There's one thing you can guarantee with great midweek weather: It'll be crap by the weekend. It's been nice to wander over to the patch after work. The view from Links Allotments across the city is great. Even nicer to see the bugs
Britain's largest immigration detention centre, planned for a site near Bicester, was today given planning consent. Members of Cherwell District Council’s planning committee voted by nine to three, with one abstention, to approve the UK Border Agency
BRITAIN’S largest immigration detention centre, planned for a site near Bicester, was today given planning consent. Members of Cherwell District Council’s planning committee voted by nine to three, with one abstention, to approve the UK Border
Pupils and teachers at Combe Primary School were celebrating after it emerged their school was the best in the country. Combe Church of England Primary School came top of the national league table for teaching maths, english and science.
A PROJECT which helped 1,500 people back into education has been forced to close because of a lack of funding. Oxfordshire Learning Communities was set up three years ago to help people living in the Blackbird Leys, Rose Hill and Barton areas
PUPILS and teachers at Combe Primary School were celebrating tonight after it emerged their school was the best in the country. The village school, near Woodstock, came top of the national league table for teaching maths, English and science
Liz Hurley manned the tills at the opening of her first swimwear shop - as her husband Arun Nayar supported her from the sidelines. The model and actress sounded relaxed and happy as she declared herself "thrilled" to launch the Elizabeth Hurley
Lewis Hamilton faces the threat of suspension or disqualification from the Formula One world championship after being caught lying to FIA race stewards. Just four days after one of the drives of his career to finish third in Sunday's Australian Grand
A £45M Oxford college scheme to redevelop a former hospital site will face powerful opposition. Keble College wants to create a modern new campus between the Woodstock and Banbury roads. But the Oxford Preservation Trust says the plan
VOLUNTEERS fed up with a lack of facilities in their village are planning to set up their own community shop. People in Ewelme, near Wallingford, will open a not-for-profit store and tea room in May. Villagers claimed opening the shop in defiance of
OXFORD: The city council is set to take on a so-called ‘football tsar’ as part of a £175,000 three-year plan to boost grassroots football. The Town Hall will take on the new sports development officer, with a salary of up to £26,000. The council sees
A TENNIS coach from Oxford fears he may never walk again after a horrific motorcycle collision. Jozef Metelka, 23, was today set to undergo reconstructive surgery on his left foot, which was crushed when his motorbike collided with a car in
ONLOOKERS may have thought actress Liz Hurley had landed herself a new job at Bicester Village. But she was at the designer outlet shopping centre to open her first beach boutique. She spent several hours behind the counter serving shoppers and signing
An artist is looking for a group of unemployed people to help push a mirror-covered bus along Cornmarket Street in the centre of Oxford. Albanian Sislej Xhafa has been given permission to bring the vehicle into the busy pedestrianised street
AEA Technology 12.5 BMW 2423 Electrocomponents 131.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 94.5 Oxford Biomedica 5.75 Oxford Catalysts 47.5 Oxford Instruments 118.5 Reed Elsevier 494.75 RM 163.75 RPS Group 166 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Hook Norton player-manger Karlton Stratford’s playing career may be over after he suffered an horrific broken leg in his side’s midweek victory over Milton United. The 42-year-old suffered a double fracture of the tibia and fibula following a tackle
Former Oxford United youngster Kelvin McIntosh could make his return debut for Oxford City when they host Stourbridge at Court Place Farm on Saturday. McIntosh, 25, who first joined City after being released by United in 2003, is added to
Chinnor coach Jason Bowers says they remain confident as they fight for their lives in National 3 South. Bowers’s men lie just one point above the releagtion zone ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Rugby Lions (2.30). It looks like being a mighty scrap at
A BARNSTORMING night of dancing solely for women is being staged for the first time by an Oxford folk group. Oxfolk’s inaugural ladies’ night will take place at Kennington village hall on Saturday, April 11. The group, which has been
Oxford University captain Dan Rosen has been named in the Barbarians squad to face Bedford in the annual Mobbs Memorial Match at Goldington Road on Tuesday (7.30). Hooker Rosen is one of 14 new Barbarians selected by coach Glenn Delaney.
An Eskimo whose home town has been hit by global warming will make his first trip overseas to be the guest of honour at a documentary film festival in Oxford. Enoch Adams is one of 400 Alaskan Inupiats from the island of Kivalina, who have
Having flirted with relegation for the past few seasons, Oxfordshire have finally fallen from Division 1 of the Inter-County Championships. In their last match of the campaign, Oxon lost 11-4 away to Leicestershire, a team they had beaten 9-6 in October
TWO friends are gearing up to drive to Spain in an old banger to raise money for Wantage Community Hospital. Mark Bond – pictured left with hospital fundraiser Wendy Jeffs – and Stephen Carr have bought a £50 Mazda 626 for their Bangers and Trash rally
Staff and children at Toad Hall nursery in Bicester have been celebrating after getting a glowing Ofsted report. In its last inspection in December 2005 the nursery, which looks after nearly 100 children, was rated as satisfactory. The latest report
PARENTS in Benson have convinced county councillors to let their children catch the bus to school after being told they would have to cross a main road where one of their schoolmates was killed. Last year, Oxfordshire County Council decided
Oxonian's Peter Oliver stormed to victory in Oxford City’s time trial over the Hanborough Hills course. He came home first in 1hr 6mins 20secs, 47 seconds clear of the field. Result (Oxonian unless stated): 1 P Oliver 1.06.20, 2 K Roebuck (Oxford City
OXFORDSHIRE County Council is facing calls to delay the start of work on its plans to pedestrianise parts of Oxford city centre. Labour councillor John Sanders has asked the authority’s Conservative leadership to postpone work on the Transform
HOSPITAL campaigner Les Sibley is hoping people born in Bicester will boost his campaign for the town to get a new community hospital. Mr Sibley is calling for as many former cottage hospital babies as possible to turn up in Sheep Street on
CAMPAIGNERS battling to save Oxford’s Green Belt are bracing themselves for a double blow. The Oxford Mail understands that the Government is preparing to instruct the city to build thousands of homes south of Grenoble Road, as a new extension
ALL BAR ONE, HIGH ST, OXFORD 01865 791696. PAUL STAMMERS gets all genetic. FRUIT flies are plain daft. They’ve got 13,601 genes, but all they seem capable of doing is swooping, kamikaze-like, into your drink. Hence (it’s said) the tradition
Centre half Barry Quinn continued his recovery from an ankle injury by attending the National Sports Centre at Lilleshall this week. The Dubliner is expected to join up with the others in training next week. "I have always had it in my mind to get back
ANDREW FFRENCH is drawn into the intrigues of our latest BOOK OF THE MONTH. Everybody remembers where they were the day they heard that Paddy de Courcy was getting married,” says Grace Gildee, one of the four women in Marian Keyes’ funny yet sometimes
THE THATCH, LOWER HIGH STREET, THAME 01844 214340. KATHERINE MACALISTER settles in for a comfortable evening. I THINK we’ll wake up soon to discover that Peach Pubs has taken over the world, but in the meantime they are content to run 10
They don’t come much bigger than this. Oxford United know that nothing less than a win will do against Histon if they are to keep their play-off hopes alive. Midweek results were disappointing, in that all of their rivals chalked up victories. But
Chris Wilder cannot believe the way fourth officials put up with the constant heckling they get from some Conference managers. Crawley’s Steve Evans is the biggest culprit, but Stevenage boss Graham Westley and his assistants were almost as
There could still be plenty of twists and turns in the battle for the play-offs – and although the table might not look good at the moment, the picture could be very different in two weeks’ time. So many of the leading sides have to play each other that
RICHARD BELL is delighted after dancing himself into an exhausted heap at Fuse @ The O2 Academy. And so onwards we venture into the cavernous expanse of the main room of the O2 Academy to mingle with the hardcore clubbers at Fuse, a legion of devoted
Monsters Vs Aliens (PG). Comedy/Drama/Romance. Bill Nighy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Chris O’Dowd, Tom Wisdom, Rhys Darby, Will Adamsdale, Tom Brooke, Tom Sturridge, Kenneth Branagh, Jack Davenport, Emma Thompson. Just
THE BOAT THAT ROCKED (15). Comedy/Drama/Romance. Bill Nighy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Chris O’Dowd, Tom Wisdom, Rhys Darby, Will Adamsdale, Tom Brooke, Tom Sturridge, Kenneth Branagh, Jack Davenport, Emma Thompson.
Playing 17 different men and surrounded by a cast of women, actor Sam Kane has his work cut out – but he’s enjoying every minute, as he tells KATHERINE MACALISTER. Sam Kane thought he understood women when he took on the only male role in Hot Flush
Creative dynamo and former Talking Head, David Byrne tells Tim Hughes why he’s back in the saddle and back on the road. IT’S early in the morning and composer, musician, artist and designer David Byrne has just returned from a bracing bike ride
Jeffrey Archer has become a pantomime baddie in British folklore since being released from prison six years ago. But if his time inside taught him anything it’s how lucky he really is. And love him or hate him, Lord Archer is as fascinating now as he’
A dapper Tim Hughes gets in the mood for a night of partying - 1940s style. CLARK Gable, Bette Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. For sheer style, few decades can touch the 1940s. And while its movie stars were glamorous and beautiful,
When I received the Vina Paceta 2004 I expected a typical juicy Rioja with simple, bold flavours. What I got was exceptional. The oak and red fruits integrate and mingle in the mouth, creating a complex, luscious essence. The tannins are soft and
A THEATRE company is looking for volunteers to help recite all of Shakespeare’s 37 plays in one day. Creation Theatre Company is holding the event at Oxford Castle on Saturday, April 25. Artistic director David Parrish said volunteers
Woking have sacked boss Phil Gilchrist in the wake of their two home defeats this week. The former Oxford United skipper had been in permanent charge at Kingfield since September, and it was his first job as a manager. After losing 1-0 to Cambridge
AEA Technology 12.5 BMW 2284 Electrocomponents 129.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 94.5 Oxford Biomedica 5.9 Oxford Catalyst 47.5 Oxford Instruments 118.5 Reed Elsevier 499.25 RM 164 RPS Group 164.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Developers have given a new lease of life to a townhouse in Woodstock which now boasts a perfect balance of ancient and modern design. The work on 70 Oxford Street also unearthed a time capsule which shows that builders carrying out improvements in the
Police today seized drugs paraphanalia from a Didcot flat in the sixth raid in the south Oxfordshire area in three weeks. At dawn, seven police officers swooped on the Ladygrove flats at the former Ashbury Medical Centre in Trent Road, searching for
Police today seized drugs paraphanalia from a Ladygrove flat in the sixth raid in the Didcot and Wallingford areas in three weeks. At dawn, seven police officers swooped on flats at the former Ashbury Medical Centre in Trent Road, Didcot, searching
OXFORD University’s debating society has withdrawn an invitation to a euthanasia activist who was set to speak at the union. The Oxford Union had invited Dr Philip Nitschke, the first doctor in the world to administer a voluntary lethal injection
Elizabeth Hurley is to open her first beachwear store today. The actress and model is due to meet customers at the "beach hut" in Bicester Village, which stocks her own swimwear line. Liz, who lives nearby in Gloucestershire, said: "My friends and
Lewis Hamilton and McLaren have been disqualified from last week's Australian Grand Prix after race stewards decided that the reigning world champion had deliberately misled them when providing evidence about an incident that saw him passed by Jarno Trulli
Think of where you want to be and work backwards. That was the advice I received back when I was trying to make up my mind about what to study at A-Level – and it’s an approach that still stands up today. If you know what degree you want to pursue, then
I am delighted to find that I am not the only one to find something amiss in the cosy relationship that appears to exist between the BBC and the pop group Coldplay. The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday: “Established bands such as Coldplay are
Having complained some months ago about a grammatical solecism on huge signs displayed in the window of Blackwell’s shop in Broad Street, I was pleased to see that the mistake has been corrected in the posters put up in the marquee where the bookseller
SATURDAY FOOTBALL BLUE SQUARE PREMIER Oxford Utd v Histon. PUMA YOUTH ALLIANCE Under 18 South West Conference: Oxford Utd v Swansea City. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Hemel Hempstead, Oxford C v Stourbridge
There are few reading pleasures to compare with those of a well-crafted detective story. This means that there are few writers who have offered as much joy to her readers over many years as P. D. James. At the start of this week, in a grand dinner in
I wrote enthusiastically about Gee’s on this page after a memorable birthday dinner there last summer. There need be no apology, however, for my returning so soon to sing its praises once again. With a new chef in charge of the kitchen since December,
My friend was so delighted – she had just received her first organic veg box for Riverford Organic and had begun cooking up the contents by following recipes on the Riverford website. This stir fry recipe is but one of many recipes Riverside Organic features
It’s not often I am invited to lunch and then asked if I would like to cook it myself – but this is what happened last week. I didn’t mind; in fact it was all part of the meal experience. What’s more, it was great fun. I was visiting a newly renovated
Just when it seemed that no one could challenge the computer animated might of Pixar (Ratatouille, WALL-E), directors Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon deliver an out-of-this-world adventure which proves heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Fast-paced and
A new production of controversial classic Jesus Christ Superstar, by the Musical Youth Company of Oxford, aims to bring modern relevance to the story of Jesus. “We’ve tried to make it timeless, because it’s a timeless story,” says director Robin Martin-Oliver
The legacy of that grandest of socialist statesmen, Sir Stafford Cripps, born 120 years ago this month, lives on at the westernmost extremity of Oxfordshire, in the lovely village of Filkins. Thanks to his munificence, the villagers have their own swimming
In partnership with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford Philomusica are launching the first in a series of Family Concerts conceived with younger listeners in mind. The Mad Hatter’s Musical Tea Party, at Oxford Town Hall on Sunday
I was only 18 when I made my first garden. But I already had ten years experience, owing to the fact that I lived with my grandmother. She was over 70 when I was born. Just looking after me was enough of a chore, so I helped out with the garden
The Turrill Garden, at the rear of the Summertown Library, is one of Oxford’s best kept secrets. It’s a place for private reflection, which is why it makes a superb backdrop for original art works and sculptures. Sculptor Christopher Townsend, who works
The Mark Lockheart Group are at the Spin in the Wheatsheaf off Oxford’s High Street tonight and a two-day series of events entitled Sonic Art begins at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building this afternoon. Organised by Oxford Contemporary Music and Oxford
At first sight, the Woodstock Music Society’s programme last weekend of Handel and Tippett looked an odd pairing. What possible link could there be between these two apparently diametrically different composers? Well, quite a lot, as it happens. Tippett
It was 20 years since America’s national classical ballet company had visited this country, and they were in fine form in an intelligent production of Swan Lake. Unusually, the overture is used for a prologue in which we see von Rothbart, in handsome
Students from The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art are showing works in varying media that explore the theme of perception, at The North Wall Gallery, in Summertown. The exhibition, entitled Morph, offers a splendid opportunity to see what young
Combe Church of England Primary School has been named the top school in the country for teaching the three Rs. The result comes after national league tables showed one in four 11-year-olds failed both their English and maths tests. Just 329 primaries
A heart-wrenchingly powerful performance of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is being given this week by the Oxford Theatre Guild. The play tells the true story of how young girls living in the puritanical society of America in 1692 are caught dancing in
This splendid photo of a snipe was taken by Stephen Burch last February in cold, icy conditions at Shellingford pit. It shows features of the bird not often seen as it stands in the snow with its long bill raised and legs poised for flight. Snipe normally
The statistics are impressive: 147 shows at 27 different venues, spread out over nearly two weeks. That’s the size of this year’s Oxfringe, Oxford’s very own fringe festival. It’s truly an example of the proverb “great oaks from little acorns grow”,
Alfie thoroughly enjoys nature forays. He reports having seen a merganser down by the river, the flash of a kingfisher, and a heron, all perching and waiting, ready to dive. The 11-year-old and other members of the family look out for a heron regularly
The powerful double portrait of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, with Sir Philip Mainwaring, painted by van Dyck in 1639-40, two years before the start of the Civil War, shows (see below) the two politicians working closely together. Weighty matters
Oxford author Iain Pears hit the bestseller lists seven years ago with the literary art detective novel An Instance of the Fingerpost. HIs latest novel, Stone’s Fall, to be published in May, is hailed as a ‘triumphant return’. He introduced it at the
I’ve been despatched to a regional matinee, to see a play about infidelity — in Valentine’s week. Such scheduling would doubtless have tickled Georges Feydeau, the playwright behind the afternoon’s Belle Epoque farce Where There’s A Will. I park in the
When Stephanie Calman gave her mother a copy of her latest book, the focus for criticism was the cover. This is a surprise, since the book, How Not to Murder Your Mother, exposes several raw, excruciatingly insightful moments between mother and daughter
THE IMMIGRANT Manju Kapur (Faber, £12.99) The picture on the front cover of the paperback says it all. A woman in a bright red sari, ostentatious against the white snow; in the grey distance, a couple with an umbrella. Manju Kapur’s
Frankenstein is the logo of a column in the Guardian nespaper called Bad Science, and a website of that name. It is also the title of a book by the column’s author, Ben Goldacre (HarperPerennial, £8.99). A full-time NHS doctor, Goldacre
JANE’S FAME Claire Harman (Canongate, £20) ‘Scholars clash’ headlines appeared when Oxford academic and Austen authority Professor Kathryn Sutherland reportedly took umbrage at Harman’s book, saying it repeated ideas from her own research,
Dare I suggest it? Are green shoots beginning to poke up, like crocuses in the spring, in the Oxfordshire housing market? Friends and neighbours of mine, Nicola and Maurice Griffin, have had their idyllic cottage in the Cotswold village of Shilton, near
When Marcus Gronholm drives over the start ramp for Rally Portugal today, it will be 25 years since Banbury-based Prodrive first competed at the 1984 Qatar Rally. Then, a Prodrive-prepared Porsche 911 SC RS, driven by Saeed Al Hajri, pictured
Two men died in a collision on the A420 between Swindon and Oxford last night. A 32-year-old man and a 43-year-old man, both from Swindon, died following the crash between Faringdon and Longcot, shortly before 6pm. The road was closed for several hours
Chris Wilder has been named Blue Square Premier manager of the month for March. Wilder’s Oxford United side were unbeaten throughout the month, recording four wins and two draws – with just one of the games, the win against Grays, on home
Oxford United's general manager Mick Brown has resigned from the Board of the Football Conference. It follows the Conference Review Sub-Committee's report in the wake of complaints over their registration procedure. United were docked five points in
CAMPAIGNERS battling to save Oxford’s Green Belt are bracing themselves for a double blow. The Oxford Times understands that the Government is preparing to allow the building of thousands of homes south of Grenoble Road, as a new extension
THE news that three district councils in Oxfordshire are not offering free swimming for children and OAPs will surprise many. South Oxfordshire, West Oxfordshire and the Vale councils said they were not going to follow the lead of Oxford and open up
A HOLLYWOOD film of the Alice in Wonderland stories is expected to boost Oxford’s tourist trade when it is screened next year. Tim Burton is making the movie, which is expected to reach British cinemas in April next year. The film boasts
Sir – It was pleasing to read your article on Oxford’s new cancer hospital. We visited it on Monday, March 30, and were impressed with the building and its design features. However, the planners appear to have forgotten that it should cater for patients
OXFORDSHIRE MPs are spending more than £100,000 of taxpayers’ money on staying in London to avoid having to commute between their constituencies and the capital. The county’s MPs claimed a total of £125,262 for the costs of living away from
Sir – As the former leaseholder for Cripley Island, I disagree with the letter from the Cripley Meadow Allotment Association (March 26). For 20 years I was encouraged by the council to maintain the island as a part-wild part-cultivated space as a natural
THE border-policeman eyed my passport with suspicion whilst fiddling with his moustache – as if he was a renowned detective on the cusp of revelation. Try as he might, he just couldn’t locate my entry stamp into the country. I attempted to
Sir – In common with many other readers, I feel cheated by the television companies. A decade or so ago, the Beckley transmitter used to broadcast the London regional version of BBC1, which covered not only the capital but also the Home Counties and
Sir –The report, Academy Plans Unveiled (March 26), is further bad news for the community in South-East Oxford. The current status of the three secondary schools in the area gives them considerable autonomy from the local education authority, the most
Sir – Anyone traversing the old Cumnor Hill may notice an astonishing sight. To universal derision, the most crucial bus layby on the hill has been filled in, creating a five metre-wide expanse of useless tarmac, compared to the walkway width of 1m
Sir – I read with interest your article about the completed restoration of the Victorian fountain on The Plain (Report, March 26). I had taken a close look at it for the first time only a couple of years ago and was saddened by its filthy, smelly and
Sir – Now that the details of the county’s proposals for Queen Street under Phase 1 of Transform Oxford are emerging, it is easier to assess the likely benefits and disadvantages of the scheme. Fewer buses in the street, and the removal of queueing
Sir – The county council’s move to establish a Low Emission Zone is very welcome as far as the city centre is concerned, but it fails to address poor air quality at other locations, and is unfair to bus passengers. The LEZ will only apply to buses;
Sir – Stagecoach’s protests about the implications of the low emission zone on their bus fleet don’t cut much ice, especially when it was pointed out in the article that they have invested over the last 12 months in a new fleet of 48 vehicles running
Sir – I’m grateful to Martin Smith (Letters, March 26) for joining me in recognizing that we cannot continue polluting the centre of Oxford with diesel emissions. However, I’m sad he considers the historic architecture of our city less worthy of protection
Sir – In response to the Liberal leader’s letter (March 26) I suggest she is suffering from amnesia as I have never opposed a modern, 21st-century, efficient smartcard system to improve the bus passenger’s choice. What I did oppose was an old fashioned
Sir – Messrs Blackwell, Clarke and Graham blame the city council, district councils or environmentalists for the Bodleian choosing Swindon for its depository (Letters, March 26). But a depository at Osney Mead would have been folly. Even if the building
The Wines for Easter case costs £78 and includes three bottles each of the following four wines. Louis Alexandre 2007, France: Floral, crisp and fresh, this is a classic Spring wine which is bursting with greenleaf, lemons and limes — the perfect
Do you have experience of living with a long-term health condition? Could you spare a little time in 2009 .... and again in 2010? Then why not use your knowledge, skills and experience of living with a long-term condition to become a Service User Mentor
The good citizens of Bonn must sometimes wonder about Oxford. Sure enough, the German city will always warmly recall that when it was a bombed city in ruins, Oxford was the first British city to offer the hand of friendship, just two years after
KEBLE College’s £45m scheme to redevelop the former Acland Hospital site is to face powerful opposition. The college has submitted a planning application to create a campus between the Woodstock and Banbury roads, in what would be one of the
THE number of patients being screened for MRSA in Oxford is set to quadruple following the start of a new Government initiative to tackle the deadly bug. The initiative means all non-emergency patients at the John Radcliffe, Churchill and Nuffield hospitals
An extraordinary amount of money is being spent by our local authorities on free bus passes for the over 60s. In the space of a year, Oxfordshire’s five district councils will have spent £6.5m on a new and expanded concessionary bus fare scheme
HERE at Insider Towers, we are all for recycling. And so, it would seem, are the Boys in Blue. Either that or Det Sgt Steve Raffield (one of Oxford’s highest ranking officers) and Pc Paul Phillips (an award-winning community police officer) are so in
It has not been a good week for MPs of any persuasion. Their expenses have come in for very close scrutiny. At a time like this, when we are all cutting back, any perception that MPs are doing well out of the system is bound to be magnified. Of particular
T WAS a joy to see hundreds of well-wishers line the streets of Wallingford yesterday as personnel from RAF Benson exercised their right to march through the town. The sun-kissed celebrations formed part of several events to mark the base’s 70th anniversary
Wife-beating former Oxford vicar Christopher Walker has walked free from court after pleading guilty to an attack on his 87-year-old mother. Magistrates yesterday heard how Walker grabbed his frightened mother Daphne and held her tightly for
