ASPIRING musicians are being invited to join a new wind band that meets on the first Saturday of each month. The group, for all abilities, saw a turnout of more than 40 people at its first meeting last month, at St Swithun’s CofE Primary School
THREE East Oxford projects have been given a share of £11,000 thanks to a new Oxford University scheme. The Community Fund considers applications for funding from Oxfordshire-based community projects. The Pegasus Theatre, Film Oxford and Cowley
Firefighters came to the rescue tonight after a woman got stuck in a lift at Oxford University’s Bodleian Library. A spokesman from Oxfordshire Fire Service said firefighters arrived at 7.37pm and left at 7.48pm after using a lift key to open the
LEWIS Browne was on track for some great purchases at a toy fair in Exeter Hall. The Botley five-year-old attended the event with dad James, who said: “We had a great time. He took £10 from his piggy bank and went round the stalls and chose lots
REVISED plans to build homes at Yarnton Nurseries have prompted concerns from some residents. A planning application has been submitted by Yarnton Nurseries LLP to Cherwell District Council for 14 homes at the Sandy Lane business. Plans were
CHILDREN at the Blackbird Leys Adventure Playground (BLAP) can now cook healthily and safely thanks to new equipment. The kitchen at the after-school club on the corner of Blackbird Leys Road and Cuddesdon Way was outdated and unsafe, said BLAP
A MAN has been convicted of fraud after deceiving a grieving mother out of money she was awarded following the death of her son in Afghanistan. Gary Sheehy, 50, of Chetwynd Mead, Bampton, pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court yesterday to two counts
THE view driving into Oxford from the north hasn’t really changed a great deal in years. For most people it consists of a close-up of the rear of the car in front and some vague glimpses of fields over the nearby hedgerow. But this is all set
OXFORD University students have been praised by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign for giving a “fantastic boost to the charity”. Eight colleges entered teams into the Oxford Town and Gown event last year, which included 49 runners from Brasenose
Steven Burgess is the pen-name of a Watlington solicitor who wants to remain anonymous. His first novel The Devil’s Manor (ebook, £2.99), was written following his 15-year career as a criminal defence solicitor. He hopes the story, featuring
THE roadworks on the A40 at the Cutteslowe roundabout have finished. One lane was earlier closed while the works took place and there were reports of congestion Westbound to Marston.
THE family of a grandmother who was run over on a zebra crossing have demanded a review of Bicester’s new road system. It comes less than a fortnight after councillor Les Sibley raised concerns that the area around new zebra crossings, including
THE Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has launched an investigation into Thames Valley Police's response to a missing person's report and their subsequent actions following the disappearance of Jayden Parkinson. The 17-year-old was
I am writing concerning the story ‘Let’s boost social housing and supply of new homes’, which appeared on February 27. Well done Ed Turner – deputy leader of Oxford City Council – for stating the obvious: ‘Oxford is in the grip of a major housing
THIRTY years ago rivers were annually dredged and bankside vegetation trimmed back but as soon as the water authorities were privatised that practice stopped. Now the likelihood of a return to dredging has been discussed the disposal of the dredged
I wonder if anyone else has noticed the apparent increase in children standing up inside supermarket trollies while their mothers shop. This is extremely hazardous, especially with the smaller trollies being top heavy and liable to tipping. Only
UNLIKE Ray Holton, I am proud that our Government is helping the people in the Philippines and refugees from Syria. Most of the tax I pay goes to people I don’t know who are having a tougher time than me. Most of them live in the UK, but I see
I am writing regarding ‘Save Our Stadium’ (February 13). In the mid-1980s, I started a greyhound rescue group and we worked very hard to build up a national registered charity which still exists – Greyhound Rescue West of England. At that time,
I AM in full agreement with Mrs Clare Weiner regarding cyclists who ignore traffic signals. I witness this most times when I am crossing the High Street both by Catte Street and further up the High Street by the Market entrance. The cyclists go
ON THE day a letter appeared in the Oxford Mail, about a cyclist knocking down a student, the daily papers carried a story about a man killed by a single punch, because he rightly told a cyclist he should not ride on the pavement. The guilty party
SCHOOLGIRL Darcey Rushton is set to appear on TV screens across the country as she makes her debut in a BBC film. The Year 10 student from Burford School, can be seen screaming at the top of her lungs in scenes for new film The Falling. Darcey
IT’S taken three long years but finally Far From The Madding Crowd ‘A’ (Oxford City) have managed to pull off a win against their Premiership rivals, the Ploughman’s Bunch! (Wolvercote). Captain ‘Cabbie’, the Vicar, Doc and the chap from ‘Mastermind
All of us face the prospect of old age. But does this have to go hand-in-hand with a deterioration of our mental abilities? As we get older, mental functions such as memory, reasoning, attention and verbal fluency all start to deteriorate. Perhaps
Where do you stand on the hi-vis and helmets question? Dead against, or wouldn’t leave home without them? When I first started riding in Oxford over 20 years ago, I’m not sure if eye-gouging yellow hi-visibility clothing even existed. I think perhaps
A SCHOOL swimming pool has re-opened after four years thanks to a £130,000 investment. Swimming lessons firm Water Babies Oxfordshire gave the cash to re-open the pool at Witney Community Primary School, Hailey Road. Now it plans to open the
OXFORD City Council is being urged to take action to prevent the former match-day pub for Oxford United fans from falling into ruin. The council has been urged to intervene in the case of The Priory pub in Littlemore, which it owns. Both Oxford
THE estimated £230m that a new Westgate shopping centre could bring into the city is an eye-wateringly impressive sum. And while it should hopefully excite traders in the city about the ‘trickle down’ benefit to them, it also shows starkly just
Long-awaited contract negotiations between Oxford United and James Constable are due to begin today. The 29-year-old, nicknamed Beano, is the highest-profile member of the squad whose existing deals expire this summer. A haul of 11 goals so
MORE than £230m will be pumped into the city’s economy every year if the Westgate Centre revamp is approved next week, officials have claimed. Oxford City Council officers yesterday gave their support to the plan, but demanded £4.3m from the developers
FOUR guards from Bullingdon Prison, near Bicester, accused of perverting the course of justice, have been cleared of all the charges against them. Yesterday a jury took four hours and 21 minutes to return not guilty verdicts after a two-week trial
THE death of Jayden Parkinson was caused by pressure to the neck, police have revealed. The body of Jayden Parkinson was found in a grave next to All Saints Church in Didcot on December 18 last year. An initial post mortem examination last
A man has appeared in Oxford Crown Court to deny committing sexual offences against a girl. Tilal Mahdi, of Friars Street, Hereford, has been charged with conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child, trafficking within
THERE are delays of up to 20 minutes on trains to Oxford this morning. The First Great Western service from Worcester Shrub Hill to Oxford has been disrupted due to signalling problems. The issue came from signalling equipment at Pershore.
WHEATLEY man Niv Adiri will soon be returning home with one of Hollywood’s most coveted statuettes. Niv Adiri with wife Abbie and sons Eden, five, and Leo, three. Mr Adiri, 39, is part of the team which won in the Sound Mixing
TWO teams of student hikers from Oxford University were rescued from mountains in Snowdonia over the weekend. Four men and one woman, who were rock climbing, had to be led off Tryfan mountain by Ogwen Valley mountain rescue team on Saturday night
A former governor of a Headington private school is facing jail after he admitted possessing more than 5,000 child abuse images. At Southwark Crown Court yesterday, Friar Timothy Gardner, a former religious education adviser to the Catholic Education
A 32-YEAR-OLD man has pleaded guilty to voyeurism after installing a camera in the female changing rooms at Abingdon police station. Christopher Richardson-Blake, of Redbridge, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism and one count
AND the winner is...Niv Adiri’s success at Hollywood’s most prestigious and over-the-top awards ceremony is a huge boost for film-makers and those involved in the industry. People in Wheatley, where he lives, have also hailed the news. And
SEAN Morris was the class act as Oxford RL began the season with a hard-fought 19-12 win over London Skolars. The full back scored a try at the start of each half to ensure the campaign began on a positive note at Iffley Road. Oxford coach
Double engine failure during preparation for the opening round of the EuroFormula Open Winter Series at Paul Ricard in France prevented Sean Walkinshaw from showing his true pace on his debut in the top class. It left the 20-year-old driver, from
Oxford City overcame visitors and local rivals North Oxford 3-2 in the Mail on Sunday Classic Knockout first round. Andy Hooker recorded the biggest margin of victory, beating Mike Tippett 5 & 4. Debutant Matthew Trevel-yan’s match against
Gus Kennedy hit a hat-trick as Oxford University’s men came from behind to beat Great Britain’s women 4-1 in an exhibition match at Iffley Road last night. The GB women, who won bronze at the 2012 Olympics in London, held a half-time lead following
Chipping Norton trainer Charlie Longsdon could aim Pete The Feat at the Betfred Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on Saturday, March 15 after his charge blotted his copybook at Newbury at the weekend. A veterans’ handicap chase at the Berkshire
Oxford City’s hopes of Skrill North survival have been dealt a severe blow after they were deducted three points for fielding a suspended player, writes MATTHEW BRUCE. Midfielder Liam Malone played 69 minutes of City’s 2-0 victory at fellow strugglers
Burglars stole a set of keys and a purse from a home in Garsington Road while the resident was upstairs. The offenders got in through a back door on Friday between 9pm and 10pm. They searched the kitchen before leaving with the items. The purse
SOUTH WEST 1 EAST WITNEY made it seven straight wins with a clinical 25-11 victory over Maidenhead at Hailey Road and leapfrogged their opponents into fourth place. With young fly half Ted Landray pulling the strings to great effect, the hosts
PETE Wilson was left highly satisfied after Witney’s home victory over Maidenhead. Witney’s head coach said: “We had their coach coming up to us after the game to say that was an outstanding performance and one of the best they have faced this
TEENAGER Josh McCarthy gave Tony O’Shea a fright in the final match of Oxfordshire’s Premier Division clash with Cheshire. The 17-year-old won the first two legs, but the Silverback, three-times runner-up in the BDO World Championship, roared back
Renault has admitted it faces an “anxious” start to the new Formula 1 season that begins on March 16. The French manufacturing giant endured a torrid pre-season campaign as numerous issues arose over the 12 days of testing in Jerez and Bahrain.
A MAN who stabbed his son with a kitchen knife during a row over a television aerial has been jailed for 10 months. Martin Morris, of Saunders Road, Oxford, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to his son William on November 21 last year
Burglars broke into a house in Norreys Avenue, South Oxford, while the owners were upstairs. They got in through a patio door and stole a laptop and mobile phone from the kitchen between 7.30pm and 8pm on Saturday. Police are appealing for
A 23-year-old man has been charged in connection with a robbery at a betting shop last month. Tobias Bruce, of Milestone Road, Carterton, was arrested on Sunday and appeared yesterday at Oxford Magistrates’ Court. The charge is in connection
FLIP them if you’ve got an audience, but be prepared to get egg on your face. That’s the advice of chef Paul Bellchambers to anyone looking to wow Shrove Tuesday dinner guests. Mr Bellchambers, who runs catering business The Late Chef and organises
SOUTH WEST 1 EAST LEADERS Oxford Harlequins were pushed hard in a 33-20 victory at Cheltenham. Quins, for whom No 8 Seisoni Tupou scored two tries, led 33-12 at break before having to defend well in the second period. It was 14-12 to Quins
NATIONAL 1 HENLEY Hawks slipped to seven points from safety after a 19-10 defeat Old Albanians. Hawks, who fielded on-loan London Welsh player Billy Moss at loosehead prop, started well and scored the opening try when full back Ed Yarnton ran
NATIONAL 2 SOUTH CHINNOR’S relegation worries increased with a 29-13 defeat at Cambridge. The Thame-based side, who were second after four games, slipped into the drop zone on fewer wins. Chinnor can at least take solace from the fact that
1:37pm In today's On Yer Bike column, James Styring debates wearing a helmet and high-vis jacket 1:28pm There are delays on the A40 at the Cutteslowe
ROSE Hill Community Centre preserved their five-point lead in Section 1, but they were pushed all the way at home to Kidlington Green Social Club B. Geordie Grant, Ray Pape and Simon Tricker put the hosts in charge, before the Green club hit back
CALLS for more investment into leisure facilities in North Hinksey and Botley have been rejected. Vale of White Horse district councillor for Cumnor Judy Roberts asked council leader Matthew Barber for £15,000 to look into providing new facilities
FARMERS, food producers and landowners are embarking on a mission to get more food produced in Oxfordshire. Environmental charity the Earth Trust is hosting a conference on Thursday to kick-start the Good Food South Oxfordshire project. The
CYCLISTS across the globe are joining together thanks to a social network started in Oxford. Wheelsuckers, founded by South Oxford residents Dave Nash, Nick Williamson and Andy Dawson, has gained more than 2,500 members in two years. The website
A man has appeared in Oxford Crown Court to deny committing sexual offences against a girl. Tilal Mahdi, of Friars Street, Hereford, has been charged with conspiracy to rape, conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child, trafficking within
A 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a robbery at Coral bookmakers in Wesley Lane, Bicester, last Thursday. A man, carrying a small axe, went into the bookies at 8.30pm and demanded cash. A worker handed over an undisclosed amount
SOUTHERN COUNTIES NORTH WALLINGFORD won back-to-back away games for the first time in more than three years with a 21-15 success at Milton Keynes. The visitors went 8-0 ahead after scrum half Phil Dawes kicked a penalty and No 8 Jermaine Webster
MIDLANDS 2 WEST SOUTH JED Boyle scored a hat-trick of tries as Banbury Bulls went top of with a 39-22 victory at Nuneaton Old Edwardians. Bulls have played more games than some of their title rivals, but are full of confidence, having won eight
The jury has retired to consider its verdict in the trial of a man accused of raping a 20-year-old woman in an Oxford hotel room. Kirankumar Solanki, 29, of Cottesmore Road, Oxford, denies two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault on September
OXFORD Hawks’ hopes of making it three wins on the trot in Premier Division 1 of the South League were dashed by Spencer, who ran out 4-3 winners at Banbury Road North on Saturday. Hawks looked the better side at the start, taking the lead via
OXFORDSHIRE has hundreds of children waiting to be adopted by loving parents. There are more than 300 county children awaiting adoption, with the last official count being 345 in March last year. At that time, there were 295 children in foster
A WOMAN who looked after drugs hidden in specially adapted underwear for a dealer being investigated by police, has avoided jail. Clemence Tilly, of Langdale Gate, Witney, was convicted of possessing 5.5g of cocaine, a Class A drug, with intent
A SMOKER has been ordered to pay £320 after throwing rubbish on the ground in front of two council officers. Michael Mayhew, 36, of Woodgreen Avenue, Banbury, was spotted discarding papers from his cigarette packet on the floor in High Street,
COLLEAGUES of a former Oxford GP found dead in the River Thames have said he will be greatly missed. The body of Dr Richard Barnett, 70, was found off Wharf Road, Shillingford, on Friday. His family say they fear Dr Barnett had left home in
A ZOMBIE board game, which was the brainchild of a Didcot dad, has sold more than 300 copies within three months. City of Zombies was invented by Lydalls Road resident Matt Tidbury, 50, as a way of teaching his children maths. Schools and shops
THE Liberal Democrat picked to challenge Oxford East Labour MP Andrew Smith next year said the party can snatch his seat after 27 years. Engineer Mark Mann, 33, was selected as the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate on Saturday by party
COUPLES could soon tie the knot at Banbury Town Hall after plans were unveiled to host weddings at the refurbished venue. Banbury Town Council has applied for a wedding licence from Oxfordshire County Council. It also wants to extend its operating
A DRUG addict has been jailed for a “despicable” break-in where he targeted a hairdresser in Eynsham. James Webb, of Nicholson Road, Marston, Oxford, admitted using a brick to smash his way into Le Diva, in Spareacre Lane, on May 11, 2012.
ROUND-UP GOSFORD All Blacks are two wins away from Twickenham after beating Chesham 52-24 in their BB&O Premier Division and cup double header. Victory earned Gosford the Southern Counties Senior Vase and a national quarter-final at home
OXFORD Hawks had a double bill in Investec Conference West over the weekend, winning 2-1 at Gloucester on Saturday and going down 4-0 at top of the table Buckingham the next day. An early goal gave Gloucester the initative, but did not unsettle
A POP music backing dancer had a crew of his own in Witney on Saturday. James Robinson, 30, has danced with the likes of One Direction, Jessie J, the Spice Girls, The Pussycat Dolls, The Saturdays, Tom Jones and Cliff Richard. But he took centre
PLANS that could see private firms run part of maternity, OAP and mental health services have been scaled down after NHS managers’ concerns. Managers who control budgets were last year were among the first in England to look at a new way of drawing
