Archive

  • FOOTBALL: Mid Oxon suffer heartbreak

    Mid Oxon Schools slipped to a 2-1 extra time defeat against Dacorum Schools in the final of the ESFA Under 15 Trophy at the Kassam Stadium. Match report in Friday's Oxford Mail.

  • Fire in Watlington skip

    Fire crews were called to the Lye Mill Farm industrial estate, off Howe Road, Watlington, after a skip containing wood chippings was set alight today. A 999 call was received shortly after midnight. Thames Valley Police are investigating the

  • Car torched in Littlemore

    Police are investigating a car fire in Littlemore today. Firefighters were called to Priory Road shortly after 5.15am. The crew suspected the fire was the result of an arson attack and reported the incident to Thames Valley Police.

  • Man attacked with metal bar

    A man was hit with a metal bar during a robbery in East Oxford. The 21-year-old’s mobile phone and the trainers he was wearing were stolen in the attack. A group of men approached the victim at the junction of Hurst Street and Regent Street shortly

  • 'Club so violent I had to resign'

    A DOORMAN at an Oxford nightclub “found the venue so violent he chose not to work there any more”. That was the view of a doorman at The Bridge in Hythe Bridge Street after one of his colleagues was charged with assaulting a customer after being attacked

  • Chiltern suspends late-night trains to speed up track work

    LATE-NIGHT trains on the Chiltern Line between Oxfordshire and London are to be replaced by buses from next month to help engineers complete work to speed up the route. From Monday, June 6, until Thursday, August 18, five northbound services leaving

  • WIN WIN: Winning film hits jackpot

    Tom McCarthy delighted audiences at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival with his directorial debut, The Station Agent, a brilliantly observed and witty portrait of small town life that won numerous awards. His eagerly anticipated follow-up, The Visitor,

  • Dapper knights: Gentlemen's Dub Club

    SUITED, booted and ready to party, the Gentleman’s Dub Club are the dapper knights of dub, dubstep and roots reggae. They are famed for their frenzied gigs, a reputation which has earned them coveted slots at the world’s greatest festivals, including

  • Caddy girls glam up charity golf day

    THEY were famously banned from one of Oxfordshire’s top golf clubs for “damaging” the sport’s reputation. But the glamorous Eye Candy Caddies – who promise to make golf gorgeous – are returning to the county for a charity fun day. They will host the

  • PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES: Cast adrift

    Johnny Depp’s impressive CV is littered with oddballs, from the heartbreaking title role in Edward Scissorhands and iconic B-movie director Ed Wood to a creepily childlike Willy Wonka and the maddest Hatter ever to grace Alice’s Wonderland.

  • Eliza Carthy: At forefront of folk's new wave

    AHHH... folk music! Woolly jumpers, pewter tankards, and blokes with bushy beards wassailing (whatever that is). Or at least, that’s what it used to be like – well, a bit. Now, of course, folk is sexy. Inspired by our islands’ rich, and often unsung

  • Local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 4.2 BMW 5494 Electrocomponents 289.6 Nationwide Accident Repair 94 Oxford Biomedica 5.85 Oxford Catalysts 94.5 Oxford Instruments 739.75 Reed Elsevier 567.25 RM 132.25 RPS

  • BARBARA LUMB: A distinguished RAF career

    A FORMER deputy director of the Women’s Royal Air Force has died, aged 94. Group Captain Barbara Lumb, known to her friends as Sally, passed away at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, on May 7. She had spent the last decade of her life at the Rush

  • GEORGE RODGER: Big-hearted Headington figure

    WELL-KNOWN Headington man George Rodger has died aged 75. Known locally as ‘Jock’ or ‘Rangers’, Mr Rodger was a familiar figure around the Headington area of Oxford in his trademark tartan cap. Mr Rodger served on the Gladstone Road

  • How to raise that cash

    Graham Nixey, Long Hanborough-based senior associate with Secantor, a network of part-time finance directors, explores the funding process for small and growing businesses With the current economic climate providing a challenging backdrop,

  • Artweeks Exhibition at Magdalen Road Studios

    An Artweeks visit to the Magdalen Road Studios is highly recommended. As at the studios 26 very different resident artists will be both exhibiting and demonstrating their work. Work on show is of the highest standard and spans a huge range:

  • Artweeks Exhibition by Maureen Wilsker

    Once Maureen Wilsker, from Witney, called herself a potter and spent her time creating superb pots, garden ornaments and plaques of the Green Man. Now she is spending more time painting colourful wall hangings, wooden panels and patterned fabrics

  • Artweeks show by Marjorie Collins

    Brightly coloured stripes weaving across Marjorie Collins’s canvasses give her work such a distinctive look. Nobody paints stripes like she does. Sometimes they are reflected in the metal surfaces of the other objects in the picture, most aredistorted

  • wocArt: West Oxford Community Centre

    This is the ninth year that this group of West Oxford based artists have taken part in Artweeks. Each year the group invites one or more new artists to show with them: this year’s new artists are ceramicist Miranda Miller and children’s book illustrator

  • Artweeks exhibitions by Oakthorpe Road artists

    There are probably more artists in Summertown than in any other part of Oxford and Oakthorpe Road seems to be where most are concentrated. This means that Artweeks visitors find Summertown a worthwhile destination, as they can go from studio to

  • Mazda with real Six appeal

    In the highly competitive mid-range of the motoring market, some may argue there is little to distinguish between the leading contenders in the field. But then, company car drivers and those who just want their transport to do as much as possible in the

  • Listed home in heart of period TV star village

    As the setting for popular TV drama Downton Abbey, Bampton has become one of the best-known villages in Britain. A character property near its centre is The Hermitage, an 18th-century Grade-II listed house, believed to have once been a public

  • Rent a slice of film history

    Fans of hit movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang can invest in a slice of the legend at Kiln Barn, near Henley. In the 1968 film, Dick Van Dyke as inventor Caractacus Potts driving Chitty runs Truly Scrumptious, played by Sally Ann Howes, off the road into

  • Tucked away in private lane

    A family house is tucked away in a private road owned by the Dragon School. The five-bedroom 1920s house is in Richards Lane, off Woodstock Road, and includes many period features such as wooden floors, picture rails and open fireplaces. The drawing

  • Brookes art students show off degree work

    DREAMS and Greek mythology were just some of the inspirations behind the art of graduating Oxford Brookes University students. Final pieces of work from art graduates at Brookes will be on show all week and range from sculptures and paintings to etchings

  • New Cholsey cafe thanks to grandpa

    MUM-OF-TWO Jo Scarrott is using her inheritance to open a new café. Mrs Scarrott, 30 pictured right with friend Elaina Sykes – of Station Road, Cholsey, opened the café at The Pound in the village on Monday. Mrs Scarrott, a former Network

  • Flats plan gets approval despite parking fears

    A DERELICT Oxford depot will be turned into flats, despite fears from neighbours about parking problems. The red brick building in New High Street, Headington, below, will be knocked down and replaced with two two-bedroom flats. Oxford City Council

  • Wilder signs up Wycombe striker Pittman

    Oxford United manager Chris Wilder has made his fourth capture of the summer by signing Wycombe Wanderers striker Jon-Paul Pittman. The 24-year-old, who made 77 appearances for the Chairboys, has agreed to sign a two-year deal after being

  • BOWLS: Carterton crush City & County in super style

    Carterton made a stunning start to the new season in Division 1 of the Oxford & District League, sponsored by Yarnton Nurseries, by doubling Oxford City & County’s score in a 6-0 thrashing. Gordon Walker’s four posted the west Oxfordshire club’s biggest

  • Absurd contradictions

    Sir – L. Rogers (Letters, May 5) seems not to realise that ‘Christopher Gray’ is indeed a great fictional creation, the latest in a line of immortal, vain and pompous characters from Malvolio to Mr Pooter and Mr Toad. Consider the absurd contradictions

  • BOWLS: County women at the double

    Oxfordshire Ladies made it two wins from as many outings in the Mid England League with a 112-97 win over Gloucestershire at Whaddon BC, Cheltenham. Oxon won on three of the six rinks for a 16-6 points success. Gloucestershire 97 (6pts

  • BAR BILLIARDS: Oxford hit back to claim victory

    Oxford B produced a brilliant comeback to whitewash Northants B 5-0 in their Inter Area Cup second round, second leg tie for a 6-4 aggregate win, writes PETE EWINS. Trailing 4-1 from the away leg, Oxford stormed to victory. Billy Hill (5,760) won the

  • AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Saints flattened by stampeding Bulls

    Oxford Saints suffered their second successive heavy defeat with a 39-0 battering at Birmingham Bulls in BAFA Community League Division 1. Beaten 26-0 by Leicester Falcons on their previous outing, injury-hit Saints again drew a blank. Oliver Neal scored

  • Cell success

    Sir – Today, the Oxford Castle, developed through a partnership between Oxfordshire County Council, the Oxford Preservation Trust and a development company, is celebrating becoming a successful tourist destination and stylish night spot. I look forward

  • GOLF: Results round-up

    SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Knockout Cup preliminary round Oxford City 2, Ellesborough 1 (Oxford City first): D Wiggins & R Ferguson lost to J Allison & B Goodwin 6&5, G Soave & M Soave bt D Holland & P Cuthbert 3&2, M Hall & J Stone bt

  • Few jams as Iffley Road work starts

    DRIVERS have so far escaped serious delays despite major roadworks in Iffley Road. Motorists have braced themselves of jams until the resurfacing finishes late next year. But during the morning rush-hour on Monday, traffic was running freely and drivers

  • GOLF: Davies triumph

    JORDON Davies became one of Hadden Hill’s youngest winners of a ‘major’ competition after triumphing in their Tournament of Champions aged just 13. Davies triumphed in a six-man play-off to beat Lee Challis into second and Bill White into third. OXFORDSHIRE

  • GOLF: Chippy in slow start

    DEFENDING champions Chipping Norton are still looking for a first win of 2011 in Section 1 of the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League after drawing with leaders Frilford Heath. Chippy led in all three of their matches, but had to be content with

  • ATHLETICS: Joyful Noel in Euro delight

    NOEL Blatchford, from Abingdon Amblers, won two gold medals for Great Britain in the 12th European Veterans Championships. Blatchford was one of a three-strong Amblers line-up which also included Judy Howard and Roz Mckenzie, who came away with a haul

  • ATHLETICS RESULTS: Oxfordshire Track & Field Championships

    MEDAL WINNERS SENIOR MEN 100m: 1 S Tully-Middleton (Birchfield) 10.78, 2 B Horsley (Oxford Uni) 11.30, 3 A Johnson (Oxford C) 11.33. 200m: 1 B Horsley (Oxford Uni) 22.93, 2 B Owen (Radley) 23.26, 3 A Coastes (Oxford Uni) 24.18. 400m: 1 A Dobson (Oxford

  • BOWLS: Oxon edged out in trial opener

    Oxfordshire slipped to a 116-109 defeat against Northamptonshire in their first Middleton Cup trial game at Roade BC. Oxon won on three of the six rinks and lost narrowly on two of the others. But a 22-12 reverse for Mark Charlett’s four of Lee Young

  • ATHLETICS: Waknell bags medal brace

    Oxfordshire Track & Field Championships Girls' round-up LOIS Waknell’s superb season continued as she landed a sprint double in the under 15 girls’ competition. The Radley ace clocked 12.59 to win the 100m, before taking the 200m in 26.18. There was

  • ATHLETICS: Tara eases in for two golds

    Oxfordshire Track & Field Championships Senior, Masters & Under 20 round-up ON a weekend when sprint doubles were the theme, Radley’s Tara Kafke achieved just that in the senior women’s 100 and 200m. Kafke cruised to victory by almost half a second

  • River drama was 'routine police exercise'

    POLICE, fire and ambulance crews were out in force for a training exercise in and around the River Thames. Thames Valley Police’s specialist search and rescue team was joined by city fire crews and paramedics near Donnington Bridge on Tuesday evening

  • Academics asked to vote on Government education policy

    OXFORD University academics have called for the prestigious institution to pass a symbolic vote of no confidence in the Government’s higher education reforms. A no confidence motion is likely to be debated by Oxford’s congregation next month. About

  • THE INSIDER

    CULTURE Minister and Wantage MP Ed Vaizey was fulfiling his brief on Saturday night, offering a running commentary on the Eurovision Song Contest. Mr Vaizey, a long standing fan of pop music (regularly keeping us up to date with his views on X Factor

  • Begbroke science park to get its own link road

    OXFORD University has been given consent to build a controversial access road across Green Belt land to its Begbroke Science Park north of the city. The road will create a direct link between the science park at Begbroke and the A44 Woodstock

  • Buy this paper

    John Fray wants us to use letters, emails, text, Twitter and – for goodness’ sake – Facebook, in an attempt to save Oxford’s local BBC TV news service. I’m not sure I agree that the local Beeb “has been an overwhelming success” but I’m with him in condemning

  • Send up scholars

    WHAT has Oxford done to promote Oxford University recently? Could the councils negotiate a scholarship fund, based on need, for poor scholars from the county? A donation of £270,000 each year would oil the wheels and make for life-changing opportunities

  • Sacking was a result of bid for leadership

    COUNCILLOR Ian Hudspeth’s departure from Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet (yesterday’s Oxford Mail) needs explaining. He landed Oxfordshire taxpayers with an expensive and unnecessary incinerator in the wrong place; he diverted scarce funds to the

  • Family plans fun football tribute to devoted dad

    DEVOTED dad Michael Arthur couldn’t stop smiling as he watched his three-year-old daughter Mya unwrap her birthday presents. But just hours later, the family’s happiness was shattered when the 33-year-old suffered a sudden and fatal heart attack

  • Get card for free

    AT THIS time of year, a lot of your readers will be applying for E111 European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC), to ensure that they are covered in the EU for healthcare. If they have not already applied for this they should do so, as insurance companies

  • Shared concerns

    JOE Richards’ letter Don’t Target the Frail Elderly (Oxford Mail letters, March 10) interested me. I share his concern, though not his politics, and hope we agree it’s not simply income that determines quality of life. Post-war radicalism too often

  • GOLF: Locke's luck

    WATERSTOCK member George Locke has bagged his first hole-in-one at the age of 82. Locke ace the par-three 160-yard 16th hole at Staverton Park during their Waterstock’s seniors tour. His feat was more remarkable as he has recovered from a triple heart

  • Cathment woes

    aine’s letter in Monday’s Oxford Mail, I would like to know whether he even read my letter before plucking decent looking figures out of the air and throwing catchment area nonsense back at me? If he did, then he would indeed realise that actually the

  • ATHLETICS: Ryan is on song in sprint success

    Oxfordshire Championships Boys' round-up WHITE Horse Harrier Ryan Craze grabbed double gold in the under 13 boys’ 100 and 200m. The youngster produced a winning time of 13.11 in the 100m, which ranks him eighth in the UK this season. He then won the

  • Busking coins it for Christian Aid

    BUSKING clergyman the Rev Dick Wolff raised about £300 for Christian Aid yesterday by playing traditional English tunes on an accordion in Oxford city centre. Mr Wolff – Minister of the United Reformed churches at Temple Cowley and Risinghurst and is

  • Oxfordshire may foot bill for new London sewer

    THAMES Water customers in Oxfordshire could be forced to help foot the bill for a multi-million pound sewer improvement scheme in London. The company is planning to build the Thames Tunnel, running 20 miles from west to east London, to help

  • Oxford United's ambition the key for new boy Whing

    Right back Andrew Whing said it was the ambition of Oxford United that made up his mind to complete the switch from Leyton Orient. Whing, 26, who can also play at left back, centre back and in midfield, will sign a two-year deal with the U’s when his

  • Working farm within ring road for sale

    A working farm complete with 38 acres of land but within four miles of Oxford city centre has gone on the market. Hill View Farm, Marston, one of the few remaining farms within the city’s Ring Road, has been in the Ward family for almost 60 years, but

  • GOLF: Eddie's in the money

    EDDIE Pepperell finished in the money on his professional debut in the Mugello Tuscany Open. The 20-year-old, from Abingdon, came joint 45th in the European Challenge Tour event in Italy to bag himself €750. Pepperell carded a two-over-par total of

  • Ex-Witney football boss faces prison for attack on wife

    A MOTHER who suffered a string of violent attacks at the hands of her husband last night urged other victims to speak out. Nurse Katrina Teggart was left covered in blood and needed stitches after husband Darren pushed a pint glass into her face following

  • COMMENT: Pluck up the courage to make that call

    IT IS very easy to moralise about domestic violence and preach to its victims about coming forward. Domestic violence, like any violence, is wrong. But too many women (and a few men) are frightened about coming forward. There is the ‘shame’ of others

  • ATHLETICS: Von Eitzen heads records bonanza

    RADLEY’S Christian Von Eitzen smashed two Oxfordshire Track & Field Championship records, including a 29-year-old mark as he won two gold medals at Horspath Road. Von Eitzen, competing in the under 15 boys’ category in the annual event, blitzed

  • SCHOOL'S FOOTBALL: Mid Oxon go for national glory

    Mid Oxon Schools’ manager Neil Edwards will tell his young players to enjoy every moment when they taken on Dacorum in the final of the English Schools FA Trophy at the Kassam Stadium tonight (Thursday, May 19, 6.30pm). Mid Oxon reached the final for

  • COMMENT: Turn out for the torch

    THE announcement the Olympic torch is coming through the county is beginning to whet the appetite for 2012. We’d encourage anyone who can’t get along to the Games to get out and support the runners next July. It may be the closest you get to the Olympic

  • Olympic flame will light up county

    A GIRL whose great-grandfather carried the 1948 Olympic torch is hoping she could follow in his footsteps. The search is on for Oxfordshire torchbearers to carry the Olympic flame as it passes through the city next year. And 11-year-old

  • Local author

    SL Powell is the penname of Oxford author Sarah Loving, who lived on a boat before moving to her current home in Rose Hill. She combines writing with a part-time job as an administrator for a homeless charity. Her first novel for young adults, Fifty Fifty

  • Britain and Ireland's Best Wild Places

    It may seem surprising that Oxfordshire has any entries at all in a book called Britain and Ireland’s Best Wild Places. Author Christopher Somerville has the highlands, lowlands and islands of Scotland to choose from as well as the vast boglands of central

  • Firefighter injured in suspected arson attack

    A FIREFIGHTER was injured in a suspected arson attack at a house in Shotover. The blaze broke out at West Hill Farm, the Ridings, Shotover, at about 5.45pm on Sunday, firefighters said this morning. Four fire engines and the water carrier from

  • Reprobates by John Stubbs

    REPROBATES by John Stubbs (Viking, £25) There may have been great Royalist warriors such as Prince Rupert of the Rhine, but this is a book that makes you wonder how Charles 1's forces could ever have been victorious in the English Civil War. For

  • What's mine is yours

    WHAT’S MINE IS YOURS by Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers (Collins, £12.99)Airbnb.com is a website — “a diverse marketplace for space” — which took its name from the idea that people could let out odd spaces in their homes for an airbed with breakfast.

  • Books choice

    OxTravels: Meetings with Remarkable Travel Writers (Profile, £9.99) This is a collection of contributions from well-known writers, all very different, who were asked to write about a “significant encounter” from their travels — an unforgettable meeting

  • Wallander author comes to Woodstock

    When Henning Mankell’s detective, Insp Kurt Wallander, first came to attention in Britain, he attracted inevitable comparisons. Nicknamed Inspector Norse, after the famous Oxford detective, he triggered a wave of interest in Scandinavia’s darker sleuths

  • Will lawyers now think twice?

    Russell Jinks, a senior solicitor with south Oxfordshire firm Slade Legal, has reservations about the Government’s intervention into the area of personal injury claims If you read the newspapers you could be forgiven for thinking Britain is plagued

  • Mastering immunity

    he study of immunology is not only relevant to illness. Every foreign agent that enters the body has the potential to provoke a response from the immune system. Usually, this keeps us disease-free, as ‘self’ is tolerated and ‘non-self’ attacked and eliminated

  • Elegantly edible

    If you want to succeed in the catering business, do not be greedy. That is the message from one of the county’s top operators. And he should know his onions since his company has been serving up sumptuous feasts at Oxford colleges, smart weddings and

  • Key to the cell doors

    Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule that contains the instructions for the development and operation of living organisms. Each organism has one complete DNA code, known as a genome, and a copy of this genome is found in that organism's cells. DNA

  • Top award for finance director

    A finance director who has helped transform the fortunes of his firm has received a top award. Kevin Boyd, of Oxford Instruments based at Tubney Woods, near Abingdon, carried off the Smaller Quoted FD of the Year title at the FD Excellence Awards

  • Location fuels demand

    Nick Owens, senior associate in Oxford law firm Manches’ residential property team, is witnessing a strong recovery at the top end of the city’s housing market The usual increase in activity that spring brings to the property market arrived early for

  • OK, Jamie, you win ...

    My attempts to gain entry into Jamie’s Italian in Oxford have been documented on this page before. More than once I have stood in the queue and eventually waved the white flag and taken my business elsewhere. So when it was suggested we had another

  • Countdown begins

    The countdown has begin to the grand finals of the Oxfordshire Business Awards. And in terms of the quality of entries received, organisers say the class of 2011 is the strongest line-up in the competition’s history. All of which has made the judging

  • Study the balance sheet

    There was a time, not too long ago, when it was possible to identify a seriously under-valued asset, buy it and move it on rapidly for a profit. Alternatively, one could (and still can) buy forms of this particular asset, improve its overall look and

  • All fired up

    As Sue Lane says, not many people grow up with a burning ambition to run a stove business. For her, office work beckoned. Having grown up on her family's farm near Garsington, she became an administrator with the NHS. "I was about to move jobs — I had

  • Shining a light for manufacturing

    The setting was the garden of a former Cotswold rectory, with a camelia bush in bud on our right, and a view of a Norman church doorway, framed by chestnut trees, on our left. The conversation with Peter Bowles — owner and founder of Original BTC — was

  • Make your ideas unique

    What was your first job and what did your responsibilities include? My first job was as an assistant manager of a retail store and in the summer of that same year I started working for my father as his restaurant manager. How much was

  • Expressing faith sew expertly

    When members of the United Reform Church in Summertown, Oxford, were working on a project to create a montage of felt fabric illustrations of all the books of the Bible, there came a point when they had to call in the experts. Where better to turn to

  • Detecting growth

    A company which specialises in metal detectors for industry has moved into new premises after attracting major growth. Fortress Technology Europe has more than trebled its workforce to 20 and uprooted from the Banbury Business Park to a 10,500sq ft state-of-the-art

  • Plenty to enjoy at Daylesford festival

    Daylesford Organics are inviting us all to their Summer Festival, which takes place on Saturday, May 21, from 10am to 5pm. The organisers promise will stimulate the taste buds of dedicated foodies and provide fun for the whole family (including the dog

  • Menace to greens

    If it seems strange to be writing about winter vegetables in May, think again, for this is the time to plant cabbages, sprouts, purple sprouting and kale. You can either buy your plants now, or there’s still time to sow seeds if you get on with it straightaway

  • Win Win and Pirates of the Caribbean IV

    Some directors strive for greatness their entire careers and never quite fulfil their potential. Others make a mark with a dazzling debut feature then have the unenviable task of living up to our lofty expectations with subsequent films.

  • Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 19/5/2011)

    Mia Hansen-Løve and Isabelle Czajka have recently followed Catherine Breillat and Claire Denis in presenting acute insights into the pangs of female adolescence. But, while Father of My Children and Living on Love Alone were both sensitively staged and

  • Dangerous roundabout

    Sir – Several times recently while approaching the roundabout at the junction of the A420 and A415 towards Kingston Bagpuize I have had to take severe evasive action to avoid a collision, due to traffic not slowing down. This dangerous situation

  • Open the gates

    Sir – With reference to Liam Sloan’s article (May 12) about Oxford City Council’s deputy leader Ed Turner trying to negotiate the crowded pavements and roads of Oxford city centre in a wheelchair, I would like to suggest one practical measure that would

  • Support at end of life

    Sir – Today marks the launch of an important initiative: a national free end of life information line. It is the first of its kind to support people who are dying, their loved ones, carers and healthcare professionals by providing information

  • Parky at the Pictures (DVD 19/5/2011)

    Adapted from Elliott Lester's 1925 play, The Mud Turtle, City Girl (1930) was the last dramatic feature made by the master German director FW Murnau. He had hoped to call it Our Daily Bread and shoot it silently, in defiance of the talkie vogue

  • BBC priorities

    Sir – I was most concerned and dismayed to read that the BBC was considering the closure of the Oxford TV news which would result in the loss of an extremely valuable public service to the local community. It would also mean termination of contracts

  • Unacceptable plan

    Sir – CPRE Oxfordshire is delighted that a planning inspector has, for the second time, dismissed Oriel College’s Appeal for student accommodation in the Bartlemas Conservation Area (Report, May 5). At the hearing, CPRE argued that the proposed development

  • Reject project

    Sir – The plan to replace St Clements car park with student accommodation has been revised and is once again open for comment from the public, until 24 May. The application reference is 11/01040/FUL. The revised proposal calls for three substantial buildings

  • Smiles back after palate pummelled

    I tasted a wine so awful today that I felt close to committing myself to a period of abstinence, in a bid to bring my poor, pummelled palate back to life. Thank goodness I haven’t had to revert to such extreme measures; thanks entirely to Oxfordshire

  • Disastrous decision

    Sir – You report that BBC Oxford local TV news could be shut down next year. However, this decision is entirely misguided and will do lasting and grave damage to local democracy here. Strong democracy thrives on facts and information and is always undermined

  • Stunning production

    Sir – As a visiting grandmother to Oxford and The Pirates of Penzance at the Oxford Playhouse on Saturday night, I was overwhelmed by the performance of this stellar troupe of young players. What a tribute this was to the Oxfordshire County

  • Pattern of chaos

    Sir – Dane Clouston claims that the dinosaurs, the wealthy, and the mystified said no to the alternative vote (Letters, May 12). As an unrepentant no voter I do not fit into any of those categories. I am not a dinosaur, not wealthy, and I am not certainly

  • Dangerous pedestrians

    Sir – Without in any way exonerating dangerous cyclists (Letters, May 12) my experience as a daily cyclist in inner Oxford is that cyclists have as much to fear from pedestrians as vice versa. Too often walkers, especially on roads with restricted car

  • Special effort

    Sir – I would like to thank all our blood and platelet donors for their donations during April. Faced with two long holiday weekends in a row at the end of the month, we needed to build up blood stocks in advance. We asked our donors to

  • Delightful patch

    Sir – Recent correspondents have rightly drawn attention to Ruskin College’s proposal to make three fields at the northern edge of the Old Headington Conservation Area available for development. The natural beauty of these fields has been widely recognised

  • Last remnant

    Sir – Ruskin College’s proposal to sell three fields just to the north of Old Headington, and have them built over, would make nonsense of the city’s recognition of the village as a conservation area. Accept this, and every other conservation area in

  • Mixing cyclists and pedestrians

    Sir – It is disconcerting how readily people divide themselves into tribes — ‘cyclists’, ‘pedestrians’, ‘car drivers’ — when in fact almost everyone uses different forms of transport depending on their journey. Dr Okely (Letters, May 12) suggests that

  • The last of the Romans

    Leofranc Holford-Strevens was already something of a legend even before his eagerly anticipated arrival at Oxford University Press. “It was an event that no one who worked at the press at the time will every forget,” recalled the late Mick Belson in

  • Chess: Tom turns in top results

    The final three rounds of this season’s Four Nations Chess League took place over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend. Oxford 1 stood clear of the relegation places before the weekend; but were hit hard by the absence of key players including board 1 David

  • Potion master

    As rags to riches tales go — I might mention Lord Nuffield, or even Dick Whittington — the story of Thomas Beecham, founder of the famous powders company that in 1989 became the multinational SmithKline Beecham, and in 2000 GlaxoSmithKline, must rank

  • TVADA Fair, The Swan, Tetsworth

    The Thames Valley Antiques Dealers Association has moved its annual fair from autumn to spring and from Radley to The Swan at Tetsworth. Most readers will know the beautiful old coaching inn with its 40 showrooms. TVADA will house the 35 stands in a

  • Tales from King James, St Barnabas Church

    Never was the name of a theatre company more relevant than ‘Creation’ in this instance. And rarely can a second choice venue for a new drama have been more apt. Two years ago, Creation realised that this year marks the 400th anniversary of the

  • Fascinating face

    It’s early in the morning. With several coughs and splutters, Jeffrey Bernard rises unsteadily from the pub seat where he has been kipping out for the night, and heads for the vodka bottle behind the bar. To say that Bernard is a regular

  • An inspiration

    Finlay MacBurnie is a truly inspirational person. At 17, he has been through an ordeal after a motorcycle accident last October left him with horrific injuries. He is the epitome of bravery and has approached the ordeal with humility and humour. His

  • On the move

    When central Government starts cutting grant funding to local authorities, council leaders are forced to take action and cut back local services. Three years ago, the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire district councils pre-empted a funding crisis

  • Slow lane

    We await with interest the results of an ongoing trial ban on heavy goods vehicles overtaking on a short section of the A34. The Highways Agency says it introduced the experiment partly as a safety measure, and partly to assess its effects on congestion

  • Lifeline thrown to youth centres in Wantage and Eynsham

    TWO Oxfordshire youth centres could be saved next week as schools get set to take control of the buildings. Oxfordshire County Council will rubberstamp plans to transfer the freeholds of Wantage and Eynsham youth centres at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday

  • Printing press is really in the pink

    A PINT of blue top just won’t do for the artists behind this pink milk float, which has given a rosy glow to the launch of East Oxford Artweeks. The float is the brainchild of artists Richard Lawrence, 52, from Oxford and Finn McCarthy, 22, from Banbury

  • Lifestyle changes show cutting back can be fun

    The topic of climate change life is a tricky one; we all know that carbon levels are rising and that, we as humans, are mostly responsible for this. We also know that this level of “pollution” can’t continue. However not many of us know what we, as individuals

  • The great British strawberry

    With strawberries ripening earlier than ever this year, there is now no need for them to be imported from Spain, which is great news. You can enjoy British strawberries from now on. Their early arrival is a consequence of the excellent levels of light