THE best festive designs have arrived at the Old Fire Station in the run up to the Christmas season. The Making Space exhibition, which runs until Wednesday, December 23, features seasonal designs which are inspired by traditional gifts but have
“A GIFT that will give a Bicester-born father of two his own voice again in time for Christmas”. That is how Steve McAleer, of Barry Avenue, described the charitable donations that have enabled his son James to buy vital equipment to cope with
PATIENTS have welcomed a new scheme that will see charities working hand-in-hand with mental health workers. Leaders of five charities and Oxford Health Foundation Trust came together to officially launch the Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership
A CRASH between a car and motorbike has closed the A4074 both ways at Dorchester-on-Thames. Police, fire fighters and an air ambulance are on the scene at Henley Road just south of the village but the full extent of the accident is not yet known
THOUSANDS of people flocked to Didcot last night for the town’s Christmas street fair. Organisers were hoping 15,000 visitors would pack into Broadway for this year’s Tudor-themed event. The celebrations started at about 4pm, with some of those
RESIDENTS across the coun- ty are getting switched-on to Christmas as the festive lights season takes off. Kidlington joins the party on Tuesday when the village High Street will be lit up by two schoolchildren at 7pm. Visitors will be able
MAJOR delays are affecting bus services across Oxfordshire, this Black Friday evening. The worst delays are in Oxford, where the A34 northbound is extremely slow, as are Iffley Road, Abingdon Road, Botley Road and London Road. Woodstock Road
A CALL for air strikes on Syria to help smash the so-called 'Islamic State' (IS) was tonight backed by Oxfordshire Conservative MPs as they rallied behind Prime Minister David Cameron. The Witney MP yesterday said it was in Britain's national interest
YOU know breakfast is going badly when you have to call the fire brigade. That is what happened to one unlucky cook in Fringford near Bicester today when they were making their toast. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to
OXFORD Crown Court was evacuated this morning because a "false alarm", officers have said. But the reason the alarm went off is still being investigated. An official of the court said that staff, lawyers and defendents were cleared from the
IT IS a show designed for families, but will audiences get a shock with a naked emperor on stage? That is the secret being hidden by Kingston Bagpuize Drama Group, who are staging The Emperor’s New Clothes this week. Based on the fairy tale, it
A SPITTING Image puppet of Sir Winston Churchill is set to fetch at least £700 at auction – 141 years after the wartime leader was born at Blenheim Palace. The 12-inch high foam rubber effigy from the satirical TV show, which ran on ITV between
MICHAEL Collins will return to Oxford United next week as his loan spell at York City comes to an end. The midfielder moved to Bootham Crescent in October after being told he was surplus to requirements at United, where his last competitive appearance
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A WEATHER warning has been issued for strong winds in Oxfordshire this weekend. The Met Office has warned there could be gusts up to 55mph from 9am on Saturday - the same speed which brought down trees across the county earlier this month.
THERE have been plenty of highlights at Oxford United this season, but Michael Appleton says there is no time to enjoy them as he seeks to capitalise on an opportunity 12 years in the making. Finding a side capable of producing promotion form has
TWO men have been arrested in connection with the murder of Kerry Reeves, 26, in Abingdon earlier this month. Police today also confirmed a murder weapon had not yet been found and appealed for anyone who might know something about it to get in
Another home game, another disappointing result. Our loss on Saturday against Gosport Borough meant we dropped to third position in the table. After a positive result at Bath City in our last outing and our squad back to full strength, I was confident
A BEAM of light 10 billion times brighter than the sun is attracting international drug scientists to South Oxfordshire. A bright new facility at Harwell’s Diamond Light Source will allow researchers to watch tiny fragments of their medicine molecules
A JOURNALIST who went undercover to expose football’s slave trade says his task would have been much more difficult without help from Oxford United. Setting out to investigate the exploitation of children, particularly from Africa, who are lured
WAS the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne any good at maths at school? He has awarded pensioners an increase of £3.35 on the basic state pension and claims that pensioners will be £1,125 a year better off. I don’t understand his reckoning
MY HUSBAND and I were amazed to read on Tuesday’s letters page about a reader who was disgusted about the horse manure left on the road outside her gate. I would like to point out to her that dog ‘poo’ contains the parvovirus which is a health
LAST Friday at the Oxford Union, Natalia Narochnitskaya, a Russian academic working in a Paris-based think tank, was “interviewed” by Mehdi Hasan of Al Jezeera. It was an unedifying sight watching Hasan, interrupting and shouting at a 67-year-old
ROY Darke’s column on foul water flooding, Oxford Mail, November 26 interested me because, when the family first moved to Ferry Road, there was a sewage pumping station near the bottom of the road. Presumably, because the council was planning to
COMMENTS in this newspaper (Oxford Mail, November 26), overlooked some serious problems with the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. It is good news that the massive cut to tax credits has been stopped, but this policy has merely been suspended not
IN OXFORDSHIRE, an average of 1,000 assaults on school staff are recorded each year. In school days of the 1930s, such assaults were unheard of. Why the difference? It makes you think! DEREK SHERWOOD Barton Lane Headington
ED Vaizey brandished his music chops in Parliament with a series of statements featuring the lyrics of British singer-songwriter Sam Smith. The Wantage MP snuck no less than six of the star's numbers into a debate about UK musicians overseas, after
A MOTORCYCLE which caught fire in Osney Island's West Street yesterday may have been the result of arson, police have said. Resident Max Mulvany, 25, an artist who lives opposite the scene in Swan Street, was at home and awake at the time, and
A FIRE broke out at Oxford University's sports pavilion in the early hours of this morning. Fire crews were called to a small fire by the door to the pavilion in Oxford University parks at about 3.45am. Oxford University spokesman Stephen Rouse
MY GENERATION was called the baby boomers after the end of the Second World War. The current generation is known as the boomerangers. Just when you thought you’d got rid of your children these lovely victims of high rents and ever higher house
QUESTION ONE: Which organisation has since 1968 provided a vital service for young people in the often maligned area of East Oxford, introducing them to the theatre and the arts, providing after-school interests that have fought boredom and kept hundreds
WHATEVER you want from a car, there is almost certainly a Volkswagen Polo that can deliver the goods. Thrill-seekers can opt for the heart-pumping 192 horsepower of the pricey GTI, while at the other end of the range, greener-minded motorists can
SHE’S a working mum by day but come the evening she packs a punch. The gloves are off for Tania Franklin, 32, as she heads into the boxing ring tomorrow. The mum-of-two has been training hard and will be the only woman from Bicester taking
Oxford United took measures to maintain their promotion form ahead of a busy December by making two loan signings from Sky Bet Championship clubs. Striker Chris Maguire joined from Rotherham United half an hour before yesterday’s 5pm deadline,
Thieves stole a motorbike from a property in Reliance Way on Monday. The red Lexmoto moped was taken between 10pm and midnight. The vehicle had been hidden out of sight behind a parked car on the drive. Police have issued a warning to residents
A PROTEST against plans to launch airstrikes in Syria will be held in Oxford tomorrow afternoon. Anti-war campaigners will be gathering in Bonn Square, opposite Westgate Shopping Centre, at 12pm to oppose the government plans. Protestors are
FORGET Frozen and park the Playstation... traditional toys are back with a bang this Christmas. Excited youngsters are just as likely to wake up to Scalextric, a Rubik’s Cube or a xylophone, according to one Oxford play expert. After the Toy
PATRICK Hoban says his sudden glut of goals is down to a change in fortune in front of goal rather than a change in approach. The striker made it four goals in as many appearances with the vital equaliser in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against Newport County
LEADERS at Oxford Brookes University have welcomed plans to axe bursaries of up to £20,000 for student nurses and midwives and replace them with loans. Chancellor George Osborne said on Wednesday that cash saved would be invested in creating a
INTERNET users believe some people in Oxfordshire will still struggle to get superfast broadband despite £5.6m of new funding to roll it out to 4,600 homes and businesses. On Wednesday, it was announced that the Better Broadband for Oxfordshire
A MOTORIST accused of driving while three times over the alcohol limit has been acquitted after prosecutors failed to inform the court their expert witness was on holiday. Kevin Dunford had been due to stand trial at Oxford Magistrates’ Court yesterday
RONNIE Moore says Oxford United’s players have the quality to “frighten the life” out of his Hartlepool United side tomorrow. The U’s were the veteran’s first opponents after taking over at Hartlepool United last season, earning a 1-1 draw at Victoria
A TEENAGER’S magical novel has won her a prize awarded in memory of a former Cherwell School pupil. Meg Phipps spent almost a year writing Time’s Fool which yesterday won the Dan Hemingway Memorial Award. The £350 prize is given every year
OXFORDSHIRE's ambulance service is not expected to meet their performance targets for ambulance response times this year. At a board meeting of Oxford's Clinical Commissioning Group yesterday, an action plan was given to South Central Ambulance
THE county’s finest talent will be out in force tonight at the Oxfordshire Sports Awards. Held at Oxford’s Kassam Stadium, 35 shortlisted finalists are gunning for glory. Cricketer Jack Brooks, cycle speedway ace Zac Payne and two-time previous
Learning disability services will benefit if Slade House in Headington is sold off. The learning disability unit closed down in November 2013, four months after Connor Sparrowhawk died there. An inquest later found neglect contributed to his death
NEIGHBOURS have branded the £1,500 fine dished out to a boutique hotel owner over clay pigeon shooting “pathetic”. Jason Hunt admitted two counts of failing to comply with an order from South Oxfordshire District Council to stop holding the shoots
GENERAL manager Justin Merritt says he wants to create cup fever at Oxford City as they begin their FA Trophy campaign at home to Marlow tomorrow afternoon. City take on the Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West outfit in the third
DIDCOT Town aim to return to winning ways after a midweek defeat when they entertain Larkhall Athletic tomorrow. The Railwaymen’s bid to climb up the Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West table was arrested when they lost 2-0 at
FRESH from reaching the third round of the FA Vase, Kidlington turn their attention to the Oxfordshire Senior Cup tomorrow. The Uhlsport Hellenic League leaders entertain Woodcote/Stoke Row in the second round. Kidlington were runners-up to
SATURDAY FOOTBALL SKY BET LEAGUE TWO Hartlepool v Oxford Utd. FA TROPHY 3rd qualifying round: Oxford City v Marlow. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE Div 1 South & West: Didcot Tn v Larkhall Ath, Slimbridge v Wantage Tn, Swindon
A JUNIOR rowing club is appealing for a new training area to cope with the rapid increase in young people taking up the sport. Hinksey Sculling School hopes to find a new gym to store and use its training equipment as its increasing popularity
HEAVY traffic is causing traffic problems for drivers on the A40 this morning. Ongoing roadworks means vehicles are queueing both ways at the A4165 Banbury Road and Cutteslowe roundabout. Stagecoach Oxfordshire have tweeted that there will
DIRECTOR of rugby Matt Williams insists Chinnor are not resting on their laurels ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Old Elthamians. Chinnor, who sit second from bottom, earned their first home win of the National League 2 South season against Clifton
WHY did the Zebra cross the road? It might have been to chat with Chris Davis, a Westgate worker hailed as a hero for walking pedestrians across a dangerous street. The 53-year-old stands at the building site with a smile on his face, waving to
SHOPPERS looking for a bargain have been heading to Bicester Village for today's Black Friday sales. Travel measures have been put in place to deal with the increased amount of shoppers expected at the shopping centre, with shops opening at 7am
TRAFFIC jams are now so bad in Oxford concrete is setting in the back of delivery lorries. The firm supplying builders at the £440m Westgate Shopping Centre said yesterday roadworks “chaos” on the A40 was costing it thousands of pounds in “spoilt
OXFORDSHIRE’S teams compete in the LTA’s Winter County Cup this weekend. The men head to Sheffield to face Buckinghamshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire in Group 4 from today until Sunday. Oxon’s ladies face Isle of Man, South of Scotland
RESIDENTS applauded their councillors’ decision to turn down two applications for almost 400 homes in East Hanney at last night’s planning meeting. Objectors spilled out of the doors as they listened to Vale of White Horse district councillors
A CIVIC group has warned plans for up to 190 new homes at Wolvercote’s former paper mill could worsen traffic and air pollution in North Oxford. The redevelopment of the site off Mill Road was first proposed 10 years ago by landowner Oxford University
A STRANGER is just a friend you haven’t met yet – or in some cases, a friend you haven’t heard. For 90-year-old John Ogle, he has never met Mary Wood, but her regular phone calls help keep loneliness at bay for the pensioner. Weekly chats with
HUNDREDS of passengers have signed a petition to save their bus service, fearing that cutting it would leave elderly people stranded and students with no way to get to school. Anita Steptoe, who lives in Didcot, began the petition to protect the
THERE’S STILL time to get into the Christmas spirit at Abingdon and Witney College with plans for two pop-up markets next month. A four-day festive fair at the college’s Abingdon campus was so successful organisers already want to return next year
