Archive

  • Sup Prize

    10 Days until Christmas and you have been too busy with work parties to even think about buying gifts. Why suffer going from shop to shop, when you could be sipping a tipple and enjoying the companionship of your best mates . . . or that cutie in the

  • 'Fantastic' result as repatriation bell appeal hits target

    THE mother of a soldier killed in Afghanistan said she was “ecstatic” that a memorial bell will now toll at repatriation ceremonies for fallen troops. Lee Mackie, whose son Jason died in Afghanistan in 2009, started a campaign this summer to install

  • Council tax prize to boost bills switch

    HOUSEHOLDERS in two Oxfordshire districts are being invited to sign up to receive their council tax bills by email. And, as an incentive, two of those doing so will get their council tax bills paid for a year. Vale of White Horse and

  • Rail delays after freight accident

    TRAINS have been cancelled at Oxford Railway Station after an accident involving a freight train. The train came apart just outside Reading at 2.30pm and affected trains going to the West and to the South Coast. As of 6pm the first part of the

  • Cadet duo praised for Poppy Appeal fundraising

    TWO army cadet instructors have been recognised for their efforts in collecting for this year’s Poppy Appeal. Sergeants Michael Hankins and Lloyd Green collected £6,188 from shoppers at Bicester Village – a third more than they raised last year, when

  • At The Flicks

    JEREMY SMITH with a rundown of the latest releases at cinemas over the festive season. MAIN FEATURES: * SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS: Opens tomorrow The great Victorian detective is back, embodied with wit and vigour by Robert Downey

  • Forget The Frenzy

    LIZ NICHOLLS finds a host of activities for the more mature this festive season. Obviously it would be patronising to suggest that everyone who has shuffled beyond a certain age shares the same tastes. After all, one woman’s knitting

  • Get Out!

    BORED of being broke? Raging hormones? Fixation with Facebook and itching to crack into that festive booze stash? You see, you have more in common with teenagers at Christmas than you realised! Saddled with the sometimes unfair reputation of being

  • Top of The Tots

    CHILDREN are the ones Christmas should be all about. More specifically, apple-cheeked angels stoked with festive glee rather than screaming, snotty savages lunging out of the supermarket trolley at the latest Barbie. But there is plenty to be thankful

  • Christmas Voices

    ‘Tis the season to be jolly, tra-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laaaaa.’ Let’s face it, there’s no better way to get in the mood for Christmas than attend one of the numerous carol concerts being held throughout Oxfordshire. So here’s your extensive guide on where

  • What's Cooking?

    We take three of our favourite Oxfordshire chefs and turn the tables to find out what they will be doing this Christmas, apart from cooking, obviously. * Raymond Blanc OBE l When and where are you working over Christmas? The

  • A Working Christmas

    KATHERINE MACALISTER finds out what it's like to work over Christmas in two of Oxford's biggest productions... Although Paul Szot, the male lead in South Pacific can only be with us from December 21-31, he’s still going to be enjoying

  • Chicken sheds get council in flap

    A SMALLHOLDER is refusing to take down chicken sheds, which he built on wheels in a bid to avoid planning restrictions. Robert Power is being prosecuted by West Oxfordshire District Council, which has ordered him to remove his nine chicken sheds. The

  • Walk Off The Turkey

    There’s nothing like a bracing winter walk through the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside to get you into the festive spirit. And here HELEN PEACOCK brings us her top five favourite trails to try out this Christmas. WALK ONE * Thrupp

  • Police will bring people to book

    POLICE will start booking people at Wantage Library after they move to a new £1.13m station outside the town. Thames Valley Police want to close the 45-year-old Wantage police station, in Church Street, and relocate to a new building at Grove Technology

  • ROBIN DIVER: Oxfam worker honoured with OBE

    ROBIN Diver, who was made an MBE for his work with Oxford-based aid charity Oxfam, has died while walking in the Lake District two months after he retired. Robert Henry Wilson Diver, 65, from Minster Lovell, suffered a heart attack while on holiday on

  • A blur of retail activity?

    Storm clouds may be gathering over the economy, but Oxford shoppers this week showed a grim determination to spend their way to an affluent Christmas, come what may. Many retailers, who during November were shivering from a year of weak demand, then

  • Solution in sight to solve rail link bats bother

    NO-ONE can say commuters have not been taken fully into account in the development of a second rail link between Oxford and London. But not many could have predicted that it would be the commuting residents of Wolvercote Tunnel that could potentially

  • Crunch time as council debates future of mansion

    “DOING nothing is not an option” for Bicester’s Garth House, a damning report has warned. A backlog of almost £1.7m of work needs to be done, and the mansion, off Launton Road, is in a critical state, according to consultants C Harris.

  • Card delivers sobering warning on bad behaviour

    BADLY-BEHAVED drinkers in Witney are being given a timely reminder to stay on the right side of the law this Christmas. More than 300 people who were stopped and warned by police about their drunken behaviour during the year have been sent a funny Christmas

  • Primary school shows improvement

    EDUCATION inspectors visiting Chalgrove Primary School said it had made satisfactory progress since going into special measures in February. Progress since the last monitoring visit, in June, was good. In a report compiled following a visit last month

  • Fusion energy project jobs 'in balance'

    HUNDREDS of scientists’ jobs at Culham Centre of Fusion Energy are hanging in the balance unless a new funding deal for 2012 is reached in the coming days. Funding for the Joint European Torus (JET) nuclear fusion project runs out on December

  • Gift selections can ease present problems

    Eat, drink and be merry . . . with the big Christmas rush upon us, shopping for wine or spirits can be the best recipe for spreading some festive cheer. Ideal for art lovers, champagne Pommery’s limited edition POP range is printed with fantasy works

  • CRICKET: Oxford open up against Burnham

    Oxford will open next year’s Division 1 campaign in the Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League with a trip to last year’s Division 2 West champions Burnham on Saturday, May 12. Banbury visit Bishop’s Stortford in their first game, before facing

  • Alcohol-related health problems on increase

    THE NUMBER of people going to hospital with alcohol related injuries and illnesses has risen by more than 50 per cent in five years. And one in five Oxfordshire adults drinks over the recommended amount. But according to health bosses, no one is ‘ready

  • CRICKET: Oxfordshire unveil loss of £11,112

    The Oxfordshire Cricket Board revealed they had made a loss for the second successive year, at their annual meeting at the Hawkwell House Hotel, Oxford. Director of finance Roger Berryman reported that after several years of modest surpluses, the Board

  • New U’s deal

    OXFORD: Oxford United will get 40 per cent of fees earned by property investment firm Midas Estates under a new partnership. It will be holding an even for prospective clients on Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 1pm at the Kassam Stadium. To reserve a

  • AUNT SALLY: Walton delivers in style

    STEVE Walton capped his 15 dolls with a six as Deddington trounced Easington 6-0 in the Banbury Indoor League. Trevor Dyer also hit a six in his 14-doll haul for Deddington. Peter Dempsey whipped off a six in his 15 dolls as General Foods whitewashed

  • BAR BILLIARDS: Sheard stars in double delight

    Kennington Club are now two points clear at the top of the Johnsons Buildbase Oxford League Premier Section after a double success, writes PETE EWINS. Playing their game in hand, they beat Masons B 3-2 and also won 4-1 at home to Democrats, who stay

  • Results for 11-year-olds published today

    SCHOOL by school results showing how well 11-year-olds in Oxfordshire have performed are set to be published today. Last year, 13 county primaries fell below Government ‘floor’ targets in terms of the percentage of children achieving the benchmark Level

  • ‘Super head’ aims to improve school

    A “SUPER head” brought in to turn around two failing Oxford primary schools has been tasked with helping another hit by a damning report by inspectors. Martin Lester has been appointed as acting headteacher of Middle Barton Primary School near Deddington

  • BOWLS: Harwell denied

    HARWELL Harriers were pegged back by Vale of White Horse Short Mat Division 1 leaders Chieveley in a 6-2 defeat at Harwell Village Hall. The Harriers four, skipped by Gloria Smith, took the first game 13-12. But the Chieveley four, skipped by Tom Clough

  • RUGBY UNION: Bicester trio's hat-trick tonic

    THREE players scored try hat-tricks as Bicester hammered Amersham & Chiltern 77-5 in Division 2 of the Oxon, Berks and Bucks Colts League. Jack Horwood led the way with four scores, while Peter Howard and James Dunhill bagged three apiece. Jamie Bruce-Crampton

  • ATHLETICS: Results round-up

    ANDY READING 10K Abingdon Amblers: 25 C Bedford (V40) 36.17, 49 A Vessey 38.14, 77 T Garrod (V40) 39.26, 79 J Moore (V40) 39.29, 84 E Wigmore 39.48, 130 P Stepney (V50) 43.13, 135 C Parker (SL) 43.28, 214 L Garrod (LV45) 47.25, 234 I Ramsell (V50) 48.14

  • Local shares (AM)

    AEA Technology 0.46 BMW 4269 Electrocomponents 188.3 Nationwide Accident Repair 65 Oxford Biomedica 3.6 Oxford Catalysts 54.25 Oxford Instruments 988.5 Reed Elsevier 504.75 RM 66 RPS Group 175.3 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Shoppers greeted by school choir

    OXFORD shoppers were yesterday treated to Christmas carols in aid of the homeless. Children from St Barnabas Primary School, in Hart Street, Jericho, sang a selection of their favourite festive tunes in the Clarendon Shopping Centre, to raise

  • Late rush provides shops with some cheer

    Toys, health and beauty products, books and electronic gadgets are at the top of Oxford shoppers’ Christmas lists as retailers report a late spending surge on the high street. Shops say there was a slow start to the festive season amid fears

  • Chippy car wreck man is now stable

    A 67-year-old man rescued from the burning wreck of his car is now in a stable condition in hospital, a police spokesman said. The man, who was hauled from the silver Volkswagen Golf after it crashed on the A4300, close to the A44 on Monday morning,

  • County's Thomas Cook jobs safe

    Staff at eight county branches of troubled holiday firm Thomas Cook last night breathed a sigh of relief after learning their jobs were not going to be axed. The company said it will close 178 UK stores over the next two years as it battles to turn around

  • GOLF: Stormin’ Norman drives in

    Norman Goldsworthy, who has been a member for only four years, is the new men’s captain at North Oxford. The ten-handicapper, who used to play at Burford, hit his inaugural drive 217 yards. The new lady captain, Margaret Eynon arrived in full ski-wear

  • RUGBY UNION: Varsity Match's status hit home for Wade

    OXFORD University head coach James Wade said he only fully appreciated the Varsity Match’s significance in the final days before last week’s Twickenham showdown. Wade steered the Dark Blues to a 28-10 victory in his first Varsity Match at the

  • U's owner sells

    Ian Lenagan, owner of Oxford United, has made £17m after selling the company he co-founded to its management for £41m. Mr Lenagan, 65, will continue to act as a consultant to Milton Keynes-based software firm WorkPlace Systems International, which he

  • Bicycle arrest

    A man was yesterday arrested and charged with the theft of a pedal cycle at Oxford Railway Station. Wesley Gilbert, 31, from Pegasus Road in Blackbird Leys, was charged in relation to an incident on November 16. He will appear at Oxford Magistrates’

  • Dad-to-be's cannabis fine

    A dad-to-be has been fined for smoking cannabis. Calvin McKenzie, of Blackbird Leys Road, Blackbird Leys, admitted possession of cannabis in Wood Farm on October 6 at by Oxford Magistrates' Court yesterday. The 23-year-old DJ was told

  • THE INSIDER

    THE Insider knows only too well that council meetings can go on a bit. But if you have stood for election, it is probably wise to try hard to concentrate on those occasions voters come to County Hall to beg for your support. As library campaigners put

  • RACING: Webber relief at Rupert victory

    Banbury trainer Paul Webber was relieved after Time For Rupert got his Cheltenham Gold Cup campaign back on track by outclassing his rivals in the Betfair Graduation Chase at Newbury yesterday. The 8-15 chance jumped well for new jockey Denis O’Regan

  • Lorry smash causes delays

    Three lorries collided on the A420 close to the Botley Interchange in the morning rush-hour yesterday, causing minor delays to commuters. The three vehicles hit each other at shortly after 7.30am, and while two were able to drive away, one

  • Incinerator work set to start next year

    WORK on Oxfordshire’s first incinerator is expected to start next year after it was announced building firm Clugston Construction had won the contract. The firm said the £100m Oxfordshire scheme, at Ardley, near Bicester, was its third energy from waste

  • ICE HOCKEY: Slipshod Stars fall to Invicta

    Oxford City Stars have now gone 11 games without a win in South Division 1 following a 9-3 defeat at Invicta Dyanmos. Stars lined up without Patrick Russell, Andrew Shurmer, Josh Oliver and James Francis-Barrie, while Sam Cheema made his debut. Oxford

  • Other methods

    SO COSTS of running libraries will be cut by reduction of paid staff and introduction of volunteers, which is good news. But I am surprised that none of the other methods aren’t being introduced, like shortening the number of days and hours of opening

  • A little confusion

    I try to keep informed of locals issues and one source I use is Oxfordshire County Council leader, Keith Mitchell’s political blog at http://www. krmcbe.co.uk/political_blog.htm. I was most concerned to discover from his entry of December 10 that Oxfordshire

  • Bin collection woes are the tip of the iceberg

    ELIZABETH Mills is right to complain about missed collections, but it represents the tip of the iceberg of problems with waste collections in the city. Other nuisances persist across much of the city, not least the constant build up of side waste, particularly

  • RUGBY UNION: Chinnor's best yet to come

    HEAD coach Jason Bowers has warned Chinnor’s National 3 South West title rivals that their best is yet to come. Chinnor have completed the first half of the season by defeating every other side in the division – 13 wins in all. But Bowers stressed that

  • ATHLETICS: Headington duo lead way for Oxon

    HEADINGTON Roadrunners provided the leading Oxfordshire finishers in the Andy Reading 10K at Chesterton, near Bicester. Maxwell Robinson was the first Oxon man home, finishing fourth in a time of 33mins 58secs, while the race was won by Scott Hazell

  • Restaurant thief is facing prison grub

    A DINER who is banned from every restaurant in England and Wales by an Asbo will be eating his Christmas dinner in prison after Oxford magistrates jailed him for 12 weeks. Christopher Travis, of no fixed address, is already well known to restaurateurs

  • Snow flurries hit

    Snow once again hit the county, with more set to arrive on Friday. Snow fell in patches on the west of the county, including in Charlbury, late in the afternoon. Last night the Met Office said heavy rain is expected to turn to snow and advised people

  • Oldies have not gone metric

    Now that we are in the season where dissemination of accurate information about weather conditions can mean the difference between life and death, I can only hope that journalists will take the time to convert metric units into imperial ones when dealing

  • Setting record straight

    I WRITE with regard to your article last week about local authority action to tackle council tax fraud. The crux of the story is that councils across Oxfordshire have called on those making incorrect claims for single person discount to come forward

  • Searching for ex-Navy

    IN 1956 I was in the Royal Navy’s Devonport Field Gun Crew whose base was HMS Drake in Devonport. Subsequently Devonport Dockyard remained the home for the Devonport Field Gun Association. I’m sure some of your readers will remember the Royal Navy

  • Jumping on bandwagon

    WHO saved Headington car park? Reports and letters in your paper have given the credit to a broad-based campaign involving residents, businesses and local representatives. A lone letter from Jane Darke stands outside the consensus under the

  • RUGBY UNION: Harwell want more than perfect ten

    HARWELL vice-captain Andy Lee says they would love to go through the entire season without defeat after racking up ten wins from ten in the BB&O Championship. The league leaders are the second Oxfordshire side to maintain a 100 per cent record, alongside

  • Charge over ‘Soak’ graffiti tags

    A MAN was yesterday charged with tagging the word ‘Soak’ across the city last year in a spree that cost Oxford City Council almost £20,000 to clean up. Charlie Silver, 20, of Upper Fisher Row, will face Oxford magistrates next month on four

  • Dad steps up as number one for 2012 charity run

    DALE HARRIS has bagged himself the number 1 race number for next year’s 10th OX5 race after competing in the event every year since it started. Mr Harris, from Normandy Crescent in Cowley, has been a staunch supporter of the run in aid of Oxford

  • £25.7m boost to health services

    THE Government has announced a 2.8 per cent funding increase for Oxfordshire health services next year. But when the figure is measured against inflation, it represents just a 0.1 per cent increase in real terms. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced

  • COMMENT: Bigotry claims could stifle debate

    CLAIMS of bigotry often reveal more about the prejudices of the accuser than the accused. Tony Brett damages his standing as a councillor by stating protests against a planning application for student housing (that as chairman of the planning review

  • Major growth for law firm

    A rapidly expanding law firm has moved into brand new offices in Oxford. Clyde & Co, formerly known as Barlow Lyde and Gilbert has doubled the size of its presence on Oxford Business Park with the move into Rowan Place. It is the latest in a series

  • Vivid memory

    Sir – I was interested to read Chris Koenig’s piece relating to the Cowley Road Hospital (Past times, December 8). I was a baby boomer born there and my father’s vivid memory was waving goodbye to Mum and me from behind bars, as he biked back down the

  • Just plain wrong

    Sir – I was disappointed by Christopher Gray’s original article on birds of prey (Gray Matter, December 1) but actually more depressed by his reaction to the criticism he received for it (Goodness, how I ruffled feathers!, December 8). His response was

  • Health check

    Sir – Through your letters page I would like to notify readers of an opportunity to apply to be a member of the Oxfordshire joint health overview and scrutiny committee; also known as the OJHOSC. The OJHOSC has the job of examining proposals for substantial

  • Critical decision

    Sir – Ruskin College has submitted a plan for development of 150 houses on its fields adjoining the bypass. A council meeting scheduled for December 19 will decide on this plan. The decision is critical for residents of Headington, and concerns

  • Award winning stonemason appeals for more talent

    The award-winning skill of a young stonemason has prompted a personal appeal for more school leavers to follow in his footsteps. Jonathan Rayfield from Cholsey has just been awarded the title Apprentice Mason of the Year after triumphing in

  • Light at end of tunnel

    WELL, no one can say commuters have not been taken fully into account in the development of the long-awaited Oxford to London Marylebone service. But not many could have predicted that it would be the commuting residents of a Wolvercote tunnel that would

  • 40mph speed limit plan for Oxford ring road

    OXFORD ring road is set to be transformed into a landscaped city street as part of “once in a generation opportunity” to create up to 1,200 homes at Barton West. Proposals for “a vibrant new community” on a 36-hectare site on the north side

  • Rethink schools funds

    Sir – Oxfordshire County Council has recently undertaken a strategic review of school funding and is currently inviting responses. While the proposed new formula for allocating money to schools includes many sensible changes, it suffers from a major defect

  • Bus puzzle

    Sir – We all thought that things would improve when the two bus companies began working together, but no so. I can still see three buses, all number 8, leave my stop (Green Road) as I approach and find I have a 16-minute wait for the next bus. However

  • Festive fun events help showcase talents

    Christmas often prompts us to want to do something extra for charity, but volunteering at this busy time of year is not always possible. Mental health charity Restore offers an alternative. The Oxfordshire charity holds seasonal events which are

  • Best investment

    Sir – Instead of providing the services Oxford residents need and doing that economically and efficiently, our administration is prioritising reducing costs of a few hundreds of thousands of pounds. It will then spend £9m on a prestige ‘white elephant

  • Wasting resources

    Sir – The appeal by the Ramblers and the Oxford Fieldpaths Society for volunteers (Letters, December 1) to help maintain the public-path network is no doubt a worthy contribution to ‘the big society’, whereby the Government aims to replace professionals

  • Unknown risks

    Sir – Fran Bardsley’s piece on Cherwell School’s possible conversion to academy status (Report, December 1) reflects the perfectly reasonable view of Cherwell headteacher Paul James and chairman of governors Kirsten Robinson that potential financial gains

  • Everyone must pay

    Sir – I read with interest Ms Couch’s reply to my letter of the previous week. I feel she has missed the point I was trying to make by a country mile. Any increase in the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) is met by a levy on all households across the country. However

  • Cane the motorist

    Sir – While I agree that the Thornhill park-and-ride is much in need of an extension, I was not too impressed at councillor Mike Gotch’s casual £2.50-per-day suggestion. He seems not to appreciate completely the financial difficulties the many low-paid

  • Prioritise pedestrians

    Sir – On reading about the cut-price plans for Frideswide Square I could not help but reflect on the several catastrophic decisions made over the years on road surfaces in Oxford: l 1970s pedestrianised slabs in Queen Street that cracked under the buses

  • Case for hub strengthened

    Sir – £270m for East-West Rail is some “sweetener” (Report, December 1)! The Government’s decision to proceed with the project promises a major broadening of the city’s present outlook towards London and the south-east. An early start should also save

  • Parky at the Pictures (DVD 15/12/2011)

    In his estimable documentary, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Martin Scorsese retold the story of how the Quiet Beatle had purchased the most expensive ticket in screen history by mortgaging Friar Park in Henley to bankroll Monty Python's

  • Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 15/12/2011)

    Oxford film-goers will have noted with regret the absence of OxDox in 2010. Happily, the city's very own documentary film festival will return next year under the enthusiastic and more than capable stewardship of the estimable Marie Wright. But, in the

  • BADVENT: Shopper helped himself from supermarket till

    A SUSPECT shopper is the focus of Badvent day 15 as police officers call on Oxford Mail readers to help them identify this man. A man was seen walking into Asda in London Road, Wheatley, with two others on Thursday, November 17. The

  • Men injured in street brawl

    TWO men were taken to hospital after violence erupted outside a Banbury nightclub. Up to 20 people were involved in a fight outside the Sound Exchange, in High Street, at 5.45am last Saturday. Police said two men were punched to the ground and knocked

  • West Barton plan likely to go ahead

    PLANS for Oxford’s largest estate since Greater Leys are set to be given the go-ahead on Monday. Proposals for “a vibrant new community” on a 36-hectare site north of the A40 at Barton will be discussed by Oxford City Council on Monday. The Oxford bypass