Police are searching for a 47-year-old woman who was reported missing this morning. Joycelyn Gittens, of Kestrel Crescent, Blackbird Leys, was staying at her mother’s house in Cowley and was last seen at 11am. She is black, 5ft 5ins,
SHOPPERS in Abingdon have another chance to have their say on plans for the redevelopment of the town centre. Vale of White Horse District Council is to hold another ‘Have your Say’ exhibition after high interest shown in the plans. The show, which
FOURTEEN youth projects across the county are set to get a cash boost in the latest round of County Hall grants. Oxfordshire County Council’s Chill Out fund distributes £100,000 a year to leisure initiatives targeted at eight- to 19-year-olds that have
SHOPPERS in Abingdon have another chance to have their say on plans for the redevelopment of the town centre. Vale of White Horse District Council is to hold another ‘Have your Say’ exhibition after high interest shown in the plans. The show, which
AEA Technology 2.65 BMW 4525 Electrocomponents 205 Nationwide Accident Repair 90 Oxford Biomedica 5.6 Oxford Catalysts 59 Oxford Instruments 823 Reed Elsevier 492 RM 93.75 RPS Group 199 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
It’s odd isn’t it when the universe suddenly makes sense to us? Because it’s never, ever when you most expect it. I’ve seen dawn break across the Sahara desert, watched a whale break surface – and stare back, knowingly – off Nova Scotia, and wondered
READERS may remember the recent visit by the Chinese Prime Minister when he appeared on television looking thunderously angry. He delivered a curt and scathing speech about Britain’s arrogance on world affairs. He had come to discuss trade and commerce
Has David Cameron lost the plot? The Prime Minister stated while co-hosting a major international summit to build support for the Libyan fledgling rebel administration, that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is a ‘monster’ and the world will be better off without
Van Coulter, councillor for Barton and Sandhills, says council officers would be pleased to meet with those involved in a particular petition to discuss any issues about the speed humps in Barton (August 20). Well I feel that we have already explained
Pedestrians do need to be aware of road users and look before they step out. However with cyclists, it shouldn’t be necessary for me to do this before I try to overtake a fellow pedestrian on the pavement. Chris Day sums it up perfectly: “My bike
Your government is privatising the NHS and cutting £20bn from the budget at the same time. We were told before the election that ‘the NHS is Nicola’s number one priority’, yet you have voted for both the privatisation and the cuts. The Health
in REPLY to Kate Fowler, Animal Aid (Oxford Mail, August 31) there’s no reason to boycott milk. Kate Fowler gives the impression that dairy farmers have no regard for animal welfare and are to blame for the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). These
A 21-year-old man has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder following an incident in Ireton Court, Thame, yesterday morning. Ensar Gol, of Ireton Court, has been remanded in custody and is due to appear before Oxford
JUST an idle thought — how many tax inspectors will be on duty at St Giles Fair today checking income from the owners of the various rides and attractions? Surely a receipt should be issued for every ride. AJ GREEN Banbury Road, Oxford
Practically all our village’s telephone lines suddenly disappeared on August 18. This was discovered trying to make an emergency appointment at the health centre in Witney. After several attempts by a kind neighbour who actually had a phone
Little Britain star David Walliams set off today on his most dangerous challenge so far - swimming the entire length of the Thames. The comedian and panel show host is raising money for Sport Relief by swimming 140 miles over eight days from
BUSINESSES in Oxfordshire are chasing Chinese tourists in a bid to capitalise on growing visitor numbers. Major attractions such as Blenheim Palace and Bicester Village have seen Chinese visitor numbers rise in recent years. Representatives from both
A PATIENT who struggles to walk and stand for a long time has completed a 24-hour cycle ride in aid of the hospital which helped him. Peter Hiscock, 37, from Faringdon, has raised hundreds of pounds for the physiotherapy department at the Oxford Centre
SCHOOLGIRLS from Oxford helped teach African villagers English during a charity trip to Zanzibar. The 12 Headington School pupils visited Zanzibar for two weeks to help the Zanzibar Action Project (ZAP), which provides support for a rural fishing
OXFORD’s cycling doctor has completed another landmark on his trip around the world. Dr Steve Fabes, right, who is cycling 50,000 miles in five years for charity, has reached South Africa and is getting ready to start pedalling through South America.
COPPERS boosted charity coffers by throwing a glamorous ball in aid of two Oxford charities. Police officers swapped their uniforms for more elegant attire at the black tie event which raised a total of £2,600, divided equally between the Oxford Heart
A DYING man has raised £4,000 for fellow sufferers of a rare degenerative disease. Richard Harrison, 66, has multiple system atrophy (MSA) which is causing the nerves in his brain to waste away. He is slowly losing the use of his arms and legs and one
COACH Henry Dean will be the guest of honour at a reunion dinner for old Blues of the Oxford University Boxing Club. The club appealed in Memory Lane last week for help in tracing Mr Dean, who had left the Waterman’s Arms at Osney without leaving
NO WONDER these darts players were smiling. The team from the White Horse pub in London Road, Headington, Oxford, had just won the Arthur Short Cup in 1963. Smartly dressed in their ties and overcoats, the team, which competed in Section III of the
ANN Hyde lived to regret the day she forgot to take her hanky to school. She writes: “All the girls had to have ‘hanky bags’ and these were inspected every morning. “One day I opened mine and there was no hanky! “The punishment was three slaps on my
ST Giles Fair in Oxford has provided fun for generations of families, as these photographs from the Oxford Mail archives show. Picture 1 shows Rachael Skinner and Helen Little, two 13-year-olds from Headington, on one of the rides in 1985. Two-year-old
WHIZZING round at top speed was just what these youngsters wanted. And they seem to be enjoying every frightening moment of it. This was the scene at St Giles Fair in 1984 when, in the foreground, from the left, Marcus Palmer, 12, Nicholas Evans, 12
Post-mortem examinations will take place later today on the two women found dead in Thame. Police believe the 50-year-old and the 29-year-old were stabbed to death. The women have not been formally identified, but have been named locally as grandmother
FIRE service technology has moved on dramatically since this photograph was taken. We’re not sure of the year, but it dates from the time when Oxford had its own fire brigade, before 1974. We believe the picture was taken in the control room at the
ASHER Morris, three, couldn’t resist giving a Cotswold ram a cuddle at a show at Burcot Farm in 1986. The fun day, organised by the Oxfordshire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs, attracted more than 7,000 visitors. A drop by the Trail Blazers freefall
AN OXFORD pensioner waited more than two weeks for the council to repair her heating and hot water. Veronica Seeney, 76, of Champion Way, Littlemore, was told by Oxford City Council she would have to wait since it was not a priority during the summer
OXFORD Claire Richardson, 37, of Speedwell Street, Oxford, admitted shoplifting from Sainsbury’s in Kidlington on April 17. Told to pay £50 costs and given nine months’ supervision. Daniel Tomczuk, 33, of Buckingham Street, Aylesbury
WHAT started as an idea in a pub 10 years ago now attracts punters from all over the country. Wallingford’s Bunkfest celebrated its 10th anniversary this weekend by letting visitors into all events for free. The festival, which takes place on the Kinecroft
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A MAN was last night in police custody on suspicion of starting a devastating fire which gutted a historic thatched cottage. The smell of dank smoke hung around the village of Sutton, in West Oxfordshire, as the family home smouldered throughout Saturday
A MOTORIST drank at least four beers before speeding along a country road and hitting an oncoming cyclist, leaving her with serious injuries. Jeremy Lewis, 33, was overtaking “six or seven” cars when he hit 26-year-old Susannah Mangan on the A338 near
Spinners Jimmy Phillips and Luke Ryan took four wickets apiece to give Banbury a crushing 184-run victory at home to relegated Falkland in Division 1. Off-spinner Phillips (4-17) and left-arm spinner Ryan(4-25) shot ten-man Falkland out for
Oxford were blown away by a superb spell from George Harper, who took 9-71 to set Tring Park on the way to an eight-wicket win in Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 1 at Roman Way. There was no sign off what was to follow as Oxford
Chris Watling hit a superb 128 as Aston Rowant made sure of their Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 2 West status by getting the better of a draw at Slough. Going into the game, Rowant could still have gone down. But the 15 points
Thame Town beat the drop from Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 2 West with a nail-biting three-wicket victory over Horspath at Church Meadow, which condemned their Oxon rivals to relegation. It was a joyful end to a tough season
A community fair was praised for bringing people together, and for providing some fun. The Cutteslowe Community Fair, in North Oxford, on Saturday, featured face painting and games for the youngsters, and stalls, coffee and biscuits for more mature residents
A CITY centre gym has closed its doors after seven years, claiming its new rent is too high. Bourton Mill Health and Leisure Club in Oxford’s High Street shut last week. It had been based on the upper floors of 6-7 High Street, and the
Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter struck gold for Great Britain when they successfully defended their lightweight men’s double scull title at Bled, Slovenia. Purchase, who lives in Wall-ingford and has been sidelined for much of the season, and Hunter, who
OCB District Cup A STRONG batting display saw Shipton-under-Wychwood win the inaugural competition for the Wilf Bennett Trophy with a 47-run victory over Great & Little Tew. Hosts Tew inserted Simon Hole’s side after the start had been delayed due
CHRIS Wilder says that winger Jon-Paul Pittman has not been given his chance to impress yet, because he hasn’t deserved it. The former Wycombe man, known as JP, came off the bench for the final 16 minutes of Saturday’s defeat at Crewe amid cheers from
Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup IT went down to the wire, but Shipton-under-Wychwood edged out holders Banbury to claim their first county cup success at Great & Little Tew yesterday. Shipton finished on the same score as Banbury – 100 – but lifted
THE statistics show that Oxford United should have got something out of this match. But the fact is that in both boxes, the U’s fell short. They had huge amounts of possession, and more than 20 attempts at goal, but displayed a lack of cutting edge
ROAD safety education programmes face being axed and stripped back, despite new figures showing serious smashes at a seven-year high. Oxfordshire County Council is today bidding to cut £100,000 out of its road safety department each year as
A CHIPPING Norton man has been charged after about 5,000 suspected stolen items, including jewellery, watches and paintings, were seized by police. The 30-year-old was arrested after police stopped a car on the M40 between Oxford and London in May. A
A LANDLORD last night told of his disbelief after two women were found dead at the house he rented them in Thame. The women, one in her 50s and another in her 20s were thought to have been stabbed to death. Last night, one of the victims
FA Cup A GOAL in each half from striker Scott Griffin ensured there was to be no shock as Abingdon United booked their place in the first qualifying round. But Richard Bourne’s menhad to do it the hard way at Alfredian Park, his former club made the
FA Cup HELLENIC League outfit Abingdon Town fought back from 2-0 down to snatch a deserved replay in their derby clash against Didcot Town at Culham Road on Saturday. The match started scrappily, and it came as a surprise when Didcot took the lead with
CHRIS Wilder refused to be downbeat after Oxford United’s 3-1 defeat at Crewe on Saturday. And the U’s boss said that the loss was hard to take after the manner of his side’s performance. Wilder had been critical of his team a week earlier after they
FA Cup ARDLEY were left licking their wounds after being denied victory with the last kick of the game at Wembley. However, they had only themselves to blame after failing to capitalise on numerous chances as Wembley equalised in the fourth minute of
FA Cup preliminary round STUART Hole missed a late penalty as North Leigh had to settle for a draw at Aylesbury yesterday. Although not at their best, a draw was the least Mark Gee’s men deserved, but it could have been so much better had Hole’s penalty
Evo-stik Southern League STRIKES from Lee Steele and Felipe Barcelos saw Oxford City return to winning ways in their Premier Division clash at Court Place Farm on Saturday. It was a tight encounter, but City produced most of the chances and deservedly
Evo-stik Southern League BANBURY United missed the chance to go third as they were held to a disappointing goalless draw by Hemel Hempstead at Spencer Stadium on Saturday. But it could have been worse for Banbury had the woodwork not come to their
UHL Sport Hellenic League A HAT-TRICK from Pablo Haysham saw Oxford City Nomads to a 5-2 victory at Shrivenham as they took over at the top of the Premier Division. Haysham fired Nomads in front on 23 minutes, before Steve Robertson levelled just after
Today we reveal yet another cut being made by the county council. Councillors will today aim to cut £100,000 from its road safety department as it continues to make savings. Cycle helmet promotions and pedestrian lessons will no longer
TWO thousand people are set to descend on Wantage to honour one of the town’s most famous sons. The Wantage Betjeman Festival now has more than 40 events confirmed. It will run from Sunday to Saturday, September 17. Festival organiser Jim Mitchell,
A BOWLS club is working with police to help tackle school run parking chaos on an Oxford estate. Problem parking on Sandy Lane West in Littlemore, caused by mums and dads dropping their children off at the St John Fisher School, has angered residents
A MAN has retraced his roots to produce a film about Adderbury’s rich heritage of Morris dancing. Tim Plester, 40, was brought up in the village but spent his youth running away from the tradition, which his father and uncle helped revive. But, after
RESIDENTS are fighting proposals by a food store to build a large totem-style sign advertising its wares. Midcounties Co-op is rejuvenating the former King of Prussia pub, in Rose Hill, which was destroyed by fire in 2006. It has submitted a planning
OXFORD Civic Society has said Oxfordshire County Council’s proposals for its library service are “insufficiently wide-ranging” and lack substance. The influential group, which last year opposed the council’s plans to close 20 out of 43 library branches
