Archive

  • Road reopens after accident

    The A420 at Headington Hill, Oxford, has reopened in both directions following an earlier collision. A female cyclist in her early 30s was injured after she collided with a lorry at the junction with Morrell Avenue at about 3.30pm today. The road

  • Update: Crash cyclist 'critical'

    A CYCLIST injured in a collision with a lorry in Oxford this afternoon is in a critical condition, a Thames Valley Police spokesman has confirmed. The woman, in her early 30s, was involved in a collision with the lorry on the A420 at Headington Hill

  • UPDATE: Cyclist injured in crash

    A female cyclist injured in a collision with a lorry is in a critical condition, a Thames Valley Police spokesman has confirmed. The woman, in her early 30s, collided with the lorry on the A420 at Headington Hill at about 3.30pm today. She was taken

  • Police chase in East Oxford

    A SHOPKEEPER watched as police chased a man through the back of his store. Mohammad Azam, owner of Noor Halal Meat Centre and Newsagent, in Magdalen Road, said he saw a man climb over a fence to the rear of his shop at about 5pm yesterday. He said

  • Police chase in east Oxford

    A shopkeeper watched as police chased a man through the back of his store last night. Mohammad Azam, owner of Noor Halal Meat Centre and Newsagent, in Magdalen Road, Cowley, said he saw a man climb over a fence to the rear of his shop at about 5pm yesterday

  • Store fire leads to evacuation

    FIRE crews were called to deal with a small blaze inside shoe store Schuh, in Magdalen Street, in Oxford city centre. Eight fire engines arrived at the scene at about 5.30pm after a small fire broke out under a display cabinet. The store was evacuated

  • Small fire sparks evacuation

    Fire crews were called to deal with a small blaze inside shoe store Schuh, in Magdalen Street, in Oxford city centre. Around eight fire engines arrived at the scene at around 5.30pm after a small fire broke out under a display cabinet. The store was

  • Strike could shut schools

    TEACHERS are preparing to walk out of classrooms and go on strike next week - for the first time in 21 years -in a fight for better pay. Although it remains unclear exactly how many Oxfordshire schools will be affected by the National Union of Teachers

  • Park to ride fees will go

    Car park charges at Oxford's park-and-ride centres are set to be scrapped as part of a radical package of measures to combat chronic congestion. The five sites ringing Oxford will be enlarged and improved to try to persuade motorists not to drive cars

  • Faith School for all

    A new breed of Islamic school for Muslim and non-Muslim children opens its doors in Oxford next week. The Meco Saturday Islamic School bills itself as the first Islamic school of its kind. Open to children of all faiths, it will feature mixed classes

  • Playing field saved as council does u-turn

    Campaigners are celebrating news that playing fields at Peers School will not be sold for housing to help fund the cost of the controversial Oxford Academy. A three-acre area at the school in Littlemore was earmarked for sale to housing developers,

  • Strike could shut schools

    Teachers are preparing to walk out of classrooms and go on strike next week - for the first time in 21 years -in a fight for better pay. Although it remains unclear exactly how many Oxfordshire schools will be affected by the National Union of Teachers

  • Mum hits out at Bugsy fees

    Oxford's New Theatre has defended a policy to charge the parents of children taking part in a "stage experience". The George Street theatre is expecting up to 1,000 children to turn up on Saturday to audition for parts in Bugsy Malone, which will be

  • Firm announces 45 job cuts

    Bosses at hi-tech firm Siemens Magnet Technology are looking for volunteers to take redundancy after revealing 45 jobs will be axed. A slowdown in the Eynsham-based company's key healthcare market is being blamed for the move which was announced to

  • Cyclist injured in collision

    St Clements is currently closed in both directions following an accident involving a cyclist and a lorry. The female cyclist collided with the lorry at the junction of Morrell Avenue at about 3.30pm today. She was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital

  • RACING: Fitzgerald second op a success

    Mick Fitzgerald's second operation on the neck injury he sustained after his fall from L'Ami in the Grand National is reported to have been a success. Fitzgerald, who lives in Childrey, near Wantage, underwent five hours of surgery at Oxford's Nuffield

  • Mabel raises a glass at 101

    Mabel Saunders celebrated her 101st birthday with a surprise cake and a glass of sherry with friends and family. Mrs Saunders enjoyed her milestone birthday at a care home in Buckingham Road, Bicester. The birthday girl was joined by her son Raymond

  • 'Clear obstruction to stop floods'

    Calls have been made for Oxford City Council to formally adopt flood protection measures suggested by a local residents' group. Last week, Oxford Flood Alliance presented its budget plans for unblocking pinch-points in the city's waterways to the Environment

  • ROWING: Golden oldies take to the riv er

    One of the oldest crews ever to compete in an event on the Thames will take to the water in the Abingdon Head of the River race on Sunday, writes Michael Knox. Wallingford's super veteran crew, with an average age of nearly 76, will be rowing in Division

  • MEGAN CONVEY

    MEGAN CONVEY: 19, of Wroxton Park, Banbury, said: "I am reading law at Oxford Brookes University. My greatest achievement is passing my A-Levels with fantastic grades and gaining a place at the university of my choice."

  • CHANTAL MURRAY

    CHANTAL MURRAY, 22, from Headington, who works for Champion Recruitment in Oxford, said: "I have done modelling in the past and someone in the office suggested I should enter the competition. When she is not working, Chantal enjoys clubbing in London,

  • SHENNA MCGUINNESS

    SHENNA MCGUINNESS, 22, from Carterton, works as a business administrator in Long Hanborough for a firm of chartered surveyors. She said: "I have never done anything like this before, so I thought I would try something new. "I love horse-riding and I am

  • Palace unveils restored eyes

    SIX giant eyes gazing down on visitors to Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock, have been unveiled after five months of intensive restoration. The eyes, which measure up to 1.5m across, were first painted in 1928 for Gladys Deacon, the American-born second

  • Park-and-ride charges to be scrapped

    CHARGES at Oxford's park-and-rides are set to be scrapped and more parking places provided as part of a transport package to combat chronic congestion in and around the city. The city's park-and-rides will also be enlarged and improved in the latest

  • Eco-town could hit city expansion

    THE PROPOSED urban extension south of Oxford could be hit by plans to create an eco-town near Weston-on-the-Green. News that a scheme to build 15,000 homes near the A34 has made it on to the Government's eco-town shortlist has raised new doubts about

  • PASCALE WATKINS

    PASCALE WATKINS, 17, from Kidlington, said: "My friends came up to me in school one day and said I should enter, so I decided to give it a go. I was so nervous I was shaking during the photoshoot, but it has been great so far."

  • ZARA FAULKES

    ZARA FAULKES, 18, from Abingdon, is a business student at the town's college. She said: "If you win, you can help a charity and I'm interested in helping charities for the disabled, because I have a disabled younger brother."

  • LYNDSAY FAYLE

    LYNDSAY FAYLE, 17, from Denchworth, near Wantage, said: "Dancing is my greatest passion. My ambitions include graduating from university with an honours degree in osteopathy and running the marathon when I'm 21."

  • French and Italian value mixed case, £50

    Great value for money wines from the two greatest old world producers. Both produce a stunning diversity of wines that are made to accompany food and each has a long history of grape growing and the production of wine that stretches back to antiquity.

  • SUZANNE BALL

    SUZANNE BALL: 22, from Eynsham, is a personal assistant at an IT firm. She said: "I entered Miss World last year and thought I would give Miss Oxford Mail a go. I'm trying to get into modelling and this will boost my confidence."

  • Tories want 20mph zones

    City councillors have asked colleagues at County Hall to create 20mph zones in every residential street in Oxford. During recent years, a number of 20mph zones have been introduced but the proposal of Paul Sargent, Conservative group leader on the city

  • A night at The Harrow, Little Bedwyn

    There are lots of things I love about eating out - the (hopefully) lovely food, the ear-wigging and people watching and savouring every mouthful, and, top of my list, that you are safe in the knowledge that you are not responsible for washing up. The

  • In Bruges (18)

    Blessed with the same moribund wit and explosive violence as his Oliver Award-winning stage plays, Martin McDonagh's feature film directorial debut is a gloriously off-beat jaunt through modern day Belgium in the company of two hopelessly mismatched hit

  • Fool's Gold (12A)

    As worthless as the title suggests, Andy Tennant's misguided romantic comedy sends its cardboard characters on a protracted treasure hunt in the clear blue waters of the Caribbean, with lack lustre comic interludes to stave off our boredom. National

  • Battle over homes built on barracks site

    A proposal to increase the number of homes and student flats to be built on the site of Oxford's Territorial Army barracks would cause parking and traffic chaos, councillors were told. The city council's north-east area committee, which was asked for

  • Young carers put lives on big screen

    Young carers from north and west Oxfordshire will see themselves on the big screen tomorrow night when they attend the premiere of their own film, Young Carers - Good Days, Bad Days. It shows young carers having fun together, talking about their lives

  • Street Kings (15)

    Writer-director David Ayer has certainly found his groove - gritty crime thrillers about morally tainted cops who bend the law to compensate for an imperfect legal system - but he's in danger of getting stuck in it. Having previously penned screenplays

  • PCSOs not the first

    Your article, New Chapter (Oxford Mail, April 10), about civilian PCSOs patrolling Oxford University, was inaccurate and misleading. The University Police, or University Constables (popularly known as 'Bulldogs'), were the private police force of Oxford

  • Party Themes - Not just for Kids!

    Hi, here is a few ideas to get your juices flowing... Not really for kids parties but aimed at adult do.(or should I say Grown up!) parties. You might even find an excuse for an inpromture bash... Anyway here goes... Party Idea's and Themes The theme

  • Cabbages and Kings

    According to the poet Lord Byron, the Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold, although a solo mission might account for why, according to Old Testament war correspondents, that invasion came to a sorry end. The words of this poem sprang to mind

  • Spreadable @ Po Na Na

    If there's one thing you can't fault about Po Na Na in Oxford, it's got to be the decor. Is it North African or Middle Eastern? I'd probably hedge my bets at it being a fusion of both - one part of me wants to tell you that I felt like I was in a

  • FIXTURES: The week's sporting calender

    SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. BLUE SQUARE PREMIER. Woking v Oxford Utd. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Tiverton Tn v Banbury Utd. Div 1 South & West: Didcot Tn v Bridgwater Tn, Marlow v Abingdon Utd, Oxford City v Burnham. FOOTBALL LEAGUE

  • Last minute

    I see that the city council is putting the blame on the bus companies and postal service, but not its own incompetence (Oxford Mail, April 11). It should have sent out the passes in batches at least three weeks before the date required, not leave them

  • New toy library for children's hospital

    Disabled patients at Oxford Children's Hospital will benefit from a new toy library, thanks to a mother whose son was born with severe learning difficulties. Sandra Gomme has raised £5,000 to help the community paediatrics department set up a specialist

  • Good on you!

    Did Simon Stone mean to be so patronising (Oxford Mail, April 10)? Why shouldn't the elderly be able to "go almost anywhere at our (his?) expense" when they have had a lifetime of paying taxes for the better good of them, us, whoever, whenever. Many

  • CRICKET: Brooks in bid to stake his claim

    Jack Brooks has the chance to shine when Oxfordshire host Buckinghamshire in a friendly at Kidlington on Sunday (11). The Oxford pacemen didn't feature for the county last season despite impressing in his club's march to the Home Counties Premier League

  • Bus passes put up fares for others

    I am amazed at all the whining in connection with free bus passes. As a pass holder, I think it is completely unnecessary for these passes to be available for us to travel in any city except our own - all the change has done is create higher fares for

  • TENNIS: Under-strength North Oxford thrashed

    North Oxford, who last year scratched their Men's A team from Division 1, made their intentions clear this time around - losing 8.5-0.5 to Cholsey in their opening match after fielding a very youthful side. North, the dominant force in men's tennis

  • TENNIS: City back with style

    Oxford City's ladies returned to the Crossflight Oxfordshire National Club League with a bang - beating North Oxford 3-0. After several years away from the competition, City's decision to re-enter proved a good one, with Rutvica Andkijasevic and Julie

  • Post office blues

    Is it me? Last Friday, I had the misfortune of having to use Botley post office in Oxford. Once again, the staff behind the grille were as surly, unhelpful and downright rude as ever. Is it any wonder that post offices are being forced to close when

  • ROWING: Ex-world champion to coach Abingdon

    Peter Haining, three time world championship gold medallist in the lightweight single scull, has joined the Abingdon rowing scene, writes MIKE ROSEWELL. Haining, 46, will work as a professional head coach at Abingdon Rowing Club and and act as an adviser

  • Garbage blight

    How I agree with Shirley Nelder about the rubbish on our roadsides (Oxford Mail, April 12). It's getting worse and worse. When I drive up the A34 and the Oxford ring road to Headington, I'm so disgusted by the state of the verges. It breaks my heart

  • POINT-TO-POINT: Hill set for new heights

    Alan Hill, who is having another year to remember, could take a step closer to a new seasonal best at Saturday's Vale of Aylesbury with Garth & South Berks meeting at nearby Kingston Blount. The Aston Rowant handler enjoyed a double at the course earlier

  • Two ready-made sites for homes

    Reading and hearing the local news lately about the prospective new eco-towns, I have to ask myself - are we going stark staring bonkers? This comes at a time when we are led to believe that there are likely to be food shortages in the near future.

  • 'Couples' Therapy

    Witty, stylish, clever and sexy, The Long Blondes have always set out to be different. Their aim was to form a fantasy pop group - the kind of group Nico, Nancy Sinatra, Diana Dors, or Barbara Windsor would have been at home in. What they got was

  • Dozens of jobs to fill at arts centre

    Didcot's long-awaited arts centre is nearing completion and now up to 40 staff members are needed to help get it up and running. Cornerstone, in the Orchard Centre, needs part-time and full-time cleaners, caretakers, administrative support, box office

  • Wake up to Wakestock

    Excitement continues to build for Oxfordshire's newest festival, mixing the thrill of adrenaline sport, with top name music acts. Wakestock, takes over the stately grounds of Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock on the weekend of June 27-29. The event is

  • FOOTBALL: United go overboard for Navy!

    Darren Patterson is already making plans for pre-season and one of those seems likely to be staying at the Royal Navy base in Portsmouth. "The facilities there are fantastic," said Patterson after he and Mickey Lewis were given a tour when an Oxford

  • FOOTBALL: Patto probes Penn signing

    Darren Patterson has admitted making inquiries about Kidderminster's in-form midfielder Russell Penn. The "hustle-and-bustle" 22-year-old, who scored four goals in Harriers' 6-1 win at Halifax recently, has blossomed in only his second full season at

  • Bow down before Gogol Bordello

    Exuberant Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello are only here because of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. And, there is more than a hint of meltdown in their manic mix of musical madness. Ukrainian refugee Eugene Hutz, whose Roma family escaped the nuclear

  • Today's local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 66.25 BMW 2729 Electrocomponents 192 Nationwide Accident Repair 126.5 Oxford Biomedica 22.25 Oxford Catalyst 168.5 Oxford Instruments 219 Reed Elsevier 643.75 RM 191.25 RPS Group 314.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Mum-to-be seeks race partner

    Heavily pregnant she may be, but Amy Beatty is looking for a "waddling" partner to join her in this year's Race for Life. The 21-year-old mother-of-one from Witney will be eight months' pregnant when she takes part in the event on Sunday, June 8, in

  • FOOTBALL: Odubade ready to front up

    Yemi Odubade, who has returned to the Oxford United side refreshed, determined, and effective, believes his best position is up front rather than on the right wing. The transfer-listed striker, who tore Farsley Celtic apart at the Kassam Stadium last

  • Unfinished sympathy

    Have you ever felt that you aren't appreciated enough? Do you feel that you aren't given enough attention, sympathy? Love even? Do you find yourself lost in the everyday banalities of modern life? Would you like all the attention to be focused on you

  • FOOTBALL: Fans aiming to help out Langan

    An Irish fanzine has started a campaign to try to persuade the Football Association of Ireland to hold a testimonial for former Oxford United fullback Dave Langan. The finest right back ever to have played for Oxford United, Langan was hugely popular

  • Golden eyes

    Six giant eyes gazing down on visitors to Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock, have been revealed after five months of restoration work. The eyes, which measure up to 1.5m across, were first painted in 1928 for Gladys Deacon, the American-born second wife

  • Couscous, St Clement's, Oxford

    Could this place be the new Kaz Bar? Not quite, but it's definitely a welcome addition to this rather underwhelming part of the city. Colourful, friendly and with a small selection of delicatessen items on sale such as Moroccan style teapots, boxes

  • The Thatch, Thame

    Apart from the woman in the red leather zip-up dress sporting a purple patent handbag (you would have thought she could afford a mirror), the rest of the diners were fairly ordinary. I say ordinary, because I was half expecting rabid groupies, their

  • Stars to attend club's grand opening

    Some of the hottest stars in the worlds of jazz and soul music are set to lend their voices to the grand reopening of a former bingo hall and cinema in East Oxford. The Regal club, at the junction of Cowley Road and Magdalen Road, opened its elite room

  • Ten of the very best

    Oxford Mail books editor Andrew Ffrench picks some great Oxford authors Lewis Carroll: When the Rev Charles Dodgson took young Alice Liddell and friends on a boat trip and started telling them bizarre stories, he didn't realise he was launching a fantasy

  • Blackbird

    It is the reviews that really grab your attention. That and Dawn Steele's haunted but beautiful face staring out from the posters dotted around Oxford. "Not to be missed," shouts the Sunday Express, "an unmissable image of obsessive love" says The Observer

  • Knife man held at health centre

    ARMED police were called to a mental health centre in East Oxford today after a man walked in brandishing a kitchen knife. Thames Valley Police said a member of staff at the Rectory Centre, in Rectory Road, raised the alarm shortly after 1pm. Staff

  • FOOTBALL: Merritt calls for City focus

    British Gas Business Southern League Oxford City boss Justin Merritt has told his players to focus on the next two games, and put the play-offs out of their mind. Merritt wants his team to stick to the same work ethics that has seen them secure a

  • FOOTBALL: Launton boss Edwards is stepping down

    Sport Italia Hellenic League Launton Sports are looking for a new manager, after Joby Edwards announced that he will quit at the end of the season. Edwards oversaw Launton's rise into Division 1 West of the Sport Italia Hellenic League, but will

  • Armed man causes scare

    A POLICE helicopter and two police cars were scrambled following reports that an armed man was on the loose in Oxfordshire today. Police received a call from a member of public that a man was by the side of his car in Marsh Baldon with a shotgun.

  • Knife man detained

    Armed police were called to a mental health centre in East Oxford today after a man walked in brandishing a kitchen knife. Thames Valley Police said a member of staff at the Rectory Centre, in Rectory Road, raised the alarm shortly after 1pm. Staff

  • Jobs axed at Eynsham factory

    Hi-tech firm Siemens Magnet Technology has axed 45 jobs due to a slowdown in its key healthcare market. Staff at the factory based in Eynsham, were told the news as they came into work this morning and bosses said they were now looking for volunteers

  • Haunted house

    If you are a smoker struggling to give up the habit, don't read Lucie Whitehouse's novel The House at Midnight. Virtually all her characters smoke, and not just occasionally. They light up a cigarette when they are happy, they light one up when things

  • Local author

    As well as being a broadcaster and Social Democrat MP, Bryan Magee was also a philosophy tutor at Oxford, where he now lives. Growing Up in a War, (Pimlico, £9.99), is the second volume of his autobiography, a vivid description of a wartime childhood

  • Paperback choice

    The Flight Bryan Malessa (Harper Perennial, £7.99) Set in the final months of the Second World War, this short book tells the story of an ethnic German woman living in East Prussia, who flees the advancing Russians with her children, believing she

  • Paperbacks

    Mosquito Roma Tearne (Harper Perennial, £7.99) This haunting book by Oxford artist and writer Roma Tearne won many literary plaudits when it was first published in hardback. It tells the story of Theo Samarajeeva, who returns to a beautiful house in

  • RUGBY UNION: It's crunch time

    Chinnor coach Jason Bowers has urged his players to remain level-headed as they go for the South West 1 title against Oxford Harlequins on Saturday (3). A draw will be good enough for Chinnor to secure an immediate return to National 3 South, but the

  • BADMINTON: Headington bag two more titles

    Headington have picked up two more overall titles in the Oxford and District league bringing their club tally to six out of a possible 12. The latest successes came from their B teams in Division 3 of both the men's and the women's doubles - the women

  • SPEEDWAY: Fans keeping positive

    Speedway-starved fans will be hoping for some positive news at Friday's Supporters Club annual meeting at Kidlington Green Social Club (7pm). Local councillors will be in attendance to reveal the measures being taken to try to assist the reintroduction

  • False alarm over shotgun

    A police helicopter and two police cars were scrambled following reports that an armed man was on the loose in Oxfordshire. Police received a call from a member of public this morning who said that a man with a shotgun was standing beside a car at Marsh

  • Magnet maker cuts jobs

    Hi-tech firm Siemens Magnet Technology is cutting 45 jobs at its Eynsham factory due to a slowdown in its key healthcare market. Staff were told as they came into work this morning. Managers said they were looking for volunteers for redundancy to come

  • Lucious wildlife

    There are plenty of lucious pictures to tempt wildlife lovers in the latest book from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Wildlife of Britain: The Definitive Visual Guide (DK, £30) deals not just with our feathered friends, but all creatures

  • Dear Bill

    THE REMARKABLE LIVES OF BILL DEEDES Stephen Robinson (Little, Brown, £20)In his 94 years, Bill Deedes did indeed enjoy several remarkable lives, first as a young reporter for the Morning Post. Then he became a soldier, an MP, a Cabinet minister, editor

  • Workers told: jobs must go

    Siemens Magnet Technology has axed 45 jobs due to a slowdown in its key healthcare market. Staff at the factory, based in Eynsham, were told the news as they came into work this morning. Bosses said they were now looking for volunteers to come forward

  • Magnet firm axes jobs

    HIGH-TECH firm Siemens Magnet Technology has axed 45 jobs due to a slowdown in its key healthcare market. Staff at the factory, based in Eynsham, were told the news as they came into work today and managers said they were looking for volunteers to come

  • Why Russia lost America

    THE GREAT LAND Jeremy Atiyah (Parker Press, £19.95)It was the greatest sale - or the most stunning folly - of all time. This was the $7.2m purchase of Alaska by the Americans from the empire of Russia in 1867. It was also an ill omen for the ruling

  • Stolen charity van is found

    The Sobell House charity van stolen from a yard on an industrial estate in Witney on March 31 has been found. The vehicle was discovered in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Police are carrying out forensic and safety tests and the Renault Master should

  • Climate change opportunities

    The only time you could harness wasted energy from a car is when it is braking, a BMW engineer in Munich once told me. Conceivably, this could be done by sinking some sort of energy pick-up into the surface of the road, say at the approach to traffic

  • Tax change could see house prices fall

    PROPERTY prices in Oxford could fall further as a shake-up of the controversial capital gains tax comes into force. This week, new laws came into force lowering the tax that buy-to-let landlords have to pay on capital gains - increases in the value

  • Stolen charity van recovered

    THE Sobell House charity van stolen from a yard on an industrial estate in Witney on March 31 has been found in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Police are carrying out forensic and safety tests and the Renault Master should be back with the charity by

  • Green agenda boosts telecom firm

    MAJOR expansion at a telecommunications firm has prompted a move to bigger premises. MeetingZone, which specialises in audio and Internet conference call technology, has uprooted from its old base at Chilton, near Didcot and relocated to Thame. The

  • Clothing store to close

    THE Ethel Austin discount clothing store in Cowley is to close within three weeks, with the loss of about ten jobs. It is one of 33 of the chain's 300 shops to be closed by administrators Menzies Corporate Restructuring after a financial rescue deal

  • Clothes shop to close

    THE Ethel Austin discount clothing store in Cowley is to close within three weeks, with the loss of about ten jobs. It is one of 33 of the chain's 300 shops to be closed by administrators Menzies Corporate Restructuring after a financial rescue deal

  • Clothes shop will close

    The Ethel Austin discount clothing store in Cowley, Oxford, is to close within three weeks, with the loss of about ten jobs. It is one of 33 of the chain's 300 shops to be closed by administrators Menzies Corporate Restructuring after a financial rescue

  • Fit way to beat the games station

    Initiative between leisure centres and schools aims to attract teenagers, writes PETER CANN Motivating teenagers away from their games station and off the sofa is why Nexus Community, who manage the local leisure centres in West Oxfordshire,

  • How a club survived roller-coaster ride

    CHRIS KOENIG looks back on the highs and lows of Oxford United in its 115 years as a football club Whatever you may think of the roller-coaster ride that Oxford United Football Club has enjoyed in its 115-year history, the fact that it still exists

  • They too can have the technology — and use it

    SpecialEffect is a new West Oxfordshire-based charity that is dedicated to helping all young people with disabilities to enjoy computer games and self-expression through technology. For these children, the majority of computer games are simply too quick

  • Mischievious Magic

    Three million people can't be wrong, can they? That's the number of book buyers around the globe who have bought Winnie the Witch and other children's literature illustrated by Korky Paul. If you and your family are among those fans then you can see

  • Update: Two-car crash closes A40

    TWO people were treated by paramedics last night following a collision on the A40 in West Oxfordshire. The two-vehicle collision happened shortly before 9pm, near the Ducklington junction. The collision closed the road for a time. Fire crews from

  • Oh for layers of muck

    VAL BOURNE says now is the time of the season to get mulching A month ago I was at Royal Horticultural Society garden at Wisley in Surrey and an army of gardeners, probably 40 in number, were mulching the herbaceous borders and roses with the

  • Sporty models spice up Toyota range

    TOYOTA has launched two new grades for the Auris line-up this spring. The SR follows the lead of the flagship SR180 to deliver sports styling and specification. The TR provides a combination of generous specification and safety. Following the launch

  • Firm splashes out on fleet

    NESTLE Waters Powwow has taken delivery of six Volkswagen Passat Highline Vehicles from the Motorworld Volkswagen dealership in Kidlington. Nestle Waters Powwow, a water supply company, draws its water from aquifers below the bottling centres in rural

  • SEAT takes wraps off new-look Ibiza

    SEAT has unveiled the Ibiza five-door supermini, the most important new model in the Spanish car maker's recent history. The newcomer's debut, at the firm's Martorell HQ near Barcelona, marks the start of a major product offensive from the ambitious

  • On the pull

    Volvo is on the pull for custom - it has lowered the prices of its tried and tested range of towbars by up to 25 per cent, in anticipation of the impending holiday season demand. Prices now range from £219 to £453, depending on Volvo model, but do

  • Protecting nation's top flower

    Researchers at Plantlife would like your help in collecting information on the native bluebell which is threatened by the Spanish bluebell, writes ELIZABETH EDWARDS The bluebell is the nation's favourite flower but there are questions as to just

  • Light brigade

    A rechargeable LED light, which charges from a car's 12-volt power socket, is on the market priced from about £17.50. The makers, Weiguo Solutions, say the Spotlight gives 120+ minutes of power per charge, and charges in seven hours. It uses a 0.5

  • Today's local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 66 BMW 2730 Electrocomponents 190 Nationwide Accident Repair 127 Oxford Biomedica 22.25 Oxford Catalyst 168.5 Oxford Instruments 219.5 Reed Elsevier 652.75 RM 196.5 RPS Group 316.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Van choice for Freelander 2

    Land Rover is putting out a van version of its popular Freelander 2 off-roader, and it will be available in S and XS trims. The van version's specification matches that of a standard Freelander 2, without the rear seats and side airbags, and adds a

  • The next trading post is minutes away and signed!

    Thames Valley Antiques Dealers Association's three-day event next week is on a trail through Oxfordshire, writes SYLVIA VETTA Is your carriage in the driveway and are your camels well fed and ready to pull it because however you choose to travel

  • Minis retain maximum appeal

    THE Mini still has maximum appeal here in Britain, and whether it's for a new or used BMW version, or one of the original Austin or Morris icons, demand is still massive. A million people, for example, searched for a nearly-new Mini in February at

  • Roadtest: Making a splash

    I have been lucky enough to enjoy the dubious pleasure of hurtling down the rapids at Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain - but did not expect to repeat the experience on the outskirts of Witney. It had been raining most of the previous day and all

  • Festival to add to May celebration

    Oxford's first May Music Festival will showcase some of the country's finest chamber musicians, writes NICOLA LISLE Oxford and May Morning are traditional partners; they go together, as Sammy Cahn famously wrote, like a horse and carriage. This

  • Classical music with a broader appeal

    SIMON COLLINGS previews a concert by the Oxford Sinfonia next week at the North Wall arts centre, where they are its newly installed orchestra-in-residence In 2006 English Sinfonia was facing financial difficulties. It had just lost its base

  • A play of desire or perversion?

    A.S.H. SMYTH talks to the playwright and the producers of the controversial Blackbird, being staged at the Oxford Playhouse In the foyer of a suburban theatre, a small band of provincial critics mills about, looking slightly shell shocked

  • Fans back Yemi - but only just

    In a web poll on oxfordmail.co.uk we asked if Yemi should be taken off the transfer list following his performance against Farsley Celtic. A total of 170 people (56 per cent) voted Yes and 134 (44 per cent) voted No.

  • MoD probes 'rat-infested RAF homes'

    DEFENCE chiefs have pledged to urgently investigate run-down accommodation at an Oxfordshire RAF base. Pictures of shabby cabins with peeling paint and leaking sewage pipes at RAF Brize Norton were published in The Sun today. The photographs show

  • Pranksters speak to Oxford Union

    DRINKING someone else's fat, stapling your tongue to a piece of wood and having paintballs shot at your naked body are not the topics of conversation you might expect at the Oxford Union. But they are bound to be raised when the stars of the television

  • Murray salutes U's boss

    Oxford United's star midfielder Adam Murray is convinced Oxford United can become successful again under manager Darren Patterson. And he points to "the little details" that Patterson goes into, in his preparations and into getting everything about

  • Deterrent

    CCTV cameras in Oxford tower blocks will be criticised by some as yet more Big Brother tactics, but if they help to deter thugs, vandals and other troublemakers and protect residents, bring them on.

  • Ride daft plan off the road

    Sometimes our bureaucrats make the most baffling decisions. For years, motorcyclists have taken their tests in Oxford, for many of them just a short ride from their homes. Now, the whole test procedure is being reorganised and learners will have to

  • Shop offers safe haven

    A CITY centre bookshop is offering a safe haven for foreign students staying in Oxford. Borders Bookshop in Magdalen Street will act as a waiting room for students who feel they have been the victim of a crime, or are threatened in any way, while staff

  • Scheme aims to tackle rural crime

    RURAL homes and isolated farms are to be protected by an 'early-warning' network of intelligence. Police are fighting back against metal thieves, distraction burglars and bogus traders by launching the Countrywatch scheme. Any countryside property

  • CCTV planned for all tower blocks

    SECURITY cameras are set to be rolled out to tower blocks across Oxford after a pilot scheme cut antisocial behaviour in one city high-rise. A six-month trial scheme in Foresters Tower, Wood Farm, was hailed a success after figures showed the CCTV

  • Amputee wins medals

    AMPUTEE Carl Murphy has saluted his prosthetic leg after it helped him win two medals at an international snowboarding competition. The 28-year-old has just returned from Colorado, where he won silver bronze medals in the disabled section of the USA

  • Garden open for last time

    AFTER more than 70 years, Wardington Manor Gardens will be open to the public for the last time on Sunday, May 18. As a farewell gesture, the final viewing will raise money for the Katharine House Hospice at Adderbury. The gardens have been open

  • Recital will help OAPs

    MUSIC therapy for elderly people in Westgate House, Wallingford, will be helped by a recital in Dorchester Abbey. Violinist Sharon Warnes, who organises the therapy sessions at the old people's home, will be playing music by Vivaldi, Mozart, Brahms

  • New shops plans are up for discussion

    PLANS to upgrade a run-down shopping precinct are up for public discussion. Cherwell District Council is seeking opinions on the redevelopment of Orchard Way Shopping Parade in Banbury. The existing mix of shops, flats, and maisonettes, will be

  • Dirty Sanchez talk

    Drinking someone else's fat, stapling your tongue to a piece of wood and having paintballs shot at your naked body are not the topics of conversation you might expect at the Oxford Union. But they are bound to be raised when the stars of the television

  • Cat bazaar

    CHERWELL Cats Protection will be holding a bazaar in the Methodist Hall, Sheep Street, Bicester, on Saturday. There will be face painting for children, a variety of cake, book and plant stalls, bric-a-brac, and a drop-in basket for cat food donations

  • Curry boost

    A CURRY night is being held to raise money for Katharine House hospice. Hamid Choudhury, of Bengal Spice, High Street, Deddington, is hosting the fundraising event on Monday, April 28. The Bengal has been a long supporter of the hospice in Adderbury

  • Rescue team prepares for mission

    AN Oxfordshire emergency rescue team which has saved lives in disaster zones across the world hopes to continue its life-saving work in Pakistan this summer. In 2005, when an Earthquake devastated parts of south-east Asia, Oxford Mail readers helped

  • Auction aid

    A TIMESHARE in Devon, household ornaments, cakes and not to mention housework, gardening and car washing services are among the lots in Grove Methodist Church's silent auction. Bidding starts at 3pm on Saturday, with last bids by 4.15pm, in the village

  • Giant bubbles spark career

    FOR most people, four-foot bubbles floating over the garden wall is quite an unusual sight, but for neighbours of Felipe Gonzalez this is an everyday occurrence. For his converted barn in Great Milton is the backdrop for his almost fairytale existence