WORK on a controversial grand design in Cowley is set to start in just over a month. The Barns Road development spearheaded by Grand Designs TV presenter Kevin McCloud will begin in June after being hit by delays. Planning permission for the
THE Mayor of Witney says he will not support policy changes that would prevent councillors from speaking to the media. Witney Town Council has a draft new media policy that says councillors cannot provide verbal or written statements to the press
BOTH of Blackbird Leys’ post offices are facing refurbishment under new plans, meaning they will have fewer services and longer opening hours. The two post offices are housed in Martin’s newsagent’s shops on Blackbird Leys Road and Balfour Road
WEST Oxford Community Centre has dedicated a memorial bench to former caretaker Geoff Franklin. Mr Franklin, from Osney, who worked at the centre for more than a decade, died at the end of last year. The community association received £225.67
RESIDENTS in Kidlington are still waiting for a bollard to enforce a one-way system brought in more than two years ago. The village’s High Street was pedestrianised in April 2012 but there is nothing to prevent drivers from going down towards Banbury
A CHURCH is to begin running a community cafe as part of a new drive to provide more everyday services for the community. St Luke’s Church, in Canning Crescent, South Oxford, will welcome visitors for tea, coffee and cake at Friday lunchtimes,
TRAINS across Oxfordshire have been delayed because of signalling problems in Reading. Both First Great Western and Cross Country trains between Oxford, Didcot Parkway and London are experiencing delays. Earlier this afternoon trains towards
CHILDREN at Barton Leisure Centre in Oxford were wowed when medal-winning swimmers came to visit them. Women’s swimming marathon 10km Olympic bronze medalist Cassie Patten joined Adam Whitehead, 100m breaststroke Commonwealth gold medalist, to
RAF Brize Norton’s first Airbus A400M Atlas heavy transport plane is nearing completion at Airbus’s factory in Spain. And personnel from the air station are in Seville undergoing training on the plane, ahead of its arrival in West Oxfordshire later
FRENCH visitors cried “bonjour” and “bienvenue” to Oxford as they kicked off twin town celebrations at the Town Hall. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Oxford being twinned with the French town of Grenoble. The French town’s deputy mayors
MYSTERY surrounding the origins of a Witney war memorial could block efforts to get restoration funding. The town council needs information about the First World War memorial, in Newland, Cogges, so it can apply for a grant to restore it as part
CUBS, Scouts and Beavers opened the doors to show off their new base after a major refurbishment. Tea and cake were dished out to about 30 people – including young people, Bicester’s MP Sir Tony Baldry and DHL staff – to mark the end of a year-long
CYCLISTS braved miserable weather on Sunday for a good cause at the first Teddies 2-Wheeler sponsored bike ride. Starting at St Edward’s School, in Woodstock Road, Oxford, participants tackled a five-mile, 50-mile or 100-mile route. The longer
YOU would expect to see Royal Shakespeare Company actress Joanne Pearce on stage, but perhaps not giving a speech at an Oxford University graduation ceremony. But Ms Pearce is not just a famous face; she’s an alumni from the Department for Continuing
CIVIL engineer Jim Baldwin has spent more than 40 years working around the world, from rural India to the slums of Kampala, Uganda, providing the poor with clean drinking water. Now aged 71 and a grandfather-of-four, he has no plans to slow down
A DRIVER has left the scene of a crash which injured a motorcyclist. The air ambulance has been called to treat the injured man at the scene of the collision on the A361 between Chipping Norton and Banbury, near the Masons' Arms pub, outside Swerford
CHILDREN helped design plans for a new playground to be built in Didcot’s Great Western Park. Popular requests for a zip-wire were included in the plans after school pupils from Stephen Freeman Community Primary School, in Freeman Road, drew them
ARCHITECT Maria Rosa Kramer joined the unveiling of the £85,000 Swirl sculpture she designed for Didcot’s Orchard shopping centre. The stainless steel sculpture on steps near Sainsbury’s represents the peeling skin of an apple. London-based
VICARS in Oxfordshire who are brewing their own beers will go head-to-head to see who can create the most blessed of pints. The seven clergymen have snapped up home brew kits and have been fermenting their entries for five weeks for the Witney
AS A member of “The Skeptics”, one of the performing groups at last week’s Folk Weekend Oxford, I felt I simply must write in to congratulate all those involved in producing such an amazing event. Year on year, Folk Weekend Oxford is growing bigger
I WRITE regarding the appalling story of Mark Wood’s benefit cuts and his family’s praise for Oxfordshire Welfare Rights (Family of starved benefits cut man hail ‘lifeline’ group, April 4). Many years ago as a young, childless widow I had the misfortune
A HUGE thank-you to the people of Banbury. Local volunteers took to the streets of the town on March 29 to raise money for farm animal welfare organisation Compassion in World Farming. The £119.02 raised will enable Compassion in World Farming
IT’S an irony that next year the NHS Trust’s funding increases will be frozen while foreign aid will be increased. That’s it, Dave, get your priorities right. We suffer so corrupt governments abroad can benefit – you know it makes sense.
I read with incredulity your report about the forthcoming censorship of Witney town councillors. Well done to those councillors who have come forward and stated they are not in favour of this. I wonder if the councillors who are behind this
Railfuture has campaigned for 35 years to improve and expand Britain’s rail network. We welcome John Maden’s support for two of our core aims: electrifying busy lines and reopening closed lines for which there is enough demand (April 25). Indeed, Railfuture
Segregation – once a dirty word to me as cycle campaigner – now seems the only way that Oxford can go. The mantra used to be “make all the roads safe enough for all”. But given the public’s insatiable appetite for driving and accidents involving
When meeting new people, I am always slightly wary of admitting where I attended university. The words ‘Oxford University’ rarely chime with positive stereotypes, more often eliciting remarks that I must be ‘posh’, or ‘rich’, or have attended a certain
ONE YEAR ago, Oxford programmer Peter Bushnell invented his own currency. Today, it is worth $3.8m. His creation, Feathercoin, is part of a growing trend in online-only currencies, known in the industry as cryptocurrencies. Entirely controlled
THREE of Oxfordshire’s MPs voted in favour of high speed rail last night. Nicola Blackwood, for Oxford West and Abingdon, Ed Vaizey, for Wantage, and John Howell, for Henley, all voted in favour of the controversial new train line between London
A CHILD has been involved in a collision in Grove. A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman said officers were called at 8.49am after being told a boy, believed to be aged 11, was in collision with a blue Corsa and sustained a leg injury. It is not
10:12am South Park set to host festival Second kidney transplant is keeping it in the family Firefighters called in to help move 45 obese patients in just five years £2.5m junction revamp
AN 84-year-old man is in hospital after he was involved in a collision with a car in Abingdon last night. The man was hurt in the accident at the Gainsborough Green junction with Reynolds Way at about 8.10pm. Thames Valley Police spokeswoman
Ryan Clarke believes Oxford United could have been in a relegation dogfight had it not been for their strong start to the season. The campaign has disintegrated spectacularly over the past two months, with the side tumbling from the automatic promotion
Patients about to undergo knee and shoulder operations will be able to access an interactive guide to their care thanks to new university research. Oxford University has been given £50,000 by charity Arthritis Research UK to develop a website and
A former teacher has been charged with sex crimes against a boy in the 1970s. David William Tuohy, of White House Road, Oxford, is accused of four counts of sexual assault and four counts of a serious sexual offence, alleged to have taken place
HEADINGTON headteacher Lynn Knapp was the belle of the ball as she danced her way to victory at this year’s Strictly Oxford. The Windmill Primary School principal beat 15 contestants in Sunday’s competition at the New Theatre in George Street.
A MAJOR new music and arts festival celebrating the best of Oxford is set to take place in the city’s South Park. The Oxford Mail can reveal plans are under way for the three-day event in September which is expected to attract more than 20,000
PART of taxi fares will rise by 20 per cent in West Oxfordshire. West Oxfordshire District Council approved a request by a group of seven taxi firm owners to increase the maximum fare for the first one-tenth of a mile from £2 to £2.40. The charge
FILM crews are back in Oxford this week shooting scenes for the eighth series of ITV detective drama Lewis. The Inspector Morse spin-off stars Kevin Whately, and Laurence Fox and six new episodes are being filmed. Filming is expected to take
A man was rescued from the River Thames yesterday morning and detained under the Mental Health Act. Thames Valley Police were called to Abingdon Bridge at about 9am after concerns were raised about the 20-year-old’s welfare. Spokeswoman Hannah
HEADINGTON father Barnaby Kemp is now even closer to his family after two of them donated kidneys to him. The 41-year-old this month received a kidney from his sister at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital – 13 years after his father gave him one.
A MEMORIAL to be unveiled this weekend has been hailed as a fitting tribute to the four people killed in a plane crash in 1941. The stainless steel commemorative plaque will be revealed on Sunday at a ceremony at Wolfson College in North Oxford
NATIONAL 2 SOUTH CHINNOR avoided the drop after beating Exmouth 32-12 at Kingsey Road and results elsewhere going their way. Although they did not play consistently well, the hosts gained a bonus-point victory, with captain and No 8 Liam Gilbert
ANDREW Smith feels the time is right to hang up his boots after a career spanning almost 30 years of senior rugby. The hugely experienced lock and player coach announced his retirement after helping Chinnor survive in National 2 South. It was
IT is apt that in this year of heightened awareness of our war dead that there will finally be a plaque commemorating the tragic RAF crash of 1941 in Linton Road that killed four people. Campaigners had been struggling to get the correct spelling
A SUPERB second round saw Paul Simpson win the Burford Pro-Am for the seventh time. The West Berks professional, who lives in Witney, carded a net 68 with amateur partner and clubmate Tony Coventry. Their 140 total was four shots better than
Wantage Town clinched the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division title with a sparkling 5-1 win at Abingdon Town last night to secure promotion to the Calor League. The final whistle sparked a pitch invasion as Wantage’s fans celebrated reaching
Alan Jarvis, who is based at Twyford, near Bicester, will have his appeal against the British Horseracing Authority’s decision that he is no longer a suitable person to hold a training licence heard on Tuesday, May 13. The 75-year-old handler,
Berkshire, the star of Paul Cole’s Whatcombe stables, near Wantage, will miss Saturday’s Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. The colt disappointed on his reappearance in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury.
Justin Burnell says London Welsh must improve their discipline for the Greene King IPA Championship play-offs. The Exiles’ head coach was left frustrated after his side received a second successive red card during their 64-12 victory over Nottingham
PEOPLE who live in North Oxfordshire are being asked to help draw up new wards for Cherwell District Council. After a public consultation earlier this year, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England has announced that it is likely to
NATIONAL 2 SOUTH MATT Williams had a busy afternoon as Chinnor completed their escape from relegation. Staying up was the brief when Williams joined as director of rugby in February – and he achieved it by two points. “I have never spent
A FORMER paper mill site could be sold off after its owners’ vision for the site was criticised. Oxford University is now considering selling off its former paper mill land in Wolvercote, but without planning permission, after a large number of
A SEA of pink cyclists, runners, walkers and wheelchair users poured through Wantage on Sunday for the town’s first Standing Up To Cancer Day. More than 500 people set off from the Market Place at 9.30am to run five, 10 or 20km. It was organised
A woman was taken to hospital yesterday after coming off her scooter in Tackley. Thames Valley Police were called to the incident at 7.34am following the fall from the silver and black Kymco scooter. A spokeswoman said no other vehicles were
A 39-year-old man has appeared in court accused of badly hurting a man in a Witney pub fight. David Hopkins, of Hazeldene Close in Eynsham, appeared at Banbury Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with grievous bodily harm with intent following
A MAN accused of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply was found by police hiding in an airing cupboard, a jury heard yesterday. Devon Nelson, of Rose Hill, Oxford, denies four counts of possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent
OXFORD University is hoping to become an accredited living wage employer. The university already pays its staff a living wage, higher than the minimum wage, to take into account the cost of living. But if it became an accredited employer this
AN INVESTIGATION has been carried out after concerns were raised about health and safety at the site of a hydro scheme on Osney Island, West Oxford. But the Environment Agency yesterday ruled the site at Osney Lock – where workers are building
A construction company which wants George Street in Oxford closed next month has apologised for the inconvenience the work may cause. Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to shut the city centre road for around a month from Sunday, May 11, because
A collapsed manhole at the Cutteslowe Roundabout in Oxford caused traffic delays yesterday. Emergency repairs closed one lane on the westbound carriageway of the Elsfield Way section of the A40, causing traffic queues back to the Northern Bypass
CONFERENCE LEAGUE SOUTH RUAIRI Lynch’s hat-trick of tries could not save Oxford Cavaliers from a 44-30 defeat at Leicester Storm. Cavaliers have now lost two from two in their debut season at this level, but at least showed their battling qualities
WORK started yesterday on the second phase of improvements to the Wendlebury M40/ A34 interchange near Bicester. It is hoped the improvements to the M40 junction nine, which include widening lanes on the roundabout and sensors to monitor traffic
THE third man charged in connection with the fatal stabbing of Connor Tremble appeared in court yesterday. Bradley Jones, of New Road, Bledington, near Chipping Norton, appeared at Oxford Crown Court and is charged with perverting the course of
A MAJOR scheme to improve a junction in Witney will only work if other road improvements are made, according to councillors and residents. Oxfordshire County Council yesterday announced the £2.5m project, to build a new traffic signal-controlled
NATIONAL 1 HENLEY Hawks were relegated to National 2 South, despite a batting 14-14 draw at drop-zone rivals Tynedale. Hawks needed to win and deny Tynedale a bonus point to guarantee survival, but could not build on a 6-0 lead. However
MIDLANDS 2 WEST PLAY-OFF BANBURY Bulls missed out on a place in Midlands 1 after being edged out 18-13 at Crewe & Nantwich. Bulls battled throughout and twice held Crewe up early on. Crewe took the lead with a penalty from fly half
COUNTY firefighters have assisted paramedics in getting medical treatment to more than 40 overweight patients over a five-year period. Crews have been dispatched to help lift obese people and to offer their specialist rescue advice and gear.
EVERYONE deserves to be cared for by the state and treated with respect, no matter what their personal circumstances are. However, the cases where firefighters have been sent out to use their specialist rescue skills to assist paramedics because
Danish teenager Nicolas Beer starred on his BRDC Formula 4 Championship debut for the Chipping Norton-based Sean Walkinshaw Racing team at Silverstone over the weekend. Having finished fourth in Saturday’s first race and second in race two on Sunday
Oxfordshire need a miracle to avoid the drop from the BDO Inter-Counties Championship Premier Division after they went down 27-12 to second-placed Lancashire in Wigan over the weeklend. Bottom-of-the-table Oxon must now defeat relegation rivals
A former council worker told a tribunal yesterday that she was discriminated against after complaining about her boss when she was passed over for promotion. The panel, which was considering allegations under “protected information disclosure”
ROUND-UP LITTLEMORE upset Gosford All Blacks 26-21 in their final BB&O Premier Division match. Sam Coughlan, Simon Gamble, Jamie Kirkaldy and Jake Dawson scored Littlemore’s tries, Gamble converting three. Marc Grant, Ben Bodinham and
AN OXFORD University events co-ordinator, who claimed she was forced out of her job by a new boss, was not constructively dismissed, an employment tribunal ruled yesterday. Catriona Carter Jonas sued the Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the
FLOOD defences protecting South Hinksey built in February were finally removed at the weekend. The 600-metre wall of concrete blocks was installed by solders of the Royal Logistic Corps from Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, to shield the village’s 80
CHLOE Wood, nine, Alisha Pitts, 10 and Lara Plested, eight, demonstrated their karate skills at a community “sports day” in Oxford’s Bonn Square. The brown-belt fighters were representing Oxford Sport and Traditional Martial Arts, which runs classes
A POLICE station has been earmarked as the latest force building that could be redeveloped into homes for the elderly. Thame Police Station has been identified by Churchill Retirement Living which wants to demolish the site and build 45 sheltered
SIX-YEAR-OLD Alice West was among people from Ducklington who were out enjoying Fritillary Sunday. The celebration, which sees the owners of Fritillary Meadow, the Peel family, open up their land for walkers to come and see Fritillary wildflowers
ON October 4, 1784, Oxford aeronaut James Sadler made history by becoming the first Englishman to fly in a hot air balloon. He took off from Merton Field, in Oxford, to the disbelief of watching crowds, and 30 minutes later landed safely six miles
