton and Charlbury areas are being invited to give their views on services as part of a review of subsidised routes. Contracts for a number of routes supported by Oxford County Council expire in December. The routes under
PEOPLE have been filmed on CCTV stealing items left for a charity shop. About three weeks ago Sobell House, in Market Square, Bicester, installed a camera at its shop and staff were shocked by what they saw. When donations have been
RUNNING the Oxford Town and Gown will represent more than a simple physical challenge for Ellen Richards. When the 34-year-old mum-of-two completes the 10km course, it will be a sign that she has recovered from a debilitating neuromuscular
