Archive

  • Super Mini off to flying start

    More than 1,700 people have put in advance orders for the top-of-the-range Mini Cooper S, which goes on sale in June at an on-the-road price of £14,500. The Oxford-built car, which will have a six-speed gearbox, will be the most powerful new Mini so far

  • Careers date

    A careers convention will be held on March 14, organised by King Alfred's Community and Sorts College and St Mary's School, Wantage.

  • Healthy dance tour

    Dance workshops will be used to teach children about the importance of regular exercise and healthy living thanks to a £8,000 windfall. The Kipperfoot Dance Company has secured £4,100 from the National Lottery's Awards for All Programme, a £1,000 Healthy

  • Pupils join course on citizenship

    Teenagers have embarked on an eight-day citizenship course which will give them a better understanding of how Oxford works. The aim of the Your Turn scheme, which is run by educational organisation Common Purpose, is to give young people more interest

  • Cash gift to SSNAP

    Nearly £282 was raised by a raffle in aid of SSNAP, the charity which supports the special care baby unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, at the Boundary House pub in Abingdon. The raffle was the most recent in a series of fundraising events

  • Record Poppy appeal cash

    The Royal British Legion in Abingdon raised record amounts from the annual Poppy Day appeal. Figures just released show £16,203 was collected in the town in November -- £2,000 more than the previous year. Collections have trebled in the last six years

  • Trust funds studies

    Budding architects will be able to admire buildings as far afield as Florence and New York, thanks to a scholarship in memory of an influential academic. Students at Oxford Brookes University's School of Architecture could receive hundreds of pounds to

  • Rugby: Grove scheme to provide school rugby

    Three local companies have joined forces in a scheme with Grove Rugby Club to sponsor a part-time sports teacher at King Alfred's Community and Sports College, Wantage. Working through the club, the coach will concentrate on rugby coaching at the college

  • Ambulance cash

    Wallingford Rotary Club raised almost £600 for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance with their collection at the Christmas in the Market Place display.

  • Show cancelled

    A show, Reach for the Stars, by the Giffords' drama group, scheduled for performance at the British Legion, Wallingford, on January 26 has been cancelled for lack of support.

  • Council review to make house rent levels fairer

    House rent in South Oxfordshire is to come under the spotlight when a new review is carried out. It will affect all former council houses, housing association properties and those belonging to other registered social landlords. The aim is to level out

  • 'Open all hours' is key to success

    A Berinsfield shopkeeper has won national recognition for his commitment and hard work. Each morning Denis Bromilow, 59, wakes at 3am to open his newsagent's shop, in Fane Drive, at 4.30am and serve customers on their way to work. Mr Bromilow said: "It's

  • Football: Crame grabs treble

    Berks & Bucks Junior Cup Ardington & Lockinge marched into the sixth round with a 7-2 win over Hagbourne United, Jeff Crame hitting a hat-trick. Nick Brough put Ardington ahead with Kevin O'Hanlon making it 2-0. Ben Jefferies replied before Crame

  • Racing: McCoy moves to 199

    Tony McCoy was heading for Newbury today needing just one success to record the fastest 200 winners in a season. The champion jockey, who lives at Kingston Lisle near Wantage, moved on to the 199-winner mark with a double at Leicester yesterday on Jonjo

  • Football: Super Sheldon hits five-timer

    North Berks League Paul Sheldon was in hot form, scoring five goals for East Hendred Res in their 8-1 thrashing of Challow Res in the first round of the North Berks League Cup. Tom Atkins, Colin Fisher and Sean O'Neill were also on target, with Neil Smith

  • Rugby: Grove scheme to provide school rugby

    Three local companies have joined forces in a scheme with Grove Rugby Club to sponsor a part-time sports teacher at King Alfred's Community and Sports College, Wantage. Working through the club, the coach will concentrate on rugby coaching at the college

  • Rugby: Second strings to meet in Oxon Cup

    The status of the David Charles Oxfordshire KO Cup suffered a further blow, with the news that the third-round tie between Oxford Harlequins and Grove will be contested by the clubs' second teams. Because of Oxford Harlequins' prolonged run to the last

  • Market support pledged

    Farmers' markets in west Oxfordshire will continue to receive the support of the district council during 2002. The cabinet has given the go-ahead for markets to take place in Witney, on the third Thursday of every month, and in Chipping Norton, on the

  • Still no decision on MP's scheme

    West Oxfordshire councillors are still making up their minds whether to grant former Witney MP Shaun Woodward planning permission to convert barns and stables at his Sarsden estate into business units. Two years ago Mr Woodward defected from his Conservative-held

  • Volunteers praised for helping others in need

    A group of people who give up their time to help others have been praised by Witney mayor David Harvey. He congratulated 14 people as he presented them with service awards for the town's Volunteer Link-Up scheme. The charity, based at Witney's High Street

  • Bombs 'were sophisticated'

    An explosives expert told a court she had never seen anything like the bombs built by Oxfordshire magistrate Jonathan Wilkes. Kim Simpson, senior case officer at the Forensic Explosives Laboratory in Kent, told Oxford Crown Court bombs packed into water

  • Spending plans unlikely to cost taxpayers extra

    Residents in west Oxfordshire could be receiving exactly the same bills from their district council in the coming year. Preliminary estimates for the year 2002-3 are based on a council tax of £40 for the average Band D household -- the same as the current

  • Football: Banbury are outgunned

    Nuneaton Boro 3, Banbury Utd 1 Banbury bowed out of the Birmingham Senior Cup in the third round last night, but were far from disgraced against a strong Nuneaton side. The Nationwide Conference club included 12 players who were in the squad that had

  • Athletics: Shock as Banbury grab top honours

    Banbury Harriers senior men's team produced one of their finest displays for years as they sprung a big shock at the Oxfordshire Cross Country Championships at a boggy Shotover Park. In a nail-biting finale, Banbury staved off the challenge of favourites

  • Caring mother wins 'Nobel prize' contest

    A brother and sister have won a national Royal Mail competition after nominating their mother for a "Nobel Prize". Alexandra and James Allsop read about the contest and decided that their mum, Carol, was worthy of a prize. Entries were sought to help

  • Walk and AGM

    The Oxfordshire Area Ramblers' Association annual general meeting will be held at The Merry Bells village hall in Wheatley's High Street at 2pm on February 2. The day begins at 10.30am with a five-mile walk to Shotover Park, starting at the Church Road

  • Man killed in 5,000ft plunge from plane

    A man died after mysteriously plunging 5,000ft from a plane without a parachute. The man, in his mid-40s, plummeted from the Cessna 172 twin-seater plane over west Oxfordshire yesterday. Air accident investigators were today examining the plane. The man

  • Firefighters needed

    Two more part-time firefighters are needed at Wheatley Fire Station. Station officer Pete Graham said the vacancies had arisen because two of the station's 13 part-time firefighters had moved away. "We need men and women who are physically fit and live

  • Council review to make house rent levels fairer

    House rent in South Oxfordshire is to come under the spotlight when a new review is carried out. It will affect all former council houses, housing association properties and those belonging to other registered social landlords. The aim is to level out

  • 'Rave event will not be repeated'

    The owners of an industrial estate invaded by partygoers staging a New Year's Eve rave have vowed such an event will never happen again. Stephen Webster, director of Marlborough Gleeson, which owns the Crendon Industrial Park at Long Crendon, near Thame

  • Careers date

    A careers convention will be held on March 14, organised by King Alfred's Community and Sorts College and St Mary's School, Wantage.

  • Trust meeting

    The Joint Environmental Trust next meets on January 24 at 3.30pm at The Old Mill Hall, Grove.

  • Organised walk

    The Ramblers' Association will be leading a walk from the Plough Inn, Kelmscott, to the Buscott on Sunday, January 20, starting at 1.30pm.

  • Children stage art exhibition

    The artistic talents of young children are being celebrated in the latest exhibition at Wantage's Vale and Downlands Museum. From Monday until January 27, the work of children aged between two-and-a-half and four-and-a-half will be on show at the museum

  • Flushed with success

    Cleaner Dennis Denton has something to celebrate -- his public loo has won a top award. The old-style ceramic public lavatory in Portway, Wantage, has been voted Loo of the Year by the British Toilet Association. The block beat more than 1,000 entries

  • Access to grave blocked

    An elderly widow has spoken of her frustration and dismay after town councillors blocked access to her husband's grave at Wantage Cemetery. Dorothy Alexander, 70, of Garston Lane, Wantage, who has difficulty walking, has visited her husband Peter's grave

  • Football: Church go top of tree

    RT Harris Oxford City FA Oxford Community Church took full advantage of the catalogue of postponements due to frost, with a 1-0 win over Beckley Sports taking them top for the first time. Crispin Angood provided the cross for Matt Wilton to convert, after

  • Home shopping

    A shopping evening at the home of Mandy Jones in Fringford raised £1,304.27 for the Katharine House Hospice in Adderbury.

  • Poppies appeal

    A total of £1,644 was raised for the Royal British Legion poppy appeal in the Shelswell group of parishes in November. The group takes in ten villages near Bicester -- Cottisford, Fringford, Hardwick, Mixbury, Stoke Lyne, Finmere, Godington, Hethe, Newton

  • Were you a player?

    A Bicester man is desperately trying to find a picture, six footballers and a trophy to make a reunion complete. A team from Bicester travelled to Neunkirchen, in Germany, 21 years ago to take part in a football tournament. The trip was the first meeting

  • Athletics: Bromley just out of frame

    Headington Roadrunner Richard Bromley narrowly missed out on an individual medal in the Leicestershire Cross Country Championships on Saturday. Bromley finished fourth in a very strong field in the senior men's race, which was won by Steve Platts, of

  • Basketball: Braves thrown out of National Shield

    Oxford Braves basketball team have been thrown out of the National League Shield for fielding two ineligible players in their win over Bristol in an earlier round. The English Basketball Association's league management committee said Braves fielded Americans

  • Aunt Sally: Ruffels rattles off sweet 16

    Anchor man Martin Ruffels (5, 5, 6) clanged off 16 dolls as New Club A thrashed Tiddington CC 6-0 in the Greene King Winter League at New Club, Wheatley. Results Greene King Winter League: Oxford Gas 0, New Club B 6; Bat & Ball 2, Bull 4; Plough 5

  • Rugby: Dominic's screen test

    Oxford Rugby Club's junior section was abuzz with excitement on Sunday when a BBC TV crew arrived at the ground. Interest was centred around the club's Under 14 team home match with Wallingford and one player in particular. Dominic Shaw, the team's fly

  • Indecency charges

    David Davis, of Colne Drive, Didcot, received an 18-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, after being convicted of two charges of indecent assault against two women. The 47-year-old was found guilty of the charges by a jury at Bristol Crown Court

  • Council review to make house rent levels fairer

    House rent in South Oxfordshire is to come under the spotlight when a new review is carried out. It will affect all former council houses, housing association properties and those belonging to other registered social landlords. The aim is to level out

  • Grit bins will help in frosty weather

    Bargain-hunting by Banbury Town Council will help motorists and pedestrians when frosty weather returns. The council has bought nine extra grit bins for the town's most hazardous areas. Highway maintenance is the responsibility of Oxfordshire County Council

  • Final chance to have a say on development of district

    Residents and workers within the area covered by Cherwell District Council have until Friday to have a say on the future of the district. About 53,000 copies of the draft community plan, Vision 2016, have been sent to homes and businesses as part of a

  • It really is priceless

    It could have been the ultimate present for a motor enthusiast with a few millions to spare. But luxury car maker Jaguar has insisted its unique XJ13 is priceless, despite receiving several offers as high as £7m. The Coventry-based manufacturer keeps

  • Car sales soared to new high in 2001

    New car sales accelerated to a new record last year, with 2,458,769 vehicles being purchased, according to official figures. The 2001 total was 10.7 per cent up on the 2000 figure and comfortably surpassed the previous record of 2.3 million set in 1989

  • Gang show

    St Matthew's Scout Group will stage its first Gang Show in Harwell on May 3 and 4.

  • Record for office space

    The Oxfordshire office market has enjoyed a record year, according to a survey by commercial property agents. FPD Savills has revealed 463,000 sq ft of office space was taken up last year, a rise of nine per cent. And within that figure, take-up of prime

  • Unipart shares drop to new low

    Troubled car parts giant Unipart, which last year announced 300 redundancies at its Cowley works, has seen its share price drop a further 14 per cent. Independent valuers say the shares are worth just 36p, down from 42p in November 2000 and a high of

  • Flushed with success

    Cleaner Dennis Denton has something to celebrate -- his public loo has won a top award. The old-style ceramic public lavatory in Portway, Wantage, has been voted Loo of the Year by the British Toilet Association. The block beat more than 1,000 entries

  • Bombs 'were sophisticated'

    An explosives expert told a court she had never seen anything like the bombs built by Oxfordshire magistrate Jonathan Wilkes. Kim Simpson, senior case officer at the Forensic Explosives Laboratory in Kent, told Oxford Crown Court bombs packed into water

  • Fewer caught drink-driving

    Fewer drivers were caught flouting the drink-drive laws on Oxfordshire roads over Christmas and the New Year. Ten of the 91 drivers breath-tested in the county between December 17 and January 2 were positive. A year ago, 15 of 83 drivers stopped were

  • Family row led to assault

    A man smashed down a front door and assaulted the householder in his bedroom, a court was told. Richard Tremlett, 30, of Barns Road, Cowley, Oxford, broke down the front door of Robert Taylor's home in Sorrel Avenue, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, entered his

  • Helping hand for the homeless from Co-op

    The newly-refurbished Bridge Project received a helping hand from the Co-op in a seasonal gesture of goodwill. The homeless charity in Iffley Road, Oxford, was given £1,000 from the Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-op. Co-op spokesman Peter Couchman

  • Super Mini off to flying start

    More than 1,700 people have put in advance orders for the top-of-the-range Mini Cooper S, which goes on sale in June at an on-the-road price of £14,500. The Oxford-built car, which will have a six-speed gearbox, will be the most powerful new Mini so far

  • Claims fall rapidly

    The backlog of outstanding claims is continuing to fall rapidly at Oxford City Council's housing benefits department. The department has been plagued by problems over the past two years, many of them caused by a new computer system. Difficulties caused

  • Mechanic wins top poetry prize

    A retired mechanic has beaten an award-winning novelist to take first place in a community poetry competition. Reg Burnley, of Burchester Avenue, Barton, Oxford, won the top prize at the Headington Poetry Competition 2001. He beat former Fellow of the

  • Clog display

    Mason's Apron Clog Dance Team is giving a free workshop at Exeter Hall, Kidlington, on Saturday from 2-4pm. Call 01865 376053.

  • Village history

    Dr Stephen Head will talk about the landscape history of Little Wittenham at Great Milton and District local history society, on January 28, in the pavilion, at 7.30pm.

  • Master drawings

    Drawings by Renaissance artists Bellini, Titian, Carpaccio, Veronese and Tintoretto, which form part of Christ Church College's Old Master collection, will be on show in its picture gallery until February 17.

  • Charity ball

    A charity ball in aid of the Children's Society has been organised by Charles and Penny Badenoch in Benson parish hall on February 16. The tickets, £50 for a couple, include a meal. An auction will also be held to raise money for the society.

  • Tolkein on view

    An exhibition celebrating the life of author and academic JRR Tolkein is on display at the Museum of Oxford, until March 31. Journey into Middle Earth features many original photographs, sketches, letters by Tolkein and artefacts.

  • Hebrew talk

    Hebrew writer Avner Shats will hold a seminar about Hebrew as a Mother Tongue on Wednesday, January 23 at Yarnton Manor at 8pm. There will be a buffet from 7pm. A minibus will leave from The Oxford Playhouse, Beaumount Street, Oxford, at 6.40pm and 7.45pm

  • Walk and AGM

    The Oxfordshire Area Ramblers' Association annual general meeting will be held at The Merry Bells village hall in Wheatley's High Street at 2pm on February 2. The day begins at 10.30am with a five-mile walk to Shotover Park, starting at the Church Road

  • Marathon team appeal

    The Oxfordshire Branch of the British Red Cross is looking for runners to join its London marathon team. Now that entries for the event have closed, the group wants people who have not yet decided which charity to support to join its team. British Red

  • Vital for villages

    South Oxfordshire villages are being urged to join a Vital Villages scheme to get residents working to improve rural life. The scheme is backed by the district council, Oxfordshire Rural Community Council and the Countryside Agency. Call Joanna Pickering

  • Extra cash to keep out cold

    Vulnerable people across Oxfordshire can claim an extra £8.50 to help cope with the cold after the recent below-freezing temperatures. Payments are made by the Government for each seven-day period when the temperature averages freezing point or below

  • Classroom bid

    The county council's education department has applied to South Oxfordshire District Council for the renewal of temporary planning consent for three prefabricated double classrooms at St Birinus School, Didcot, for a further three years.

  • Teenager death probe

    Police are investigating the death of a teenager. Kay Munns, 19, of Drayton, near Abingdon, was found dead on December 23 at a house in Barleyfields, Didcot. Police have not revealed the cause of death but a spokesman said inquiries were continuing.

  • It's all GO for pupils

    The mysteries of an oriental board game older than chess were unravelled at a school in Abingdon before the cameras of a Japanese television crew. Twelve pupils at Fitzharrys School play the ancient game of GO -- the history of which can be traced back

  • It's all GO for pupils

    The mysteries of an oriental board game older than chess were unravelled at a school in Abingdon before the cameras of a Japanese television crew. Twelve pupils at Fitzharrys School play the ancient game of GO -- the history of which can be traced back

  • Garage plans

    Plans for a detached garage and a conservatory at Brook Mead, The Square, West Hagbourne, are before South Oxfordshire District Council.

  • Charity ball

    A charity ball in aid of the Children's Society has been organised by Charles and Penny Badenoch in Benson parish hall on February 16. The tickets, £50 for a couple, include a meal. An auction will also be held to raise money for the society.

  • Football: Crame grabs treble

    Berks & Bucks Junior Cup Ardington & Lockinge marched into the sixth round with a 7-2 win over Hagbourne United, Jeff Crame hitting a hat-trick. Nick Brough put Ardington ahead with Kevin O'Hanlon making it 2-0. Ben Jefferies replied before Crame

  • Football: Super Sheldon hits five-timer

    North Berks League Paul Sheldon was in hot form, scoring five goals for East Hendred Res in their 8-1 thrashing of Challow Res in the first round of the North Berks League Cup. Tom Atkins, Colin Fisher and Sean O'Neill were also on target, with Neil Smith

  • Vandals strike at anglers' ground

    Anglers are worried after vandals used an air rifle in an attack on one of their fishing grounds. Sponsorship plaques and platforms for the disabled were damaged at State's Lagoon, near Standlake, one of the waters used by the Witney-based Newland Angling

  • Rural communities will benefit from £3m boost

    A part of rural Oxfordshire has been given a boost for the new year with nearly £3m to combat decline in village services. The successful bid, put together by West Oxfordshire District Council, was announced by Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael. The

  • Stolen sheep butchered

    Twelve sheep were stolen from a field near Thame over the Christmas period, police have revealed. Six of the animals were butchered on Christmas Eve in a field next to the M40 at Tetsworth and their carcasses dragged across another field and over a fence

  • Careers date

    A careers convention will be held on March 14, organised by King Alfred's Community and Sorts College and St Mary's School, Wantage.

  • Interim ban on driving

    A 22-year-old man pleaded guilty to drink driving at Didcot Magistrates' Court. John Maloney, of Beggars Lane, Longworth, near Oxford, was stopped by police in Faringdon Road, Longworth, at 10.15pm on New Year's Day. The case has been adjourned until

  • Gifts for refugees

    Asylum seekers have thanked parishioners who filled 25 boxes with Christmas and New Year gifts. Children and adults from the Church of St John Vianney, Charlton Road, Wantage, delivered gifts of groceries, household goods, toiletries, toys and treats

  • Woman stole friend's cash

    A Wantage woman, distraught after finding out her long-term partner was having a relationship with her sister, stole a friend's cash card so she could escape from the situation. Didcot magistrates were told that Caroline Brooks, 32, of The Bell in Wantage

  • Racing: McCoy moves to 199

    Tony McCoy was heading for Newbury today needing just one success to record the fastest 200 winners in a season. The champion jockey, who lives at Kingston Lisle near Wantage, moved on to the 199-winner mark with a double at Leicester yesterday on Jonjo

  • Charity concert

    A concert by the staff band of the Royal Logistic Corps is being held at Bicester Garrison on April 13 in aid of Bicester Community Hospital and Sobell House Hospice, Oxford.

  • Basketball: Braves thrown out of National Shield

    Oxford Braves basketball team have been thrown out of the National League Shield for fielding two ineligible players in their win over Bristol in an earlier round. The English Basketball Association's league management committee said Braves fielded Americans

  • Rugby: Dominic's screen test

    Oxford Rugby Club's junior section was abuzz with excitement on Sunday when a BBC TV crew arrived at the ground. Interest was centred around the club's Under 14 team home match with Wallingford and one player in particular. Dominic Shaw, the team's fly

  • Rugby: Second strings to meet in Oxon Cup

    The status of the David Charles Oxfordshire KO Cup suffered a further blow, with the news that the third-round tie between Oxford Harlequins and Grove will be contested by the clubs' second teams. Because of Oxford Harlequins' prolonged run to the last

  • Village gets speed limit

    A 15-year campaign for speed limits along an accident-prone road has ended in victory, but traffic experts have warned that drivers are likely to ignore the new restrictions. Oxfordshire County Council has agreed, subject to public consultation, to introduce

  • Greyhounds: Tomorrow's Oxford Card

    7.35 450m A9 Glin Dreamer...(Maurice Massey) Bruin Flo Jo...(Paul Walden) Sort The Bill...(Ron Bicknell) Athlacca Sally 3...(Ian Wills) Quick Notice (W)...(Ian Wills) TUNEFUL MELODY (W)...(Jim Morgan) 7.50 450m A8 Jacks Chief...(David Egan) Kingdom Swallow

  • Mechanic wins top poetry prize

    A retired mechanic has beaten an award-winning novelist to take first place in a community poetry competition. Reg Burnley, of Burchester Avenue, Barton, Oxford, won the top prize at the Headington Poetry Competition 2001. He beat former Fellow of the

  • Football: Church go top of tree

    RT Harris Oxford City FA Oxford Community Church took full advantage of the catalogue of postponements due to frost, with a 1-0 win over Beckley Sports taking them top for the first time. Crispin Angood provided the cross for Matt Wilton to convert, after

  • Rugby: Second strings to meet in Oxon Cup

    The status of the David Charles Oxfordshire KO Cup suffered a further blow, with the news that the third-round tie between Oxford Harlequins and Grove will be contested by the clubs' second teams. Because of Oxford Harlequins' prolonged run to the last

  • Football: United hopes fading fast

    Any realistic hopes Oxford United had of making a late charge for the play-offs diminished last night after they lost 1-0 away to promotion-chasing Shrewsbury. And to complete an unhappy week for their supporters, after two call-offs and the news that

  • Greyhounds: Tomorrow's Oxford Card

    7.35 450m A9 Glin Dreamer...(Maurice Massey) Bruin Flo Jo...(Paul Walden) Sort The Bill...(Ron Bicknell) Athlacca Sally 3...(Ian Wills) Quick Notice (W)...(Ian Wills) TUNEFUL MELODY (W)...(Jim Morgan) 7.50 450m A8 Jacks Chief...(David Egan) Kingdom Swallow

  • Football: Super Sheldon hits five-timer

    North Berks League Paul Sheldon was in hot form, scoring five goals for East Hendred Res in their 8-1 thrashing of Challow Res in the first round of the North Berks League Cup. Tom Atkins, Colin Fisher and Sean O'Neill were also on target, with Neil Smith

  • Classroom bid

    The county council's education department has applied to South Oxfordshire District Council for the renewal of temporary planning consent for three prefabricated double classrooms at St Birinus School, Didcot, for a further three years.

  • Teenager death probe

    Police are investigating the death of a teenager. Kay Munns, 19, of Drayton, near Abingdon, was found dead on December 23 at a house in Barleyfields, Didcot. Police have not revealed the cause of death but a spokesman said inquiries were continuing.

  • Home shopping

    A shopping evening at the home of Mandy Jones in Fringford raised £1,304.27 for the Katharine House Hospice in Adderbury.

  • Heroin user jailed

    A burglar threw a rock through the window of his parents' home after they discovered he had committed a break-in, a court was told. Heroin user Robert Keene, 29, of Colesbourne Road, Bloxham, near Banbury, stole 14 pieces of jewellery and three Victorian

  • New market for VW

    Volkswagen's new luxury sector car, codenamed Project D1, will be called Phaeton. The name was announced at the opening ceremony of the factory where the car will be built in Dresden. With its origins in Greek mythology, the word Phaeton was used at the

  • Cashback on Picasso

    Citroen is offering a range of cashback offers on Xsara Picasso and five-door models. The firm has announced a £1,500 cashback offer on Xsara Picasso SX petrol models. This means that buyers can now get the best-selling Xsara Picasso 1.8i SX for £12,295

  • Fly the flag on your vehicle

    The Government has given the go-ahead to motorists who want to display national flags and symbols on their vehicle number plates. Transport Minister John Spellar said the Union Jack, Cross of St George, Scottish Saltire or Welsh Dragon could appear on

  • Vecra sees and hears all

    Vauxhall is fitting the all-new Vectra with more than 30 sensors allowing the car to see, hear, feel -- and even smell. The car, which goes on sale in June, sniffs out bad smells with its air quality sensor and bans them from inside the car. It sees headlight

  • Toyota rolls out next generation Corolla

    Toyota has launched its new Corolla range -- the ninth generation model of the world's best-selling car. Twenty nine million Corollas have been sold, accounting for almost 20 per cent of total Toyota sales world-wide. Four bodystyles are available from

  • Rugby: Finalists to meet at last

    Witney and Banbury, who were due to meet in last year's Oxfordshire Colts final which never took place, have been pitted together in the quarter-finals of this year's tournament. The final will be at Iffley Road on Sunday April 21, before the David Charles

  • New director

    New client relationship director at specialist call centre company Port@l is Carlton Hide, 39, who lives in Fenny Compton. He moves from City outsourcing company Salisbury Associates, where he was sales and marketing director. A former naval officer,

  • Festive tills ring for Next

    Fashion retailer Next cashed in on the festive spending boom as sales surged. The group, which has shops in Banbury and Oxford, saw sales in the 23 weeks to January 5 soar 22 per cent above the same period the year before, while like-for-like sales growth

  • Patents in mind

    A team of patent lawyers has opened offices in Oxford, marking the city's development as a haven for bright commercial ideas. Frank B Dehn, one of the largest patent law firms in Europe, will be based in St Aldate's to target new spin-out companies from

  • Fastest rise in house prices

    House prices are rising at their fastest rate since October 1999, according to figures produced by the Halifax. Britain's biggest mortgage lender said the leap of 2.9 per cent showed consumer confidence had bounced back after the September 11 suicide

  • Still no decision on MP's scheme

    West Oxfordshire councillors are still making up their minds whether to grant former Witney MP Shaun Woodward planning permission to convert barns and stables at his Sarsden estate into business units. Two years ago Mr Woodward defected from his Conservative-held

  • 'Rave event will not be repeated'

    The owners of an industrial estate invaded by partygoers staging a New Year's Eve rave have vowed such an event will never happen again. Stephen Webster, director of Marlborough Gleeson, which owns the Crendon Industrial Park at Long Crendon, near Thame

  • Stolen sheep butchered

    Twelve sheep were stolen from a field near Thame over the Christmas period, police have revealed. Six of the animals were butchered on Christmas Eve in a field next to the M40 at Tetsworth and their carcasses dragged across another field and over a fence

  • Master drawings

    Drawings by Renaissance artists Bellini, Titian, Carpaccio, Veronese and Tintoretto, which form part of Christ Church College's Old Master collection, will be on show in its picture gallery until February 17.

  • Were you a player?

    A Bicester man is desperately trying to find a picture, six footballers and a trophy to make a reunion complete. A team from Bicester travelled to Neunkirchen, in Germany, 21 years ago to take part in a football tournament. The trip was the first meeting

  • Tolkein on view

    An exhibition celebrating the life of author and academic JRR Tolkein is on display at the Museum of Oxford, until March 31. Journey into Middle Earth features many original photographs, sketches, letters by Tolkein and artefacts.

  • Gifts for refugees

    Asylum seekers have thanked parishioners who filled 25 boxes with Christmas and New Year gifts. Children and adults from the Church of St John Vianney, Charlton Road, Wantage, delivered gifts of groceries, household goods, toiletries, toys and treats

  • 'Open all hours' is key to success

    A Berinsfield shopkeeper has won national recognition for his commitment and hard work. Each morning Denis Bromilow, 59, wakes at 3am to open his newsagent's shop, in Fane Drive, at 4.30am and serve customers on their way to work. Mr Bromilow said: "It's

  • Prison history traced

    The great-great-grandson of a former Oxford Prison governor has retraced his ancestor's footsteps in one of the last tours of the old jail before its renovation. Businessman Leonard Tridgell from London, brought some of the original documentation, complete

  • Man killed in 5,000ft plunge from plane

    A man died after mysteriously plunging 5,000ft from a plane without a parachute. The man, in his mid-40s, plummeted from the Cessna 172 twin-seater plane over west Oxfordshire yesterday. Air accident investigators were today examining the plane. The man

  • Football: Walters seals it for Town

    Witney & District FA Carterton Town A joined Napier Rovers at the top of Division 1 after a 3-0 win over Charlbury. In the only game in the division to survive the weather, goals from Paul Morris, Martin Stevens and Scott Walters secured the win.

  • Trust funds studies

    Budding architects will be able to admire buildings as far afield as Florence and New York, thanks to a scholarship in memory of an influential academic. Students at Oxford Brookes University's School of Architecture could receive hundreds of pounds to

  • Football: Stevens crushes Witney's cup bid

    John Fathers Oxfordshire Junior Shield A hat-trick from David Stevens helped Enstone to a 4-1 win over in-form West Witney in the fourth round. Stevens put Enstone in front from the spot, only for Ian Stewart to level before half-time. Almost from the

  • Athletics: Perrys lead way for Witney

    Eight junior Witney Roadrunners came away with their heads held high from the Windsor Indoor Open. Despite an unexpectedly large turn-out, Witney's youngsters produced some excellent performances, with 12 new personal bests. Bryn Perry won the under 15

  • Football: United hopes fading fast

    Any realistic hopes Oxford United had of making a late charge for the play-offs diminished last night after they lost 1-0 away to promotion-chasing Shrewsbury. And to complete an unhappy week for their supporters, after two call-offs and the news that

  • Organised walk

    The Ramblers' Association will be leading a walk from the Plough Inn, Kelmscott, to the Buscott on Sunday, January 20, starting at 1.30pm.

  • Charity concert

    A concert by the staff band of the Royal Logistic Corps is being held at Bicester Garrison on April 13 in aid of Bicester Community Hospital and Sobell House Hospice, Oxford.

  • Bequest

    The late Sylvia Robson Ross, of Caliach, Tanners Lane, Burford, who died on July 22, left an estate valued at £541,680. Most of the estate has gone to relatives but Burford Preparative Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Christian Aid, Oxfam,

  • Transco 'fined'

    A gas pipeline company is being told to pay tens of thousands of pounds for causing mayhem on the roads in Carterton. It is the first case Oxfordshire County Council has brought under new laws targeting utility companies who over-run agreed timetables

  • Marathon team appeal

    The Oxfordshire Branch of the British Red Cross is looking for runners to join its London marathon team. Now that entries for the event have closed, the group wants people who have not yet decided which charity to support to join its team. British Red