THE Oxfordshire runner-up in this year’s BBC Masterchef has spoken of how he balanced filming with his late father’s illness. More than seven million viewers saw Tom Whitaker lose out in the cookery final on BBC One on Wednesday night to Tim
Two cars were set alight in a suspected arson attack in Headington, Oxford. Firefighters attended the scene in Holley Crescent, off Wharton Road, just after 3am today. A fire service spokesman said one of the vehicles was completely destroyed and the
A HAIRCUT is pretty run-of-the-mill for most people, but for a woman from Southmoor a few snips will lay waste to five years of work. Helen Redfern, 42, of Cherry Tree Close, is to shave off her hair and donate the locks to the Little Princess Trust
AN ABINGDON couple married for 60 years have offered their words of wisdom to the happily wedded Royal couple. Terry and Sylvia Belcher, from Trendell Place, met at a dance in a church hall behind St Nicholas Church in 1949, and have picked up some lessons
SUMMER IS officially on its way now the city’s only open air swimming pool has opened. Hinksey Pool, in Hinksey Park, off Abingdon Road, opened for the season on Saturday. To mark the occasion the Oxford British Sub Aqua club, which uses the club
Ionica Florea, 27, of Cavell House, Colville Estate, London, admitted two burglaries of copper piping in Cobden Crescent, Oxford, on March 4. Jailed for 12 weeks. Florin Radu, 30, of no fixed address, admitted burglary of copper piping in Cobden Crescent
TYRES and saddles are set to replace sweets and fancy dress costumes at an East Oxford shop unit. Beeline Bicycles has taken up the lease on the former Bead Games store in Cowley Road and submitted an application to alter the shop front. Bead Games,
TYRES and saddles are set to replace sweets and fancy dress costumes at an East Oxford shop unit. Beeline Bicycles has taken up the lease on the former Bead Games store in Cowley Road and submitted an application to alter the shop front. Bead Games,
BANK chiefs have pledged to smarten up the Wantage branch of HSBC after it was branded “scruffy” by councillors. Members of Wantage Town Council said the bank, in the former town hall, should be given a clean as part of council efforts to tidy up the
OXFORD Road in Temple Cowley is closed this afternoon following a crash between two vehicles. The road, which becomes Cowley Road nearby, is closed around its junction with Littlehay Road.
for the third time in recent weeks, the Oxford Mail has reported on taxpayers’ money being wasted. First we heard of the county council organising a night away at very expensive Heythrop Park. Next it was the NHS’ turn at the Belfry at Milton Common.
After another month without a game, Marston Saints returned to action with home game against Radley on a warm morning at Boults Lane. Saints were quickly into their stride, passing the ball confidently. They made an early breakthrough with
BRTAIN’S best Indian chefs are coming to Oxford and there won’t be a tikka masala in sight. The first UK Indian Chef competition will launch at Oxford & Cherwell Valley College next Monday, with 27 cooks battling it out to claim the title.
A TOWER block was evacuated and a woman was taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a second floor flat in Northway. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the flat in Plowman Tower, in Westlands Drive, just before midnight on Saturday
FARMERS in Oxfordshire are concerned a lack of rain this spring could lead to the harvest being 30 per cent down on previous years. March was the driest March in the county since 1961, and the sixth driest in more than 100 years. Rainfall was just 7.7mm
Nathan Hawkes and Luke Ryan played starring roles as Oxfordshire began their Minor Counties Trophy campaign with a thrilling four-run victory over Dorset at Challow & Childrey. Hawkes's magnificent century at more than a run a ball and Ryan's
SATURDAY’S RESULTS 7.45: 1 BANGKOK BETTY 2-1 fav, 2 Saleen Tango 5-2. Trio: (1x2x3). Trainer: Baker. Time: 27.68. 8.00: 1 COOLARD NIKI 5-4 fav, 2 Geneva Jay Jay 7-2. Trio: (4x1x2). Trainer: Colton. Time: 27.09. 8.15: 1 DISHOFTHEDAY 4-1, 2 Droopys Edgar
Tom Craddock felt Lincoln goalkeeper Elliott Parish should have been sent off for bringing him down just before half-time at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday. The incident was a major talking point in United’s 2-1 victory over the Imps, who remain in serious
THIS was the scene in High Street, Oxford, in 1981 as revellers celebrated May morning. A maypole was hastily erected in the middle of the road and a huge crowd gathered to watch a group of morris dancers in action. As usual, thousands of people had
PUPILS at Eynsham Ballet School delighted parents with a production of Sleeping Beauty in 1979. The title role was danced by Katie Chapman, the prince was Lisa James and the good and wicked fairies were Julie Taylor and Claire Bannister. Some of the cast
WE ARE told the First Past The Post (FPTP) voting system no longer meets our political requirements. But the Alternative Vote (AV) system could well confuse electors rather than automatically increase democracy. It might improve a philosophically
I AM writing with reference to the article Row over ‘tank’ explodes again (Tuesday’s Oxford Mail). I have driven down St Peter’s Road to see the offending vehicles for myself. They are not at all unsightly (at least no more so than some of the ugly 4x4s
We are sorry Ann Black is concerned about our Rose Hill service which becomes the 3A from May 8 (Oxford Mail letters, April 27). It’s not a change that we’ve made lightly but she will still be able to get from the Iffley Road area to the railway station
You report that “Ian Bayley is one of the brainiest people in Britain after notching up an impressive array of top intellectual prizes”. But I am not so sure. Firstly, let me congratulate him on becoming Mastermind Champion 2011 and, secondly, I concede
I don’t know why, but launderettes make funeral parlours feel like 18th brithday parties, and doctors’ waiting rooms like ‘Arrivals’ gates at airports. Having spent the last few months ‘homeless’, I’ve found myself forced to use them in order to keep
THE people of Oxford have celebrated the arrival of May in all sorts of ways over the years. These pictures from the Oxford Mail archives reflect the variety of entertainment on offer. The first picture was taken at a Fun in the Parks event held at
LOUISE Hall had a successful career as a young dancer, winning a crop of prizes. Now Louise Benoist, fitness trainer and dance teacher, she is hoping to guide others to similar glory. She has two scrapbooks packed with newspaper cuttings, photographs
MOST of these folk look happy – and so they should be. They were members of the Happy Circle Club which met at the Bullingdon Centre in Headington, Oxford. The picture was taken in 1986 when an Oxford Mail photographer dropped in as members were about
Oxford United skipper James Constable has won the club’s supporters player of the year award for the second time in three seasons. Beano, United’s leading scorer with 17 goals,received the Andrew Knapton trophy before Saturday’s game against Lincoln.
Thame win local 20/20 derby Thame were winners in this competitive HCPCL match. Batting first, Horspath steadily accumulated the runs, with Andy Wynd scoring 58 and J Mohammed 36 in the home side's 147 for 4. Thame's best bowler was Will Rooney who
James Constable was over the moon to win the Andrew Knapton supporters player of the year trophy for the second time. Oxford United’s captain collected the award before Saturday’s 2-1 win over Lincoln – the U’s last home game of the season.
THE BIGGEST May Morning celebrations for years passed without incident thanks to a major security clampdown. More than 18,000 people gathered on and around Magdalen Bridge to hear the Magdalen College choir at 6am. It was the first time
A DAREDEVIL rector took a leap of faith to launch Dorchester Festival . Canon Sue Booys embarked on a fundraising abseil down the side of the abbey on Saturday. She was among 12 people who took the plunge to raise funds for Dorchester Abbey and the
OXFORD City Council has been accused of building a budget ‘war chest’ ahead of next year’s local elections. The Labour administration will review its spending in the autumn to ensure its unprecedented £9m cuts package is on track. But opponents have
What a victory for common sense. May morning in Oxford passed off without incident even though it was the first time Magdalen Bridge had been opened for the celebrations since 2005. In that year 40 people were injured jumping into the river, so the 18,000
Manager Chris Wilder said he was delighted for the supporters that his Oxford United team were able to sign off in style on Saturday. They won their last home game of the season with a fine second-half comeback to beat struggling Lincoln
Thames Valley Police – and in particular two of the city’s commanders – spent a lot of effort convincing the community that CCTV cameras were needed to cut crime in Cowley Road. There was huge political wrangling behind the scenes as both
THE KISSING GAME by Aidan Chambers (Bodley Head, £10.99)This collection is a timely addition to today’s teenage fiction. The 16 stories vary from 50 pages to less than 1,000 words — the latter Chambers designates flash fiction: “a flash of light, a
The Palladian Way seems a good idea. It’s a long-distance (123 miles) footpath from Stowe in Buckinghamshire to Bath, devised by Guy Vowles, a Stowe ’old boy’ and prodigious walker. The landscape gardens and buildings at Stowe are one of the glories
THIRTEEN-year-old diabetes sufferer Ben Croxford is getting a helping paw in coping with the condition from his pet dog Chester. Now scores of Bicester slimmers, including Ben’s mum Katie, are losing pounds to raise hundreds for the charity
THE number of sick days taken by ambulance and community NHS staff has risen, new figures show. South Central Ambulance Service workers took an average 18.1 days off in the 12 months from April 2010, compared to 17.1 the year before. Community and mental
STAFF at Bullingdon Prison have raised more than £8,000 for a colleague's son whose leg was blown off in Afghanistan. Private Patrick Burns, of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, narrowly escaped with his life after stepping on a bomb buried in the
