Giant chess at Oxford Castle for Alice’s day was rained off this afternoon. But other events across the city have gone ahead to celebrate the July 4 afternoon in 1862 that Lewis Carroll first told his timeless tale to a young Alice Liddell on the
FOR a start, today’s firefighters no longer wear plastic trousers that melt in high temperatures. They’ve also got rid of the wooden ladders. It may seem unbelievable today but in 1974, when Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was amalgamated
Music fans have been enjoying the bands at the Cornbury Festival in North Oxfordshire. The festival at Great Tew Park kicked off on Thursday and is expected to attract 20,000 visitors over the weekend. One of the bands getting a great reception
A man has gone missing after visiting an Oxford hospital. David Goodwin, 49, was last seen leaving the Churchill Hospital in Headington at midday on Tuesday. He has not been seen since. Mr Goodwin is white and tanned, of medium build and walks
A COUPLE are in training for the adventure of a lifetime – trekking the Great Wall of China. Ahmed Khan, and fiance Lauren Flack, both 24, hope to raise £4,000 for children’s charity the NSPCC. They are now training every other day to build
A NEW multi-storey car park has been opened by the Minister for Transport at Banbury Station. Baroness Kramer cut the ribbon of the 707-space, four-storey car park which is part of a £10m investment in the future of the station. Located off
SCHOOLGIRL Eleanor Ackroyd is hoping to break a record by kayaking more than 100 miles along England’s south coast in 24 hours. But the challenge is even more difficult for the 15-year-old because she’s only been kayaking a few times before.
AFTER six months of painstaking sewing, this colourful quilt is going to help hundreds of people suffering from multiple sclerosis in West Oxfordshire. From today staff at Freelance Fabrics, a fabric shop in The Kidlington Centre, will sell raffle
BLACKBIRD Leys Parish Council has lost another member after Tanya Prescott resigned this month. Chairman Gordon Roper said: “She’s been thinking about leaving for a while, I persuaded her to come back on during the elections in May but she’s decided
EMBARKING upon a 940-mile cycle ride might be a challenge for most, but for Laura Sanders, a quick glance down at her bike was all the motivation she needed. Miss Sanders, a junior sister at the John Radcliffe Hospital, was part of a team of four
NEW Oxford United chairman Darryl Eales has a simple solution for any supporters sceptical of his intentions – just ask him. The prospect of a private equity expert from Birmingham suddenly becoming interested in the club raised suspicion in some
Picture special: Richard Cave's top pics of the week's photography across the county The boy who went to the effort of camouflaging his own head before even setting off for school was always going to take his drill practice pretty seriously
Yesterday was the first anniversary of Connor Sparrowhawk’s death. The 18-year-old died at Slade House in Headington, a mental health unit, while having a bath. A report into Mr Sparrowhawk’s death has found that the tragedy could have been
A man was detained after running between cars on the M40 yesterday. Police were called out just after 9am following reports of a man running across the motorway between junctions eight and nine, near Bicester. A spokesman for Thames Valley
A number of county schools will be affected by next week’s teachers’ strike. Teachers will be striking on Thursday, July 10, because of a national dispute over pay and conditions. Rose Hill Primary School, East Oxford Primary School, Larkrise
IT’S a new era at Oxford United after a dramatic day at the Kassam Stadium. Darryl Eales and Mark Ashton’s takeover was confirmed, with Ian Lenagan remaining on the board, but now charged with responsibility for the club’s ‘stadium development’
PRE-SEASON is normally rife with speculation about new signings. But one thing has dominated Oxford United’s close season so far. Fans across the city have wondered, speculated and hypothesised about the future of the club. Finally now, after
HELPING to recruit the right players to improve the Oxford United squad will dominate Mark Ashton’s first weeks as chief executive – with attacking players top of the agenda. The 42-year-old intends to play a role in advancing the club in all areas
THERE is no excuse to be bored this weekend with an eye-popping amount of activites on offer. From Alice’s Day and the Cornbury Festival to Cowley Road Carnival, Yeah Baby in Abingdon and the annual Eynsham Carnival there is something for everyone
THE leader of a consortium of Oxfordshire businessmen who had hoped to buy Oxford United has said he is “disappointed” not to have been successful. Charlie Methven was speaking after it was announced yesterday that businessman Darryl Eales will
SOLDIERS and suffragettes invaded a school as pupils learned what life was like on the Western Front and the Home Front during the First World War. Pupils at Cranford House School in Moulsford, near Wallingford, answered the call to arms and tackled
A 25-year-old man had a glass thrown at him while he was on the dancefloor in an Oxford city centre pub. The assault took place at around 10.45pm on Saturday at the Bell and Compass pub in New Road but police only released the details yesterday
The M40 reopened on Thursday evening after a severe lorry fire. Firefighters were called to the southbound carriageway, near junction 11 at Banbury, at about 2.50pm after a lorry carrying more than 20 tonnes of hay caught fire. A local farmer
Six men facing child sexual exploitation charges appeared in Oxford Crown Court yesterday. They are Ahmed Hassan, 20, of Glyndebourne Gardens, Banbury; Said Saleh, 20, of Orchard Way, Banbury; Mohamed Saleh, 21, of Orchard Way, Banbury; Takudzwa
England ladies’ captain Charlotte Edwards was the star guest at this years’ Chance 2 Compete festival for girls at Horspath Athletics and Sports Ground. Edwards was there in her capacity as one of the initiative’s ambassadors. The event was
IAN Lenagan enjoyed his two-year spell as chairman of Oxford United, but admitted it was tough. After yesterday handing over the day-to-day running of the club to Darryl Eales and Mark Ashton, the U’s joint-owner said there had been plenty of good
BEN Blakeley told Oxford Crown Court yesterday “give me a life sentence, I deserve it”. The 22-year-old, who denies murdering 17-year-old Jayden Parkinson but admits manslaughter, launched a torrent of abuse at prosecutor Richard Latham, QC.
Kidlington's Georgina Polden was philosophical after crashing out on the first lap in the latest round of the Motostar British Championship at Knockhill, Scotland. After a mammoth drive north, Polden, 17, set a lap time of exactly one minute in
A brilliant 95 from captain Tom Price led Oxfordshire Under 14s to an 11-run victory against Bedfordshire at Trinity College in the ECB Cup. Price’s magnificent knock took Oxon to 209-7 from their 45 overs. James Curtis then led the way with
Abingdon GC emerged with six county age group champions. Beth Moulster (level 5, 9-10 years), Anna Regan (level 4, 12+ years), Isabelle Larman (level 4 elite, 10 years), Lili-Mae Snuggs (level 3, 10 years), Chloe Lloyd (level 3, 13+) and Kara Jones
MARLON May was making the most of Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre’s new facilities at the gym’s open day. Last week the centre opened its doors to the public for free to celebrate the completion of the first phase of building. The open day was
Up to 10,000 music-lovers descended on Great Tew yesterday for the start of Oxfordshire’s first big music festival of the summer. Cornbury Music Festival got under way yesterday afternoon, with an eclectic line-up of artists including American
AN AUTHOR is to get a cameo role in a new TV drama based on her latest book about the strength of women in wartime. In Jambusters, Julie Summers, from Iffley, Oxford, focuses on women in rural communities in the Second World War, describing it
Teachers and academics from Oxford University discussed the state of the nation’s grammar at a conference yesterday. The conference, called English Grammar Day 2014, took place at the British Library in London. Prof Charlotte Brewer of the Faculty
AMERICAN mother-of-three Eileen Clark has been extradited to face charges of kidnapping her children. Eileen Clark, who lives in West Way, Botley, was put on a plane by police officers at London Heathrow on Thursday. She will go to court to
PRIME Minister David Cameron has written to Oxfordshire County Council echoing concerns about a road deemed safe to walk for schoolchildren. Parent Lionel Bolton, from Cassington, wrote to the Witney MP after the county council deemed the A40 a
A funding evening is being held by Vale of White Horse District Council for community groups to apply for grants for festivals and events. The evening will take place at the council offices in Abbey Close, Abingdon, on Tuesday, July 15, from 5pm
A superb 92 from Harry Ackland helped Oxfordshire Under 17s kick off their ECB Cup campaign with an emphatic 184-run win away to Herefordshire at Brockhampton. Oxon rattled up 321-4, before an outstanding bowling and fielding display saw the hosts
OXFORDSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service said it will be able to cope with the latest eight-day strike planned next week. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU), which is already planning to strike on Thursday from 10am to 7pm, yesterday announced it will also
FINAL preparations are under way for tomorrow’s Cowley Road Carnival. Staff and students at St Francis Primary School, in Horspath Road, were busy rehearsing their dance moves and preparing costumes ahead of their performance. This year’s theme
Bicester Blue Fins won three bronze medals and hope to claim four county records at the British Gas National Masters & Senior Age Group Championships in Swansea. Jack Rowland struck bro-nze in the age 17-24 200m backstroke and was fifth in
IT MAY not seem your traditional love story, but friends Christopher Finn and Matthew Springett are the latest to take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The men performed the lead roles in the tragedy at Cogges Manor Farm museum in Witney on Thursday night
Four big bream gave Andy Flint victory in the second round of the Oxford Summer League fished by seven teams of six on the Medley and Folly stretches of the Thames. Although Roach sho-wed all the way through both stretches, the Tub-ertini South
Aston Rowant qualified for the regional finals on July 28 after winning the Under 11 Lady Taverners tournament at Freeland CC. More than 40 girls took part in the softball competition which uses an eight-a-side pairs format. Charlbury went
Horspath Hammers produced a terrific performance to beat Ipswich Eagles 91-84 in their Elite League encounter. The clash of the two standout teams was also close, with Horspath six points ahead at halfway, and extending this by a further one by
Abingdon School beat Chipping Norton School by 57 runs to win Oxfordshire’s Under 12 Bunbury Cup final at Cumnor. Openers, James Coombs and Hector Chambers, made 50 before retiring as Abingdon, who won the toss, posted 181-3 from their 25 overs
Oxfordshire champions Horspath will be away to Berkshire’s Finchampstead tomorrow in the first national round of the ECB Under 15 Club Championship. They reached this stage with a nine-wicket victory away to Banbury in the Oxfordshire final, which
TENNIS fans are eagerly watching the action on centre court, but one woman is more concerned about what’s happening in the shops at Wimbledon. Lavender-scented shower gels, body lotions and hand washes made by Jacobs Field Lavender of Islip are
A COUNTDOWN should be projected on to cooling towers at Didcot power station before they are demolished, according to the town’s MP Ed Vaizey. He spoke out as residents demanded that RWE npower switch the time of the demolition so that more people
A five-wicket return from debutant Charley Noble was in vain as Oxfordshire Under 17 girls slipped to an agonising one-run loss to Warwickshire at Aston Rowant. Warwickshire got off to a good start before spinners Noble (5-24) and Lucy Gladdy saw
Susie Wolff’s historic appearance at Silverstone ended after one timed lap as her Williams team endured a difficult first practice session. Wolff is the first woman to take part in a grand prix weekend in 22 years, but an engine problem forced
WHILE many details which emerged at Oxford United had already been hinted at over the past week, the biggest surprise came with news of Gary Waddock’s exit. The former Aldershot and Wycombe Wanderers manager was told yesterday morning he was being
Carterton GC’s Roisin Morris, eight, won four gold medals after a fine display at Berinsfield. Competing at level four, Morris triumphed in the vault, bars, beam and floor exercises. Molly Mullins, 13, won gold on vault and bars at level four
FRIENDS of teenager Liberty Baker, who was killed on her way to school on Monday, want to plant a rose in her memory. They say they have found one called the Lady Liberty and plan to plant it around a memorial bench they hope will be donated.
City of Oxford’s David Murphy stormed to silver in the British Gas International Meet in Manchester Aquatics’ Centre. The 15-year-old, one of a 20-strong City team, finished second in the men’s 18 and under men’s 100m breaststroke final in 1mins
AROUND the world people use apps like Skype and FaceTime to keep in touch with loved ones, but military personnel at RAF Brize Norton have often struggled due to poor internet access. But that has all now changed as a new £885,000 high-speed wi-fi
