MUMS and toddlers gathered for a barbecue in Blackbird Leys to celebrate the opening of a revamped play area. Play equipment at the run-down playground in Falcon Close has been replaced by Oxford City Council at an estimated cost of £35,000
THE changing demographics of an Oxford neighbourhood has been cited as a reason for the demise of one of the city’s backstreet pubs. The Shelley Arms has been boarded up and sold by Punch Taverns and is not expected to reopen as a pub.
A TESCO employee in Didcot has been named its national Fundraiser of the Year after she and colleagues raised £28,000 for children’s cancer charity Clic Sargent. Mother-of-four Diane Anns encouraged staff at Tesco’s Didcot distribution centre in Collett
A CELEBRATION of folk music speedily arranged after the cancellation of Oxford’s long-standing folk festival “went like a dream”. Oxford Folk Festival was called off in February after organisers said it was financially unviable – but folk lovers rallied
ROSE Hill residents celebrated the Nepalese New Year on Saturday, and partied like it was 2068! Residents gathered at Rose Hill Primary School to honour the estate’s Nepalese residents. The community follows the Bikram Sambat Nepali
FEWER THAN one in 10 people support controversial changes to Oxfordshire’s recycling centres. According to Oxfordshire County Council’s own survey, just seven per cent of comments received were in favour of the planned changes, which includes closing
HEADINGTON could have its own annual Easter Festival set around the library in Bury Knowle Park. Campaigners fighting to save the branch from closure staged a series of events in the park at the weekend, including an Easter bonnet competition and Palm
The family of a man who died in a pub fight have failed in their latest legal bid to find his killer. Kevin Lavelle, 29, above, from Bootle, near Liverpool, was fatally injured at the Cricketers Arms in 2004. In January 2006, Ceri Noble, of Rhondda
Some of Oxfordshire’s top juniors took part in a ‘Living Hockey’ masterclass at the Dragon School in Oxford. Leading the sessions were former GB Olympic coach Jon Royce, GB and England striker Matt Daly and former GB and England Under 21 goalkeeper Ian
AEA Technology 3.65 BMW 5125 Electrocomponents 264.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 102.5 Oxford Biomedica 5.7 Oxford Catalysts 101 Oxford Instruments 754.5 Reed Elsevier 537.25 RM 147.25 RPS Group 210.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley,
FRIENDS of a teenager killed in a moped crash have called for a memorial garden in his honour. Eddie Lynch, 16, from Kidlington, was a pupil at Warriner School in Bloxham. He died after a grey Audi A6 car hit his stationary red Aprilia
BB&O round-up A HAT-TRICK of tries from Jack Briggs proved in vain as Gosford All Blacks lost 40-17 at home to Swindon College Old Boys in the Premier Division. Centre Briggs crossed three times at Stratfield Brake, with scrum half Tim
Midfielder Ryan Burge has been recalled by Doncaster Rovers, but Oxford United have not given up hope that he may be able to remain with them for the final three weeks of the campaign. Oxford signed Burge until the end of the season, but
A NEW games area for the children of forces families living at RAF Benson was officially opened by former England footballer Stuart Pearce yesterday. The England under-21 managerjoined personnel and their families to unveil the facility provided by welfare
Wallingford are celebrating a highly successful season which saw three of their teams gaining promotion. Both the first and second ladies teams are going up, with the firsts promoted to the South League. Wallingford men improved on last
OXFORD: A 24-year-old man accused of raping a woman in Cowley appeared at Oxford Crown Court yesterday. Zelalem Netsanet, of Peregrine Road, Oxford, was remanded in custody to appear again on June 27. A 23-year-old woman told police
OXON: Two men convicted of people trafficking offences will not be sentenced until the judge who heard their case returns to work. Anastassios Papas, 42, formerly of Iffley Road, Oxford, was convicted of trafficking women for sexual exploitation, conspiracy
A FORMER soldier who was shot in the head at the height of the Northern Irish conflict has shown returning troops his gratitude by buying them a pint. Roger Lane, 58, was shot in 1974, while on tour in Northern Ireland. The bullet went up his nose and
OXFORD City Council is making a wise move by monitoring social networking sites Twitter and Facebook ahead of May Morning in a bid to learn how many peope might be planning to jump off Magdalen Bridge. But it shouldn’t get too carried away embracing
Southern Counties North Grove had flanker Guy Nicholl red-carded as they lost their final game 29-7 at Beaconsfield. Nicholl was sent off for what Grove felt was an accidental kick at a home player, while they claimed Beaconsfield’s scrum half should
Oxford's Jason Plato was reduced to tears by his team’s efforts to repair his mangled car after his dramatic 120mph crash in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park. His Silverline Chevrolet Cruze was ‘written off’ after it
STUDENTS in Oxford are being urged not to make a Twit of themselves on May Morning. Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook will be used to target revellers, and authorities will be tracking any plans to jump from Magdalen Bridge. The websites
Midlands 1 West Banbury Bulls ended their campaign with a sorry 44-8 home defeat to Walsall. Relegated Bulls had hoped to give head coach Grant Holmes a good send-off in his final match, but they were outclassed after a promising opening quarter.
Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division leaders Wantage Town have been dealt a blow after it emerged that their ground has failed a Southern League inspection. It means that irrespective of where they finish, Wantage, who lead second-placed Ardley
CHARITY fundraiser Brian Adams is not sitting on his backside hoping to help poorly youngsters in hospital. Instead he is quite literally getting behind a campaign to raise cash for sick newborn babies and their families. The 30-year-old from Littlemore
A NEW group to protect the interests of Oxford’s tutorial and sixth form colleges has been launched to oppose Government visa reforms which principals say could threaten the industry. The new Oxford Consortium of Independent Sixth Form and Tutorial Colleges
National 3 South West JOEY Todd’s touchline penalty gave Oxford Harlequins a remarkable 42-42 draw at Bridgwater & Albion. Todd struck in the final minute to cap a match that had ebbed and flowed throughout. Quins took the lead on three minutes with
Under the Government’s Localism Bill, councils are encouraged to engage with residents at a grassroots level. Oxford City Council had just such a mechanism in the area committee system. The obvious way forward would have been to develop these committees
I was saddened to read the report (Oxford Mail, April 8) under the headline “Relief at the death of a paedophile”. There is another side to this story. Dan was one of many children ‘in care’ transported to Australia after the war. Both in the children
I WOULD like to reply to the letters about hospital mixed wards. I am a 74-year-old woman and I have been in hospital three times with heart problems. I was always put in a mixed ward with 10 beds and I was the only woman with nine men. It was embarrassing
Q My boxer dog has a small round red lump just under his lower lip. It’s a bit smaller than a dried pea, smooth, but red, like a blood blister-type thing. How can I tell if it is nasty? B Payne, Witney A It is rarely possible to tell if a
Joe Burnell and Simon Futcher return for North Leigh when they host Division 1 South & West high-fliers Sholing on Tuesday night. Victory for Mark Gee’s side would see them climb back into the play-off zone. Gee, who will be without
National 2 South HENLEY Hawks’ largest travelling crowd for more than a decade roared them on to a 20-14 victory at third-placed Richmond. This was Hawks’ first win against Richmond and gave them a six-point cushion in sixth place. Full back James
So, Bob Price, leader of the city council, and his Labour administration colleagues are ignoring public opinion, and that of the opposition groups on the council, by abolishing area committees (Oxford Mail, April 13). No change there then. Remember this
I MUST agree with Bill Yates, OAPS are off-line (Oxford Mail ViewPoints, April 7). I have wanted to apply for BBC 2’s Pointless. I am only 50 but I too have no Internet. Do people without access not exist? S THOMAS (Mr), Oxford Road, Abingdon
l The Insider (Thursday’s Oxford Mail) reports that county council leader Keith Mitchell has personally insulted Dr Evan Harris for expressing opinions about threats to the NHS. Dr Harris has every right to express such opinions, especially as he is
The Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire, Andrea Leadsom, has unleashed a furious debate within the cycling community with her Private Member’s Bill in Parliament calling for a new traffic safety offence of causing death by dangerous cycling. The
FUEL thefts from Oxfordshire service stations have soared by more than 80 per cent in five years. Figures obtained by the Oxford Mail show 1,549 drivers fled after filling up last year – up from 853 in 2006. And thieves are also stealing more fuel from
Oxford United manager Chris Wilder paid tribute to Damian Batt after the right back was chosen in the PFA League Two Team of the Year. “He’s an improving player in his first year in the League, so we’re just looking for him to keep improving
South West 1 East WALLINGFORD were relegated after a 56-12 defeat at Amersham & Chiltern, who were crowned champions. Starting the day two places above the relegation zone, Wallingford could not muster a bonus point, while rivals Reading
SIX months of work started on Oxford’s Heyford Hill roundabout yesterday, with drivers experiencing some delays during the day. Rush hour commuters escaped the worst of the problems, with no lane closures in force until 9.30am. But taxi driver Ghafoor
HOMOPHOBIC incidents reported to police rose by more than 170 per cent in Oxford last year. In 2009, there were just seven incidents of homophobia in the city, but this rose to 19 in 2010. Oxford Pride chairman Cheryl Briggs said: “Any number of homophobic
THE doctor elected by Oxfordshire GPs to lead the controversial shake-up of the local NHS has vowed the changes will not be as drastic as feared. Dr Stephen Richards was the only GP to allow his name to go forward for an election to lead the
ANY debate over the unopposed election of Stephen Richards as consortium leader for the proposed restructuring of NHS commissioning locally would be a diversion from the real issue. The Government has pressed pause on its plans and so now it
Three men have been arrested after a gang burst into a home in Rotary Way, Banbury, on Sunday afternoon, and attacked a man. The incident happened at about 3.30am on Sunday. Police said the victim, in his mid 20s, suffered several puncture
A power cut hit scores of businesses in the centre of Oxford yesterday. The electricity went off at 2pm to 66 homes and businesses in the Merton Street, High Street, St Aldate’s and Westgate areas. A further 277 properties in the same area then lost
A RARE work by the controversial graffiti artist Banksy is up for sale in Oxford. The 1970s bank safe, which has been stenciled with parachuting rats, is on the market with city-based art dealer Adrian Greenwood. The guide price is £60,000 – and it
RESEARCHING your family tree on the Internet is better than watching sex online, according to a leading member of the Oxfordshire Family History Society. Julie Kennedy, secretary of the society formed in 1976, made the claim as she helped members of
