Archive

FOR more than two decades, a Wantage organisation has been forging close ties with communities in France and Germany during a series of visits abroad. Now the Wantage, Grove and District Twinning Association is to display a range of photographs

LONDON Welsh’s presence at the Kassam Stadium officially came to an end on Thursday, when the club’s giant logo was removed. The work to take down the giant badge was carried out by Denton Builders, owned by OxVox member Michael Denton, ahead of

MOTORCYCLISTS across Oxfordshire are being urged to learn how to stay safe on the roads with new workshops run by the county’s fire service. Biker Down was officially launched by Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service on Monday at

EMPLOYEES at King's Mead House had to be evacuated after police reportedly removed a suspect suitcase in Oxpens Road. A research analyst at the house said staff were ordered to leave the building at about 5pm because of the suitcase, which is believed

THAMES Valley Police has once again refused to confirm or deny whether it used anti-terrorism laws to spy on journalists. It said it would not reveal whether it misused the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to snoop on journalists,

The line-up of historic buildings set to take part in Oxford Open Doors has been revealed. Matt Oliver reports Open Doors, a free annual event, organised by Oxford Preservation Trust and Oxford University, is in its eighth year and will take place

INFORMATION relating to former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath is being investigated by Thames Valley Police. Allegations surrounding Sir Edward, who read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keble College in the 1930s, are now being investigated

JEWELLERY including a ladies rotary watch was stolen from a house in Beckley. Thames Valley Police believe burglars forced open the front door of the home in Woodperry Road before taking the watch and a black signet ring. Officers said the

SEVERAL items including a laptop and a passport were stolen from a house in Kennington, according to police. Thames Valley Police believe three people smashed a rear patio window on The Avenue on Tuesday, August 4 between 7.30pm and 9pm. The

POPULAR Witney teacher Margaret Bettesworth has died at the age of 82. A keen gardener and traveller, Mrs Bettesworth taught at various primary and secondary schools in the town for more than 20 years and was a familiar face to many. Margaret

CAROL Wright, the popular landlady of a Headington pub for many years, has died, aged 71. The much-loved mother and grandmother worked for most of her life as a secretary in and around Oxford, before becoming landlady at The Six Bells pub in Beaumont

A CARE home has been criticised for failing to give patients their medication as prescribed. The Yarnton Residential and Nursing Home was told it needed to improve its safety procedures following an unannounced visit by health watchdog inspectors

TEACHERS at a new diploma course with almost 60 applicants claim they may have to cancel next term because they cannot find any classrooms. Jennings Education, currently based in Chalgrove, claims to have been knocked back on nine occasions to

A MAN who died on the M40 on July 27 has been described as “loving and beautiful husband, son, brother, uncle and godfather.” Alex Green, 29, died when the car he was driving hit the crash barrier near  junctions 9 southbound, and burst into flames

Want to give your opinion? Email letters@oxfordmail.co.uk

A CONSULTATION into the future of an intermediate care unit at a community hospital will go ahead after it was suspended last month. The public consultation into the 14 intermediate care beds at Chipping Norton War Memorial Hospital was delayed

HE FAILED his 11-Plus and left school at 15 but is now one of Britain’s best-known brains. Sir Trevor Baylis, who invented the wind-up radio, was at an Oxford conference this week to talk about how young people can be taught entrepreneurial spirit

A FORMER helicopter pilot forced to give up flying has used his expertise to start a successful drone business. Matt Williams set up Aerial Motion Pictures with wife Natalie after an accident damaged his neck and spinal cord, bringing his RAF career

MINDER actor and Henley-on-Thames resident George Cole has died aged 90. He famously played Arthur Daley, alongside Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, in the comedy-drama, which ran between 1979 and 1994. He died last night in the Royal Berkshire

YESTERDAY'S evening’s downpour formed a glorious sight across Oxfordshire’s skies. Mary Spicer captured a rainbow in Tackley after her fiancé Mark sent her a text message to tell her it was gracing the sky. She said: “By the time I got out

Sir – Those worthy and doubtless well-housed people celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Green Belt are quite right. It was an appropriate thing to do in 1955, given that millions of new homes were needed in Britain after the squalor of the

Sir – I must admit that I find the recent press revelations concerning the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords and former chairman of the Privileges and Conduct Committee who appears to have been caught in flagrante delicto (and might if he

Sir – Whilst researching my family tree, I discovered that my great-grandmother’s maiden name was Pratley, a surname that I soon came to realise was, and is still a very common name in Oxfordshire, especially in the west of the county, around Chipping

Sir – I have just signed a petition on 38 Degrees, initiated by Andrew Smith MP, to stop closures of children’s centres across Oxfordshire. Surely this attempt to close children’s centres, more than underlines that the ‘recovery’ is not benefitting

Sir – I have recently been commissioned to write a major social history, Hearts and Minds, to mark the centenary of votes for women in 2018. This book – my tenth – will be based on first-hand accounts of those involved, including tens of thousands

Sir – On Tuesday last week sadly a gentleman lost his life in a vehicle collision on the A420 Between Faringdon and Littleworth (I would say Wadley). Well, I have a book containing two photos from you archives, one from June 10, 1971 and one from

Sir – Oxford always makes the most of its latest endeavours to improve its public realm with disappointing results, witness the farrago of Cornmarket and Bonn Square as reminders of past civic screw-ups. It is arguably time for reappraisal of civic

Sir – There now appears to be a new tourist attraction in the city to rival Oxford in Bloom, but it doesn’t seem to have attracted the publicity it deserves. This may possibly be because whereas ‘Bloom’ is a gorgeous riot of colour, the newcomer

BANBURY MAGISTRATES Jason Griffiths, 44, of Oxford Homeless Pathways, Luther Street, admitted stealing a Specialized mountain bike, five bottles of wine, a rucksack and other items worth £500 from Broad Close, Kidlington, on July 18. Given an 18

AS WARD councillors for St Clement’s, we were disappointed by the tone and content of the front page story regarding the council’s plans to improve the East Oxford Community Centre (‘Forced out of their centres’, Tuesday, August 4). By focusing

IN THE days when the Titanic set sail there was an agreed chivalric code. The gentlemen of the Edwardian era agreed that the safety of women and children should always come first in a disaster. Thus, when the unsinkable ship began to sink, there

Sir – I am saddened to think how the recent budget announcements are going to affect our beautiful, diverse city. The last Government’s welfare reforms have already driven Oxford City Council to send homeless families far from friends and family

Sir – Would whoever took a ladies’ black bamboo-handled umbrella from the Ashmolean Museum cloakroom kindly return it to the museum so it may be reclaimed by its owner. It has been in her possession for nearly 50 years and she has fond memories

Sir – I attended the South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) planning meeting last week which approved the Orchard Centre extension. I can only describe it as a charade. Planning meetings exist so that councillors can be seen to make up their

Sir – South Oxfordshire District Council’s planning meeting has approved plans to expand Didcot’s town centre. Those plans are a vital part of the future growth in the Didcot area (over 10,000 new houses and counting). As the local county councillors

Sir – Last week’s story of student Emily Stiff who died when severely depressed and unwell is a tragedy too often repeated elsewhere. Her father is absolutely right to say that the policy of confidentiality is applied way beyond common sense or

Sir – When North Oxford is gridlocked and the traffic on the A40 stands still back to Eynsham and down the bypass to Headington might highways wake up to the fact that the work at the Wolvercote and Banbury Road roundabouts should be done 24/7 (and

Sir – If you look north along Headley Way from its junction with London Road, when the traffic is quiet in the early morning, you will see a beautifully crafted urban avenue, where silver birch trees stand elegantly on the grass verge in two curving

YOUR story about East Oxford Community Centre (EOCC), headlined ‘forced out of their centres’, on Tuesday will have caused concern within the East Oxford community. The facts are: * Oxford City Council wants a bigger and better community centre

I WONDER if it’s possible to ask through your paper if I have any relatives by the name of Mumford still living in the Witney area. My nan was Mabel Mumford born approx 1891. She married Fred Blake from Wendlebury. Her mother and father were Ellen

I LIVE close to the Cutteslowe roundabout and have had a bird’s eye view of events since these poorly planned excavations for so-called improvements started. I assume that whoever is responsible for this shambles, when dressing each morning, does

WHEREAS those responsible for the current floral displays in the centre of Abingdon are to be praised, a similar accolade unfortunately cannot be given to those in charge of keeping our residential areas free of weeds. Wherever you look outside

OVERNIGHT road closures to the A34 at the Milton Interchange are set to begin tomorrow and continue for much of the month. From 10pm tomorrow the A34 will be shut as part of roadworks until 6am the following day. A diversion will send southbound

David McManus on getting hooked up in the West Country In some ways I wish I could come on holiday and know that I am going to be completely off the grid with no wi-fi and only the occasional blip of 3G. But this is the real world and not some

Alison Boulton meets a woman who has a wealth of stories from an exciting life Julia Miles is offering me a crisp, pistachio biscuit in her elegant North Oxford sitting room when the door bursts open and a muddy spaniel bounds in. “Horace!

Seamus Perry seeks distraction by reading his favourite essayist You don’t hear writers praised much for their ‘charm’ these days: it is one of those compliments that is practically the opposite of a compliment. My grandmother would sometimes

Alice Hicks talks about her journey to health and happiness My story begins in Oxford where I was born in 1943. The first two years of my life were then spent in war-torn London, where my father was in charge of an anti-aircraft station. One

In this week of national mourning I feel compelled to join everyone else in singing the praises of Cilla Black, who supplied the soundtrack to a large part of my life. Just 12 when she crashed into the charts with Anyone Who Had a Heart, I loved

HEADINGTON’S oldest church is getting a £100,000 restoration after a major donation from supporters. Work has started at St Andrew’s Church in Old Headington to restore the 16th century bell tower. The Friends of St Andrew’s, which fundraises

From a work-in-progress Katherine MacAlister is happy to report this country eatery now offers a stunning menu and beautiful surroundings For nearly two years, The Perch pub has been inching ever closer to the pub Jon Ellse always envisaged, since

Pret is proud to have been serving the people of Oxford since its first shop opened at 2 Cornmarket Street nearly 20 years ago. Since then, we’ve opened two more shops in Oxford; one further along Cornmarket Street, and the other, in the West Wing

KIM Kaewkraikhot moved to the UK in 1999 to be with her partner Martin Stead after a tough upbringing in Thailand. Their vision was to open a Thai restaurant in the UK. This vision started in 2004 with the opening of their first restaurant

Luke Jenkins, who has been solving crimes night after night, tells Katherine MacAlister about secretly auditioning for his Sgt Trotter role and the unstoppable legacy of The Mousetrap Sir Richard Attenborough played Sgt Trotter in Agatha Christie

When a group of cricketers from a small South Oxfordshire village managed to bring one of the country’s biggest hip-hop stars to their club for a fundraiser, many music lovers were left rubbing their eyes in surprise. Now, a year after attracting

Jo Vidler gives Tim Hughes a peek at all the preparations for this weekend’s festival It takes an absolute perfectionist to create something as beautiful as Wilderness festival. And Jo Vidler admits she is that woman. With the countdown

Katherine MacAlister tries out Pret A Manger’s latest outlet at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital There were babies crying and nurses everywhere. People with bandages or hairnets, wheelchairs, matrons, staff on lunch breaks, their ID cards flapping

Award-winning plantswoman and TV presenter Christine Walkden offers advice on how to make the most of late summer colour in pots As summer progresses, some containers will lose momentum by late July and August, particularly if they haven’t been

Tim Hughes talks to Lady Rotherwick as she prepares to host the Wilderness festival Lady Rotherwick sits on a grassy slope overlooking a clear blue lake, and gently smiles. The valley is silent, save for birdsong and the rustle of leaves, and

Jaine Blackman discovers what’s going on down at the Big Wild Sleepout If you’re looking for a wild night out this weekend – head to the woods. On Saturday, the RSPB and Oxford University will be welcoming families to camp under the stars and

MIKRON Theatre playwright Maeve Larkin obviously has a sixth sense. How could she possibly have known when she wrote Raising Agents, her play about the first 100 years of the WI, that she’d get a massive publicity boost from ubiquitous TV documentary

A squirrel shimmies along a veranda into overhanging foliage, dodging barbecue smoke, while the haunting harmonies of Oxford band Family Machine, drift on the air. We’re in the secret garden that is East Oxford’s Restore Cafe, tonight hosting its

Electric-folk Trembling Bells The Cellar, Frewen Court, Oxford Tonight Tickets from wegottickets.com Fusing folk-rock, psychedelia and country music, Trembling Bells are endlessly adventurous and just a little unpredictable. Expect hypnotic

No one emerges from the sprawling emotional minefield of adolescence without a few bruises and scars. In that time of hormone-fuelled experimentation and startling self-realisation, when sexuality is wonderfully fluid, it’s important to stumble

Lizzy McBain creative director of Hidden Spire talks about why the project excites her and its upcoming production Hidden Spire is a collaboration between Arts at the Old Fire Station and Crisis, a project that brings together professional artists

The lovely gardens of Lady Margaret Hall, bathed in golden evening light if you’re lucky (as I was), supply an altogether magical setting for Creation Theatre’s superb production of As You Like It. Nor is this simply one to be admired as a background

Gleeful villainy, as comically celebrated in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: The Musical, has been a mainstay of stage success for centuries. Ooh, they are awful, but we like them. This certainly applies to the smoothly British upper-crust con man Lawrence

Nicola Lisle looks forward to a festival’s Faustian-inspired music show Scenery-chewingly fantastic” is how curator Matthew Sharp describes The Devil’s Jukebox, a two-hour musical and visual extravaganza coming to the Wilderness Festival on Saturday

Tim Hughes dons cricket pads and flannels for a weekend of pop, hip-hop, grime and jungle, among scenic surroundings in the Chiltern hills A top rapper, chart-topping pop group and one of the world’s leading DJs unite this weekend to play a festival

ONE of the most impressive aspects of this summer’s festival season has been the transformation of small amateur events into major players. We all love a big gathering with huge headliners, but one has to admire the sheer chutzpah of weekend promoters

Theresa Thompson is given a glimpse of a more civilised age There's fun to be had in this exhibition if you know your Jane Austen. The pictures don’t directly reference her novels, but the faces, fashions, and demeanours of the sitters could step

With what seemed to me astonishing speed, the bridge spanning the Oxford to Bicester (and soon to Marylebone) railway line at First Turn, Wolvercote, was demolished in a little more than a day last week. Passing on Tuesday, wheeling my bike across

John Tanner City council board member for cleaner, greener Oxford David Cameron is performing a u-turn on tackling climate change. A series of measures is undermining Britain’s position. The politician who a few years ago flew

I have recently heard a number of scare stories about people assuming that they have made watertight arrangements for their children or their finances in the event of their death, and being completely wrong. I thought it might be a good opportunity

The tide is turning for Marc West as he takes the plunge and investigates the benefits of a healthy swim in the open air As the early morning sun struggled to illuminate the sky, I kicked off my espadrilles and gingerly tiptoed into the chilly

* Gluts & Glutton’s supper club on Saturday, August 22, is so popular it has sold out. So, by popular demand the organisers have added another night. If you haven’t booked and would like to go along, there are now spaces available on Friday

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for friendship... and for my pal Karen, it was her diet. “I’ll just order carefully and avoid carbs,” she said, full of good intentions at our pre-theatre dinner in Browns. We were there to sample the lunch

Natalie Bowen enjoys a book dreamed up by the author during her time at Oxford Opening the frankly gorgeous cover of this debut by Natasha Pulley – a steampunk-inspired green and gold design of cogs and clockwork – I had high hopes for the Victorian-era

Mariella Bliss explains how she started her Oxford catering company Bliss Every (and I mean every) Italian is mad about food. Of course, when I was growing up in a large town just a bit south of my beloved Napoli, I just didn’t realise it. Neither

DANNY Rose cannot wait for Oxford United’s season to start – because he did not think he would be a part of it. The 27-year-old is in contention to make the XI for the 100th time in a U’s shirt on Saturday when they begin the Sky Bet League Two

EDDIE Pepperell plans to play twice at Frilford Heath this weekend to sharpen up ahead of the US PGA Championships. The Abingdon golfer has not played competitively since finishing in a share of 49th place in The Open at St Andrews, preferring

THE road network in Oxfordshire often comes in for some heavy criticism. But that’s normally because of congestion and potholes, rather than international crime gangs abusing it for their ill-gotten gains. It might seem bizarre to some, but rural

THREE veteran sportsmen born and bred in Blackbird Leys will take on a gruelling triathlon this weekend for charity. Brothers Peter, Paul and Terry Brackett, who have a combined age of 167, will each complete a stretch of the 2015 London Triathlon

Strikes affecting rail travel over the August Bank Holiday weekend are still set to go ahead. Talks held yesterday between First Great Western and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union were inconclusive, according to RMT spokesman Geoff

Today we reveal discussions are taking place in Oxfordshire over a new devolution deal that council leaders could seek with the Government. These discussions are understood to have started about a month ago and could see hundreds of millions of

ONLY we, the residents of Oxford, are to blame for the humongous fatbergs clogging up our sewers. Like the late family goldfish, people think they can flush any old thing down the drain and just forget it about it. But under the city’s streets

A WOMAN who was raped in a Headington flat said she was “in shock” when the stranger attacked her, a jury heard. Catalin Horhota, of no fixed abode, is accused of one count of rape, two counts of attempted rape, four counts of sexual assault, one

Oxford City Council and developers of the Barton Park development, Grosvenor have met to discuss the building firms for the roads and infrastructure in the new estate. The Barton LLP said an announcement of the contractor would be in the “coming

HUGE lumps of congealed fat are putting the pipes of Oxford’s sewer network at risk of collapse, it has been warned. Thames Water yesterday said it was launching its “biggest push yet” to tackle the problem of the so-called fatbergs, which are

IT IS still not known which train killed a man at Yarnton Lane level crossing. Christopher Walden was found dead on the tracks near Kidlington on the morning of Thursday, April 9. A post mortem examination found the 40-year-old had suffered

A WOMAN who made hundreds of thousands of pounds stealing designer handbags and selling them online has been ordered to pay back more than £140,000. Anna Hindmarsh travelled around the UK for four years stealing more than 1,000 handbags by designers

CHRISTIAN von Eitzen overcame illness to win a silver medal in the U20 800m at the German Youth Championships. The 18-year-old, from Abingdon, was advised not to run at the championships in Jena due to a common cold, but decided to battle on.

RURAL machinery firms have said they’re being targeted by international crime gangs because of Oxfordshire’s road network. Some companies have blamed the county’s proximity to the M40, A34 and M4 for making it attractive to thieves who steal large

A MAN who admitted having sex with a 14-year-old girl has been jailed for five years. Eugenio Layku, 35, originally denied one count of sexual activity with a child, but changed his plea to guilty on the morning of his trial. Police said that

People have one more day to give their views on a controversial £12.5m transport plan for Headington. Oxfordshire County Council announced its strategy to widen roads and develop routes to the city centre in early July. Comments can be emailed

COACH Josh Lenthall says Alchester are fully focused on rebuilding the club and have set no targets for this season’s BB&O Premier campaign, writes JACK JOHNSON. Alchester were relegated from Southern Counties North in May and begin life in

A bid to turn a house into HMO-rented accommodation was yesterday refused by Oxford City Council because of the “number of HMOs” in the area. Property owner Sadegh Parvizi applied to get permission to rent the Headington Road property to up to

4:58pm Thames Valley Police are investigating information following allegations relating to former Prime Minister

An avenging angel proves enigmatic and menacing in Ana Lily Amirpour's outstanding debut, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which transplants the vampire story to an Iranian oil town that is beset with the kind of social problems that occur the world

A REAL-LIFE Forrest Gump is hoping he can encourage others to run with him as he takes on his latest challenge. Bicester’s Ewan Gordon will line up at the Oxford Vitality Half Marathon in October, raising funds for Oxford hospice Helen & Douglas

Although he was never prolific, Alexei German was one of the great directors of the Soviet era. The son of writer Yuri German, he trained under Grigori Kozintsev before joining the Lenfilm studio after a spell in the theatre. Following his apprenticeship

THE leader of Banbury Town Council has led tributes to a former councillor who has died aged 62. Kieron Mallon praised former Grimsbury and Castle town councillor Ann Bonner, pictured, as a “stalwart promoter” of the town and “tireless worker”.

MATT Williams has declared himself happy with the opening month of pre-season training ahead of Chinnor’s friendly at Coventry on Saturday, writes JACK JOHNSON. The National League 2 South side have not played since April 25 and have attracted

OXFORD Saints will build up to their play-off campaign by hosting a friendly against Jurassic Coast Raptors on Sunday (2.30). The game at Abingdon RFC comes a fortnight before the first round of the post-season, when Saints visit Sussex Thunder

A mock crane rescue will be staged by firefighters on Saturday. Ahead of the construction of 31 retirement apartments in The Rookery, developers McCarthy and Stone have teamed up with Kidlington Community Fire Station to display the rescue scenario

West Witney’s Kevin Alder retained the Oxfordshire BA’s Officers Cup in a tense and thrilling final against Witney Town’s Brian Bloomfield at Oxford City & County. A tight game, in which neither bowler had more than three shots lead at any

POLICE officers in Oxfordshire “won’t be able to do the job they currently do” as their budgets are slashed, it has been warned. The Thames Valley Police Federation (TVPF) has warned that officers will be too stretched due to Government cuts of

THE cast of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels toasted their arrival at the New Theatre this week with a glass of bubbly. The critically-acclaimed musical, which performed to crowds in the West End earlier this year, is based on the film of the same name

Despite winning on four of the six rinks, Oxfordshire went down 122-110 to Middlesex in their Home Counties League match at South Oxford. Barry Lambourne’s rink produced a superb comeback for Oxon. They trailed by seven shots with five ends

A LANDLORDS’ group has claimed strict rules for renting out shared houses is pricing some of the poorest tenants out of Oxford. The National Landlords Association (NLA) wants Oxford City Council to change its homes in multiple occupancy licensing

BAKING queen Christine Wallace told of the fun she had on The Great British Bake Off with “mischievous” Mary Berry, as this year’s series hit the nation’s television screens. Mrs Wallace, from Didcot, appeared on the show two years ago in series

OXFORD United’s Canice Carroll has received a call-up to the Republic of Ireland Under 17 squad. The youth team defender, who played for the club’s development team in their 4-0 defeat at Reading on Tuesday, will attend a four-day training camp

A MAN who was found on fire in a public toilet died from a brain haemorrhage, an inquest heard yesterday. Jonathan Mills from Netherwoods, Risinghurst, died on February 9 in a block of public toilets in Southampton Street, Faringdon. The 49

Oxfordshire Under 25s rounded off their Junior Home Counties League campaign with a convincing 21-shot win over Kent at Kidlington to secure second place in the table. Both teams started the day in a position to take the runners-up spot behind

A KEEN cyclist whose £700 bike was stolen from the “most secure shed” on her street is still desperately searching for it. Ann Haggar from Aston Street, east Oxford, was told by police that her bike had been locked away in the safest place on the

Headington have successfully defended their Division 1 title in the Oxfordshire League, sponsored by Bridle Insurance. Their 4-2 victory over City & County A ensured the champagne corks could pop, despite the efforts of Paul Comley’s rink,

A TRANSPORT campaign group will today protest against £3.6m of cuts to the county’s bus services in David Cameron’s constituency. Campaign for Better Transport and Bus Users Oxford is holding a street stall outside Witney Post Office and has called

MORE than 10 per cent of the county’s 15-year-olds are smokers, new figures have revealed. A report detailing the smoking habits of the nation’s 15-year-olds has shown that more girls smoke than boys in Oxfordshire, but numbers for both are above

TO DESCRIBE Neil Topping’s writing as a labour of love is something of an understatement. Not only has he completed an epic set of romantic novels – four books totalling about 300,000 words following a love story across continents over 50 years