COMMUNITY leaders have re-opened negotiations for the “last chance” to save Jericho boatyard. Council and community leaders are hoping to buy the boatyard from administrators for new moorings, housing and a community centre. It was shut in
YOUNGSTERS explored Oxford’s Botanic Garden for unusual and interesting plants to mark an English botanist’s 270th birthday. Families enjoyed activities including plant pressing, sketching and photography at the High Street garden on the 270th
A super five-under-par round of 67 – the joint fifth lowest of the day – enabled Frilford Heath’s Eddie Pepperell to make the cut in the Africa Open at East London, South Africa. The 22-year-old seemed out of it after a 77, but stormed back and
Gavin Henson makes his first start since November as London Welsh coach Lyn Jones makes four changes for the clash with Sale Sharks. The Exiles go into the game on the back of a 28-12 defeat to Leicester Tigers at Welford Road last Saturday.
A LITTLE bit of the West End came to Wolvercote with a fun puppet show on Tuesday. Sarah Mardel, one of the puppeteers behind the hit stage show War Horse, came to Oxford to lead a workshop on how to bring inanimate objects to life. Youngsters
OXFORD’S latest residents’ parking permit scheme has met with a mixed reaction from traders just outside the new zone. Some said the Magdalen Road system had pushed parking into their area, reducing the number of spaces. But one trader said
A BRAWL has broken out in a Cowley pub this afternoon. Police were called to the incident at The Nelson in Between Towns Road at about 4.20pm. Thames Valley Police spokesman Rhianne Pope said the fight had involved two groups. She said
TREE surgeons at Harcourt Arboretum have been trimming and pruning the trees ready for the spring season. Arborists Karl Lofthouse and Guy Horwood have cut back a large oak tree in the visitors’ car park at the Nuneham Courtenay attraction.
A WEST Oxfordshire school judged inadequate a year ago has turned around its fortunes winning praise by Ofsted in all categories. When it was inspected in January 2012, Stonesfield Primary School was given a notice to improve over declining standards
A portrait of Aimée Payton, who is the Eastern art administrator at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology WHAT I’M CALLED: Aimée – my parents, being artists, thought it looked nicer than the English spelling. MY AGE: 38, although
WHILE walking through Westgate Shopping Centre recently, it came as no surprise to me that it is as cold as ever. Other shopping centres are warm, bright, and airy. The Westgate is dark, dismal, and antiquated. Many other venues are being updated
WELL done to the Oxford Mail (February 13) for highlighting the problem of pavement parking. When drivers park, we should always imagine what it will be like for a pedestrian with a pushchair or a walking frame to get past. I encourage everyone
Luke McCormick got into his car then drove it while under the influence of drink. Surely, this was self-inflicted and while, of course, we appreciate the fact that if he could turn the clock back, he would, nevertheless he drove his car while unfit
SO “Banbury Academy will have prospective pupils sit a test” and “Wallingford School will give more priority to staff children” (February 11). Fine, dandy. And just the beginning of the kind of life-wounding divisions which were commonplace in
I NOTICE BMW are to close the Oxford Sports and Social Club at Roman Way – yet another longstanding Cowley landmark to disappear! I’m very concerned that no-one seems to care for our local history and heritage any more. We live in sad times
COUNCIL bosses have moved to force the sale of an “eyesore” former hotel and offices in Banbury Town centre for housing. Cherwell District Council has applied for a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to buy boarded-up Crown House in Bridge Street
THE four pretty mid-teenage girls from Kidlington – Martha, Lizzie, Emily and Megan – were prepared for a long wait at the New Theatre stage door. They had a large waterproof to sit on, blankets for warmth and enough food to ward off hunger pangs
I WAS very distressed to read the Oxford Mail report (February 9) that the mosque in Chipping Norton won’t be opening because the building’s owner has received threats to burn it to the ground. I have no doubt that whoever made this despicable
I WAS truly shocked by your lead article on Monday. Your eagle-eyed reporter stated that they saw 91 cyclists go through the Thames Street junction with no lights. By this they suggest that 67 did have working lights. This I find shocking as I
IT WAS very interesting to read the reported comments made by Roger Dyson, chairman of the governors at Bicester Community College. I notice there was no apology for the situation BCC finds itself in. The statement said that the school was
YOUNG hospice users were given the chance to explore their culinary side with a special event at Oxford’s Douglas House. The East Oxford respite hospice held a Bake Off event where users got the chance to make recipes they would not be able to
A PROMINENT Oxford theologian has said Pope Benedict XVI’s reign will not be remembered as successful or inspiring but only for his resignation. Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch is a theologian at Oxford University who has written numerous books as
STRIKE action during the 1978 Winter of Discontent made Jim Callaghan’s government unpopular with many voters. But now an evening is being hosted by Oxford University’s Bodleian Library to remember the achievements of the former Labour Prime Minister
RESIDENTS in north and west Oxfordshire are being urged to sign up for a council scheme aimed at slashing electricity bills. The collective buying scheme will see electricity purchased in bulk on behalf of residents who have signed up. Cherwell
WITNEY Town Council has agreed to increase its precept by 20 per cent to fund capital projects in the coming financial year. The increase, agreed at a full meeting on Monday, will mean council tax bills rise from £100.51 to £121.24 for owners of
PROPERTY developer Martin Young has relaunched his bid to bring 29 Old High Street in Headington back into use. The dilapidated house has been empty for five years, and Mr Young was last year ordered to clear it up by Oxford City Council. He
A SELECTION of love and devotional tokens are on display at the Oxfordshire Museum. The new display at the Woodstock venue opened on Tuesday and features silver cufflinks decorated with hearts and burning arrows from the 17th century and 19th century
An experience last week enables me to offer a replacement for that tired simile for tedium, “like watching paint dry”. My substitute is “like watching a Tesco delivery van disgorge its contents into a supermarket”. I spent fully ten minutes doing
QUESTIONS have been raised over whether Oxford City Council should pay universities £300,000 to make improvements to deprived schools. Craig Simmonds queried the deal as universities work with schools as part of a move to levy higher tuition fees
FROM Harry Potter and Gulliver’s Travels to fashion shoots for top magazines, Blenheim Palace has long been a backdrop for directors and photographers. Now visitors can see behind the scenes of filming at the iconic Woodstock venue in a new exhibition
Has anyone else noticed the peculiar obsession that the Daily Telegraph has with Dame Helen Mirren? Rarely a day passes on which the newspaper does not contain a photograph of her, with a report on her thoughts (often surprisingly banal) and doings
A KITCHEN fire affected a property on Ferry Hinksey Road this lunchtime. The blaze was out by the time firefighters arrived on the scene.Currently no details are available on the level of damage or injuries.
That artistic life must proceed through adversity was clearly a principle dear to the heart of Oscar Wilde, whose greatest work, The Importance of Being Earnest, was written as the shadow of shame and imprisonment loomed over him. Rupert Everett, whose
FOUR STARS Playwright Julian Mitchell followed the first night of this week’s impressive student revival of his 1981 success Another Country with a question-and-answer session on stage which he prefaced with entirely deserved compliments
Didcot Town boss Gary Elkins says it is essential they beat tomorrow’s visitors Cinderford Town to keep among the Division 1 South & West play-off chasers. The Railwaymen moved within three points of fifth-placed Yate Town with a 1-0 win against
The news of Witney Town’s demise is in a big contrast to the summer when Justin Merritt was appointed boss with the plan to eventually get the club back in the Southern League. However, it all started to unravel in September last year when Merritt
ABUSE from bullies is among the many issues faced by people with learning disabilities. That was a lesson Paul Scarrott learned again and again until he became involved with Oxford-based learning disability charity My Life My Choice. It raises
THE owner of Didcot A Power Station is holding two exhibitions about its deconstruction – brick by brick. RWE npower is inviting locals to find out more about what will happen at the site in the coming years, following the September announcement
WHILE Oxford’s double Olympic gold medallist Andy Triggs Hodge, won the men’s pairs with Molesey’s Mohamed Sbihi, there were some excellent displays from other local competitors at the Winter GB International Trials in Boston, Lincolnshire. Wallingford
A CRACK team of service personnel from RAF Brize Norton have returned from aiding international forces in Mali. The French-led conflict, backed by the international community, began on January 11 against Islamist rebels in the West African country
A PENSIONER took his own life to be with his partner two days after she died, an Oxford inquest heard. John Reid from Faringdon hanged himself in his home on October 6 last year two days after his partner Julianna Wallace died in Somerset.
Witney Town’s former chairman Dave Donovan is hopeful the former Southern League club will re-form one day, but doesn’t expect it to be soon. On Wednesday, the Premier Division outfit, one of Oxfordshire’s oldest football clubs resigned from the
A HOTEL guest heard a man beat and rape a teenage girl in the room next to him, the Old Bailey was told yesterday. The jury was also told the trial of nine men accused of raping and prostituting underage girls in Oxford could last up to 18 weeks
TRADERS fear their livelihoods might be threatened after it was revealed a multi-million pound redevelopment of Botley shopping centre could be much bigger than originally thought. Developer Doric Properties wants to demolish existing shops, creating
POLITICIANS spent part of their Valentine’s Day outside Oxford Station professing their love for rail travel. But yesterday they were also protesting against the year-on-year increases in fares which came in last month with season tickets in Oxfordshire
APPRENTICES are being sought by one of Oxfordshire’s largest employers, the car firm BMW. The company is looking for more than 150 young people with a passion for the motor industry to take up apprenticeships across the country this year. BMW
AFTER the grand announcement of the mammoth redevelopment around West Way comes, all too predictably, the worry and uncertainty as details of the scheme emerge. Doric Properties certainly should be praised for its vision of a redevelopment of this
UTILITY forward Mike Forde returns to lowly Oxford Harlequins’ squad for tomorrow’s National 3 South West clash with Newton Abbot at North Hinksey Lane. The New Zealander, who can play anywhere in the second or back row, missed last Saturday’s
SATURDAY FOOTBALL NPOWER LEAGUE TWO Plymouth Argyle v Oxford Utd. BLUE SQUARE BET NORTH Oxford City v Gloucester City. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Hitchin Tn. Div 1 South & West: Abingdon
Oxford City boss Mike Ford has applauded the positive attitude of Andy Gunn. The defender, who left City two seasons ago, rejoined the Marsh Lane outfit in the summer after a successful trial. He was left out of the side against Histon, but
CHINNOR head coach Jason Bowers says his team will not roll over when they host title-chasing Redruth in National 2 South tomorrow. The renowned Cornish side have shot up the the table in recent months and could go top if they win their two games
A skip fire was put out with water jets by fire fighters this morning. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue service were called to an accidental skip fire in Cowley Road at 7.03am. Fire firghters used a hose reel to tackle the flames. Nobody was reported
COURAGE is the key attribute Chris Wilder is looking for from his Oxford United players tomorrow as they look to snap out of a slump in form. The U’s head to Plymouth Argyle in search of a first win since the memorable 2-1 success at Bradford City
JAKE Wright says it is vital Oxford United halt their winless run quickly or they risk getting dragged into a relegation battle. The U’s have picked up just one point from their last five games, which has seen the gap to the npower League Two play-off
POTHOLE repair cash, English lessons for mothers and the reinstatement of area committees all feature in the Liberal Democrats’ alternative city budget. On Monday night Oxford City Council will meet to agree its budget for 2013/14 and its financial
A NEW marina in North Oxfordshire has been delayed by severe winter weather waterlogging the ground. The 249-berth Cropredy Marina, north of the village, has been delayed by “a few weeks” and is now expected to open on July 1. The site sits
TRANSPORT planners have made an £11m bid to turn the Milton Interchange near Didcot into a hamburger roundabout. The scheme, which will also add new slip roads, is designed to cut congestion on the A34, boost the economy and create jobs in the
A WOMAN arrested during David Cameron’s Christmas lights switch-on in Witney has appeared in court. Bethan Tichborne, 28, of Campbell Road, in Cowley, Oxford, denies charges of obstructing a constable in the execution of his duty and of using threatening
ANDY Whing says the answer to Oxford United’s confidence problems lies in players going back to basics. A lack of conviction at both ends has cost the U’s dearly in a winless run of five games. They are in need of a boost ahead of tomorrow’
ADAM Chapman is keen to take on an added responsibility as Oxford United’s main creative force in the absence of Peter Leven. The influential Scot has started an eight-week rehabilitation programme following keyhole knee surgery. United are
VIVIANE Reding, vice president of the European Commission, visited Oxford Brookes University yesterday to host a debate on ways of improving the representation of women on company boards. Mr Reding, who is from Luxembourg, was at the university
FOR almost as long as there have been cars there has been the dream of a motor that drives itself. Now it seems boffins at the University of Oxford may have made the breakthrough with their Robotcar that could take over on certain routes it recognises
DRIVERS in the future could be able to sit back, relax and let their cars take over, thanks to technology tested in Oxford. Oxford University researchers were showing off their latest toy yesterday – a navigation system that makes a car drive itself
SOBELL House have won a vote to have their logo on Oxford United’s shirts for the rest of the season. The charity, which provides palliative and end of life care in Oxfordshire, came out on top in the poll, which saw more than 1,000 people taking
BETTE MARTIN could not believe it when she was turned away from a near-empty Dial-A-Ride bus because it was “fully booked”. The 90-year-old great-grandmother was hoping to use the service to get to the Jack Straw’s Lane Pastoral Church Over 50s
RESIDENTS can hear first hand about pioneering research work improving healthcare within Oxfordshire’s hospitals. Leading researchers in fields such as heart disease, leukaemia, stroke and kidney disease will discuss latest developments in a programme
BUTCHERS in Oxfordshire are seeing a boom in trade since the horsemeat scandal broke. Specialist traders say people are turning to them so they know where their food is coming from after up to 100 per cent horsemeat was found labelled as beef in
