AN Abingdon school will get new sports facilities thanks to a £44,000 grant from the Armed Forces. After applying for a grant from the Armed Forces Community Covenant fund, Larkmead School will use the money to invest in a planned £80,000 scheme
THEY spend their days helping others but last week were given a chance to relax and be pampered. Carers in West Oxfordshire had their nails done by students at the Oxford International College of Beauty in High Street, Witney. It was put together
VOLUNTEERS helped to transform more than two kilometres of riverbank along the Thames. Restoring lost wetland features and wildlife habitats, Little Wittenham-based charity Earth Trust recruited 10 people to join their River of Life project last
MENTAL health patients have been left “devastated” by cuts to one of the county’s therapy sessions. The Department of Health has directly funded Oxfordshire Complex Needs Service (CNS) with £700,000 a year for three years. But it has withdrawn
BALLOONING was a dangerous occupation back in the 18th century. And one of the most daring aeronauts was Oxford’s own James Sadler. An uneducated pastry cook, he worked at his father’s business, The Lemon Hall Refreshment House, in High Street.
YES - Val Smith, Oxfordshire County Councillor for Blackbird Leys Early intervention – stepping in as soon as possible when things are going wrong – works. It is an approach which offers us a real opportunity to make lasting improvements in
Thames Valley Police ask us to be public spirited and crime minded. I wished to give some confidential information and dialled 101. I asked to be connected to the department in St Aldate’s, but after four minutes I was connected to Milton Keynes
MANY people turn 100 every month. I find it totally amazing that someone who sells raffle tickets at bingo gets a full page about it, Neighbourhood bash turns into a 100th birthday party, May 15. There are many people of 90 to 100, who work
ON Saturday afternoon l took two nine-year-old boys to Hinksey pool so they could swim and l would spectate. I was shocked when l was told l needed to pay £13.50. When l queried this amount, l was told that l needed to pay for an adult swim
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THE proposal by the Government to make all new vehicles be fitted with automatic braking systems is a good idea at concept stage but will, if becoming law, be used by some drivers to speed in built-up areas. Surely a more workable solution to safety
oday, May 21, the Vale of White Horse Planning Committee will have the chance to prevent a coach and horses, or, rather, hundreds of HGVs being driven through plans for the development of Science Vale. The problem is that Diageo Pension Fund, which
I WAS sorry to read that the Bott family were unhappy with the care given at Bridge House but, as they have chosen to speak publicly, I feel I would like to put the other side of the picture. My mother-in-law has been at Bridge House for 10 months
On (May 13) you reported North Hinksey Parish Council member, Mr Chris Church, as saying of the West Way plans: “The parish council…will continue to oppose them because at the moment it would be too big.” I would like to point out on behalf of
A MOTORCYCLIST was killed in a collision with a van on the A40 between Burford and Northleach today. The crash occurred near the turns to Little Barrington and Windrush, at about 11am. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.
A DRINK driver from Chalgrove travelling down the wrong side of a road at 60pmh had her car rammed by police to prevent a serious crash. Perri Game, of Mill Lane, was today jailed for four months after driving north along the southbound carriage
James Constable has turned down Oxford United's new contract offer and has joined Eastleigh on a two-year deal. The iconic striker, who is just one goal short of equalling the all-time goalscoring record, was offered a new contract after his previous
A TEENAGE girl woke up in a strange house after a night out where she was sexually assaulted by two men, a jury heard today. The prosecution has this morning opened it's case in the trial of Zeeshan Ahmed, 28, Bilal Ahmed, 27, and Mustafa Ahmed
A HERCULES aircraft from RAF Brize Norton has been sent to help in the search for four British sailors who have gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft took off from the West Oxfordshire RAF base at 5am this morning and will join the US
NOT content with bringing up eight of her own children, Jenny Barney has taken in more than 50 foster children from across Oxfordshire. She is one of Oxfordshire’s 293 dedicated foster carers and she and husband John have taken in dozens of children
Wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill’s famous Austin car is among a collection of 457 classic British cars up for sale. Estimated to be worth £100m, the collection is the largest in the country and was amassed over 35 years. It has
DIDCOT Girls’ School’s footballers are the toast of Oxfordshire after being crowned national champions for the second successive year. They lifted the English Schools’ FA Girls Under 14 PlayStation Schools’ Cup with a sparkling 5-2 win over Kibworth
TWO golf club owners who were jailed over the extension of their course are returning to court to battle with Oxfordshire County Council. The Wyatt brothers face having their assets taken away in their dispute with the local authority. Waste
NEIL Lyon achieved every aunt sally player’s dream with a magical maximum 18 dolls. Lyon’s landmark display came for the Three Pigeons (Witney) in their 3-0 home win over Yarnton British Legion in Section 1 of the Greene King Oxford & District
SOCIAL media is revolutionising the way politicians work. But it should only be used for political debate – not for launching questionable attacks on opposition parties. As shown with Nick Clegg’s visit to Oxford yesterday, political debate can
Almost 1,500 strokes are diagnosed in Oxfordshire every year, and more than 11,000 of the county’s residents are stroke survivors. One in six of us will have a stroke at some point in our lives, but in many cases this can be prevented. The Stroke
SOCIAL media is revolutionising the way politicians work. But it should only be used for political debate – not for launching questionable attacks on opposition parties. As shown with Nick Clegg’s visit to Oxford yesterday, political debate can
Teenage table tennis coach Simon Price has been named as Oxford’s fourth baton bearer, to carry the Queen’s Baton ahead of the XX Commonwealth Games. The 18-year-old, who lives near Abingdon, was revealed to be the final Batonbearer by the city
A MAN who jokingly asked to check tickets on an Oxford-bound train was punched twice in the face in an assault that left him with cuts and a pair of broken glasses. British Transport Police said most travellers laughed off the joke but one man
DAZZLING lights and handmade lanterns were pride of place at an Artweeks exhibition. Will Griffiths spent nearly 10 hours crafting each shade. And now the 21-year-old student from Oxford, pictured, is able to show his work. Mr Griffiths
FARMERS are hoping for a fruitful summer as strawberry season arrives. The Pick Your Own at Millets Farm in Frilford is to open on Saturday and the juiciest strawberries will be ready to pick in about two weeks. The farm’s events assistant
NEIL Lyon’s 18-doll haul saw the Three Pigeons continue their super start to the season, writes ANDY BEAL. Lyon’s triple-sixer helped his side to a 3-0 home victory over Yarnton British Legion and means they are yet to drop a leg in this season
THE victim of an attack in a Witney pub has left hospital more than two weeks after the assault. Mark Maisey was badly hurt at the Red Lion in Corn Street in the early hours of Sunday, April 27. David Hopkins, 39, of Hazeldene Close, Eynsham
A grandmother hit by a fire engine died from an “unsurvivable brain injury”, an inquest heard yesterday. Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter said widow Sultan Begum, 79, died at the John Radcliffe Hospital at 7.25pm on Friday after she stepped into
AN OUTBREAK of mumps has hit students at Brasenose College. Last night there were 18 confirmed cases reported over the last five days at the Radcliffe Square college, right. Health authorities are now working to contain the outbreak. The
4:28pm Here's another chance to listen to this week's featured artist - The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band. The Oxfordshire seven-piece play jump-blues and vintage jazz with electrifying gusto, and, this summer, grace the
Firefighters and police were called to four arson attacks on one estate. In the early hours of yesterday morning, the emergency services dealt with four bin fires on the Bretch Hill estate. The fire service said the incidents were arson attacks
Oxford Brookes chancellor Shami Chakrabarti will help celebrate the university’s award for the best building in the south of England next month. The university’s John Henry Brookes building, which opened this year, was named Building of the Year
BANK Holiday commuters are hoping for a clear run on the roads and railways, but the weather is less inviting. The Highways Agency has lifted dozens of roadworks across the county’s motorways and A roads to help motorists looking for a weekend
One home and three garages were raided by thieves in the village near Banbury at the weekend. A computer, a laptop, and a wallet were stolen from the house in Church Lane, a bike was taken from a garage in Main Street and garages in Main Street
A 31-year-old man has admitted possessing heroin with intent to supply. Sebastian Slevin, of Church Close, Weston-on-the-Green, pleaded guilty to the charge yesterday in Oxford Crown Court. He was released on bail and will be sentenced on Thursday
OXFORD’S oldest cinema has reached the final phase of a major revamp thanks to help from movie lovers. East Oxford’s Ultimate Picture Palace has been undergoing a major £100,000 refurbishment over the past three years. And yesterday more than
Oxfordshire FA plan to run a new league at Rose Hill Recreational Ground in Oxford, starting on June 29. The 11-a-side competition is aimed at new players aged 16 and over, not existing teams and will run on Sunday mornings for around six-eight
GRAHAM SCOTT'S MATCH OF THE DAY OXFORD 2nd sit proudly on top of the fledgling Division 1 table after maintaining their winning start to the season with a 50-run victory at Thame Town on Saturday. Wicket-keeper batsman Sam Chilvers and left-arm
Division 1 TIDDINGTON'S first home match in the top flight turned into a disaster when they were battered by Banbury 2nd and failed to earn a single point. After a steady start, the home side slumped from 30 without loss to 88 all out, Ollie
CARA Kerby netted a hat-trick as Grove Challengers took the Under 10 Oxford Mail Girls League Cup with a 3-1 win against Summertown Stars White. Leshea Guiste hit the Stars’ reply at Thame United. There was also a three-goal haul in the Under
MINSTER Lovell went top of Division 1 following a 68-run defeat of Cowley Internationals, writes DAVID QUINN. Charlie Fisher was the star of the show, top-scoring with 35, as Minster set Cowley 145 to win, and claiming 6-31 as they capitulated
LEAH GRAHAM’S final wish of a charity to support teenagers with cystic fibrosis is a step closer to becoming reality. Her mother, Selina Jeacock, has now raised the £5,000 she needs to officially register Leah’s Wish as a charity. Cystic fibrosis
A Humpty doll used on the children’s TV show Playschool fetched more than £6,000 at auction yesterday. The 53cm-high toy was sold at Bonham’s to a private buyer for £6,250. Humpty was one of a number of original dolls made for the BBC show,
Matt Peake-Pijen hit a hat-trick as Oxfordshire Under 16s won 3-1 at Birmingham to be crowned Midland Counties Youth champions. It saw Oxon complete their programme with a perfect record of four wins from as many games. Peake-Pijen opened the
A woman was taken to hospital after a crash involving two cars in Dunmore Road. She was treated at the scene before being taken by ambulance to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with suspected leg and neck injuries. The accident happened
Division 2 CHALLOW & Childrey had no answer to off spinner Mark Strong as they slipped to defeat at Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts. Strong’s figures of 3-19 may not appear remarkable – except that they came from 17 miserly overs
BANBURY MP Sir Tony Baldry has written to Labour leader Ed Miliband complaining about a tweet posted by an Oxfordshire councillor. Labour county councillor for Banbury Calthorpe Mark Cherry’s feed posted a message on social networking website Twitter
A MAN who set fire to his flat in a suicide bid is to receive mental health treatment in the community. Stephen Conway, of Russ Avenue, Faringdon, admitted one count of arson reckless as to whether life was endangered on Tuesday, July 2 last year
KEEPING up with the Burford Orchestra is no piece of cake. Especially when you have not picked up your bow and violin for 18 years. But mother-of-two Yolanda Harrison, who lives in the town, couldn’t wait to take part in a drop-in come and
LIB Dem leader Nick Clegg has admitted tomorrow’s local and European elections will be “tough” for his party. But he has said that the Liberal Democrats’ performance in Oxfordshire could indicate whether the party will win back one of its target
THE body that makes most county NHS funding decisions has narrowly avoided an overspend after being let off bills worth millions of pounds. Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) was on course to overspend £6.1m against a planned budget
SHE knitted her way through lengths of wool, spinning it round her forehead and Emma Mayoux-Andrews didn’t even use needles. The 23 year-old artist learned the art of finger-knitting at Barclays Bank in Headington and helped some local residents
LONDON Welsh scrum half Tyson Keats will miss the Greene King IPA Championship play-off final after being ruled out for six months with an Achilles injury. He went off injured in the first half of the Exiles’ semi-final second-leg victory over
THE opening of Didcot’s new £22m leisure centre will be delayed by a year because negotiations to buy land have stalled, according to a leading councillor. The new centre, which will include a 25m eight-lane pool, is due to open as part of a 2,000
TWO Oxfordshire green energy projects are in the run for a national award. Low Carbon Hub Oxford and the West Mill Solar Park at Watchfield are nominated for The Observer’s 2014 Ethical Award for community energy projects. They have been picked
WHIZZING robots brought a smile to IT developers as they flew across the King’s Centre. And these machines can even be controlled by a hoodie. Developer Andrew Nesbitt, 29, from Bath, joined friend Francis Gulotta, 30, to demonstrate inventions
