When I spoke to Craig Chalmers for a pre-season feature on Chinnor, he was relishing the challenge ahead.. Chalmers spoke of the good feedback he received when he considered applying for the job of head coach. Chinnor fans will now never get
A SECURITY firm hoping to convert a house into a children’s home has no deal in place with social services to run it, it has emerged. G4S is seeking permission to change the use of Magnolia House, Banbury Road, Bicester, into a six-bedroom care
Sixteen-year-old Bruno Rogers had a day to remember when he triumphed in Littlemore AS’s SH Taylor Cup at Panshill Wood Fishery. He picked off 15 carp to 3lb on method feeder with pellet to top the 21-strong field with 28.5.0 and seal his first
WATLINGTON went under the microscopes of the Britain in Bloom judges during the finals of the national competition. The two judges were busy inspecting gardens, hanging baskets, flowerbeds and fruit trees on Tuesday. The results will be known
I’m still trying to work out whether increasing age diminishes the hours in a day or whether the working generation are super achievers at fitting a million things into 24 hours. I don’t ever want to wish time away: every minute of every day matters
My aim is to improve readers’ health and, as your columnist I want to give you as much information as I can. So far I’ve passed information about fitness programmes and routines. But, if we are going to work together to make Oxford a healthier place
After 127 years of giving women a way to run their own business, Avon is still enabling females in Oxfordshire — and the world — a way of earning extra cash. Its flexible nature means they can chose to make a career of selling make-up and beauty
If you don’t want to splash out £200,000 for one of the world’s first lab-grown burgers – taste tested in London recently – there are plenty of cheaper alternatives. Like eight burger patties for £1, which you can find in most supermarkets.
By Sheena Patterson What do you wear to garden? At this year’s Chelsea Garden Show, the UK launch of Garden Girl clothes for glamorous gardeners was one of the busiest stands at the show, with the new range of clothes and accessories all pretty
The School Food Plan is the government’s latest attempt to appear to do something about kids eating well in school. The Plan was commissioned by the Education Secretary Michael Gove to examine pupils’ unhealthy eating and was carried out by the
A picture of a 30ft tapeworm laced around the fingers of my lecturer, David Jenkins, is not an image I will ever forget. Jenkins had collected it from an elderly chap in Africa who was a fascinating case study for longevity: having out-lived most of
May Martin of The Great British Sewing Bee has been helping needlecraft novices get to grips with their machines. JAINE BLACKMAN reports You’d think people might have run up a pair of curtains or two before splashing out on a sewing machine
I recently had a eureka moment. I discovered that it is actually possible to leave the house without wearing a scrap of makeup. Not having tried this feat since my teens, I wasn’t sure if my legs would actually operate beyond the garden gate if
More and more women of all ages are stripping off in the latest fad for ‘boudoir’ photographs. Our JAINE BLACKMAN takes a look at the craze and grins and (almost) bares it Robin Smart spends a good part of his week looking at scantily
AN announcement about a delayed £125m expansion of Didcot’s Orchard shopping centre has been delayed – because of a car crash. The shopping centre managers and the council announced the £125m extension – phase two of the centre – in 2011, but the
Men in overalls, not tights, greet us as we arrive for a packed weekend around Robin Hood’s old Sherwood Forest stomping ground. We’re aiming for an archery lesson at The Adrenalin Jungle. Around us are people wrestling in sumo suits, firing lasers
the Collective, makers of gourmet yoghurt, came up with a terrific marketing idea this year – a beauty competition for cows – because, they claimed ‘gorgeous cows make gorgeous yoghurts’. The organisers were not looking for a cow with ambitions
Next Thursday is A-level results day when my younger son will find out how he did in his AS exams and whether he can study the subjects he wants next year. But for thousands of others in Oxfordshire, the stakes will be even higher, as they discover
My life is about to dramatically change tomorrow. No more putting myself down on forms as a Miss, no more ticking that box that may as well say “living in sin”, no more separate surnames on the council tax bill! I am entering the sanctity of marriage
A FRIEND was genuinely puzzled as he looked at the car parked across the top of his drive. “What are you driving? Is that a Jag?,” he asked. Admittedly, he was looking at the car side-on, but I could see what he was getting at. It must be a long
OXFORD academic Professor Susan Greenfield has published her first novel, a 1984-style vision of the future. Baroness Greenfield of Otmoor’s debut 2121 is set 100 years from now and imagines a future in which humanity has been ruined by technology
MERGERS and acquisitions are usually the preserve of Wall Street or the City. But a credit union in Blackbird Leys is planning to merge with a bigger rival to help it continues to serve the estate. Blackbird Leys Credit Union is talking to Oxford
EMPTY shopfronts will be transformed into pop-up shops with a difference to give young people vital help about possible career paths. The Oxfordshire Apprentice service has booked three shops in Oxford, Banbury and Wantage for two days each to
AN OXFORDSHIRE tavern is making a bid to be the first pub in space. Well, sort of. The Red Lion in Blewbury, near Didcot, has given money to a project that wants to take thousands of personalised “spacecraft” to the moon. The pocket-sized spacecraft
THE leader of Oxford City Council has weighed into the negotiations over the future of the Jericho Boatyard. Bob Price has written to accountants PwC which is currently in talks with the Jericho Wharf Trust over the future of the derelict site.
Giles Woodforde talks to a writer whose 1980s play about Oxford graduates has been revived It’s 1981, and riots are growing in intensity right outside Viv’s house in Brixton. Inside, however, Viv’s housemates take little notice. They’re all
Reg Little talks to eminent scientist Professor Susan Greenfield about a first foray into fiction There may be no ferocious rats and Big Brother but the future envisaged by Professor Susan Greenfield is distinctly chilling. Perhaps we have
Oxford Martin School director Ian Goldin on the legacy of its late founder James Martin believed that humanity is at a crossroads. He saw the potential for immense progress. But he also became increasingly aware that the world faced some critical
WILLIAM POOLE is not the biggest fan of academic conferences It’s summer and academics are supposed to be at conferences if they are not sensibly in hiding with their families or their cats. Nevertheless conferences are usually colossal wastes
Festival Wilderness Cornbury Park, Charlbury Today-Sunday Tickets sold out Oxfordshire’s most stylish festival returns for its third instalment, and, for the first time, is being held over four days. Headliners
Host of Wilderness festival Lady Tania Rotherwick tells Tim Hughes why she just can’t wait for the weekend... Cornbury Park. It’s one of our finest stately homes, the haunt of peacock, deer, sheep and, this weekend, a 20,000-strong crowd of musicians
For a musical legend, Simon Nicol is a modest man. Not only does he shun the trappings of fame, he shrugs off any form of compliment. Yet, for all his self-effacing charm and dry humour, he is an icon of folk-rock. As a founding member of Fairport
OXFORD United will walk on to the pitch to new music and a sea of yellow and blue flags decorating the home end tomorrow. There will also be Q&A sessions with former players and man of the match award presentations in the newly-decorated South
Letcombe FC will remain an Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 1 West side after an influx of new players. As reported in the Oxford Mail last week, the club, who joined the League in 1993, had considered withdrawing following an exodus of players
IT will be all change at Abingdon United when they kick-off their first season in the Uhlsport Hellenic League for six years at home to Ascot United tomorrow. The club, with new boss Paul Noble in charge for the first time, resigned from the Southern
THE family of cyclist Joe Wilkins said it was “devastating” to see the man who killed him cleared of causing death by dangerous driving. Yesterday Paul Brown, of Oxford Road, Eynsham, was unanimously found not guilty by a jury at Oxford Crown Court
Oxfordshire could field Sussex-contracted players in the future after teaming up with the first-class county. The new partnership between Oxfordshire Cricket Board (OCB) and Sussex CCC replaces Oxon’s former links with Gloucestershire. Sussex
Oxonian rider Gavin Tilson broke the hour mark for the first time when they hosted an inter-club 25 mile time trial at Cumnor on Sunday. Tilson achieved the feat easily with a time of 58mins 37secs in an event, arranged following the cancellation
North Oxford Ladies have won the OLTA Wilson Division 1 title with a match to spare. They beat Wantage 4-0 whilst closest rivals Virgin Active lost 3-1 at Banbury. Asha Badiani won the 14 and under event Grade 3 in Yorkshire to climb into the
WHEN I heard the unforgettable strains of Moon River, contributed by a guitar-playing busker to a beautiful Oxford Tuesday morning, I knew instinctively love was in the air. There was no escape – not that I wanted one. Steve and Mary were in Broad
The ladies of Abingdon Rowing Club had an excellent weekend with two victories at the Bewdley Regatta in Worcestershire. In torrential rain, Abingdon’s coxed eight beat Stourport and Loughborough to win their final. Two of that successful crew
Thirty Oxfordshire rowers have been named in the Great Britain team for the World Championships in Chungju, Korea later this month. The eight-day regatta takes place from August 25 to September 1. Oxford’s Andy Triggs Hodge, Oxford Blue Pete
A week ago last Friday, I tripped on the pavement outside the Saïd Business School and fell on my face. A family from Singapore came to help me and gave handkerchiefs to mop up the flowing blood before guiding me to the station and handing me to the
WITH the St Giles’ Fair only a month away, I am writing to request that those responsible for the organisation of the fair please provide toilet facilities at this year’s event. With 50,000 and more expected to attend the two-day event, this facility
Joe Barrett has built on his Oxfordshire debut by earning an England Under 17 development team call -up. The 17-year-old Shipton-under-Wychwood batsman, who is part of Gloucestershire’s academy, is in the England side to play Bangladesh in a two-day
Oxford can give their Division 2 West title hopes a big boost if results go their way tomorrow. Ian Crosby’s second-placed side host basement boys Falkland, while Aston Rowant in third entertain leaders Gerrards Cross. Wins for both Oxfordshire
Oxford racer Bonnie Van Wilgenburg admits she was blown away as hordes of fans roared her down the home straight on The Mall in the inaugural Prudential RideLondon Women’s Grand Prix on Saturday. And while it may have been double Olympic champion
Saturday FOOTBALL SKY BET LEAGUE 2 Oxford Utd v Bury (3pm). UHLSPORT HELLENIC LEAGUE Premier Div: Abingdon Utd v Ascot Utd, Ardley Utd v Highworth Tn, Binfield v Abingdon Tn, Cheltenham Saracens v Oxford City Nomads, Flackwell Heath
Shotover & District (Honiton, 10 sent 214): 1, 2, 4, D S R Wiggins 1775, 1745, 1627; 3, 5, 10 P Wells 1683, 1612, 1499; 6, 9 D Chambers 1606, 1596; 7, 8, 11 Sherman & Wells 1597, 1597, 1453; 12, 13 T Irving 1446, 1380; 14, 20 S Capon 1323,
Assistant coach Martin Roddy was disappointed that Oxford RL failed to stick to their game plan in the 30-16 defeat against Hemel Stage. The result left Oxford sixth in the Kingstone Press Championship One table with a blank weekend ahead of them
On June 28, my wife and our three children went to McDonald’s in Abingdon for lunch. They met some friends and everyone had a pleasant time. On July 6 we received a letter through the post from a parking company, MET Parking Services Ltd, with
Wantage looks likely to lose yet another piece of its history on the altar of the ‘let’s-build-where-we-can-while-we-can’ philosophy, if planning consent is given to proposals to replace Campbell’s builder’s yard in Newbury Street with three dwellings
Last month, Abingdon Market Place and The Brewery Tap pub played host to our fifth Yeah Baby Charitable Festival, pictured, bringing music and mayhem to the people of Abingdon, alongside raising much-needed funds for four amazing local childrens’ charities
IAN Cummings (Oxford Mail, August 6) trots out the tired old Tory spin about Labour having supposedly left the country in a mess. The truth, as those of us whose memories extend back beyond the last election know, is that the economic crisis was
Jimmy Phillips is confident Banbury have the experience to progress further when they compete in Sunday’s South East Area finals day at Billericay. Banbury take on Ealing in the semi-finals, with the winner facing Billericay or Horsford later that
CRAIG Chalmers has quit as Chinnor head coach without leading them in a match. The former Scotland and Lions fly half offered his resignation due to personal matters and the pressure of other commitments, a Chinnor statement reads. Chalmers
A 22-YEAR-OLD Oxford man has been sent back to prison after being arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm. The Blackbird Leys man was arrested on Tuesday during extra police patrols following violent incidents involving guns and baseball
Tom Newey believes victory in Oxford United’s first home game of the season tomorrow is important to increase the feel-good factor among the club’s supporters. After back-to-back away fixtures in the opening week of the campaign, the U’s face Bury
AS FLIGHTS of fancy go, this one is a whopper: a four-runway international airport on farmland near Abingdon. The man behind it, an architect called Alan Geal, of Pleaide Associates, clearly means business. His proposal, as outlined on his
PULL up the drawbridge and man the ramparts, it’s time to make the Kassam Stadium a fortress. That’s the aim for Oxford United, starting against Bury tomorrow afternoon. Of all the areas manager Chris Wilder is looking to improve upon from
AN OXFORD rugby coach and father of three has died, it is believed after he was stung by a wasp. William Lay, 43, was rushed to the John Radcliffe Hospital in an ambulance last Tuesday morning. Friends of the family say he remained in a coma
DEANE Smalley believes he has never been in better shape as the striker looks to build on a superb start to the season when Bury visit tomorrow. The 24-year-old accepted a pay cut to sign a new contract at Oxford United during the summer, but showed
A FOUR-RUNWAY international airport is being proposed for land west of Abingdon. The £18.2bn plan, which would have capacity for 125m passengers, is one of the proposals submitted to a Government commissionlooking at the future of the UK’s airports
RYAN Williams and Callum O’Dowda will definitely have a part to play in Oxford United’s season after impressing manager Chris Wilder on debut. The teenagers were thrown in at the deep end, starting in the Capital One Cup tie at Charlton Athletic
THOUSANDS of music-lovers gathered last night for the first night of Oxfordshire’s biggest music festival. Fairport’s Cropedy Convention began yesterday afternoon, with festival-goers arriving early for a diverse line-up of music, set to culminate
JON Meades is keeping his spirits up while dealing with a long lay-off. The 21-year-old is enduring 12 weeks on the sidelines after rupturing ankle ligaments in in the final pre-season friendly against Coventry City last month. It is the first
ORGANISERS of the Elder Stubbs Festival, which raises money for Oxfordshire charities, have warned it may not go ahead next year due to a cut in a grant from Oxford City Council. The Restore mental health charity, in Manzil Way, East Oxford, has
A £130,000 fundraising drive has been launched to renovate historic almshouses in Wantage. The Wantage Town Lands Governors completed a £350,000 renovation of the row of eight almshouses in Mill Street in April, and now hopes to update a similar
Four Headington School pupils starred as Great Britain won eight gold, seven silver and five bronze medals at the 2013 Coupe de la Jeunesse in Lucerne, Switzerland. Hannah Tomlinson, Helena Lang, Charlotte Cobb and cox Sasha Adwani were all in
