Archive

  • Battle is on to save 200-year-old pub

    VILLAGERS in West Hendred have united to try to save a village pub that is under threat. Residents say The Hare, in Reading Road, has served up pints to villagers for almost 200 years. But three weeks ago owners Greene King shut up shop and

  • Customers sought for bus survey

    THE Oxford Bus Company is looking for customers to take a survey online. The company wants people to answer seven questions about their experiences with the company’s buses in and out of Oxford. To fill in the survey, people can follow this

  • Police team on patrol

    RESIDENTS in West Oxfordshire can meet their local police officers in the coming week. Members of Thames Valley Police’s Woodstock team will be on patrol around Stonesfield on Tuesday from 10.30am to 11.30am. They will then be around Combe,

  • Plans for equestrian centre are supported

    AN EQUESTRIAN centre for eventers should be given permission at Freelands Farm, Westwell, near Burford, a council planning officer has said. West Oxfordshire District Council’s Kim Smith has recommended councillors approve the plan. It would

  • Fire engine called to broken car leaking fuel

    A FIRE engine was called out to a broken-down car leaking fuel on the Northern Bypass, A40, between Headington and Cutteslowe. The fire service was called at 4pm and a crew cleared up the fuel leak. It remained with the driver until a recovery

  • Dog walkers banned after 20 years

    DOG walkers are being stopped from using land owned by Bicester Heritage due to ‘health and safety reasons’. For 20 years Marion Jeskowiak has been walking her dogs across land used by the Bicester Gliding Club bordering Skimmingdish Lane.

  • A-level results: pupils praised for 100 per cent passes

    WANTAGE: All 128 A-Level students at King Alfred’s Academy passed their exams with grades A* to E. The 100 per cent pass rate is a 0.6 per cent rise compared to last year, with 57 per cent of pupils achieving grades A* to B and 26 per cent getting

  • Hannah England misses out on medal at European Championships

    Oxfordshire's Hannah England missed out on a medal in the women's 1,500m final at the European Championships tonight. The Oxford City athlete finished sixth in a time of 4mins 7.80secs in a race won by Sifan Hassan ahead of Abeba Aregawi. Do

  • Man admits raping teenager in Little Haseley

    A MAN has pleaded guilty to raping a teenager at Oxford Crown Court today. Christian Perera, 31, of Samphire Road in Blackbird Leys, admitted two counts of raping a 19-year-old woman in Stone Lane between Clare and Little Haseley in April.

  • Top-of-the-range Summit scales the height of luxury

    SUBTLE, understated, restrained. Nah. This is full-on, all-American, larger-than-life motoring. And I mean larger. Everything about the giant Jeep Grand Cherokee oozes over-indulgence and the aptly-named, top-of-the-range Summit model is simply

  • Efforts must be made to end discrimination

    I am writing concerning the article ‘Patients run risk of being denied hip replacements’, August 1) This scandal deserves to be highlighted and efforts made to overturn the disgraceful and discriminatory denial of replacements by the Oxfordshire Clinical

  • Drivers need to exercise more patience at our roundabouts

    Suzanne McIvor’s letter (August 1) suggests new roundabouts should be seen to ease the congestion around the city’s main intersection points. Has she not been through the Green Road Roundabout at Headington which seems to cope well until some driver

  • We really need some forwards in our team

    I do not want to complain before the season has started but I will. Why are we bringing in young players on loan to give them experience when we already have our own? Crocombe should start the season in goal. Bevans should be learning and challenging

  • Low wages are holding back country’s recovery

    So now we know from the Bank of England what we suspected all along. Not only is the economy still struggling to catch up, low wages are just not keeping pace with price rises in the shops. The Tory and Lib Dem polices of savage cuts to local

  • It’s time we changed our diets to plants

    Looking back on past Olympic records, our future Olympians could do well to follow the example of Sir Roger Bannister and nine times gold medal winner Carl Lewis, who along with many of today’s top athletes, live on a strict plant-based diet. The

  • It wasn’t going to show support for solar power

    I was interested to see the report (August 11) of a survey showing widespread support for fracking. Or so I understood from the first paragraph. But, as I read on it became clear that what the survey actually showed was widespread support for reducing

  • Incinerator starts to generate power

    ELECTRICITY has been sent into the National Grid from the Ardley incinerator for the first time. The £200m plant near Bicester is expected to generate enough electricity to power 38,000 homes when it comes into full operation in the autumn.

  • Slimline trainer to take on four marathons

    A FORMER 17-stone pastry-lover turned personal trainer is gearing up for his biggest challenge of four marathons – more than 100 miles – in two days. Darren Davies, 44, is to run 26.2 miles from Folly Bridge to Long Eaton and back again on Saturday

  • Oxford United given 2,800 tickets for West Brom tie

    Oxford United have been allocated 2,800 tickets for the Capital One Cup second round tie at West Bromwich Albion, which has been confirmed for Tuesday, August 26 (8pm). The U's fans will be behind the goal in the covered Smethwick Road End.

  • Royal Regatta rowers ready to race

    ROWERS from across the country will take up their oars in battle on a stretch of the River Thames this weekend. The City of Oxford Rowing Club will host its two-day Royal Regatta on the River Isis. More than 300 crews from all over the UK will

  • Suspicious string traps planted for cyclists, police warn

    CYCLISTS have spotted neck-height traps on footpaths in South Oxfordshire. Police received reports of string tied across two bridleways, at the neck-height of cyclists, in Goring and Whitchurch. Two cyclists have reported the suspicious string

  • 'Luca and I would not be defeated'

    Sonia Jandhyala tells Jaine Blackman of the despair and love she felt on the day her ‘doubly unlucky’ son was born People say ‘you wouldn’t have him any other way’ but if I could wave a magic wand for him to be completely normal I’d do it in a

  • Tips to cut the costs of your mobile phone

    Sometimes I dream about the days when it was OK to be out of touch, off-line and out to lunch. Back in the 1980s, before the age of mobile phones, when you were out, you were off limits. Marathon boozy lunches or clandestine trips to the pub were

  • Forget the fakery for life in the raw with a hangover

    Work hard, play harder: is a maxim bandied around so much that it’s become a cliché. Especially as, when you hit a certain age, ‘a nice lie down’ certainly feels like it should be the final side of a magic triangle, whatever Nev from The Call Centre

  • 'Pub Landlord' Al Murray shows his serious side

    Al Murray may be famed for his brash comedy alter-egos, but behind the laughs lies a sensitive history-geek nurtured during his days as an Oxford student. In new series Secrets From The Asylum he delves in to his Victorian ancestors’ struggle with

  • Trying to make the break work

    There aren’t many times I look at the teaching profession wistfully, I’ve spent too many hours as a helper in the back of primary school classes impatiently listening to children read or trying to control a class of five year olds in a talk about being

  • Don't mistake PMT for OMG

    When I was 16 I was placed on the contraceptive pill by my forthright mother. This was, let’s face it, a wise decision, but it was also one that had various repercussions that took several years to properly comprehend. Like most 16 year olds

  • 'I want to get paid to go adventuring'

    Rebecca searches the job ads but fails to find a vacancy for ‘living an awesome life’ Last week a 23-year-old Brit became the first solo adventurer to walk the 1,500 miles spanning Mongolia, which is one of the globe’s most desolate and unforgiving

  • A feast of a festival

    Boy, was I glad to hear her voice – my daughter’s that is. She was out of radio contact for almost four days at the Wilderness Festival. Her phone ran out of battery. Oh, yeah? In all that amplified sound – was there no juice available? It seemed

  • ‘Inspirational’ youngsters to lead relay for cancer funds

    A PAIR of brave three-year-olds affected by cancer will lead a lap of honour during an overnight relay event this weekend. Evie-Mae Crawford and Martha Hanlon will be special guests at this year’s Relay for Life Oxford. Wearing “survivor” T-shirts

  • Getting more than just a great haircut

    There’s something very therapeutic about a hair appointment. You can count the benefits on one hand. Firstly, the staff are so polite. High service values are all around. Surfaces sparkle, scent abounds, and clients are happy to be pampered

  • Stepping back in theatre's history

    There’s a new tour on Oxford’s tourist trail focusing the Sheldonian Theatre. Jaine Blackman takes the tour and meets a guide who specialises in leading parties around the city One of the guides leading the Sheldonian Theatre tours is Susannah

  • Getting to the bottom of the way dogs 'talk'

    Dogs may be man’s best friend, they may be cute and entertaining but admit it, they are also gross. They smear your favourite dress with drool – usually right around the crotch, they shed enough hair to fill a duvet and they spend half their time with

  • Plants for the social climbers

    Sheena Patterson of Oxford Garden Design asks if flowers are upper or working class? I freely confess to being one of Downton Abbey’s 12 million fans and along with many others am waiting in anticipation to discover the further complications and

  • Super fun for little heroes

    FOUR-year-old Leo Barker used his “spidey sense” along with dozens of other young superheroes at the MAD Academy superheroes party. Youngsters dressed up as their favourite characters, played superhero-themed games and sang superhero songs as they

  • Spoilt for choice at spa break

    Jaine Blackman wanders through a world of spas to emerge relaxed and rejuvenated After a week of glorious sunshine we arrived at the Aqua Sana spa in a downpour as the tail end of Hurricane Bertha approached. But shaking off the raindrops as

  • To the ends of the earth to highlight global warming

    Phil Ball risked his life and a 15-year prison sentence in Russia for piracy and hooliganism to protest against deep-sea oil drilling in the Arctic. He was one of the Arctic 30 Greenpeace crew arrested on September 19 last year and held for 67 days

  • An unbudgeable visitor is riled by my suggestion...

    MOIRA and John, an elderly couple from Edinburgh, were taking pictures of the Ashmolean Museum from outside the Randolph. They were on a bus tour and making a first visit to our city. It was for one day only; Wednesday they were off to ‘the other place

  • Chilli festival should be hot stuff, say organisers

    CHILLI fans are invited to spice up their lives as Abingdon hosts the Oxfordshire Chilli Festival this weekend. The Market Place will be taken over with chilli-themed events and live music tomorrow. Organiser Dawn Massam said a chilli-eating

  • FOOTBALL: Potter out to regain magic

    Alfie Potter believes Oxford United’s new system will help get him back to top form as the winger continues to recover from an injury-hit year. The 25-year-old has started both competitive games under head coach Michael Appleton and is set to continue

  • Appleton: cup upset gives Oxford United belief in bold system

    AS well as cheering a cup shock on Tuesday night, the travelling Oxford United fans might just have got a glimpse of a bright future. The 2-1 victory over Bristol City, a side well fancied for promotion in Sky Bet League One, was a shock on paper

  • Images released after Forest Hill distraction burglary

    E-FIT pictures of two men have been released after a distraction burglary at an old person’s house in Oxford on Monday. Thames Valley Police said one of them knocked on the elderly man’s door, in Main Street, Forest Hill, between 8.45pm and 9pm

  • Man is punched and kicked by gang of 15 in Wood Farm

    ABOUT 15 young men set upon a 39-year-old man in Wood Farm, Oxford, and kicked and punched him. The man was left cut and bruised after the attack at 9.30pm on Monday in Blackstock Close, but police only released the information yesterday. The victim

  • Strong leadership needed at OCCG

    TO misquote Oscar WIlde: “To lose one top NHS management structure may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness.” The public will wonder what is going on at Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group as it announces a management

  • Generosity of our people is heart-warming

    YET again the people of Oxfordshire have shown their generosity. It is always amazing and touching to report on our county’s acts of kindness. The latest generosity comes from those who have contributed to Simon Winters’ and Julie Willoughby’s

  • Hospital says it is working to scan women within fortnight

    DOCTORS hope to scan all 30 women being recalled over fears about breast cancer tests within the next fortnight. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUHT) said it was working as quickly as possible to give the women – contacted because there

  • Cup progress boosts Oxford United player search

    MICHAEL Appleton believes Oxford United’s victory over Bristol City this week will help him sell the club to transfer targets this month. The U’s brought in Alex Jakubiak on loan this week, but are still hopeful of boosting their forward options

  • A-Level results: Cerebral palsy proves no barrier for Luke

    King Alfred’s Academy pupil Luke Parsons didn’t let his disability get in the way of his A-Levels as he secured a place at Loughborough University to study computer science. Luke, 18, of Charlton Road, who suffers cerebral palsy, was awarded a

  • A-Level results: never too late to learn

    Mature students were among young people celebrating yesterday. Rezo Agbra, 21, of Woodbine Place in Oxford, got an A in philosophy, A in Russian and B in history at City of Oxford College, while fellow student Ricky Slatter, 26, from Witney, got

  • Jury will consider fugitive’s death in cell

    A JURY will be asked to decide how and why a fugitive was found hanging in a Polish prison cell last year. The inquest into the death of prisoner Ian McLean is expected to take place at Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court at the end of January. The

  • Meades savours Oxford United bow after year out

    JON Meades said his Oxford United debut was worth the wait after ending 12 months on the sidelines this week. The midfielder signed last summer, but an ankle injury picked up in the final game of pre-season ruled him out for the entire 2013-14

  • CRICKET: Perkin back as Oxon aim to wreck Cheshire's party

    Jamie Perkin returns as Oxfordshire bid to spoil Cheshire’s quest to be crowned Unicorns Counties Championship Western Division champions in their final three-day game of the season at Nantwich, starting on Sunday. The Oxford batsman was unavailable

  • CRICKET: Morrick's men eye up the Caribbean

    Aston Rowant bid to keep their hopes of a dream trip to the Caribbean alive when they take on Reigate Priory in the rearranged Barbados & Smile Group Travel Cup semi-final on Sunday (1pm). The Club Cricket Conference tie was washed out by torrential

  • Injury problems mount up for Oxford United's opponents

    MANSFIELD Town boss Paul Cox joked he might have to pick himself against Oxford United tomorrow after suffering a host of injury problems one week into the season. Budget cuts during the summer mean the Stags have trimmed their squad to 22 professionals

  • FOOTBALL: Merritt says Isaac can be a shining star

    Oxford City’s general manager Justin Merritt says Kynan Isaac has the ability to be a great success after he signed for Sky Bet League Two side Luton Town. The pacy 21-year-old, who was in his second spell at City, having been at Banbury United

  • A-Level results: students with an extra reason to cheer

    MANY of Oxfordshire’s students who put in hours of hard work against the odds had an extra reason to cheer yesterday. Among them was heart patient Alex Humm, who is off to study medicine after securing the grades he needed despite having a pace-maker

  • CRICKET: Horspath face big test against Reading

    Horspath skipper Will Eason has dismissed thoughts that their Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 2 top-of-the-table clash against Reading at the Recreation Ground tomorrow is a title-decider. Eason recognises the importance of

  • CRICKET: Crunch time for Aston Rowant

    Aston Rowant go into their Oxfordshire derby at home to Banbury tomorrow knowing they must start winning games to ensure their Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 1 survival. Wes Morrick’s side hover five points above the relegation

  • A-Level results: Learner driver does a results day double

    A teenager celebrated a double success after following up her A-Level results by passing her driving test. St Gregory the Great School pupil Katie Marsh, 18, got an A* in philosophy and ethics, a B in sociology and a distinction star for her media

  • Friday, August 15

    3:27pm Man admits raping teenager in Little Haseley 10:35am Don't miss today's Oxford Mail for your Friday Life supplement, all these top stories, top sport

  • More heavy, thundery showers forecast for Oxfordshire

    More heavy, thundery showers are forecast for Oxfordshire after the Met Office issued a second severe weather warning in two days. Yesterday, the county was deluged with heavy rain as thunderstorms rolled overhead, prompting the Met Office to issue

  • A-Level results: county bucks trend as national figures dip

    OXFORDSHIRE looks to have bucked the national trend yesterday as the county’s pass rate remained stable despite a nationwide dip. Thousands of students across Oxfordshire nervously tore open envelopes yesterday morning to find out what their A-Level

  • ‘Railway death son was my rock in life’

    THE mother of a 22-year-old man who was killed when he walked in front of a train in Kidlington has described him as her “rock”. Bletchingdon resident Elizabeth Beerman, 51, spoke after Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday that Nicholas

  • G

    Eddie Pepperell, returning to competitive golf after a five-week break, shot a two-over-par 74 in the first round of the Made In Denmark tournament at Aalborg. The Frilford Heath professional is placed 43rd, seven shots off the lead jointly held

  • FIXTURES: August 16-20

    Saturday FOOTBALL SKY BET LEAGUE TWO Mansfield Tn v Oxford Utd. VANARAMA CONFERENCE NORTH Oxford City v Chorley. SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Slough Tn v Banbury Utd. Div 1 South & West: Bishops Cleeve v Didcot Tn, Taunton

  • TENNIS: County's over 35 women on the up

    Oxfordshire secured promotion in the Women’s 35 Inter-County Championships at Eastbourne. They won all three matches, beating North Wales, Cornwall and Northamptonshire 3-2, with Mandy Nall the key to Oxon’s success with six victories from six.

  • FOOTBALL: Wantage are on learning curve, boss Ackling

    Wantage Town boss Gary Ackling wants his side to forget the contentious 2-1 midweek defeat at home to AFC Totton and concentrate on getting a good result at Wimborne tomorrow. Having lost 3-0 to Taunton last weekend, the Southern League Division

  • Hylton delighted to open Oxford United account

    DANNY Hylton will be aiming to make the difference again for Oxford United tomorrow after claiming the winner in midweek. The striker opened his account for the club with a precise finish three minutes from time against Bristol City. It ensured

  • ROWING: Houghton pain at missing out

    Frances Houghton will sit out the World Championships in Amsterdam next week. The two-time Olympic silver medallist, from Wheatley, has been struggling with a virus and is not ready to compete. The 33-year-old, who had been due to race in the

  • Health spenders changing again

    THE body which decides where most NHS cash is spent is undergoing a management restructure, despite having two changes at the top since April last year. Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) would not comment on the restructure as final

  • Arson attacks on cars ‘could have killed us’

    A COUPLE said they could have been killed when their two cars were torched. David and Denise Bartlett were awoken after 1am on Wednesday when their two Renaults were set alight in Fitzharry’s Road. A third car, a Nissan Micra, also caught fire

  • Bad break can't knock Philippa out of her stride

    SITTING your A-Levels is hard enough without falling down a flight of stairs and breaking your ankle during your exams. But Philippa Smith, a pupil at Our Lady’s Abingdon, managed to get A*s in English Literature and History and an A in Art despite

  • Police launch inquiry as pub’s bell goes missing

    POLICE are now investigating the disappearance of a bell from the Red Lion pub in Yarnton. Last month the Oxford Mail reported that the bell, which is a relic from HMS Yarnton, a Royal Navy patrol ship and former minesweeper, had gone missing from

  • Further roadworks after burst main causes delays

    WORKMEN will replace the road surface on Botley Road tonight after rush hour following repairs to a broken water main yesterday. One lane was closed near Osney Bridge – where the road had to be dug up last month, causing traffic delays – because

  • A-Level results: schools admit there's room for improvement

    HEADTEACHERS across Oxfordshire have said they have more work to do as they confronted a mixed set of results yesterday. Pupils at Wood Green School in Witney achieved a 98 per cent pass rate, marking a two per cent decrease and a nine per cent

  • FOOTBALL: Kidlington's hopes are boosted by Quainton

    Kidlington welcome back Jack Quainton for tomorrow’s FA Cup extra preliminary round home tie against fellow Uhlsport Hellenic League side Newbury. The midfielder has completed his suspension and goes straight back into a side which took over at

  • City council offers money to improve dial-a-ride service

    A NEW bus could be made available to transport the elderly and infirm around Oxford after council officials offered to make more money available. Oxfordshire County Council, the transport authority which runs the dial-a-ride service, is now considering

  • Workshop shines light on art and science links

    SCIENCE and art are colliding this summer for children at the Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot. Youngsters are learning about sciences by getting their hands messy with different arts activities Rose Sheppard learnt about shadows, reflection and