ALI Lewis will tonight sit with family and friends to watch the film of her wedding day. But the 23-year-old can be sure that she will not be the only one who will be watching in tears. For the remarkable story of her love affair with
HARRY Potter star Emma Watson says she plans to return to America’s Brown University to complete her degree. The British actress from North Oxford, who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper that she remains
KATHERINE MACALISTER catches Rick Stein between book signings, to talk about his Oxfordshire childhood and how it feels to be home after embarking on his latest odyssey – Spain. Rick Stein has a terrible hangover when we speak. A very
HORRIBLE BOSSES (15). Comedy. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Donald Sutherland, Lindsay Sloane, Jamie Foxx. Director: Seth Gordon. For some people, work is a means to
As far as first, second and third impressions go, KATHERINE MACALISTER soon realises she’s hit the jackpot in Witney. New frock, new heels, yes, I was feeling pretty good as we arrived at The Fleece in Witney on Saturday night... for about
Sarah Cracknell, the voice of St Etienne, is set to play at Truck. She speaks to TIM HUGHES about being an indie pin-up, what she has most enjoyed over the past 20 years and her tips for surviving the annual festival. FOR many music lovers
A model train exhibition called Model Mania will be held at Cholsey Primary School on Sunday, July 24. The exhibition at the school in Church Road will take place between 10am and 4pm. The entry fee for adults is £2.50, for concessions and under-16s
Teachers of the latest winner of BBC1’s The Apprentice have said his time at Oxford’s St Edward’s School helped forge his entrepreneurial outlook. Inventor Tom Pellereau won the show’s final this week, securing a £250,000 investment from Lord
For 150 years, Oxford’s Museum of Natural History has housed an eclectic collection of fossils, skeletons, birds, bugs... and buckets. But the buckets are about to go as the building’s roof – which has leaked for its entire 150-year history
Chiltern Railways is holding a Meet the Manager event next week at Banbury station to tell commuters all about major engineering work next month and resulting alterations to train services. Managers will be the station from 6.30am to 9am
During a nomadic spell JEREMY SMITH lives the Oxbridge dream – if only for a month. Want to know the best ‘hotel’ in Oxford? (the quotation marks will soon become self-explanatory...). Clearly it’s not any one of the usual suspects. The
CARS 2 (U). Animation/Action/Comedy/ Romance. Featuring the voices of Owen Wilson, Larry The Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Bonnie Hunt, John Turturro, Thomas Kretschmann, Jason Isaacs, John Ratzenberger, Vanessa Redgrave, Eddie
Ex-Blur bassist Alex James is to open up his farm to 100,000 music fans. He spoke to 0TIM HUGHES. ENTHUSIASTIC, warm, and cheery, it is impossible not to like Alex James. The man oozes warmth and personality, and possesses an easy-going
THE newest production of Grease has set up shop for the week at the New Theatre. The question is, is this a fresh take on a well-worn classic or a derivative rehashing of an old cliché? This newest version is directed by David Gilmore
WHEN Angie Bryant went to the doctor with swollen glands, she thought it was just another bout of tonsillitis. She did not realise she was suffering from throat cancer and would need a 14-and-a-half hour operation, followed by months of treatment. Now
Sarah Plumridge has always been a great fan of afternoon tea — with dainty sandwiches, scones and jam — and a crisp white linen tablecloth. Now she has turned her passion into a successful business. ‘Proper’ afternoon tea is becoming more fashionable
AEA Technology 3.15 BMW 6262 Electrocomponents 235.7 Nationwide Accident Repair 95 Oxford Biomedica 7.02 Oxford Catalysts 72.5 Oxford Instruments 950 Reed Elsevier 559.5 RM 144.5 RPS Group 229 Courtesy Redmayne Bentley
TWO clubs involved in negotiations over Bicester’s £2.8m sports village for years are fuming after not being officially told the athletics track had been shelved. The Oxford Mail revealed last month that only part of the sports village had enough cash
OXFORD entrepreneur David Cox is launching what he claims to be the world’s first bamboo bond. He believes the fast-growing grass could lead to fast-growing profits — and help solve many of the planet’s problems, from climate change to the disappearance
IS it a bike? Is it a car? No, it’s a velomobile – the transport of the future, according to businessman Tim Fenn. He has bought the £5,200 human-powered vehicle for his business — housing design consultancy Green Factory — with the help of
INDEPENDENT traders are being urged to sign up to a new loyalty card scheme in Wantage to promote shopping in the town. So far 22 traders in the town have signed up to the system, which is expected to be launched in September. Card holders will be
AN EDUCATION expert is asking for community backing for his idea of opening a 300-pupil secondary school in south east Oxford. Ex-teacher Eylan Ezekiel wants to open a new ‘free school’ where lessons are based around skills rather than subjects
OXFORD United kitman Ken Ridley has died aged 68, following a long battle with cancer. A big football fan, he first became associated with the U’s in the 1984 when he worked as a steward at the old Manor Ground before being appointed kitman
FOR most of the year Hill Farm is an attractive, if unremarkable, expanse of pasture and arable land. But for one weekend a year, it hosts Oxfordshire’s best-loved showcase of new music – Truck Festival. Up to 7,000 music lovers will tomorrow start
If you've had a property on the market for some time that you just can't shift, there may be a solution. Independent production company Raise the Roof Productions is making a new TV series aimed at helping those who are struggling in the property
Colin Whitehead takes on Mark Charlett in an all-Headington battle in the Oxfordshire singles championship final at Shiplake Village on Sunday (2pm). Whitehead came from behind to beat Carterton’s Alan Prew 21-16 in the semi-finals at Thame BC. Charlett
THE death of James Bott because of a rare heart problem devastated his family. And now they have discovered some of them have the same condition. Mr Bott, 21, had complained about chest pains and then a year ago he went to sleep one night and never woke
VOTERS are being asked to consider boundary changes for new electoral arrangements that will reduce the number of county councillors. The Local Government Boundary Commission for England launched a 12-week public consultation yesterday on the recommendations
Taranis Rex, trained by Nick Colton, won the Betfred Gymcrack Final at Kinsley on Tuesday night.
7.45: Debidee Diana 3, EFFERNOGUE HANDS, Gliding High 2, Ballyer Bullet, Primo Taz, Bound For Fun. 8.00: SHELBOURNE HAYDN, Primo Ted, Thandis Bob Bi 2, Brykat Lola, On Offer 3,Ceann Alainn. 8.15: Farran Fantasy, UPTOWN FAWNIE, Kereight Gold, Minimarket
Oxfordshire let slip a commanding lead to slump to a 118-115 defeat against title rivals Kent in the Home Counties League at Oxford City & County. With both counties boasting 100 per cent records – Oxon having won three out of three and Kent four out
Oxford City & County A scored their first century of the season in a 6-0 win at home to struggling Witney Mills in Division 1 of the Oxford & District League, sponsored by Yarnton Nurseries. City & County ran out 104-65 winners, with Middleton
A MOTHER broke down yesterday as she heard how doctors battled to save her newborn daughter who was born with a rare genetic disorder. Muskaan Rizwan was born at 11.15am on June 9, 2009 at the John Radcliffe Hospital. But just two hours later, doctors
IT was meant to be the holiday of their dreams, with two weeks in the sun at a luxury Turkish resort. But instead, David and Janice Copping’s trip turned into a nightmare. Their three children all fell ill, while an intestinal parasite
Oxfordshire's men are still in with a chance of promotion from Group 7 after sneaking a 5-4 victory over Northumberland in Beckenham, Kent. It means, confusingly, that they will go into the top section of the group as it splits into two. The leading
STEVE Naylor continued his record-breaking season with victory in the Hornton 6-mile race on Saturday. In doing so, the Woodstock Harrier rattled up his 25th race triumph in just under two years of running. Naylor smashed the ten-year-old course record
IT was a family affair for Radley at the annual Middle-sex Trophy meeting in Peri-vale, Middlesex. Their team (pictued above with their silverware) included father and daughter Mick and Abbey Cottam, mother and daughter Elaine and Faith Brew, as well
OXFORD B recovered from 3-0 down to take a crucial two points in the first leg of their Inter Area Cup third round tie at Reading B, writes PETE EWINS. After falling behind, Billy Hill (8,680) pulled it back to 3-1, before Alan Lacey made it 3-2 with
A farmhouse with a counting house thought to date back to the 17th century is on the market for £725,000. The counting house, where farm workers once went to receive their wages, is now a one-bedroom wing of Home Farm in Brighthampton, near Witney.
A Grade-II listed cottage with Medieval origins is made up of six smaller cottages. The property in Charlbury was converted from a barn in 1815 and has many period features including fireplaces, exposed beams and cellars that run the full length of the
THE risk from potentially-deadly radon gas across the whole of Oxfordshire is revealed today by the Oxford Mail. This map shows the areas where dangerously high levels of the cancer-causing gas are found. Yesterday we reported that the
NEARLY 250 of the care homes run by the financially troubled company Southern Cross could be taken over by a healthcare firm run by Chai Patel, the former chief executive of the Priory clinic. Mr Patel’s firm Court Cavendish plans to form a new company
I CAN never take any great comfort when an individual loses their job but the closing down of the News of the World and the subsequent job losses, comes pretty close. I suppose one could always say don’t moan if you get burned when you play with the
THE French President Nicolas Sarkozy started the bombings in Libya but France now says that it should sit round a table, because we have shown there is no solution through force, even if it means giving Colonel Gaddafi limited power. But you can’t trust
AS THE Government seems determined to ignore public opinion and scientific evidence and impose a badger cull (Wednesday’s Oxford Mail), just to appease the powerful farming lobby – who of course would far rather have a shooting free-for-all than improve
TECHNOLOGY has outstripped morality. Hacking, phone tapping, Internet and mobile phone bullying – I know we are now able to do all these things and many more besides, but should we? Are we teaching children that along with all this wonderful technology
ONE morning recently my wife and I were driving towards Cutteslowe on the A40 when we suddenly came upon four council workers (judging by their blue uniforms) picking up the litter from the central reservation. This was on the westbound carriageway between
I THINK Stuart Brechin is confused (last Thursday’s Oxford Mail ViewPoints). It is Northway church that is celebrating 50 years of opening. The estate itself is indeed older. I myself moved here in October 1950, the last one to move into the road, so
Chipping Norton continues to be the focus of intense scrutiny amid the phone-hacking row. And now one of the so-called “Chipping Norton Set” has lifted the lid on what is discussed around the dinner tables of power in west Oxfordshire. Top Gear presenter
Thatched properties can be more expensive to insure and need more upkeep but it is worth it, according to one couple. Julie and Brian Purcell-Smith have lived happily under a thatched roof for the past 23 years. When they bought Apple B Thatch in Cumnor
Witney’s Hailey Gardens development are sold but the original farmhouse is still on the market. The property, which was built in the 1950s, has been refurbished and decorated to show home standard. Tim Foreman, of Antler Homes, said: “We’re delighted
It is peak house-hunting time for parents moving to Oxford so their children can start school here in September. The independent schools have just broken-up for summer and many families have already lined up homes. But anyone who hasn’t found somewhere
Oxford City’s Brazilian-born footballer Felipe Barcelos has not given up hope of playing professionally – despite missing out on a pre-season friendly for Premier League side Fulham. Barcelos, 19, from Cowley, had a remarkable first season
A £10M revolution on Oxford’s buses has been hailed as the biggest public transport shake-up in a quarter of the century. On Sunday, new joint tickets and timetables will be launched between the city’s main operators – Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach
Yesterday in the House of Commons Ms Blackwood questioned the Prime Minister as part of the debate on public confidence in the media and the police. She asked: “Does the Prime Minister agree with me that having failed the victims in 2006, when the Met
HUNDREDS of people in Oxfordshire have contacted their MPs with concerns about the phone hacking scandal. Last night Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood said she hoped she had helped put things right after quizzing officials on the issue. The
POLICE took to the stage to warn children about antisocial behaviour and bullying. Officers and PCSOs from the Barton Neighbourhood Team used real issues to inspire plays at Bayards Hill Primary School, Oxford, yesterday. In one scene, written by Pc
A 41-year-old man from Oxfordshire was killed in Newbury after being crushed when the forklift truck he was driving toppled over. The construction worker, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident happened
SHAUN Kench was crowned Chipping Norton club champion for the second year in a row following rounds of 72 and 71 in the 36-hole competition. Meanwhile, Chipping Norton and Keltbray Golf Environmental have joined forces to construct a new practice facility
With huge sums being invested by industry and academia in drug research, headlines such as ‘Scientists believe they have made a breakthrough in the treatment of…’, followed by the name of a significant disease, are commonplace in the media. While
Oxford United’s players and management have returned from their pre-season tour of America. The U’s were unbeaten in their three games, drawing 1-1 with Seacoast United Phantoms, before beating Mass United 2-0 . They completed the tour
Perhaps it is de Savary magic, but step into the Old Swan and Minster Mill which many of us have known for decades as charming but, at best, shabby-chic, and you will see changes for the better everywhere you look . Somehow there seems to be no venture
Once upon a time Frank Cooper brought oranges in here, added value to them by turning them into Oxford marmalade before exporting the result all over the British Empire. Now information about anything anyone might possibly want to know about water is
THE holiday experienced by the Copping family sounds a nightmare. Whatever the outcome of the High Court action, the health problems suffered by the family not only ruined a two-week holiday but have caused them distress and misery since.
THERE is a fundamental hurdle that any public transport scheme always struggles with as it tries to grow significantly – ease of use. People will usually only review their travelling habits at two crucial points: when they move home or change jobs, although
Fewer than one in five people who have a learning disability such as Down’s syndrome or Fragile X work. But, according to the charity Mencap, at least 65 per cent would like to work, for much the same reasons as everyone else — it provides us with a sense
The hazards of encountering overlapping cyclists, seemingly suicidal pedestrians and tailgating by the ‘white van man’ on busy roads, keep even the most experienced of drivers on their toes. So for those new to driving, some trepidation is inevitable
Ibrahim Iqbal is only 19 but he has already created his own clothing line — a range of T-shirts that aim to get people dancing in the street. With business partner Yasir Osman, whom he met on Oxford and Cherwell Valley College’s business diploma course
A THREE vehicle crash has closed the A361 near Chipping Norton this morning. The road is currently shut both ways after the crash near the B4026. Emergency services are at the scene near the Chadlington turning.
A Jacobean farmhouse surrounded by fields may seem an unlikely site for a 21st century ‘knowledge park’ where scientists manipulate molecules to create tricksy new materials, from solar panels to sunscreen. But Begbroke Science Park is poised
As part of Prime Minister David Cameron’s Big Society initiative, we are all being encouraged to engage more with our local communities in a variety of ways. Many people have their favourite charities, often major national concerns and high profile
Tony Baldry, the MP for Banbury, launched a new business incubator in the Colin Sanders Innovation Centre, already home to 21 start-up businesses. Companies can rent their own desk space on a monthly basis, with free wireless internet and will also benefit
Directors at Oxford United have launched a special new club designed to boost business involvement at the Kassam Stadium. The Business Class networking club will offer corporate members “platinum benefits” including one of the best seats in the Kassam
A HIGH-tech Oxfordshire company has set up a new joint venture with a US partner injecting £20m to commercialise its ‘digital plaster’, Sensium. The Sensium ‘plaster’ is a body monitor developed by Toumaz, of Culham Science Centre, to allow hospital
School ICT supplier European Electronique, based in Eynsham, has been awarded a £480,000 five-year contract to design a ‘cloud’ computer system for one of the first free schools to open in the UK — the West London Free School in Hammersmith. Due to
Oxford City & County’s Katherine Hawes saw her hopes of a 12th Oxfordshire ladies’ singles title shattered as she crashed out in the semi-finals against Banbury Central’s Caroline Campion at Bloxham. Campion now faces clubmate Mo Cox, who
There is a familiar picture that shows the evolution of man, from an ape to an upright human. It shows evolution as a serious of gradual changes — but that is not really how it works. More often it is a process punctuated with sudden step-changes. It
Demand for industrial property in Oxfordshire has soared, according to a report from Savills. The office and industrial sector survey has found industrial take-up in 2010 stood at 707,845 sq ft, 22 per cent ahead of the five-year average. Andrew Parker
Much has been written about ‘White Van Man’, that much-derided tradesman who tends to cut up, tailgate and generally terrorise innocent motorists on the highways and byways of Britain. But rather than join the chorus of disapproval, I have often wondered
When people see a successful business they will often ask what has made it so and in my experience similar patterns emerge no matter what the nature of that business is. A set of ‘ingredients’ will be present which combine to form an entity that is capable
Here is a 21st century conundrum that must be facing many at the helm of organisations large and small. You are squeezed for cash and facing rising energy costs. You know you could save on the electricity bill but you are not sure exactly where you are
Oxford illustrator and author Mini Grey is going from strength to strength. A former primary school teacher, she took an MA in sequential design at Brighton University. She is now a full-time picture book creator, specialising in telling stories from
Most of us have a favourite time for reading. Mine is around 11pm, when, slumping in an armchair with a newspaper or magazine (books are for holidays), has the effect of concluding the day with an ideal sense of completeness. Last night, I read an interesting
Believe it or not, people often ask me where I would recommend for a good meal in Oxford. And, believe it or not, despite several years of lunching every month, I still struggle to come up with an answer. There are so many average bistros that become
COUNCILLORS have attacked plans for the first phase of Bicester’s 5,000-home eco-town. Members of Cherwell District Council’s planning committee went against their officers’ recommendations and deferred giving planning consent so “loose ends” could be
A hi-tech hub will this morning control the fate of Oxfordshire’s traffic as the CLA Game Fair begins at Blenheim Palace. Three years ago, queues of traffic trying to reach the event cuased gridlock around Oxford, with motorists stuck for
Mention Gilda (1946) and most film fans will think of Rita Hayworth's rendition of `Put the Blame on Mame'. She actually performs it twice: once in the empty bar, while strumming a melancholy guitar, and again to a packed house in a raunchy routine that
When Rock Hudson announced he was dying of AIDS in July 1985, the world was shocked and appalled. How could one of Hollywood's most iconic leading men have succumbed to what was still being demonised as a `gay plague'? A month later, Hudson insisted he
STUDENTS at Oxford Brookes University have designed and built a composting toilet. The five students spent spare weekends and evenings designing and making the facility, which has now been opened in Pullens Lane Allotments, in Headington. Architecture
Deep in the Chilterns in Bix Valley, Warburg is the place to enjoy butterflies on a sunny day. From down amongst the grasses along the woodland rides to high in the tree canopy, you can glimpse these beauties busily fluttering about. At the reserve
Sir David Attenborough urged people to take part in a nationwide count of butterflies to help find out if the hot, dry spring has hit the "bewitching" insects. The naturalist, who is president of wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, said butterflies
It is a preconceived idea that people with learning disabilities are limited in what they can do and to what they can contribute to society. However Anjali Dance Company, a small Oxfordshire charity has been working hard to shatter this stereotype.
