Archive

  • Violin bows stolen from dozing passenger found

    ANTIQUE violin bows worth £110,000 that were stolen from an Oxford musician after he nodded off on a train have been found by a curious dog. Bow-maker and restorer Peter Oxley, from Headington, was travelling with 11 bows on a train between London’

  • Otters make return to cleaner waters

    OTTERS are making a comeback to rivers across Oxfordshire, a new survey has found. All the county’s major rivers – including the Thames, Cherwell, Ock and Thame – now show evidence of otter activity. Research by the Environment Agency also shows the

  • Two arrested over street fight

    Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of affray following a fight in East Oxford. Officers were called to an altercation in Hendred Street shortly after 2pm on Thursday, but a number of people ran from the scene. The 15-year-old and 17-year-old

  • Thieves steal man's £800 camera

    THIEVES attacked a man in East Oxford and stole his £800 camera. The 23-year-old victim left South Park and was crossing the road in the direction of St Clement’s Street when the incident happened shortly before 2.30pm on Wednesday. As he got to the

  • Teenage pair threaten man on towpath

    A MAN was threatened by two teenagers following an argument along a towpath. The incident happened at 6.50pm on Sunday along the towpath on the River Thames between Donnington Bridge and Iffley Bridge. The teenagers, a boy and girl, are thought to be

  • Mother-to-be hurt in crash

    A pregnant woman was taken to hospital with neck injuries after a hit-and-run. A black Toyota Yaris, travelling towards Aston Upthorpe along Moreton Road, was involved in a collision with a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction at about 7.20am

  • Chiltern Railways named best train company

    Chiltern Railways has been named best train company in The Guardian newspaper’s travel awards. The awards highlight the best experiences of travel enjoyed by readers of The Guardian, Observer and the Guardian’s website. The results are based on average

  • Family's wartime painting sells for £130,000

    A PAINTING hung on the walls of a south Oxfordshire family for generations has been sold for £130,000, after an Oxford auctioneer recognised its historic importance. Bravo! by CRW Nevinson was painted the year before the First World War broke out, and

  • CUTS: ‘UK’s future protected’ pledges Cameron

    DAVID Cameron insisted the coalition was protecting Britain’s future security as he confirmed deep cuts to the armed forces. The Prime Minister and Witney MP said the Ministry of Defence’s budget would fall eight per cent in real terms by 2015

  • CUTS: Base escapes defence cuts

    THE future of RAF Benson appears to be secure tonight after the Government agreed to upgrade the base’s helicopters. Millions of pounds will now be pumped into improving the Puma and Merlin fleets to help strengthen military efforts in Afghanistan.

  • Cholsey's new library set to open doors

    CHOLSEY's new Community Library, stocked with books donated by residents and bought with money raised by an appeal, will open on Saturday. The library, in the School Room of the Free Church, in Honey Lane, will be open from 10am-1pm.

  • RUGBY UNION: Coach Holmes relieved

    Head coach Grant Holmes was not satisfied with Banbury’s 38-22 victory against Leamington. Holmes said: “I am relieved to get a win and the bonus point, which was our first objective. “The second was our style of play, which is what we need to worry

  • BREAKING NEWS: Boost for Benson in defence review

    RAF Benson has been given a boost in the Government’s defence spending review. It had been feared the South Oxfordshire base would feel the pinch of Whitehall’s cost-cutting across the armed forces However, it looks as if the base’s fleet of Puma helicopters

  • Local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 6.25 BMW 4307 Electrocomponents 240.3 Nationwide Accident Repair 104.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.9 Oxford Catalysts 66.25 Oxford Instruments 508 Reed Elsevier 556.5 RM 167.5 RPS Group 203.2 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Paraglider pair reach for sky to help heroes

    A GRANDFATHER and his son are to paraglide over the Himalayas to help a charity for injured servicemen and women. Ron Mutton, 66, from Boars Hill, near Oxford, and his son Adrian, 35, will make the trip next month. in aid of Help for Heroes. Mr Mutton

  • New centre ready to support families

    A NEW centre for families and young children has been opened in Didcot following a £200,000 investment. The Ladygrove Children’s Centre, in Tamar Way, will offer a range of services for children under five and their parents and carers. The centre, which

  • Sixth-former designs badge for Oxford Spires Academy

    A PUPIL at Oxford School has designed a logo for the city’s new academy. Kate Aries, 17, has beaten fellow art students to create the crest for the Oxford Spires Academy, which is set to open in January. It will be emblazoned on new school uniforms

  • Oxford teenager's essay wins Commonwealth prize

    A TEENAGER has become the first British-based winner of the world’s oldest youth writing competition in 25 years. Lars Gladhaug, who was born in Norway but now studies at Oxford’s St Edward’s School, beat 50,000 entrants from 54 countries to win the

  • Cadets beat a noble retreat

    OXFORDSHIRE cadets have marked the 150th birthday of their organisations by joining together for a traditional ceremony. The Beating Retreat event in Oxford’s University Parks on Sunday marked the end of the county’s celebrations of the anniversary.

  • HOCKEY: Joy of six for Witney's Mangazi

    Witney's Joy Mangazi and Sadie Lapper tore Southgate 2nd apart, scoring ten goals between them in a 13-0 rout in South Clubs' League Division 3A. They were nine up at half-time! Mangazi got six, Lapper four and Sunny Ricketts, Katie Gatt and

  • Scooter club's auction nets £800 for heroes

    A WITNEY scooter club raised nearly £800 for forces charity Help for Heroes with an auction. Witney Outriders sold donated items such as a signed copy of motoring writer Jeremy Clarkson’s autobiography and a tour around British gangster Dave Courtney

  • Prison reopens to detain adults

    A FORMER young offenders’ institution has reopened as a prison for adults. Huntercombe Prison had housed youths aged 15 to 18 since 2000. The last were moved out in June, after a fall in the number of younger people being imprisoned. The prison, at

  • Local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 5.6 BMW 4366 Electrocomps 242.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 104.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.9 Oxford Catalyst 66.75 Oxford Instruments 508.25 Reed Elsevier 558.5 RM 170.5 RPS Group 203.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Burglar jailed for spate of pub break-ins

    A SERIAL burglar who began offending at the age of 11 has been jailed for a series of break-ins at pubs. Danny Rayson was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court yesterday, after earlier admitting four charges of burglary. He also asked for five more crimes

  • Currency firm crisis shatters dream of new life

    A COUPLE fear they have lost £50,000 after a foreign currency company collapsed and wrecked their dream of emigrating to Belize. Crown Currency Exchange was one of the UK’s biggest foreign exchange websites, but went into administration earlier

  • FOOTBALL: Angry boss Jeffrey slams striker Taylor

    Banbury United boss Billy Jeffrey has slammed “childish” striker Jason Taylor after he was sent off in their FA Carlsberg Trophy tie against Wimborne Town on Saturday. Leading 1-0 in the first qualifying round clash, Jeffrey’s side were on course to

  • Court rejects bedsit law re-think

    OXFORD City Council has lost its High Court challenge to Government planning policy on student homes and bedsits. Last month, the Government changed planning laws to allow homeowners to convert properties into shared homes – known as houses of multiple

  • Street problem is resurfacing

    NEARLY 10 years after the saga began, work to resurface part of Oxford’s Cornmarket Street is set to start again. For shoppers and traders, the sight of workmen re-laying the city centre road will bring back unhappy memories of the £5m fiasco

  • HOCKEY: City of Oxford 80th anniversary gala

    City of Oxford Hockey Club want to get in touch with as many former players as possible for an 80th anniversary celebration ball at the Randolph Hotel on November 6. Contact John Dykes on jtdykes@hotmail.co.uk

  • Missing report

    WHY am I not surprised at the news that the report into the death of Dr David Kelly is not available? Perhaps the paramedics who attended to Mr Kelly’s body can put another together. I’m sure they will remember it quite well. MJ Everett Kennington

  • Change for the best

    I WRITE regarding your article regarding the first council houses built for 20 years in Rose Hill and Peter Wilkinson’s comment (Oxford Mail, October 8). I don’t know why Rose Hill tenants are calling them an eyesore. I would think many of the old

  • ON YER BIKE: Students should stick to two wheels

    The other day, a Land Rover parked outside my house. It darkened my day in more ways than one. There’s a good four metres between my bay window and the kerb, so cars never shade the burnished-peachy autumn sunlight from my front room. But this Land Rover

  • DARTS: Brewery still back ODDA

    The 84th Oxford & District Darts Association's Winter League will kick off on Tuesday and Wednesday November 9-10 and will once again be sponsored by the Greene King brewery. The ODDA Summer League finals will be held at Rover Social Club, Romanway,

  • HOCKEY: Martin special boosts Hawks

    Oxford Hawks recovered from a goal down at half-time to beat Richmond 3-2 in Premier 2. Ted Bennett flicked home an equaliser despite being on the ground. Dave Cresswell then put Hawks ahead, at the second attempt, from a short corner. Tim Martin struck

  • FACING THE CUTS: Fears for grass roots sport

    CHANCELLOR George Osborne will announce £83bn in public spending cuts tomorrow that will be felt in every corner of county life. They are set to affect areas including transport, council services, healthcare, policing and funding for sports and arts

  • Oppose brutality

    Chris Halford again accuses me of being anti-Israeli because I dislike how that country deals with its neighbours (Oxford Mail, October 15). Am I anti-American because I dislike the US neo-cons, or anti-British because I dislike Tony Blair and his war

  • Postal mystery

    Could someone please tell me why, when I posted a birthday card in Cowley to an address in Iffley Road, with correct postage for first class delivery earlier this month, it had still not arrived 10 days later. I actually saw the postman empty the box

  • No agreement on closing our pools

    Councillor Bob Timbs, the portfolio holder for leisure, says he is going ahead with the closure of Temple Cowley Pools and the building of a brand new pool at Blackbird Leys on the basis of cross-party support. This is totally untrue. The Green Party

  • Unwanted development

    I read with sadness Martin Young’s plight with regard to the Oxford Brookes development (Oxford Mail, October 16). How awful that a man of “limited means” is waking in “cold sweats” at the thought of an unwanted development being foisted onto his doorstep

  • DARTS: County youths keep on winning

    Oxfordshire Youth made it two wins out of two this season with a 10-7 home victory over London at Rileys Club on Sunday. Their under 21 men's line-up won a tense match 3-2, their successes coming from George Bishop, who had two 180s, Kevin Smith, and

  • RUGBY UNION: Wallingford secure first win

    Wallingford thumped Wimborne 40-15 to record their first win of the season in South West 1 East. Wimborne went ahead with an early penalty, but Wallingford, who fielded their heaviest pack, gained control. Johnny Collett bagged their first try after

  • RUGBY UNION: Quins sunk by late show

    Oxford Harlequins were undone by Hartpury College’s final flurry in a 41-15 home defeat in National 3 South West. Quins led 15-12 with 15 minutes left before Hartpury’s superior fitness saw them score 29 unanswered points. The hosts had prop Pete Boulton

  • RUGBY UNION: Bart bags treble for Henley

    Christoph Bart ran in a hat-trick of tries as Henley Hawks hammered struggling Hinckley 56-22 in National 2 South. Full back James Comben put Hawks ahead with a penalty, then centre Ali James created wing Bart’s first try on eight minutes. Bart had

  • RUGBY UNION: Patchy Banbury open account

    Banbury Bulls got the bonus-point victory they wanted to open their account with a 38-22 win at home to Leamington in in Midlands 1 West, but this was not a great display. At times the hosts were fluent in this basement battle, with two-try

  • Guide dog volunteer calls it a day after 26 years

    LOOKING after a puppy can be an exhausting experience – so try taking on 24 just out of the goodness of your heart. That’s exactly what volunteer puppy walker Pauline Fretter did and after little over a quarter of a century she has decided to call it

  • Benson corporal denies raping girl, 17

    A CORPORAL at an RAF base dragged a teenage girl from a disco and raped her, a court heard. The trial of Scott Atkins, 28, who denies rape, began at Oxford Crown Court yesterday. The married serviceman was based at RAF Benson as a corporal

  • COMMENT: Hospitals are failing cancer sufferers

    IT IS appalling that one in five cancer patients are being failed by the Oxfordshire Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust. As we report today, only 79.6 per cent of patients are getting their first course of treatment within 62 days of being referred to the

  • Cancer patients waiting too long for treatment

    ONE in five cancer patients in Oxfordshire are waiting too long for vital treatment, new Government figures have shown. The Department of Health says 85 per cent of cancer patients should get their first course of treatment within 62 days of

  • Time for Oxford United to get nasty

    Oxford United boss Chris Wilder reckons his team need to get nasty. He says they have to get back the old winning mentality which helped win them promotion from the Conference. And if that means forsaking some of the attractive football they have been

  • Drunken pair threaten men with knife

    TWO men armed themselves with knives and forced their way into a house at the end of a non-stop drinking session. Sean Wisdom and Lee Atkinson had “drunk consistently for two days without sleep” before barging into the property in Sherwood Avenue, Abingdon

  • Wedding fayre proves hit with couples

    The Oxford Mail’s wedding fayre was a roaring success, with over 100 people, including 55 brides, attending to plan for their big day. The event helped brides and grooms-to-be plan their special day and featured more than 20 specialist stalls offering

  • New initiative cuts crime

    TWO schoolgirls were selling themselves for sex to pay for drugs and alcohol, police have said. Police in Cherwell district have stepped in to try to help the 14 and 15-year-old, who had both resorted to prostitution to pay for their habits. After a

  • Driver wins payout for windscreen crack

    A MOTORIST has won a five-month battle for compensation after West Oxfordshire District Council said it would be cheaper to pay up than investigate her claim. Dorothy Holloway began a battle to reclaim her husband David’s £60 insurance excess after the