Parents had as much fun as their children at a special funday today. Scores of mums and dads joined in events designed for children as their inner kid came out at the Oxfordshire Play Day in Blackbird Leys, Oxford. Some parents even donned special
A council threatened with legal action for non-payment of bills has now run into more trouble over the late payment of salaries and allowances. The Liberal Democrat-run Vale of White Horse District Council has also admitted its electricity supplier
Oxford's oldest resident has died, aged 105. Bessie Crawford passed away at the Audit Care Mon Choisy residential home, in Kennington, where she had lived for the last 10 years. Staff at the home said Mrs Crawford died peacefully on Tuesday morning
I must admit that what I knew about Berlin could have been written on the back of a postage stamp before my visit. One of my best recollections was the visit of President Kennedy in 1963 and his famous saying: "Ich bin ein Berliner" to a crowd of 120,000
Is it us, or are councillors getting more exotic with their holiday destinations? Oxford city councillors Caroline Van Zyl, Stephen Tall and Mary Clarkson have all just returned from well-earned family breaks in Morocco (Tall and Van Zyl) and Melbourne
Six Oxford bands are in the running to perform on screen in a new independent film based on Philip Pullman's novel The Butterfly Tattoo. Filming started in Oxford this week, but the production crew is yet to choose which band will play in a pivotal
A crackdown on drink-fuelled crime in Oxford's Cowley Road area is due to take place in October, ready for the return of university students. East Oxford police chief, Insp Brian Cooper, is planning an operation over the first two weekends of the month
A motorist was slashed across the face with a broken bottle when he refused to get out of his car in an unprovoked attack. A 45-year-old man was parking on The Slade near the junction of Windmill Road and Old Road in Oxford at 6.15am on Friday when
A teenager has been charged with driving a stolen car up to 90mph through Oxford. A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named, was arrested after a police chase which lasted from Grandpont through East Oxford, Rose Hill, Cowley and ending in Barton on August
Cowley residents are being asked whether they want to see a street gate moved to block a rat-run. Concerns have been raised that a gate installed to stop traffic taking a short cut through Frederick Road has meant drivers taking a longer rat-run through
The average price of an Oxfordshire house in July rose to £245,357, a 10.1 per cent annual increase - according to new figures released by the Land Registry. The rise compares with an average price for England and Wales as a whole of £181,460 - an
Residents and businesses are being urged to be extra vigilant, following a wave of crime and vandalism resulting in thousands of pounds worth of damage. Homes, shops and other businesses in the Wallingford area were hit over the Bank Holiday weekend
Fears for the safety of mothers and babies transferred from Banbury to Oxford have been raised by MP Tony Baldry. He will take the concerns to Health Secretary Alan Milburn at a debate in Westminster Hall, London, on Wednesday, October 10. Mr Baldry
Campaigners say they have no confidence in assurances by Oxfordshire health chiefs that the accident and emergency department at Banbury's Horton Hospital is safe from closure. The Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust issued the denial after Tory leader
A community group wants to hear the life stories of people living on an Oxford estate. Leys Time Team, based in the Leys Linx Centre in Blackbird Leys Road, is planning an exhibition based on the lives of people who have settled in Blackbird Leys and
Neighbours are celebrating after winning a two-year campaign to get a new postbox after their East Oxford post office closed. The post box in Glanville Road was removed when the post office closed two years ago - leaving people with a long trek to send
This year's Towersey festival had a retro feel to it. The organisers always try to get a pre-opening concert of music not normally associated with the mainstream of the festival - jazz bands and Cockney entertainers Chas and Dave have done the honours
Mobile police stations are to be set up in Marston and Headington for the first time to give residents a chance to talk about the problems they have. Neighbourhood beat officers will man temporary police stations offering a range of free services in
The parents of Grant Embling, who was killed at a notorious accident blackspot, will mark the anniversary of his death with a permanent roadside memorial cross, to remind drivers to respect the road. The family described the three-year jail term given
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A costly planning battle looms after Oxford City Council vowed to fight controversial housing proposals for Warneford Meadow. Councillors say they have tried to encourage talks with landowners the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership
When I was involved in student politics in the 1980s, the Tory student grouping (later to be dissolved due to a degree of, er, over-exuberance) the Federation of Conservative Students would wear 'Hang Nelson Mandela' badges in order to wind up all the
Friends and family have declared the death of Molly Eagle the end of an era. Miss Eagle, who was 91, lived in Oxford all her life, first working on the railway and later becoming a teacher in East Oxford. Aged five, she started attending Miss Cross's
Arthur Nockels, former headmaster of Chipping Norton School and the first president of Chipping Norton Rugby Club, has died. Mr Nockels was born in Scarborough and won a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, from Scarborough High School to
A large sign over the exit to Oxford railway station tells passengers that the coach service to Cambridge leaves from bay R5 outside. It does not. Stagecoach X5 coaches now depart from Gloucester Green - a fact clearly unknown to the two bus drivers we
Out for an early morning bicycle ride on Saturday, August 10, I was among the first to come across the bizarre sight of Hinksey swimming pool turned purple. I was quickly on the phone to our news desk. My first thought as I surveyed the weirdly coloured
My second month of work on The Oxford Times - in July 1973 - was brightened by Barbara Jefford's memorable performance as Portia in Frank Hauser's production of The Merchant of Venice. Since then I have enjoyed many hundreds of visits to the theatre,
Oh no, not another series about India! The Story of India (BBC2) actually promises to be quite good. Whereas many of the recent TV programmes commemorating the anniversary of India's independence concentrated on the last 60 years, Michael Wood is delving
In 2009, cinéastes will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the nouvelle vague - that new wave of stylistically audacious films by a cabal of young French auteurs that had an incalculable impact on both mainstream and arthouse cinema. But a number of directors
Scott Hicks's romantic drama No Reservations serves up a tantalising New York twist on the award-winning German film Mostly Martha. Hicks garnishes his version with a stellar cast including Catherine Zeta-Jones, making her welcome return to the big screen
Agincourt is undoubtedly one of England's most famous battles, and Henry V one of Shakespeare's best-known history plays. Variously seen as anti-war or passionately nationalist, the play explores the difficulty of being both a lover of peace and a wager
If in doubt, begin with a ridiculous premise. Just ask Tony Hawks. Shakespeare's early comedy opens with a contract between King Ferdinand of Navarre (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) and his three chums, Berowne, Longaville and Dumaine. Hoping to achieve fame
The Bartholomew Consort's a capella recital in Summertown last weekend was a revelation - an exploration of little-known, late 15th-century choral works, sung with exceptional purity, eloquence and confidence. No half-hearted, tentative approach this;
But what about Henry Higgins's father? This gentleman - as we must presume him to be - goes unmentioned in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, which seems rather curious in a play so concerned with background as an influence on a person's conduct. We clearly
'We've dragged David off his combine, he didn't really want to come," a fellow member of the audience was explaining to her friend as they crossed the rolling lawns of Westonbirt House. David perhaps had a point: this was a glorious, warm, summer's evening
I am not aware of any meaningful relationship between sausages and jazz. I do, on the other hand, have a strong association between the sort of mass-produced sausage that has been charred to near extinction on a barbecue and jazz that is being played
After our sopping summer, the very thought of umbrellas and heavy showers is enough to have many Oxfordshire residents reaching for something altogether stronger than a spoonful of sugar. But I have to say a trip to see Mary Poppins at London's Prince
Singer-songwriter John Amor (pictured) steps into the limelight as a solo artist with an album called Unknown Soldier, released on the Boma label. Amor, probably best-known for a previous incarnation with the highly respected Wiltshire-based blues band
Members of The Oxford Sinfonia are preparing for their largest undertaking ever - a concert that includes Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, which takes place at the Sheldonian Theatre tomorrow at 8pm. Founded in 1984, The Oxford
ONE of Oxfordshire's oldest residents has died aged 105. Bessie Florence Crawford passed away yesterday at the Audit Care Mon Choisy care home, in Kennington Road, Kennington, where she had lived for the last 10 years. Proprietor Helen Audit said:
No sooner has Littl'un blown out the candle on her first birthday cake, a letter has arrived about the next round of injections. On the now-ominous September 11 she needs a meningitis booster, never a pleasant experience. But soon after will come the
One of Oxfordshire's oldest residents has died, aged 105. Bessie Crawford passed away yesterday at the Audit Care Mon Choisy care home, in Kennington Road, Kennington, where she had lived for the past 10 years. Proprietor Helen Audit said: "We're all
I am now an official London girl. I have battled with the crowds on the commute to work, begun to carry two pairs of shoes everywhere I go, learnt the names of all the free newspapers they hand out on the tube, become amazingly adept at dodging people
A team of Abingdon town councillors is touring the town's flood-hit areas in a move to to build up a comprehensive picture of events - allowing residents to be better prepared in the event of another disaster. A questionnaire is being delivered to all
One person needed hospital treatment after the car they were travelling in left the road near Upton this morning. The car was travelling on the A417 when it left the carriageway at around 1.35am. Two people freed themselves from the car before firefighters
Morris Motors Exiles have been relegated to Division 3 of The Oxford Times Cherwell League after fielding a player under a false name. Batting star Nitin Sehgal played under the name of second teamer Sam Muthu in Motors' Division 2 draw with Tiddington
Wes Bartlett says Oxford Downs should look back with pride on their semi-final run in the npower Village Cup. Downs' skipper was clearly disappointed at the manner of their 49-run defeat to Findon after bowling them out for 142. But he said: "It has
Twenty homes were evacuated yesterday amid fears of a gas explosion following a van fire. A 100-metre safety cordon was put around a van which was on fire in Sinclair Avenue at 1pm. Firefighters feared the LPG gas canisters could explode, but a spokesman
Star batsman Hyron Shallow is too good to play for Tetsworth - according to his skipper. Noel Humphreys believes Shallow should be given the opportunity to play at a higher level, after his heroic performance in Monday's Airey Cup final. Shallow hammered
Oxford United have a new fitness coach after Jordan Milsom left to join arch rivals Swindon Town. Dave Wates, who had been helping out the club part-time while videoing the matches for analysis, steps up to take over from Milsom. He took the warm-up
AN OXFORD bowls club dating back to 1919 may soon be bulldozed. The building that was the home of the East Oxford club was reduced to a burnt-out wreckage in a fire on May 4 this year. Now the owners, Oriel College, are seeking conservation area consent
FLYPOSTERS and businesses are heading for £75 on-the-spot fines if they clutter up Abingdon, Wantage and villages in the Vale of White Horse District Council area. The council has promised tough and swift action to clean up the streets to make sure
Yesterday, I had that 'find a tenner in your pocket' feeling. We needed a new chest of drawers for our bedroom to replace a rather cheap and cheerful flatpack one I bought on a tight budget seven years ago when I first stepped on to the housing ladder
RESIDENTS fear their estate will become a "no-go" area for foreign language students after at least four were attacked by gangs when walking home. The students, most of them teenagers, were staying with host families in Rose Hill, East Oxford, while
A SEX offender who abused a 12-year-old girl has been jailed for four years. Peter Cox, of Brambling Way, Blackbird Leys, admitted sexually assaulting the child at her home on two occasions between June 2005 and April 2006. Jonathan Coode, prosecuting
A MAN who was stabbed when he intervened in a fight in Oxford has spoken of his pain and need for justice. Roy Sinclair was knifed in the lung and kidney when he stepped in to the row outside his home in Blackbird Leys Road, Blackbird Leys. The 38
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No doubt there will be arguments, but Shipton-on-Cherwell quarry as a possible site for housing would seem to be ideal. It has long been an eyesore on the North Oxfordshire landscape, and it is near a railway line giving easy access to Oxford and elsewhere
Rob Duffy says he's determined to show manager Jim Smith what he's been missing by not having him in the team. The Welsh striker looks set for a prolonged run in the Oxford United side, if he can maintain the form he showed when coming off the bench
Oxford City were celebrating as their girls won the Oxfordshire Junior League title, at the final meeting of the season at Abingdon's Tilsley Park. The team finished the day in second place - 17 points behind Radley - but still well clear in the title
Oxfordshire will be without Pete Hall and Stuart Dutton when they open a new season in Division 1 of the British Darts Organisation Inter-Counties Championship away to Surrey this weekend. Hall is taking a year out from the game, while Dutton has joined
Tetsworth captain Noel Humphreys praised his team for keeping their cool after seeing off Oxford Caribbean by five runs to win the Airey Cup. In one of the most thrilling finals in the competition's long and illustrious history, the match was tinged
Dave Sawyer clanged off a 16-doll haul including two sixers as George stayed firmly in the hunt for the Premier Section title with a 3-0 win at leaders Cricketers, writes ANDY BEAL. The victory cut Cricketers' lead at the top to just a point and means
Littlemore Rugby Club's Tony Gillett ended a ten-year wait but his sixer was in vain as they lost 2-1 against Queen's Head in Section 8. It looked as though he would have to wait another decade after he started the Section 8 clash with a blobber and
Men's Premier Section leaders Railway Social Club A were given a big scare at Shelley Arms C before running out 5-4 winners in the Greene King Oxford & District Darts Association. Playing the pairs first, Railway eased into a 2-1 lead. But Shelley
ONE of Oxford's top pupils has confounded the critics by proving GCSEs are not getting easier. When The Oxford Times threw down the gauntlet, Magdalen College School student Philip Davies agreed to defend the honour of his generation and sit a 1987
CCTV footage from buses parked at Oxford Bus Company's depot in Cowley is to be analysed by police trying to catch two would-be robbers. A female cashier at the site in Watlington Road managed to break free after a man dressed in black motorcycle leathers
A disused Oxfordshire quarry is being eyed-up as the site for one of the first eco-towns in the UK. Developer Kilbride Properties has drawn up radical plans for a 5,000-home, self-sustained community at Shipton Quarry, north of Kidlington, to help ease
OPPONENTS of the controversial Jericho Boatyard redevelopment will today hand planners a new vision for the site. Residents want a proposed canal bridge to be scrapped - and replaced with a specially commissioned structure to create a focal point for
A man who was stabbed when he intervened in a fight in Oxford has spoken of his pain and need for justice. Roy Sinclair was knifed in the lung and kidney when he stepped in to the row outside his home in Blackbird Leys Road, Blackbird Leys. The 38-year-old
Fears are growing among Oxford's Greek community for the safety of their loved ones amid the forest fires raging through Greece which have left 63 people dead. Safety fears have been heightened after the fire-ravaged south of the country also suffered
