A GROUP of Oxfordshire residents has taken a step towards building the county’s first community housing development. Oxford Cohousing worked with agency Transition by Design to create an artist’s impression of how the site will look and claims
A LETTER to Ethan Browne caused a stir at Bicester’s sorting office when it arrived from Buckingham Palace. The 12-year-old wrote to the Queen months after he had visited Clarence House in December, with Helen and Douglas House hospice in East
BUILDING firm Beard has unveiled a major hike in its fortunes at the same time as one of its projects won a prestigious international award. The Bishop Edward King Chapel, at Ripon College in Cuddesdon, has won a Civic Trust Award and the Civic
RESIDENTS objecting to a proposed £8.5m care home have vowed to fight on, despite the developer bowing to demands over its appearance. The suggested boomerang-shaped building in Cumnor Hill would have a glass facade and cut into a north-west facing
AN EAST Oxford pub is the latest building to be added to a list of buildings that could be safeguarded for their historic importance. Since last year the public were encouraged to recommend buildings to be put forward for the city council’s Heritage
TWO collisions are causing delays on the A34 this evening. One lane is closed on the northbound carriageway at the Hinksey Hill interchange, causing tailbacks as far as Abingdon. A separate incident, involving two vehicles on the southbound
Elections for Oxford City, Cherwell District and West Oxfordshire District councils are being held on Thursday, May 22, as are the European Parliament elections. Here are the candidates that have been released so far. Councils in Oxfordshire
Tim Hughes is enchanted by a night of musical soundscapes and chic pop at Europe's oldest proper music venue Candy Says and Chrysta Bell Holywell Music Room, Oxford This was always going to be special show — and one which
AIR quality is a long-running concern in Oxford. And for many it is becoming an increasingly serious problem, especially in areas with high levels of traffic like the city centre. These “pollution hot spots” are most commonly found in areas
Oxford's Andy Triggs Hodge suffered a rare defeat during the final winter trials at Caversham, near Reading, on Saturday, writes Mike Rosewell. The competitors were put under some strain when a strong headwind produced some tough and rough conditions
Imagine sitting down with Narnia creator C. S. Lewis for a cuppa. What would he talk about and what made him tick? One of his biographers, Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford, Alister McGrath, imagines this scenario in his book, subtitled
Peter Holland, Linacre Professor of Zoology at Oxford University, will be talking at Chipping Norton Literary Festival on Sunday about his book The Animal Kingdom: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, £7.99) Described as ‘a modern tour of the animal kingdom
In the wake of the popular TV adaptation of her trilogy of 19th-century Oxfordshire rural life, another biography of Flora Thompson was to be expected. Mabey, author of several countryside living books, sub-titles his study The Life of Flora Thompson
Environmental responsibility has now become policy with the vast majority of businesses. But back in 1997, at the time of the groundbreaking Kyoto agreement, it was hardly a consideration. Kyoto tried to commit industrialised nations to cut carbon
A MASTER bookbinder whose distinctive designs are sought across the world has died, aged 89. Ivor Robinson MBE was known to be amongst the finest in his trade of bookbinding by hand and as a long-time teacher he had considerable influence on the
A BOMBER pilot who carried out a critical mission during the D-Day landings has died, aged 95. Leslie Valentine was an RAF bomber pilot of 88 Squadron sent to drop smoke bombs on Juno Beach during the Battle of Normandy on June 6, 1944, as part
OXFORDSHIRE Football Association has said it is looking for new “club mentors” to train coaches at its community clubs. Charter Standard Community Clubs are those which have 10 teams or more across different ages, as well as female and adult sides
TWO men have been sentenced at Oxford Crown Court for dealing cocaine and cannabis. Clive Weatherhead, 44, and Tyrone Bartlett, 24, were arrested on August 13 last year driving away from McDonald’s near the Green Road roundabout off the A40 in
Oxford Magistrates' Court Olivia Parsons, 21, of Michaelis Road, Thame, admitted drink-driving in Churchill Crescent, Thame, on November 9. Had 158 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of blood, above the legal limit of 80 micrograms. Fined £200, a £20
WE’VE only had two Championship matches this season, but they’ve been played on completely different pitches. This fine Easter weekend was our first home Championship match of the summer, against my former employees Northamptonshire. It was
TECHNOLOGY spun out of Oxford University will be used to help convert landfill waste into jet fuel for British Airways. Velocys, based at Milton Park, near Didcot, says it expects to earn more than £18m during the three-year construction of GreenSky
IT WAS a lightbulb moment that inspired an Oxford scientist to use 3D printing to make synthetic flesh. Chemistry professor Hagan Bayley was flipping through a magazine when he spotted a story about people using the technique to create everyday
The driver of a white van on the A34 has crashed into the central reservation. The accident happened on the northbound carriageway shortly after 12.30pm, about a mile south of the Milton interchange. Both lanes of the northbound carriageway
A BICESTER supermarket is claiming to be one of the first retailers in the UK to help customers recycle Easter egg packaging. People are being urged to use the recycling bins across 50 of Sainsbury’s supermarket branches to help cut the amount
Giles Woodforde talks to the New College Choir director about his career and departure New College Choir has been around in Oxford since the late 14th century, when William of Wykeham set up a choral foundation within his ‘New’ College, to sing
Seamus Perry on a masterpiece of enlightened cynicism written back in 1908 Last time I began to expand upon the pleasures that one can find in committees, if one approaches them in a suitably anthropological spirit. I had space merely to warm
HE was an extraordinary man whose attention to detail helped protect sailors on their voyages for decades. And almost three centuries after he was born in Charlbury, a blue plaque will be unveiled to honour Larcum Kendall. Born in September
Richard Scrase on the potential benefits of rent controls In 2002, after a couple of years in Brussels, we returned to London. Our rent did not change but our accommodation did. We moved from a comfortable (120 sq m) two double bed-roomed apartment
Christopher Gray is disappointed that the top talent is missing from the Easter schedules Who are the star writers of the Sunday Times? You know as well as I do. They are Rod Liddle, pre-eminently, A.A. Gill and — though it pains me to admit it
Christopher Gray makes the link between the last episode of Endeavour and former Liberal leader Cyril Smith Beyond belief? Perhaps. Young boys in an institution being thrashed by an old pervert and this sanctioned — well, certainly overlooked —
On Friday 16th May, friends in across Oxford will be swapping a night out on the town for a Night In with their favourite people – all in the name of Macmillan Cancer Support. Night In is great fun and so simple. Whether it’s a girly night on the
JAMES Roberts and Sam Humphreys have been offered professional contracts by Oxford United. They were informed in one-on-one meetings at the training ground this morning. Roberts, from Aylesbury, does not turn 18 until the summer, but has been
THE Oxford Art Fair is returning for its third year this summer, to show off the county’s finest artwork. Hundreds of paintings, photographs and sculptures will be on display, as well as bespoke crafts and jewellery. Visitors will be able to
HE has sent sparks flying across the studio in preparation for next month’s Oxfordshire Artweeks. Sculptor Johannes von Stumm is one of around 1,000 artists taking part in the annual open studios festival which has been running since 1981.
Christopher Gray on the ghoulish appeal of the Royal Shakespeare Company's props ‘Is this a dagger that I see before me?” Actually it is. The very one used on the stage in a recent RSC production of Macbeth. Not far away from it, in a fascinating
Rachel Bayne celebrates the 40 years of Oxford University becoming a co-educational institution Forty years ago a young woman from Prince Edward Island in Eastern Canada arrived as just one of the hundreds of young newcomers to Oxford. But
Peter Barrington on a new look at Oxfordshire author Flora Thompson In the wake of the popular TV adaptation of her trilogy of 19th-century Oxfordshire rural life, another biography of Flora Thompson was to be expected. Mabey, author of several
Katherine MacAlister finds word's already out about the food at an 'old school' Italian restaurant ‘What do you need me for?’ I howled into the night outside Canaletto’s. ‘Why bother writing restaurant reviews at all? Why try to keep up with trends
Helen Peacocke on the history of tea-growing after sampling a vintage celebration Isn’t it amazing . . . every day the British drink 165 million cups of tea, which until recently was produced in India and China. Now tea plantations are being established
Dancers from the Bollywood Vibes dance company wowed an Iffley audience with demonstrations of the traditional Indian dance styles of Bhangra, Kathak and Bollywood. The event at Iffley’s Tree Hotel raised £950 for The John Watson School in Wheatley
Val Bourne on three centuries of colourful hybrids I love auriculas, especially at this time of year when they produce their pristine flowers. They’ve been popular for three hundred years and they were one of the original florists’ flowers,
Ben Vanheems of Berks, Bucks and Oxon wildlife trust welcomes the county flower Recent visitors to Oxford’s meadows will certainly have noticed the spectacular wash of purple courtesy of Oxfordshire’s official county flower, the snake’s head fritillary
Angie Johnson thoroughly enjoys Stella Feehily's clever drama examining the state of the NHS What a clever theatrical fusion this new work from the highly regarded Out of Joint Theatre Company is. Playwright Stella Feehily has combined intelligent
Giles Woodforde speaks to Soapbox City's Jonathan Lloyd about this major new event May Morning has been a special event in Oxford for centuries. At one time members of Magdalen College Choir were reputed to throw rotten eggs down on to the crowds
Christopher Gray enjoys slapstick fun of Georges Feydeau's Every Last Trick The farces of Georges Feydeau are a periodic pleasure on the British stage, usually in a form somewhat removed from the original. Perhaps this is as well, for he was, as
SOON it will be election time once more and doors will be knocked upon by election hopefuls. No matter which political party knocks on my door, all will be most welcome. It takes a lot of nerve to knock on a stranger’s door and political candidates
AGAIN I wonder if local councillors have any intelligence. The shopping centre in Kidlington is quite busy so the toilets in the car park are needed and well used by ladies, gents and disabled. So why put a large, wooden slatted screen for privacy
I READ with interest your coverage of the fatberg of Oxford town. While working for Royal Mail, I saw a man who was dressed as a cook, tipping oil from a large round container down the drain. I phoned Carterton council and was told “nothing
WHAT a disagreeable load of nonsense by A Green (April 6). Something I find particularly unpleasant is that politicians keep repeating, ad infinitum, ‘It’s the last Labour Government which got us into this mess’. He knows very well, as do the politicians
MATTHEW Barber’s comments concerning the Vale’s reaction to a perceived housing crisis in the Vale and Helen Marshall’s counterpoint rebuttal make interesting reading. Rather than address the opposition’s case, Councillor Barber chose to denigrate
I WAS intrigued to read John Maden of UKIP’s letter (April 15) which advocated a pay-rise for our nurses. Of course, our nurses do a sterling job and are much more deserving of a pay-rise than politicians, but I wonder whether Mr Maden has gone
OXFORDSHIRE scientists are helping to build the world’s largest radio telescope to listen ‘back through time’. When complete, the MeerKAT telescope will be the most powerful radio telescope on earth. It will collect radio signals from the furthest
CLLR Ed Turner knows full well that when the Greens abstain on Labour’s proposals for housing it’s because we can’t support proposals that squander opportunities, creating a worse crisis down the line. Labour have presided over a period of rocketing
I am writing concerning the Scales of Justice (April 17): this section shows what a complete farce our legal system is. I quote three examples: A person who admitted downloading images of children was fined a total of £165. A person who
Christopher Gray is impressed with the top-class performances at Stratford's Royal Shakespeare Theatre In the week that has seen the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, it is hard to imagine a fitter tribute to his genius than the near-perfect
Nicola Lisle talks to Maxim Vengerov ahead of his show at the Sheldonian Russian violinist Maxim Vengerov was just 12 when he first came to Oxford, enjoying a short stay in the city before going off to study at the Royal Academy of Music. Nearly
Jason Collie is not disappointed by the dynamic Alkaline Trio It’s always good to see a band sweat within three songs. You know, that sheen on a bald head or what was an elegantly swept fringe on the first chord now a rather straggly triangle
Tim Hughes speaks to the thought-provoking folk duo Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow With their stirring harmonies, striking style and uncompromising subject matter, Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow are turning folk music on its head. Forget
Esther Lafferty reveals the wealth of talent on view in the county's visual arts festival The spring is knocking at our door and in the office we’re keeping our fingers crossed for sunshine for Oxfordshire Artweeks (May 3-26), the county’s visual
Katherine MacAlister finds out what's cooking with Egyptian-born Claudia Roden Ask any chef about their favourite cookery writer and they always haul a dog-eared copy of Claudia Roden off their bookshelves. Her secret? She hunts high and low for
Oxford Folk Weekend organiser Cat Kelly on why this year’s line-up of top local and national acts is set to make it an event to remember Talking to young ballet dancer Hugo Brown whose latest show brings him back home Meet Columbian
No-holds-barred fun for all the family will keep Katherine MacAlister returning to Blackpool It’s become an annual trip, our weekend to Blackpool, because in terms of family fun, everywhere else pales into insignificance. I’ve been to most
CRIMINALS are getting younger these days. And if you ask Eynsham’s local police officers they’ll certainly confirm that. Over the weekend the town’s rozzers tweeted that they had been “got” by two five-year-olds who stormed the police office in
What are Child Arrangements Orders (CAOs)? CAOs are new orders that regulate with whom a child is to live, spend time or otherwise have contact. They were introduced by the Children and Families Act 2014 and replace Residence and Contact Orders
A HISTORIC building next to an Abingdon park should be turned into a hotel, according to councillors. Vale of White Horse District Council is selling Old Abbey House, former home of Abingdon Town Council, for between £600,000 and £1m. Town
SINCE being elected last May to Oxfordshire County Council as an Independent county councillor for Bicester West, I thought I would share my experiences over the past year in my new role at County Hall. Being independent from party politics allows
Take a look at this week's round-up of tasty offers and events around Oxfordshire * The Oxford Beach is holding a charity volleyball tournament and three-course dinner at The Big Bang for Oxford businesses on Friday, June 27. The Volleybang
Annette Cunningham tries out the breakfast on offer at an Oxford High Street restaurant There’s no denying that Quod on the High Street has kerb appeal. In the warm, spring Sunday sunshine, with its majestic windows glinting, it positively beckoned
Katherine MacAlister gives her tastebuds a workout at the latest addition to the restaurant scene in Jericho I have a friend who’s notoriously difficult to please, who we will call Mr Fussy for the purposes of this review. Nowhere I recommend
Jo Woodcock reveals the plans for his pop-up restaurant this summer After a very successful winter of setting up our pop-up restaurant in village halls, The Wandering Kitchen is getting ready to go outdoors for the summer. The finishing touches
Claudia Roden is appearing at Chipping Norton Literary Festival on Sunday Claudia Roden was born and brought up in Cairo, later moving to Paris and then London. She was drawn to food through a desire to evoke the pleasures of a happy life in Egypt
OXFORD City striker Steve Basham has admitted he will be emotional when he hangs up his boots on Saturday. Basham, who joined Mike Ford’s side in 2011, feels the time is right to call it a day, so the final Skrill North game of the season at home
Katherine MacAlister talks to young ballet dancer Hugo Brown whose latest show brings him back home That Hugo Brown is destined for life as a great ballerina is a given, his utter professionalism and gracefulness making him a natural dancer, to
Oxford Folk Weekend organiser and singer Cat Kelly tells Tim Hughes why this year’s line-up of top local and national acts is set to make it an event to remember The sound of fiddles, close harmony singing, morris bells and clanking tankards will
A woman left as a newborn baby in a box on a doorstep in Headington one freezing night in 1980 is hoping Facebook will finally lead her to her parents. Baby Elaine – as she was initially named, after the WPC who delivered the 7lb 1oz baby to the
COMPARING family photographs to see the characteristics we’ve inherited from our parents is something most of us take for granted. For 34-year-old Sarah it’s something she can only imagine. Left on a doorstep in Headington as a newborn baby
A BANK clerk standing trial with two other men over an alleged £2m fraud had claimed he was in fear of the Russian mafia. The trial of Tai Hulbert-Thomas, 27, from Oxford, Mawli Thurairajah, 30, and Neil Bautista, 22, continued at the Old Bailey
A government minister will visit the city to discuss modern slavery next month. Karen Bradley Minister for Modern Slavery and Organised Crime, is to give a talk at Regent’s Park College, Pusey Street. There is also an exhibition on the history
A joint inquest will be held into the deaths of reclusive Littlemore mother and daughter Pauline and Caroline Jessett by the autumn. Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter said yesterday the cause of death of Caroline, 50, had yet to be determined and
THE family of a boy killed when he was hit by a car driven by a teacher say they bear no grudges as a coroner yesterday ruled the death was a complete accident. Ten-year-old Freddie Perry ran out between two parked cars in Didcot on September 10
6:02pm We have the candidates standing in the May 22 elections for West Oxfordshire District Council and the South East constituency for the European Parliament. We are hoping to get Cherwell's tonight and Oxford's
A COLLISION has blocked one lane of the A34 this morning. The accident involving two vehicles happened at about 7.45am on the northbound road by Weston-on-the-Green. Thames Valley Police has said no one was injured.
ONE of the largest solar farms in the UK is to be built in West Oxfordshire over the next few months. The site on the former RAF Broadwell at Kencot Hill Farm, near Burford, will generate enough electricity to supply up to 10,000 households and
Stephen Bentley and Kev Brooks scored two touchdowns apiece as Oxford Saints began the season with a convincing 34-6 win at Sandwell Steelers in the BAFA National Central Conference. James Ferrigno also scored as the visitors ran in five touchdowns
ROAD RUNNING DIANE Moore surprised herself by storming to victory in the Maidenhead Easter 10. Moore (Headington Road Runners) was the first lady home in the ten-mile race, crossing the line in a personal best time of 1hr 2mins 49secs.
A DRIVER has been released without charge after a motorist drove at a woman in Banbury and injured her. A 21-year-old woman was walking in Penrose Drive in March when she became involved in an argument with a driver, who then drove at her and damaged
The death of a woman from the town was alcohol-related, the Oxfordshire Coroners’ Court concluded. Kathryn Mather, 41, was found dead in her bath in her Lyneham Road home on December 23 by a friend. She had a level of alcohol in her blood high
THE family of a man killed on a building site will have to wait another fortnight to discover what sentence construction giant Costain will face. A sentencing hearing was started at Reading Crown Court yesterday after Costain was convicted earlier
STARS of Downton Abbey returned to Bampton yesterday to film scenes for the fifth series of the popular period drama. Actors Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, and Jim Carter, who plays butler Charles Carson, were spotted in the West Oxfordshire
Kennington Club opened up a nine-point lead at the top of the Johnson Buildbase Oxford League Premier Section after a 3-2 win at Section 1 leaders West Oxford Democrats Club, writes PETE EWINS. With three matches remaining and Kennington on a free
Patience has certainly been a virtue as far as Grand Article is concerned, but the gelding finally got off the mark for Paul Cowley’s Culworth stables, near Banbury, with a long-awaited win at Towcester. Running for the 35th time under National
OXFORDSHIRE teenager Jordan Garrett hit a half-century on his Second XI Championship debut for Gloucestershire 2nd against Surrey 2nd at Bristol. The 14-year-old, who plays for Great & Little Tew, made exactly 50 off 110 balls on Tuesday, with
A teenager has been rebailed by police investigating the knife-point robbery of a 12-year-old boy. The victim suffered a head injury and lost his iPhone 4 when he was robbed by a group of four teenagers off Donnington Bridge, Oxford, in March.
A 29-year-old woman has appeared in court accused of stealing about £5,500 from a private jet aircraft company. Grace Folan, of Bowood Court, Oxford Road, Kidlington, yesterday denied three counts of theft from Hanger 8 Ltd between April and July
WASTE bosses have begun rolling out their bid to boost recycling rates in Oxford by collecting leftover food from flats for the first time. Residents of houses in the city can recycle food waste once a week, but the service has not been available
A FOOD bank in West Oxfordshire celebrating its second anniversary is currently needed more than ever, according to its founder. Witney-based Oxfordshire West Food Bank has helped 350 people since it was set up by Jo Cypher on April 18 two years
Most critics have a blind spot - a film or a film-maker that everyone else adores and they simply don't get. In the case of this correspondent, the enigma is Joanna Hogg, whose meticulously crafted studies of buttoned-up middle-class Brits have had
Charles Laughton always took great pride in having `discovered' Maureen O'Hara (who had debuted opposite him in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn, 1938) and there's a genuine affinity between them in RKO's adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, The Hunchback
BENEDICT Morrison is bringing his real-life teaching experience to an Oxford University production Alan Bennett’s The History Boys. Mr Morrison, 33, now studying for a PhD in English Literature and Philosophy at Oxford, taught in London for several
The Ashmolean Museum’s head of public engagement has become the newest committee member of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). Susan McCormack will attend her first meeting for the HLF South East England committee in June. The committee is composed
OFF ROAD WOODSTOCK Harriers’ Rachel Masser was the first lady home at the Compton 20. Masser, 40, completed the 20-mile off-road race in 2hrs 31mins 22secs to finish 12th overall. She was almost 13 minutes ahead of the second-placed lady
CONTROVERSIAL developer Martin Young has lost his latest battle in the long-running saga over a house in Old Headington and now faces fresh court action. A Government planning inspector has dismissed appeals Mr Young had made over three applications
John Simmons has finally won the Abingdon & District Winter League’s singles crown again after 14 years of trying. Simmons, who last won the trophy in the 1996-97 season, repeated the feat with a 3-1 victory over organiser Anton Woolloff 3-
TO many it may seem like a petty planning battle that has rumbled on for decades. But to those living near developer Martin Young’s property in Old High Street, it’s an issue that has had an impact on their life since the start. After three
TRACK AND FIELD SPRINTER Ramone Smith was Radley’s star man in their opening Sweatshop Southern League Division 1 meeting at Peterborough. Smith, 31, broke the Division 1 100m record as he roared to victory in a time of 10.6secs. He also
A JUDGE has jailed a 22-year-old drug dealer and said she hopes his sentence will send a message to other criminals. Manveer Sandhu, of Martin Close, Bicester, admitted one count of possessing cannabis, a Class B drug, with intent to supply on
A HEALTH trust criticised for a third time has “failed to act quickly” to improve the quality of its care. Health service regulator Monitor issued the statement after Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust’s facilities at Evenlode, for people with
FLOOD relief schemes for Oxford residents and businesses were approved last night. Oxford City Council gave the go-ahead to help homeowners and businesses recover from the impact of this winter’s flooding. It means people whose homes were flooded
OXFORD artist Antonia Bruce is showing a series of drawings at Art Jericho, in King Street, until May 11. Made with Indian ink, the art was inspired by dance rehearsals. Called Blue Moon, the exhibition is a result of her work with internationally-renowned
A WITNESS to a robbery in Witney told a jury he saw a man kicking a 15-year-old “like a football” as he lay on the ground. Benjamin Oates, of Pooles Lane, Charlbury, is on trial at Oxford Crown Court accused of robbing the teenager – who cannot
THEY sailed through pages of great adventures and shared their favourite childhood stories. But this time it was the school pupils who read the stories aloud. Pupils from the Holy Trinity Catholic School in Chipping Norton aged six to 11 swapped
MORE than 230 children have failed to get a place at any of their chosen primary schools. Oxfordshire County Council last week told parents which schools they had allocated for their children, saying 89.09 per cent had won places at their first
TRANSPORT chiefs are carrying out a study into how large lorries can be taken off some of Oxfordshire’s roads. Proposals includes the possibility of a park-and-ride for lorries on the outskirts of Oxford city centre and Abingdon. Oxfordshire
OXFORD City Stars have confirmed they intend to move up to National League Division 1 next season, a year after turning down promotion, writes DAVID PRITCHARD. The ice hockey club have enjoyed a memorable campaign, securing a league and cup double
SWEATSHOP SOUTHERN LEAGUE Division 1 (Peterborough) RADLEY A-STRING MEN 100m: 1 R Smith 10.6. 200m: 1 R Smith 21.6. 400m: 4 C Hewitt 52.9. 800m: 1 S Ferguson 1.59.9. 1,500m: 1 S Ferguson 4.19.1. 400mH: 4 C Shaw 1.11.9. 2,000m SC: 2
A BRITISH jet-powered light bomber will come out of retirement after eight years to wow the crowd at Abingdon Air and Country Show. The English Electric Canberra will perform an acrobatic duo with a Hunter subsonic jet in the skies over Abingdon
