THE giveaways with your new look Oxford Mail just continue with our fantastic penalty shoot-out game. For two weeks, from Monday, July 8, we will publish our grid for you to guess where our successful penalty kick went. All you have to do is guess
A 30-year-old man was airlifted to hospital today after his car crashed into a tree. Firefighters released the man from his car following the smash on the B4437 near Charlbury at about 2.35pm. Fire crews from Charlbury, Chipping Norton, and
UNTIL 1999, shoppers in Cornmarket had to keep their eyes peeled for buses. Then, as part of the Oxford Transport Strategy, buses were banned from Oxford’s main shopping street and daytime traffic, apart from buses, was told to keep out of High
ENVIRONMENTALLY-conscious residents have set up a group that aims to make Rose Hill and Iffley greener. The Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon group will campaign for solar panels on public buildings in the area including the proposed new community
DRINKERS have called for a pub to open in Barton as hundreds more houses are due to come to the area. About 5,000 people live on the estate but it has not had a pub since The Fox in Edgecombe Road shut down and was replaced with housing about 10
A PRIZE Blackbird Leys beauty spot is to get a fitness trail. Consultation is starting on the new outdoor gym stations at Blackbird Leys Park in Pegasus Road. And it could be linked with running trails stretching from the park to Gillian’s
THE British summer arrived just in time to shine on thousands of people who helped raise thousands of pounds for Oxford Children’s Hospital. The Oxford Ambition Project, formerly Oxford Charity Fun Days, held its fourth annual fundraiser on Sunday
THE vicar of a community church has despaired at thieves who broke in and just stole ice cream. The theft, reported by the Oxford Mail last week, was one of a series of attempts and break-ins at St Andrew’s Church in Dean Court throughout May and
RESIDENTS of South Oxford are being asked what they would like to see in their newly developed church. St Luke’s Church, in Canning Crescent, is currently going through a major redevelopment, due to finish in October. Now the church is getting
Sir – Concerning Nicholas Lawrence’s letter (June 20) No, no, no, no. We do not need Cornmarket Street in Oxford open to buses, or delivery vehicles (after 10am). Surely with a little city street like that, it’s not impossible for the majority
A £52,000 bollard is set to be installed in pedestrianised High Street after complaints the change has failed to keep out motorists. It will be up from 10am to 4.30pm and some will have a swipe card to lower it and use High Street, from Watts Way
Sir – Inconveniencing passengers is but one way to dismember a bus network. The other is to increase running costs per passenger mile until bus operators either truncate or abandon routes. In central Oxford, our county council does both. City centres
Sir – Given the urgent need to tackle climate change, curb fuel bills, and bring new skilled jobs to Oxfordshire, I was disappointed that Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood did not vote in favour of a clean power target in the Government’
Sir – A travesty is engulfing our country and our local democracy that is allowing developers to build on historic greenfield sites, when they have buildable land within the envelope of the village. I recently attended a Vale of White Horse District
Sir – It is wonderful to see a young man at Cherwell School promoting the use of cycles. It might help beleaguered pedestrians in Summertown, however, if he includes basic law and consideration in his programme, including how to stop at traffic
Sir – On Monday night, I arrived in the short-stay car park at 8.12pm at Oxford rail station. I duly got a ticket from the parking machine, which gives familial taxi drivers 20 minutes grace before slapping on a £3.50 charge. The ticket announced
Sir – The long-standing agreement between the Government and the insurance industry to subsidise insurance for homes and businesses in high flood-risk areas will come to an end in a matter of weeks. Following protracted negotiations, action appears
Sir – I am delighted to see that Oxford is once again in the forefront of architecture, in pole position for the prestigious Carbuncle Cup (Report, June 20), much sought after by architects who wish to expunge the tedious ‘heritage’ of the past and
Sir – Port Meadow is one of the most special places in the country which has inspired artists, poets, writers and people in general who want to participate in the natural beauty of the place. Many people experience epiphanies there precisely because
Sir – I always expect accuracy and honesty from local papers. I was drawn to an article in your recent edition of In Business (June 20) which referred to “Cotswold Hotel” only to find it was about “Faringdon based Sudbury House Hotel.” Faringdon
Sir – In response to your article (June 20), titled Postal workers could refuse to deliver rival mail. Your readers may have read about a consultative ballot of its members by the Communication Workers Union, which represents many postmen and women
Sir – In your headline article on proposed changes to school bus fees (June 20), the quote you attribute to councillor Melinda Tilley implies that she believes we have a choice whether to send our child to our nearest school or pay to send him to one
Sir – Your leader (June 20) and Reg Little’s accompanying article on the development of the Osney Lock hydro power scheme seems designed to promote discord over this development. There is little doubt that the project commands overwhelming support
Sir – My daughter, who lives near Oxford, has just told me a disturbing story. She was taken ill on the bus from London to Oxford on Tuesday, June 18. She was quite clearly in some distress — she is a chronic migraine sufferer and was experiencing
Sir – More enlightened countries than ours have laws preventing their infrastructure falling into foreign hands and they do not have the problems that we have. Our area seems particularly affected with both Thames Water and Chiltern Railways now
Sir – Like Daniel Emlyn-Jones’ atheist friend (Letters, June 6) I, too, wonder at the universe with its inanimate matter and living organisms on incredibly large and small scales and see that as part of my spiritual experience, the exercise of my human
Sir – During the last few months we are seeing in the media negative reports about certain hospitals in the UK. May I take this opportunity to encapsulate my family’s experiences during the last 18 months. My grandson was born with Down’s Syndrome
MORE THAN 800 people thundered through Thame to contest the prizes at this year’s 10k run. Spaces in the charity race filled up in record time this year, with 1,000 people signed up by the end of May. At 9.30am on Sunday, most of those runners
IT WAS a dog’s life for the Cubs and Beavers of one Bicester group, who scooped best town carnival float for their canine costumes. For this year’s Silver Screen theme, 1st Bicester Intrepid Scout Group’s float was decked out as 101 Dalmatians,
Tracy Traynor won the Scottish children’s fiction prize, the Kelpies Prize, and a £2,000 cheque for her first novel Nicking Time (Kelpies, £5.99), written under the name T. Traynor. Born and brought up in Glasgow, where Nicking Time is set, she
A FORMER USAF base at Upper Heyford was the setting for a new 10km race this weekend. Things got off to an unexpected start at the 10k Airbase Race when two-year-old Caleb Lynchsmith rode his balance bike out in front of runners as they set
ALEX and Kristy Ross were just like the other 26 deacons newly ordained at Christ Church except for one crucial difference: they’ll be spreading the word on the other side of the world. While the other 26 will be sent to parishes across the Thames
IT MAY be a while before potato racing makes it to the Olympics, but that didn’t stop Kidlington residents enjoying it on Saturday. St Mary’s church held its summer festival featuring stalls, games, story-telling and a children's entertainer.
THE TOP floor of historic Garth House, Bicester, is nearly ready to be opened up for the first time in 20 years. Bicester Town Council, which is based there, has spent more than £250,000 renovating the roof to make it watertight. The top floor
A POSTBOX in East Oxford is getting a new lick of gold paint and inspiring Paralympic rowing cox Lily van den Broecke to win more medals at the next Olympics. The 21-year-old former Headington School pupil won gold in the mixed coxed fours event
AN EMPTY social housing block which has stood empty for six years has been demolished. Grantham House in Cranham Street, Oxford, was sold by the city council for £2.75m in 2007. Since then it has been boarded up, but last year a developer was
Section 1 side Peachcroft Social Club pulled off a shock 7-2 victory at home to Premier Section outfit Kidlington Green SC B in the Greene King ODDA Summer League. First blood went to the Premier side when Sean Holly defeated Steve Fisher with
Oxford RL fell to a shock defeat against University of Gloucestershire All Golds in the Kingstone Press Championship One on Sunday, going down 20-18 to the basement side at Iffley Road. The visitors had lost all nine of their previous matches and
SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Section 2 Feldon Valley 2½ (3½pts), Studley Wood ½ (½) (Feldon Valley first): M Abbotts & G Wignall bt J McClure & S Jenkins 2&1, S Pendleton & M Foster bt N Lawton & S Bucman 3 &
N OXON: Two lanes were closed on the M40 northbound on Sunday night after a car towing a trailer carrying a motorbike overturned near Bicester. Four people were treated at the scene by ambulance crews.
Chinnor secretary Carol Bradbrook-Taylor said the club were “absolutely delighted” to be hosting London Welsh in a pre-season friendly. The Exiles will visit Kingsey Road on Saturday, August 17 in the first of three fixtures to prepare for the
Oxford Cavaliers re-wrote their record books as they crushed local rivals Swindon St George by a sensational 110-0 away from home to return to the top of the West of England League table. The visitors made the breakthrough after only two minutes
OXON: A Comic Relief sketch in March featuring Rowan Atkinson that drew 484 complaints to Ofcom did not breach the Broadcasting Code, the body has ruled. The sketch included Mr Atkinson, who lives in Oxfordshire, as a fictional Archbishop of Canterbury
OXFORD: Two people have been charged in connection with the robbery of a bookmakers in Headington last month. Michelle Gardener of Slade Close, Headington, was charged with robbery and will appear before Oxford Crown Court on Monday. John Hawkins
VISITORS and patients to the John Radcliffe Hospital gave a mixed reaction to a hike in parking charges of up to 87 per cent. Bosses at Oxford’s John Radcliffe, Churchill, Nuffield Orthopaedic and Banbury’s Horton General said the reason behind
CHIPPING NORTON: Controversial plans to create a kebab shop in Horsefair have been granted planning permission. An application to change the use of the former shop into the takeaway was thrown out by councillors in 2011 due to concerns an extractor
OXFORD residents are being urged to get involved and have their say on plans to completely transform the Oxpens site. Oxford City Council’s vision for the area was unveiled yesterday as part of a week-long public exhibition at St Aldate’s Chambers
OXFORD: A broken down train at Charlbury caused long delays for passengers into Oxford yesterday. Problems affected the First Great Western service at 8.30am. The train was moved shortly before noon, Network Rail said. Delays of up to 90
HAGBOURNE: Fire crews yesterday left the scene of a thatched house which was partly destroyed by a blaze at the weekend. The fire at the South Oxfordshire home started at about 10.30pm on Saturday night and seven fire crews worked through the night
ONE in four of the county’s incapacity benefit claimants have been told they are fit for work under benefit reforms. Some 4,100 Oxfordshire claimants were reviewed from October 2010 to August last year as part of the Government’s bid to reform
ABOUT two years ago, I reported to the Oxford Mail about the severely dangerous state of the pavements in Witney’s High Street. Today I walked the same stretch of pavement and found it had deteriorated even further, with some paving slabs protruding
l THANK you for your detailed and full coverage of the Russell family and their cruelty to animals court case (Oxford Mail, June 21, right). Would it be inadvisable of me to ask how none of the Animal Welfare brigade, who have plenty of time to
We are organising a convoy from Mini Plant Oxford to the BMC and Leyland show at the Motor Heritage Centre, Gaydon, on Sunday, July 7. The convoy is free of charge to join and we are taking the back roads to Gaydon, via Kidlington, Deddington and
On a wonderful sunny afternoon last Sunday the first Oxford Bike Fest took place and I decided to pop along with my partner to see what was going on. Not your usual commercialised get together, this gathering had real community spirit, with the
THREE Oxfordshire professionals will seek a place in The Open today when they compete in local final qualifying. Frilford Heath’s Tom Fleming, Chipping Norton’s Danny Phillips and Didcot’s Clive Bowler, who is based at Sonning, are vying for a
ABINGDON: An inquest opened yesterday into the death of a man who died after a car crash. Joseph Fairhurst, from Shadwell Road, Berinsfield, died after his car hit a tree on Thursday. His blue Ford Fiesta swerved off Abingdon Road near Clifton
OXFORD: Emergency bridge repairs carried out on the A423 Eastern Bypass are due to finish today. The Weirs Mill Stream bridge, just before the Kennington Roundabout, has been strengthened by Oxfordshire County Council contractors. One lane
OXFORD: In Wednesday’s report of the trouble at the Oxford United/Bristol Rovers match, we omitted to report the denial of Christopher Taylor’s solicitor to a prosecution allegation that he was the instigator. Taylor, of Allnatt Avenue, Wallingford
OXFORD City Council has refused to follow other county authorities and fine people who make mistakes when claiming benefits. Conservative-run councils are to introduce £50 fines for incorrect information given for council tax and housing benefit
TWO Oxford city councillors took the plunge last night to raise money to provide clean water for people in one of the city’s twin towns. John Tanner, left, joined Mark Lygo in a sponsored swim at Hinksey outdoor pool. They were pushed into
YOU have to feel a little bit sorry for Witney MP David Cameron. With the likes of Boris Johnson, Theresa May and Liam Fox all circling for his job, you’d have thought he would at least have the backing of his own party activists. But no, they
The recent decision by hospital bosses to massively increase the cost of car parking at the John Radcliffe adds further weight to the call that there should be a direct bus route from West Oxfordshire to the hospital. With prices set to increase
PLEASE could one of the Oxford bus companies consider running a shuttle bus during Cowley Carnival, below? For people with young children or those with mobility problems, it’s a lengthy trek from Temple Cowley, Oxford Road and Florence Park areas
WITH reference to my recent letter entitled ‘the case to clear fraud’, commenting on the recent Torex fraud case (Viewpoints, June 25): the print could hardly have dried as another high-profile case of fraud was reported by the Oxford Mail on the same
ON the day when increased parking charges at the main Oxford hospitals have been announced, may I suggest one way (albeit a small one) where savings in hospital costs could be made? An elderly neighbour was confused to receive three separate envelopes
ACCORDING to the BBC: “’The Muslim Council of Britain’, ‘The Mosque and Imams National Advisory Board’ and ‘The Islamic Society of Britain’ all pledged to devote sermons to the issue of sexual grooming”. Welcome news. However, Monawar Hussain,
TODDLER Evie-Mae Crawford, who was born with Down’s Syndrome and now has cancer, has celebrated the end of six months of chemotherapy by meeting pop idols JLS. Despite battling the disease since October, the two-year-old, from Berinsfield near
I AM pleased to be writing the first column for the Oxford Mail’s new regular feature on life at the city’s universities. We have many good stories to tell about the work of our staff and students and I hope readers will be able to gain an insight
Buildbase Open OXFORDSHIRE’S leading lights had to be content with a supporting role as Harry Bateman claimed victory on Frilford Heath’s Blue Course. The host club’s Tom Fleming and Oxford Golf Centre’s Adam Wootton finished joint 24th on
OXFORD: A passport, bank cards and jewellery have been stolen from a house in London Road. Police said it was not clear how the burglars had gained entry to the property. The burglary occurred between June 23 and June 28. Oxford CID are
ABINGDON: A 20-year-old man was arrested at the scene of a burning car in Abingdon. Police were called to Park Road at 1.02am on Saturday, following reports that a BMW Mini convertible was on fire. The man, from Abingdon, was arrested at 1.43am
THE fate of Oxford’s Greyhound Stadium is now in the hands of Secretary of State Eric Pickles, after a warning its demolition would cause “irreversible and lasting damage”. Oxford City Council, which wants the stadium preserved, and planning agent
A man has appeared in court charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. Jordan Gibbs, of Saxon Way, Headington, attended a preliminary hearing yesterday at Oxford Crown Court. The 26-year-old is accused of committing the
A MAN and a woman have admitted causing grievous bodily harm and false imprisonment. Lewis Cyprien, of Liddell Road, Cowley, and Charlotte Barton, of Bonar Road, Headington, appeared at Oxford Crown Court yesterday. Charges relate to crimes
HUNDREDS of children raised their voices for a special celebration service for pupils at some of the Diocese of Oxford’s church schools. The service at Christ Church, Oxford, was led by the Right Rev John Pritchard, Bishop of Oxford, yesterday.
OXFORD: Work was carried out last night to repair a burst water main along Botley Road, near the city centre. Temporary traffic lights were put in place from 6pm, opposite Binsey Lane. Thames Water said the work was due to be completed by today
THE cynics may scoff but it should never be over-estimated the effect celebrities can have by taking a few moments out with those less than fortunate than most of us. Evie-Mae Crawford was born with Down’s Syndrome and now has cancer but take a
THE fate of the Oxford Stadium has taken another twist with the city council drawing a line in the sand in its efforts to thwart developers from knocking it down. But campaigners would be wise to continue their fight and not get complacent that
AMATEUR archaeologists have unearthed new information about Oxford’s history by digging up people’s back gardens. Have-a-go historians, who have been volunteering in the three-year-long East Oxford Archaeology Project (EOAP), discovered that medieval
BOLLARDS and extra spaces are planned for Blackbird Leys to tackle long-standing complaints about parking on grass verges. Oxford City Council will tackle the problem as part of a £2m regeneration of the estate. It will put up bollards at problem
