Archive

  • Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 30/11/2015)

    Returning for the 23rd year, the French Film Festival is based at the Ciné Lumière in London between 5 November and 13 December. In addition to the best of recent Francophonic cinema, the event also casts an eye on past glories and this year sees a

  • Movember fundraiser marks a glittering success

    IT’S been a glittering month of Movember for Daniel Wells. Mr Wells was roped into joining the annual men’s charity fundraiser by work colleagues at British Gas. So well did his moustache grow that friends suggested he also grow sideburns in

  • War photographer’s insight to help teens

    TEENAGERS will learn about Oxford’s role in the First World War through the eyes of a highly-respected battle zone photographer. Alison Baskerville, who has produced stunning images from conflict zones such as Gaza and Afghanistan, will mentor

  • Fire service rescues baby which locked itself in bathroom

    FIREFIGHTERS had to rescue a baby which locked itself in a bathroom in Long Hanborough. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service watch manager Jon Hardy said one fire engine from Witney was sent to the scene after the 22-month-old got trapped at about

  • Building society opens doors for first birthday

    A HEADINGTON firm will celebrate its first anniversary next month with a visit from the Lord Mayor of Oxford. On December 15, Rae Humberstone will join staff at Skipton Building Society, in London Road, for a special event from noon. It will

  • Mailbag: Firefighters celebrated anniversary of brigade

    I COULD not resist sending you this picture from my archives of Oxford University Press after reading about its private fire brigade celebrating 100 years of fire fighting (Memory Lane, October 19). It shows members of the brigade around the time

  • Horse-drawn coaches arrive just in time to meet the train

    BEFORE the railway reached Oxford in 1844, passengers had to travel to Steventon to catch a train to London. Steventon station opened on June 1, 1840, and a stream of horse-drawn coaches took people to catch the first trains to the capital.

  • Urology team shortlisted for the extra special care of staff

    MEDICS on the Churchill Hospital’s urology ward have been praised for offering vulnerable patients "the personal touch" at times of need. Gita Konschak said her father Helmut spent more than a year going in and out of the Churchill and John Radcliffe

  • Urology team shortlisted for the extra special care of staff

    MEDICS on the Churchill Hospital’s urology ward have been praised for offering vulnerable patients “the personal touch” at times of need. Gita Konschak said her father Helmut spent more than a year going in and out of the Churchill and John Radcliffe

  • Drumming up money for new marching band

    THESE young budding musicians were the first to sign up to become members of the newly-formed Didcot Diamonds Marching Band. The immediate task in 1989 was to raise money to buy instruments and uniforms – and the 25 members had already been active

  • Pupils take big step to raise money for minibus appeal

    WHEN money was needed for a good cause, these children were happy to put their best foot forward. A new minibus was needed for their school and it would have been easy to sit back and wait for others to provide the cash. But the pupils of Wood

  • Man arrested after woman sexually assaulted in St Aldates

    A MAN has been arrested after a woman was sexually assaulted in St Aldates yesterday morning. Police said the 18-year-old was at McCoys kebab van at about 4am when a man touched her inappropriately. The offender was described as Asian, aged

  • FOOTBALL: Oxford City to face Ebbsfleet United in FA Trophy

    OXFORD City will face fellow Vanarama National League South high-fliers Ebbsfleet United in the first round of the FA Trophy. Justin Merritt’s side will host the Kent club on December 12 after beating Marlow 6-3 in the third qualifying round on

  • Oxford United fans' chat

    1:02pm Time's up for today, many thanks for all your contributions. We'll leave you with this - whatever happens

  • Jailed for having police baton while on suspended sentence

    A DAD who was caught skulking around the streets with a police baton in his car has been jailed. Police were called in the early hours one morning to the probation hostel in Abingdon Road, Oxford, after reports of two “ suspicious” males sitting

  • Care must be near patient’s home if new plan is to work

    THE PLAN to move older patients into care homes following hospital treatment has much to commend it, not just in alleviating bedblocking, but also for the benefit of the patient, since accommodation in a single room having en-suite facilities can often

  • Timber supplier's closure marks the end of an era

    ANOTHER piece of old England to disappear forever. I am referring to W.G Powell’s, which will close for the last time on November 30. Powell’s has provided a service to the local builder and beyond, to the DIYer and to the colleges, second to none

  • Concrete setting setback was mess of own making

    WHY do the contractors at the Westgate development need to import ready-mix concrete? (Concrete sets as trucks wait in traffic, November 27) Why are they not mixing it themselves with a concrete batcher equipment.? In nearly 50 years working in large

  • Keeping day centre open is essential for some

    OXFORDSHIRE County Council needs to save money, so how do they do this? They are proposing to close down day centres for the disabled. I attend one of these centres, it is a very small one, run for 18 clients over three days a week. The

  • Tesco store's figures just don't add up

    I REFER to your article of November 21 (Tesco store plans test out residents' town blueprint) reporting on the proposed out-of-town supermarket development by Tesco in Thame, as I feel that facts given in your feature are highly misleading. You

  • Scandalous conflict of interest on local plan

    I ATTENDED the first afternoon of the examination in public of the West Oxfordshire Local Plan which is supposed to guide the future development of the area taking into account social, environmental and economic factors. However, of the 30 participants

  • New Bicester park and ride officially open to public

    The new park and ride in Bicester is officially open today after helping to ease some of the Black Friday traffic. The 580-space addition is hoped to ease congestion in and out the town and proved a big help as overflow parking during the busy

  • COMMENT: Revamp timescale for tower blocks

    FINALLY we have a timescale for the long-awaited revamp of the city’s five high-rise tower blocks. For too long families have had to put up with drab and rundown surroundings. That they now have a schedule for the work is an uplifting and positive

  • Beer writer brews up a special knighthood

    SOME might say Tim Hampson has had a dream job earning money to write about drinking beer for the past 30 years. But now it has got even better for the North Hinksey resident after an ancient society of Belgian brewers decided to make him a knight

  • More bombing will not resolve the crisis in Syria

    The Ven Martin Gorick, Archdeacon of Oxford THERE is much talk about emulating Sir Winston Churchill as our Parliament decides whether or not to begin an air campaign against so-called Islamic State in Syria. There is one Churchillian quote

  • Beer writer brews up a special knighthood

    SOME might say Tim Hampson has had a dream job earning money to write about drinking beer for the past 30 years. But now it has got even better for the North Hinksey resident after an ancient society of Belgian brewers decided to make him a knight

  • Help to protect a street filled with nefarious history

    TOURISTS ambling past the Cooper Callas building on Paradise Street are advised to pack their cameras back in their bumbags. Boarded up for nearly a decade, the 1961 carbuncle sits vandalised under the shade of Oxford Castle’s Norman tower.

  • Made in Chelsea star Binky goes wild in Bicester

    REALITY TV'S Binky Felstead dubs Bicester fans a "great bunch" after a meet and greet in the town centre. The E4 Made in Chelsea star posed for fan's photos as she launched her new Wild perfume at Lloyds Pharmacy in Sheep Street. Miss Felstead

  • Protesters in call to end the air strikes

    CHANTS of “don’t bomb Syria” echoed around central Oxford on Saturday when campaigners took to the streets to protest against launching further air strikes on the war-torn country. More than 100 people brandishing flags, placards and flyers braved

  • Work starts on splitting old HMV store in two

    CONSTRUCTION has begun to convert part of the former HMV in Oxford into a new store. The Cornmarket Street store closed in June last year (2014) after serving music fans in the city since the late 1980s. In recent months contractors have been

  • 71 years after D-Day, France awards its top honour to Stan

    AFTER storming Gold Beach on D-Day in 1944, Trooper Stanley Cox was prepared to take on the enemy as a tank gunner. But the 19-year-old from East Hagbourne, near Didcot, found his war cut short when his tank was hit by a shell after leaving Bayeux

  • Monkeying around at the museum with science-themed fun

    THIS squirrel monkey skeleton caught the eye of seven-year-old Megan Antonio during ‘Super Science Saturday’. The event, held at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, was a bonanza of science-themed activities and trails. Megan,

  • Five vehicle crash blocks one lane of the M40

    Traffic is easing on the M40 southbound after earlier crash involving five vehicles. Thames Valley Police said the crash happened around 7.15am and blocked one lane of the M40 between j11 for Banbury and J10 for Cherwell Valley Services. Thames

  • Tower blocks makeover to start in the New Year

    OXFORD’S five tower blocks are about to undergo the biggest makeover in their 50-year existence. The long-anticipated £20m project has stalled several times and at one point appeared not to be going ahead, but contractor Willmott Dixon has now

  • Get spooked with festive tale

    A HEART-warming festive tale will be brought to life at an East Oxford theatre next week. Pegasus, in Magdalen Road, is putting the finishing touches to its twist on Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, adapted by playwright Neil Bartlett

  • Get spooked with a festive tale at the Pegasus

    A HEART-warming festive tale will be brought to life at an East Oxford theatre next week. Pegasus, in Magdalen Road, is putting the finishing touches to its twist on Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, adapted by playwright Neil Bartlett

  • ‘Tis the season to be spending as city makes seasonal top 10

    SHOPPERS in Oxford will be on Santa’s good list this year after they ranked in the UK’s top 10 most generous Christmas spenders. City households will spend an average of £702.10 on making their celebrations the best they can be, which is £87.14

  • ‘Tis the season to be spending as city makes seasonal top 10

    SHOPPERS in Oxford will be on Santa’s good list this year after they ranked in the UK’s top 10 most generous Christmas spenders. City households will spend an average of £702.10 on making their celebrations the best they can be, which is £87.14

  • WEEKENDS RESULTS November 28-29

    SKY BET LEAGUE TWO Hartlepool Utd 0, Oxford Utd 1. FA TROPHY 3rd qualifying round: Oxford City 6, Marlow 3. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE Div 1 South & West: Didcot Tn 5, Larkhall Ath 1; Slimbridge 1, Wantage Tn 2; Swindon Supermarine

  • Francophiles showing their compassion after Paris attacks

    WHEN Jackie Kelly left Le Broc, a small village in the south of France, to go back to the UK, she left a little of her heart over there – and now she is trying to help those affected by the Paris attacks from her home in Chippinghurst. Mrs Kelly