Archive

  • Traders aiming for a Christmas boost

    SHOPPING in Oxford this Thursday will give bargain hunters early Christmas cheer with traders offering special discounts and even mulled wine and mince pies. More than 25 largely independent stores have got together to lay on a special evening of promotions

  • Elderly man dies after Chipping Norton collision

    A man has died after he was struck by a lorry in Chipping Norton town centre today. Police said the pedestrian, who was in his 70s and from the Chipping Norton area, was making his way along the High Street at about 10.30am when he was struck by an eight-tonne

  • Man arrested over Oxford rape

    A man has been arrested in connection with a rape in Oxford. Following the release of CCTV images, a 41-year-old man voluntarily attended St Aldates police station on Friday evening, where he was subsequently arrested. He has been released

  • Local shares (PM)

    AEA Technology 5.3 BMW 4917 Electrocomponents 261.8 Nationwide Accident Repair 95 Oxford Biomedica 9.6 Oxford Catalysts 61.5 Oxford Instruments 602.5 Reed Elsevier 521.25 RM 159 RPS Group 226.6 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Forecasters warn snow moving south

    Forecasters have warned there is no sign of a let-up in the icy conditions, with several more centimetres of snow continuing to fall in the North East and parts of eastern Scotland over the coming days. The rest of the UK will also be affected, with

  • Burglar targets 93-year-old in Longworth

    Police are appealing for witnesses following an attempted burglary of a 93-year-old woman's house in Appleton Road, Longworth. A tool was used to force open a front window of the house; however the burglar was unable to gain entry due to a secondary

  • Oxford shows off its multicultural roots

    OXFORD showed its multicultural roots, with a feast of music, dancing and entertainment – designed to show how people from all religions can work together. The ‘Yours Faithfully’ event at the Town Hall was organised by the Oxford Council of Faiths and

  • Man charged over M40 coach crash

    Police have charged a man in connection with a coach crash on the M40 on August 30. Thomas Roby, 21, from Cavell Road, Oxford, was charged today with causing danger to road users by interfering with a motor vehicle. He has been released on bail

  • Scales of justice

    People convicted of offences at magistrates' courts around the county: Andrew Adams, 22, of Paradise Street, Oxford, admitted shoplifting groceries to the value of £5.33 from Tesco Express in St Aldate’s, Oxford, on October 20. Fined £60 and a

  • Banbury park-and-ride service dropped

    CHERWELL District Council has dropped its Christmas park-and-ride scheme for Banbury, because of low use last year. The council has confirmed it will not operate the bus link between Bodicote House and Banbury town centre this year. Nigel Morris, the

  • Parents vow to reopen school swimming pool

    PARENTS have vowed to reopen a school swimming pool, closed over safety fears, after missing out on a Lottery grant. They were bidding for £40,000 to help revive Witney Community Primary School’s covered pool – for pupils and the wider community. The

  • Cotswolds Conservation Board wins national accolade

    A TEAM that looks after the Oxfordshire Cotswolds has won a national accolade for its approach to the management of the area’s countryside. The Cotswolds Conservation Board, which is responsible for the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural

  • Crash closes A44

    A crash involving a lorry today closed the A44 through Chipping Norton. The crash, which happened at about 10.45am, led to the closure of the road both ways between A361 West Street and B4026 Over Norton Road.

  • No jail for 120mph drink-driver

    A drink-driver who fled police out of Oxford at up to 120mph with his lights off has escaped being sent to jail. Ritchie Soden was nearly three times the legal limit when his Renault Clio clipped a Ford Focus in Hythe Bridge Street and a police

  • Local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 5.6 BMW 4876 Electrocomps 264 Nationwide Accident Repair 95 Oxford Biomedica 9.6 Oxford Catalyst 62 Oxford Instruments 600.5 Reed Elsevier 527.25 RM 159 RPS Group 233.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Call to adopt a school and help pupils to read

    BUSINESSES were last night urged to adopt city schools to boost failing child literacy standards in Oxford. Assisted Reading for Children (ARCh) launched its Adopt-a-School scheme as the Oxford Mail revealed the city’s seven-year-olds have

  • Crowd goes Wild-er at Woodstock Christmas lights switch on

    OXFORD United manager Chris Wilder helped illuminate Woodstock this weekend by switching on the town’s Christmas lights, above. Hundreds of people packed into the square for the ceremony on Saturday night. Mr Wilder and town mayor Julian Cooper, right

  • Vigilante fear over naming paedophiles on the net

    POLICE in Oxfordshire have warned against vigilante attacks after a new website listed thousands of British paedophiles. Specialist officers at Thames Valley Police have reviewed the Children Have Rights In Society site – chris-uk.org – and said they

  • Sir Trevor shows support for hospice

    FORMER newsreader Trevor McDonald and actor Tom Hollander paid tribute to Helen and Douglas House after appearing at a concert in aid of the East Oxford hospices. They gave readings at the Light Up A Life concert, attended by more than 250

  • COMMENT: Taste of success

    A TASTE test carried out by the Oxford Mail has given the thumbs-up to a beer brewed by Modern Art Oxford using hops grown on a Rose Hill allotment. But is it art? Certainly the bottle is very pretty but sitting down with a bottle to

  • COMMENT: Cuts create dilemma for community

    THREE stories today highlight the dilemmas facing Oxfordshire’s public services. Hundreds of people marched on Saturday against proposed cuts with one message: Don’t do it. Then county council leader Keith Mitchell said: We have to do

  • Education matters

    EVEN in my day, before grade inflation, one used to have to be, barring utter catastrophes, pretty thick, lazy, and/or chaotic in order to be awarded third-class honours. The point, therefore, is not that those in this category (intending to enter the

  • Who needs parking wardens?

    WOULDN’T it be nice if yellow lines and traffic wardens were abolished and any problem with badly-parked cars dealt with by the police? KEN HILL, Trinity Road, Headington, Oxford

  • Man About Town: Who says I'm a social dinosaur?

    NOT so long ago, it was sufficient to just shake someone’s hand. But today, when image matters more than ever, how you meet someone can, in certain quarters of this city, make or break you. Currently, the simple act of two men meeting up for an after-work

  • Schoolgirls took on might of Royal Navy

    TWO teenagers struck a blow for women’s rights while still at school. Clare Cockman and Megan Border, both 15, took on the might of the Royal Navy in 1988 – and won. The girls were incensed when they heard that only boys were being invited on a planned

  • Firemen paraded with trophy haul

    OXFORD firemen made a habit of collecting trophies. We published one picture where they displayed three awards (Memory Lane, July 12). In this one, their tally was seven, as they posed for the cameraman, with their haul, at the fire

  • FOOTBALL: Hellenic out in the cold

    The freezing weather conditions decimated the Uhlsport Hellenic League, with only a handful of matches taking place. Only one cup match survived, where Oxford City Nomads cruised to a 5-0 victory at fellow Premier Division side Bracknell in the first

  • FOOTBALL: New faces unable to halt Abingdon slump

    Almondsbury Tn 3 (Pitcher 13, Mahdi 21, Brice 53) Abingdon Utd 1 (Harper 31) Abingdon United’s slump continued as they crashed to defeat in Division 1 South & West on Saturday. Abingdon have now won only once in 15 games, and the introduction of

  • FOOTBALL: Reardon earns share of spoils

    North Leigh 1 (Reardon 68) Hungerford Tn 1 (Crockford 57) Ben Reardon hit a second-half equaliser as North Leigh came from behind to snatch a draw in Division 1 West. After Andy Caton had seen his effort saved by visiting keeper Kieron Drake, Hungerford

  • FOOTBALL: Battling Banbury are good value for draw

    Banbury Utd 1 (Learoyd 9) Leamington 1 (Rowe 13) New-look Banbury United picked up a well-deserved point as they drew with Leamington in the Premier Division on Saturday. Banbury were already without Nabil Shariff and Aynsley McDonald, who had completed

  • FOOTBALL: Debutant Organ sees red as Didcot lose out again

    Didcot Tn 1 (Connolly 13) Cambridge City 2 (Hammond 25, Hughes 45) James Organ was sent off on his debut as Didcot Town’s home woes continued with this narrow defeat in the Premier Division on Saturday. The Railwaymen felt they deserved a share of

  • FOOTBALL: Unlucky City are frozen out

    Oxford City 0 Chippenham Tn 0 Oxford City had to settle for a point in a goalless draw at a freezing Court Place Farm in Saturday’s Premier Division clash. The result was possibly a fair reflection, although City created more than enough chances to

  • First look at 'five-star' pool for Blackbird Leys

    THIS is the long-awaited £16.8m swimming pool plan for Blackbird Leys. Oxford City Council today unveiled its design for the metal-clad facility, to go next to Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre, in Pegasus Road, and is seeking your views. If the new pool

  • Monarchy suits our country, Mr Tanner

    I DISAGREE with John Tanner (The Issue, Oxford Mail, November 19)– I don’t think he has gone far enough in his negative thoughts on the forthcoming Royal wedding. For a start how dare these “millionaire” – originally working class – Middletons have aspirations

  • 'Get me out of here'

    THIS is an open letter to Chris Wilder and the Oxford United management. How come we are having to suffer these performances week after week? The debacle we watched against Gillingham started around 15 minutes before the game when as usual they watered

  • Thanks for walk support

    MENINGITIS UK would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in our Bridlington to Brighton walk, which stretched 334 miles between the two towns last month. Over 100 people, many who have experienced the devastation of meningitis first-hand

  • Clueless about road safety

    IN your report ‘Crash forces road change’ (Oxford Mail, November 24) both the county council and Horspath Parish Council failed to say how the chicanes will reduce speed. After they spent (wasted) £50,000 on traffic-calming in the village, all they did

  • Children dressed up to mark Iffley School's centenary

    WHAT an entrance these children must have made when they arrived at the church fete. No doubt plenty of heads turned as the weird and wonderful costumes came into view. The children were all pupils at Iffley School in Oxford in 1954. Mums must have

  • The changing face of Witney

    A NEW £450,000 building programme began at Cokethorpe School in 1986, with headmaster David Goldsmith digging out the first spadeful of earth for the foundations. The school had launched a £100,000 building appeal to help meet the cost of the project.

  • Street was 'village within city'

    LITTLE Clarendon Street in Oxford was once known as “the village within a city”. It had a series of small, vibrant shops that gave customers almost all they needed. What’s more, the service from shopkeepers and their staff in the street, at the north

  • More memories of old-style football

    HERE are two more pictures from the archives of Roy Collins, of The Crescent, Carterton. We have published one photograph from his collection of a Clanfield football team taken during the 1953-4 season (Memory Lane, October 4). The latest pictures are

  • Oxford estate makes its very own beer

    AN Oxford estate could soon be the toast of the city after growing the vital ingredient for its very own beer. Plot 16 – a 3.4 per cent alcohol ‘green’ ale – has been brewed using hops from the Lenthall Road allotments in Rose Hill and will

  • CUTS: Protests pointless say council leader Mitchell

    THE council leader behind library and youth centre cuts has warned petitions and protests are unlikely to have an impact. Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell said in a statement: “I fear petitions and protests will not be effective

  • Teenager injured in Fencott crash

    Police are appealing for witnesses after a teenage pedestrian was seriously injured in north Oxfordshire.At about 8.45pm on Saturday, a 19-year-old pedestrian sustained serious injuries on the road between Fencott and Murcott. He was taken

  • SPORTS AWARDS: Emotional Ann lost for words

    Ann Setch struggled to speak after being named as Unsung hero of 2010. The driving force behind Windrush Valley Amateur Boxing Club, an emotional Setch broke down in tears when her name was announced as the winner. The club was left

  • SPORTS AWARDS: Gardiner’s life goes full circle

    Andy Gardiner was overjoyed at becoming the Disabled Sportsperson of the Year. Always a big sports fan, the greengrocers’ life was changed for good after a serious fall. “I was at an all-time low,” he said. “Having been an able-bodied sportsman for

  • SPORTS AWARDS: Country's finest are rewarded

    Oxfordshire's talent was out in force on Friday night – with the county’s finest honoured in the 2010 Oxfordshire Sports Awa-rds. The prestigious event, run in conjunction with the Oxfordshire Sports Partnership, saw a full house at the Kassam Stadium

  • Snow set to spread inland

    The big freeze gripping the country will get worse this week, with snow spreading inland and some temperatures plunging as low as minus 20C, forecasters have warned. Deep snow and freezing conditions in the North East and Scotland have been causing

  • Fire at Shipton Manor

    MORE than 50 firefighters tackled a blaze at Shipton Manor, Shipton on Cherwell last night. The roof of a single storey annex was 20 per cent damaged by fire. Crews from from Woodstock, Bicester, Kidlington, Oxford, Banbury and High

  • Updated: Crash driver arrested

    A MAN has been arrested after a suspected stolen car crashed into a wall in North Oxford. The driver, 26, was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford with serious injuries, including a fractured pelvis, and was also arrested on suspicion of aggravated

  • Play-off win earns United two awards

    JAMES Constable says that reliving the memories of Oxford United’s play-off final victory over York in May still gives him goosebumps. The U’s striker was present to collect the Team of the Year award on behalf of the U’s at the 2010 Oxfordshire Sports

  • Players reunite for one-off pantomime

    TICKETS are now on sale for a one-off revival of Arncott Players to stage a pantomime in aid of the Maggies Cancer Centre, at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford. The show, Cinderella’s Got Talent, will be staged place at Arncott village hall, on January

  • Marston schoolchildren catch knitting bug

    CHILDREN are swapping computers for knitting needles in one Oxford school, after being introduced to what teachers hope will become a new craze called knitted graffiti. Pupils at St Nicholas Primary School, in Old Marston, have been taking their knitted

  • Time to think of those you loved

    CHRISTMAS can be a difficult time for those who have lost a loved one. But an Oxfordshire cancer charity has offered people a chance to pay tribute to their cherished family and friends, while helping those who are still suffering with the

  • Motorists urged to help keep bypass clean

    DRIVERS on Oxford's ring road can now help the environment and keep the city clean. New recycling and rubbish bins have been installed in laybys as part of Oxford City Council’s Cleaner, Greener Oxford campaign, which is backed by the Oxford Mail. Signs