A body found in a field in Crowmarsh Gifford on Monday morning has been identified as David Drew. The 20-year-old, who lived in Springdale, Wallingford, was found dead at 6.25am. Police are not treating his death as suspicious. A spokesman for the
A MAJOR scheme to transform the heart of Oxford’s Clarendon Centre has been submitted to Oxford City Council. The scheme would demolish the existing Currys store and make improvements to the Shoe Lane entrance into the city centre mall. The electrical
Oxfordshire based property agents scooped an armful of prizes at the Sunday Times Lettings Agency of the Year 2011 awards. Lettings agency Finders Keepers won Gold for Best Innovation, Gold for Best Student Lettings and Silver for Best Technology
YOU know you’ve arrived as a rock band when your very appearance is enough to start a riot. So let’s doff our caps to those masters of rebellion – Black Hats! Nick Breakspear’s band are not only one of the best bands this city has ever
TO those who revel in discovering new talent, this month’s Oxfringe is a glittering buffet of earthly delights. Along with such iconic local bands as Little Fish and Black Hats, right, there is a wealth of local and visiting acts who, we guarantee
Arriving eight years after the original Honey with director Bille Woodruff still at the helm, this flat-footed dance sequel doesn’t boast a single original move. Honey 2 high-kicks and somersaults from one predictable set piece to the next, as a fiercely
Operation Blade has succeeded in forcing home its message. Knives are a part of youth culture, and they shouldn’t be. In the last few days, the Oxford Mail has accompanied police on patrol in the city centre, East Oxford and Blackbird
THREE children bought knives at an Oxford boot sale in an undercover operation. Each of the three stalls selling knives at the Kassam Stadium fair on Sunday offered them to under-18s in an Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards sting.
A HOLIDAY in Egypt has lost some of its allure of late. Shark attacks on elderly Germans and a political revolt can do that to a place. And I must admit I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as we touched down at Sharm El Sheikh. A planned
Russell Kane is headlining Oxfringe at the Regal with his pre-Edinburgh Fringe warm-up. The BBC star will be performing a preview of his new show Manscaping, a merciless exploration of the ridiculous state of masculinity in the modern world
Prepare for the return of awesomeness in Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s energetic martial arts comedy, which kicks computer-animated butt and comes close to matching the rumbustious fun of the 2008 original. Screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger flashback
Peppa Pig: Mummy Pig, can we go somewhere fun today? George: Oink! Daddy Pig: Where do you want to go? I bet it’s somewhere with muddy puddles! Ha! Ha! Peppa Pig: I want to go to a land all about me! Where I can sail Grandpa Pig
Food snob? Me? God yes. I hate fast food, can’t bear anything unauthentic, fail to see how people pay good money for cheap burgers, chicken and pizza with the nutritional value of a 10p piece, misunderstand why people choose chain rubbish
CHAUFFEUR to Dukes and Duchesses, international statesmen, a Prime Minister and film stars including Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Vickers from Woodstock has died aged 87. Mr Vickers was a garage mechanic at Young’s garage in Oxford Street
DORIS O’Malley, a well-known florist and greengrocer in Kidlington, has died aged 93. She ran O’Malleys Fruiterers in The Parade for 26 years with her husband, Patrick. Mrs O’Malley, who was born in Wolverhampton, ran pubs in Birmingham with her first
VERNON Brooke, who has died aged 87, had a lifelong interest in photography. He worked as a professional for 30 years and was president and the longest-serving member of the Oxford Photographic Society. Mr Brooke, pictured above, of
ONE of the first women to pilot a Spitfire came face-to-face with a life-size replica of the iconic aircraft. Joy Lofthouse unveiled the model at Lodge Hill Garage, Abingdon, to commemorate the 166 women who were part of the Air Transport Auxiliary during
AN ABINGDON shopkeeper has been won planning permission to build a futuristic house on Boars Hill. The home, above, designed by Abingdon architects West Waddy, will replace a two storey property on a two acre sloping plot on Green Belt land
WORKERS at a Bicester firm are facing an uncertain future after being dropped as car designers for a Formula 1 racing team. Bosses at Virgin Racing have axed technical director Nick Wirth after a poor start to the season, which has seen the
EIGHT years after it was launched in response to the invasion of Iraq, Oxford’s annual march of faiths is set to attract up to 1,000 people with one message – peace. All faiths are invited to Tuesday’s march through the city, which was launched by religious
Attorney General Dominic Grieve has ruled out asking the High Court to order an inquest into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly.
A PUB in Old Marston is assuring customers it won’t be calling last orders any time soon, after a £75,000 refurbishment from Greene King. The interior at The Red Lion pub in Oxford Road has been closed to punters for three weeks but will be unveiled
PLANS for a major new hospital for Bicester have again been delayed – and there are fears it may now never go ahead. The scheme has been put back three months because of changes to financing rules and because it now needs to be signed off by ministers
BANBURY: A man was left with head injuries following a suspected assault on Friday morning. The 27-year-old, from Cheshire, left the Chapel nightclub in Southbar Street and began walking to the Whately Hotel in Horsefair some time between 2.30am and
OXFORD: The bodies of three soldiers will be repatriated to the John Radcliffe Hospital this evening. The men, who were killed in action, were Corporal Michael John Pike, from A Company, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (
OXFORD Brookes University is being urged to reveal whether it has clinched a deal to buy the Lord Nuffield Club in Cowley. Local people submitted their own bid to try to save the club, with an adjoining playing field and bowling green, as a community
SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Knockout Cup 1st round Bicester 2, Studley Wood 1 (Bicester first): P Barrow & W Dobbins bt N Lawton & J Axford 4&3, A Wade & D Cronin lost to S Bulman & N Mortimer 4&2, L Holder & C Harrington bt J Fathers &
Eleven-year-old Steven Stanhope (The Wychwood) was in scintillating form in the second BB&O Golf Partnership competition of the season at Waterstock. The 14-handicapper, who attends the partnership’s junior academy at Studley Wood, recorded a one-over-par
CAMPAIGNERS have claimed drivers are being put at risk because there are no barriers along the middle of one of Oxford’s busiest trunk roads. In May 2005, Marshall Haynes, Liam Hastings and Josh Bartlett, all 13, died, when the car they were travelling
Abi Laker retained her Oxfordshire girls’ junior championship in style with a dominant victory at Kirtlington. The Burford member carded a 71 to finish ten shots ahead of Studley Wood’s Gemma Clem-ents. Sophie Stone (Oxon affiliated) was third on 83.
A CHALLENGE to find the fastest way to get into Oxford in the morning has shown two wheels are better than four, with cyclists beating drivers and buses. Cycling champions Cyclox organised a seven-mile commute from Eynsham to Radcliffe Square yesterday
Oxfordshire were swept aside 126-116 by an irresistible Hampshire fightback in their opening Middleton Cup clash at Atherley. Oxon started the Group 2 Section B (South) encounter strongly to lead 64-45 after ten ends. But Hampshire gradually
Oxford City & County’s Katherine Hawes and Banbury Central’s Carole Galletly will represent Oxfordshire in the 2 Wood Singles at the Bowls England National Championships at Leamington Spa in August. They won their way through by reaching the final of
Carterton gained a 3.5-2.5 points win at Headington after their Division 1 top-of-the-table clash in the Oxford & District League, sponsored by Yarnton Nurseries, finished level on shots. Howard Watts’s four, which included Oxon’s newest Middleton Cup
PAUL Fernandez of Abingdon Amblers triumphed for the second year in a row in the 32nd Otmoor Challenge multi-terrain half-marathon. The dry weather made the course hard and rutted, but with a cooling breeze, there were many fast times from the 324-strong
JOSEPH Finch smashed a seven-year-old Radley club record to help his team to victory in the third match of the McCain UK Young Athletes League at Leamington. Radley saw off rivals Oxford City by 16 points, with a string of fine displays. Finch led the
CHAMPIONS Oxford A roared into the quarter-finals of the Inter-Area Cup after beating Wallingford C 5-0 for a 10-0 whitewash on aggregate, writes PETE EWINS. Dave Tooke took the opening leg against Jimmy Robson 5,200-2,740 and was well supported with
STEVE Naylor broke his second successive Mota-vation Series course record in a dominant display at a balmy Bletchingdon. The 32-year-old Woodstock Harrier cruised to victory in round two, clocking 21mins 4secs for the 4.25-mile course – beating Mathew
About 40 firefighters tackled a severe blaze in a scrapyard near Crawley. The fire service was called at 8.30pm on Wednesday and discovered tyres, oil and other materials on fire. But highly flammable Acetylene gas cylinders were discovered on the
A RECORD-breaking run by their 4 x 400m relay team earned Radley an exciting victory in their Southern League Division 2 match at Tilsley Park, Abingdon. With the result in the balance following an exciting duel with Oxford City, Radley’s team of Davis
ABINGDON Amblers finished second with 352 points in their Midland League meeting at Horspath. Highlights included A- string victories for Peter Barnshaw in the 400m, 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles, Phil Egerton (800m), Oz Ellis (3,000m steeplechase),
Oxford City’s Gareth Jones won a bronze medal in the British Masters Athletic Federation (BMAF) 10,000m championships at Horspath. Jones clocked 42mins 7secs to finish third in the vet 65 category, while clubmates Trevor Dixon (vet 50) and Stewart Thorp
TWO men have appeared in court to deny 23 counts of criminal damage in connection with the graffiti tag ‘SP£ND’. Brook Purvis, 34, of Whittington Place, in Carterton, and Matthew Carr, 25, of Cranham Street, in Oxford, have been jointly charged
AN Oxford Saints team missing several key players were on the end of a 52-15 defeat at home to Nottingham Caesars in Division 1. Almost half their first-choice squad were unavailable for the match, which saw the writing on the wall early on. By the
A 20-year-old has been handed an antisocial behaviour order (Asbo) and fined £200 after pleading guilty to assault. Callum McMahon, from Ferry Hinksey Road, Oxford, admitted the charge at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Monday. He is banned from being
Hold the front page: Oxford is a nightmare to drive around. Our new Green Lord Mayor Elise Benjamin is making her mark and making a point. The commuter challenge featured in today’s Oxford Mail hammers home the two wheels good, four wheels bad mantra
Can anyone from the county council please explain why they keep changing the speed limit between Clifton Hampden and Berinsfield? I can remember only a few years ago it was 50mph, then it went down to 30. Now it’s 30, goes up to 40 for maybe half-a-mile
DESPITE living close and having an interest in environmental affairs, I have little knowledge of the beauty, access or amenity value of the paddocks north of Headington’s Ruskin College. Neither have I an intimate acquaintance of all Oxford’s green spaces
I note from Friday’s Oxford Mail (On This Day) that “third class rail travel was abolished in Britain” on June 3, 1956. Did someone forget to tell First Great Western? N J Wilcock, Manor Road, Cogges Witney
Yet again Oxford City Council has shown its contempt for the wishes of thousands of Oxford taxpayers who do not want an Olympic-style pool at Blackbird Leys. The people of the estate do not want it, and people who use Temple Cowley Pool want that to
OXFORD Cavaliers ran out of steam to lose 46-18 at Gloucester Warriors in the Co-operative Rugby League Conference West of England Division. Cavaliers trailed just 20-18 on the hour mark, but injuries and a fresher Warriors bench meant the hosts ran
The recent charges for garden waste collections are yet another Oxford City Council scandal that should in reality have us all taking to streets in protest, especially when the council’s own administration is looked at closely. Recent figures obtained
ON behalf of the governing body and Save Culham School group, I wish to thank the Oxford Mail for its interest in Culham Parochial CofE Primary School’s fight against closure, which had a successful outcome on May 24. It is wonderful to have received
Every week, the pages of the Oxford Mail describe a catalogue of disgraceful behaviour perpetrated by a roll call of sorry individuals, with assault, drug misuse, vandalism and burglary. This month, Thames Valley Police promised an “initiative” on knife
Snapping up a property at auction can be a great way to net a bargain and puts the buyer in control, according to one agent. Alex McEntyre, of Tayler & Fletcher, said: “With a private sale, a buyer won’t know what the other bids are, whereas at auction
A property commissioned by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1840 has come on the market. Sycamores of Station Yard, in Steventon, was home to one of the signalmen for the railway station. The Grade II-listed semi-detached house includes a sitting room with
A contemporary village property includes a self-contained suite that agents say would make a good home office or guest accommodation. Stanelaw House in Sutton, near Stanton Harcourt, includes a drawing room with an open fireplace and wood-burning stove
You might think that dogs need very little encouragement to join a walk in the countryside, but perhaps their owners do. Dog owner Helen Peacocke, food writer for The Oxford Times, has found a new selection of pubs to feature in the third in her Paws
OXFORD: A power cut yesterday left 1,500 customers without electricity for nearly three hours. Southern Electricity said a fault at the Osney sub-station affected supplies until 11.20am.
OXFORD: A man suffered bruising following an assault in Cowley. Police said two men had an “altercation” in Oxford Road near the Hendred Street junction at 11.45am last Wednesday. One was left with bruising to his head, arms and legs. A passing motorcyclist
TWO men could be responsible for a string of sex attacks in Oxford, it emerged last night. Police released a second e-fit of a suspect after they said four attacks in the Southfield Road area were not linked to a sex-ual assault in Westbury Crescent.
FIVE tiny kittens were found dumped in a pub car park. The four- to five-week-old kittens and their mother were discovered in hedges near the Rose Revived Inn, at Newbridge, near Witney, on May 14. RSPCA animal welfare officer Luke Hughes said:“It is
Watching the popular and long-running Midsomer Murders TV series it is tempting to assume its creator hails from the same cosy, middle-class world. In fact, Caroline Graham, who wrote the seven novels featuring Chief Inspector Barnaby on which the TV
WISH YOU WERE HERE by Graham Swift (Picador, £18.99)We are on familiar ground with the structure of Swift’s latest novel. It opens with a rundown of Britain’s recent agricultural disasters — first BSE, then foot and mouth. The dire story is outlined
THE DEEDS OF MY FATHERS by Paul David Pople (Quartet, £22.50)It was an American Dream. Generoso Papa left his village in Italy, with no English and only 10 dollars worth of lire in his pocket, and sailed to America to make his fortune. He was 15 and
There are open-day events at three Berkeley Homes developments this weekend. Showhomes at Orchard Grove in Yarnton, Temple Court in Bloxham, and Scholars Place in Wantage, will be opened to potential purchasers. Karen Mole, of agents Savills, said:
Oxford United have sold their 3,000th season ticket – and the man who bought it believes he will see the U’s win promotion. Colin May, 74, of Kidlington, brought up the milestone when he renewed his seat in the South Stand Upper for the forthcoming season
OXFORD: A £250 reward has been offered after a painting was stolen from a home in Iffley. Burglars took the painting of a meadow with flowers, by Jean Claude Cubaynes, from the house in Church Lane some time between 4.45am and 6am on May 30. They also
GROVE have unveiled former Chinnor and Oxfordshire lock Craig Burrows as their new head coach. Burrows, who spent the past two seasons coaching at Oxford Harlequins, will be assisted by Nathan Brooks, who steps down from the top role. Grove president
A SEARCH for new graveyards in Oxford has begun after it emerged space to bury the dead could run out within 10 years. City council bosses commissioned a specialist firm to dig 10ft-deep test pits at two sites in Horspath, Hill View Farm in
The Government's Business Secretary Vince Cable this morning welcomed news of a £500m investment into UK Mini factories. He said: "Today's announcement by BMW is a real tribute to the success of British automotive manufacturing. "The firm's workforce
Sir – I am sure that Christopher Gray is bemused at the continuing doubts regarding his existence. Like Michael Dowsett, I have long wished for a photographic feature on ‘what might have been’. Sadly the trio did sign a contract and their agent, Senor
Sir – When we go to the Botanic Garden, or the Jacqueline du Pré Concert Hall, we park in St Clements car park. We are in our 70s. Other than a few half-hour bays on St Clements, that is the only available car park in this unique shopping and eating
Sir – Your article last week on the purchase of Thames Travel bus company by Go-Ahead Group was headlined, “It’s business as usual, says boss of bus company”. But it’s not. As of June 6, the 101 bus will no longer go to Cowley Centre, a major destination
Calls for crash barriers on the A34 are being made in a bid to avoid a repeat of the type of accident that saw three schoolboys and a local student killed on Oxford’s ring road six years ago. Campaigners say motorists are being put at unnecessary
Sir – Would it be a good idea to plant trees in all our car parks? It is sad that the first sight of Oxford as you come by train from London is a sea of cars — your next another in front of Nuffield College. Locked cars can get unbearably hot unshielded
Sir – If Mr Jaeger (Letters, May 26) genuinely cared about improving road safety, he could far better occupy his time by trying to think of ways of reducing the eight people who are killed every single day on our roads either by cars or in cars. I’ll
Sir – Allie Walde quoted as her reason for not going to university (Business, May 26): “I don’t want to spend £50,000 on a glorified binge only to spend the next ten years paying it back.” It is not compulsory for any student to binge their way through
Sir – So the county council has re-thought their plans to close 20 libraries. The new proposals at least have the merit of maintaining the existing library network, so that perhaps one day the libraries can be properly staffed by paid library staff, and
Sir – So much publicity has been focused on the proposed closure of libraries, now apparently reprieved, that the equally savage proposed cut of funding by Oxfordshire County Council for youth services has received scant attention. But its
Cinema history has been rather unkind to Carlos Saura. During the Francoist era, when so many Spanish film-makers had fled into exile or been coerced into silence, he was hailed as a courageous critic of the Fascist regime that had ruled with an iron
Sometimes the anticipation is so great that it's impossible to wait. Andrei Tarkovsky would have been 80 on 4 April next year and a quarter of a century would have passed since his death this 29 December. But there is never a bad time to release a DVD
Sir – I was amazed at the alacrity with which Ian Hudspeth got the chop after daring to stand against councillor Keith Mitchell. It seems, after all, that Oxfordshire County Council is capable of moving at more than the speed of a pre-global warming
Sir – The Romans incorporated public libraries into their famous baths. Baths, libraries and roads were important features of their civilisation. In the 21st century, we have a surfeit of relatively excellent roads, far exceeding anything the Romans
Sir – All change on county’s libraries (Report, June 2) is excellent news. However, councillor Mitchell’s reported comments have insulted me, and I suspect, the thousands who have fought for this outcome. Aged 90, and partially disabled, I am certainly
Sir – Often now when I drive locally on main roads I’m surprised by new 50mph speed limits, sometimes 40mph, and I can rarely see the justification. The Nanny State is certainly flourishing here in Oxfordshire! Increasingly now we experience the farcical
Sir – Ruskin College’s Principal stated (Letters, May 26) that local residents do not “enjoy” Ruskin Fields. I write as one of the local residents who has walked on these fields for the past 30 years. Moreover, people living in Headington and Northway
Sir – We have been walking our dogs through Ruskin Fields, picking blackberries in them, seeing our children play there, without objection from the college. Indeed, the Principal is only too aware of this: when she decided to try to sell them for development
Sir – Held up by a crash on the A34 recently, when a lorry had flattened, but not crossed, a length of central reservation and no one was seriously hurt, we reflected on how different things could have been had this happened on the A34 between South Hinksey
BMW will build its next generation of Minis in Britain in a move that will help safeguard more than 5,000 jobs, the company said. The German car giant said it will be investing another £500 million in UK car manufacturing in a move David Cameron
Sir – The reprieve for the county’s library service is excellent news, but it would have been even more excellent had the announcement not been accompanied by those sullen remarks from councillor Mitchell about people ranking libraries above care services
Sir – Your front-page lead story on “the battle to save Oxford’s green spaces” (June 2) could just as easily have been headed “the battle to keep Oxford’s homeless on the streets” or “the battle to ensure people in poor housing stay that way”. Organisations
HOSPICE chiefs hope a new lottery draw will raise £25,000 for terminally ill children and young people. And Helen and Douglas House hospice in East Oxford has revealed its weekly cash prize lottery has raised £37,500 since it was launched last summer
I have a wine maker friend from Spain with whom I have had a lot of fun, selling his wine all over the UK over the years. We have spoken at fancy dinners in plush surroundings and stood behind trestle tables in windswept markets . . . wherever we’ve ended
SUPPORTERS of a youth club that has lost council cash are to cycle from Paris to Oxford and swim the length of the English Channel to try to keep it open. Wolvercote Youth Club lost its funding under Oxfordshire County Council cuts and people in the
Living in a friendly community is often an overlooked necessity in peoples’ lives, but for voluntary projects ‘Leys Children’s Centre’ and ‘Leys CDI Clockhouse Over 50’s’ it is their top priority. These projects promote community cohesion in Blackbird
HOSPICE chiefs hope a new lottery draw will raise £25,000 for terminally ill children and young people. And Helen and Douglas House hospice in East Oxford has revealed its weekly cash prize lottery has raised £37,500 since it was launched last summer
CHARITY hero Ray Collins has now raised more than £30,000 for good causes after doing a 24-hour workout at the gym. The 41-year-old hopes to collect more than £5,000 after the endurance challenge last Friday and Saturday at TFD Health and Fitness in
STAFF at Oxford’s Santander bank are rowing the distance to their Spanish namesake this week to raise cash for an Alzheimer’s charity. The bankers at Santander in Abbey House, Carfax, are bidding to conquer the 585 miles between Oxford and the Spanish
