A POPULAR boxing club on Oxford’s biggest estate is no closer to finding a permanent new home. Blackbird Leys Amateur Boxing Club, which currently has about 60 members, has been looking for a new place to train for more than three years. The
IT TOOK 40 years to grow and just 40 minutes to come down. Harcourt Arboretum arborist Guy Horwood shimmied up this silver birch with spikes on his feet to fell the tree last Wednesday. In its place one day there could stand a mighty Californian
MICHAEL Collins scored a late consolation as Oxford United's development team lost 4-1 at Bournemouth. The midfielder, who has been told he is free to find another club, ran on to Canice Carroll's flick-on and finished after the U's had gone 4-
A FIRST-TIME mother who felt “powerless” after her baby was born premature said she was given hope by medics who helped her to breastfeed. Kimberly Bowman delivered son Joseph O’Donoghue at 26 weeks after developing life-threatening complications
A MAN has been sentenced to 40 months in prison after admitting sexually assaulting a woman at Sandford Lock. Gary Norris, 34, of Luther Street, Oxford, was handed the sentence yesterday at Oxford Crown Court after pleading guilty to one count
Strike action at the John Radcliffe Hospital has been avoided after porters there voted to accept new proposals. The porters had planned to go on strike tomorrow and Friday due to new conditions planned by their employer Carillion. Trade union
The A34 Western By Pass is partially blocked after a crash involving two vehicles. Reports show traffic is queuing after the crash on the southbound carriageway near the Peartree Interchange. Get the latest on this incident with our traffic
A MULTI-STOREY car park in Abingdon was targeted in an arson attack yesterday. A small fire was started in a stairwell in the Charter car park off Stert Street in the town at about 2pm. Police said they believed white spirit was poured on to
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A PROLIFIC robber who escaped from an open prison in Aylesbury and travelled to Oxford should not have been moved there if he was a danger to the public, union bosses have warned. John Rooney, 47, who is half way through a 24-year jail sentence
OXFORD United winger Callum O'Dowda has been selected by Republic of Ireland Under 21s for two games next month. The 20-year-old from Kidlington made his international debut in March and is in the squad for a friendly against Qatar, to be played
HAVING observed progress to date on the Woodstock and Banbury Road roundabouts, it must be clear to most people that the person responsible for organising this contract should be dismissed. Next week, when the holiday season comes to an end, Oxford
SOME recent items in your paper led me on to broader thoughts. I’ve noticed that while some violent offenders have been spared prison sentences, some people who have committed property offences – having lost their good names and employment prospects
WITH reference to Cllr Mick Haines’ letter published on August 21 regarding taking out the roundabouts at the junction of Marsh Lane and replacing them with traffic lights. In January 2005, I organised a petition to try to get traffic lights instead
WHEN are supermarkets’ greedy bosses going to get it into their heads that we have too many supermarkets in this country all selling (or not selling) the same merchandise? The amount of reduced perishables with yellow stickers is unbelievable,
I WOULD like to say a big thank-you to everybody who got in contact with me regarding my recent letter offering to help Pratley descendants to find out more about their ancestors. I also managed to introduce two second cousins who weren’t aware
THE owner of a garage targeted in an armed robbery has warned other businesses to tighten their security. Police said a raider wearing a crash helmet rode a motorcycle on to the forecourt of Cannon Poole service station in Hailey Road, Witney,
I AM writing to protest about the council stopping the H1 and H2 daily bus service from Sandhills via Quarry Weyland Road to Headington as we do not get any other bus service. A letter by MP Andrew Smith states they want to stop it as it is not
I REFER to last week’s article about blind veterans. I am a member of the Blind Veterans which is better known as St Dunstan’s. I am registered blind and as an ex-serviceman I have received all the help necessary from Blind Veterans which has enabled
With smartphones never far out of reach and the ease of photo sharing on social media, problems with the malicious use of intimate images are on the increase. Most people now own smartphones and are able to take high quality photographs and videos
The Vale of White Horse District Council is set to begin a controversial search for potential sites to build up to 4,000 new homes to address Oxford’s unmet housing need, including Green Belt land between Oxford and Abingdon YES Matthew
BUSY hands have been stitching an array of beautiful banners to celebrate 100 years of the Women’s Institute next month. In April a festival of cream teas, vintage bus rides, theatre and castle picnics hailed the arrival of the WI centenary baton
OXFORD United felt they had cause for complaint over the goal which knocked them out of the Capital One Cup at Sheffield Wednesday last night. While the visitors did not quibble about the Sky Bet Championship side going through to the third round
LAWRENCE Clarke qualified for the semi-finals of the 110m hurdles at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing earlier this morning. However, the 25-year-old, from Christmas Common, near Watlington, had to rely on being one of four fastest losers
DIVISION 1 THAME Town are Cherwell League champions after a 59-run victory at home to Great Brickhill. The win puts Thame 53 points clear of Brickhill with just two games remaining, and they are set to return to the Home Counties Premier League
WESTBURY closed in on the Division 1 crown after comprehensively beating hosts Radley by 129 runs. Westbury amassed 242-7 as Ben Rae top-scored with 92 and Paul Atkins chipped in with 54. Spinner Richard Tredwell returned 4-34 and Graham Judd
DIVISION 1 THAME Town are Cherwell League champions after a 59-run victory at home to Great Brickhill. The win puts Thame 53 points clear of Brickhill with just two games remaining, and they are set to return to the Home Counties Premier League
Three people arrested in connection with a sexual assault and an assault in Oxford last month have been released without charge. A 19-year-old man, 33-year-old woman and 16-year-old girl, all from Oxford, were arrested on July 3 following incidents
RESTAURANT owners in Oxfordshire have criticised national chain eateries that take a cut of the tips earned by their waiting staff. James Reilly said all tips collected from his three Oxford restaurants go straight to his waiters and waitresses
A TOP doctor has warned of a “tidal wave” of diabetes patients as figures revealed one in 10 people are at risk of developing the disease in the county. The statistics, released today by Public Health England (PHE), show more than 58,000 people
A HERO neighbour rescued a man stuck in a burning flat in Oxford yesterday morning. Residents from a building in Speedwell Street heard a smoke alarm just after midnight and saw smoke entering the apartment corridor from one of the flats. Oxfordshire
THIS year’s Poohstick World Championships in Oxfordshire has inspired a leading scientist to study the secrets of winning the game made famous by the AA Milne classic. In the contest, competitors drop sticks into a river upstream of a bridge and
A man suffered a fractured knee after being attacked along with another victim outside a pub in Black Bourton Road. At about 3am on Saturday, August 15, the two 22-year-old men were assaulted outside the Beehive. One suffered a fractured knee
CAMPAIGNERS hoping to appeal against a blueprint for a major new science park in North Oxford have suffered a blow to their efforts. The Wolvercote Action Group has been raising cash to consult legal experts on whether it could contest Oxford City
ENGINEERS are now on site and working “as fast as possible” to restore disrupted train services this morning. Due to a signalling problem at Leamington Spa, passengers have experienced major delays on the Birmingham to London line and those travelling
4:53pm Man jailed for 40 months after sexually assaulting woman at Sandford Lock
IT WAS all yellow for Richard Bailey from Daisies flower shop as his sunflowers were set to endure the brunt of the latest severe weather warning for rain. But the Walton Street, Oxford, florist’s prize blooms should enjoy some sunshine soon following
TWO replacement knees and hips could not stop one 92-year-old woman taking on a daring airborne fundraiser. Vera Elward, who has lived in Bampton all her life, wanted to raise cash to help save the organ at her local church. But rather than
THERE’LL be plenty of ha-has among the hee-haws when people gee up for the 46th donkey derby in Bampton this Bank Holiday Monday. Fourteen donkeys from Weston-super-Mare face off in the races that have been delighting villagers since 1953. Children
Rail users travelling between Oxford and Banbury experienced delays early yesterday morning due to signalling issues. The problems in Tackley, near Woodstock, meant passengers had to wait up to 15 minutes longer than usual for their train.
Power tools have been stolen following a burglary in Cumnor. Burglars took the commercial tools from a garage in Cotswold Road after forcing their way in through a temporary door. The offence occurred overnight between Sunday and Monday. Police
A COUPLE will make a film of them giving out donations to Calais refugees and send it to their MP, Prime Minister David Cameron. Andy and Hannah Bailey from Witney decided last week they could not stand by and watch the television pictures of refugees
KEVIN Baker’s 14-doll haul helped Gladiators all but end Woodman’s Premier Section title hopes in the Greene King Oxford & District League, writes ANDY BEAL. Gladiators triumphed 2-1 as Woodman fell nine points behind leaders Six Bells C Kidlington
A CYCLIST was punched in the face in what police are calling a racially motivated attack. A 21-year-old man was cycling along the pavement in Gatteridge Street in the centre of Banbury on Saturday when he passed two men walking in the opposite
A DANGEROUS prisoner who escaped from prison and is on the run was last spotted headed towards Oxford. John Rooney absconded from HMP Springhill, near Aylesbury, at about 6.30am on Monday. The 47-year-old, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison
A LEADING cycle campaign group in Oxford has welcomed publication of a safety audit of newly-designed Frideswide Square. The report was completed by contractors Atkins in November last year for Oxfordshire County Council before work started on
ONE hundred fantasy fans are expected to turn up for a very special gathering at Waterstones in Oxford tonight. The event is the midnight launch of Terry Pratchett’s last novel, following his death in March this year. Exactly 100 readers have
THE LAST time best-selling novelist Valerie Blumenthal drove her car, she went to the supermarket. She saw a nice, big, open parking space and started happily reversing into it. Just in time, she realised she wasn’t reversing into an empty
THE deferred decision on plans for Bicester’s new retail park has been further delayed until October. If approved, it could see a retail park built off the Oxford Road, including Next, Marks & Spencer and one other retailer, plus three restaurants
THE future of a historic Abingdon building remains uncertain after no community groups bid to buy it. Old Abbey House went on the market in June, but because it is listed as an asset of community value, community groups were given six weeks to
THEY spent two years transforming a dull corner of their town into a lush, green paradise. Last Friday the volunteers behind Wantage Market Garden flung open its gate to turn their little secret into a treat for the whole town. The project
The Meadow Villas are a group of four contemporary, three bedroom homes boasting open-plan living spaces and private terraces. Externally the houses have been designed to add a new layer of history to the unique site whilst blending with the vernacular
Walking into Boomtown Fair is one of those moments where you feel you have entered another world by day and an alternate universe by night. This whimsical pop-up city on the outskirts of Winchester is possibly the most fun, entertaining and visually
