NARNIA can no longer be found off the A4130 after maintenance teams from Oxfordshire County Council removed fantastical place names from Didcot road signs. Despite prompting much amusement since they appeared at the weekend, the five signs - which
A DNA sequencing technology company has announced a major expansion deal which will see it grow its base at the Harwell Innovation and Science campus. Nanopore Technologies will occupy a new, 34,500 sq ft, high-tech manufacturing facility. The
TWO tourism hubs in Oxfordshire have been named as finalists in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence. The tourism board searches the nation every year for worthy winners, inviting tourism businesses to apply for one of 18 titles. Blenheim Palace
ONE year on from the death of Inspector Morse author Colin Dexter plans are moving forward for a statue in his honour. The author, whose 13 Morse novels inspired the Inspector Morse, Lewis and Endeavour TV series, died last year on March 21, aged
HOSPITAL bosses in Oxfordshire have welcomed a pay rise for NHS staff but warned it will not solve recruitment problems. The £4.2bn deal, agreed by the government and unions today, will apply to more than 1.3 million staff, including nurses, porters
A CYCLING group will hold a rally outside an Oxfordshire County Council meeting next week in support of radical proposals to improve riding in the city. The protest, organised by Cyclox, will call for policies included in the Claudia Charter for
COLLEGE staff at two Oxford campuses set up a picket line to challenge ‘unacceptable’ pay. Scores of colleagues protested at City of Oxford College yesterday, at its main building in Oxpens Road and its technology base in Blackbird Leys, as well
THIEVES stole tools worth thousands of pounds from the back of a van in Oxford. Police said the van was broken into while parked on Finmore Road in Botley between 8pm on Monday and 7.30am on Tuesday. The criminals broke in through its back
OXFORD is the third most expensive city in the UK when it comes to jumping in a taxi, according to new research. The city’s black cabs cost an average of £3.04 per mile - just behind Leeds and the most expensive Coventry on £3.11. The data collated
A WOMAN who ‘succumbed to temptation’ and stole tens of thousands of pounds whilst working as an accountant for a small family business has avoided jail. Teresa Gardner, 63, of Thyme Close, Banbury admitted one count of theft by employee and one
A BICESTER mum stars in a new video with her four-year-old daughter to raise awareness about Down’s Syndrome. The viral hit, which features 50 parent/child duos singing and signing to Christina Perri’s ‘A Thousand Years’, has so far been viewed
AGON Mehmeti bagged four goals as Oxford United cruised to a 9-0 victory over Kidderminster Harriers Under 23s. The striker was among seven members of this season’s first-team squad to get a run-out in the friendly at Court Place Farm. Mehmeti
Literature lovers have enjoyed meeting fantasy author Philip Pullman at the Oxford Literary Festival. The author, whose novel La Belle Sauvage was a bestseller last year, was at the Weston Lecture Theatre on Tuesday to discuss the work of science
JAAP Stam's odds of becoming the next Oxford United manager have plummeted following the Dutchman's departure at Reading. A 25/1 outsider this morning, the former Manchester United defender moved to become second favourite at 3/1 in a matter of
COUNTY council transport managers said they would continue to work closely with bus companies after the firms cut the frequency of buses on some services due to congestion. And despite the concerns, the council insists temporary roadworks are '
A PEDESTRIAN bridge in Abingdon closed this winter after it was found to be 'unsafe' is due to reopen.Abingdon Town Council has announced a replacement for the bridge, which leads from St Helen’s Court into the Ock Valley Walk, is set to be delivered
FAMILIES can borrow books, play with toys and take part in activities in Littlemore.A new family group is launching at Littlemore Library, offering drop-in sessions especially for children under the age of five.It starts at the library, based at The Oxford
AN OXFORDSHIRE town will be transported back to the Second World War on Friday. People dressed in period costume offering wartime treats will be in the pop-up shop space on Abingdon's Bury Street.The event, which will last from 11am until 4pm, is
TWO free training sessions are being run in Oxfordshire this week on how to repair household electricals.Oxford Circular Collective and Bicester Green are running the first class at The Mix community shop in Wantage tomorrow from 6.30pm to 9pm.The second
A NEW head of community services at South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council will be appointed by councillors next week. They will be paid about £89,600 – but their exact salary will be finalised later. The council has said the new member
OXFORDSHIRE county councillors will remember a former deputy leader, Rodney Rose, at a meeting next Tuesday. Mr Rose, a cabinet member for eight years and deputy leader for five, died on Saturday. He was Charlbury and Wychwood's county councillor
AS if Shakespeare wasn't convoluted enough, these school pupils are putting on a play about the confusing and interwoven love lives of a theatre company trying to stage one of the bard's great works.Students at King Alfred's Academy in Wantage
A CHILDREN'S centre group formed by parents after council cuts is launching a series of new classes.Grove and Wantage family community group (GroW) has announced the new classes to serve what it says is growing demand for its services.Since being
A TOWN’S Mayor took to the stage with her flute to cap off a night of revelry and fundraising at her charity ball. Jackie Billington hosted the event as the culmination of her year as Mayor of Didcot to raise money for her chosen charities Crohn’s and
AT ST Mungo’s we know that it takes more than a roof over someone’s head to end homelessness. The causes and consequences of having nowhere stable to live are often very complicated. Being ‘homeless’ encompasses other experiences as well as rough sleeping
A RESTAURANT chain is offering everyone a free breakfast – on the condition diners turn up wearing their dressing gown. Carluccio’s, which has an Oxford branch in Little Clarendon Street, is promoting its new breakfast menu, which it said is guaranteed
THE ‘artist’ who doctored road signs to show the way to Narnia, Middle Earth and other fictitious places said he only wanted to 'create something positive'. Road signs were changed in Didcot to include famous fantastical places, including Gotham
HANBOROUGH closed the gap at the top of the Witney & District FA Premier Division with a 1-0 win over Carterton Town A, Jack Morton scoring the only goal, writes ANTHONY BARLOW.It saw them move to within three points of leaders Hollybush, with two games
BLEWBURY booked their place in the final of the North Berks League’s War Memorial Cup after a 5-2 win at home to Faringdon Town Res, writes RICHARD UNDERWOOD.In driving snow, the hosts went in front on the half-hour when John Robinson tapped in from close
YESTERDAY was a day of celebration for Ruby Simmons as she marked turning 105 with friends and family.Ms Simmons, who lives at Triangle Care Home in Wheatley, celebrated the landmark by singing along to a favourite local musician.She also had visitors
A KEY plank of a housing plan which could result in 3,000 homes being built next to an airfield should still go ahead, senior councillors have said. Worries about the deliverability of homes at Chalgrove Airfield and infrastructure around it led South
ROB Dickie is looking to make the most of a 'mad situation' as the centre back prepares to work under his fifth manager this season. The 22-year-old scored his first goal for Oxford United in their crucial 2-1 win at home to Peterborough United
OXFORD United players swapped their boots for books to go back to school.Midfielders Alex Mowatt and Ryan Ledson and defender Dwight Tiendalli visited The Oxford Academy yesterday, to inspire students about how sport can change lives.Their trip to the
MILLIONS of pounds will be ploughed into improving Oxford's roads in the next year as part of a Government deal to build 100,000 homes in the county in exchange for £215m. The first year of the five-year deal will focus on roads, and has been drawn
A MENTALLY ill woman found dead on a sofa in squalid conditions had not had her clothes changed ‘for years’ a court heard.Emma-Jane Kurtz, of Blackwater Way, Didcot, denies one count of wilful neglect on her mother Cecily, who died at their home address
UNLESS an amateur Oxfordshire football club is able to find more volunteers to fill key roles it will be forced to close at the end of the season. Chalgrove Cavaliers FC has 11 teams, from the U9s to a walking football team for those over 50, takes
THE future of the long-vacant Priory has been thrown further into doubt after Firoz Kassam claimed he ‘never’ agreed to repair the much-missed Oxford United pub. Oxford City Council has taken enforcement action against Mr Kassam’s firm Firoka,
OXFORD Eastern Bypass is set to remain partially-closed at Cowley today after the weekend's lorry crash. One lane of the westbound carriageway, travelling from Horspath Road towards Rose Hill, is due to stay shut. The eastbound carriageway,
MIA Thomson smashed a brilliant hat-trick as Kidlington defeated Wantage Town 8-1 in the Under 16 League. In sub-zero temperatures, Ellie White added a brace, with further goals from Lily Collishaw, Chloe Antonen and Polly Hipkiss. Wantage
