I have faced some tough challenges in my time, and this is certainly one of them – a columnist. It’s something completely new to me, but I hope in the coming weeks and months to be able to give you an insight into my world. There are sure to
Crisis Skylight Oxford is looking for volunteers to run one-off workshops on Saturdays. A book club, film club, creative writing and relaxation are among the workshops that have been run at the charity at The Old Fire Station in George Street.
Artists, performers, filmmakers and musicians will be pitching for funding at a charity event. The deadline to apply for one of six spots to pitch at the event passed yesterday. The six proposals to be selected will make their appeal for a
The X90 bus service will face disruption this weekend due to concerts at Hyde Park. Between 9.45pm and 11.30pm today and tomorrow, London-bound buses will be diverted directly to Victoria coach station and will not stop at Baker Street or Marble
WHEN you think of Olympic sports, images of runners, gymnasts and swimmers spring to mind. But paddles, boats and lycra could be a more common image with the growing number of champion kayakers at East Oxford’s Falcon Rowing and Canoeing Club.
Southern Electric is carrying out maintenance work in Walton Street over this weekend. Underground power ‘cable failure’ left 160 homes in the area without power on Wednesday. Emergency works restored energy to all but 40 homes. The remaining
Three communities have taken the next step towards holding a referendum to try and get more influence over planning decisions. Community leaders in Summertown, St Margaret’s and Wolvercote want to draw up neighbourhood plans setting out what type
NEVE Ward and Toby Mazonowicz arrived at Fitzharrys School’s Year 11 prom on horseback. More than 100 students and staff were at the event held at the school in Northcourt Road, Abingdon, on Friday, July 5. Guests were treated to cake and a
A FANTASTIC strike from Sean Rigg gave Oxford United a hard-earned pre-season victory at Berwick Rangers. The winger found the top corner from a free-kick routine shortly after coming on as a substitute. It gave the U's a win, but they had
WITH the sun shining and gardens looking their best, Britain in Bloom judges have been scrutinising Oxford’s green spaces. On Thursday, Celia Ridley, Anne Kempson and Sally Swift were impressed by community involvement in the city’s gardens.
Wallingford have appointed Steve Hardy and Olly Deasy as their women’s and men's coaches for the 2013-14 season. Hardy is a Level 3 tutor and assessor as well as an England Hockey Board centrally-contracted coach. Deasy is a Level 2 coach and
King Alfred’s (Wantage) booked places in both under 13 finals in the space of two days. A 53-run win over Henry Box (Witney) in the County Cup was followed by a 73-run victory against Warriner (Bloxham) in the league semi-finals. Andy Francis
FIREFIGHTERS in Didcot are celebrating after raising more money in a charity car wash than any other station in the UK. Fire crews from more than 2,000 stations competed in the event, organised by the Fire Fighters Charity. Watch manager Steve
Brightwell-cum-SotweLl have won the Gauntlett Goblet eight-a-side competition to complete a memorable week for the club. The under 13 team triumphed on finals day at Abingdon Vale after defeating Stonesfield in the semi-final and then Hook Norton
WHEN Angela Golsby’s partner bought her a skydive for Christmas she decided to make the experience a little more special. As she jumps from the plane she hopes to raise as much cash as possible in memory of her friends’ baby Finnley Froude. Little
Thames Water has finished clearing 1,900m of sewage pipes between South Hinksey and Kennington. The project aimed to tackle drainage problems after sewage and flooding caused misery in South Hinksey last November and December. Ten Thames Valley
A NEW garden for students at an Abingdon school has been opened by BBC Oxford gardening expert Steve Relton. The 70m sq garden at Larkmead School, Abingdon, has taken two years to develop, giving pupils with extra learning and social needs a chance
COUNCILLORS have reversed a plan to lock gates to drivers at Witney’s Tower Hill Cemetery. The gates had been closed by Witney Town Council earlier this year after cars drove over children’s graves and motorists disrupted funeral services.
Ben Watson, from the St Birinus Club in Didcot, broke two British records at an international tournament in La Coruna, Spain. The 23-year-old achieved a record snatch of 153kg, which combined with his clean and jerk of 173kg produced a British
Good afternoon and welcome to sunny Shielfield Park. Oxford United's pre-season tour has taken us just south of the border and back into England as they continue their build-up with a trip to Berwick Rangers. Build-up, team news and match updates
A magnificent unbeaten century by Zak Jarvis saw Minster Lovell to victory at Bampton-in-the-Bush in the Oxfordshire Under 17 boys League competititon. With support from Connor Tinsley with 27, Jarvis led the visitors to 190-4 before Bampton were
Prisoners who practise yoga behave better, an Oxford University study suggests. Researchers found that after a 10-week yoga course, the prisoners’ mood improved, their stress was reduced and their behaviour more controlled than those following
Oxford Downs are Oxfordshire Under 13 champions. A great spell of bowling from Lucy Thomas helped Downs to a 25-run victory over Charlbury in the final. After electing to bat first, Charlbury made steady progress, but were pinned back by Thomas
Oxfordshire Under 15 champions Banbury bowed out by 94 runs to hosts Bristol in the first round of the ECB National Club Championship. Bristol chose to bat first, and posted a formidable 182-3 off their 20 overs. Jordan Helps, Luke Wetherill
Open champion Ernie Els admitted he was glad to miss the cut, just days before the defence of his title at Muirfield, as unheralded Scot Chris Doak claimed a one-shot lead at Castle Stuart. Els made an early exit after a second round of 70 left
Sean Walkinshaw is aiming for a podium finish on his home Silverstone track as the European Formula 3 Open visits the UK for the first time in its history this weekend. Driving for Team West-Tec, the 19-year-old Chipping Norton racer will be aiming
Some super young talent emerged at City of Oxford’s latest development gala. The club stages a series of these galas throughout the year to encourage and develop new, young swimmers and allow children, aged from eight to 12 to experience competitive
Riannon Brown and Charlie Noble played leading roles as Oxford beat Moreton by 20 runs in the Oxfordshire Midweek League. Brown finished on 27 not out and Noble was unbeaten on 25 as Oxford amassed 106-2. In reply, Moreton closed on 86-3, despite
Long jumper Simi Fajemisin was overjoyed after striking gold for Oxfordshire in the English Schools’ Track & Field Championships at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium. The 15-year-old, from Headington School, took victory with a leap of 5.91m,
RESIDENTS who live by an industrial area are fighting proposals to build three storage units, saying the area’s sewerage system will not be able to cope. Company Rego (Oxford) Ltd has applied to build the units to provide 3,509 square metres of
PHOTOGRAPHERS from the county are displaying their work in a special exhibition to mark 50 years of Harcourt Arboretum. The pictures of flowers, plants and landscapes, largely snapped at the arboretum in Nuneham Courtney, were taken by The Oxford
Former Radley runner Carolyn Plateau failed to make the final of the 800m at the Sainsbury’s British Championships in Birmingham yesterday. She finished fourth behind winner Marilyn Okoro in her heat in 2.06.47, just outside her season’s best time
Oxfordshire's Bradley Smith is confident he can improve after finishing 12th overall after yesterday’s two free practice sessions at Sachsenring ahead of tomorrow’s German Grand Prix. Smith, 22, found the tight and twisty Sachsenring layout, which
Kathryn Woodcock and Luisa Chantler Edmond added to Oxfordshire’s medal haul at the English Schools’ Track & Field Championships at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, by winning silvers. Woodcock, 16, from Our Lady’s Abingdon, went agonisingly
Bath are investigating reports new signing Gavin Henson was allegedly punched by a teammate in a pub this week. It has been reported Wales international Henson, who joined the club last month from London Welsh, was involved in an incident in the
THE Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock is exhibiting the tombstone of a Roman soldier – believed to be the first known resident of the county. Inspiring Archaeology: Treasures of the Romans and Saxons takes place at the attraction in Park Street next
THE number of visitors to council-owned leis-ure facilities in Oxford has increased by almost 50 percent in the last five years. There were 1,292,965 visitors to the seven pools and leisure centres in 2012/13, compared to 868,712 in 2008/09.
Friends of Oxpens Meadow will gather there tomorrow for the unveiling of a stone showing the land is now designated a Queen Elizabeth II playing field. Rosemary Fennell, chairman of the Friends group, will watch as Lord Mayor Dee Sinclair unveils
Bicester Blue Fins emerged victorious in the second round of the Division 1, Milton Keynes & District Junior League at Aqua Vale Pool in Aylesbury. Blue Fins topped the standings on 174 points, edging out Bedford Modernians’ total of 158 by
Bicester duo Sammy Ait-Tales and Jack Wheeler enjoyed points victories at the Fighting Fit Gym’s show in Banbury. Teenage welterweight Jack Wheeler battled hard to beat Birmingham’s Nasar Kurdish. Then middleweight Ait-Tales, 23, defeated Kurdish
A ROOFING firm has been fined after a worker was left paralysed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair after he fell four metres through a hole in a roof. Tego Roofing Ltd, of Monument Business Park, Chalgrove, was fined £10,000 and £9,640
Humanities graduates played a large and increasing role in employment sectors which brought about growth in the UK economy in the 1970s and 1980s, research at Oxford University has found. A report commissioned by the university’s Humanities Division
WHEN Sarah Davis ran Race for Life with her mum Catherine, they knew cancer would one day force them apart. Now a year on from Catherine’s death, Sarah has raised more than £8,500 for Cancer Research UK and will run this weekend’s Race for Life
A consultation into the redevelopment of the Westgate Centre closes on Monday. The Westgate Alliance is planning to spend £400m redeveloping and expanding the centre, with construction due to start next year. To give your views before the consultation
Escaped prisoner Ian McLean is thought to have fled the UK within hours of walking out of Littlemore Hospital, police believe. The 44-year-old – given a life sentence in 2004 for a frenzied knife attack on a former lover – was being kept in an
HOPES that major services like education and roads will return to Oxford Town Hall have bitten the dust, leaders admit. They said plans for all local government services to come under a single “unitary” city council would not win Government backing
EVERY four or five years we listen to the debate about what would be best for the people — unitary authorities or the two-tier local government structure currently existing in the county. It is understandable that city councillors resent county
Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has applied for a licence to sell alcohol from its new shop in Headington, Oxford. The chain is hoping to open a store in the unit which is currently occupied by Peacock’s. Sainsbury’s wants to sell alcohol between
HEADTEACHERS have vowed not to ban packed lun-ches and say they encourage healthy eating in schools. Oxfordshire schools say they already impose bans on sugary food and fizzy drinks, and healthy eating is part of the curriculum. It comes as
Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron returned to his constituency yesterday to open the new head-quarters of packaging firm Polythene UK. The company recently won the Environment and Energy category of the Oxfordshire Business Awards.
There was a strong field of 20 for Littlemore AS’s opening river match of the new season on the Medley stretch of the Thames, where bream decided the outcome of the RC Smith Cup. Paul Brant bagged the silverware with six of them on groundbait feeder
Bleddyn Phillips is confident London Welsh’s decision to move to Oxford long-term will reap rewards. And the Exiles chairman is backing the city to get right behind the team as they embark on a new chapter in their 128-year history. After suffering
A group of Oxfordshire catfish anglers have returned from France after a fabulous six-day stint that produced some stunning specimens to 116lb 5oz. Wayne Geller, Ian Knott and Adam Pearce, from the Bicester area, fished Lake Bleus in the Dordogne
ONE lane was closed on the A34 southbound this morning because of a broken down vehicle. There were reports it was a car towing a caravan. The closure was between the A4130 Milton Interchange and A4185 Chilton Interchange.
A GRANDFATHER from Cumnor has paid tribute to his “shy” grandson who was killed in a motorbike race on the Isle of Man on Thursday. Dick Mygdal, 86, retired owner of R. Mygdal Ltd where Cumnor Garage now stands in Appleton Road, said 23-year-old
No arrests have been made over the theft of a cancer sufferer’s life savings. Last Friday a large white container holding more than £2,000 was taken from the Wessex Road home of Lorraine Harling, pictured. Contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers
JUSTICE Secretary Chris Grayling yesterday told one of the Bullfinch victims in person that he wanted to make giving evidence easier. Mr Grayling spent more than an hour with one of the six girls who were raped, abused and prostituted by a gang
DANCE instructor Bonita Goodgame put children through their paces at Kidstock Festival. Bonita, 29, and her mum, Jackie Crumell, 55, led one of the many activities at the packed event which was attended by about 1,000 children on Thursday.
HE TOLD Philip Pullman to take the boring bits out of Northern Lights and spotted a best-seller when he read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Now David Fickling has become the first person ever to win the Branford Boase literary
IT was all smiles yesterday as mum Sara Perkins showed off her beaming new daughter, Eliza. Eliza was the first baby to be born at the Cotswold Maternity Unit in Chipping Norton after it reopened on July 1. Mrs Perkins, from Brailes, said:
Dave Kitson and James Constable are expected to play together for the first time as Oxford United visit Berwick Rangers today. The pair have not been on the pitch at the same time in United’s opening two pre-season games, but are likely to be given
WHEN charity worker Mohamed Boubbane began to throttle his long-term partner in Oxford’s Westgate Shopping Centre, he probably didn’t expect a Good Samaritan to step in. Especially one in the form of off-duty police officer Brendan O’Dowda, the
South Central Ambulance Service is warning people to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and to be cautious around open water. Last weekend 999 calls to the service increased by 33 per cent. Between July 5 and 7, the service took 5,336 emergency
ONE could argue that it would have been a dereliction of duty if off-duty police Detective Chief Superintendent Brendan O’Dowda had not stepped in to help the victim of an assault. Some might have just turned a blind eye, but not this former head
IT was a special moment of celebration as the first lucky winners of our new Bingo game came together at our office in Oxford this week. To celebrate the launch of the new-look bigger, brighter, better Oxford Mail we are giving away £1,000 a week
OXFORD’s academic community is divided by the latest innovation in higher education. Massive open online courses or MOOCs are heralded as a revolution in teaching. MOOCs consist of courses or lectures available online and are open, interactive
YOU MIGHT see animals cooling off in the shade or splashing about in water when the sun is out, but not so for a group of lemurs at Cotswold Wildlife Park in Burford. They’d rather slurp on a fruit ice lolly or two, as pictured here on Wednesday
A WOMAN from Wantage has urged Oxfordshire County Council to act now to prevent future highways problems in her area. Julie Mabberley from Charlton, Wantage, visited the county council in person yesterday to deliver a three-minute speech to councillors
