A COMMUNITY group has revealed details of this week’s colourful fundraiser for Oxford’s first Hindu temple. The Oxford Hindu Temple and Community Centre Project will be hosting its fifth summer Mela at Manzil Way’s mental health charity Restore
STREETS in West Oxford will be competing against each other for the next few weeks as part of a new community initiative. The new venture is called “road rage”, and will see teams made up of residents from each of the area’s streets take on each
AFTER six years of waiting, work will finally begin on a major project for a new school and village hall in Bletchingdon. Work will start next month on the complex in Station Road. The £3.3m project will replace the 1870s Bletchingdon Primary
A CONSERVATIVE MP has launched a formal complaint against Cowley based charity Oxfam. Conor Burns, the MP for Bournemouth West, has criticised the charity for an “overtly political” fundraising campaign. He has complained to the Charity Commission
PATIENTS in the Leys will once again have a way to influence public health and care on the estate. Oxford City Council has restarted the Leys Health and Wellbeing Theme Group after it closed down for six months because of a staffing shortage.
MUSLIMS spreading the message of peace on wheels stopped in Oxford to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and Humanity First. More than 25 cyclists came to the city on Friday as part of a charity bike ride from Glasgow to London. They
A SUMMER full of colourful activities at South Oxford Adventure Playground (SOAP) will culminate with a multimedia art exhibition made by children. A “trashion” show, with clothes made of rubbish, will parade to a soundtrack of children playing
HEALTH leaders have demanded response times improve for the NHS 111 advice line in Oxfordshire. A national target demands 95 per cent of calls to the non-emergency line are answered within 60 seconds, but this was only met in six of the 12 months
The scale of the challenge posed by diabetes is vast and the number of sufferers across Oxfordshire is rising. Ten years ago there were 18,235 people aged 17 and over diagnosed with the condition in the county. But figures for 2012/13, the
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A CYCLIST reached into a motorist's car and grabbed him by the throat before punching him. Police have today released this image of a man they want to speak to following the attack on Tuesday, May 20. A police spokesman said the 31-year-old
TRAFFIC is delayed on the A34 southbound at Wytham due to an accident between a car and lorry. One lane is blocked. Updates will be posted automatically on our Live Traffic Service. Our top stories:
A WOMAN who cares for her elderly mother said a course to help those who look after people with dementia was a “life saver” and has now urged others to sign up. Pauline Maclean cares for her 90-year-old mother Ethel Henderson who suffers from the
LONDON Welsh have been paired with Edinburgh, Bordeaux and Lyon in next season’s European Rugby Challenge Cup. The Exiles will play each side home and away in Pool 4, with the group winners progressing to the quarter-finals.
Oxford United finalised their pre-season plans this morning when announcing a home clash with AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, August 2. Gary Waddock's side have six matches in preparation for the new Sky Bet League Two season, two of which will be
PUPILS have been helping their classmates save pocket money by running their own building society. Children at Long Wittenham CE Primary School have trained to be cashiers and receptionists for their Junior Newbury Building Society branch and each
SPELLBINDING stories of the Oxford Canal were performed in Jericho’s church in a competition for a heritage project. The four 10-minute radio plays were read for the first time to an audience at St Barnabas Church on Thursday. The finalists
A 38-YEAR-OLD woman helped murder two siblings in a revenge arson attack in Oxford's Magdalen Road nearly 17 years ago, a jury has heard today. Fiaz Munshi denies murdering eight-year-old Anum Khan and her brother Majid, 15, in the East Oxford
OXFORD’S Hannah England will run for Great Britain & Northern Ireland at the European Team Championships in Braunschweig, Germany. The Oxford City athlete will compete in the 1,500m at the event on June 21 and 22. England’s husband Luke
LONDON Welsh have this morning announced three more new signings in backs Tristan Roberts, Nick Reynolds and Chris Elder. Fly half Roberts signs from Bristol, centre Reynolds from Llanelli Scarlets and full back Elder from Plymouth Albion.
Cycling campaigner James Styring delivers the viewpoint of those on two wheels It’s peak cycling season again. I know this not because of the balmy, cloudless days and long, bright evenings, but because my arms and legs are a-tingling. The
MY heart goes out to the single dad and his young daughter who may have to move to Birmingham because Oxford City Council has said that there are not enough homes in the private rented market under the Local Housing Allowance rate of £825.80 a month
THE head of counter fraud for Oxfam has been sent to prison for theft from Oxfam. He had a very generous salary. This causes me to ask how many other employees are getting similar salaries? Some years ago, as a CID officer, I received information
WHILE driving through St Giles the other evening, paying particular attention to adhere to the 20mph speed limit, I was overtaken by two lycra-clad men on racing bikes. I glanced at my speedo which confirmed I was doing 20mph. As they disappeared
He’s taken on the NHS and got drugs and better funding for cancer patients everywhere. But his work is not over. This month, after a well deserved holiday, Clive Stone continues his daily chemo routine and continues his fight against the decision
OXFORD’S largest estate is set to get a horse and pony centre this summer to encourage children to learn about wildlife. Blackbird Leys resident Annie Blackwell is opening the centre in a field off Pettiwell Lane, Garsington. Miss Blackwell
THE results of six months of roadworks misery at Hinksey Hill and Kennington roundabouts could be so much better. The new ‘hamburger’ layout at Kennington will be able to handle more vehicles. Work on the bridges underneath the ring-road is long
PLEASE, please can you ask the county council why the ‘hamburger’ roundabout at Kennington will take six whole months to complete. This is a joke. Our roads are so jammed already. Instead of just accepting it and writing your story, why don
I HOPE that you will allow me to use your columns to refute some of the rather facile comments made on rail electrification made by one Adrian Taylor. I do so because my county division of Kennington and Radley will be heavily impacted by this programme
RESIDENTS in Wootton were hit by a power cut last night. Some 224 properties in the village, near Abingdon, were affected after an overhead line was damaged. Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) said the problem was reported at 11.05pm yesterday
A 53-year-old has been charged with five offences following Sunday’s collision on the A40 at Headington. Thomas Scanlon, of Stafford Road in Ruislip, Hillingdon, has been charged with using a motor vehicle on a road without third party insurance
A 49-year-old man is due in court later this month charged with voyeurism. Andrew Simpson, of Burford Road, Witney, faces two counts of voyeurism, on November 13, 2012, and between January 1, 2012 and November 13, 2012. He will appear at Banbury
Oxford United has announced that a permanent singing section will be included in the Kassam Stadium’s East Stand next season. The announcement yesterday followed talks between the club and fans’ group the Yellow Army over the scheme to boost the
PUNTING is still such a wonderful part of this city’s fabric – and we do it properly, unlike those oiks in Cambridge. So it is not surprising Google Maps has put the route between Magdalen and Wolfson colleges on its Internet service. Pro punter
THERE is, frankly, never quite enough blood donated for much of the year. The NHS Blood and Transplant Service is usually asking for people to take the time to donate, especially now when busy holiday schedules mean that the ‘army’ of donors may miss
THESE blooming wonderful water lilies are a surefire sign that British summer time is here. The nymphaea x daubenyana lilies have been turning into a burst of colour over the last month at Oxford’s Botanic Garden. Lucinda Lachelin, a botanical
FORMER England fly half Olly Barkley says he can’t wait to get stuck in after joining London Welsh. The 32-year-old stand-off is the first of several signings the Exiles are set to unveil having secured promotion back to the Aviva Premiership last
WORK to transform a major junction in Oxford began yesterday. Oxfordshire County Council is spending more than £6m to turn Kennington roundabout into a ‘hamburger’ junction. The change will see a new carriageway for eastbound traffic go through
LAST night, Mohammed Abbasi joined a very exclusive club. The 72-year-old Labour city councillor was elected as Oxford’s new Lord Mayor at a ceremony in the Town Hall. He will be only the second person to be Lord Mayor twice, after he served
A LATE runner has stepped in to buy Oxford Stadium just days before the deadline for bids closed. Wimbledon-based estate agent Robert Brinkley, who owns around 50 greyhounds, revealed he has put in a formal bid with agents CBRE to buy the Sandy
MORE than 1,800 children in north Oxfordshire had to live on three day’s worth of emergency food from food banks last year following a dramatic rise in demand. New figures published by the Trussell Trust, Oxford-based charity Oxfam and Church Action
5:14pm Here's another chance to listen to this week's featured artist on our Oxfordshire Bands showcase. It's Cowley lad Humphrey 'Huck' Astley with his dreamy Letter from Louise. The song comes from Huck's jazz-blues-folk
Williams' driver Felipe Massa has become involved in a bitter war of words with Sergio Perez following their horrific smash in the Canadian Grand Prix. The two men blamed each other for the last-lap crash in Sunday’s race. The stewards ultimately
Aoife Clark came from behind to pip Izzy Taylor and lead home an Oxfordshire one-two at the Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials in west Yorkshire. Taylor, from Aynho, near Banbury, led throughout the dressage and cross-country phases on
Stuart Newstead re-tained the North Ox-ford men’s club championship, but only after a play-off with his fellow eight-handicapper John Nicholson. For the first time in living memory, the championship was decided over 18 holes, after Saturday's play
A low-flying hot air balloon yesterday sparked a stir amongst commuters and dog walkers after it was seen landing in a Cowley field. Some people believed the red Virgin balloon, carrying about a dozen passengers, was in trouble but pilot Mark Shemilt
KINGSTONE PRESS CHAMPIONSHIP ONE TWO late tries from Sean Morris proved in vain as Oxford RL went down 36-22 at home to Gateshead Thunder. The visitors’ fifth victory of the season took them above Oxford into sixth place. Gateshead’s success
A cyclist exposed himself to a woman sitting on a park bench. Police said the man slowly cycled past the woman, who is in her 40s, and touched himself inappropriately. It happened in the Bridge Street park at about 7.50pm on Monday last week
ANYONE using the internet to plan a visit to Oxford this summer might end up taking a more scenic route than they anticipated. The latest version of Google Maps includes a special “Easter egg” in its city maps – a hidden software feature designed
A HOSPITAL boss defended the sacking of a doctor for sexual harassment at an employment tribunal yesterday. Professor Edward Baker spoke for Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust at a case brought by the doctor, who cannot be named for legal reasons
CONFERENCE LEAGUE SOUTH OXFORD Cavaliers saw their three-match winning streak end with a battling 44-20 home defeat to leaders Sheffield Hallam Eagles. Cavaliers led 16-14 at the break, but were sunk by the Eagles’ second-half onslaught.
Middlesex openers Nicholas Gubbins and Dawid Malan hammered sparkling centuries off Oxford MCCU’s attack on day one of their non first-class game at The Parks. Radley College old boy Gubbins hit 116, while Malan made 110 as Middlesex rattled up
Joe Miller proved his status as the continent’s longest hitters when he won the Long Drivers European Tour event at the Heathfield Park Golf Centre, near Bletchingdon. The 29-year-old from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, who was world champion in 2010
TRAFFIC is already building up this morning in the approach to Kennington Roundabout. Sensors show there are delays on the southern bypass from the A34, on the roundabout and parts of Abingdon Road. Work began yesterday to create a hamburger
A former Abingdon School pupil is walking from John O’Groats to Land’s End to raise money for a charity that helps children with cancer continue with their education. Robert Noyes, 19, will set off on Sunday to walk the 1,216 miles in 61 days with
OXFORD looks set to get a direct rail connection with Gatwick Airport by 2020. London’s second-largest international airport has announced a range of measures to improve its reach, which includes an aim to connect with 175 mainline stations in
FORMER bomb disposal specialist Jack Cummings travelled on a hand bike between Cardiff and London to raise funds for injured servicemen. Mr Cummings, 25, from Didcot, was serving with the Royal Engineers when he lost both his legs during his second
OXFORDSHIRE’S Fire and Rescue Service has pledged to respond to every 999 call during its forthcoming strike over pension reforms. The next industrial action by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is for 24 hours from 9am on Thursday, June 12 and from
Detectives investigating an attack on Jeanne Marie Ryan, 29, in a nightclub have rebailed a teenage suspect. The 18-year-old from Edgware, London, was arrested after Ms Ryan was groped and punched at Plush nightclub, in Park End Street, in March
A former teacher at the renowned Guildhall School of Music yesterday denied sexually abusing eight women – one aged under 14, it is claimed – in the 1970s and 1980s. Philip Pickett, 63, of Lyneham Farm Cottages, Lyneham, near Chipping Norton, appeared
LEON Hines got more than he expected when he went shopping at the Cowley Retail Park, coming out of the shops to find his car covered in bees. Now he’s been criticised for killing them. As reported in yesterday’s Oxford Mail in just a couple of
MATT Goode has tipped Chinnor to win the title next season after leaving to join fellow National 2 South club Cambridge. The powerful centre was player-coach in 2013-14 as Chinnor avoided relegation on the final day. Goode was offered an assistant
OLLIE Smith says he can look back on his first season of coaching in professional rugby with a great deal of satisfaction after London Welsh secured a Premiership return. Smith joined Welsh as an assistant coach after a successful ‘trial’ at the
YOUNG people in Oxfordshire are being called on to donate blood to boost supplies across the county. In the last two years there were 3,094 donors aged between 17 and 24 in Oxfordshire, counting for 14.5 per cent of the county’s 21,267 donors.
A jury will today hear evidence in the trial of a woman accused of murdering two children in an arson attack almost 17 years ago. Fiaz Munshi, 38, is charged with the murder of eight-year-old Anum Khan on August 26, 1997, and 15-year-old Majid
Preben Krabben and Philippa Smith lifted the men’s and ladies’ singles crowns on the Greene-King ODDA Winter League finals night at Oxford SC, Romanway. It was title No 5 for Goodlake Arms ace Prebben, who defeated Sean Holly, from Kidlington Green
A WOMAN was arrested just before 2pm yesterday on suspicion of criminal damage after fathers’ rights protesters outside David Cameron’s constituency office in Witney had their megaphone damaged.
The trial of the man accused of murdering Jayden Parkinson has been put back four days. Ben Blakeley, 22, of Reading, who denies the charge, but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, was due to stand trial next Monday, but due to conflicts with barristers
THE FAMILY of a man murdered 10 years ago this month have made an emotional plea for help in finding the killer. Father-of-two Kevin Lavelle was killed by a blow to the head at a Banbury pub in June 2004. Kevin Lavelle. Police say
PUPILS and staff at the Sibford School in Banbury have raised more than £6,000 for charity with a ball and auction. More than 200 people attended an Oscar-themed ball at the school near Banbury which raised funds for the charity ROSY – Respite
OXFORD East MP Andrew Smith re-opened the city’s central post office. It is part of the Post Office’s programme of refurbishment which is being rolled out across the country. Mr Smith said at Friday’s opening: “I was very impressed. I think
A BID to create 1,150 extra apprenticeships for young people across the county has been launched. It comes as part of a new strategy and aims to plug the county’s skills gaps, mainly in technical manufacturing. The first Skills Strategy for
FAMILIES across Oxfordshire were making the most of the sunshine by getting out in the county’s farms and orchards. As part of Open Farm Sunday, which celebrates British farms and their produce, farms opened their doors to the public for tours
THOUSANDS flocked to Wantage recreation ground for the first combined Wantage Carnival and Rock in the Park. Visitors praised the hard work of teenage volunteers from the Sweatbox youth club who organised local bands for Saturday and Sunday.
BIRD watchers have warned RAF Benson will get no benefit from shooting red kites out of the sky. The military helicopter air base has said it may need to kill some of the birds of prey for safety reasons after two flew into aircraft in the past
