A HEADTEACHER said a controversial change to how a secondary school is run has been vindicated after it was rated ‘outstanding’ by inspectors for the first time. King Alfred’s Community & Sports College – Wantage’s only comprehensive school – was praised
RACHAEL O’CONNOR discovers Angels in Little Clarendon Street is sheer heaven when it comes that perfect pre-club cocktail. Friday night for many means gearing up for the weekend and what better way to start proceedings than to grab some cocktail
Rachel Unthank tells TIM HUGHES about her latest projects, including shining a light on the joys of folk dance. RACHEL Unthank – the passionate daughter of a Geordie folk dancer – is a musical missionary. She is determined to open our
BATTLE LOS ANGELES (12A). Sci-Fi/War/Action. Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Michael Pena, William Rothhaar, Cory Hardrict, Ne-Yo, Gino Anthony Pesi, Lucas Till, Adetokumboh M’Cormack. Director: Jonathan
Where do you start with a man who says things like: “I am often dishonest in my techniques but I’m always honest about my dishonesty.” It’s a typical Derren Brown statement, tying your mind up in knots before we’ve even begun, but it’s worth persisting
TIM HUGHES hopes his interview with punk bad boys The Stranglers doesn’t end up involving gaffer tape... BIG, brash and very, very bad – The Stranglers are the ultimate rock and roll band. Forged in the nihilistic white heat of the 70s
KATHERINE MACALISTER puts a former hack haunt, now The Punter, to the test. Back in the Dark Ages when journalists were as synonymous with boozy lunches as Speaker’s wife Sally Bercow and bed sheets, The Waterman’s on Osney Island was
FAIR GAME (12A). Drama/Thriller. Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Bruce McGill, Brooke Smith, Noah Emmerich. Director: Doug Liman. In July 2003, former UN weapons inspector Dr David Kelly died after a high-profile
Bringing the joy of Shakespeare to young audiences is a dream come true, actor Noel Andrew Harron tells KATHERINE MACALISTER. When everyone else is leaving the theatre, spare a thought for Noel Andrew Harron, who will be in the shower
A DWARF who can pull a vacuum cleaner with his private parts was deemed “unsuitable” to appear at an Oxford University ball. Circus of Horrors last night hit out at the decision by St Peter’s College to block the act from plans for its summer
THEY were born together, went to school together and worked together. Now Oxford triplets Sandra Cox, and Irene and Derek Stansfield have celebrated their 60th birthday together. They were born in 1951 at the Churchill Hospital and attended New Marston
PUPILS and teachers at St Nicolas Primary School in Abingdon unveiled their new library with the help of children’s author David Melling. Mr Melling also judged an ‘Extreme Reading’ competition at the Boxhill Walk school. Pupils were asked to submit
THE snowdrops are out and the daffodils are on their way at a village’s newly-opened public garden. Wychwood Wild Garden in the west Oxfordshire village of Shipton-under-Wychwood used to be the pleasure garden of Shipton Court, which sits opposite
AN impressive 1,380 women have already signed up to take part in Oxford’s new ‘mega’ Race for Life event this summer. But organisers Cancer Research UK wants 8,000 more to make it one of the UK’s top Race For Life events. Oxford’s three
A LEADING West Oxfordshire District Council cabinet member has been sacked for failing to toe the party’s line, it has been claimed. Conservative councillor Hilary Biles was fired by council leader Barry Norton last Monday for opposing cuts. At a full
AEA Technology 4.35 BMW 4884 Electrocomponents 271.9 Nationwide Accident Repair 99 Oxford Biomedica 6.3 Oxford Catalysts 91 Oxford Instruments 627.75 Reed Elsevier 534.25 RM 152.5 RPS Group 198.6 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
MAJOR General Norman Rogers, a distinguished Army surgeon who walked more than 600 miles to freedom, has died aged 94. After being freed as an Italian prisoner of war in the Second World War, Maj Gen Rogers trekked across the Apennine mountains
IRWIN Paul Foote, known as Paul, a fellow of The Queen’s College and Russian translator, has died aged 84. He was educated at Swanage Grammar School before being enlisted into the Royal Artillery in 1944. During his time in the Army, he was taught Russian
A FARMER whose distinguished military career brought him face to face with a notorious concentration camp warder has died aged 95. Retired Wing Commander Bill Malins was 23 when he joined the air force in 1938 and in 1940 was posted to Lille as a low
PEOPLE convicted of offences at Oxford Magistrates’ Court recently: Mark Dickens, 34, of Luther Street, Oxford, admitted shoplifting a Sony digital camera valued at £269.99 from Currys Digital in Oxford on January 21. Also admitted breaching
Police have stood down at Oxford Railway Station following a bomb hoax. Officers left the area at 1.30pm after searching a number of people heading to and from the station.
A “vulnerable” man is missing from his home in Wallingford. Dominic Ewbank, 48, of St. Martin’s Street, was reported missing to police on March 4 after failing to turn up for an appointment on the previous day. He is white, around 6ft 1ins, slim,
Police today appealed for help in tracing a missing man from Wallingford. Dominic Ewbank, 48, of St Martin’s Street, was reported missing to police on Friday, March 4. Mr Ewbank was due to attend an appointment on March 3 but failed to turn up.
Police are appealing for information after a robbery at a betting shop in Banbury last night. At 8.22pm, three men, one of them carrying a machete, entered the Ladbrokes betting shop in Hanwell Fields and demanded that staff hand over money
Police this afternoon appealed for information after a woman was robbed of her handbag in Banbury. The 55-year-old woman was walking along Marlborough Street, in the direction of High Street, when she was approached from behind by a man. He grabbed
A CAMPAIGN for a £100,000 dialysis centre in north Oxfordshire has taken a major step forward after hospital bosses confirmed two potential sites had been found. Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust has drawn up plans for two empty areas at Banbury
TWO lucky residents will join a traditional Abingdon bun-throwing ceremony for the first time in its 250-year history, to celebrate the Royal Wedding. A raffle is being held to find two people to join councillors in lobbing the buns from the
A DEVELOPER has submitted plans to turn part of the former RAF Bicester base into apartments and houses. The City and Country Group hopes to convert 17 Grade II listed art deco buildings into 160 apartments and houses, ranging from one to five
Managers are being invited to a breakfast club where experts will review key developments in employment law. Hosted by law firm Morgan Cole, the meeting will use case studies and discussion groups to address issues such as performance management, the
A broken-down vehicle today led to the closure of one lane of the M40 in north Oxfordshire. The breakdown happened on the northbound carriageway between junction 10 at the Cherwell Valley Services and junction 11 at Banbury. The matrix sign was set
Donington Park will host the second round of the 2011 World Superbike Championship in just over two weeks time and the six Brits on the grid are hoping to impress. Local lad Leon Haslam got off to a flying start at Philip Island, Australia,
Police are dealing with a bomb threat at Oxford Railway Station. Officers were called to the station at around 11.45am following the threat. They are currently checking passengers arriving on trains and people heading through the Frideswide Square.
A GROUP of young footballers from Oxford have triumphed on the European stage once again. The students from Oxford and Cherwell Valley College’s football development centre, based in Blackbird Leys, came home with the cup to crown a week-long stay in
YOGA enthusiasts took their passion to the streets on Tuesday for an invigorating spot of outdoor yoga. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, passers-by in Oxford’s Bonn Square were invited to pull a few moves. International
A NEW club for young people on an Oxford estate will open its doors next week. Children aged seven to 11 can discover sports, dance, games, cooking, storytelling and art at the Rose Hill Junior Youth Club at the Community Centre in The Oval. The first
Police are currently dealing with a bomb threat at Oxford Railway Station. The force helicopter and six police cars have been called to the station. More updates when we have them.
The most interesting aspect of the announcement of the Boat Race crews on Monday was that Oxford University named just one overseas oarsman for their contest against Cambridge on Saturday March 26 (5pm). German Moritz Hafner is the Dark Blues’ only
Oxfordshire A were pipped 21-19 by Cornwall in their English Short Mat Association Inter County Competition semi-final at Merchant’s Academy, Bristol. Oxon went down 185-164 on shots after staging a late rally. Despite a brace of fours
Oxford head coach Alan Hancock offered a frank view of their 43-18 home defeat to Chipping Norton. The Southern Counties North reverse, which was Chippy’s first win of the season, leaves Oxford three points above the drop zone. Hancock said: “We had
WE hate to be seen as po-faced but we can’t see JACK FM’s marry a stranger competition has any merit whatsoever. Two Strangers and a Wedding is a competition being run by the radio station which will see a bride chosen by the station and her
AEA Technology 4.5 BMW 5014 Electrocomponents 274.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 99 Oxford Biomedica 6.35 Oxford Catalysts 91.5 Oxford Instruments 624.75 Reed Elsevier 541.75 RM 152.25 RPS Group 199.6 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
FANCY coming face-to-face with your future husband or wife at the altar? If the answer is ‘yes’, then Oxfordshire radio station Jack FM’s social experiment could set you up for life. The station wants to marry off two people, who will
Great & Little Tew are looking for friendly fixtures on Saturday, April 23, home or away. The club are able to host two home fixtures. Anybody interested should contact chairman Dave Freeman on 07977 406299.
Gin'll Fix It ran out 16-12 winners over Unknowns in the Kidlington Indoor League’s Len Hill Cup semi-finals. Alan Surman led the way for Gin’ll Fix It with five points. They now await the winners of Kidlington Social Club and Galacticos. In the pairs
MASKED robbers threatened five people with a gun and a machete after forcing their way into a city house. The gang burst into the house in Cutteslowe on Tuesday evening before a fight spilled out into the street. Neighbours in Wyatt
Katherine Hawes was quick to shrug off the disappointment of finishing runner-up in the English Indoor Bowling Association National Ladies Singles Championship for a second time. The Oxford & District star, who was beaten in the 2000 final by South Shields
A WOMAN who let her dog foul the grass in a sports park has been fined £300. Yvonne Gastin, of Newport Close, Kidlington, was found guilty of failing to clean up after her dog in Stratfield Brake sports park in August last year. She
LARGE black clouds made from industrial tyres will loom over visitors to a new art exhibition. Clouds by Michael Sailstorfer opens at Modern Art Oxford in Pembroke Street on Saturday and runs until May 22. The artwork in the museum’s
Oxfordshire face an uphill task to reach the knockout stages of the National Under 20 Championship after losing 23-21 to Dorset & Wilts at Henley. The narrow defeat means Oxon must beat Berkshire by at least 11 points in their final South West Region
A multi-millionaire Oxfordshire businessman yesterday accused a former employee of theft as he denied claims he had sacked the man and his wife in a fit of anger over a chicken dinner. Developer Kevin Cash, of North Aston Hall, near Deddington, said
PLANS to pedestrianise some of Oxford’s busiest shopping streets have stalled. Oxfordshire County Council had hoped a number of streets would be pedestrianised by 2014, with Queen Street first in line. But the plan, part of the council’s Transform Oxford
I agree completely with ‘Saddened Council Worker’ (Oxford Mail letters. March 8). My husband became severely disabled four years ago and is confined to a wheelchair and living at home. During all of this time, the council-run carers from the Home Support
I WRITE in reply to county council leader Keith Mitchell on Radio Oxford and in the Oxford Mail (February 14). On radio, in a discussion with other politicians on cuts, he commented: “You would be surprised how many old people manage their budgets”.
Alchester head coach Chris Kimber says there is no way his players will ease up after securing promotion. Saturday’s 26-0 home victory over Stow-on-the-Wold means only second-placed Slough can pip Alchester to the BB&O Premier Division title. They are
Can I encourage readers to think carefully before answering the “What is your religion?” question in the 2011 census? Technically, this is what’s called a leading question as, because of the way it is phrased, it encourages many people to feel that they
IT IS extremely disappointing that the Conservative Government has taken the decision to raise the cost of NHS prescriptions with effect from April. Hard-pressed families are already struggling to cope with the growing cost of living crisis. VAT increases
Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell is a busy man, spearheading the deepest County Hall cuts in recent memory. And he is about to get busier. Mr Mitchell has been invested as a Metropolitan Grand Inspector in London Masonry, and has responsibility
IT is a pity having come so far down the road of pedestrianising Queen Street and other city centre improvements that Oxfordshire County Council has stalled (if you pardon the traffic puns). Some of the work identified under Transform Oxford had been
Keith Mitchell (Oxford Mail letters February 17) was at great pains to tell us that his professional officers say that the last time library hours were cut evenly over all the county libraries, usage went down by a larger percentage. May I ask who these
A farmhouse built in the early 1600s is on the market for the first time in almost a quarter of a century. Black Hall House is one of the oldest houses in central North Oxford and includes many period features such as working fireplaces, wooden floors
In medieval times, a thatched roof was a luxury available only to the wealthy but by the 16th century had become the choice of peasants, while the rich preferred tiles. Now things have turned full circle and thatch is enjoying a renaissance, thanks to
OXFORD Railway Station will ditch the supplier of its cashless parking system from Monday. First Great Western and Network Rail will replace the RingGo system with one designed by enforcement company APCOA. Last night, FGW denied claims by RingGo that
TRIBUTES have been paid to a popular science teacher who taught at an Oxford comprehensive for 24 years. Duncan Nicholls, 46, a physics teacher at Cheney School in Headington, died suddenly on Monday. The Oxford United season ticket holder and keen
SEAN Freaney last night began a life sentence behind bars after jurors took just 20 minutes to convict him of murdering his partner. The 51-year-old builder, who showed more interest in a football score than the death of his girfriend, will serve a
Oxford United Reserves took over at the top of the Totesport.Com Combination East Division with a 2-0 victory over Colchester Res at Didcot’s Loop Meadow Stadium on Wednesday night. Goals from Asa Hall and Simon Heslop sealed victory for
Former Radley athlete Hatti Dean finished second in the senior women’s race at Saturday’s Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships in Birmingham, and in doing so, secured her place in Team GB for the world championships in Spain later this month. Dean
OXFORD MAIL CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE Radley's terrific trio of Robby Crowther, TJ McClimont and Jonathan Hancox continued where they left off last season to clinch the under 13 boys’ title. The youngsters, who starred in the under 11 age group last year
OXFORD MAIL CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE Woodstock Harrier Steve Naylor completed his goal of lifting the senior and overall men’s titles with another commanding performance in the final round of the 2010-11 season at Swindon on Sunday. After competing for
SOME cars are more than happy to sit posing on the driveway. Others just beg to be driven. Peugeot’s practical 308 SW sits squarely in the latter camp and is one of those versatile vehicles that is at its happiest when a long journey beckons. Whether
I sometimes wonder how difficult it would be to do a weekly food shop that did not include anything I had bought before . . . Which is not to say that I will buy no bread or cheese or jam but rather to make a conscious effort to buy different types of
Spring into action: For an avid lover of wildlife, March is an exciting time of year. It marks the end of the long (especially this year!), monotonous winter. Thankfully the recent dull and cool weather has failed to halt the progress of spring. There
Spring seems a little reluctant this year. As I write, temperatures hover above freezing, but my hardy geraniums are still managing to shoot. Geranium phaeum ‘Rose Madder’ (pictured) will soon be flowering, and it’s a delight. How I wish it was out now
MARCH 10 2011 marks the tenth anniversary of when Oxford United last played arch rivals Swindon Town in the league. And fans and former players who starred in some of the memorable encounters in the past, admit it’s a sporting contest they
PLANS to pedestrianise large parts of the centre of Oxford have stalled, The Oxford Times can reveal. Oxfordshire County Council had hoped Queen Street would be free of buses this year with much of the rest of the city centre pedestrianised
“IT WAS always inevitable for him at some point, and that’s where I came into the equation, because he didn’t have a director he particularly wanted to do it with: he just knew he wanted to do it. It’s huge for the actor, and pretty big for the director
COUNTY Hall’s latest local transport plan will be finalised next week. The plan is the blueprint for traffic improvements until 2030. Its aim is to tackle congestion, support future housing developments and encourage inward investment to the
A look through the files of The Oxford Times reveals it is now 20 years since the idea of removing all traffic from Cornmarket and Queen Street in the centre of Oxford was first suggested as part of the city council’s Local Plan. It took eight years,
Silent cinema was a foreign land: they did things differently there. Anyone who considers modern sound cinema to be more sophisticated than the wordless pictures made between 1895-1930 should take a look at Alexander Dovzhenko's Zvenigora (1928), which
Born in Vietnam, but now based in France, Tran Anh Hung is a wonderful film-maker. The Oscar-nominated The Scent of Green Papaya (1993) was a delicate study of fidelity and trust, while Cyclo (1995) conveyed the raw energy, desperate poverty and
Sir – With regard to the recent proposal to erect a mobile phone mast in St Giles, why can’t we have a combined lamp post and mobile phone mast like other councils have installed in Aylesbury and St Albans, for example? Stephen Goodchild, Witney
Sir – Can I encourage all your readers to think carefully before answering the “What is your religion?” question in the 2011 Census? It’s Qu.20 for each individual. Technically, this is what’s called a “leading” question since, the way it is phrased
Sir – May I add a further suggestion to the Age UK Give an Hour campaign. The WRVS books-on-wheels service is a lifeline to the elderly and housebound who find it difficult to visit a library. As a volunteer for the past 12 years I find this rewarding
Sir – The novel called Gaudy Night cited by Richard O. Smith (Oxfordshire Limited Edition, March) certainly can’t be the same as that written by Dorothy L. Sayers, as he gets practically every fact wrong. No one would recognise his portrait of Harriet
Sir – Whoever is responsible for putting together the Weekend pages seems to have an odd sense of priorities. This is particularly evident in the February 24 issue. The whole of the front page is given over to an article showcasing Rory Kinnear in a
Sir – Dr Daniel Emlyn-Jones is of course right (Letters, February 17) to stress that secondary schools, whether state or private, are about much more than Oxbridge places. My self-indulgent letter (February 3) about my two older sons and Oxford and Cambridge
Sir – Following earlier discussions in your pages of our street’s innovative approach to traffic-calming measures, I write to inform you that Oxfordshire County Council has released the results of a two-week survey of traffic speeds in Beech Croft Road
Sir – With petrol prices passing £1.30 per litre, could it be that rearranging Frideswide Square is more like the mythical deckchairs on the Titanic? World oil production is expected to reach a maximum in the next year or two, after which it
Sir – Ten years after redesigning Frideswide Square, the county council are trying to sort out the mess they created. About time too. They have no money except ours, but plan to spend £300,000 planning a replacement and another £5m if they can get it
Sir – I was delighted with your front page story Switch off the traffic lights (March 3). A few months ago you published a letter from me explaining that only twice have I experienced an easy run into Oxford along the Botley Road when there were power
Sir – I had to smile when I read Dr Daniel Emlyn-Jones’s touchingly naïve statement: ‘To me it stands to reason that a private education in general is superior to a state education. Otherwise, why do parents pay out so much money?’ I can just see him
Sir – Christians and non-Christians are unlikely to agree on the value of faith schools despite all the available evidence, evidence which is too often ignored in favour of personal beliefs. However, your correspondent who seems to find no merit in faith
Sir – How sad that The Oxford Times chooses to focus on the bad news rather than the good — yet again. The 20mph limit has reduced the accident rate by five per cent as predicted. It is hard to celebrate accidents not happening — but we should. My experience
Sir – Your lead article (March 3) called for a combination of switching off the lights and traffic calming in Frideswide Square. You are right: we should look again at doing something simpler. The design being developed by the county council is expensive
Sir – Since the suggestion that the traffic lights in Frideswide Square are not useful, how about an experiment to turn them all off in Oxford for two separated weeks. We can then find out which ones are really necessary. The money saved in traffic lights
Sir – As an Oxford resident, I would like to know exactly how the county council plans to save £750,000 by changing Redbridge recycling centre to trade only. If this plan has been devised for financial reasons — are these available for scrutiny by the
TO his neighbours, grandfather Akbar Alikhan lives a quiet life with his wife Carmelina in Kidlington. But when he lifts his pen, he becomes Akbar Hyderabadi, a world-renowned Urdu poet who is now bringing his talent to the English language
AS A change of career goes, it certainly takes some beating. Police officers Anna and Steve Tolan decided to swap patrolling the Oxford beat for life running a nature reserve in Africa. Now the couple, who lived in Kennington before emigrating in 1998
The centenary of the birth of Benjamin Britten falls in 2013 and a group of Oxford musicians is already making plans to mark the event. They want Oxford to have a year-long festival of linked activities celebrating the composer’s life and work. The project
UK charity BlindArt’s “Touching Art, Touching you,” exhibition has come to Banbury. This incredible art exhibition can be found at Banbury Museum in the Castle Quay shopping centre, and is being provided in collaboration with two local charities
“IT WAS at the 50th birthday party for Dave Gilmour, of Pink Floyd, and he was on the guest list. I thought he’d never show up. He did and I was incredibly nervous, but we talked for a long time and he was incredibly charming.” No wonder Andre Barreau
