FOOTBALLERS trying to save a Brazilian rainforest got their boots on for a fundraising match. Teams from Oxford United Women went head to head as part of the Jabuji World Cup Charity Challenge last Sunday. The all-female challenge will see
GROVE Parish Council is set to become the first local authority in the country to apply to open an academy school, it is believed. The council’s schools committee wants the whole village to have a say in what a new school will look like. The
A BROKEN down van causing traffic problems on the A40 has been cleared. It was blocking a southbound lane on the Northern By-Pass Road between the B4150 (Marston) and the Headington Roundabout, but traffic is now easing. Our top stories
BEN BLAKELEY was violent towards Jayden Parkinson, his cousin has told a jury at Oxford Crown Cour today. Prosecutor Richard Latham QC asked 21-year-old Faith Kennedy about her memories of last year when she lived in Christchurch Road, Reading,
WHILE millions of people will be watching to see if Andy Murray can repeat his Wimbledon success, tennis clubs in Oxfordshire are hoping to show the benefits of the sport. Free games, classes and coaching will take place on courts across this weekend
THE new manager of Oxford’s Covered Market has pledged to turn it into a world-class shopping venue. Oxford City Council appointed Elaine Philip to run the historic market – regarded as the jewel in the crown of the city’s shopping centre – following
An image of a car similar to the one driven by a missing Banbury man has been released by police. Andrew Mark Lever was last seen by his family on May 17. Thames Valley Police is renewing its appeal for the public’s help to find him. The
A FORENSIC archeologist has said it would have taken "hours" to dig the hole in an existing grave in which Jayden Parkinson's body was found. This morning Dr Karl Harrison told a jury in Oxford Crown Court that he was asked by Thames Valley Police
A TIME has been set for the demolition of the Didcot A Power Station towers. The three towers will be demolished between 3am and 5am on Sunday, July 27. RWE npower has said the early start is because of safety checks, weather and road closures
Want to give your opinion? Email letters@oxfordmail.co.uk
PUB manager Andy Smith was slightly taken back when he looked out his window and saw an airplane going down the A44. He was one of several people who wondered why the wingless Airbus A319 fuselage was going down the A44 on the back of a lorry on
LONDON Welsh have today announced the signing of former England lock Dean Schofield from Worcester Warriors. The 35-year-old, who earned two England caps while a Sale Sharks player in 2007, won the Premiership with the club in 2006. Schofield
RESIDENTS of Oxford’s Barton estate are invited to take part in the Bash, the annual fun day tomorrow. The Barton Bash will have free children’s activities on offer as well as a range of entertainment at the Neighbourhood Centre in Underhill Circus
BLISTERS, torn muscles, sprains and bleeding feet – just some of the side effects experienced by Staff Sergeant Marie Gorstridge and her Welfare Wanderers following their recent 100km in 24 hours challenge. The team, based at Dalton Barracks, Abingdon
A WEATHER warning for heavy rain remains in place for Oxfordshire today and tomorrow, with the possiblity of thunder storms on Saturday. The Met Office yesterday issued a yellow weather warning, with the public warned about potential localised
SERVICEMEN and women, their loved ones and people grateful to those who fought and died for their country are marking a special year for the armed forces. Events are being held across Oxfordshire in honour of Armed Forces Week, which comes to a
Perfectionism achieves results – but often at great personal cost. England may have bombed out of the World Cup, but the huge collective effort put in by the players before the competition itself was motivated by the chance of victory. To have
Rebecca’s not sure if she approves of approving her male friends on female-led Wyldfire website Roll up, roll up – we’ve got a new dating app in town. Forget Tinder. Tinder’s name may have hinted that it would help to spark a million flaming love
Sheena Patterson of Oxford Garden Design takes a peek at the competition For people with a competitive streak, gardening is a friendly way to show off their skills, and where better than at a flower show? The second Blenheim Palace Flower Show
Arachnophobe Liz Nicholls braves her worst nightmare to take part in new research aimed at helping people cope with anxiety disorders Spiders have always posed a threat to me. Which is a ridiculous statement, really, seeing as we live in a country
As I write, Miss Marple’s suitcase is lying open on my bed. I've just sneaked another peek to check and yes, it’s all there packed exactly as you would expect for an Agatha Christie heroine. Peering out from behind a stout pair of walking shoes
Oh well the inevitable has happened and England are out of the World Cup. Still, there remains oodles of fun and football to feast on. Speaking of chowing down, did you see the Luis Suarez alleged biting incident – when he appeared to sink his
Alison Boulton digs beneath the city's dreaming spires Street parties are just that: a communal knees up with pennants flying. We’re lucky in our neighbours: over many years we’ve become good friends. Our street – Beech Croft Road, Summertown
Being ill sucks. I mean, really, it truly sucks. I’m rarely ill but when I am boy, do I know about it. And so does everyone else in a two-mile radius. I can’t help it – I just don’t do illness well. I can’t understand how anybody does. For
Jaine Blackman soaks up the atmosphere in a Manchester hotel with an opulent style and a vibe that encourages a ‘romantic’ visit You know the image a hotel is going for when as well as the usual complimentary toiletries in your atmospherically-lit
We have all had dreams of robots that can clean the house, cook up a Sunday roast and give us a foot massage. Almost-human computers that we can programme to do all those things we loathe without answering back, complaining or questioning. A robot
Let’s keep this brief, shall we... a bit like the England team’s appearance in the World Cup? Now the sun has shown up, and the beautiful game has got a bit more beautiful, (which other sport would have you shouting, as a whole family ‘Come on,
Being what I would like to describe as a fairly laid back person, there is little that I ever find genuinely troublesome. Maybe it is as the product of a large, hectic family with a long history of chaos that I have learnt to face some of the storms
Jaine Blackman meets two of the women keepers going animal crackers at Cotswold Wildlife Park ‘Sorry for the delay in contacting you, I’ve been a bit preoccupied hand-rearing a tawny frogmouth for the last week.” It’s not the usual type of
A STOLEN car was used by two thieves believed to have burgled a shop and taken cigarettes. The green Ford Fiesta was taken from a house in Goulds Villas in Banbury and later seen in Brackley before the raid at the town’s Co-op. The car was
6:54pm Broken down van on A40 causing delays 4:51pm Photo of car released as police continue appeal for missing Banbury man Andrew Lever
Exotic animals – parrots, tortoises, monkeys, alligators – are all targets for the canny criminal. Even the lowly budgerigar is in the frame. Recently a show bird sold for £3,000, so the theft of these animals is big business. Oxfordshire has a
I READ with some sympathy John Mutton’s letter at his disappointment that Oxford’s adopted ship HMS Enterprise was not included in the D-Day supplement. Surely he must understand that newspapers rely on people with knowledge to give them the information
ON Tuesday morning, I was driving along the main Bicester-Aylesbury road at about 8.30am, towards Aylesbury, when I was caught in a queue of slow-moving traffic. As I turned right on to the Thame Road, it turned out that the congestion was caused
DAVID Cameron wants the A40 west of Wolvercote dualled. But Oxfordshire County Council says the bottleneck is Wolvercote Roundabout, not eight miles of road west of it. Enlarging roads increases traffic, so dualling would congest the roundabout
A PEACE garden featuring a wall of angels is to provide a lasting reminder of a North Oxford primary school teacher. St Aloysius Catholic Primary School has created a walled garden in memory of Year One teacher Angela Clare, who died of cancer
HOW do you build on the success of a super-selling people carrier? Simple. Produce another bigger and more refined one and place it above your best-seller in the range. That was the General Motors move with the creation of the Zafira Tourer
CAN it be only two weeks since the country was awash with the red and white flag of St George? Public buildings, shops, privates houses and cars flew the colours of the nation, while hope ruled heads as England began its battle for World Cup glory
WELL well well! Here we go again with yet more inconsiderate decision making by our Labour city councillors. The poor unfortunate businesses of St Clement’s are yet again made to suffer the consequences of their new price hike regarding parking
OUR family are shareholders in Unipart and have been since 1987. No dividend has been paid on our investments since1998 therefore, we wish to comment on the Oxford Mail article June 19, 2014: Unipart continues to grow – despite £6.1m pre-tax loss
WE are organising a convoy from MINI Plant Oxford to the BMC and Leyland show at the Motor Heritage Centre, Gaydon, on Sunday, July 6. The convoy is free of charge to join and we are taking the back roads to Gaydon, via Kidlington, Deddington and
A HOME for the disabled inspected twice this year is still failing in caring for residents, despite pledging to tackle all concerns initially raised by the end of March. An April inspection by the Care Quality Commission found concerns remained
The leader of a group of Oxfordshire businessmen who have launched a takeover bid for Oxford United, says they have the financial muscle to take the club forward. Charlie Methven confirmed last night that talks have taken place between his consortium
Darren Waters says he is determined to shine on the big stage after joining London Welsh from Newport Gwent Dragons. The 29-year-old openside flanker was announced as a London Welsh player yesterday, becoming the club’s 18th signing ahead of their
YOU have to admire the optimism of Oxford City Council with its amnesty over illegal sub-letting of social housing. The council is to offer up a two-month window from August 1 in which people who are illegally sub-letting their council home and
Oxford United’s newest member of staff says a range of positive references convinced him to make the switch from a fellow Sky Bet League Two club, writes David Pritchard. Andrew Proctor has been named as the new lead physiotherapist, replacing
THE stress that is being added to the anguish suffered by Eileen Brown, whose son died in Portugal, must be horrific. Mr Brown’s body was discovered by police in Vilamoura two weeks ago and his family back in Eynsham say they still have not been
A 50-year-old man has been rebailed by detectives investigating the death of a man at a homeless hostel. The dead man, also 50, was found at O’Hanlon House in Luther Street in May and it is understood his death may have been linked to a potentially
A severe weather warning has been issued as heavy rain is expected to hit Oxfordshire today and tomorrow. Heavy and thundery showers are due to fall between 4am today and 9pm tomorrow. Some areas could see between 15-20mm of rain in an hour
JAYDEN Parkinson’s killer yesterday apologised to his victim’s family, causing her mum to flee the courtroom in tears. Ben Blakeley, who denies murder but admits mans-laughter, sparked emotional scenes at Oxford Crown Court when he passed a note
A flasher followed a dog walker down an Iffley footpath before exposing himself in front of her. The crime happened off Jackdaw Lane at about 12.30pm on Tuesday last week but police released the information yesterday. Police described the suspect
A VOLLEYBALL club needs 400 tonnes of the right sort of sand to bring the first beach courts to the city next year. Oxford Volleyball Club is hoping to build two courts after struggling to find anywhere in the area to play the sport. Players
Headington School confirmed their domination of junior girls rowing with a notable victory in the Henley Women’s Regatta. In an event that regularly goes to crews from the USA, Headington completed the triple by winning the junior eights to add
Frilford Heath’s Eddie Pepperell shot a level par 72 in the first round at Koln yesterday. It saw the Oxfordshire ace take a share of 85th place, seven shots off the lead. Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello shares the lead with playing partner, England
A brilliant century from Nathan Hawkes could not prevent Banbury losing by five wickets away to Cambridge Granta in the group final of the Royal London National Club Championship. Hawkes hammered 140 off 107 balls with seven sixes and 14 fours
Two Abingdon School pupils were excused lessons this week to play for Oxfordshire. Leo Bethell and Alex Davies made their Unicorns Counties Championship debuts in the match against Devon, which started at Banbury on Sunday. The lads, both in
City residents can today celebrate 200 years of peace with France. The date, June 27, is a commemorated on two “peace stones” in the city, one in Carfax Tower and one at the plain roundabout. They were carved on that date in 1814 to proclaim
Launton villagers will be offered training to use a new defibrillator that has recently been installed in the village. Launton Parish Council paid for the £1,312 defibrillator, which has been fitted in a central spot in the village on the side
Portugal coach Paulo Bento has admitted his side were not good enough to progress to the round of 16 of the World Cup. The Portuguese beat Ghana 2-1 in their final Group G game in Brasilia thanks to a John Boye own goal and a Cristiano Ronaldo
Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor believes Luis Suarez has taken a “massive backward step.” The Uruguay striker was yesterday handed a nine-match suspension and a ban from playing for any team for four months for
Oxfordshire's highest-ranked sides Banbury and Oxford enter tomorrow’s Home Counties League Division 1 derby in contrasting form. But both remain hopeful of victory in what should be an intriguing clash at White Post Road. Banbury won their
Visitors to this year’s CLA Game Fair at Blenheim Palace will be able to watch a polo match, it has been announced. A team from the palace will play The Gentleman’s Journal lifestyle magazine on Saturday, July 19, from 6.30pm to 9pm. The fair
SCIENTISTS have been tryng to engineer an easier path into the industry for girls. Graduates from the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) paid a visit to Didcot Girls’ School on Wednesday to inspire girls to study engineering. About 200
THE fire at Didcot Power Station that took 22 hours to put out was caused by a spark during demolition work. Firemen were called to tackle a blaze at the decommissioned station at 4.30pm on Wednesday. Crews only managed to finally put the fire
NATIONAL 2 SOUTH CHINNOR have added Gloucester academy player Reece Boughton and London Irish Wild Geese’s Ed Keohane to their quickly expanding squad. Scrum half Boughton, who turns 19 on July 1, has joined from the Aviva Premiership club.
Saturday CRICKET SERIOUS CRICKET HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE Div 1: Banbury v Oxford, Henley v Aston Rowant. Div 2 West: Amersham v Horspath, Great & Little Tew v Cove, Shipton-under-Wychwood v Chesham. CHERWELL LEAGUE
COUNTY pride will be at stake when an ancient game is contested at this weekend’s Charlbury Beer Festival. Organisers are hoping an Oxfordshire competitor can finally claim the title of World Aunt Sally Singles Champion tomorrow on the fourth attempt
ABANDONED in a box near the Kassam Stadium, these young kittens were lucky to be found by a passer-by. Nine of the tiny creatures were languishing on the side of the road, in desperate need of care. No more than a month old, they were in an
Oxfordshire's Bradley Smith clinched fifth place in yesterday’s first practice session ahead of Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix at Assen. The Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider was only 0.385 secs behind teammate, Pol Espargaro, who was first. “Overall I
Adam Wootton and Tom Fleming made the cut at Frilford Heath last night to take part in today’s final round of the Buildbase Open. Wootton carded a five-under par second round of 67 to rocket up the leaderboard and comfortably make it inside the
A thief has been jailed for four months for stealing a jacket from a store in Bicester Village. Ian Chin, 55, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday, after admitting shoplifting from Mon Cler in February and also going equipped for theft
Firefighters were called to a lorry fire near Forest Hill. Crews were called yesterday at 10.55am. The lorry was on a cycle path parallel to the A40. Police were also called. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service spent about 55 minutes tackling
Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen struck in the 78th minute to hand ten-man Belgium a 1-0 triumph over South Korea in Curitiba last night. Belgium’s third straight win at the clinched top spot in Group H for the Red Devils and set up a meeting
An unbeaten half-century from Olly Clarke helped Banbury beat Abingdon by 13 runs to reach the Oxfordshire final of the ECB Under 15 Club Championship. In a high-scoring semi-final, Banbury reached 131-3 from their 20 overs, thanks to Clarke’s
No decisions have been taken over the future of some disability services after reports an NHS authority would lose the contract following the death of a teenager, a council spokesman has said. An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman commented after
A MOTHER has been told she may have to wait six months to find out how her son died after his body was found in a Portuguese resort two weeks ago. Geoffrey Brown, a 53-year-old from Eynsham, had worked as a chef for Ruis Bar in tourist hotspot
KINGSTONE PRESS CHAMPIONSHIP ONE OXFORD RL head coach Tony Benson has warned they cannot afford another slow start at home to second-placed Oldham Roughyeds on Sunday (3). The Lancastrians come to Iffley Road having won six of their last seven
EYNSHAM’S Chloe Elliott dropped just two games when storming to victory in the 10 & under section at the Grade 4 Wimbledon Week tournament at Virgin Active Oxford. Her seven straight wins against players from across the region culminated in
Tiddington’s 1995 National Village Cup runners-up prevailed over the Oxfordshire’s 2008 Over 50’s national champions in a match between two of the county’s Lord’s finalists. Hosts Tiddington won by seven wickets in a game that was the brainchild
An unbeaten half-century from Olly Clarke helped Banbury beat Abingdon by 13 runs to reach the Oxford-shire final of the ECB Under 15 Club Championship. In a high-scoring semi-final, Banbury reached 131-3 from their 20 overs thanks to Clarke’s
A YOUTH charity in the city has created a mobile accessible website to help potential victims of child sex exploitation. Oxford Youth Works built the site Safety 4 Me after hearing about the predatory sex crimes of the Oxford grooming gang at the
OXFORD tenants who are illegally subletting a city council home will be given two months to confess without fear of prosecution. Officials at Oxford City Council are planning to hold an amnesty from August to encourage people illegally letting
TWO people were taken to hospital after a crash between a lorry and a car on the A4130 near Didcot yesterday morning. The accident happened as police appealed for witnesses to an accident on the same road on Monday which left a motorcyclist fighting
A FORMER secondary school headteacher has said she suspected her pupils were being targeted and groomed for sex in Banbury in the 1980s and ’90s. Anita Higham, Banbury School principal from 1985 to 1998, made the comments after six men – aged between
ALMOST 40 workers at a Witney furniture maker have been made redundant by administrators. Doubts remain over the future of more than 70 remaining staff at Corndell Furniture in Windrush Park Road as a buyer is sought. In a statement, administrators
A RAPIST has been jailed for abusing four young girls more than 20 years ago. Danny Prin was jailed for 14 years for raping and indecently assaulting the children when they were aged between six and 10. The 37-year-old, of Kennet Close in Bicester
FLEXIBILTY on how to spend money on helping three and four-year-olds has been welcomed by education workers. Nurseries will get £300 for every child of that age who is from a low income family from the new Early Years Pupil Premium. Oxfordshire
SIX men accused of involvement in child sexual exploitation have appeared at Banbury Magistrates’ Court. The alleged victims are three girls, who were aged between 13 and 15 at the time that they were said to have been abused. The court heard
FEWER than three per cent of homes in Oxford are affordable to first-time buyers, a study has found. Homeless charity Shelter surveyed 532 two-or-more bedroom houses in the city and found just two of them were within reach of an average couple
THE TREES he roams in Wytham Woods near Oxford are known the world over among ecologists. But the ‘oracle of woodlands’, Keith Kirby, pictured, is a much more humble figure. The scientist, woodland ecologist and researcher at Oxford University
Algeria came from behind to draw with Russia and reach the last 16 of a World Cup for the first time. Ex-England boss Fabio Capello saw his Russia side take an early lead when an unmarked Aleksandr Kokorin headed in from Dmitri Kombarov's left-wing
Germany match-winner Thomas Muller admitted the United States were a difficult team to breakdown after edging to a 1-0 victory in Recife last night. The Bayern Munich midfielder took his tally to nine goals in as many appearances with his fourth
Horley pipped visiting Great & Little Tew on countback in a thrilling Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup quarter-final tie. Having exactly matched Tew’s 139-9, Horley were unsure who had won as the sides left the field. But a quick check on
FREE tennis sessions are being offered at 20 clubs across Oxfordshire as part of the second Great British Tennis Weekend. OXFORDSHIRE CLUBS TAKING PART Saturday 28th: David Lloyd Oxford, Abingdon White Horse Leisure & Tennis Centre, Banbury
A FORMER head of nursing died in the Oxford hospital she helped run, only a week after being admitted with cardiac failure that resulted from the side effects of steroids she had been prescribed, a coroner heard. Elizabeth Stewart, 67, a retired
DISCOUNTS are available for female coaches signing up for tuition with the Oxfordshire FA (OFA) this summer. The Level 1 coaching course begins in August. Through access to the Football Association’s Be Inspired fund, the OFA are able to offer
DEVELOPERS building new homes at Didcot’s Great Western Park are being urged to build a new cycle path to improve safety. Town councillors have written to Taylor Wimpey urging the firm to get on and build the cycle path between the new entrance
IT WOULD not look out of place on a battle-weary soldier’s lap in the 1940s, but Emily Watkins’ seafood dish is a gourmet winner delighting old warriors and modern diners alike. Her creation – dubbed Fight them on the Beaches – was a winning course
Oxfordshire's Zoe Shipperley has been selected by England for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next month. The 24-year-old defender, from Marsh Gibbon, near Bicester, is named in a squad of 16. She coaches at St Edward's School, Oxford, where
