EVERCLEAR's lead singer and leading light Art Alexakis has a strange gift. Many of his songs have an underlying anger, seemingly fuelled by the less than ideal childhood he had, yet he is able to impart that feeling while almost appearing happy
A LOYALTY scheme aimed at improving sales for independent businesses could be launched in East Oxford. Traders and community leaders have announced they are considering introducing a discount system to encourage people to shop locally. They
FRIENDS seven-year-old Ainhara Ly and Ilka Grigoropoulos, six, admired their handmade rabbit finger puppets at a craft session. The youngsters, who were enjoying their Easter break from Kennington’s St Swithun’s School, were at the Harcourt Arboretum
A CANNABIS factory was discovered in the loft of a house when police officers noticed there was no snow on the roof. Wayne Daniels, of Littleworth, near Wheatley, was caught with more than £9,500 of the Class B drug growing in the top two floors
DISCARDED bikes have helped disadvantaged youngsters get their first paid job. Oxford-based charity Trax teamed up with the county council last year to teach young people repair skills by giving bikes left at household recycling centres a new lease
Our weekly pick of Oxfordshire's best gigs Country EILEN JEWELL The Bullingdon, Oxford Tonight Tickets from £12 from wegottickets.com Dubbed the ‘queen of the minor key’, Eilen Jewell is one of the
Jazz legend remembered JAZZ fans were shocked last year to learn of the death of one of our greatest contemporary trumpeters, the New Orleans-raised composer and artist Abram Wilson. Abram was one of the stars of the Oxford Jazz Festival
Meet a trio determined to keep alive memory of Great War victims Fascism, racism and the horrors of war. They are tough issues for any band to tackle — let alone a group of a capella singers. But then Coope Boyes and Simpson are not your usual
A MARRIED dad was "outraged" at allegations he groomed, drugged, raped, and sold underage girls for sex, the Old Bailey heard this afternoon. Mohammed Karrar, 38, is one of nine men who deny involvement in an alleged child prostitution ring in
SPRING BREAKERS (18) Drama/Thriller/Action. James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, Gucci Mane, Heather Morris. Director: Harmony Korine Writer-director Harmony Korine has repeatedly stuck two fingers up to
Up-and-coming comedian Seann Walsh talks Jager bombs, haircuts and stand-up with Katherine MacAlister before he hits the O2 and Hammersmith Apollo this summer Comedians are notoriously nocturnal so I was surprised when Seann Walsh agreed to be
The horrors of the First World War are being brought to life by theatre company Les Enfants Terribles. KATHERINE MACALISTER talks to co-director James Seager It’s story, story, story, that’s what we concentrate on. “Because while there’s a real
ANDREW FFRENCH gets on track with our latest Book of the Month THE BOOK: ALEXANDER McCall Smith is best known for his series of novels, particularly The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, but every now and then he writes a story that booksellers
* THEY were responsible for some of the greatest hits in pop history – and, remarkably, while most of their contemporaries have retired, fallen or faded away, they are still at it. And this weekend they return to Oxford. The Hollies, above, are
Sisters are doing it for themselves. TIM HUGHES talks to Emily Staveley-Taylor, one third of acoustic folk band The Staves THERE are many advantages to being in a band with your sisters, but not everything can be expected to go smoothly. “We
DARK SKIES (15) Sci-Fi/Horror/Thriller. Josh Hamilton, Keri Russell, Dakota Goyo, Kadan Rockett, LJ Benet, JK Simmons, Annie Thurman, Rich Hutchman, Myndy Crist. Director: Scott Stewart. Every year, thousands of people claim to have been abducted
KATHERINE MACALISTER ventures into a revamped Sturdy’s Castle in Tackley to find things are much as they were when pub lunches were the real hot potato There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Remember that will you when you venture down to Sturdy
Whether inspired by dapper royalist or spaniel, King Charles is a singular performer. TIM HUGHES discovers why we should all be doffing our caps to this most merry of musical monarchs You are not likely to forget King Charles. And not just because
Southern Electric has completed repairs to an underground cable in Botley Road. Temporary traffic lights introduced at the junction with Ferry Hinksey Road on Tuesday have been causing delays of about 30 minutes for drivers in the area. The
The focus is on childhood in two West End plays I feel privileged to have seen in the past couple of weeks. The pair have, in fact, been widely hailed as the most impressive productions of the moment, along with The Audience, featuring Dame Helen Mirren
Tony Hicks sits in his summerhouse, surveys the scene across his immaculate garden and reflects on his role in rock ‘n’ roll history. It’s another cold spring morning but the sun is bright, and the views across the valley from Henley-on-Thames are
HEADINGTON residents are hoping to take speeding problems into their own hands – with radar guns. Most of the area’s streets limit vehicles to 20mph, but many drivers are continuing to flout the law. Oxfordshire County Council spent £500,000
A 38-YEAR-OLD accused of raping and violently sexually abusing girls as young as 11 has told the Old Bailey the charges are a "product of a fertile imagination". Father-of-four Mohammed Karrar is accused of drugging, raping, and selling girls aged
THE body of Lance Corporal Jamie Webb, who died of his injuries following an insurgent attack in Afghanistan, returns to Oxfordshire today. Lance Corporal Webb, 24, of 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire), died in hospital last week following
Live Arts OPERA BYTES St Mary’s Church, Banbury Thursday, 1pm Tickets: 01295 253329 or on the door Well-known favourites and little-known gems from the operatic repertoire, with a bit of Scott Joplin thrown in for good measure. With
A FELLOW at Oxford’s Green Templeton College, who was the founding professor of physics at the Open University, has died aged 82. Professor Gerald Elliott’s main research was biophysics, particularly the study of the molecular structure and physical
George Prescott, a stonemason who worked on many historic buildings in Oxford, has died aged 91. Mr Prescott came to Oxford in 1960 from Barbados, where he had learned his trade, working on hotels, schools and government buildings on the island
SOTA – State of the Art – gallery opened some four months ago in the heart of Witney, just off Market Square behind Langdale Hall. Andrew and Jennifer Crowshaw, the gallery owners, recognised there was nowhere in the county dedicated to Oxfordshire
BBC Radio 4 panel show Any Questions? will be broadcast live from Our Lady’s Abingdon at 8pm on Friday. Jonathan Dimbleby will be joined by former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Heseltine, commentator Peter Hitchens, Labour shadow public health
A jury took just 30 minutes to unanimously clear a man of burglary. Danny Brackett, 34, of no fixed address, denied entering a house in Falcon Way, Blackbird Leys, and trying to steal a wallet on November 6.
A watchdog has not been able to confirm whether it has completed inspections of all Oxfordshire’s health institutions. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) had to inspect all 447 institutions by April 1. Concerns were raised last month that the CQC
FORMER players of Oxford Harlequins and Oxford Old Boys are being invited to attend a lunch in memory of Owen Smith – a stalwart of both clubs. Smith, who had been a player, manager and committee member, died last September aged 61 and was described
NORTH Leigh frontman Josh Dutton-Black could make his first appearance since November when they host Didcot Town in tonight’s Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West derby. The winger hadn’t played since suffering a hamstring injury
SEVEN-year-old Eden Strickland-Bennett summoned up all her concentration to work out the next tactical move at a holiday chess club. And it paid off as she won two of her five games during the training session at Oxford’s St Giles’ Church on Wednesday
OXFORD City booked their place in the final of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup – and a tie against Oxford United – by seeing off Thame United 5-0 in last night’s semi-final at the ASM Stadium. City always had too much fire-power for the Uhlsport Hellenic
HOSPITAL patients needing further care will be sent home to wait for social services assessments rather than going to care homes. The new system, called “discharge to assess” is aimed at helping to ease the so-called “bed- blocking” crisis after
BED-BLOCKING is a complicated problem that cannot be solved in a heartbeat. But why are we seeing so little satisfactory progress after so many months of effort and promises by the health and social services to tackle it? The latest plan to
SECTION 1 leaders West Oxford Democrats Club dropped two crucial points in a 3-2 win at home to Section 3 side Dolphin, writes PETE EWINS. Melissa Standbridge (3,630) and Kirsty Jarvis (4,120) hit back to level for the visitors in after wins for
DEFENDING Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League Knockout Cup champions Chipping Norton will start their bid for successive titles in the preliminary round. The draw handed them a trip to Witney Lakes, with the winners hosting Shrivenham Park
CHINNOR are looking for an April boost after enduring a torrid March, according to head coach Jason Bowers. Bowers’s men lost all three National 2 South games they played last month, which matched their worst run of a generally encouraging season
HANNAH England went far more than the extra mile during an Easter visit to Guernsey. The Oxford City star won a 1,500m world silver medal in 2011 and will seek to go one better over that distance in Moscow this summer. But this did not stop
THIEVES smashed a patio door before fleeing with an orange laptop computer and a silver iPod. Burglars targeted the home in Giernalls Road, Hailey, between 8.15am and 2.10pm on Tuesday. The house backs on to Priest Hill Lane, which leads to
HICCUPS on major projects like the revamp of Reading Station are unavoidable and no regular commuter should have been surprised there were delays on Tuesday after the major transport hub was shut over Easter weekend. But what passengers shouldn
A JURY has heard evidence from a forensic accounting expert in the fraud trial of two men. Nigel Horn, 58, and Mark Woodbridge, 42, deny conspiracy to defraud the shareholders of county software firm Torex Retail. Yesterday expert witness Andrew
RAIL bosses have cancelled about 25 trains a day between Oxfordshire and London for the rest of this week after admitting trying to run too many services amid major engineering work at Reading. Passengers at Oxford station hit out at the problems
DAN Hamilton won the battle of the Oxfordshire athletes to finish fourth in the Maidenhead Easter 10-mile race. Hamilton clocked a personal best time of 53mins 47secs in decidedly chilly conditions. This saw him edge out Chris Dettmar (Headington
IT appears that there are yet more cracks appearing with the procedures in Oxford City’s Planning Department. Not only are the locals inadequately informed regarding proposed development in their community (ViewPoints, March 26), it now has come
MEGAN Lewis, a Year 10 pupil at Matthew Arnold School, lays bare the shallowness of Keith Mitchell’s argument in favour of university tuition fees (BIG ISSUE, April 2). It is glib of Mr Mitchell when he says pre-fees university education was “a
CONFUSION was caused at this week’s county council meeting after the chairman lost his way.Don Seale, right, who sat in the top seat for the last time before he hands over his chains, could barely contain his excitement about his imminent retirement
PAUL Fernandez recorded the tenth fastest 50km time in British history when winning the Anglo-Celtic Plate at North Inch Park, Perth, Scotland. The Abingdon Amblers ultra marathon specialist stormed to victory by more than 17 minutes, completing
A CARAVAN fire at the Redbridge Hollow travellers’s site is not being treated as arson, police officers have said. Firefighters were called to the camp at around 10pm yesterday to put the fire out. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service had said
JON-PAUL Pittman admits it is an unsettling time at Oxford United with so many players out of contract in the summer. But the striker says it is something you try to put to the back of your mind to ensure you deliver on the pitch. Pittman scored
The Inter-League Competition takes place at General Foods Sports & Social Club, Banbury, tonight (7.45). The event was won by Yarnton last year, with a 2-1 victory over Kidlington in the final.
Oxford City Stars are one win away from the English National League South Division 2 title following a superb 7-1 victory at second-placed Peterborough Islanders. Now Oxford, who were taking their winning streak to 12 league games, will be crowned
DRIVERS using Oxford’s Botley Road face further delays today as Southern Electric staff fix an underground cable. Contractors working for the firm brought in temporary traffic lights on Tuesday afternoon, close to the junction with Ferry Hinksey
CLUBS are reminded that the deadline for entering this season’s Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup is fast approaching. The Twenty20 competition, which is due to get under way with first-round games in mid-May, is open to all Oxfordshire Cricket Board-affiliated
A MARRIED 32-year-old man who had sex with a 14-year-old girl yesterday denied having an “unhealthy interest” in young teens. Assad Hussain, speaking from the Old Bailey witness box, admitted having sex with the underage girl, but claims she told
CHRIS Boswell – welcome back to the fold! – wonders (ViewPoints, March 29) who would want the Oxford City Council position of assisting people to simultaneously use the men’s urinals and turn over the pages of the books provided in the Market Street
How nice to hear what Debra Drewett had to say. I remember Paul Ayres by his nickname, ‘Ratty’, and we both lived in Aldrich Road on Cutteslowe estate. He and I passed the old 11-Plus, and went to the City of Oxford High School for Boys, in George
I WAS very interested to read your front page article, ‘Drug Squad nets £64k’ (March 30). The piece states that “the Police said that the team was the first of its kind in the City” is wrong. I quote from Geoff Rose’s very good book, Oxford
O Robin Eadle (ViewPoints, April 2) doesn’t think a treasury plan B would work. Perhaps we should go for a plan C because there’s no sign that plan A ever will. One gets the feeling that some people look upon government spending in the same way
THERE are times, no doubt, when Oxford City Council gets criticised unfairly, but there are also times when I think they have forgotten what customer service is. My reason for saying this is quite simple: take the subject of bulk waste collection.
I WAS saddened to find that we may lose the last CD store in Oxford, with HMV possibly finally going under. With the demise of Our Price, Virgin and Borders in the city centre, there remains nowhere to buy CDs or DVDs. I am a very keen listener
OXFORD Rugby League centre Sean Morris admits he is still very much learning the 13-man code, despite enjoying a stellar debut. Morris was named Premier Sports’ player of the round in Kingstone Press Championship One as Oxford won 40-30 at University
GOING through a divorce or separating from your partner, especially when you have children together, can be a traumatic and stressful time. Keeping the process as non-confrontational as possible is likely to ease some of the stress, and tends to lead
FOUR children slept like logs...as a car ploughed into the front of their house. The youngsters – aged 16, 14, nine and seven – only woke up when firemen went in to evacuate them. Last night the family was staying at the Premier Inn at the
A MAN was struck over the head with a pool cue by a jealous boyfriend, a jury heard. Joshua Merritt, of Bullrush Road, Blackbird Leys, denies carrying out the attack in Riley’s snooker club, in Between Towns Road, Cowley, on June 15 last year.
POLICE are still appealing for witnesses to a botched raid on John Gowing Jewellers in Oxford on Saturday. A 30 and 31-year-old man arrested on Sunday on suspicion of robbery in the Covered Market, which left their suspected accomplice dead, have
AN ELDERLY couple escaped a fire in their home believed to have been started by a faulty immersion heater. Firefighters who put out the blaze thought it spread from a defective heater that set fire to towels and clothing in an airing cupboard.
SHE escaped the shackles of Oxford Castle and made off into the snow disguised under a white cloak. But 871 years later ‘Empress Matilda’ returned to the scene of her former imprisonment to help with a royal quest. The interactive Easter event
THE fire-damaged Cycle King shop in Oxford's Cowley Road is being made safe before firefighters can get back into the building to continue their investigation. The cause of the fire which destroyed the shop on Sunday morning is still unknown but
IT’S not known for thatched cottages or a cosmopolitan nightlife. But Blackbird Leys may have to rebrand as a village or town to attract investment, according to the charity hired by Oxford City Council to transform the estate. The classic
Crime reporter Ben Wilkinson is at the Old Bailey The #Oxford exploitation trial is due to hear the defence case for Mohammed Karrar who is charged with 18 crimes against girls aged 11-15. — @Ben_Wilkinson_ 04 April 2013
The author, Kathleen Taylor, writes on the first page of The Brain Supremacy that neuroscience will soon become the most dominant science and its power will allow us to manipulate human nature by changing the brain, hence the title. She acknowledges
Local historian Martin Greenwood is best known for his work on Flora Thompson and the countryside of her memoir Lark Rise to Candleford. His latest book Pilgrim’s Progress Revisited (Wychwood Press, £14), also about Banburyshire, focuses on the
Oxford 1 are a step closer to promotion and a return to division 1 after rounds 7 and 8 of the Four Nations Chess League which took place near at Hinkley, Leicestershire, over the weekend of March 23 and 24. On the Saturday, Wessex fought to the
BRADLEY Smith is ready for a ride into “the unknown” as the MotoGP season begins in Qatar this weekend. The Oxfordshire rider will face the biggest test of his career so far on Sunday when he lines up on the grid at the Losail circuit. Smith
Former advisory teacher José Patterson, who lives in Oxford, has written her first children’s book, No Buts, Becky! (Matador, £6.99) about an early 20th-century Yiddish-speaking Russian Jewish girl growing up in London’s East End. Feisty heroine Becky
Lying in state in University College, Oxford, is the ethereal, romantic and tragic figure of Shelley, who drowned off the coast of Viareggio in 1822. The white marble statue was commissioned by his daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Shelley, as a tribute to
AN OXFORDSHIRE pre-school has been closed by Ofsted after one of its committee members was charged with child sex offences. Dunmore Pre-School in Abingdon will be shut for at least six weeks to ensure the “safeguarding of children” while an investigation
When asked what effect the French Revolution had on history, China’s Maoist leader Chou En Lai is supposed to have said: “It is too early to tell.” But historian Dominic Sandbrook is dismissive: “People like that line because it sounds clever.
Today’s poets can only marvel at John Betjeman’s popularity. By the time he died in 1984, he had sold more than two million copies of his books. He is now remembered for urging the Germans to drop their “friendly bombs” on Slough, as well as his passion
Donkeys are herd animals but they also make one particular friend with whom they pass their days, eating and dozing and enjoying the peace and care they receive at a sanctuary near Wallingford. Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary’s eldest donkey is Smokey
Most films take their characters and viewers on metaphorical journeys. But road movies focus specifically on the travelling aspect of a rite of passage, with the characters often having to cross geographic and moral boundaries in order to escape their
The second part of our British (and Irish) screen special focuses on titles that have played in cinemas over the last few months. Sally Potter is a distinctive voice in British cinema. Making amateur films from the age of 14, she dropped out of
A NEW £200,000 community gym will be created at an East Oxford school. Oxford City Council is working with Oxford Spires Academy to extend and upgrade its sports hall which will include a new gym available for residents to use. The council
A HEADTEACHER who led maths teaching around the world before turning a Witney school into an outstanding-rated institution has retired. Cynthia Savage, 60, helped introduce the maths GCSE and went on to advise teachers in the UK, the forces and
A SCHOOL that was heavily criticised by Ofsted last summer has now been praised for outstanding teaching. Orchard Meadow Primary School in Blackbird Leys went into special measures in September 2012 after an inspection the previous June. It
City bankers scurry past, mobile phones clamped to their ears. But their free ears could catch the famous sounds of Allegri’s Miserere soaring up from beneath their well-polished shoes. For in the bright and airy basement of the Dutch Church, just
Comedy SEANN WALSH — SEANN TO BE WILD The Theatre, Chipping Norton Friday, 7.45pm Call 01608 642350, or chippingnortontheatre.com The hilarious Seann Walsh based his latest show on his wild nights out in Brighton . . . those he
Entering leafy Turrill Sculpture Garden, one is struck by the stark nature of this exhibition – a series of bright white blocks planted in the earth and each perforated with a gaping hole. Soon one realises the fixed aperture alters with the viewpoint
