EDDIE Pepperell had a flying start and a ragged finish to his first round of 74 at the Porsche European Open. The Abingdon golfer, playing on the European Tour for the first time in almost four weeks, started on the tenth and birdied his first
CAMPAIGNERS protested yesterday over what they insist is poor housing in Oxford.About 20 people gathered outside the Town Hall ahead of a meeting of the city council’s Housing Panel, voicing fears over the safety of city tower blocks, the proportion of
You could say that TOAD was born on a barge in Jericho. It’s where I’ve lived for 10 years. Five years ago, I was running a music business in London. I’d had exciting times and met some great people. I launched bands, did festivals, released records.
A MAN who broke into a Marston home before making off with £9,000 in stolen goods has been jailed.Daniel O’Dong, of Jourdain Road, Oxford, crept into the shared house at Coniston Avenue for the ‘targeted’ burglary on the night of April 20 this year.Oxford
AN EVENING commuter train from London Paddington to Oxford has been revealed as one of most overcrowded in the country.The 5.18pm was the seventh most crowded service last year according to figures released by the Department for Transport.The Great Western
A THREE-CAR crash this afternoon entirely blocked the M40 southbound. The collision happened at Lewknor just south of Watlington. Traffic was temporarily being held on the southbound carriageway. It is not yet known if anyone has been injured
A SPACE science centre in Oxfordshire has announced a major expansion. Oxford Space Systems at Harwell Campus is moving into the site’s now Zephyr building and has taken a ten-year lease on a 14,000sq ft unit. The company, which manufactures
THE long-burning question of whether wine tastes better from a cork or screw cap bottle could finally be answered by Oxford University. A live experiment conducted by the experimental psychology department could finally provide an end to the debate
MAJOR organisations have been approached ahead of an imminent planning application on the £120m Oxford Flood Relief Channel.Bodies such as Highways England, Oxfordshire County Council, the British Horse Society and Natural England have all been asked
FOR a very select group, this elite nightclub has created priceless memories, lifelong friendships and at least one happy marriage.And last month, Wantage's only dedicated dance club for adults with learning disabilities celebrated its fifth birthday
AN arts charity in Sutton Courtenay has set out a traffic plan ahead of its extension.Building works are due to begin on Matrix Arts Centre, to create a main hall and two classrooms plus an extension to provide a classroom and waiting room.In a letter
VOLUNTEERS are needed to provide practical and emotional support to parents with young children in Oxford.Home-Start - a voluntary organisation in the city - needs people give up to four hours support to parents with children under five.Email admin@homestart-oxford.org.uk
Big news. Not only has BrewDog applied to open up on the site of Harry’s Restaurant on Cowley Road. Got 2 Eat, formerly Mick’s Café in Botley Road, has also finally opened its doors, as well as opening a second premises, the famous St Giles Café.Charlbury
ONE of Oxford's newest bands Glass Animals have been nominated for the Mercury Prize. The indie rock quartet, who grew up in the city, are shortlisted for their second album How To Be A Human Being. They are now up against acts including Ed
THALI STORY for OXFORD MAIL by JIM PIZER, FOUNDER DIRECTORThali started as a festival thing back in 1999, when I came back from six months in India. The food that I’d eaten didn’t bear much resemblance to the high street curry houses in the UK and I tried
A PIZZA delivery shop in Marston wants to stay open as late as 4am on weekends.Pizza Hut Delivery in Cherwell Drive has asked Oxford City Council to let it stay open for an extra two hours on its busiest night.The premises is currently open until 2am
PLANS are blooming for a flower-packed weekend in Abingdon.Abingdon Flower Club has announced a date for people’s diaries, as it prepares for a floral display at Abbey Buildings.The club will arrange a spectacle of flowers inspired by ‘a floral walk through
COMMUTERS were left baffled by a sign displaying an obvious warning at Charlbury railway station. The sign, which read 'CAUTION TRAINS OPERATING' and stood just a few yards from the track, left some travellers confused by its presence yesterday
An action packed adventure holiday in South Wales sounded like a foolhardy idea. Forgive the cliches but memories of miserable weekends spent huddled inside a tent hiding from the wind and the rain had tainted me for life.Accommodation in a Victorian
CHILDREN will dunk their nets at a ‘pond dipping’ session near Didcot.The Earth Trust Centre is encouraging families to take a closer look at the aquatic creatures living in ponds at the centre in Little Wittenham.Using nets and trays, children can crouch
BRITAIN'S immense thirst for gin dates back centuries. English soldiers developed a taste for juniper-flavoured spirits while fighting in the Netherlands in the 16th century and by the height of the following “Gin Craze” we downed a staggering 10
John Carter catches a hit-filled festival warm-up show by the Welsh rockers, and comes away smiling Stereophonics Oasis, Swindon July 26 217 STEREOPHONICS fans are in for a festival treat this summer. The Welsh
DELIGHTED dace, perky perch and bouncing barbel will soon be able to swim upstream into Oxford for the first time in 400 years.That is thanks to the team behind a £3.2m hydroelectric power plant at Sandford on Thames who have installed a new artificial
A DEVELOPER set to build hundreds of homes in Kingston Bagpuize showed support at a summer fete.Bloor Homes sponsored a stall at the Church Fete in the village this year, which took place at historic Kingston Bagpuize House last month.The housebuilder
PLANS to electrify the East West Rail link have been scrapped sparking fears residents north of the city could be on track for more misery.Electrification on the proposed line between Oxford and Cambridge had been postponed to upgrade the railway first
A MAYOR is urging residents to help her form a vision for Carterton's future. The town's mayor Lynn Little said she wants to form the group, which will seek solutions to regenerating Carterton's town centre following concerns over the closure
A COMMUNIST activist, labour studies academic and writer has died at the age of 81. Peter Waterman, who settled in Oxford with his first wife and children, wrote on capitalism, globalisation and trade unions.His work was published in 10 languages and,
A FESTIVAL of transport at Blenheim Palace will celebrate motoring excellence over two days.Petrol heads from across the county and further afield will descend on the Woodstock World Heritage Site for a classic car show on Sunday, August 27.The show will
AWARD-WINNING nature writer Robert MacFarlane will be joined by acclaimed artist Jackie Morris for a talk at The Museum of Natural History in Oxford.They will discuss their new book at the venue in Parks Road on Wednesday, October 11 at 7pm. Mr MacFarlane
A HOTEL in Oxfordshire has received a certificate of excellence thanks to guests posting positive reviews online. The Oxford Belfry near Thame was given the award by TripAdvisor, which uses comments on its website to rank establishments across the country
A GUIDING group that nurtures friendships and new-found confidence has marked its 30th birthday.The 7th Abingdon Rainbows, which was on the brink of extinction just two years ago, celebrated its third decade with a reunion party.It bounced back after
THE next phase of building homes at Kingsmere in Bicester has been given the go-ahead.Countryside Properties, lead developer on the estate off the A41 and Vendee Drive, has been given approval to start the next phase of building a further 663 homes.This
A STUNNED web developer has revealed he was inches away from being hit when a car crashed through the wall of his house. Brad Bird was working at his home in Wheatley yesterday when he said the car ploughed into the side of it at '60mph'. He
OXFORD’S ambulance service is asking people to vote for staff or volunteers who have made a real difference and gone above and beyond the call of duty.South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) is encouraging members of the public to
HEADINGTON is all set to hold its 16th annual beer festival.It will be held at Headington Quarry’s Masons Arms pub September 8 to 10.The annual beer festival will feature more than 70 real ales, ciders, craft beers and a world beer bar.There will also
YELLOW and orange buses are adding more bright colours to the city's streets as Oxford Bus Company continues its programme of brightening up bus liveries.In 2015 the company announced it would rebrand 11 services in different colours and started out
Ten years ago there was a crack of thunder, the heavens opened and my son was born. As a new parent the full scale of just how much rain had fallen that morning didn’t hit home until my parents spent half the day struggling to get to Oxfordshire on a
GOLDEN nodules scattered loosely across the dark earth, soil still clinging to their skins.Is there any sight more mouthwatering than freshly-dug new potatoes laying in the summer sun?They and so much more could all be yours if you join OxGrow: Oxford
Ten years ago there was a crack of thunder, the heavens opened and my son was born. As a new parent the full scale of just how much rain had fallen that morning didn’t hit home until my parents spent half the day struggling to get to Oxfordshire on a
FIREFIGHTERS gave oxygen to a family - including pet dogs - after chlorine fumes filled their house. Residents in Didcot had to evacuate their home in the early hours of this morning, after being overcome by a chemical smell. The family in
JUST a few years ago some pupils leaving primary school were left in tears when they discovered they had been allocated a place at Oxford Spires Academy. Now youngsters cry when they find out they have not got in.It is just one example of how the school
A HISTORIAN has renewed calls for Oxford’s first martyr to be honoured with a memorial at the redeveloped railway station.Radical plans to transform the station are contained in a supplementary planning document and could be finalised as early as this
CYCLING is the new golf, according to an Oxford-based investor. David Mott of investment firm Oxford Capital has launched Tour de Tech, a free-wheeling networking group where members do business while zooming around the county on racing bikes.
OXFORD and South Oxfordshire out-performed long-term averages in 2016 and the first three months of this year, according to a new report. Commercial property firm Lambert Smith Hampton says demand was driven by the science and technology sector
Time was if you wanted that reassuring Volkswagen Golf-type clunk when you closed the door of a family hatchback you had little choice about what to buy. It had to be a Golf. Not the same today though. Now the Hyundai i30 delivers not only a satisfying
NEXT time you get on a bus in Oxfordshire, it might just be designed by this 14-year-old boy.Jack Cooper was crowned the winner of a county-wide contest by Stagecoach to draw blueprints for an environmentally-friendly 'bus of the future'.His dream
TOWNS and villages across North Oxfordshire are invited to suggest names for newly-built streets in memory of those who died in armed conflicts.As part of the centenary of the First World War, parishes are being offered the chance to commemorate local
WORK is underway on the latest addition to the Kingsmere estate in Bicester as the first brick of its community centre is laid.The housing estate has been under construction since 2010 and the latest works will form part of a 'village centre'
SO many art lovers want to see drawings by Renaissance master Raphael that Ashmolean Museum curators have announced additional opening hours.Raphael: The Drawings, which opened on June 1 and runs until September 3, will now also open on Monday, August
AN elderly woman was thrown to the ground as she tried to stop a robber stealing her handbag. A man grabbed the woman's bag from behind and forcefully yanked it from her grip in New Road, in Oxford city centre. The victim suffered injuries
TOWNS and villages across North Oxfordshire are invited to suggest names for newly-built streets in memory of those who died in armed conflicts.As part of the centenary of the First World War, parishes are being offered the chance to commemorate local
JOHN Lundstram has paid tribute to Oxford United’s supporters for their backing during his time at the club, but felt the chance to join Sheffield United was too good to turn down. The midfielder’s two years at the U’s came to an end this week
A DOG lunged at a postman and bit deep into his hand after its owner ignored a court order to muzzle the animal, which was given to him after a similar attack on a postman two years ago.Michael Harris, 51, of Hart Place, Bicester, admitted the one count
RAY Gaskins is the new Oxfordshire men’s singles champion after coming from behind to beat Banbury Borough’s Mark Sykes 21-19 in a thrilling final at Chipping Norton.The Headington bowler trailed 16-13, before picking up seven shots in two of the next
SUPPLIES of temporary accommodation for homeless families over the next five years will be examined by councillors tonight.Vale of White Horse District Council’s scrutiny committee will go through the current provision plan at a meeting this evening at
AS DEVELOPERS reveal they will invest more than £10m into Witney, concerns still linger over health provision in the town. A consortium of housebuilders bringing 1,000 homes to the west of the town - to be known as Windrush Place - will put the cash into
A ROBBER cut a man's face during a 'frightening' attack in a Banbury street. The 31-year-old victim was walking in Swan Close Road at 11.10pm on Monday, July 17 when he was approached by a man walking towards him. He grabbed him and pulled
THERE was double delight for coach David Reid at the Bewdley Regatta on the River Severn, writes John Wiggins.The City of Oxford mentor saw his club four, recently boosted by the arrival of Moritz Scharnholz, romp to a convincing success in the IM2 category.The
OXFORD United’s city centre club shop has finally opened and is already attracting tourists to buy club merchandise.A 20-strong group of Italian tourists were among the first through the door at the Covered Market yesterday morning and shop manager Lee
OXFORD City Council has joined other councils across England in criticising the government's new clean air plan for not going far enough fast enough to deal with the 'public crisis'. Council leader Bob Price and board member for environment John
CAMPAIGNERS have sent a final plea to a health body before it makes a decision over the fate of the Horton General Hospital.Members of Keep the Horton General Campaign Group (KHCG) hope they will be able to persuade health chiefs at Oxfordshire Clinical
A FATHER from East Oxford forbidden to touch pork products due to his strict Muslim faith has raised a formal complaint with McDonald’s. Amir Ali, 37, bought a sweet chilli chicken wrap at the fast food branch in Headington. It was only after
IT could be a question for the General Synod - how do you get tourists to stop taking selfies inside a historic church while worshippers are praying?This Christian conundrum is now being considered by ministers at The University Church of St Mary the
OXFORD could be transformed into a world-class place for cycling, chairman of the national infrastructure commission Lord Adonis said today.He has tasked Andrew Gilligan, former Cycling Commissioner for London, to work with councils and organisations
HOUSING campaigners will stage a protest outside Oxford Town Hall at 4pm today.Ahead of a meeting of the city council’s housing panel, Oxford Homes4All will demand tests of cladding on Oxford’s towers in the wake of the Grenfell disaster are carried out
OXFORD Saints’ hopes of making the Central Division 1 play-offs suffered a critical blow when they lost 40-21 away to Solent Thrashers in the Southern Conference.With some key players missing, Saints went down to a team they had soundly beaten earlier
A FELLOW at Keble College who was commended by the Queen for his work in science has died at the age of 93. Dennis Shaw served the Oxford University college for more than three decades, guiding pupils as they studied physics and engineering science
DONNINGTON Club moved three points clear at the top of the Johnsons Buildbase Oxford & District Summer League with a 6-0 whitewash win away to Gladiators. Ian Moquet set thems on their way with two wins (6,560 & 5,790) against Dave Gordon
CHINNOR have looked to further strengthen their options ahead of the new season with the acquisition of three forwards.The National League 2 South club have secured the permanent signing of Alex Bradley after a successful loan spell from Ealing Trailfinders
AN ELECTRIC summer of science across Oxfordshire blasted off with an out-of-this-world space camp.Building a model space station, launching bread rockets, creating cloud chambers and making planets out of Play Doh were just some of the astronomical activities.Dozens
OXFORD City made it two pre-season wins in a row when beating an Armed Forces XI 2-0 at Court Place Farm on Tuesday night.Following Saturday’s 4-3 success against Sheffield Under 23s, City took the lead against the Forces after just two minutes, when
A STRETCH of the A420 has reopened after a car overturned. The car flipped on the westbound road between Kingston Bagpuize and Pusey this morning. Both lanes were closed after the crash, but the road reopened at 6.40am. Traffic had cleared
Now in his 80th year, Dutch director Paul Verhoeven seems as eager to confront taboos as he was in his heyday. Having veered off into the realm of collaborative experimentation with Tricked (2012) - which he made in conjunction with the crowd-sourcing
OXFORD City’s Zoe Pollock continued her fine year when winning the under 17 heptathlon in the South of England Combined Events Championships at a wet and windy Horspath.She led the way after the first day, following impressive performances in the 80m
Among the quirks of British screen history is the fact that the leading exponents of what become known as `heritage cinema' were an Indian producer, an American director and a German screenwriter. Having initially been drawn to Henry James in The Europeans
WANTAGE-BASED jockey Cathy Gannon is keen to move forward with her life after being forced to admit defeat in her bid to return to the saddle. The 35-year-old has been sidelined since breaking all five toes in her left foot in a nasty incident when Spring
OXFORD MAGISTRATES Kayleigh Mary Watson, 30, of Luther Street, Oxford, admitted failing without reasonable cause to surrender at Oxford Magistrates' Court on July 4 2017, or as soon after that time as was reasonably practicable, having been released
WATLINGTON were unable to take full advantage of leaders Headington’s free week as the Bridle Insurance Oxford & District League title race comes to a climax. Second-placed Watlington could win only 4-2 at City & County, despite Chris Gilkes
GET your hat and cane, crystal tumbler and bring a fresh lime: Oxford's first ever (legal) gin distillery opens today.The spirit factory on the site of an old barn at the top of South Park is also selling its first product from 11am – Oxford Dry Gin.Guided
FOUR members of a family who flooded the city with heroin and crack cocaine and dealt to thousands of drug addicts out of their East Oxford home have been jailed. Brothers Nadeem Ahmed, 35, Wasim Ahmed, 33, and Arshad Ahmed, 40, were sentenced
HE IS known to many as Oxfordshire's very own 'Mr Defib' and now Dick Tracey is in the running for national recognition for his local heroism.The recently retired ambulance commander from Witney has been shortlisted as a finalist in the annual
THE new boss of an accountancy firm has followed his own advice by gaining more qualifications.Whitley Stimpson managing director Jonathan Walton is living up to the company’s policy of continuous training by completing a two-year, part-time MSc degree
POWER generation firm Drax has pledged its commitment to its 100 staff in Oxford, saying it plans to expand its base here.Jonathan Kini, chief executive of Drax Retail, was speaking as half-year results were announced for the Group.Drax bought Banbury
AN honoured Curtis Nelson believes John Lundstram will be a tough act to follow after becoming Oxford United’s new captain. The centre back was the obvious candidate to inherit the armband following Lundstram’s move to Sheffield United, which was
DISABLED people in Oxfordshire who have started their own business are being encouraged to enter a competition with a top prize of £30,000.The scheme, jointly run by easyJet’s Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s charity Stelios Philanthropic Foundation and Leonard
'DEVASTATED' groups left in the lurch by the shock closure of an Oxford community centre have pleaded for their lifeline to be re-opened as soon as possible. The main hall at the Bullingdon Community Centre in Peat Moors, Headington, was abruptly
A NEW regional director for small-to-medium sized firms in the county has been appointed by Lloyds Bank commercial banking.Joanna Costin heads a team of 100 relationship managers across Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Milton Keynes, Reading, and Swindon
A KEY development site that will bring 950 homes and a host of community facilities to Abingdon has been unanimously approved. Last night Vale of White Horse District Council's planning committee passed CEG's controversial application to build
