Archive

  • No bike lights, but Wendy lit up Bob's life

    A BIKE with no lights, an over-zealous policeman and a soldier rescuing a damsel in distress has led to 60 years of happiness for this Oxford couple. Bob and Wendy Rich, of Chilswell Road, celebrated their Diamond Wedding anniversary on Thursday

  • Jobs could go as chain folds

    MORE than 60 staff at a distribution centre in Wallingford could lose their jobs after the Habitat furniture store chain went into administration. Workers who deliver the store’s products to homes from contractor Unipart Consumer Logistics in Moreton

  • Have your say to police

    Police officers will be visiting Kingham’s farmers’ market on The Green, between 10am and 11am, tomorrow to talk to residents about local issues.

  • Visit gardens in Cumnor

    The United Reformed Church, in Leys Road, Cumnor is encouraging people to visit its gardens. Call Diana Townsend, church elder, on 01865 862084.

  • Team takes on English Channel challenge

    AN OXFORD man will be putting his body to the test for charity by swimming the Channel in September. Nigel Doggett, above, will be part of a nine-man team raising money for Self Unlimited, a charity which supports people with learning disabilities.

  • A361 section to stay shut till October

    Residents say pungent smells from a giant compost facility in their village are making their lives a misery. They claim home food waste taken to the Agrivert plant at Ashgrove Farm in Ardley for composting has turned the air foul since it opened

  • Muslim community's appeal for starving in Africa

    OXFORD’S Muslim community has launched a bid to raise £10,000 for victims of the famine in east Africa. Dr Hojjat Ramzy, of the Oxford Islamic Information Centre, has been joined by local Muslims going door to door to collect money to be distributed

  • Sculpture show

    The Oxford Sculptors Group Exhibition is to host an exhibition of its work later this month. It will be at the Claydon House Estate Gardens, Middle Claydon, from August 27 to August 30 from noon to 5pm.

  • Dinner dress-up

    A black-tie dinner is being held in aid of the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance. The event, at Witney Lakes Resort, is on September 10 from 7.30pm to 12.30am. Tickets cost £22.50 from 01993 843032 or 01993 842979.

  • Eastern Bloc Party

    From the glittering Havel River, the city of Potsdam appears to float like a dream – a vision of palaces, pavilions, domes and towers rising above the trees and clipped lawns. Beside the water, students lie on the grass laughing, couples embrace, and

  • Estate opens up cycle route for first time

    CYCLISTS are enjoying the chance to explore previously forbidden territory this summer, thanks to the Cornbury Estate at Charlbury. Until now, cyclists have been barred from the grounds of Cornbury Park, but owners Lord and Lady Rotherwick are allowing

  • Nostalgic return for wartime crane driver

    A pensioner who drove a crane during the Second World War has taken the chance to see how things have changed in the industry. Sixty-seven years ago Ellen Burnside was just 20 when she was conscripted to help out with the war effort. She was sent to

  • Fathers' camp

    New Fathers 4 Justice is holding a protest camp in Wood Green, Witney. The campaigners will camp from noon on August 27 to 3pm on August 28. They also plan to March through the town. The group campaigns for parents to have equal access to children after

  • Adapted boat lets disabled get afloat

    A STATE-of-the-art boat has been launched at an Oxfordshire reservoir to allow wheelchair users to indulge in angling. Actor Bernard Cribbins was on hand at Farmoor Reservoir yesterday to launch it. Mr Cribbins, who is a patron of The Wheelyboat Trust

  • Quiz night for housing cause

    A quiz night will be held at the Town Hall next month. Town criers and street organ grinders from across England will join teams at the September 2 contest, organised by Banbury Town Council. Cash from the evening will go to the BYHP housing charity

  • Software firm in Dutch deal

    Publishing Technology, the world’s largest provider of publishing software services, based at the Oxford Business Park, has sold its pub2web platform to John Benjamins, an independent Dutch academic publisher. The pub2web platform will enable potential

  • Actors' workshop

    Chipping Norton residents can take a sideways look at their town this weekend, thanks to a series of ‘performance walks’. Walkers will be able to discover some of the town’s secrets, as well as get a new angle on more familiar sights, and enjoy poetry

  • 'Don't let our pub become a house'

    Plans to turn a historic pub into a house have caused uproar in an Oxfordshire village and led to a calls for parish councillors to step down. Punch Taverns has put the Bell Inn, in Hook Norton’s High Street, on the market for £325,000 but its value

  • River twinning

    OXON: The River Thames is to twin with the River Ganges in India in a £210,000 initiative to share ways to protect wildlife and reduce pollution. Indian scientists will visit the UK to learn how the Thames was restored from being biologically dead in

  • Guard attacked

    BERINSFIELD: A cash box was ripped from a security guard collecting money from Abbey Sports Centre in Green Furlong on Tuesday. The 54-year-old suffered a bruised arm before the two attackers ran off across playing fields. They are described as white

  • Pub goes pink for charity bash

    A town pub will become pink for a day as string of local rock bands play a gig for charity. The Hobgoblin pub, in Sheep Street, Bicester, will open its doors on Sunday, August 28, for a Pink Festival, from 2pm. Proceeds from the day will be donated

  • Row brewing at waste plant

    Residents say pungent smells from a giant compost facility in their village are making their lives a misery. They claim home food waste taken to the Agrivert plant at Ashgrove Farm in Ardley for composting has turned the air foul since it opened last

  • Speed restriction causes sleepless nights

    RESIDENTS have called for the removal of speed bumps along a busy main road through Barton. People living either side of Bayswater Road have claimed the bumps are leading to sleepless nights and are shaking the foundations of their homes. The road leads

  • Petition lifts fight for animal centre

    More than 1,000 people have signed an online petition to save an RSPCA animal rescue centre. Charity bosses want to close Willow Farm Rescue Centre at Chilton near Didcot before a replacement building has been found. Staff have been

  • RACING: Beaver Patrol retired

    Beaver Patrol, a stalwart of Eve Johnson Houghton’s Blewbury stables, near Didcot, has been retired. The nine-year-old chestnut gelding won nine of his 79 starts, accumulating £345,474 in prize money. His victories included sprint handicaps at Newmarket

  • EQUESTRIAN Bradstock lifts crown

    Oxfordshire's Alfie Bradstock was crowned the open individual show jumping champion at the Pony Club Championships at Draycott House, Derbyshire. Representing the Old Berkshire Hunt, Bradstock, from Letcombe Bassett, near Wantage, put in three

  • COMMENT: Anger is justified

    THERE is ultimately only one reason people fundraise. It is to make a difference. Whatever they are trying to achieve, fundraisers want to ensure that there is an improvement. That is why the Oxford Laryngectomy Club members are right to be furious that

  • SHOOTING: Charles shoots for glory

    Oxfordshire junior Charles Davidmann, 18, won the UK Championship title in the Olympic Skeet Shotgun at the South Wales 2000 shooting ground in Cardiff The 18-year-old from Thame, who receives funding through the TASS scheme for promising youngsters

  • GREYHOUNDS: Kibble closing in on top title

    Trainer Angie Kibble continues to dominate the Trainers Championship with another 29 winners in July giving her a healthy 41 lead over the fast emerging challenger Maurice Massey. The Blackthorn handler produced 21 winners and with reigning champion

  • Dial-a-ride bus links ‘face deep cuts’

    ELDERLY and disabled people in north Oxfordshire could see deep cuts to their dial-a-ride bus links from next year, according to the charity now running the service. Cherwell District Council is ending its current £187,000 grant funding next March, when

  • Club’s ‘disgust’ at unused equipment

    FUNDRAISERS who spent nine years raising £11,000 for specialist cancer detecting equipment said they are ‘disgusted’ it appears to have been left gathering dust. The Oxford Laryngectomy Club provides support for people before, during and after

  • EQUESTRIAN: Heythrop in Gatcombe joy

    The Heythrop Hunt Club won the British Equestrian Trade Association-sponsored Pony Club team show jumping competition at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park. The team of Betsy Glasgow, Alice Sandberg, Imogen Gloag and Alice Everett received

  • GREYHOUNDS: Bill's the one to chase

    There's no more consistent hound than Carribean Bill at the moment. The Michael Peterson- trained dog has won eight of his twelve races and has never been headed to the sectional. Still with Peterson, his Tic Tac Gold, never rated good enough and kept

  • Library has not seen Where's Wally book in years

    WHERE is Wally? That’s the question after it was revealed a book about the bespectacled character was one of seven missing from Oxfordshire’s libraries for more than six years. Patient library chiefs are still waiting on the seven books, including

  • Man denies threatening witness

    ONE of the men accused of threatening to kill a key witness in a murder trial if he gave evidence said he was “too smart” to do something like that. George Kirika and three other men allegedly kicked and punched terrified John Amadasun after

  • Clarke: We want to win it for fans

    Goalkeeper Ryan Clarke has been in the middle of a fierce derby battle before, and says that Swindon was the first match he looked for back in June when the fixtures came out. The teams go head to head for the first time in more than ten years

  • Two charged with Cowley Road robbery

    TWO men have been charged with robbery after an 18-year-old woman had her handbag and mobile phone stolen. Lewis Jack Heaver, of Hornbeam Drive, Greater Leys, was charged with one count of robbery, possession of an a knife, and a public order

  • GREYHOUNDS: Lomu is on form

    Skipping Lomu, trained by Richard Baker is fancied in the A2 over 450 metres at Oxford Stadium tonight. There are some top heaters downgraded here, but in-form Lomu should do it. toNIGHT’s RUNNERS 7.45: Lights On, ASHVALE BEAUTY,Newhalls Risky, Jennas

  • Former U's defender says cool heads are needed to win derby

    Former Oxford United defender Mike Ford says cool heads are needed when the current crop of U’s players take on rivals Swindon Town at the County Ground tomorrow. And Ford, 45, now boss of Southern League side Oxford City, took over as United

  • EQUESTRIAN: Blenheim mission attracts Phillips

    Zara Phillips is among a stellar cast and record entry who will battle it out at the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials at Woodstock from September 8-11. Phillips along with top British-based stars William Fox-Pitt and Mark

  • EQUESTRIAN: Faurie's joy as GB strike gold

    Oxfordshire rider Emile Faurie was a member of the Great Britain team, which struck gold for the first time in the 25-year history of the FEI European Dressage Championships. Faurie, from Milton-under-Wychwood, and teammates Carl Hester, Laura Bechtolsheimer

  • Death in horse crash 'unavoidable'

    NHS driver William Seeney was killed when a black racehorse galloped out of the darkness and hit his lorry on a main road, an inquest heard. The 49-year-old from Dovehouse Close, Eynsham, died instantly from the injuries he suffered in the head-on crash

  • Warning that 'Viagra veto is dangerous for men'

    MEN with erectile dysfunction will turn to dangerous online products because the NHS has cut recommended treatment doses, a leading county GP has warned. Dr David Edwards sounded the warning after doses for drugs like viagra were recommended for a maximum

  • Victim airlifted

    An elderly man was airlifted to hospital yesterday following an accident involving a car and a mobility scooter. The accident happened on the B4009 Oxford Road at the junction with Hollandtide Lane, near RAF Benson, at about 1.15pm. The pensioner was

  • CRICKET: Oxon are left Hert-broken

    OXFORDSHIRE’S brilliant season came to an agonising end in the ECB Under 15 Cup national semi-final at Bishop’s Stortford. Oxfordshire, unbeaten all season until this point, tied their last-four clash with Hertfordshire, only to go out as a result of

  • Teens' disorder

    Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with disorder in the town after shops and property were damaged on August 9. The boys, both 16 and from Banbury, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and have been bailed until September 22.

  • Jobseeker applied for 50 jobs in month without reply

    Emma Jones has applied for 50 jobs in the last month, and not had a single reply. The 21-year-old was one of hundreds of young jobseekers hunting for opportunities at the city’s council’s first youth jobs fair at Oxford Town Hall yesterday. It came

  • COMMENT: Frustration of youth can be sensed

    THE youngsters at yesterday’s youth jobs fair disprove the prevailing outlook of some that very few of them want to work. Take a look at Emma Jones. This 21-year-old has, she said, applied for 50 jobs in the past month — without any response. Darren

  • 'Thieves' shop themselves

    A 40-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy handed themselves in to police after an anonymous appeal for information. The pair have now been arrested on suspicion of theft in connection with an incident in Templar’s Square, Cowley, on August 10. The cryptic

  • YOUTH CRICKET: County bow out with a whimper

    OXFORDSHIRE Under 17’s season drew to a disappointing conclusion following a poor display and ultimately heavy defeat against Dorset in their ECB Championship Division 3 play-off match at Banbury. Oxon can point to a well-below par bowling and fielding

  • YOUTH CRICKET: Super Finch clips Berkshire's wings

    OXFORDSHIRE Under 16s won their final Jersey Festival warm-up match against Berkshire by 16 runs at the Oxford University ground in Marston. Oxon posted 199-5 from their 50 overs. Luke Finch again led the way with 56, while there were useful contributions

  • YOUTH CRICKET: Classy Sabin slams terrific ton

    LLOYD Sabin slammed a magnificent century as Banbury racked up more than 200 in the Oxfordshire Under 17 Club competition against Combe. Sabin’s 105 helped Banbury to a massive 202-2 in their 20 overs, before Combe were restricted to 97-7 in reply.

  • Career burglar targeted OAPs

    A CAREER burglar who ransacked a 92-year-old’s bedroom while she slept “stole people’s memories” by targeting wedding rings and family heirlooms. Drug addict David Durrant, below, who has 98 previous offences to his name, broke into 12 homes in Oxford

  • Nostalgia book signing today

    Waterstone’s in the Woolgate Centre will host a book signing with local author MJ Freegard. He will sign copies of his debut novel, Burning Nostalgia, today from 10am until 2pm. It tells the story of a guesthouse owner who conjures up

  • Wilder urges Oxford United to focus on victory

    OXFORD United boss Chris Wilder has told his players to ignore the hype surrounding tomorrow’s npower League Two derby with Swindon at the County Ground (1pm) – and concentrate on winning. While his opposite number, Swindon manager Paulo

  • Advice centre asks for community's help

    FACING an uncertain future, the staff at a well-used advice centre are calling on the community of Rose Hill to help them stay open. The team at Rose Hill and Donnington Advice Centre fear that if a funding grant from Oxfordshire County Council

  • Guide illuminates city's sites of interest

    AS JEAN Warr worked as a tourist guide in Oxford, the blue plaques around the city caught her eye. Mrs Warr, who started out as a guide 17 years ago, decided to find out more about the famous names on the plaques so that she could keep visitors fully