Primary school children in Oxford have been learning about the wonders of nature after entering a gardening competition. Schoolchildren from Windale Primary School Fifteen pupils, aged from nine to 11, at Windale Primary School, in Blackbird Leys, have
Banbury's Anthony Dunn had a successful return to racing at the wheel of a Haas Automation BMW M3 at Donington Park in the Britcar 100 minute race. In his first race in more than 18 months, Dunn stunned rivals in qualifying by taking class pole position
Plans to build houses and flats on the site of the former Air Balloon pub in Abingdon have been approved. Two semi-detached houses, four town houses and three flats are to be built on the Ock Street site. Similar plans last year were rejected but the
The London ska-pop band were one of the most popular acts of the 80s, with their Camden Town-style take on Jamaican-flavoured 2 tone. Although lead singer Suggs can still be seen fronting a variety of cheesy TV endeavours, his band has been largely consigned
The Seekers epitomised the 60s. With number ones in the UK, US and all over the world, Judith Durham's voice packed out stadiums and had people humming her tunes across the continent, writes Katherine MacAlister. Their single Georgy Girl made history
Oxfordshire captain Keith Arnold looks set to miss the Minor Counties Cricket Association Knockout Cup first-round tie against Dorset at Challow & Childrey CC on Sunday. Keith Arnold The veteran seamer pulled a hamstring while bowling for Banbury
Reigning Cherwell League champions Shipton-under-Wychwood's rocky start to the season continued when they lost at home to Oxford Downs in a remarkable roller-coaster match on Saturday. After deciding to bat, Shipton were reduced at one stage to 114-8
Mummies, pharoahs, pyramids and Cleopatras packed into Wallingford Leisure Centre. Joe Barrett, six, and Claire Harper, 12, display the pyramid and Egyptian paper they made The fancy dress line-up on Friday followed a week of half-term activities with
Vandals are leaving a trail of damage around Witney and caused one boy to spend his half-term holiday nursing a sore foot after cutting it badly on glass. David Wiblin They have been disrupting work on the new skateboard park on The Leys recreation ground
In an allegorical piece of new writing, To Those Who Haven't Stopped Thinking, a girl called Hannah arrives in the Universe. It is a terrible backward place where everything seems to be wrong. Her parents are Universal, so she has a special interest in
Liz Lochhead's Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off is at the Pegasus Theatre, Oxford, as part of an Oxford School of Drama double-bill. The dark comedy incorporates music and dance to bring Mary Stewart and Elizabeth I back to life. Although
A pub in Wantage is to be transformed into a sports bar in a £250,000 revamp, if planning permission is granted. Plans have been drawn up for a two-week refit of the Lord Nelson, in Charlton Road, with work due to start in weeks if councillors give the
Dreadful dinners are a thing of the past in Oxfordshire schools if the healthy meals on offer at two county schools are anything to go by. Some of the best meals can be found at Larkmead School, in Abingdon, and Hagbourne Primary School, near Didcot.
Reigning Cherwell League champions Shipton-under-Wychwood's rocky start to the season continued when they lost at home to Oxford Downs in a remarkable roller-coaster match on Saturday. After deciding to bat, Shipton were reduced at one stage to 114-8
Cowley Community Centre were in top form when the Greene King Oxford and District Association Darts League got under way last week. Entertaining fellow Premier side Shelley Arms C, they fell behind when Steve Roberts (180) beat Jim Jukes 3-1 in the opening
Allotment holders will have another year to wait before they can return to plots closed due to soil contamination. About 20 gardeners had cultivated the Claypits allotments, off London Road, Bicester, for decades without any trouble until about 18 months
Toby Young has forged a career for himself by name-dropping, cashing in on the nation's obsession with celebrity just at the right time, writes Katherine MacAlister. His book How To Lose Friends and Alienate People describes the hysterical ups and downs
What is the biggest band in the world? It's a question that can, and does, lead to hours of debate. But for many, the answer has to be the Rolling Stones, writes Tim Hughes. Few bands have the longevity, talent, style and attitude of Mick Jagger and his
The Yoga Garden, a holistic health club which opened a year ago, is closing its treatment rooms to extend its successful Italian restaurant, Cibo. When it opened in November 2001 in South Parade, Summertown, Oxford, the Yoga Garden offered treatments
A liquid cleaner produced by an Oxfordshire woman's company promises to transform the lives of people suffering from asthma and other allergies. The allergans which can cause symptoms in vulnerable people can be removed from the coats of cats, rabbits
Dignitaries and religious leaders gathered in Didcot to bless a refurbished funeral centre. Pictured from the left is Didcot mayor David Giaretta and his wife Pip, Adam Miles, president of the National Association of Funeral Directors, the Rev Andrew
Families of Oxfordshire Territorial Army soldiers woke up with their loved ones on June 3 after the troops returned home from a 13-week peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. The Royal Green Jackets soldiers arrived at their base at The Slade, in Headington
Five teenagers from an Abingdon respite centre for young people were among thousands of guests at the Queen's children's garden party at Buckingham Palace on June 2 to mark the 50th anniversary of her Coronation. All the 17-year-olds attend the Summerfield
Hot food is likely to remain off the menu at Oxfordshire County Council's staff canteen, despite requests from some staff. The former staff restaurant provided a full hot food service until April last year, when the running of the Common Hall Cafe at
Cannabis-based medicines could be on the shelves of chemist shops before the end of the year, thanks to an Oxford researcher. Dr Philip Robson with the cannabis spray Dr Philip Robson of Oxford University's department of psychiatry has carried out clinical
Young chess players from an independent school are celebrating their success after winning the Oxford Schools Chess League. Members of the Magdalen College School team The team from Magdalen College School, in Oxford, defeated Abingdon School by six games
Agriculture students visited France to learn about the French way of farming. The group from Abingdon and Witney College visited France to do a practical study tour. The trip was organised by the college to provide students studying for the National Certificate
Juan Pablo Montoya proved he has the bottle to mount a world championship challenge by battling to victory in the Monaco Grand Prix. The Colombian, who drives for the Grove-based BMW Williams team, answered his critics by winning for the first time since
Banbury racer Adam Derbyshire's run of victories in the Radical Enduro Championship came to an end at the weekend when he took a second place and a non-finish at Silverstone. The Spirit Volkswagen-backed driver settled for second place in race one on
A Space probe designed in Oxfordshire blasted off on June 2 in search of life on Mars. Beagle 2, named after the ship which carried 19th century naturalist Charles Darwin around the world, was launched at 6.45pm, aboard the European Space Agency's Mars
The loss of another of Abingdon's old pubs is a threat to the town's social life in the evenings, according to a councillor who voted against converting the building into homes. he Horse and Jockey pub in Bath Street The Horse and Jockey pub -- a 17th
Age Concern Oxfordshire is pushing ahead with a campaign to represent all older people by organising more meetings for black and ethnic minority pensioners. The campaign began in March with forums in Banbury and Oxford specifically for minority groups
Executives at IT firm RM are cautiously optimistic that the company is back on track after cutting its 1,500-strong workforce by 250 last year. The company, which is the largest supplier of computer equipment to British schools, is now recruiting heavily
All the world's a stage, but particularly the Oxford Playhouse, which is hosting Shakespeare Fortnight. The two-week summer season starts on June 4, with a student production of As You Like It. Shunned Ambition takes dramatic inspiration from Kabuki,
Six Algerian men, all suspected of being illegal immigrants, were arrested in a major police operation in Oxford on June 3. In a simultaneous swoop, more than 60 officers raided one address in Mark Road, Headington, and another in Lyndworth Mews, at the
Families have flocked to support a family of swans claimed to be terrorising an Oxfordshire neighbourhood. Pam Stevens is defending the swans Some residents in Lane Close, Kidlington, which borders the Oxford Canal, said the parent birds and their six
A new residents' association formed on an Oxford estate has made tackling anti-social behaviour and the lack of policing its top priority. Rose Hill Residents' Association has been set up to voice the concerns of people living in one of Oxford's poorest
Cricketers who accused an Oxford club committee of racism have urged Sport England to withdraw support from a controversial development which will safeguard the future of their former ground. Members of the cricket section of the Morris Motors Athletic
Cannabis-based medicines could be on the shelves of chemist shops before the end of the year, thanks to an Oxford researcher. Dr Philip Robson with the cannabis spray Dr Philip Robson of Oxford University's department of psychiatry has carried out clinical
