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IT is hard to warm to a car that inflicts pain on you. Even less one that tries to knock you out. The problem was caused by the top edge of the rear door which when swung out unfortunately lined up precisely with my forehead. In the dark, as

CYCLISTS will put their pedals to the test in a charity cycle ride taking in the entire length of Ireland. Mark Crick, 44, and Neil Barson, 45, are set to leave Oxfordshire for a 466-mile ride in June to raise money for the Sobell House Hospice

THREE Oxfordshire rivers have been put on flood alert tonight. Ginge Brook from Steventon to Sutton Courtenay is on alert, as are the Evenlode from Moreton in Marsh to Cassington and the Glyme at Wootton and Woodstock. The alert means flooding

IT HAS been one of the most long-running and bitter rows in Oxford’s recent history. But after name-calling and a whole host of allegations, the saga of Temple Cowley Pools could soon come to a surprisingly amicable conclusion. Campaigners

A SOUTH Oxford church will next month welcome nine students from America for a transatlantic art project. St Luke’s Church has invited the visitors, from North Park University, in Chicago, to stay in Oxford. The trip was organised with the

A VILLAGE in North Oxfordshire will play host to a visiting African children’s choir on Wednesday. The Ugandan singers, aged seven to 10, will stay for two nights in Deddington and will be hosted by local families in their latest visit to Oxfordshire

It is doubtful that motorists caught up in one of Oxford’s worst traffic nightmares earlier this month could think very far beyond the monstrous ‘fatberg’ lurking in a city sewer off Frideswide Square. Work to clear a build-up of baby wipes

RESIDENTS in West and South Oxford will have a chance to question a number of organisations on flooding next week. Oxford City Council has organised an area forum on the issue and invited bodies such as the Environment Agency, Thames Water and

THESE boots were made for walking. And Oxford Playhouse’s Jane Hornsby will truly put them to the test by stomping the 1,187 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats. The 54-year-old from Steventon will begin her 63-day trek to raise cash for

THE £125m flood relief channel to help protect Oxford has moved a step closer today with £12m funding proposal agreed.  Seen as a key scheme to relieve flooding issues, the Western Conveyance has long been called for by Oxfordshire's council leaders

THIS weekend will see teachers, company chairs and radio DJs from across Oxford transformed into dancing stars at Strictly Oxford. The contestants, all of whom are dance novices, will be partnered with Headington’s semi-professional dancers from

FIRMS across Bicester could save up to a quarter on their energy bills as part of a new solar energy scheme. A list of the top 10 biggest business roofs has been drawn up for the £2.5m project involving 10,000 solar panels. So far six firms have

WHILE away in Somerset, during the first weekend in April, the main line through Dawlish, Devon, was re-opened after storm damage a few weeks earlier. As Dawlish is fairly close by to Somerset, the general conversation moved on to the re-opening

On Sunday, April 13, a large crowd of enthralled and respectful spectators watched the Woodstock Passion Play, as you illustrated in colour last week. By contrast, Oxford Council’s licensing team, under Julian Alison, took it upon themselves to

I am writing regarding the recent news items and letters concerning damaged roads and lack of funds for repair. I would like to ask the relevant council officer how the Oxfordshire County Council monitors the quality and durability of road repairs

YOUR recent front page story did an excellent job exposing the ‘empty houses scandal’; without noting that the city council is almost powerless to do anything about it or mentioning real causes, eg lack of new council housing, or manipulation of the

So, Julian Alison refused permission for the Passion Play to take place on Cowley Road on Good Friday because he didn’t realise it had religious significance. What planet is he on? On this most holy day of the year in the Christian calendar, we should

AT the last city council meeting the Greens wanted a high-level summit to be held with all the organisations involved in housing provision to devise a new housing strategy to actually do something about the housing crisis. This was voted down by Labour

RUNNERS who took part in this month’s London Marathon have raised more than £35,000 for Helen & Douglas House. Twenty people ran for the hospice for children and young adults on April 13. One of the runners, Nikki Channon, whose mother

MAY Morning will see a new tradition this year, with hundreds of people talking to the public on a giant soapbox. Soapbox City will see more than 200 people taking their spot on Broad Street to talk about a topic of their choice for five minutes

Number one fan, Jason Collie catches up with US punk-rockers Alkaline Trio for the opening of their UK tour Alkaline Trio O2 Academy Oxford It’s always good to see a band sweat within three songs. You know, that sheen

Food banks are a good thing, right? They certainly are the flavour of the month – essential to feed the hungry, fashionable and popular with donors, and highly visible with hundreds spread across the country and more opening each week. So how could

PUPILS and staff are celebrating after making the first step in securing a bigger school hall. Windmill Primary, in Margaret Road, Headington, is set to have the much-wanted revamp begin this summer. Headteacher Lynn Knapp is thrilled by the

BELLYDANCING to beat breast cancer will top the bill when Oxford Middle Eastern Dance Society (OMEDS) hosts a unique one-woman show by breast cancer survivor Yvette Cowles tonight. Dancers from OMEDS, which runs bellydancing classes at East Oxford

NEITHER mystical mind reading nor the deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes were allotted to me when the Almighty dealt the talents. But the look on the face of the middle-aged Brummie grandfather told me everything. With six primary school-aged

Despite the rise of internet dating, an introduction service is bringing lonely hearts together in a different way. Find out more Olympic star Mo Farah is now setting his sights on yet another new goal; getting the country's children

As one who got under their seat at The Wizard of Oz, I haven’t a great record at the cinema. When I first came to Oxford as a student, some friends turned up from Cirencester Agricultural College. It was early afternoon. I couldn’t think what to do

I once put my debit card into a cash machine – and it swallowed it up. A queue had formed behind me. There was no getting it back. The point of no return was reached in a matter of seconds. What was the cause? A £10 unagreed overdraft. The bank

Just like the Queen, I have two birthdays. The first, in December, is my actual birthday and the other, in June, is the ‘official’ one: for the bringing of presents, and the throwing of parties. My real one takes place on Boxing Day and nobody

A bemused Rebecca Moore wonders what's the attraction of this celebrity couple A few years ago I arrived at my best friend’s home only for her to immediately hurry me into the living room, thrust a glass of white wine into my hand and excitedly

Nicky Wroe admits he has plenty to play for as the midfielder looks to turn his loan spell at Oxford United into a permanent move. The U’s host Accrington Stanley tomorrow in what could be their final home match of the season. Back-to-back

Lucy Silver follows in the footsteps of Anne Boleyn to Thornbury Castle in South Gloucestershire - and finds regal luxury needn't cost a king's ransom You can say what you like about King Henry VIII, but there’s no doubting the man’s taste.

There is no sexier boudoir on the planet than the heart. Its beating chambers, flushed with blood, keeping you alive. The intricacies of the heart are as complex and astonishing as the most baroque of constructions. And the physical reaction of

Having scoffed all my Easter eggs, I really need a treat to look forward to. A weekend away ticks all the right boxes, so I’ve been trawling the internet to see what bargains are on offer and exactly how far I can make my modest budget stretch.

Tim Hughes talks to the Colombian party band La Chiva Gantiva ahead of their Oxford gig Fusing feverish 70s funk with Afrobeat and the sizzling sound of their native Colombia, La Chiva Gantiva are hot-blooded exuberance personified. It’s a

Sheena Patterson of Oxford Garden Design takes a bus man’s holiday to visit garden centre Unsurprisingly, I’m no stranger to the garden centres of Oxfordshire and of course this is the busiest time of year to visit one. As I have an intense

PRIDE, rather than permutations, is the priority for Gary Waddock tomorrow afternoon as Oxford United’s head coach seeks to halt a rotten run. It is only a week since they headed into the Easter games in control of their fate. But 1-0 defeats

So, Endeavour Morse has dodged yet another bullet and sits languishing in a prison cell looking all forlorn, conflicted and sexy. Yes, Sunday’s final episode of Endeavour proves, there is nothing like a copper on a mission to get the hearts racing

Former BBC Radio Oxford presenter Jo Thoenes tells Jaine Blackman how she's learning a whole new lingo as she broadcasts to the troops While accusations of sexism – and worse – in the worlds of television and radio have been rife in the past few

JAKE Wright acknowledged it was hard to see Scunthorpe’s celebrations this week without feeling envious as Oxford United’s season looks set to fizzle out. A 1-0 win in Easter Monday’s clash between the sides took the Iron to the brink of promotion

Can it really be true that the sacking of a Premier League football manager has warranted so much attention and column inches over the past few days? In a world ravaged by war and human tragedy, is it that important to hear every last detail about

Olympic star Mo Farah is now setting his sights on yet another new goal; getting the country's children active. Jaine Blackman finds out more Champion athlete, and national hero Mo Farah might be giving his legs a well-deserved rest after running

I have a new guilty pleasure. Annoyingly I suffer from bouts of sleeplessness when I will wake in the early hours a few nights in a row. The time I wake will be determined from the first night of the run but it will always be precisely on the hour

LONDON Road in Headington is one of the most congested roads in the city. Various solutions have been proposed to try to improve it over the years, but it has left a lot of heads being scratched. Put simply, there are just too many cars on

Sam Humphreys and James Roberts were both beaming yesterday after being offered professional terms at Oxford United, writes David Pritchard The pair were selected after impressing in the U’s youth team over the past two years. For 18-year-old Humphreys

MORE than 50 animals have been seized after inspectors again raided a site previously at the centre of an animal cruelty case. Police and animal welfare charity officers searched the former site of Crunchy’s Animal Rescue in Faringdon Road, Longworth

TODAY we unveil images of what the new £400m Westgate Centre in Oxford could look like. Its design is rather unusual with a curved facade and what architects are describing as a lantern on top of the roof. For the first time we can see the

Despite the rise of internet dating, an introduction service is bringing lonely hearts together in a different way. Jaine Blackman reports Sue Stephens spends a fair amount of time chatting to eligible single men about matters of the heart... all

JON Meades will only make his Oxford United debut if he can make a contribution in the final two games. The midfielder has been out since last July following a serious ankle injury, but has played several development games in the past month.

OXFORD United supporters may have felt like getting their heads examined over the years – and that is exactly what researchers want to do for a new study. A team at Oxford University is carrying out experiments to find out how supporting a particular

A new sprinkler system at a fire-struck immigration detention centre was approved last night. More than 100 detainees at Campsfield House were evacuated during a major fire there in October. The fire service said afterwards that the blaze would

THIS is the striking vision of Oxford’s new Westgate Centre. And from todaypeople can have their say on what the developer behind the £400m scheme has in store. Gone will be the centre’s existing Bonn Square facade to be replaced by a curved

A CANNABIS factory worth as much as £400,000 a year was discovered after a restaurant argument caused a raging husband to burn all his wife’s clothes in their back garden. Former sound engineer Mark Kelly was sentenced to 50 months in prison yesterday

Nightclub Clem’s is set to close down next month. The lease for the St Clement’s Street venue, which includes the club’s contents, has been put on the market for an undisclosed price. The venue, which fell out with Oxford City Council last year

THE Lord Mayor was among those wearing their clothes inside-out at Oxford Town Hall yesterday. The tospy-turvy dressing was to mark the anniversary of the Bangladesh sweatshop disaster. A year on from the collapse of the Rana Complex, which

GARY Waddock expects more work will be done this summer to improve the playing surface at the Kassam Stadium. A week ago, United’s players were critical of the pitch after the 1-0 home defeat to York City, which came days after a superb display

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) last night announced it would spend £100,000 on restoring the graves of Victoria Cross recipients across the UK. They include that of Sergeant Major Edward Brooks at Rose Hill cemetery,

CHILDREN’S author Lauren Child kicked off the Chipping Norton Literary Festival yesterday, chatting to parents and children and signing books. The Charlie and Lola creator gave tips on writing and talked about how she came up with the best-selling

Luke Ryan is backing Liam Manley and Shabaz Alam to shine on their competitive Oxfordshire debuts. The pair are selected for Oxon’s Group 4 opener against Berkshire at Bicester & North Oxford CC on Sunday (11). Banbury left-arm seamer Manley

Saturday FOOTBALL SKY BET LEAGUE TWO Oxford Utd v Accrington Stanley. SKRILL NORTH Oxford City v Bradford PA CALOR LEAGUE Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Cambridge City. Div 1 South & West: Mangotsfield Utd v Didcot Tn, North

A 69-year-old woman hanged herself after failing to cope with separating from her husband, an inquest heard. Christine Bunting, of Newland Mill, Witney, was found by friends in her garage on February 1. The gran-of-one, a retired administrator

THE countdown for Oxfordshire’s elections is now officially under way. Yesterday marked the deadline by which potential candidates could put their names forward for election to three of the county’s district councils. And European elections

SSE ENGLISH CLUBS CHAMPIONSHIP CHINNOR head coach Matt Goode says he is “massively excited” as they bid to avoid relegation on the final day of the National 2 South season. The Thame-based side host basement boys Exmouth, who are already down

GREENE KING IPA CHAMPIONSHIP RICHARD Thorpe will miss both legs of London Welsh’s play-off semi-final after receiving a three-week ban for punching. The back-row forward admitted the charge of punching or striking contrary to Law 10.4(a) following

7:38pm Three of Oxfordshire's rivers are on flood alert tonight after the heavy rain 9:51am Take a look at the best of this week's Friday Life Despite

THE A40 at Eynsham is blocked this morning after a trailer carrying cattle overturned.  It's near the B4449 Eynsham roundabout.  Police are on their way.   

A 53-year-old woman died after drinking alcohol all day at her New Year’s Eve party, an inquest heard. Unemployed Elizabeth Farrow was found by friend George Geoghegan at her home in Ruscote Arcade early on January 1. Toxicology reports showed

Witney MP and Prime Minister David Cameron visited Clifton Hampden yesterday to launch a £168m pothole fund. Councils can bid for money from the Government pot to repair roads. County Council leader Ian Hudspeth says Oxfordshire will bid for

Power tools have been stolen from three vans parked in the Highfield area. The crimes happened between Wednesday and Friday last week and tools stolen include drills, a jigsaw and a circular saw. Police have said the thefts happened during

CARE home volunteers will be recognised for their work at Oxford’s Town Hall today. Awards will be presented to 20 volunteers by the Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) to celebrate Oxfordshire’s Volunteers’ Day. The OSJCT has invited 50 volunteers

A FORMER book dealer has resorted to taking photos of overflowing bins after claiming Oxford City Council is not doing enough to tackle rubbish left near his home. Adrian Greenwood has made repeated complaints to the council about rubbish accumulating

Broadcaster Charlie Brooker, right, will appear in new computer game, Sniper Elite 3, which was filmed in Oxford. He was invited to a gaming session of the Second World War shooter series at the Rebellion and 2000AD’s headquarters in Osney Mead

North Leigh manager Mark Gee says his side will bounce back stronger after missing out on the Calor League Division 1 South & West play-offs. Needing to beat Clevedon to stay in contention last Saturday, the Millers, who host Paulton Rovers

Oxford City boss Mike Ford says Steve Basham is a player you would “stake your life on” as the popular striker prepares to call time on his 18-year career. Tomorrow, Basham, 36, will pull his boots on for the last time when City entertain Bradford

A 21-YEAR-OLD man accused of robbery told a jury he didn’t stop his friend attacking a teenager because he was afraid he might turn on him. Benjamin Oates, of Pooles Lane, Charlbury, is on trial at Oxford Crown Court accused of robbing a 15-year-old

A LIFE working with words and paint has always been 18-year-old Dominic Hand’s dream. And now the Iffley teenager has got one step closer to joining the list of acclaimed Oxford poets who have been inspired by the city’s dreaming spires. The

OXFORDSHIRE players achieved their best results in the Oxford Easter Seniors Tournament’s four-year history. The LTA Grade 4 indoor event at Virgin Active Oxford featured competitors from as far afield as Devon and Scotland. Oxford’s John Loosemore

THE brother of a boat owner who died from carbon monoxide fumes believes alarms should be made compulsory. Shaun Mason spoke after yesterday’s inquest heard his brother Ian “Spike” Mason died with his Staffordshire Bull Terrier Milly from the deadly

CYCLISTS have welcomed changes to plans for a shared path with pedestrians in Headington to make it safer. Yesterday Oxfordshire County Council agreed to widen the path and include marked divisions for cyclists and pedestrians on the London Road

FIREFIGHTERS across Oxfordshire were called to take strike action again last night, after pension negotiations with the Government ground to a halt. Accusing ministers of “burying their heads in the sand”, the Fire Bridgade Union (FBU) claimed

SPEED limit changes have been made to a country road after a series of accidents were reported. The Milton Road, near Abingdon, is to have its limit changed from the 60mph national speed limit to 40mph, between Milton and its junction with the

WANTAGE MP Ed Vaizey has said the Environment Agency (EA) must loosen bureaucratic restrictions on farmers. Oxfordshire farmers said their land had flooded partly because of EA restrictions against dredging rivers and streams on environmental grounds

UNDER fives learnt about different types of cats at the Ashmolean Museum yesterday. The “paws and claws” session saw them create cat masks and tails of their own, before exploring the museum’s exhibitions looking for cats. The event took place

AN OLYMPIC medallist is among those coming to Oxford this weekend to encourage residents to swim. Steve Parry, an Olympic bronze medallist in 2004, will host The Swim Tour 2014 as it comes to Barton Leisure Centre on Sunday. He will be joined

OXFORDSHIRE’S own local TV channel is gearing up to be beamed into county homes from the autumn. The company behind That’s Oxford, which was given a licence by broadcasting regulator Ofcom, says it is working on putting together staff and equipment

Wantage Town’s assistant boss Andy Lyne has praised the attitude of the players as they look to boost their Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division title chances at Ascot United tomorrow. Success in Berkshire and a win against Abingdon Town on

THE Green Party has come out in support of Oxford becoming a unitary authority. The party has announced its support of the proposals after Oxford City Council leader Bob Price revealed that his authority could become unitary if Labour wins the

SHOTOVER & DISTRICT (Honiton 11 sent 201): 1, 2, 7 D S R Wiggins 1217, 1214, 1193; 3, 4, 16 B Sherman & S Wells 1200, 1198, 1149; 5, 6, 13 K Shipperley 1198, 1197, 1162; 8, 11, 14 R Clarke 1190, 1170, 1160; 9, 15, 18 R & M Bostock 1186