YOUNGSTERS swapped their primary school for a “floating classroom” on the Thames in a trial which could be copied across the county. Year Six pupils from New Marston Primary School studied animals, plants and the river environment during a 90-minute
THE mother of former Chelsea youth player Jordan Tabor has paid tribute to her “wonderful son” after he died on holiday in Turkey on Wednesday. Mr Tabor, 23, is believed to have fallen from his hotel room a week into the stay at the Titanic Beach
A lightning strike has damaged equipment causing severe delays to First Great Western trains. Services between Reading and Slough are facing delays and possible cancellations. Services are running from Oxford and Banbury through to London
THE mother of former Chelsea youth player Jordan Tabor has paid tribute to her son who died on holiday in Turkey on Wednesday. Mr Tabor, 23, is believed to have fallen from his hotel room a week into the stay at the Titanic Beach Lara Hotel, Antalya
A YELLOW weather warning has been issued by the Met Office after showers were forecast for tonight. The warning will be in place until 9pm and covers more southern parts of the county. Met office spokesman Andrew Sibley said: “As the evening
IT’S a game normally associated with the country’s elite. Croquet can maybe seem a million miles aways from our everyday lives. But the roots of the historic sport actually lie a lot closer to home. And the Oxfordshire country house where the
HUGE leaps in scientific knowledge mean Britain has a well-established vaccine programme among all ages to combat common but potentially deadly diseases and infections. Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio are among the conditions the
The county’s hospital authority will continue to run a city research centre after winning a £4m contract. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust has run the UK Cochrane Centre since 2010 and has now won a contract for April 2015 to March 2020.
A 40-year-old man arrested in Spain has been charged with 156 theft and fraud offences said to have taken place at a company in Witney. Oliver Trusgnach, of Calle can Marti Feluiu, Palma De Mallorca, Spain, was detained under a European Arrest
A 40-year-old Oxford man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of prostitution offences. Police were called to Duke Street, off Botley Road, on Wednesday evening. The man is currently in police custody. On Thursday Police had taped off
A statement released by Jayden Parkinson's family following the sentencing: "Finally justice has been done for our Jayden. "First, we would like to record our enormous gratitude to the officers of Thames Valley Police, in particular members
SKIES across Wallingford played host to an amazing Red Arrows display. While RAF Benson keep their annual Families’ Day a private event “due to security and insurance considerations”, it didn’t stop dozens of locals taking photos and videos as
A LOVERS’ well, said to be created by a medieval king for his mistress, needs major restoration work at Blenheim Palace. The so-called Fair Rosamond’s Well is thought to have been built by King Henry II for his mistress Rosamund de Clifford 850
A ONE-WAY system is to be set up outside Eynsham Primary School from September to alleviate traffic problems. The restrictions will be implemented by the entrance in Beech Road before and after school. It follows a traffic survey carried out
DIDCOT’S Dan Rivers has won a bronze medal in the 10m air rifle final at Glasgow 2014. The Wantage Target Shooting Club member topped the rankings in this morning’s qualifying event with a Games record 623.6 points. And Rivers backed that up
FIAZ Munshi has been jailed for 13 years after she was found guilty of being involved in an arson attack which killed two children. The 38-year-old was convicted of two counts of manslaughter on Tuesday after a “complex and challenging” six-week
Your newspaper reports that Oxford City Council is seeking to remove East Oxford Community Association (EOCA) from the East Oxford Community Centre as it has determined that the association is not fit to run such a centre. EOCA has managed the
I was reading your recent article about Stagecoach’s intentions to introduce a new bus service between Carterton and the JR Hospital. Good news I thought, until I read further down the article and noticed the imminent changes to the timetables and
While we are immensely grateful to the teams that look after us during flood events, claims that the damage can be reduced by relying on local defences, such as those here in streets off the Botley Road, rather than investing in the Western Conveyance
I was very interested in the article Scales of Justice (July 21). Of the speeding fines, the amounts which the courts were taking varied considerably, as if on a whim. I am intrigued to know what is the purpose of a ‘victim’s surcharge’. With a
On behalf of the South Oxford Flood Action Group (SOFAG) I enjoyed your letter from Prof Edmund Penning-Rowsell on the proposed Oxford and Abingdon flood relief scheme ( July 19). Edmund and I had met outside Wickes’ Oxford store just two days
Want to give your opinion? Email letters@oxfordmail.co.uk
BEN Blakeley has been jailed for a minimum of 20 years for murdering Jayden Parkinson. The 22-year-old was convicted of her murder yesterday. Jailing him for life Judge Patrick Eccles said Blakeley's decision to bury her in a graveyard was
7:08pm There are delays on First Great Western trains after a lightning strike 7:02pm There has been a weather warning for Oxfordshire until 9pm
HE is often the first face troubled people see when they look for help. Ron Hollis volunteers on the front counter of Eynsham police information centre – and has been providing help to those in need for the past 11 years. Now the 76-year-old
A JURY has not been able to reach a verdict in the trial of the teenage brother of murderer Ben Blakeley. Jake Blakeley was accused of knowingly helping to bury the body of Jayden Parkinson in a cemetery next to All Saint's Church in Didcot during
OXFORD United have signed highly-rated goalkeeper George Long on loan from Sheffield United until January. The 20-year-old will compete with Max Crocombe for a starting place while U’s No 1 Ryan Clarke recovers from foot surgery. Despite his
A MUSLIM centre has launched a national campaign to ban the burka in Britain. The Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford want to prohibit Muslim women from covering their face in public. The campaign is being led by centre founder and director
DIDCOT’S Dan Rivers has qualfied for this afternoon’s men’s 10m air rifle final at Glasgow 2014 with a Commonwealth Games record score. The Wantage Target Shooting Club member topped the rankings in this morning’s qualifying event with 623.6 points
LONDON Welsh will open their LV= Cup campaign by taking on Bath at the Rec on the weekend of October 31, November 1-2. The Oxford-based Exiles have been drawn in Pool 4 alongside Harlequins, champions Exeter Chiefs and Ospreys. But they will
Jaine Blackman meets an Oxford woman married to a Serbian gypsy How far would you go for love? As far as Faith Ristic? We’re not talking about mileage – even though her romance has taken her from Oxford to virtual exile in Serbia – but her
School’s out, and Oxford rejoices in its young families and confident, sassy teenagers. The summer stretches ahead with its long, lazy days and reversal of routine. Spare a thought for those other schoolchildren somewhere in the forests of Northern
The other morning I was walking, quite innocently, into work. Suddenly a guy – who I can only describe as the lovechild of Gordan Gekko and Ice Man from the film Top Gun – walked by. As Ice Gecko passed me he obviously decided that 8am on a Monday
Jaine Blackman discovers there’s such a thing as a steam oven and tries her hand at dim sum You know you’re not in a run of the mill appliance showroom when someone excitedly tells you “I just saw Tony Hadley and his wife looking round”. While
Growing up is hard to do, not least when you end up doing it watched by millions to see whether you’ve turned out to be a loser... So, it’s refreshing to see some of the participants of 56 Up get a bit bolshy when they’re probed as part of an experiment
Yes, 2014 is shaping up to deliver us a sensational summer. Amidst the sun, the spectacular storms and the holiday planning I am sure you have all taken a moment to think about the many ways science can enrich your summer! Whether you are in the
Sheena Patterson of Oxford Garden Design wonders why it’s women who have green fingers OK, the headline is a bit misleading. This week’s missive isn’t the gardener’s answer to 50 Shades of Grey but rather more tamely about the gender gap in the
The thing about being 48 is that you straddle the fence – you’re neither exactly old but equally neither young and certainly the moniker of middle-aged is friend to no one. So what do you do? Well, in a word, nothing I think. After all,
SIXTEEN months ago, Tessa Jack faced every parents’ nightmare when her six-week-old son died. Tiny Takai Omari Jack passed away because of a lack of oxygen to the brain following a cardiac arrest, on April 10, 2013, at the John Radcliffe Hospital
Leaving Oxford, even for a short holiday, highlights its strengths as a place to live and work. Our temperate climate and compact city makes for relatively easy living, whatever the season. Watching the griffin vultures circle above the flower-filled
Rebecca picks up her paintbrush and refuses to feel guilty about not doing the laundry What do you do at the weekend? Head to the shops? Watch a movie? Go to the pub? I usually spend the whole weekend dreading Monday which somehow only ever
‘Fat-bottomed’ mum Liz Nicholls finds it hard to keep up on an active family break Just beyond Bliss Hill, I am rapidly approaching meltdown, by bike. My boyfriend Richard, who suddenly seems to be made of a different meat from me, is making
With the under 16s finally all on the long summer break, school runs are already a distant memory. School bags have been discarded at the back of cupboards with the festering remnants of the last day of term’s packed lunch preparing to be discovered
NO insult was intended or offence taken when enchanting Emily, granddaughter of old chum, Philip, pointed out I came from ‘the Buddy Holly era’. “You must remember him,” she enthused, waving her ticket for one of next week’s performances of The
An Israeli shell from the bombardment of Gaza has exploded in the lives of people from Oxford. Hassan Al Hallaq won a scholarship to study for a Master’s degree at Oxford Brookes University. His wife Samar and their two children, Kenan, six and Saji
A BAPTISM will be a real family affair on Sunday when two married vicars baptise the first baby in their new church – their own daughter. The Reverends Shemil and Becky Mathew, from Launton, will baptise their daughter Catherine, who is almost
MAX Crocombe is hoping to make the most of his opportunity to claim a spot in the Oxford United side during Ryan Clarke’s absence. The New Zealander has played in all United’s first-team friendly games during pre-season, with Clarke recovering
A FORMER Chelsea youth player from Oxford, described as the life and soul of the party, has died while on holiday in Turkey. Jordan Tabor, 23, from Headington, is believed to have fallen from his hotel room a week into his stay with his girlfriend
FINALLY, after more than a week of agonised waiting, Jayden Parkinson’s mother Samantha Shrewsbury finally saw the jury at Oxford Crown Court declare her daughter had been murdered. This has been a torturous time for Ms Shrewsbury as well as the
ZOE Shipperley described her Commonwealth Games debut as unreal after helping England beat Wales 2-0 in their women’s hockey opener, writes STUART WEIR. The former St Edward’s School pupil and staff member, from Marsh Gibbon, played her part as
A RARE Iron Age artefact discovered near Didcot may be allowed to leave the country unless £33,000 is raised by a Woodstock museum. The Oxfordshire Museum needs to raise the funds by Friday, September 12, to retain the bronze mirror. The charity
CRICKET teammates of Felix Byam-Shaw paid tribute to him before an Oxfordshire Under-14s game against Shropshire on Wednesday . A jersey, printed with “Byam Shaw 14”, was left outside Shifnal Cricket Club, beside flowers and a mini cricket bat
OXFORDSHIRE’S men are on the brink of promotion from Group 5 after a thrilling 5-4 success over Durham & Cleveland at West Worthing yesterday. Needing a win to maintain hopes of climbing the ladder for a third successive year, everything hinged
Banbury captain Jimmy Phillips believes they are well-placed for another decent run in the ECB National Club Twenty20 competition. Phillips’s side take on High Wycombe in the Home Counties Premier League semi-finals at Oxford CC’s Roman Way ground
Chris Watling says there is no panic in the Aston Rowant camp, despite being just one place above the Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 1 relegation zone. Rowant host second-from-bottom Harefield tomorrow in what is a crunch
Saturday CRICKET SERIOUS CRICKET HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE Div 1: Aston Rowant v Harefield, Banbury v Tring Park, Gerrards Cross v Henley, Oxford v High Wycombe. Div 2 West: Cove v Horspath, Falkland v Great & Little Tew, Shipton-u-Wychwood
Headington School rowers are still celebrating after starring for Great Britain in a junior international match against France at Nantes. After winning the British selection trials in Nottingham last month , the Headington girls J16 quad of Danielle
Horspath captain Will Eason says it would be remarkable achievement if they can secure promotion from Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 2. Eason’s second-placed side visit Cove tomorrow with a 33-point cushion in the battle
Two Wallingford RC crews won bronzes medals in the British Junior Championships at Nottingham. The club’s squad of 11 crews not only won two medals, but also contested numerous A finals. The first medal was brought home by the J15 double scull
JAYDEN Parkinson’s mother wept openly yesterday after Ben Blakeley was found guilty of her daughter’s murder. The 22-year-old killer walked out of the dock, slamming the door behind him as the jury convicted him in a case described as the first
ONE of Jayden’s closest friends said last night Ben Blakeley’s conviction for murder was “100 per cent” the right verdict. Layla Smith, 17, who went to Didcot Girls’ School with Jayden, said: “I think everyone thinks the same thing. “I think
IT WAS the news everyone was dreading. On December 14, 2013, Jayden Parkinson’s family had to be told that the police search for their daughter had become a murder inquiry. At the time Detective Chief Superintendent Andrew Murray, head of force
WHEN Ben Blakeley left his cousin Faith Kennedy’s house in Reading where he was staying on the morning of December 3, he locked her and her boyfriend in. He claimed it was an accident. Jayden left the One Foot Forward hostel on Iffley Road at 3.27pm
A CARE home once branded a “crime school” for boys is where Ben Blakeley spent part of his early teenage years. For years before it was knocked down in 2011, Thornbury House off The Moors in Kidlington was troubled by reports from neighbours of
UHLSPORT Hellenic League side AFC Hinksey have folded after only two seasons, writes NICK FARRANT. The club, who ground-shared with Abingdon Town, won promotion to Division 1 East in 2012, but failed to register in time for this season. It
DETAILS of Blakeley and Jayden’s turbulent relationship emerged throughout the trial. And evidence from his previous girlfriends portrayed him as violent and controlling. Katie Gale, 21, told the trial that Blakeley tried to strangle her about
THERE were angry and emotional scenes in Oxford Crown Court when Ben Blakeley first admitted killing his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend. The 22-year-old made the surprise admission during a plea hearing on March 17 this year and it prompted gasps and
OXFORDSHIRE’S social care authorities are carrying out a serious case review following the murder of Jayden Parkinson. After she became homeless in autumn last year, 17-year-old Jayden accepted an offer of accommodation at One Foot Forward, a supported
BY the age of 17, Jayden Parkinson had lived a more chaotic life than most teenagers. Born in Ashford, Kent, in September 1996, she grew up near Folkestone, moved to Lancashire for a year, then when her parents split up, moved to Berinsfield with
OXFORD United have agreed deals for three new shirt sponsors this season. The companies will be unveiled next Thursday at the traditional pre-season squad photograph. One will feature on the front of the home kit, while there will also be logos
Oxford RL will be without JJ Baird for the rest of the season after the second row forward suffered a knee injury in their 58-16 defeat by York a fortnight ago. This is a big blow for Oxford, who have a mounting injury crisis as they bid to climb
A £50m funding gap in the Oxford Railway Station redevelopment is “bridgeable”, council bosses have said. They were speaking as the masterplan for the £75m development was formally unveiled yesterday at the Said Business School. Funding is
Oxford City RC veteran Howard Waller obliterated the club’s 50-mile time trial record with a superb 1 min 47. 33 secs in the Shafesbury 50. The 48-year-old’s time smashed 30 seconds off the old record, despite the hot and sticky conditions.
County captain Emma Tolson helped North Oxford ease their relegation fears in Oxfordshire LTA Wilson League Ladies’ Division 1. She won both rubbers with partner Julie Wood in a 3-1 victory at Oxford City. Portcullis secured early promotion
TRACK cyclist John Paul, Oxfordshire sportsman of the year in 2011, was knocked out in the men’s sprint qualifying. The Scotsman, whose parents live in Wantage, finished 14th with only the top 12 progressing. FORMER Oxford University student
