A PROJECT in Rose Hill that supports communty projects and events has been shortlisted for a top award. The Rose Hill Regeneration project has been recognised for the impact it has made in community. It was one of about 60 picked out of 180
ORGANISERS have put out a rallying call to help make the estate’s annual fete the best yet. The Risinghurst and Sandhills Community Fete is to take place in June and the committee behind it wants to see residents come forward to help set it up,
A community heritage project based around Oxford Canal is set to culminate after months of preparations. It is part of a major drive to get more visitors using the 222-year-old waterway through North Oxford. Oxford City Canal Partnership has
MORRIS dancers have celebrated the launch of a history project into the life of a family famed for their love of the tradition. Folk Arts Oxford have received a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £9,900 for a study into the Kimber family. Back
THE red cross will be flying throughout Oxfordshire tomorrow to mark St George’s Day. Following Wallingford’s seventh annual St George’s Day party on Saturday, which featured traditional Morris dancers, more people will be celebrating England’s
THE tireless and selfless efforts of ten people in volunteer and community work will tonight be honoured by Oxford’s Lord Mayor in a public ceremony. Lord Mayor Dee Sinclair will present Certificates of Honour at the ceremony at Oxford Town Hall
THE 10 people who will tonight be honoured by Lord Mayor Dee Sinclair in Oxford richly deserve their accolades. Certificates of Honour will be given out and are once again a small acknowledgement by us, as a community, of the hard work these people
THE beauty of music was celebrated across the county as independent stores put on live shows for Record Store Day. The national event saw artists release special CDs and vinyls which were only available in independent stores. The Rapture store
MUSIC fan Amanda Hill hosted a barbecue for friends on Friday night but the music came from a member of her favourite band. The Wallingford resident won a competition to get the Fun Lovin’ Criminals drummer Frank Benbini to perform at her
WAR medals have been stolen by a burglar who smashed through patio doors to raid a home. The medals, given for service in Iraq and Afghanistan, were taken from the home in Winter Gardens Way, Banbury, last Tuesday between 6.50pm and 11.30pm. An
A POPULAR nature centre near Oxford will be hosting a music festival this summer. The Hill End Centre, off Eynsham Road between Botley and Farmoor, will host its first Green-themed Tandem Festival from June 20 to 22. Organisers said it will
MORE than 400 people will pound through Wantage in a sea of pink on Sunday to stand up to cancer. Cyclists, runners, walkers and wheelchair users will set off from the market place from 9.30am to complete five, 10 or 20k routes. The Market
You’ve probably seen or heard of the #nomakeupselfie craze which swept the nation a couple of weeks ago, thousands of women posting ‘selfies’ of themselves on Facebook and Twitter in a bid to raise money for cancer charities. As the momentum
Sir – The Gladiator Club in East Oxford is a private club, but don’t think it is for the elite or for those who drink gin and tonic and sip Martinis. This is a social club for the salt of the earth — lorry drivers, factory workers, retired school
Sir – I feel compelled to express my thoughts about the large sum of our public money which has been wasted on the A361, a road I know very well. There was a good level and smooth surface which has recently been sliced up and 33 large sections
DAVID Cameron says we must be freed from unelected bureaucrats in Brussels dictating to elected parliaments, but his own Government is imposing just that on counties up and down the land. Disarmingly called ‘local enterprise partnerships’, these
IT is surely to be regretted that the EU argument has got stuck in the tiny groove of cash and economics, when the vision and scope is so much more exciting. Economism is short-term while the broad culture and adherences of the European people’
BOTH Railfuture Thames Valley and Bus Users Oxford support Witney Oxford Transport (WOT), which campaigns for an Oxford-Witney rapid transit. In 2001 civil and transport engineers Mott MacDonald compared options for re-opening the former Witney
Sir – I have no quarrel with councillor Hudspeth’s vision for a 21st-century transport system but that will take decades to achieve and in the meantime the county council and the Vale district council are making decisions which will turn the already
THE Lib Dem policy of free school meals for all infant pupils is a gift to headline writers such as the one that prefaced Terry Roper’s letter (Mail, April 11) with the words ‘half-baked’. The term ‘sour grapes’ might have been just as appropriate.
‘ONCE in a hundred years’ they said of the 2007 floods. But only seven years later Oxfordshire (and much of southern England) was again under water. And it’s a safe bet it’ll soon happen again, only worse. If all this flooding misery is what we
Sir – Your readers are all familiar with ‘nanny transport’. As the London coach dawdles over Magdalen Bridge and stops at the traffic lights, we are warned menacingly of the dangers of coming down the stairs before it gets to a bus stop. The railway
Sir – So, the Westgate is to go ahead (with fewer parking places). I heard that this will bring in vast revenues and bring back to Oxford those who go to other towns to shop. Will it? Have they asked why the out-of-town shoppers do not shop in
Sir – I had occasion recently to walk along Merton Street and I was forcibly struck by the appalling state of repair of the cobbled section up to the corner of Magpie Lane. There are loose cobblestones just lying in the gutter — presumably ripped
Sir – I see that the county council is set to approve an upgrade to the Plain (Report, March 27) which is very laudable but perhaps premature given the state of Oxford’s roads network. The Plain was relatively recently resurfaced, has visible road
Sir – I share Sarah Westcott’s opinion that most people support what are the intrinsic elements of cohousing (Letters, April 3). What she does not say is that these characteristics of neighbourliness, sharing of space and resources and other
Sir – On Friday, April 4, the Department of Energy and Climate Change stated its opposition to the creation of more solar farms in the countryside. On Monday, April 7, the local news on BBC1 referred briefly to a plan for a large 5MW solar installation
Sir – House prices have always escalated in Oxford and North Oxford is no exception. My grandfather bought a house in Charlbury Road for my father on his marriage in 1924 for £3,000. It was sold recently for £3m. However, the family had to move
Sir – The price of posting a letter has risen yet again, and unfortunately the service has worsened. Two second-class letters posted in Oxford on Tuesday, April 1, took three and four days respectively to arrive in Garsington, and a third, after
Sir – We are endlessly told how about our rising obesity. Diabetes alone costs the NHS a great deal of money. Temple Cowley pools and gym tick all the health, sport, leisure and recreation boxes. Cowley is densely populated and is in the process of
Sir – Why can’t we spot the signs of Parkinson’s? We’re constantly told by a hysterical media that we should worry about our health — the latest alarming study or a new epidemic — leaving the less ‘sensational’ health issues pushed to the sidelines
Sir – Just got round to reading your Welcome Guide (March 27) — very good. However, on page 55 you’ve airbrushed East Oxford again. None of the eating places are in Cowley, that starts at Boundary Brook where Cowley Road Oxford becomes Oxford Road
Sir – The shameful and shocking death of Mark Wood from starvation, in effect caused by cuts to his benefits following a deeply flawed Atos assessment which judged the vulnerable and unwell Mr Wood fit to work, is described (Decision revised on dead
Sir – Of all the people to accuse any organisation of ‘smug sanctimoniousness’, that Christopher Gray should do so of the John Lewis Partnership beggars belief. His own over-developed sense of self-importance reveals itself in each line he writes
Sir – Does Mr Christopher Gray’s lack of excitement about the excellent supermarket that is Waitrose mean that he will be making his purchases elsewhere? I hope so: this will ensure that we are spared his smug sanctimoniousness in our favoured aisles
Sir – I can’t comment on Mr Weaver’s mathematics (Letters, April 10). However, I’m sure (that for my purposes at least) zero divided by zero equals zero, and the evidence for a god in this finite world amounts to exactly that — zero. From the wishful
Sir – Following your publishing of several letters which allege that ‘global warming’ is real (March 20), should we not expect you to publish a few letters claiming that the Hitler Diaries or the Protocols of the Elders of Zion are, in fact, genuine
Sir – Thanks to a recent ‘freedom of observation’ enquiry, there is now irrefutable evidence that the ‘fat cats’ at Oxford City Council are spending too much time licking the cream and not enough chasing the long-tailed rodents, that seem to be taking
Sir – After reading about councils having been asked to try to make room for 28,000 more homes, I say, in view of this, Oxford must retain the stadium ground. They must keep it maintained for the current population, but it is also a must for our
Sir – Following the recent death of my wife at the John RadcliffeHospital, I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the staff of the cardiothoracic critical care ward, for their professionalism and sensitivity in treating my wife
A WITNEY teacher elected as president of a national union says he has to give breakfast to pupils in his school. Geoff Branner, 59, of Early Road, Witney, took over the role in the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (
SOMETIMES I feel optimistic about Oxford’s cycling future, but sometimes despair. Last week left me feeling angry and hopeless as I read about the heart-rending death of a 12-year-old boy out cycling with his friends on the A420. Reading the
IN a season where the Premiership sides have led the way in virtually all of the themed Tabletop quizzes, how refreshing it was last Thursday night to have the Rock and Pop instalment dominated by a posse of the so-called lesser lights. Proceedings
TUMBLING chocolates, stacks of goodies and mouthwatering marvels greeted visitors at the Oxford Chocolate Festival. And eight year-old Nathan Fraser could not take his eyes off the yummy treats. The SS Mary and John Primary School pupil visited
POPULAR TV programmes such as Call The Midwife and One Born Every Minute provide millions of viewers with an insight into pregnancy and childbirth. However, these programmes do not reflect reality for many women. In recent years NHS support through
THESE are the images of what the new Oxford Parkway station will look like. It is the first new station to be built in the county since 1935 and will be built at the site of a former World War Two grain silo and includes an 800-space carpark and
GARY Waddock ref-used to give up on Oxford United reaching the play-offs, but a 1-0 defeat at Scunthorpe United left them needing a miracle. With York City and Southend United winning their Easter Monday games, the U’s are five points adrift of
THE work to revamp Oxford’s notorious Frideswide Square bottleneck will start in the Autumn. Ian Hudspeth, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, revealed he had set a start date for later this year on the scheme, which should take about 12
A teenager is due to answer police bail today after a 12-year-old boy suffered a head injury in a knifepoint robbery. The 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of robbery after the incident off Donnington Bridge in March. Police said the
The police helicopter was used to help find a driver feared to have been injured in a car crash in Witney. Police officers were also involved in a ground search at about 2.20am yesterday. Police said last night the driver was later found safe and well
A man is due to go on trial at Oxford Crown Court today charged with robbing a teenage boy. Benjamin Oates, 20, of Pooles Lane, Charlbury, denies carrying out the crime on July 20 this year. It is alleged he stole a mobile phone and keys from
A 23-year-old man is due to answer bail today after a woman was hit by a car following an argument with a driver. The Banbury man was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm by furious driving after the incident in Penrose
ROMEO the rabbit is one unhappy Easter bunny. The six-year-old lion head rabbit, left, is being separated from his owners because of a 400-year-old French seafaring superstition banning ships from taking rabbits on board. Romeo’s family is
A CARE home nurse could face jail after admitting assaulting an 86-year-old resident. Jacqueline Duncan-Smith abused dementia sufferer Patrick Whelehan at Hempton Field care home in Chinnor on September 11 and has admitted assault by beating at
IT’S the dilemma for the busy modern family – you want to put the healthiest food on the table but time often means choosing pre-prepared meals. Anneliese Giggins decided she wanted to set herself a challenge – make all her family of four’s meals
A 22-year-old man is due to answer bail today in connection with an armed robbery at a bookmakers. He was arrested after a man carrying an axe stole money and threatened staff at the Coral betting shop in Wesley Lane, Bicester, in February.
Former Sussex captain Rory Hamilton-Brown sma-shed a spectacular century to give Oxfordshire bowlers the pounding of a lifetime in a Twenty20 friendly at Hove yesterday. The match was played to cement the close relationship between the counties.
Jordan Venant was overjoyed after Cuban Piece gave him a winner on his first ride with victory at the Old Berkshire Hunt meeting at Lockinge, near Wantage, yesterday. The 21-year-old, who works at nearby Sparsholt for National Hunt trainer Harry
Oxford's Jason Plato set a sensational lap record as he shared the honours with MG KX Clubcard Fuel Save teammate Sam Tordoff in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship second round at Donington Park. Two-time champion Plato took a phenomenal
Premier champions Goodlake Arms A stayed on course for the double by moving into the last eight of the men’s Seven-a-side Cup with a 4-1 win at Greene King Oxford & District Association runners-up Kidlington Green Social Club B. Kevin Barefoot
AN inquest will be held at 11.30am today at Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court in Oxford into the death of a man whose car left the road and hit a tree. Roger Jones, 66, from Warwickshire, died in September after the incident on the A3400 between Chipping
SOPHIE Gordon fulfilled her childhood dream of racing a pony at the Charles Stanley Old Berks Hunt Point-to-Point meeting yesterday. The 14-year-old from Appleton raced Midnight Spartacus and finished fifth in the 1.4km race, also taking home a
THE first annual convention celebrating the life of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson took place over the weekend. Andercon was held at the Park Inn Hotel at Heathrow Airport featuring recreations of sets, full-sized vehicles from Anderson’s
Gosford All Blacks rounded off a successful season by lifting the trophy for a second time after a hard-earned 24-13 victory over Wheatley in the Oxfordshire Shield final at Witney. It was Gosford’s third triumph of the campaign, having taken the
Oxfordshire continue their fight against relegation from the Premier Division of the BDO County Championship when they take on second-placed Lancashire at Wigan this weekend. Despite beating Gwent in their last game, Oxon are still bottom of the
A cyclist was taken to hospital yesterday after a collision with a car in Oxford city centre. The incident happened in High Street between The Plain and Longwall Street at about 12.45pm and the road was shut for about an hour afterwards. The
POLICE dogs and a helicopter were deployed in the search for people who fled after a road crash. The National Police Air Service helicopter, which is based at RAF Benson, was called to Nuneham Courtenay at about 8.30pm on Sunday. Thames Valley
AN HEROIC pilot who flew just 50ft over the Normandy beaches to lay down protecting smoke for the D-Day forces died yesterday, aged 95. Leslie Valentine was believed to be the last surviving light bomber pilot from D-Day and passed away at the
12:53pm A burglar has stolen Afghanistan and Iraq war medals 10:34am Autumn start date for long-awaited revamp of Frideswide Square New teaching
A hi-tech helium balloon which was on course to take pictures of the Earth has been lost in Oxfordshire. Students from the University of Nottingham’s PhysSoc society launched the balloon, which is attached to three cameras, on Friday. PhysSoc
HUNDREDS of people with mental health problems are to benefit from a £260,000 funding boost for county sport. Sport England has given the cash to Oxfordshire Sports Partnership for a project called Active Body, Healthy Mind. It is hoped it
AMANDA Hill hosted a barbecue for friends on Friday night with the music coming from a member of her favourite band. The Wallingford resident won a competition to get the Fun Lovin’ Criminals drummer Frank Benbini to perform at her house as he
People are being encouraged to have their say on Oxfordshire County Council’s plans to change its drug and alcohol treatment service. The council is trying to create a single service, which combines advice and information, medical treatment, recovery
CITY councillors will meet tomorrow to discuss the Headington Neighbourhood Plan. Residents aim to put together a plan that will set out how they want to see their area develop – but first their neighbourhood boundaries must be approved by Oxford
TWO young boys have been praised by Eynsham firefighters for raising the alarm when their chimney caught fire. The youngsters, who are both about six years old, noticed smoke coming from the chimney of their house in Griffiths Close, Northmoor,
A new group for vegans and vegetarians is to open in Witney. Meet and Veg will encourage members to pass on meat-free recipes and discuss how to cope with the diets. It will also be open to people who want to cut down on eating meat. Member
A COUNCILLOR is warning people to be aware a section of a notorious road has had its speed limit dropped. Earlier this month, the section of Middleton Stoney Road between Shakespeare Drive and Howes Lane was reduced from 40mph to 30mph. But
Chinnor slipped into the National 2 South relegation zone with a disastrous 43-12 defeat away to Bishiops Stortford on Saturday. With struggling Launceston earning five points from their 27-23 victory over London Irish Wild Geese, Chinnor are now
SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Section 2 Tadmarton Heath 3 (4pts), Chiltern Forest 0 (0) (Tadmarton first): S Hallam & Burton bt G Cornock & R Sponder 5&3; A Mason & L Washbourne bt J Chalanor & J Randall 5&
Ardley United maintained their one-point lead at the top of the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division with a 2-0 home win against Thame United yesterday. The hosts absorbed strong Thame pressure before going ahead midway through the first half
Oxford City preserved their status despite a 2-1 defeat at Brackley Town in yesterday’s derby clash. Mike Ford’s men were looking for the victory to seal their survival, but in the event, Histon’s 3-1 loss at Gainsborough Trinity meant City stayed
FAMILIES were out in force this year for Kingham’s annual Easter Monday duck race. Hundreds of people turned out for the village event, at The Mill House, Station Road, near Chipping Norton. From 11.30am to 2pm, a total of 40 races, each with
CHRIS GALLAHER seems not to be too different to the large majority of men. Confronted with the free NHS kit to help test for the likelihood of bowel cancer, he was close to throwing it away. He didn’t feel unwell, the whole process of sending
IT was full steam ahead for visitors at Combe Mill at the weekend. The Victorian steam and water-powered sawmill demonstrated the engines that used to power the Blenheim Palace Sawmills. Volunteer and company secretary Steve Page showed visitors
WHEN Chris Gallaher received an NHS bowel cancer testing kit in the post he almost threw it away. But he is now thankful that Sandy, his wife of 32 years, urged him use it, as it led medics to diagnose the disease early and safely remove a tumour
John Mills scored a hat-trick as Didcot Town beat Thatcham Town 4-0 in Calor League Division 1 South & West yesterday. The Railwaymen raced into a 2-0 lead in the opening five minutes only for play to be held up for 20 minutes because of a
THE leader of Oxford City Council has said his authority will attempt to buy an East Oxford social club, as the clock starts ticking on its protected status. The Gladiator Sports and Social Club site in Iffley Road is being put up for sale, but
Oxford City manager Mike Ford is already looking forward to next season after seeing his side escape the drop from Skrill North. City were beaten 2-1 by Brackley Town, but their safety was secured by Histon’s 3-1 defeat at Gainsborough Trinity.
A CHILD protection charity has been called in to Oxford to help fight those targeting vulnerable children for sex. Barnardo’s is recruiting a child sex exploitation worker to help those at risk in the city and the county. Applications closed
CHILDREN were invited to help make some new artworks for Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum. Over the Easter holidays, children have been recreating six of the museum’s most well-known paintings, from Paolo Uccello’s Hunt In The Forest to Braque’s Still
CHURCHGOERS in Black Bourton, Brize Norton and Carterton are being asked to play a part in celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the ordination of their former vicar. The Rev Canon Frank Watts, 83, was the vicar of Black Bourton with Carterton
