EXCITEMENT levels reached fever-pitch as a book launch described as ‘bigger than Harry Potter’ came to Oxford. Fans have been waiting a decade to get their hands on a copy of Oxford author Philip Pullman’s new novel La Belle Sauvage, the first
A PENSIONS row could push Oxford University staff to strike. University and College Union (UCU) announced the overwhelming result of a ballot today, in which 87 per cent of members who responded supported industrial action. The pensions dispute
AN INQUEST has opened into the death of a man who died after a horror crash on the A34. Oxford Coroner’s Court heard today that Ian Messinger died in hospital after a van he was travelling in crashed on the A34 near Abingdon on October 12.
A NEW report by Cowley-based charity Oxfam has found that farmers in poor countries are not getting the help they need to feed their families and adapt to climate change.An analysis of agricultural policies and public investments in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria
DEREK Fazackerley has paid up after the Football Association rejected his appeal to a charge from last month's trip to Peterborough United. The Oxford United assistant head coach threw a water bottle in the air in celebration after Joe Rothwell
A £1.4m repair program to Thames locks in Oxfordshire and downstream begins on Monday.The Environment Agency will be carrying out significant works to gates from Shifford Lock near Bampton and Clifton Lock near Abingdon.The maintenance is part of the
A 'FLOURISHING' community club is celebrating three decades of making it easy for people to visit the theatre without the hassle of driving, parking and booking.Bicester couple Keith and Rita Taylor set up the Bicester Theatre Club 30 years ago
THE largest flower in the world is coming to Oxford next week - or at least a model of it, until the real thing has a chance to grow.The Asian plant, called the Rafflesia, measures up to 1.5m across, about the same height as the average 13-year-old.The
BUDDING young bakers are being invited to learn new baking skills at the Didcot Food Festival.Children aged two to 12 will make Bonfire Bread and Smores or Spooky Cake at lessons run by Oxfordshire's Mrs Bun the Baker on October 28.There will be four
AN Oxfordshire basketball club which was created to promote the sport in the county has required charity status.South Oxfordshire Heat Basketball Club has been accepted by the Charity Commission as having met the high standards required for charitable
A PARALYMPIC gold medallist will speak in Abingdon as part of the Horizon Lectures series.Karen Darke will tell guests at the Abingdon School's Amey Theatre on Tuesday, November 14 about her incredible story.As a young adult she filled her time with
FRIENDS are raising funds for newlyweds whose stash of wedding cash was stolen on their special day.Laura and Anthony Gaisford were 'gutted' to realise someone had rummaged through their wedding cards and ripped money from inside, with an estimated
TO CELEBRATE Diwali Oxford Hindu Temple will be hosting an evening of Bollywood dancing, live music and a three course dinner on Saturday from 6.30pm at Oxford Academy. For tickets, priced at £25 for adults, £15 for children and under fives free, visit
AN Oxford council has refreshed residents’ memory about a vacant seat.Littlemore Parish Council has issued a reminder that it is accepting expressions of interest from electors within the parish, to join as a councillor.The deadline for entries is midday
WOULD you like a new community kitchen in Oxford?Oxford City Farm is asking locals for their views on the idea with a view to opening its own shared facility.In a statement the charity said: “Oxford City Farm is at a very exciting point and we are doing
A STAR-STUDDED line-up of scientists, including The Sky at Night presenter Chris Lintott, have been announced for the ATOM festival 2018.Abingdon's annual celebration of science and technology may not take place until March but organisers have already
A CELEBRITY chef caused a stir during an ‘inspirational’ demonstration at a school.Didcot Girls' School welcomed television chef Ching-He Huang for a masterclass in Chinese cooking.She talked to students on the school’s new food preparation and nutrition
THREE bikes, two hedge cutters and keys were stolen from a lean-to at the side of property in Oxford.Thames Valley Police appealed for witnesses yesterday following the theft at a home in Lye Valley.Officers said the incident happened sometime between
A STUDY by researchers at the Oxford Dictionary of World Place-Names have found nearly every country is named after one of four things. These are tribes or an ethnic group, an important person, a directional description, or a feature of the land
Rebecca Abrams' new book, The Jewish Journey, examines the history of the Jewish people, spanning 4,000 years in 22 objects from the Ashmolean Museum. She tells ANDY FFRENCH what inspired her research. WRITER Rebecca Abrams is thrilled when she
A VEGAN Festival is coming to Oxford next month.On Saturday, November 18 120 stalls will take over the Kassam stadium. They will be serving homemade food and healthy drinks as well as clothes - all of which are vegan. There will also be live cookery demonstrations
TO COINICIDE with Remembrance Day a talk with look at the events of 1917 and what they meant for the First World War. BBC historical advisor Gareth Howell and battlefield relic hunter Rick Stevens will examine this critical year of the conflict, looking
A TONGUE-in cheek stunt helped a fed-up villager bring a disruptive leak to Thames Water's attention. Brian Eastoe was so fed up with lack of action over a leaking manhole, that he began advertising a boat race on the burbling stream of water.
THE chief scientist at the Met Office will discuss the impact of climate change in the wake of the Paris Agreement at a free lecture today.Professor Stephen Belcher will hold the talk "Climate science following the Paris Agreement: what next?"
ACCLAIMED children's poet John Foster will pay a visit to Headington Library.The author of 'I can read: Oxford poetry' and 'Dinosaur Rap' will be at the Bury Knowle Park library to meet with fans and families on Ocotber 26.The meet
A LEATHER rucksack was along with a lead to charge an electric car from a vehicle parked in the drive of a home in Lye Valley, Oxford.A red gym bag and pair of sunglasses were also stolen from the car during the night on Wednesday.
A SOCIAL enterprise will be able to help even more people get the skills they need to find work after moving into a new site in Witney.Synolos opened in its new base in Avenue 2, Station Lane last week after moving from Corn Street.Witney MP Robert Courts
A POLICE officer who was a well-known face in the city for three decades has passed away.Geoff Rose died at the age of 85 after a short illness.The Cambridge native's career spanned the merger of Oxford City Police and Thames Valley Police and saw
PRESCRIPTION delays will now be reduced after therapeutic radiographers have trained to become non-medical prescribers.Non-medical prescribing allows certain named groups of non-medical health professionals, such as nurses, pharmacists, dietitians and
A DEDICATED photographer who spent more than 30 years capturing sports action passed away in his sleep aged 62.Stephen Wheeler, known as Steve, travelled across the county every weekend taking pictures for the Oxford Mail. He died at his Eynsham home
THE city’s criminally good brewery is teaming up with a Michelin starred chef to serve up some tapas and beer.Tap Social Movement has a few tickets left to giveaway for its pop up on Thursday, October 26 with chef Chris Godfrey. For more information and
CANCER patients are praising fundraisers who have raised enough money to full fund a trial of a new leukaemia drug.Staff at the Oxford Cancer Centre at the Churchill Hospital also sent their appreciation in a video to Bloodwise after fundraisers took
CONTROVERSIAL plans for thousands of new homes near Culham look set to go ahead – but only if a new bridge is built between the village and Didcot.Plans for 3,500 homes at Culham were included in the final version of South Oxfordshire District Council
BURGLARS ransacked a home in Oxford after they smashed the back window of the property.Thames Valley Police appealed for witnesses yesterday after a a home in Chestnut Road, North Hinksey, was broken into.Officers said the incident happened sometime between
MORE than 1,500 people have now called on Oxford City Council to abandon its plans to expand Seacourt Park and Ride.Oxfordshire Badger Group this week presented its final petition to council leader Bob Price, with a decision on the proposal expected in
POLICE are advising drinkers to plan their journeys on a night out, with taxis a good way to get home.A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: “With the evenings getting colder and darker, and the party season just around the corner, now is the time
Magdalen College School master Helen Pike explains how co-curricular activities and a focus on the institution's founding values help pupils to flourish in the 21st century.AS I write, this year’s new undergraduates are gathering in the Sheldonian
PRINCESS Anne said she was 'delighted' to present milestone awards to workers and volunteers who have helped victims of crime in Oxfordshire.In a speech at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford yesterday, Her Royal Highness spoke of the how the experience
OXFORD City Stars followed head coach Kenny Redmond’s advice to a tee with an astonishing 14-1 thrashing of visitors Invicta Mustangs.The one-sided scoreline maintained Stars’ unbeaten home record and their place in the top three of English National League
A PENSIONER who wielded a pair of scissors and attacked his neighbours with a walking stick during a tirade of abuse has been jailed.Stephen Larman, of Church Street, Ducklington, was captured on CCTV pacing up and down his road and waving the 'large
WITH the launch of Westgate shopping centre just days away, traders in thecounty’s market towns have vowed to fight back.Rose Lyburn, who runs fashion boutique Casa Rose in Witney, says the £440mdevelopment with its 100 stores does not phase her.She explained
ABINGDON and Falcon club combined and sculled to victory at the Pairs Head of the River Race, writes John Wiggins.Racing on the Thames from Chiswick Bridge to just past Hammersmith Bridge, the masters B/C double scull of Mary Murray (Falcon RC) and Bev
ABINGDON and Falcon club combined and sculled to victory at the Pairs Head of the River Race, writes John Wiggins.Racing on the Thames from Chiswick Bridge to just past Hammersmith Bridge, the masters B/C double scull of Mary Murray (Falcon RC) and Bev
OXFORD United plan to scale back training today in a bid to recover from two intense games in time for Saturday’s clash with Rotherham United. Pep Clotet’s side have expended plenty of effort in draining games played over the space of four days
ARCHITECT and historic specialist Purcell has received planning for extensivebuilding at Grade-I listed St Catherine’s College.Plans include four pavilions, an extension with 78 more graduate bedrooms and anew graduate centre.The centre will feature a
THIS is the man police are looking for after he exposed himself to a woman in Kidlington. A woman in her 20s was walking in an alleyway between Oxford Road and Crown Road when the man approached her from behind and grabbed her arm. As the victim
PHIL McFarland was in top form when leading Berinsfield Club to a shock 4-2 victory at home to Donnington in the Oxford & District League, writes PETE EWINS. McFarland scored 9,240 against the league’s men’s singles champion Ian Moquet to put
OF ALL the luxury items unveiled at the opening of Bicester Village's expansion, a 22-year-old umbrella was the star of the show for the town mayor. Mr Sibley bought along the old brolly he was given during the official opening of the designer
A WOMAN who illegally imported sick border collie puppies from a puppy farm in Ireland and passed them off as a home breed has been jailed. An investigation by Thames Valley Police and the RSPCA lasting 14 months found Helen Kay Moorey, of Idstone
A POST office is set to return to Iffley Road, seven months after the Donnington branch shut up shop.The Post Office have announced they plan to reopen just 50 metres away in the Co-op and those who live nearby are now being asked for their views on the
TONY Bradford is recovering in hospital after suffering a heart attack, which cut short the Greene King Oxford & District League’s finals night.The 83-year-old was partnering son Rob in the final of the Parent & Child event.Quick-thinking from his fellow
Given the furore that is blowing up around Harvey Weinstein, this may not be the most propitious time to reissue North By Northwest (1959), as Alfred Hitchcock was hardly a paragon of virtue when it came to his leading ladies. However, one suspects that
A populist who has often been compared to Steven Spielberg, Feng Xiaogang is one of China's most commercially successful film-makers. Born in Beijing in 1958, he started out as a stage designer with the Beijing Military Region Art Troupe before moving
HENRY Owen is back for a second spell at Kidlington, but this time in a non-playing capacity.A former player who had to retire with a chronic knee problem, Owen becomes joint assistant manager with Jermaine McSporran.He will take his place in the dug-out
HOSTS Oxford City enjoyed a solid start to the Chiltern Cross Country League during the first round at Horspath.The club amassed 2,961 points to sit sixth overall in Division 1, while they lie third in the men’s (senior, under 20, veterans) competition.In
TV adverts for the new Westgate Centre featuring a ‘contemporary’ Alice in Wonderland have been beamed into people’s living rooms as its opening edges closer. Landsec and The Crown Estate - behind the £440m centre - have hired a creative agency
GINO van Kessel is undergoing treatment to prevent an injury in the future after scans detected a potential problem. The forward came off against AFC Wimbledon this month following a hamstring spasm, prompting Oxford United to investigate.
TOM Stileman scored two tries as Oxford University continued their Varsity Match preparations with a 21-17 victory over Trinity College Dublin at Iffley Road.The Dark Blues clinched back-to-back home wins to record their fifth success in six games this
EXTENSIVE work to a treasured Oxford bridge which has disrupted motorists and cost £500,000 is drawing to a close.An engineering team has worked day and night to repair Folly Bridge after work to replace cracked limestone bricks begun on September 4.
OXFORD MAGISTRATESPeter Andrew Bisson, 54, of Amory Close, Oxford, admitted assaulting a woman by beating her in Templars Square, Cowley, Oxford on July 6 2017. Community order made. Defendant must comply with a alcohol treatment requirement for nine
NEW number-plate recognition cameras are being unveiled today at a Medieval bridge to try to catch lorries driving over it. Oxfordshire County Council is officially launching its new £20,000 ANPR camera system at the Maybush Pub at Newbridge between
WORK to replace flammable cladding on two of Oxford’s tower blocks will drag on until next summer. Oxford City Council said removing and replacing the dangerous material would have been completed by next February but work is set to be finished
OXFORD landmarks - including the Bodleian Library and The Trout Inn - take centre stage in Philip Pullman’s long-awaited new novel, which is released today. The author, who lives in Cumnor, chose the Bodleian’s 17th century Convocation House for
