A PERFORMANCE at Oxford’s Pegasus Theatre followed weeks of theatre workshops for Littlemore youngsters. The group of teenagers created their production from scratch, an apocalyptic vision of water taking over the world. They also designed
MORE volunteers are needed to keep Risinghurst Community Centre going, it has been warned. The Risinghurst Community Association has said it needs people to come forward to help run the Kiln Lane centre for the benefit of the estate. It comes
COOKING up a treat for hungry tots, staff at a day nursery are thrilled to be able to use a brand new cooker at Headington Quarry Village Hall. Staff at Kiddies Korner Nursery, which has been offering children’s play sessions for nearly 40 years
VOLUNTEERS are being sought to help turn an unloved space in Jericho into a garden. The Jericho Community Association has been given permission to create a garden outside the Old School building in Walton Street. Somerville College, which owns
SCHOOLS CLOSED Badgemore Community Primary School Bayards Hill Primary School Botley School Burford Primary School Carterton Primary School East Oxford Primary School Ewelme Church of England (Aided) Primary School
AFTER surviving a battle with prostate cancer, Simon Lord wants to prove that a cancer diagnosis is not the end of your life. The 54-year-old from Cholsey, near Wallingford, left Waterloo on Thursday to cycle the gruelling 800 miles journey from
EIGHT men were arrested at 5am this morning by police investigating Class A drug dealing. The suspects, aged between 23 and 50, were arrested when officers raided five address in Oxford and one in Abingdon. Seven Oxford men have been arrested
CHANGES to the way council tax payers pay their bills have been announced by South Oxfordshire District Council. The district council is switching bank accounts on Tuesday, April 1, and is calling on those who pay council tax bills or business
NOVEMBER 4, 1922. Howard Carter, English archaeologist and Egyptologist, had been leading an excavation in the Valley of the Kings, digging away the sand for three days. Despite being told by his contemporaries that there was nothing more to find
NORMAL services have resumed after a person was hit by a train between Oxford and Tackley. Trains services between Oxford and Banbury are now running, following the incident at the Roundham crossing in Kidlington. Passengers may still face
A YOUTH club in North Oxford is getting a new fundraising campaign on the road. Wolvercote Young People’s Club is bidding to raise £30,000 to buy a new minibus. Organisers said the minibus is much needed to replace the one which has been used
CARTERTON is to have its own market square. Plans by Carterton Town Council for the new space have been approved by West Oxfordshire District Council. It will be built outside the town hall as the old Tremain Veterinary Group’s premises is
COGGES Manor Farm in Witney has welcomed springtime by offering visitors some new attractions. The Church Lane farm reopened at the weekend after its winter break. Elizabeth Moulder, 82, has been working at Cogges for more than 20 years, first
THE so-called Green Party is not what it used to be... A little bird tells us that a political news-sheet is about to drop through the doors of unsuspecting voters in and around Oxford. Time was when the Greenies used to worry about cutting
I WRITE in response to Matt Oliver’s excellent article about the Eynsham-Botley Community Path. Cllr David Nimmo-Smith is quoted as saying: “To secure the funding from central Government you have to show that it is really on an economic route.”
IT’S nearly the ISA season, where banks, financial institutions and the Government, try to fool the public into the ISA con, tying up your money for meagre interest rates. Buy gold, property, old coins – but don’t save in pensions. It’s a mug’s
AS many of your readers will be aware, last July the University of Oxford was granted outline planning permission for the proposed development at the Old Road/Park Hospital campus. Prior to the submission and subsequent approval of the planning
I READ with interest that Jim Smith seems to think that they will be able to accommodate foreign students through the holiday months at the Wavy Gate site in Chapel Street without any objections from residents. I, with many others, will object
Recent events mark a new low in the relationship between the Covered Market traders and the council. For 12 months, as members of a Cross Party Scrutiny Panel, we have been been working to see why this relationship has soured and what can be done
THE Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has been told by planning officers it needs permission for a large sculpture on its forecourt. The Taichi Arch by Taiwanese sculptor Ju Ming was hoisted into position by crane in November. It joined a large Henry
GOSH, blimey, amazement. A Lib Dem councillor on their knees on a pothole. What has the world come to? Perhaps they see that the damage which has been on-going on the London Road is there, and is a real problem to all who use the road. At last,
IT would be ideal for pedestrians if buses could be banned from Queen Street (March 21). Perhaps cycling could also be banned, thereby creating a completely safe pedestrianised street. Oops, I have just been informed that cycling is already
A driver has admitted speeding in fog at more than 80mph in a 30mph zone in Oxford. Edward Hembrow, 29, of The Green, Horspath, pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving in Cuddesdon Road, Horspath, on January 21. Thames Valley
GARY Waddock was hugely disappointed as Oxford United crumbled to a 3-0 defeat at Southend United in his first game in charge. The writing was on the wall after a poor start which saw Will Atkinson and Lee Barnard, from the penalty spot, put the
THE family of meningitis survivor Charlotte Nott says the introduction of a new vaccine will save lives but it is four years too late for them. The Department of Health announced on Friday that a vaccine against meningitis B will be introduced
IT seemed very apt that the audience attending Dr Irving Finkel’s talk on The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood came in two-by-two. It also seemed very appropriate that Dr Finkel should look like Noah (well, at least from the neck
STROKE is the leading cause of disability in adults and one of the most common causes of early deaths. Yet I firmly believe that the vast majority of strokes are preventable, mostly simply by more effective use of existing treatments. My colleagues
PARTICIPANTS in the Winter Quiz season were treated to a brief respite from regular league action last Thursday, with the staging of the annual ‘Television’ Tabletop. Seventeen of Oxfordshire’s finest teams congregated at three separate locations
Controversial plans for the £100m revamp of West Way shopping centre by Doric Properties will be discussed at a special meeting of North Hinksey Parish Council tonight. The meeting is in Seacourt Hall, Chapel Way, Botley, at 7.45pm. A six-week
Drivers faced delays following an accident on the A40 London Road in Headington yesterday. Two cars and a van crashed on the A40 westbound towards Green Road Roundabout at about 7.30am. One lane was closed westbound until 8am. No one was injured
Olympic gold medal-winning rower Zac Purchase has been fined after refusing to tell police who was driving his car. The 27-year-old admitted failing to give information relating to the identity of the driver of an Audi TT alleged to have been guilty
JEANNE Marie Ryan deserves a huge amount of credit for refusing to let a senseless attack intimidate her. In fact she has taken the exact opposite view, embracing the current social media trend of self-taken no make-up pictures and using the image
STAFF at HMV Oxford have been told the shop will now stay open until the end of June. The Cornmarket store, left, was scheduled to close yesterday but that date has now been pushed back for undisclosed reasons. A member of staff, who did not
A MAN died after he crashed his car off Moreton Road, Thame. The 69-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene near the junction of the A329 Rycote Lane on Saturday morning just before lunchtime. He had been driving his grey Renault Laguna estate
A MAN who admitted kicking his victim as he lay on the ground has been jailed for 10 months at Oxford Crown Court. Sean Trinder, of Wenman Road, Witney, pleaded guilty to carrying out an assault on Thomas Powell which caused him actual bodily harm
THE deadline to submit bids for flood defence funding for schemes in Oxfordshire ended yesterday. Among the bids was money for the £125million Western Conveyance Channel – which would carry flood water around Oxford to the west of the city.
SOUTH WEST 1 EAST GROVE’S late comeback earned them a dramatic 29-25 victory at home to leaders Oxford Harlequins, who finished the match with 12 players. The hosts looked out of it when they trailed 25-12, but sealed the spoils when wing Harry
TEXT and Twitter chat is an increasing challenge for teachers to combat, according to a leading headteacher. Caroline Jordan spoke out yesterday because she fears the use of “text speak” was eroding children’s grammar and spelling skills and hopes
ENGLISH is a vibrant, living and developing language and the rise of text speak is something to embrace. But, like everything, it has its place. Caroline Jordan takes issue with text speak largely used by teenagers – and some may see that as
THE world of wildlife photography has a new recruit. Alex White, 10, from Appleton, has been made a patch reporter for the BBC Wildlife Magazine. He will keep an online blog about what he sees in his garden and near his home and highlights
TEACHERS are set to march through the streets of Oxford tomorrow as schools around the county close due to strikes. Last night 21 schools had confirmed they would either close or part-close as part of the national day of action by the National
AUTHOR Joanna Trollope has donated her handwritten manuscripts to Oxford’s Bodleian Library. The donation includes research notes, letters, drafts of her 18 novels and short stories. Ms Trollope said: “The Bodleian is the ideal home for my
ONE lane is blocked on the A34 northbound following a five-car traffic collision. Drivers are facing delays near Abingdon between the A415 Marcham Road and A4183 Oxford Road, although police have confirmed that no one was injured. The accident
Oxfordshire-based jockey Dougie Costello completed a memorable few days with victory on Its A Sting at Market Rasen – just hours after his wife, Aimee, gave birth to their daughter, Aoife. The success on Sunday followed his short-head victory on
A DEFENCE barrister has suggested an alleged kidnapping in Bicester was really just a dispute between “stupid young kids”. Four young men are on trial accused of forcing a teenager into a car, threatening him and ordering him to strip naked in
NATIONAL 1 HENLEY Hawks’ relegation fears were heightened by a last-gasp 22-18 defeat at Blackheath. Hawks led 18-15 after fly half James Comben slotted a penalty on 74 minutes, but were undone by flanker Dave Allen’s try, converted by fly
NATIONAL 2 SOUTH CHINNOR’S late rally was in vain as they lost 27-25 at Southend. However, the Thame-based side did at least secure a losing bonus point, which put them four points clear of the drop zone. Chinnor led 13-3 and then trailed
DRINKERS are having their ID documents scanned in at an Oxford bar, under a scheme police want to see rolled out across the county. A scanner has been installed at the door of Thirst Bar in Oxford in a bid to keep criminals and underage drinkers
7:56am One lane of the A34 northbound near Abingdon is blocked following a collision involving five cars. Updates automatically posted on our Live Traffic Service. Joanna Trollope
VISITORS to the Ashmolean were shown how items are cared for in its conservation studios. The museum took people behind the scenes to demonstrate how scientific techniques are used to maintain art pieces. Intern Tania Desloge worked on an ivory
A VILLAGE pub near Abingdon which closed when its management company went into administration has now reopened. The Flowing Well in Sunningwell closed to customers between Christmas and New Year after Town & Country Pub Company went into administration
LANDOWNERS in Oxfordshire could be forced to pay for church repairs under ancient laws. Six churches in the county have registered 26 plots of land under the policy known as chancel repair liability after being asked to do so by the Land Registry
Oxford University scientists have come a step closer to creating the world’s first quantum computers. Quantum computers could be used in the future to perform complex computing tasks much faster than normal ones, but so far remain mostly theory-based
Two Oxfordshire novelists shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year award missed out on the top prize this week. Friends Liz Harris from Watlington and Carol McGrath from Launton were shortlisted in the Historical Romantic Novel category.
DIDCOT Runners club has the most members ever joining this year’s London Marathon on April 13. The club, which celebrated its most successful year for marathons in 2013, with 12 members completing their first marathon, will have 13 running this
New figures show only one in 1,000 children who claim free school meals go on to study at Oxbridge. The analysis, revealed by the Department for Education, showed 0.1 per cent of Year 11 pupils who claimed them, then took A Levels or level 3 qualifications
All four rural districts in the county have been named in the top 50 most desirable country areas to live in Britain. The Vale of White Horse was ranked seventh in Halifax’s annual quality of life survey. South Oxfordshire came 28th, West Oxfordshire
MIDLANDS 2 WEST BANBURY Bulls lost top spot and their ten-game wining run after a frustrating 10-5 defeat at Old Leamingtonians. Bulls will make the play-offs if they win their last two matches, but the title is now out of their hands.
A GROUP set up in Oxford has collected £150m in pledges to fight global poverty. Oxford Martin School research fellow Dr Toby Ord founded Giving What We Can in December 2009. The society encourages people to pledge to donate at least 10 per
Top comedian Jimmy Carr headlined an impressive line-up of stars as Helen & Douglas House’s last Childish Things event drew to a close last night. Organisers hope the fundraiser, which has its very last appearance tonight at the New Theatre
SOUTHERN COUNTIES NORTH JOE McEneaney’s try treble helped Alchester to a 31-12 victory at fourth-placed Milton Keynes that guaranteed their survival. Neither of the bottom two can now overhaul Alchester, who looked in real trouble earlier this
NAWAZ RAJA closed his shop for the final time last night after 35 years in Blackbird Leys and admitted: “My heart is weeping.” The 78-year-old owner of the Best One shop in Balfour Road - who is known as Raja throughout the community – finally
FRILFORD HEATH Men’s Stableford (Green course): 1 R Tyreman (15) 45pts, 2 T Beavis (18) 38, 3 D Lindsell (24) 36. Men’s stableford (Blue Course): 1 J Burns (5) 38 (cb), 2 D Bunting (11) 38, 3 M Chiddington (2) 37. NORTH OXFORD Ladies
Lee Henderson could miss Oxford City’s end-of-season run-in after pulling a hamstring in Saturday’s 4-0 defeat at AFC Telford United, writes MATTHEW BRUCE. The defender limped off after just 23 minutes and is expected to be out for at least four
A MAN who assaulted his wife three times after years of bullying has been ordered to complete a domestic violence course. Richard Day, of Eynsham Road, near Stanton Harcourt, admitted an assault causing actual bodily harm on December 8, 2011, another
A LANDLORD has been fined £6,000 for renting out a poorly maintained house that did not have a working smoke alarm. Oxford City Council prosecuted William Edwards for failing to maintain his property in Dene Road, Headington, after an inspection
THEY have carried more than 250,000 soldiers home from Afghanistan in the past eight years. And they have clocked up more than 25 million kilo-metres – enough to circle the globe 640 times. But today marks the last journey the TriStar planes
MATTHEW Arnold School in Cumnor has kitted its music room out with £20,000-worth of jampods, recording hubs with electric drums, keyboards, guitars and microphones. All of the sound goes through an iPad and a mixing desk, so there can be a dozen
ADORABLE McKenzie Malain is one of hundreds of babies who have entered the Oxford Mail Baby of the Year contest so far. There are just five days left to enter your beautiful baby into the competition. McKenzie’s mum Kerry said: “I want to see
BANBURY United chairman Kim Dumbleton has hit out at supporters planning to boycott the club’s match at home to Bashley on Saturday, writes MATTHEW BRUCE. The Puritans’ record-equalling run of nine straight defeats in the Calor League Premier Division
Goodlake Arms A are the Greene King ODDA Winter League men’s Premier champions for the first time, despite crashing to a 5-4 defeat to their B team. Rose Hill Community Centre have taken the Section 1 title, their 5-4 win over visiting Peachcroft
Bicester recorded a mammoth 16-0 win over South Bucks in Division 1 of the Middlesex, Berks, Bucks & Oxon League at Cooper School. South Bucks arrived with 11 players but none of them wanted to play in goal and they used a ‘kicking-back’ instead
NURSING a swollen face after being battered by a man at a nightclub, Jeanne Marie Ryan has copied the online charity trend for posting ‘selfie’ images without make-up to make a stand against violence. The 29-year-old Oxford University student was
A £1M upgrade of a busy junction in East Oxford is set to make life safer for cyclists. Oxfordshire County Council will decide on Thursday whether to implement improvements at The Plain. Highways officers are recommending the scheme should
MATERNITY facilities at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital have been given a cash boost by the Government. The Headington hospital has got £309,237 for two new birthing pools and two family rooms for women with mental health issues. Jane Hervé
BB&O ROUND-UP JACK Briggs ran in a hat-trick of tries as Gosford All Blacks hammered Farnham Royal 75-15 at Stratfield Brake in the Premier Division. Ben Bodinham and Patrick Siret bagged doubles in an 11-try demolition, with Chris Bennett
KINGSTONE PRESS CHAMPIONSHIP ONE MICHAEL Crabtree’s hat-trick of tries were in vain as Oxford RL lost 46-20 to Hunslet Hawks at Iffley Road. Having been hammered 68-6 by the same opponents in the Tetley’s Challenge Cup a week before, Oxford
IF Oxfordshire are to avoid relegation from the BDO Inter-Counties Premier Division, they must win at home to Gwent this weekend. Oxon, who are rock bottom with three games to play, make several changes. Stuart White and Michael Kearns return
OXFORD Hawks 2nd clinched promotion for the second year in succession as they beat Sonning 5-0 to lift the South Clubs League Division 3A crown. Jo Tolson (2), Emily Court, Kara Kerr and Zoe Lamb netted as Hawks finished the season in style.
JEAN Stone started delving into the history of the River Cherwell out of casual interest. But she soon found herself discovering a lot more than she bargained for. Her new book, River Cherwell, is the fruit of her labours. It is a 96-page
