Campaigners angry at the closure of Oxford Community Hospital are urging patients and their families to attend a meeting of the Oxfordshire joint health overview and scrutiny committee at West Oxfordshire District Council’s offices in Witney tomorrow.
More state school pupils won places at Oxford University for the 2008-2009 academic year. The university’s state school intake totalled 55.4 per cent, up two per cent on the previous year. The figure compared to 44.6 per cent of new undergraduates who
MASTERMIND hopefuls turned up in Oxford today in a bid to take their place in the famous quiz show’s black chair. By the end of the day researchers had tested about 40 people to see if they were suitable candidates to face no-nonsense quizmaster John
SUGABABES, Scouting for Girls, and The Pretenders will be topping the bill at the sixth Cornbury Festival in July. The line-up lives up to the Charlbury festival’s eclectic musical tradition by also including sets from punk heroes The Damned, pop singer
No news week this week. Rehearsals continue apace, committee meeting is not until next week, what do I do for news? Well it never ceases to amaze me for starters how just enough news happens each day to fill a newspaper. It is also interesting
PROPOSALS to build an eco-town in Oxfordshire are viable despite an estimated £4.1bn bill, a new Government report has said. The developer behind the Weston Otmoor scheme, for Weston-on-the-Green, near Bicester, has been given a major boost by a study
PROPOSALS to cut buses in the centre of Oxford by a quarter, are being put forward by the city’s two main bus companies. Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach said all buses could be taken out of Queen Street as early as next year, two years ahead of Oxfordshire
A museum aimed at inspiring a love of science in all who walk through its doors has reopened after a two-month revamp. Science Oxford, in London Place, St Clement’s, reopened as Science Oxford Live on Monday. New exhibits have been put
BACK in 2004, Oxfordshire County Council was likened to a Cold War Kremlin after it decided to ban the public from an important audit meeting. In many ways it is heartening to know little has changed in the years since. Tomorrow, a Parliamentary select
A planning application by discount supermarket chain Aldi to open a store on the outskirts of Abingdon has been put on hold. The German retailer wants to persuade the Vale of White Horse District Council to overturn a ban on food shops at the Fairacres
A BRICKLAYER and two joiners from Oxfordshire are hoping to be picked as part of a team representing the UK’s best tradesmen. Organisers are in the process of selecting a top-class squad of skilled under 24s from fields as far-ranging as hairdressing
Good grief. Just when you think things can't get any worse, the government manages to soar to ever greater heights of lunacy. Now, Gordon has made his mate Ted 'IRA' Kennedy a Sir. I can't quite see why, although I suspect it was something to do with
A music producer has cried foul after being given a fine and penalty points for sporting illegally tinted car windows – while at the same time getting an exemption to continue driving the car. Djinn Choudry was pulled over while driving his silver Hyundai
THE dangers of cigarette smoke were laid bare to people living in Oxford estate. Representatives from the Leys Children’s Centre and Oxfordshire NHS Primary Care Trust drove a “smoking car” around Blackbird Leys to highlight the consequences
Ian Blair, a leading nuclear physicist and former Oxfordshire county councillor, has died aged 72. He was born in Manchester but brought up in Southport. From 1955 to 1958, he studied at Oriel College, Oxford, then took a PhD at Liverpool University.
Sir Michael Quinlan, a former senior civil servant and director of Oxfordshire international conference centre Ditchley Park, has died aged 78, following a short illness. Sir Michael was an acknowledged expert on nuclear deterrence. He was born at Hampton
Wallingford will be in South West 1 next season, but coach Chris Norrington says their focus is on consolidation. Next year’s restructure of the National Leagues will see Wallingford’s division renamed South West 1 East. Having won promotion in their
Chinnor's shock victory over Ealing may have given them a double boost in avoiding relegation. Not only did the win lift them out of the National 3 South drop zone, but it also gave them a better chance of winning their final game. Chinnor host London
England and Gloucester backs Mike Tindall and James Simpson-Daniel coach pupils at Oxford’s Summer Fields School. The session was successfully bid for by a parent in an auction to raise funds for the British Neurological Research Trust.
Henley Hawks director of rugby Jason Forster was a far happier man after they beat Havant 42-19 in National 3 South for their first win of the 2009. Forster said: “It was pleasing to get a win under our belt and we enjoyed some good passages of play
TWO women are urging others to pluck up the courage to abseil 100ft from the top of an Oxford hospital to raise money for medical charities. Alison Bowerman, 40, from Carterton, near Witney, is abseiling on behalf of the charity Oscar, which supports
OXFORDSHIRE’S most famous gang is serving up a refreshing tonic of music, song and dance to beat those credit crunch blues. The sheer enthusiasm of the 190 or so Brownies, Cubs, Scouts and Guides from units around the county shines through
AEA Technology 16 BMW 2144 Electrocomponents 130.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 101.5 Oxford Biomedica 6.8 Oxford Catalysts 56.5 Oxford Instruments 132 Reed Elsevier 501.5 RM 164.25 RPS Group 151 Courtesy of Rerdmayne Bentley, Abingdon
SIXTY-SIX motoring offences were detected by police during stop-checks in just over two hours oday. Police carried out checks on the B480 at Chiselhampton between 8am and 10.30am. They caught 35 cars speeding in a 30mph zone, including one driver clocked
OXFORD City Ice Hockey Club has called off a planned protest against car-parking charges at the ice rink after hopes a compromise deal can be struck with the city council. The junior team, which boasts more than 70 players, had invited all 48 city councillors
THE first of 18 mini-buffet cars for First Great Western’s High Speed Trains is due to start in May. The coach is under conversion from a standard class passenger carriage at workshops in Derby after the train operator abandoned plans to provide a trolley
SALSA, tai chi, and a spot of line dancing were all on offer at a special event held at Oxford’s Barton Swimming Pool to encourage over-50s to take more exercise. About 20 people aged from about 55 into their 80s took part in free sessions at the pool
Save Our Community Hospital (SOCH) campaigners will be collecting names again in Bicester town centre on Saturday morning for a petition to hand in to Oxfordshire PCT. There will also be survey forms at the stall in Sheep Street, asking people their
DETECTIVES want to speak to these two men in connection with a robbery of a 16-year-old in Oxford. The teenager was threatened by a man near Oxford Ice Rink, in Oxpens Road, at around 8.40pm on Friday January 30. He refused to hand over his mobile
DOLPHIN B produced a tremendous display to inflict Section 2 leaders Democrats’ first defeat of the season, writes PETE EWINS. Democrats, seemingly running away with the title, could do little to stop an on-song Dolphins side, who raced into a 3-1 lead
KEITH Quinnell hit a six to help Kidlington SC reach the final of the Kidlington Indoor League’s Len Hill Cup with a 16-9 win over the Unknowns. Nigel Tustain and Steve Arthurs also clanged off maximums in the Banbury Indoor League. results kidlington
OXFORD CITY Individual Stableford: 1 K Vincent 43pts, 2 A Groves 42, 3 B Hamilton 41. OXFORD LADIES Seven-club Stableford – Silver Div:1 B Mitchell 37 pts, 2 T Rawlings 35, 3 M Edwards 34. Bronze Div: 1 P Dudding 38, 2 J Ryan 36, 3 R Stockford 33.
Plans to build 1,500 homes on fields between Wantage and Grove have been attacked by residents. More than 150 official objections have been lodged by people living on the Charlton estate in response to the Vale of White Horse District Council’s Local
OXFORD & DISTRICT IBA Monday Morning League Brookside 18, Insmore 14; Maestro’s 22, Angels 16; Tigers 23, CWG 7; Beechboys 8, Pebbles 20; Nomads 19, Joes 5; Pirates 13, Hardnuts 22. Monday Evening Men’s League Dark Horses 23, Play Boys 16; Fearless
OXFORD City Stars continued their winning streak by defeating newly-crowned Division 1 South champions Invicta Dynamos 6-3. Already sure of their place in the play-offs, Stars started impressively against a below-strength Invicta, with captain Darren
A MAJOR new coaching initiative for juniors has been launched with bases at Hadden Hill, Witney Lakes and Studley Wood. The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire (BB&O) Golf Partnership’s Junior Golf Academies got under way when 200 boys and girls
EDDIE Pepperell has been named in the England team to face Spain in the biennial international at La Reserva Golf Club, Sotogrande on March 21 and 22. The 18-year-old Drayton Park member is part of a strong nine-man side, who are bidding to retain the
A 21-year-old free runner has high hopes of winning an online talent contest. Sam Parham, of Didcot, has entered a competition at the1Click2Fame.com website with an entry that mixes poetry with Parkour — the art of moving from one obstacle to another
The Oxford Mail can today reveal your final council tax bill for 2009/10 – depending on where you live in the county and the size of your home. How much will you be paying in council tax this year? Click here to find out Residents in Oxford
OXFORD boxer Kate Newton was taken to a London hospital for a precautionary check after losing her flyweight contest to Cambridge rival Kirsten Stroud. Referee Jumbo Basi halted the bout as the second round drew to a close after Newton had received a
Oxford University’s stranglehold on the Truelove Bowl was well and truly shattered after losing 9-0 to Cambridge in the 102nd Varsity Boxing match before a packed house at the Old Billingsgate Market in London, writes PETER FOLEY. The Dark Blues had
A GALLANT run by Oxfordshire starlet Melissa Hawtin gave her a well-deserved bronze medal in the under 17 women’s race at the McCain UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships at Wollaton Park, Nottingham. The Oxford City runner coped
Lucy Boggis was the star for Great Britain as she helped the team to the gold medal at the Under 23 Pentathlon International at Cardiff. Boggis, 20, who hails from Lew near Witney, was named as Great Britain captain, despite being the youngest member
David Kuester had good cause to celebrate after the veteran athlete won six medals in the 60-65 age group in the Britsh Open Masters Indoor and Winter Throws Championships at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Enfield. Kuester, a member of Bicester AC
NIGEL Marley, of Alchester, kicked off the 2009 Oxfordshire Road Race Grand Prix series with a comfortable victory in the Banbury 15. Marley opened up an early lead, and by the half-way mark, was already two minutes clear of the chasing pack
IT’S lunchtime in Siena, Italy, and the Piazza del Campo – renowned the world over for packing in the people at its spectacular Palio – is almost deserted. A small group of students lounge near the famous fountain and a few pedestrians hurry across
Two women have been fined at Oxford Magistrates’ Court after admitting benefit fraud. Helen Njugana, 58, was fined £200 after admitting three charges failing to notify a change in circumstances and one of dishonestly furnishing a false document. Magistrates
Witney MP and Conservative Party leader David Cameron today spoke about the death of his son, Ivan, and thanked well-wishers for the "comfort" they had provided for his family. Returning to the House of Commons chamber for the first time since
A 14-year-old boy is in custody after police mounted a major search involving six officers and the force helicopter on an Oxford estate. Police were alerted shortly before 9am to Sherwood Place, in Barton, after a resident claimed a house had
AEA Technology 15.75 BMW 2114 Electrocomponents 129.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 102.5 Oxford Biomedica 6.7 Oxford Catalysts 56.5 Oxford Instruments 140 Reed Elsevier 508.25 RM 163.5 RPS Group 153 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
The first professional huntsman in the country facing prosecution for allegedly hunting a fox is "elated" after his case was dropped. Julian Barnfield, 45, of the Heythrop Hunt, which rides out in west Oxfordshire and nearby parts of Gloucestershire
Police and officers using the force helicopter are scouring an Oxford estate after reports a house was trashed this morning. A resident reported a house in Sherwood Place, in Barton, in Barton, was attacked by a man at around 8.50am.
Adam Murray is ready to continue playing through the pain barrier in an attempt to get Oxford United into the play-offs. The U’s skipper, who has scored two outstanding set-piece goals in the last two games, has had a foot injury for seve-ral weeks which
A 101-YEAR-OLD war veteran robbed in his own home said last night he would have knocked out his attacker if he was a few years younger. Kazimierz Michalski, who survived a spell in the Russian Gulags and fought in the Second War, was befriended by a
OXFORD Mail readers have continued to demand ITV scraps its new ‘local’ news programme and reinstates Thames Valley Tonight – along with popular presenter Wesley Smith. So many people have contacted the Oxford Mail, that we’re launching a petition
KAZIMIERZ Michalski is more of a man than the callous individual who swiped his wallet. Second World War hero Mr Michalski, a 101-year-old Pole who survived the Russian Gulags and a prisoner of war camp, was befriended by a 5ft tall man after Mass in
MAGDALEN College School, one of the country’s top public schools, is to take girls for the first time in more than 500 years. Last night, Magdalen College School, in Oxford’s Cowley Place, told parents and pupils the school’s board of governors had decided
Oxford University suffered a 9-0 drubbing in the Varsity Match against Cambridge at Old Billingsgate Market, London on Tuesday evening. The Dark Blues were going for a fourth successive win in front of a noisy crowd, but ended up pointless
Oxford City returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at Chippenham Town in the BGB Southern League Premier Division last night. An own goal from Shaun Lamb, who headed in from Andy Ballard’s long throw, put City ahead on 22 minutes. James Faulkner
