Archive

  • Youth workers to take strike action

    COUNTY council youth workers will begin a series of strike actions from next week in protest at job cuts and service closures. Public service union Unite said 34 of Oxfordshire’s 80 youth workers would take part in the one-day walkouts from

  • Actors enjoy gentle trip down river

    THREE actors took a break from their busy performing schedule to go punting on the River Cherwell in Oxford. Serena Evans, left, Belinda Lang and Aden Gillett are among the cast of Alarms and Excursions which is on at the Oxford Playhouse until

  • Yum Tom

    KATHERINE MACALISTER follows a hot tip to discover a menu of mouthwatering Thai dishes... and finds the results too good to keep to herself. As I watched some poor unfortunate man wandering down Cornmarket complete with a placard announcing

  • Life of Riley

    Former Emmerdale star talks driving, elasticated waists and Jamie Oliver with Katherine MacAlister. If you’re addicted to Waterloo Road, like numerous teenagers and their parents around the country, then you’ll know Lisa Riley as Scout’

  • Stage Plight

    Joe Marinari speaks to Ed Blagrove about casting 130 children and teenagers to stage a musical at Oxford's New Theatre in just 10 days. ED Blagrove is the director of Stage Experience’s Guys and Dolls Jr, which opens at the New Theatre tonight

  • Gleeful Showstopper

    GLEE: THE 3D CONCERT (PG). Musical. Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Darren Criss, Heather Morris, Dianna Agron, Kevin McHale, Mark Salling, Naya Rivera, Harry Shum Jr, Chord Overstreet, Jenna Ushkowitz. Director: Kevin

  • Alien Outlaws

    COWBOYS & ALIENS (12A). Sci-Fi/Action/Romance. Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Noah Taylor, Paul Dano. Director: Jon Favreau. Based on the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, Cowboys & Aliens

  • A Rare Treat

    RACHAEL O’CONNOR finds out there’s more to the Ashmolean Museum than you would think. While good tunes are often hailed as the win/lose feature of a new club night, there are other factors that may well sway your verdict and a truly awesome

  • A Rare Treat

    RACHAEL O’CONNOR finds out there’s more to the Ashmolean Museum than you would think. While good tunes are often hailed as the win/lose feature of a new club night, there are other factors that may well sway your verdict and a truly awesome

  • Ocean View

    Tim Hughes meets 80s R’n’B sensation Billy Ocean, who believes he was born to be a musical star. BILLY Ocean is the classic East End boy made good. Born Leslie Sebastian Charles in Trinidad, he grew up in Romford and took his name from Stepney

  • Riot Rockers

    The diamond-voiced Phil McMinn, of The Winchell Riots, tells Tim Hughes why it feels so good to be playing Reading Festival... again! NEXT weekend some of the world’s biggest bands line-up to play Britain’s longest-running festival of rock

  • Popular city pub’s stay of execution

    A MONTH after its closing down party was held, a popular pub in Oxford’s Cowley Road has been handed a stay of execution. James Hopkin has taken over the running of the Hobgoblin on a temporary basis after working there for four years. The pub had been

  • Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 18/8/2011)

    The recent run of Ealing reissues concludes with what many consider to be the best of the bunch. Robert Hamer's Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) is a mordant assault on patrician snobbery and the dubious morals of the bourgeoisie. It is also a drawing-room

  • Parky at the Pictures (DVD 18/8/2011)

    It quickly becomes apparent while spending a few hours watching old movies how much cinema has changed. During the golden age of Hollywood, the action was more set-bound, the lighting softer and the close-ups more flattering. Even more tellingly, the

  • Local shares (PM)

    AEA Technology 2.75 BMW 4720 Electrocomponents 191.2 Nationwide Accident Repair 88.5 Oxford Biomedica 6.3 Oxford Catalysts 61.5 Oxford Instruments 825 Reed Elsevier 463.7 RM 92 RPS Group 198 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • United midfielder Clist is off to Bulls

    Oxford United midfielder Simon Clist has gone on loan to League Two rivals Hereford United until January 3. Clist has made one appearance for the U's this season, starting and scoring in the 3-1 defeat by Cardiff in the Carling Cup. Clist joined the

  • Training courses

    Training courses for people who will act as volunteer ‘friends’ for people with life-threatening and terminal illness is offered next month. The Oxfordshire Befriending Network is seeking volunteers to visit service users across Oxfordshire and training

  • Council joins HS2 opposition

    OXFORDSHIRE County Council has joined a group of local authorities opposing the Government’s £32bn plan to build a high-speed railway line between London and Birmingham. The proposed route would cut across the north-east corner of Oxfordshire between

  • Open day activities

    A community activity group for elderly and disabled people is hosting an open day on Monday, August 29, at Lerwick Croft Community Hall, Lerwick Croft, Bicester, from 2pm. People can find out more about Crofters weekly activities, including bingo

  • Diverted buses

    Due to roadworks in Ploughley Road, Ambrosden, which start on Monday and are scheduled to last until Saturday, September 3, buses on Stagecoach route S5 between Oxford and Bicester will be diverted in Ambrosden and Arncott. The bus stops

  • Vacancies galore for young unemployed

    Young jobseekers are being urged to attend a special event tomorrow designed to help them into the world of work. Employers at Oxford’s first Youth Job Fair will be offering dozens of apprenticeships and jobs in a bid to tackle the growing problem of

  • Magnetic role

    Tubney Woods: Hi-tech firm Oxford Instruments Magnetic Resonance has appointed Tony Bosley as general manager. He joins from High Wycombe-based e2v Scientific Instruments, which specialises in the design, development and production of high resolution

  • Site managers scoop awards

    Oxon: Two site managers with building firm Taylor Wimpey are celebrating after picking up top awards. Kevin Proctor and Simon Cook, site managers at Rose Hill in Oxford and Swinford Green in Eynsham, scooped a National House Building Council (NHBC) Pride

  • Sweet charity - grant for jobless and causes

    A new scheme to get the county’s unemployed back to work through volunteering has been launched thanks to a £100,000 grant. It could also boost charity groups in the city’s most deprived estates. Volunteer Centre Oxfordshire based in St Aldate’s, Oxford

  • Three city restaurants join top guide

    THREE Oxford restaurants are cracking open the bubbly after becoming new entrants in the 2012 Good Food Guide. Shanghai 30s in St Aldate’s and The Magdalen Arms in Iffley Road have entered the Which? publication for the first time, while the Chiang Mai

  • Adam's joint effort

    Adam Bushnell is one of Team UK’s 43 elite young craftsmen and craftswomen competing in this year’s WorldSkills event which pitches Britain’s finest talents against their peers from more than 50 countries, across 45 trades from graphic design to hairdressing

  • BOWLS: Wallingford's golden oldies

    Wallingford are celebrating winning Berkshire County Kennet League LX Division 3 West. They won ten of their 12 games in the league for players aged 60 and over. The team are pictured at their 63-41 win over Didcot B. Back row (from left): Reg Dolton

  • BOWLS: Thame host triples test

    Two Oxford City & County sides, skipped by Len Lacey and Chris Earl, go for glory in the Thame Triples Trophy at the Queens Road green on Sunday (9.45am). They are among a 12-strong line-up, which also includes South Oxford triples, skipped by Keith

  • Girl lured boy to knifepoint robbery

    A TEENAGE girl acted as “sexual bait” to lure a boy into a knifepoint robbery in the car park of Oxford City Football Club. The 17-year-old victim was stabbed in the chest after four men ambushed him as he chatted to the girl in the Marston car

  • BAR BILLIARDS: Masons bounce back

    MASONS Arms recovered well after last week’s reverse by triumphing 5-1 at home to Gladiators Club A in Group B of the Oxford Summer League, writes PETE EWINS. Glads’ Bob Pincombe put the visitors in front with a 3,110-1,270 win over Martyn Wood, Dave

  • GOLF: Results round-up

    SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Section 2 Magnolia Park 1½ (2pts), Bicester 1½ (2) (Magnolia Park first): R Stone & G Stirratt halved with J Davies & J Rees, J Shell & G Clempson bt M Taylor & G Harvey 2 holes, M Jefferson & J Gardiner

  • Leaking plane pulls out of show

    A SEA Vixen will perform a flyover at the Fly to the Past airshow on Sunday, as a last-minute replacement for a Vulcan grounded by a fuel leak. The Vulcan, right, is the last in the world still flying, but suffered a leak on Tuesday and must pull out

  • ATHLETICS: City seal promotion joy

    OXFORD City posted a superb victory in their final match of the season to clinch promotion from Division 2 West of the Southern Men’s League. City went into the match in fourth place, knowing maximum points were needed, and they did not disappoint.

  • Local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 2.75 BMW 4932 Electrocomponents 194.1 Nationwide Accident Repair 89 Oxford Biomedica 6.3 Oxford Catalysts 61.5 Oxford Instruments 830 Reed Elsevier 478.2 RM 91 RPS Group 200 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Funds plan for super-fast web slammed

    THE county councillor responsible for broadband says Oxfordshire has been “short changed” in the Government money to bring super-fast connections to 90 per cent of the county’s homes. The Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) announced

  • BOWLS: Gaskins denied in final mission

    Oxfordshire's Carol Gaskins finished runner-up in the Bowls England Women’s Over 55 Singles at Royal Leamington Spa. The Oxford City & County veteran was edged out 21-18 by Liz Garritty (Croft, Cumbria) in the decider. In the semi-finals, she beat Sue

  • GOLF: Oxon's tough test

    OXFORDSHIRE’S girls found it tough going in the County Match Days event on Frilford Heath’s Red Course. The hosts finished last in the four-county tournament, which was won by Hertfordshire. Oxon started out with third place in the warm-up foursomes

  • BOWLS: County hopes dashed in fours

    Oxfordshire's two sides suffered second-round exits in the Bowls England Men’s National Fours Championship at Worthing. Headington’s four of Dean May, Nathan Lewis, Nick Rae-Welsh and Howard Watts bowed out 21-14 to skip Nigel Brignall (Nafferton

  • BOWLS: Headington heroes retain title in super style

    Headington A were crowned champions of the Oxford & District League, sponsored by Yarnton Nurseries, for the second successive season. Led by ever-present skips Craig Nicoll and Mark Charlett, they retained the title by beating Banbury Central

  • Villagers’ grief at dad’s death

    WHEN news spread of the death of glazier Andy Lee, villagers turned up on his doorstep to offer their condolences. Mr Lee, from East Hagbourne near Didcot, died last Thursday after being diagnosed with inoperable cancer earlier this year. His widow

  • The Insider

    * SO how to deter the ‘yoof’ of today from a violent orgy of rioting? Well Prime Minister David Cameron laid down his plans clearly during his keynote speech in Witney’s Base 33 youth club on Monday: talk them into submission. A hand-selected audience

  • EU interference

    THROUGH the various postal services directives, the European Union (EU) has ripped the limbs off our post office network. And now, more interference from its latest review, will, in effect, rip the heart out of Royal Mail which provides a vital service

  • All change on bins

    AS I know your letters page is widely read, could I use it to remind readers of major changes to refuse and recycling collections that are underway? Almost half of households in the Cherwell district – that’s 23,000 homes – will see their bin collection

  • Ban all face masks

    IN VIEW of the Prime Minister’s parliamentary statement that the police will be given powers to ban suspected criminals from concealing their faces in public, it is now the perfect time to implement a comprehensive proscription of facial covering in the

  • GOLF: Carver out to make a mark

    THE Wychwood captain Darren Carver hopes to put his club on the map in the Lombard Challenge qualifier at The Oxfordshire. Carver teams up with his club pro Adam Souter for the south region event next Wed-nesday. They hope to make the grand final at

  • Save our countryside

    IF, LIKE me, you love the sight of our beautiful local countryside, you may be shocked to learn that the Government has published a new set of planning rules which could give an automatic green light to any new development in the countryside outside

  • MPs are just as bad

    IN HIS ‘state of the nation’ speech at Witney, David Cameron spoke of “people showing indifference to right and wrong, people with a twisted moral code and people with a complete absence of self restraint”. The recent scenes of looting shown were appalling

  • TV programme is required viewing

    CLEARLY, Mr Cameron had not watched the BBC programme Young Voter’s Question Time last week (still available on BBC iPlayer until tomorrow) or he would not have made such an inept speech. The programme made it very clear that there is a very complex

  • Politics to blame, not police

    BLAME the politics, not our brave police officers. It’s time the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary stop acting like Dempsey and Makepeace. The ugly riots have come as a nasty shock for a Prime Minister who has seen his dream of a big society turn

  • ATHLETICS: On-song Carter clinches victory at Hooky

    WOODSTOCK Harrier Sophie Ca-rter continued her winning form with victory at the Hooky 6 on Sunday. The race, which incorporated the latest Oxfordshire Road Race Grand Prix event, was well-supported with 280 finishers. Carter eased to victory in 36mins

  • ATHLETICS: Jubiliant Radley in title triumph

    RADLEY were celebrating after clinching the Southern Men’s League Division 2 West title in great style at Horspath Road on Saturday. In a big top-of-the-table clash, leaders Radley took on second and third-placed teams Wycombe and Basingstoke, and emerged

  • MOTORSPORT: Smith is handed MotoGP chance

    OXFORDSHIRE rider Bradley Smith could be racing against the likes of superstars Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi in MotoGP next year. Smith, from Forest Hill, near Oxford, is being considered for a place in the Monster Tech 3 team. In his first season

  • Morse and Lewis still lure tourists to Oxford

    THERE’S no mystery why tourism is booming in Oxford. That’s the view of tourism bosses who say visitor numbers are soaring on the back of Lewis, Morse and Harry Potter. Last night, television star Kevin Whately, who plays Detective

  • Man charged with sword possession

    A MAN is due to appear in court this morning after a woman was allegedly threatened with a sword in Abingdon. Kevin Stone, of Andersey Way, Abingdon, will appear before magistrates in Oxford to answer a string of four charges connected to a disturbance

  • Wheeling in: MG6 Magnette

    Confessions first. I have a soft spot for the MG brand. once owned an MG – not a classic, two-seat, chrome-splashed sports car from any of half a dozen decades from the 20th century, mind you. Mine was a 1980s MG Maestro. And I loved it.

  • Oxfordshire zones in on £19m boost

    MORE than 8,000 jobs, a £19m a year boost and improvements to transport and housing look set for Oxfordshire. That’s the predicted result after the Government yesterday named southern Oxfordshire as one of 10 new Enterprise Zones across the country.

  • Whittingham still revered by Oxford United fans

    HE is one of the most saluted players in Oxford United’s history, yet he was at the club just a week, and played only one match. But Guy Whittingham ensured he would always have a special place in the hearts of U’s fans by scoring on his debut

  • COMMENT: Reaping benefits of TV shows

    THE financial good news is not just limited to the Enterprise Zone in the south. Tourism is up again in Oxford, partly on the back of Harry Potter and the Morse/Lewis franchise. A concern, however, must be what lasting damage the riots

  • COMMENT: Enterprise Zone has to be a good thing

    THE new Enterprise Zone is nothing but good news, particularly if the estimate of more than 8,000 jobs comes true. The real value, though, is perhaps not immediately obvious. Yes, having new high-tech companies with highly-skilled workers

  • A Deniable Death by Gerald Seymour

    A DENIABLE DEATH by Gerald Seymour (Hodder & Stoughton, £17.99)If you’ve got the time to be utterly gripped by a book, read A Deniable Death by Gerald Seymour. It’s a masterly unfolding of suspense, releasing the story a tiny bit at a time, gradually

  • Local author

    Fiona McClean grew up in Didcot and completed an art foundation course in Banbury, working as a graphic designer for Oxfam until she married a French man and moved to France. Her first novel, From Under the Bed (Roman Books, £14.99), opens when Anna admits

  • Interview with S J Bolton

    Serial killers don’t come much bigger or scarier than Jack the Ripper. And although it is more than a century since ‘Jack’ was butchering women in London’s East End, the mystery surrounding him is as compelling as ever. This provides the background for

  • A-level joy as students learn their fate

    STUDENTS across Oxfordshire have started celebrating after ripping open their A-level results this morning. Teenagers and mature students are learning whether they have got the grades they need to go to university or secure the job they want

  • West End performance

    Sir – From the moment I walked into the Theatre at Headington, even before the Stagecoach Oxford Senior Workshop’s Sweeney Todd had started, I knew I was in for a treat and I wasn’t wrong. This would have been a wonderful, awe-inspiring, spine tingling

  • Saving lives

    Sir – As a retired health and safety officer I cringe when I hear people criticising health and safety. First, the only legislation I know is “The Health and Safety at Work Act”, pre any legislation ie The Factories Act 1964, we were killing in excess

  • Devil and deep blue

    Sir – In the light of the countrywide riots, it is ever more clear that closing down most of Oxfordshire’s 20 youth centres to focus on six hubs, where the plan is for the most needy young to be taken to, is unwise at the moment. I understand that one

  • Walk was spoiled

    Sir – Recently, I was on a walk in the Yelford, Aston, Bampton and Lew area. While the weather and company were good, the walk was spoiled by stiles in poor or, in some cases, dangerous condition, gaps in hawthorn hedges narrowed and overgrown, and crops

  • Rail has the answer

    Sir – Bus and coach deregulation in 1986 had mixed results. In cities it unleashed “bus wars” between new and established operators. Buses reduce congestion but bus wars increase it. This spawned a misguided prejudice that led Oxfordshire politicians

  • Build a new town

    Sir – Reading the article about the overcrowding of trains (August 11): this increasing overcrowding can only mean that more and more of the people who work in London are living some distance outside that city and are having to commute. It seems obvious

  • Getting back to nature

    On the brow of a hill overlooking the village of Islip, 1,000 lavender bushes in full bloom stir in the breeze. The only sound is the buzzing of bees. This peaceful plot is part of a five-acre piece of land called Jacobs Field. Lista Cannon bought it

  • £500k injection for university spinout

    The latest spinout company from Oxford University has been given a major cash injection to help with the development of a solid gel that will reduce the risk of tissue damage during operations. The £500,000 investment will be used to develop

  • Getting to the church in style

    When the motorists of the 1950s and 1960s bought a Morris Minor as a practical family car, little did they know that some of these vehicles would become the wedding transport of choice for many Oxfordshire brides. Three Morris Minors have been playing

  • The music business

    Talent and commitment are two important ingredients for a musician, but few are gifted with another quality that is just as vital for survival today — a head for business. Unlike rock and pop concerts, live classical music cannot be kept afloat by

  • Reprieve for an old friend

    Paul Holt, business manager for Newbury Building Society, welcomes the U-turn on the scrapping of the cheque The credit crunch has seen the financial landscape change dramatically over the past few years, and possibly altered the way markets work for

  • Curmudgeonly city

    Sir – I am sure that many of your readers will have noticed the tremendous number of curmudgeons thronging the letters page of The Oxford Times this summer. Several seem to want to set up checkpoints on road and rail routes into Oxford to intercept any

  • Accepting others

    Sir – I am writing in response to Beryl Addison’s letter (August 4). For those who did not read it, Mrs Addison visited Oxford from her home in Hampshire and wrote to complain of the number of visitors. Her visit to the Ashmolean was spoilt by all the

  • Paucity of services

    Sir – Regrettably, councillor Keith Mitchell has entirely missed the point (Joint ticketing is win-win, Letters, August 4). Privatising public transport was supposed to deliver benefits of market competition, such as varied services and lower prices.

  • Stressing in tin box

    Sir – The views expressed by Mr Armstrong (Letters, August 11) suggest he really needs to look closer to home regarding his frustration with cyclists using the highway. Obviously his driving skills must be somewhat marginal if he finds the act of slowing

  • Science of chocolate

    Is good cooking a science or an art? Probably, like most things done well, a bit of both. But what is definite is that many Oxford scientists make good cooks. Notably there was Professor Nicholas Kurti (1908-1998), the Hungarian born scientist who fled

  • Not quite a flight of fancy

    Four years have passed since I last darkened the door of The Feathers in Woodstock. Then, having experienced a meal which was disappointing to say the least, I had expressed my displeasure in these pages. Very shortly afterwards I received

  • Man on a mission

    What was your first job and what did your responsibilities include? Working as a clerical assistant at Blackwell’s Export offices based in Blue Boar Street, Oxford. I had to check on newly received books and match them against orders.

  • Jules has a secret to share

    Eating out has its challenges. Often it is a case of visiting a restaurant that may be new or unfamiliar to give it a try and then suffering the embarrassment of poor food or bad service among friends. It can ruin what is meant to be a pleasant evening

  • Building for the future

    Average life expectancy is growing which is good news for all of us but as it does, it is creating problems. Dementia is a ticking timebomb with an estimated 750,000 sufferers in the UK — a figure that could double by 2050. But while most of us will

  • Business advice for female entrepreneurs

    An all-day business event pitched directly at women is being held in Oxford. The Networking Women Conference will feature a range of seminars and speakers, including Sarah Steel, founder of the Old Station Nursery which was started in Faringdon and

  • How to stay ahead of rental rivals

    The booming rental market means more would-be tenants chasing each property but there are ways of staying ahead of the competition. Bob Martin, of Oxford-based Martin & Co, said: “Set a specific date you want to move by, don’t just say you are flexible

  • Record month for innovation centre

    The Milton Park Innovation Centre has reported a record month of activity. The site, which opened in December 2008, saw 14 company moves in the period between June 10 and July 10. James Dipple, managing director for MEPC Milton Park, said: "Start-up

  • Doing more with less

    The Beyond Borders report is a highly accurate barometer of the industry. Combining penetrating insight, clear-cut data and comment from movers and shakers across the globe, it cuts through all the anecdotes, rumours and frequent hype to give a clear

  • The way the cookie crumbles

    David Cavaliero, partner in the Technology and Media team at Withy King Solicitors in Oxford, examines new legislation surrounding the use of ‘cookies’ You might be breathing a sigh of relief following the announcement from the Information Commissioner's

  • Colin's healthy business

    Working as a critical care nurse at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital gave Colin Nicholson valuable experience. It also left him with the conviction that his intervention was sometimes too late to save people from death or disability, writes Maggie Hartford

  • Driving for an above par business

    Golfers can choose from some of the biggest brands in the game thanks to the opening of a new shop dedicated to their sport. Professional player John Strode is the driving force behind Yes Please Golf, based in Churchill Road, Bicester. Mr Strode, 33

  • Games go mobile

    Simon Prytherch, chief executive of Banbury based Lightning Fish Games, reveals how the company has grown into one of the world’s leading motion gaming studios Lightning Fish Games designs and develops active motion video games for games consoles such

  • Giving the High Street a sporting chance

    Nowhere are Britain’s economic ills more evident than on our high streets. Most small retailers (and many big ones) are struggling. Demand for secondary trading positions is negligible, while a stroll down virtually any high street will only confirm

  • Opening doors to city

    Sir – We share the view of Cassandra Barrington-Harness that in Oxford ‘we have one of the most precious, stunning urban environments’ (Letters, August 11). It is, however, our experience that the University and the colleges, rather than wishing

  • Do not blame schools

    Sir – While few would disagree with Beryl Addison’s comments (Do not allow Oxford to turn into a theme park, (Letters, August 4)), she is mistaken in her apparent belief that the huge numbers of foreign students thronging the streets are attending language

  • Profiting from waste

    Sir – I was intrigued by your report (August 4) about the amount of money the city council has made since the introduction of the charged-for garden waste collection. Back in May, I wrote a long letter to council officials expressing my concerns over

  • Absolute nonsense

    Sir – Peter Headicar (Letters, August 11) seems to be leaping to huge and incorrect conclusions about both the regulatory nature of the new bus co-ordination arrangements and ticketing in Oxford. He writes about “bus companies are effectively being granted

  • Sarah the style guru

    Sarah Lidwell-Durnin was embarking on a doctorate in medieval history — 15th-century Poetry as a Political Tool for the Lancastrians — when she took a break to have a baby. She never finished her thesis, but instead set up her own business, Natural

  • Baby hatch grows up

    Even those with a distinctly casual attitude to cars —namely you buy them and drive them but nothing more — may have heard of the Citroen DS3. And even if you haven’t, you will have seen one. The baby premium-aspirational hatch took the market and its

  • Blue sky thinking

    Having organised three massive airshows at Blenheim Palace, Francis Rockliff is the first to admit his faults. “I am a good entrepreneur, not a good businessman,” he said. “I am a showman —make them laugh, make them cry.” He certainly managed to do that

  • Other projects need funds

    Sir – I am always sceptical when councillors speak about the ‘world-city’ status of Oxford in order to justify some grand project for the city. So I am disappointed to see Dr Graham Jones trying to resurrect the unrealistic proposal for an expensive

  • Burning midnight oil

    Sir – I have recently moved to Oxford and although I find the place wonderful to stay in, with some of the friendliest people I have met in a very long time, I am surprised that some aspect of, what I would consider to be normal city life, in fact normal

  • Disabled Oxford gardener is on the path to success

    A DISABLED gardener says more people could enjoy the pleasure of plants with just small adaptations to allotment plots. Michelle Bailey, 30, took on a plot at Cowmead Allotments off Abingdon Road, Oxford, recently, but her disability makes

  • Delicate Riesling perfect for summer

    Stereotypes may be the source of some cracking jokes but that they so often reinforce a negative idea of a place or peoples can be extremely frustrating. Just the other night we were out for dinner with friends and the wine list came to me for a decision