Archive

  • Former scout chief jailed for 1960s sex attacks

    A FORMER Scout leader who sexually assaulted a boy more than 40 years ago has been jailed for six years. Roger Franklin, 66, was told at Oxford Crown Court he had blighted the life of his victim as he was jailed. He was convicted in January of four

  • Hula helps kickstart healthy lifestyles

    YOGA, tai chi and Hawaiian dancing helped people on an Oxford estate embrace healthy lifestyles. The Barton Neighbourhood Centre hosted its first Live Well day to showcase different activities taking part in the community and offer advice on healthy

  • Huge slurry lagoon set to be approved

    PLANS for a giant slurry lagoon near Yarnton have won the backing of planning officials. Waste management company Agrivert wants to create a 172-metre by 60-metre basin to store waste from its £9m anaerobic digester, opened at the site in October

  • An Historical Atlas of Oxfordshire

    As a Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, local historian Kate Tiller occasionally has the job of congratulating people on obtaining British citizenship. On such occasions, she told me, she explains that Britain, and any particular part of it, is all about

  • Local author: Lynda Renham

    Lynda Renham-Cook is a part-time freelance journalist, a healthcare worker and associate editor for online magazine Scavenger. She has shortened her name for her self-published novel Wedding Cake To Turin (Lulu, £6.50), a romantic comedy about Charlotte

  • Fear Itself by Andrew Rosenheim

    Andrew Rosenheim has chosen the relatively familiar territory of pre-war America for his ffth novel, a taut and believable political thriller set in late 1930s Washington. Familiar it may be, yet it has at its heart a little-known conspiracy which might

  • Map of a Nation by Rachel Hewitt

    A Victorian map-maker at work in Ireland was asked what he was doing, writes Hewitt. To explain his purpose, he first had to inquire: “Do you know what a map is?” and carefully explain that it was “a representation of the land on paper”. It will be a

  • Thieves abandon campervan in road

    Police are appealing for witnesses following the attempted theft of a campervan in Oxford Road, Adderbury. At about 12.45pm on Sunday, February 20, thieves stole a Ford Transit Campervan from Twyford Mill. The thieves have towed the

  • Local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 4.85 BMW 4948 Electrocomponents 271.7 Nationwide Accident Repair 99 Oxford Biomedica 6.25 Oxford Catalysts 86.5 Oxford Instruments 609.25 Reed Elsevier 541.5 RM 150.25 RPS Group 202.1 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Cross Roads Subaru wins team award

    Cross Roads Subaru has won a major automotive retailing industry award. Cross Roads staff were present at the Automotive Management magazine award ceremony, held at Birmingham’s ICC, where they collected the ‘Sales Team of the Year’ prize in front

  • Switch off Frideswides traffic lights for good

    Traffic lights cause traffic jams. This was abundantly clear last Thursday and Friday when the failure of all the lights in and around Frideswide Square, Oxford, proved that they were unnecessary in the first place. Though no less heavy than usual, traffic

  • When disinfectant was a must at the Picture Palace

    Not the least — er — colourful tale told in Ian Meyrick’s fascinating centenary history of Oxford’s last independent cinema (The Ultimate Survivor, £3.50) concerns the conduct of some members of its junior audiences in the early days. During

  • Great news for Britain - and Australia

    I woke on Monday morning — actually at about 4am — and learned of the success of The King’s Speech at the 2011 Oscars. The news was supplied by Radio 2. There was naturally no mention made here (nor in later reports) of the film’s having been been turned

  • How to make Chinese tea eggs

    Tea can impart some glorious flavours to basic foods. In her book Tea — A Global History (Reaktion Books £9.99) Helen Saberi includes several delicious recipes that call for tea as the main flavouring. These include green tea ice cream,

  • Fishers, St Clements, Oxford

    Fishers, in St Clements, is Oxford’s best fish and seafood restaurant — a category in which, surprisingly, it faces competition from very few potential rivals. I have enjoyed many happy visits since it opened, as long ago as 1995. There have also

  • A world tour of tea with Helen Saberi

    While food writer Helen Saberi is not a resident of Oxford, she knows the city well, having frequently worked alongside the late Alan Davidson during the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, an annual weekend-long conference on food, its culture and

  • Neopolitan and Spanish Drawings: Christ Church Picture Gallery

    Christ Church Picture Gallery’s latest exhibition is once again unusual, taking us away from the Italy of Florence, Rome and the Veneto, and northern Europe, and introducing instead the least known group of Old Master drawings from the extensive Guise

  • How the lock broke at the opening of the New Bodleian

    Poor old Albert, I mean George. He was properly thrown in the deep end by his brother David, I mean Edward. But he was helped out by Elizabeth, I mean the late Queen Mother. After watching that lovely film The King’s Speech at the Screen on the

  • The Adjustment Bureau and Rango

    Every minute presents an endless series of alternatives: wake or sleep, laugh or cry, yes or no, read this review or turn the page. But what if these aren’t choices at all? What if everything we do has been pre-ordained as part of some invisible

  • Lost in Stone: The Turrill Garden, Summertown

    The serpentine edging of grass round the patio and the soft blooms of the hellebores lend a pastoral setting to this exhibition. Its title comes, albeit unwittingly, at a timely moment when the Turrill Garden and library are threatened with a closure

  • Preview of the Oxford Brookes Human Rights Film Festival

    For a ninth year, students at the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice at Oxford Brookes University have curated a Human Rights Film Festival to explore a range of pressing issues of global concern. Screenings till March 11 are free and

  • The International Baroque Players: University Church

    I couldn’t quite work out what the International Baroque Players’ latest concert, which was subtitled Apollo & Dionysus, had to do with those two Greek gods, generally reckoned to represent the contrast between light and darkness — unless ‘darkness’ marked

  • The Naked Truth, New Theatre, Oxford

    Dave Simpson’s The Naked Truth is the latest in a series of plays in which a bunch of completely unsuited amateurs put on a show for charity. It follows on from The Full Monty, Calender Girls and Stepping Out, but in this case five women have a go at

  • Oxford Spezzati: Exeter College Chapel

    William Byrd’s four-part mass is one of the treasures of Tudor music. It is a quiet, devotional piece, composed for private worship at a time when adherence to the Catholic faith invited charges of treason. The expressiveness of the music was well conveyed

  • Preview of The Sixteen: Christ Church Cathedral

    As befits a choir born in Oxford but now internationally famous, The Sixteen will begin its latest 30-date tour here. On Friday, March 11, the group will launch its Choral Pilgrimage 2011 at Christ Church Cathedral (tickets 01865 305305 or www.oxfordplayhouse.com

  • Preview of Oxford Philomusica at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

    On Friday, March 11, the Oxford Philomusica goes east. Not quite as far as Singapore or Tokyo, but to Aylesbury, where the orchestra will give its first concert in the town’s new Waterside Theatre. “We’re extremely excited to be appointed Orchestra

  • Kill It Kid: Jericho Tavern

    You guys probably only want to hear the old ones, right?” Kill It Kid singer Chris Turpin exclaims, two songs into the band’s set. He weirdly says this three or four times more, in the same manner you’d imagine Mick Jagger would if the Stones played all

  • Oxford Philomusica, Baroque II: Sheldonian Theatre

    The second of Oxford Philomusica’s pair of Baroque concerts was a charming, joyful stroll through some familiar and not-so-familiar works of the baroque era. With Marios Papadopoulos conducting from the harpsichord in his usual meticulous style

  • Roll Deep: O2 Academy

    Blame downloading. That’s your first thought when you walk into this gig. Hip hop collective Roll Deep have had two number one singles, so when you breeze into the O2 Academy and are directed to the venue’s smaller room rather than the 1,400 capacity

  • Hamlet, The Natiional Theatre: Milton Keynes Theatre

    Hamlet is by far the cleverest of Shakespeare’s characters — a student prince whose formidable intellect is instrumental in his downfall. Endlessly weighing the pros and cons of every action, he fatally delays revenge on his fratricide uncle Claudius

  • The Streets @ Oxford O2 Academy

    As goodbyes go, this was short, sharp and clinical. Mike Skinner is, he insists, done with The Streets after five full albums. Where he goes next is unclear, but for tonight he's joined by a live band and a sell-out crowd at Oxford's O2 Academy as part

  • Thieves steal fuel from caravan

    Police are appealing for information after a caravan was damaged and had its fuel stolen in Bodicote. Thieves punctured a hole in the side of the caravan, parked outside a property in Wykham Lane. The theft happened overnight between February 11

  • Police issue description after Oxford stabbing

    Police today issued a description of a man wanted after a robbery in Oxford yesterday in which a 48-year-old man was stabbed. Police were called to the shops in Knights Road, Blackbird Leys, shortly after 12.15pm, after the man was found with stab

  • Five generations unite for Oxford matriarch

    FIVE generations of an Oxford family came together to celebrate the birthday of the head of their brood. Nora Murphy, who celebrated her 90th birthday on Monday, has six children, nine grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson

  • Wolvercote Primary is at the heart of the community

    NESTLED in a unique village on the edge of North Oxford, Wolvercote Primary School prides itself at being at the heart of its community. With a less transient population than other parts of the city, generations of parents and children have

  • Conman steals from woman, 93

    Police today appealed for information after a a 93-year-old woman was tricked by a doorstep conman. At about 10.30am on Monday, a man called at the home of the elderly woman in Kings Lane, Harwell, claiming to be from the ‘electricity board’.

  • Children dance to help break record

    CHILDREN dusted off their dancing shoes for a giant world record attempt yesterday. Children and staff at the John Radcliffe Nursery, pictured, in Oxford, joined others around the country in a bid to beat the record for the most people performing children

  • Court told of previous 'strangling bid'

    A WOMAN laughed off an attempted “strangling” by her boyfriend weeks before he allegedly murdered her, a jury heard yesterday. Claire Forster said her mother Lisa Consterdine told her she had woken up with Sean Freaney’s hands around her neck

  • FOOTBALL: Desmond in five-timer

    Wayne Desmond smashed five goals as he helped Corner House to a 17-0 victory against Inter Oxford in RT Harris Oxford City FA. Aaron Barrett netted a four-timer, while Byron Jose, Joe Cook and Touron Okisanya scored a brace each. Ryan

  • Local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 4.85 BMW 4940 Electrocomponents 270 Nationwide Accident Repair 99 Oxford Biomedica 6.65 Oxford Catalysts 86.5 Oxford Instruments 613.5 Reed Elsevier 539 RM 149.75 RPS Group 200.1 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • String of raids lead to 17 drugs arrests

    A SUSPECTED drugs ring was targeted by police during a series of co-ordinated raids across Oxfordshire yesterday. Tens of thousands of pounds of cannabis and cocaine is believed to have been seized in the 22 raids, which saw 17 people arrested

  • FOOTBALL: Berinsfield put Bampton in spin

    Berinsfield, from Division 4, pulled off a shock 3-1 win at Division 2 side Bampton Town to reach the semi-finals of the North Berks League's War Memorial Cup, writes Phil Annetts. David Murphy (2) and Chris Murphy netted for Berinsfield, Brian

  • FOOTBALL: Kennedys crown Minster crushing

    The Kennedy brothers smashed five goals as Witney Royals crushed basement boys Minster Lovell 6-2 in the Premier Division of the Witney & District FA. Cody Davies bagged a double to give Minster a shock 2-0 lead, but their joy was short-lived as Royals

  • Nine out of 10 get favoured school place in Oxfordshire

    NINE out of 10 11-year-olds in Oxfordshire have been given places at their first choice secondary school, Oxfordshire County Council said last night. Children across the county found out yesterday where they would be heading in September. In total,

  • FOOTBALL: Broughton edge out Enstone

    Broughton & North Newington Res beat Enstone Res 4-3 in extra-time to reach the second round of the Oxfordshire Senior League's Ivor Gubbins Cup after it ended 3-3 after 90 minutes. Andy Robey gave Broughton the lead with a 30-yard screamer, before

  • SCHOOLS FOOTBALL: Ayris set for England test

    BICESTER Community College’s Jordan Ayris is in the England Under 18s squad to face Northern Ireland in the Centenary Shield at AFC Telford United on Friday (7). The 18-year-old striker has just returned from an England training camp in Malaga, where

  • Inquest demand over fingerprints

    FRESH information about a lack of fingerprints has strengthened the case for a full inquest into the death of Government scientist David Kelly, campaigners believe. The claim comes in a dossier handed to Attorney General Dominic Grieve yesterday by doctors

  • SASSY & SINGLE: Not such suckers for 'stealth' adverts

    Just in case you hadn’t noticed, or were too busy doing something important like washing your hair for the past couple of days, you may have missed that this week marks the introduction of one of the most momentous changes of our modern times. It has

  • Don't forget Iran

    l AS the media searchlight focuses on Egypt and Libya, briefly lighting other places, it seems the people’s struggles in Iran remain in shadow – unknown or forgotten. News from Iran concentrates on Britain’s own self-interest: the threat of nuclear arms

  • Free schools won't benefit most people

    Let me try and get this straight in my own mind. The Montessori School now charges its pupils up to £2,578 a term for a private education and now seeks to turn itself into a so-called free school at rural Elsfield, where the costs will be replaced by

  • Two-thirds of Oxfordshire Alzheimer's cases go undiagnosed

    TWO thirds of people in Oxfordshire with dementia are going undiagnosed, it was claimed last night. Experts from the Alzheimer’s Society released a map of the UK revealing a ‘postcode lottery’ across the country for dementia suffers. Researchers predicted

  • Help the innocent

    YET again the useless European Court of Human Rights interferes with the UK and, in so doing, is considering protecting perverted paedophiles who are on the sex offenders’ register for life. Chemical castration is the real answer. I don’t care about

  • Catch it early

    SEVERAL years ago a work colleague told me that two years previously she had discovered a breast lump. She was a woman in her 30s and a mother to three young children. Within the space of 10 days she had consulted her GP, had a biopsy and undergone

  • Ignoring crime

    YOUR front page story Blind Eye to Crime (February 21), came as little surprise. The public are too scared to report what they see for fear of recriminations. A lot of folk are so fed up with the light sentences imposed on guilty parties that they see

  • Make bankers pay

    I WAS very sad to read that, as part of their cuts, our county council finds it necessary to strip £37m from the care budget (Oxford Mail, February 10). This means that care home places, care workers and transport to day centres would be axed, causing

  • Poor will suffer

    Since the county council voted for massive cuts, I have been wondering what will happen now. Cutting £119m is such a big amount, most of us can’t imagine it. Cuts to highly visible services like the youth centres and libraries only represent a very small

  • FOOTBALL: Athletic are held

    Abba Athletic’s hopes of closing the gap at the top of Division 2 of the Banbury District & Lord Jersey FA as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Swis FC. The third-placed side are now seven points behind leaders Priors United, though they have three games

  • FOOTBALL: Wells spot on to cap revival

    Bletchingdon battled back from a goal down as they beat Oxford University Press 3-1 in the Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division. Dave Carter slotted in a pass from James Gray to give OUP the lead in the second-half. However, Richard

  • North Aston couple 'sacked over early dinner'

    A property tycoon was yesterday accused of firing a husband-and-wife team who worked for him after a row over a roast chicken. Kevin Cash hired Francisco and Maria de Sousa, left, to work at his £16m country pile in North Aston as an estate manager and

  • 'Split has cost me my chance of life' says Abingdon woman

    THE break-up of Linda Joel’s marriage has left her without the man she loved, and the donor needed to save her life. The diabetic mother-of-five, from Abingdon, needs a transplant and her husband of four years, Gary, had promised her his kidney

  • Man stabbed after robbery in Blackbird Leys

    A BAKERY worker last night told how she saw a man slumped outside a chip shop in Blackbird Leys after he was stabbed in the stomach. A 50-year-old man was attacked at the back of Top Shops in Blackbird Leys Road at about noon yesterday, but

  • SCHOOLS FOOTBALL: Vale hit Banbury for six

    VALE of White Horse Schools Under 14s stayed on course to lift the Vale Cup with a 6-2 win over Banbury & District at North Oxfordshire Academy, Banbury. Matthew Taylor fired Vale into a second-minute lead, before George Reid doubled their tally. Sam

  • GIRLS FOOTBALL: Ceri smashes super treble

    CERI Jesson hit a hat-trick in Banbury United’s 5-1 win at Tower Hill Vixens in the Under 10 Oxford Mail Girls League. Tia Williams and Ceirah Bell also scored, with Ellie Smart’s strike proving no more than a consolation for Tower Hill. Under 16

  • FOOTBALL: Wyatt's on fire in Stars spree

    Jake Wyatt smashed a four-timer as Tower Hill Stars ran out 11-0 winners against Banbury United Spencer in the Under 11 C League of the Giles Sports Witney Youth League. Sam Perry (2), Max Low, Euan Walsh, Max Clanfield, Marshall Balmer and Jamie Collins

  • Turner to race new Aston Martin AMR-One

    Racing driver Darren Turner will compete in the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, racing the Prodrive-built AMR-One, Aston Martin’s new open-top LMP1 race car. Turner, of Chacombe, near Banbury, will share the 007 Gulf-liveried car with Stefan

  • Not that bolshy

    Sir – In answer to Chris Carter’s question (Letters, February 24), I know some people think I am bolshy, but this is the first time I’ve been compared to Nikita Khrushchev. I’m normally accused of looking like Phil Mitchell or Eric Pickles,

  • Oxford United boss brands his team 'a mug side'

    Manager Chris Wilder described his Oxford United team as “a mug side” after they lost 3-1 at Lincoln last night. Their play-off hopes were dealt a blow as they lost for the second game running, with poor defending and two own goals in a

  • Getting the bug for a world of insects

    YOUNGSTERS came face-to-face with creepy crawlies thanks to a Hollywood star’s mum. Orlando Bloom’s mother Sonia Copeland Bloom launched her second children’s book in Oxford. Her story of Woody the Woodlouse is aimed at getting youngsters

  • Size matters in Oxford Fashion Week debates

    THE debate over “size zero” models will take centre stage at Oxford Fashion Week. Visitors to the O3 Gallery in Oxford Castle will debate the topic “Is fashion bad for society?” tonight and “Is ethical fashion important?” on Friday. Velda Lauder, whose

  • Patients defend criticised hospital

    FORMER patients have leapt to the defence of an Oxford hospital criticised in a television exposé about the standard of NHS food. The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington was featured last week on a Channel 4 Dispatches programme featuring freelance

  • Sadness at exit of husband and donor

    LINDA Joel’s husband Gary has left her and she fears she has not only lost the man she loved — but the donor needed to save her life. The diabetic mother-of-five from Abingdon needs a transplant and her husband of four years had promised her