A VILLAGE hall near Bicester has been given a makeover thanks to community grants. The roof of Ambrosden Village Hall has been insulated, the tiles replaced and an old bell tower and chimney removed, thanks to a £50,000 grant from Viridor Credits
SHOPPERS got a flavour of the food on offer from local producers as the county hosted two festivals showcasing Oxfordshire cuisine. The events were held in Witney and Wallingford over the weekend and attracted thousands of visitors. Organisers
TWO teenage drivers have been spared jail after one of them crashed their car into a cyclist as they raced through South Oxfordshire. Lewis Herbert and Tommy Stapleton were handed 18-month suspended prison sentences at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday
A TEENAGE swimmer whose life fell apart after being diagnosed with a life-limiting spinal cord condition is now making a splash back in the water, writes Annabal Bagdi. Sheridan Jenkins, 17, was left devastated when she was diagnosed with scoliosis
Police have dropped their investigation into the claim a woman was raped in the city centre last Thursday. A police spokeswoman confirmed tonight that no crime had taken place. Officers were called at about 3.15am on Thursday and told that
A thief reached through an open window and stole a laptop and a mobile phone. Thames Valley Police said the burglary happened in Iffley Road near Donnington Bridge Road, Oxford, between Saturday and Sunday.
GREENE KING IPA CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY–OFFS London Welsh 29 (tries Kirwan, Stegmann, Stedman; con Ross; pens Ross 4) Leeds Carnegie 20 (tries McColl, Beech; cons Hughes, Lozowski; pens Lozowski 2) Welsh win 60-58 on aggregate GORDON Ross
Firefighters tackled a window frame on fire at a three-storey house on Sunday night. Three fire engines, from Wheatley, Thame and Oxford’s Slade Park, were sent to the fire at Langsmead House in London Road, Milton Common. They were called
Three budding artists picked up prizes in a national painting competition run by United Biscuits in 1981. Stacey Sadler, seven, of Catmore Close, Nicholas Smith, nine, of Cherry Tree Close, and James King, 11, of Godfrey Close, were presented with
PUPILS at Marlborough School, Woodstock, entered the duck-breeding business in 1971 as part of their studies. They wanted to find out why human efforts to hatch mallard ducklings failed so badly compared with the real thing. Seen making friends
THE shove-halfpenny team at the White Horse pub in Broad Street, Oxford, had plenty to shout about. They had had a highly- successful run and when this picture was taken in 1959, they were happy to display the host of awards they had won over the
A MANAGER known as Tiny of the Mitre struck an early blow for women’s lib at the famous Oxford hotel. Amy Spearing earned her nickname because she was not very tall and was evidently highly efficient and successful at her job. One of her achievements
DO YOU remember Whammer, Lasky, Aggie, Jasper, Coffee Pot, Sherlock, Pluto, Fritz, Killer and Biff? If so, you will have attended Cheney School at Headington, Oxford. These were some of the nicknames pupils gave their teachers. Former students
WHAT was captivating the attention of these children? It was a Punch and Judy show. Even in 1962, when this picture was taken, there appeared to be some surprise that a show of that sort was so popular. Our sister paper, The Oxford Times, reported
IN the last month 300 fewer people have applied for Jobseekers’ Allowance in Oxfordshire, and more young people are turning to construction apprenticeships. ALEX WYNICK met trainee builders at the South East regional final of the SkillBuild competition
RYAN Clarke and Andy Whing will miss Oxford United's pre-season after it emerged the pair need operations. Clarke, United’s player of the season, requires surgery to correct a long-standing problem affecting a bone in one of the goalkeeper’s feet
Want to give your opinion? Email letters@oxfordmail.co.uk
SUMMER 2014 marks the start of four years of commemoration of the First World War – commemoration, not celebration; a recapturing of memories on all sides of the conflict. For the first time, this was a war involving everyone, and everyone made
THIS week, 72 companies, university research departments and charities involved in animal experimentation signed a so-called ‘concordat on openness’. But it will do little to combat the secrecy of vivisection. Instead, the concordat forms part
THOSE who care about our wildlife will be appalled by the Government’s latest decision to conduct secret trials, involving the gassing of badgers in their setts. This is presumably in response to that royal guru, Princess Anne, who was permitted
I READ your report with disbelief and anger that OCC are spending £40,000 on revamping the traffic lights and crossing on the eastern bypass at the Kiln Lane turn. For some years there has been a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing on the A40
IT is nice to know that many members of the Marston community turned out to voice their local concerns to Councillor Mick Haines, at his council surgery. It was held at Mortimer Hall on May 2, 2014. There were in excess of 20 local people who made
ABSOLUTELY amazing. After not agreeing with the first independent arbitrator’s findings on the proposed rent increase for the Covered Market, they set about setting up another independent arbitrator to look into rent increases. If the first arbitrator
A 43-year-old Banbury man has not been seen since Saturday evening. Andy Lever was last seen by his family in Portway and police believe he may have driven his blue Ford Ka to Cambridgeshire. Thames Valley Police described the missing man as
ONE lane is closed on the A423 Southern By-Pass Road following a crash. Drivers are facing delays after two vehicles collided on the westbound carriageway at A4144 Abingdon Road. Police are on the scene at the Kennington Roundabout. A spokeswoman
OXFORD might be the county’s most left-wing district, but two parties on the right are hoping to make a breakthrough next week. The Conservative Party has fielded candidates in all wards for Thursday’s Oxford City Council elections and UKIP is
OXFORD MAGISTRATES Nicola Percival, 54, of Dorchester Crescent, Abingdon, admitted failing to provide a specimen for analysis at Abingdon Police Station in Colwell Drive, Abingdon, on November 29. Fined £240, told to pay a £24 victims’ surcharge
Swimmers at Didcot’s Barramundi swimming club helped raise £3,087 for one of their peers who has a rare allergy to food. Nat Armstrong, 16, a City of Oxford Swimming Club member, has candidiasis, a form of yeast infection which has affected his
OXFORD United will host Sky Bet League One champions Wolverhampton Wanderers as part of their warm-up for the new season. The friendly against Kenny Jackett’s men, who broke the 100-point barrier on the way back to the Championship, is the first
I loved this letter in last Friday’s paper... “I have just had one of the best holidays of my life. Having been taken (speedily) from my home to my destination, I found myself in a bed I would love to have at home, with a great view from my bedroom
THE first time Rosemary Stone hallucinated she was at a concert at St Helen’s Church in Abingdon. The partially-sighted 86-year-old was watching the orchestra when she suddenly saw little people in old-fashioned dress walking in between the musicians
The Rev John Pritchard, Bishop of Oxford It’s funny how it often happens. Since Easter a whole lot of people I have known and respected have died. It happens after Christmas too. I can’t explain it. It’s as if they wait for the great festivals
6:45pm Police have halted their investigation into the allegation a woman was raped in George Street Mews, Oxford, last week 2:56pm Oxford United have
LONDON Welsh head coach Justin Burnell praised Gordon Ross’s resilience after his dramatic late penalty clinched a Greene King IPA Championship play-off spot. Fly half Ross struggled with the boot for much of the match, but came good to clinch
DRIVERS are facing delays as they head into Oxford this morning. Traffic is slow on routes heading into the city, including Botley Road, the A34, the A423 southern bypass, and A40. There is no specific cause for the problems, but George Street
FEWER than half of Oxford families own the roof over their heads for the first time in three decades. Just 47 per cent of the city’s homes are occupied by the people who own them with the rest rented out by private landlords, councils or housing
WELCOME to generation rent, a land where the great British dream of owning your own home has become a nightmare. New figures prove beyond doubt what many of us have known for some time: that more and more people are simply unable to get on the
TWO teenagers have been charged with an armed robbery at a Risinghurst bookmakers. Shumon Hassan, of Humfrey Road in Barton, and Abdullah Mohammed, of Harcourt Terrace in Headington, have been accused of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm
SUNSEEKERS headed out in their droves as Oxfordshire bathed in the hottest weather this year so far. The mercury shot to 22.8°C in Brize Norton on Saturday, the warm-est part of the county all weekend, and 20.9°C yesterday. And after a miserable
A TRADITION marched on at the weekend as Levellers Day was marked in Burford. The parade happens every year to mark the execution of three soldiers in the town in 1649. The men were the ringleaders of more than 300 members of the Levellers
CANCER sufferers and other patients will get psychological support at Oxford hospitals through a project believed to be the first of its kind in the UK. A full-time psychiatrist and three mental health nurses are expected to be hired by the autumn
THE mind is a powerful thing. It can drive people to extraordinary achievements or drag them down to very dark places. For those who have suffered from serious illness, physical recovery is only part of the battle. The psychological damage
League Cup finals Under 10: Grove Challengers 3, Summertown Stars White 1. Under 11: Tower Hill Vixens 0, Oxford City 1. Under 12: Oxford City 4, Crowmarsh 0. Under 13: Stonesfield Strikers 2, Banbury Utd 0. Under 14: Kidlington
OXFORD MAIL YOUTH LEAGUE Under 11 Spring A League: Reading Town v Summertown Stars White pp. Spring B League: Rotherfield United 2, Cumnor Minors 2. Under 13 A League: Cumnor Minors 1, Horspath Youth 6. B League: Summertown Stars 1, Ardley
Joe White hit a century as Great & Little Tew bounced back from a disappointing opening-match defeat with a thumping 146-run victory over Oxfordshire rivals Shipton-under-Wychwood. White shared a second-wicket partnership of 175 with Harry
A brilliant century from Tim Morgan could not save Aston Rowant from a 15-run defeat at home to Slough in a high-scoring Home Counties Premier League Division 1 game of 587 runs. Set a massive 302 for victory in the 50-over match, Rowant knew that
Oxfordshire maintained their all-conquering form when beating Herefordshire by six wickets at Eastnor yesterday to top Group 4 in the Unicorns Trophy. In the clash between the two unbeaten teams, it was the visitors who prevailed to make it four
POLICE want to speak to this man, pictured on CCTV, after two men suffered cuts and bruises to their faces in a Banbury pub attack. Thames Valley Police released the image on Saturday after the assault on the men, aged, 39 and 47. It happened
Excellent seam bowling set up Oxford for a tense three-wicket victory at home to Tring Park in their first full game back in the top flight. After being abandoned after five overs last week, Oxford soon got on top after Tring chose to bat.
Oxford United slipped to a sixth successive defeat in the Women's Super League 2 when going down 2-0 to Millwall at the Den yesterday, writes Matthew Bruce. The U’s, dominant for large periods of the game, were hit by goals from Cherelle Albert
RACING through the hilly grounds of Blenheim Palace in the summer sunshine was no picnic. But one competitor was all smiles at the end of the four-mile route after he smashed his personal best by 18 minutes. Wheelchair user Edward McDonagh
Firefighters tackled a window frame on fire at a three-storey house on Sunday night. Three fire engines, from Wheatley, Thames and Oxford’s Slade Park, were sent to the fire at Langsmead House on London Road in Milton Common. They were called
Division 1 Slough 301 (W Hussain 86, S Khan 45, S Yousaf 71, W Morrick 4-48, R Hopwood 4-55), Aston Rowant 286-9 (T Morgan 108, N Ferraby 72, Z Sher 3-53). Henley 209-8 (M Roberts 56, T Afridi 40no), Banbury 213-3 (N Hawkes 109no, D Harris
Lawrence Clarke returned to his best with back-to-back victories over the weekend, writes STUART WEIR. The 110m hurdler, from Christmas Common, has only just returned to competitive athletics action after injury. But Clarke proved he is over
WILL he be able to talk the talk in Beijing? Abingdon School pupil Oliver Sayeed has been selected for the second year running to represent the UK at the International Linguistics Olympiad. The 12th annual contest will take place in Beijing
THE PARENTS of a man who hanged himself the day after telling his GP he was having suicidal thoughts have asked why they weren’t told. Nicholas Wilkes, whose parents Susan and John described as “one of life’s originals”, took his life at the family
Division 1 Chadlington 177-6 (M North 51no), Shrivenham 180-2 (S Khan 50, C Taylor 49no, W Snell 42). Minster Lovell 144 (C Fisher 35, E Graham 34, A Khan 4-30), Cowley Internationals 76 (C Fisher 6-31). Great Horwood 155-9 (N Taylor 41no
Division 1 Buckingham Town 288-6 (A Pearson 119no, J Parish 46, S Myatt 40, G Humphries 3-72), Great Brickhill 221-7 (D Aris 48, P Prasad 44, B Webb 40no, W Platts 3-60). Oxford 2nd 180, Thame Town 131. Tiddington 88 (O Wright 5-37), Banbury
A terrific bowling display saw Horspath send Falkland crashing to 68 all out at the Recreation Ground to set up their first win since returning to Home Counties Premier League Division 2. However, the triumph wasn't achieved without a scare as
Nathan Hawkes hammered a spect-acular century as Banbury routed defending champions Henley by seven wickets to make it two wins out of two in Home Counties Premier League Division 1. Chasing 210 for victory, hosts Banbury soon lost Lloyd Sabin
Police broke up an illegal music event at Christmas Common's Queen Wood and asked about 50 people to leave. Police were called at 11.15am on Saturday. The scene was cleared by 2pm and there were no arrests. It came after police warned farmers
MORE than 1,000 homes and businesses were left without power yesterday after a fault with an underground cable. Among those hit was the Modern Art Oxford gallery, which had to close as a result, and there were reports of no electricity across the
HOSPITAL managers say they are confident about plans to get foundation trust status, despite concerns in a critical report by inspectors. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive Sir Jonathan Michael spoke after concerns about the
STADIUM owner Firoz Kassam was one of a run of Oxfordshire names listed as the UK’s wealthiest in the Sunday Times’s Rich List 2014. The list of 1,000 names also featured former Kidlington resident Sir Richard Branson, who was 23rd richest with
HUNDREDS of mourners gathered at the Central Oxford Mosque yesterday to say goodbye to a grandmother killed in a collision with a fire engine. Sultana Begum, 79, died at the John Radcliffe Hospital on Friday evening following the accident in Cowley
OXFORD’S SAE institute for music and film studies has agreed to reserve up to 40 places for City of Oxford College students. Places will be offered for students to study for degrees in animation, audio production, game programming, music business
Oxfordshire's Bradley Smith maintained his consistent form when finishing tenth in the French MotoGP at Le Mans yesterday. The Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider, who qualified in tenth, climbed up to fifth by the second lap. Smith got shuffled back to
LAURIE Taylor is looking forward to her role as Oxford’s new city centre manager as work on the new Westgate shopping centre moves forward. Mum-of-one Miss Taylor, 39, from Oxford, will start her new job on June 30, after being appointed by Oxford
PENSIONER Adriana Young took a moment to enjoy the view before she descended 100ft down Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital. The 89-year-old was raising cash for the hospital’s heart unit yesterday with friend Jenny Atkinson, 80. The Italian-born
MARGARET Plumb, 81, was among visitors to West Oxfordshire’s Kingham Lodge as part of a week-long celebration of art. More than 150 sculptures are on display in the five acres of grounds in the heart of Kingham as part of Artweeks, which highlights
A GREEN organisation in Oxford is to offer residents shares in a clean energy scheme worth more than £2m. Low Carbon Hub plans to roll out a scheme across the county, in which solar panels will be installed on the roofs of school and business premises
OXFORD City last night announced that Justin Merritt will be their new general manager and Enrique Guillen head coach. The Skrill North club have been searching for a new boss since sacking Mike Ford on April 30. Merritt has had a previous
Eddie Pepperell, who early in his second round led by five strokes, ended up joint 24th in the Spanish Open at Catalunya yesterday. The Frilford Heath golfer’s hopes of a first European Tour win were dashed by a nightmare seven-over par 79 in the
The Rev Margreet Armitstead on her experiences working in a brain injury rehabilitation centre During my ordination training I worked for some time in a brain injury rehabilitation centre. This was a home for 13 adults who, at some point, had sustained
