An Oxford caterer who managed a string of cafes and kitchens has died aged 82. Dorothy Ann Wheeler from London Road in Headington died on Saturday, October 8, after suffering from kidney failure. Mrs Wheeler (nee Ludlow) married Bernard Wheeler in 1958
A well-known Oxfordshire Second World War veteran and prominent Royal British Legion member has died at the age of 90. Les Collett, from Wolvercote, passed away in the John Radcliffe Hospital on Monday, three weeks after suffering a heart attack
Oxford-born stand-up comedian “Squire” Ronnie Hayward, who entertained millions including the Royal Family, has died aged 69. Patrick Thomas Hayward, from Cumnor, passed away on Sunday, September 25, after suffering from cancer of the oesophagus. Mr
Residents collected a string of trophies at the Bicester In Bloom awards. The annual gardening contest saw dozens of people, groups and organsations enter. Among those presented with awards at Bicester Avenue Garden Centre, off Oxford Road, was Brookside
IT’S time to crack into the kegs at Oxford Town Hall tonight as the 14th annual beer festival gets under way. The event, that runs until Saturday, has been organised by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, and members hope it will encourage more people
A YOUNG musician tragically fell to his death from a bedroom window hours after phoning his dad on Father’s Day, an inquest heard. The hearing heard former North Hinksey Primary School pupil Matthew Carr, 23, fell after telling his housemate he was going
THE IDES OF MARCH (15). Thriller/Drama/Romance. Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Max Minghella. Director: George Clooney. Away from the glitz of the red carpet
THE HELP (12A). Comedy/Romance. Anna Faris, Chris Evans, Martin Freeman, Aziz Ansari, Zachary Quinto, Mike Vogel, Chris Pratt, Anthony Mackie. Director: Mark Mylod. Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, The Help explores
AFTER a decade of stardom, Will Young has gone and done the unthinkable... and gone electronic. The Evergreen star tells Tim Hughes why a change really does do you good. WITH the X Factor now pulling in audiences of millions, the country
Cabaret-loving story-teller Matt Winkworth tells Tim Hughes why this bonfire night in Oxford is about to go off with a bang! There’s nothing predictable about Matt Winkworth. Describing his music as piano-based cabaret, he and his eight-piece
THE ADVENTURES OF TIN TIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN 3D (PG). Animation/Action/Comedy. Featuring the voices of Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toby Jones. Director: Steven Spielberg. Written and drawn by
Lover of all things that go ‘bump’ in the night, NIGEL WEBB reviews the deliciously novel combi of spices and scares at Oxford Castle. Oxford After Dark is a guided tour of Oxford Castle and its old prison (part of which is now home to
A private hire driver has been cleared of kidnapping and sexually assaulting two female passengers in Oxford. Haroon Sadiq was acquitted by jurors at Oxford Crown Court yesterday. The 25-year-old had always denied two counts of kidnap
A grandmother has dropped seven dress sizes after Oxford surgeons removed one of the biggest tumours they had ever witnessed – a 39lb ovarian cyst. The benign lump, weighing the equivalent of 17 bags of sugar, caused Jayne Grainger to swell to a dress
The Guide delves beneath the covers of the latest fiction and non-fiction releases. Next To Love by Ellen Feldman is published as a trade paperback by Picador, priced £12.99. Available now. This offering from Ellen Feldman
Katherine MacAlister speaks to Dr Who and EastEnders star Tracy Ann Oberman about her latest theatre role and the balancing act of fitting her career around her family life. A cast of 20, robots, babies, dance, politics, global warming and
Take 800 amateur singers, one conductor and lock them in the New Theatre for a day to learn and then perform Faure’s Requiem that night in front of an audience of 1000. Katherine MacAlister meets the two men behind the idea. David Lawrence
Former stage entertainer Tommy Elliott burst into song as balloons were released at an Abingdon care home. The balloons were released at Abingdon Court Care Home with each resident’s name attached to a card in support of Macmillan Cancer Support. The
A touch of Bollywood glamour is coming to Bicester to give businesses a chance to get to know each other. People are invited to indulge in Indian food and dance to Punjabi tunes to help raise cash for charity Ronald McDonald House. Michelle Howie, of
STRANGE flying craft with flashing lights have been spotted hovering above Greater Leys. That’s according to Alex Fairbanks, who saw the objects while enjoying a cigarette in his garden. The 42-year-old said he couldn’t sleep, so went
EIGHT homes in Blackbird Leys and Cowley were raided in a major drugs bust this morning. More than 50 police officers bashed down doors in a series of raids at 9am, seizing class A drugs and arresting six people. In Spruce Gardens, Blackbird
SCHOOLchildren have impressed judges so much with their allotment, recycling and forest classroom they’ve been awarded a green flag for the second time. Pupils at Kirtlington Primary School have raised the eco schools flag above their Heyford Road school
A CHARITY which provides a listening ear for thousands of people each year is launching an appeal for new volunteers as it celebrates the 100th birthday of its founder. The Samaritans were founded in 1953 by Chad Varah in London. Mr Varah started the
CHANGES to parking charges in Cherwell come into force next month. Cherwell District Council was forced into a U-turn after increased fees were introduced in April. After businesses, residents and opposition councillors lobbied the council
MILLWALL Rugby Club was unhappy it was mentioned in connection with the molestation of youths by Mike Costin in Thursday’s edition. Offences occurred in or around the club premises, Oxford Crown Court heard, and so it is relevant to report the name of
FIGURES published today show there are more sex offenders in Oxfordshire than anywhere else in the Thames Valley region. Out of Thames Valley’s 960 registered sex offenders (RSO), 282 are living in Oxfordshire, the annual multi-agency public protection
These may be dark economic times but one young entrepreneur is still enjoying a Champagne lifestyle. At 22, Tom Ellis is running a business importing and selling a boutique Champagne brand to Oxford colleges and customers across the UK.
Banbury’s shops are slowly emerging from the recession, business leaders have said, as new units opened this week and a major town redevelopment moved forward. This week, an empty unit in Market Place, next to the closed Unicorn Inn, reopened as Peditank
Harry Denton twice missed a six with his last stick as he top-scored with 14 dolls in Galacticos’ 4-2 win over Punchbowl in the Kidlington Indoor League. RESULTS George Lowe Invitation League: Marston 0, Holden Parker 6; Cricketers 6
Oxford United winger Alfie Potter has signed a contract extension with the League Two club. His contract was due to end this season, and Potter, 22, has put pen to paper on a one-year extension with the option of a further year after that.
Hannah England has thanked double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes for giving her the mental edge to secure silver at the World Championships earlier this year. The 24-year-old Oxford City star surprised many by finishing second in the 1,500
MUSCULAR six pack? check. Mahogany tan? Check. Prime time television show? Not quite yet. When people began stopping Craig Waldron in the street to tell him he bore an ‘uncanny’ likeness to ’90s pop star Peter Andre, he, at first, politely
THE boss of an Oxfordshire-based education firm, which last month announced up to 300 people would be made redundant, has left the business. RM Education chief executive Terry Sweeney who was paid £305,000 a year, stepped down on Tuesday. The
OXFORDSHIRE flanker Gus Jones has been named in England’s under 18 squad. The former Dragon School pupil and Oxford Harlequins junior is part of Wasps’ academy. Jones captained Oxfordshire under 16s and has already represented England
Reigning Johnsons Buildbase Oxford League Premier Section champions Vikings Club A registered their first win of the season with a 4-1 home win over Section 1 side Masons B, writes PETE EWINS. Bob Allsworth (7,870) and Mike Jones (11,450, break 6,400
An Oxford City & County four suffered semi-final heartache in the Warner Leisure Hotels Champion of Champions competition at Lakeside Coastal Village, Hayling Island. The side of Brian and Alison Eastgate, and Ray and Mary Brown looked on course for
Will Kennedy believes Time For Rupert will be suited by Wetherby when he makes his seasonal reappearance in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase on Saturday. The Stanford in the Vale jockey has ridden the seven-year-old, from Paul Webber’s Mollington stables
Oxford City Stars slid to third from bottom in English National League South Division 1 following a brace of defeats in their weekend double-header. Stars coach Ken Forshee viewed Saturday’s trip to Bristol Pitbulls as a must-win game to try and distance
A central North Oxford house has been given a £1m makeover after linking up with Blenheim Palace’s construction arm. Talbot Lodge in Linton Road was transformed by Blenheim Estate Contractors after it teamed up with Asian-based Iconic Assets Heritage
A village property believed to date from the 1700s is set in almost seven acres including an orchard and paddock. Agents say the owners of Park Cottage in Eynsham have been gradually refurbishing it, including laying stone floors in the kitchen and
A FINANCIAL deal to secure the redevelopment of Oxford’s Westgate Centre is poised to be submitted within weeks. Officers say they hope to present conclusions of lengthy financial negotiations with developers to councillors by Christmas, allowing
HUNDREDS of schoolgirls queued around the block for a chance to come face to face with pop parody boyband The Midnight Beast. The band, who have done comedy covers of songs including Kesha’s Tik Tok, were in Oxford’s Waterstone’s to sign copies of their
TWO tries from Oscar Vallance helped Oxford University Under 21s win 38-7 at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The students, who have now won all four of their matches this term, led 21-0 at half-time, with Tom Reeson-Price, Vallance and Doug Sexton
Property is the best way to see a good return on your money, according to one couple. Marc Curtlin and Angela Wooding have just splashed out on their second buy-to-let house because they believe banks are not offering high enough interest rates. And
A corner property in a cul de sac is set in landscaped gardens including a hot tub. The house off Early Road in Witney has a sitting room with stone fireplace, a kitchen/dining room complete with range cooker, conservatory boasting a vaulted ceiling
Buy-to-let landlords should spend more time looking at rental yield, according to one agent. Helen Wright, of Headington-based Belvoir Lettings, said: “Newcomers to the buy-to-let market must be prepared to look in detail at expected yield from a property
WHERE’S he gone? Triton come back, you can’t go. If we wanted to know in the ’50s if it was cold enough to put another lump of coal on the fire, we had to walk from St Clement’s to Woodstock Road and see if Triton fountain was frozen right over. If
A STRONG message to Mr David Cameron: if you do not want to commit political suicide, drop the plans to cut legal aid. The absolute misery these cuts will bring is nothing more than criminal. DAVID WINKFIELD, Charles Street, Oxford
ON Monday I took my family of rugby fans to watch Oxford University play Wasps at Iffley Road. We were not expecting to see a Wasps first team but perhaps some up-and-coming players. I paid £12 entrance for us all and purchased a programme featuring
OH dear – yet another anti-limey chump! Gordon Rendell (Oxford Mail, September 30) in regard to the Mustang fighter plane: he cannot bear to say the name Rolls Royce engine or Spitfire engine which Pickard copied to power the Mustang (instead calling
THE debate about the NA Mustang rumbles on. Here are a few last thoughts. It’s my belief that North American Aviation had already drawn up all the plans for the Mustang before they were approached by the British Purchasing Commission, an approach which
THERE have been several letters recently regarding Oxford’s filthy streets and disgusting toilets (or the lack of them). On Friday, October 21, I read dear old Peter Unsworth encountered a despicable experience at New Road Baptist Church. On the same
AT THE weekend we had a visit from our five-year-old twin grandchildren. They brought with them the usual stack of toys to keep them amused. Thomas was playing with a luminous stick – one of those little plastic tubes that glow in the dark when activated
David Cameron’s not having much luck with Europe. First he was pictured looking glum in an airport lounge as he prepared for a budget break to Spain with wife Samantha to celebrate her 40th birthday. On his next trip to the continent, he was hastily
Oxford pensioners met on October 25 at Botley Road Community Centre. The meeting was organised by the Thames Valley branch of the National Pensioners’ Convention, to which Oxfordshire Pensioners’ Action Group is affiliated. Some 25 pensioners, including
HAVE I got this right? A pillar of the community, suffering from a specific physical medical condition recognised as producing aggression and denied an urgent doctor’s appointment, uncharacteristically and confusedly, attacks his own wife
I WAS very concerned to read of the alleged rage attack by Mr Radband, an insulin-dependent, diabetic gentleman. What is the Crown Prosecution Service thinking of? It is a known medical fact that extreme hypoglycaemia causes such side effects as
OXFORD University captain John Carter will not be trimming his trademark locks before the Varsity Match. The Dark Blues skipper says the long hair and beard, which have likened comparisons to his former Sale teammate Sebastien Chabal, are here
A PREDATORY paedophile who plied a boy and girl with alcohol and cannabis to maintain sexual relationships with them will stay in jail until he is no longer a risk to children. Judge Tom Corrie said former schoolmaster Michael Costin posed
POLICE seized 374 cannabis plants during a morning raid on a “family home” near Cassington yesterday. No one was at the house, off the A40, during the bust, but a 31-year-old man was arrested at the property later in the day. Fourteen officers raided
Flourescent boots, brilliant goals and a third of the way through the season. Timmy is buzzing at Oxford's success.
EAST is meeting west at an Oxford theatre this week for a unique dance event. Thirty five dancers and musicians from Oxford and Japan have been inspired by themes of flight and transformation to create Wings at The Pegasus Theatre. Oxford director Cecilia
OXFORD University is the best in the world for medicine, according to a major international league table. The standard of research and teaching has seen Oxford overtake Harvard in a world league table for “clinical, preclinical and health”. The news
THE centrepiece of a major redevelopment in Jericho will be a new Co-op store. The Midcounties Co-operative has signed an agreement to move into the site in Little Clarendon Street. The news took residents by surprise, with some local people having
A COUNCIL official who set out on a round-the-world yacht race after a £110,000 payout has sparked calls for greater transparency over council finances. Cath James, who was strategic director for environment at West Oxfordshire District Council, left
James Constable admitted his relief at returning to the top of Oxford United's goalscoring charts once again. For four minutes, United’s talismanic striker found himself trailing behind teenager Rob Hall after the West Ham loanee hit the
FRILFORD Heath took a big step towards the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League Division 1 crown with a 2-1 victory at home to their nearest rivals Burford. Victory over bottom club The Oxfordshire in their last game this Saturday will make Frilford
LOVING grandparents Bill and Mary Warburton stuck together through decades of family life but could not face the end without each other. The successful businessman and his wife gassed themselves, an inquest heard yesterday. Mrs Warburton, who had
OXFORD City’s Dave Parsons ran another impressive time to cruise to vet 60 victory at the Stroud Half Marathon. Parsons, who turns 65 next month, clocked 1hr 23mins 53 secs to finish 55th overall. Runners faced a strong headwind for most of the second
West Oxfordshire District Council is only inviting further scrutiny and conspiracy theorising with its short-sighted belief that the public has no right to know why £110,000 of taxpayers’ money was paid to a departing senior officer. It is absolutely
Memories of Milligan Norma Farnes (Fourth Estate £9.99) One of the manically creative Goons, Spike Milligan was a much-loved and much-admired post-war comedian. Just how much is amply demonstrated in this paperback, a compilation of favourite memories
Sir – Ref. John Howell’s letter on the National Planning Policy Framework, I must be reading a different version. The one I am reading significantly waters down the protection for Green Belts contained in PPG2 — the existing planning guidance. It removes
Twelve years ago replacing the Westgate Centre was first mooted. Yet here we still sit in limbo. The economic slowdown is a huge factor that cannot be ignored in today’s deliberations to finally progress the deal. But it just shows how
David Albert Jones is director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre in Oxford and his previous books include The Soul of the Embryo and Approaching the End. His latest book Angels, in Oxford University Press’s A Very Short Introduction series (£7.99), looks
Sir – May I say that in spite of Paul Hardy’s letter (October 20), I fully support Christopher Gray’s critical comments on Count Tolstoy’s continuing use of Southmoor, ‘Berkshire’. Its use seems perverse in the extreme. Surely an address is part of our
Sir – Two weeks ago you published our letters asking Oxfordshire County Council where the figure of £1m had come from which they say was needed to upgrade Dean Pit in West Oxfordshire and the reason for its closure. Using the Freedom of
Sir – I was reminded by the article in last week’s papers, which referred to the resistance to gravel excavation in Cholsey, that the consultation period for comments on the Oxfordshire County Council Minerals Core Strategy lapses on October 31 (Consultation
Sir – In his letter last week “Would you talk this way about Jews, Catholics . . .”, Bob Waugh is not only wrong but offensive to suggest that “some “ East Oxford residents are expressing discriminatory sentiments against students. On the
Sir – We refute Keith Mitchell’s misleading, non-evidenced, derogatory and divisive assertions about the “leftie” political persuasions of library groups and their alleged poor understanding of social care. The majority of libraries set
Sir – We have all been encouraged to recycle over the last few years. However I found that we needed an extra recycling bin so I contacted Oxford City Council and was told that if I wanted an extra bin I would have to pay for one. Now if it was
Sir – Having read your report of Cllr Mitchell’s latest excoriation of those opposed to library closure as “anarchists” and “lefties”, I am puzzled. I was one of the many complainants in your letter pages, yet at 90+ and partially disabled,
Sir – The designers of the newly refurbished Sainsbury’s at Heyford Hill and the city authorities who approved the plans obviously never shop by bicycle. Most cyclists arriving from the city centre, Rose Hill and Littlemore enter through the Gwyneth
Sir – In the last decade, the B4017 between Wootton and Abingdon suffered three times as many cycle casualties as the B4044 between Botley and Farmoor. Despite this councillor Janet Godden claims “accident statistics tell us very little” (Letters, October
Sir – What a breath of fresh air from Bob Waugh (Letters, October 20). Yet there is almost a vendetta against students from some quarters.We all know that residents of all sorts can create noise, have untidy front gardens and park cars thoughtlessly,
Sir – Such a pity that ENB’s wonderful Strictly Gershwin at the New Theatre could not be reviewed as it was a preview. I often disagree with some of Christopher Gray’s offerings in your columns but I wholeheartedly agree with his “non review”. I went
Sir – So the library support campaign in Oxfordshire is orchestrated by lefties, according to council leader Keith Mitchell. That’s funny; I thought the people I saw at the parish council meeting in Bampton represented a pretty broad political
Sir – I am writing in defence of Tesco, having read Reg Little’s article concerning Jericho (October 13). He quoted Adrian Arbib of the Jericho Community Association saying “you just have to look at the Cowley Road....”, worrying that Tesco may come to
Sir – I expect I am not alone in questioning the value of the impending merger between Oxford University and the county’s hospital trusts (Report, October 13). Strategic public-service engineering of this kind usually has more to do with empire-building
TOP Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has abandoned an injunction to prevent allegations about his private life being published, he said. The gagging order prevented the publication of personal details, including a claim that he had an affair with his
Val Bourne has an unbeatable combination of skills — immense practical and theoretical knowledge of gardening, plus a vivid imagination, a way with words and impeccable grammar. I have often thought how lucky the readers of The Oxford Times (and
Most of us know somebody affected by Parkinson’s — the stereotype is of an ageing relative sitting in the corner quietly and shaking. About one in 500 people has Parkinson’s; that’s about 120,000 people in the UK including increasingly, younger people
Although it provided the impetus for the buena onda or `good vibe' that swept through Latin American culture around the Millennium, Mexican cinema has since been overtaken by its Argentinian counterpart as the region's most consistently innovative and
Only Werner Herzog would think of shooting a documentary about prehistoric wall drawings in 3-D. Inspired by a New Yorker article by Judith Thurman and accorded privileged access to the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave in the Ardèche region of southern France,
Kate Bush or Emily Bronte? Rock chick or writer? Fiona Mountain was never really able to decide which path to take in life. But it is tempting to believe at 40 she has managed to get the best of both worlds since leaving home at 18 to get a job on Radio
NORTH Oxford churchgoers are to vote on a £2m scheme to provide a new church hall and extra space. St Andrew’s Church in Linton Road says it wants to replace temporary buildings with a permanent two-storey structure, that would include a meeting
When David Hodges first hit the beat in 1964 he was a “naive 20-year-old” who had never seen a dead body. By retirement he was a “cynic” who had seen “a bit too much of everything”. And that had included guarding the Prime Minister’s
So, New Zealand are the new rugby world champions. I am no expert but the final appeared to me closer to tug of war: you sensed the New Zealanders had that trophy in their teeth and they weren’t about to give it up! Congratulations all round
