IT WAS A*s and As across the board for some of Oxfordshire’s top-performing pupils as they picked up their GCSEs yesterday. Fifteen girls at Headington School, Oxford, achieved at least 12 A*s, including Emily Abbott, 16, from Bicester — who was
AS fall-back plans go, budding rock star Harry Lingard-Bright has a pretty good one. The Magdalen College School pupil hopes to hit the big time with heavy metal band Lest We Forget. Yet should his dreams not materalise, he has a handy nine
EMERGENCY services including an ambulance and police helicopter were called to Culham Bridge near Abingdon. Reports from the scene suggest a group of children got into difficulty in a canoe on the Thames and called for help. The
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SECRET love letters written by Wantage poet John Betjeman are to go on show for the first time in a village museum. The 70 letters and postcards have been given to the Tom Brown School Museum in Sir John’s former village of Uffington by the family
BUSINESSES on Oxford’s Barton estate have been invited to sign up to a new Yellow Pages-style guide to the estate. It is hoped the booklet will help new families to the area and boost business for local tradesmen. Sue Holden, secretary of the
MORE than 20,000 people are expected to turn up to Wallingford’s annual celebration of music, beer, dance and steam. And the influx of visitors could create a £1m boost for shops, hoteliers and other businesses, according to organisers. Festival
A GARDEN created for the local community was celebrated in East Oxford this week. Dozens of volunteers have spent the last few months transforming a neglected backyard at the East Oxford Community Centre into a garden. The centre, on the corner
EVERY now and again a car comes along that fits you like a glove. Spacious, sensible, economical and thoroughly understated, the badge on the boot is almost irrelevant. But when the badge on the bonnet says VW, you know you can relax. Even
Oxford Stadium stewards called a preliminary inquiry into the running of the Terry Atkins-trained Roadstown Barr at Sunday’s BAGS meeting. An investigation was launched after the hound won by nine and a quarter lengths in 27.53secs. The dog went
Two teams in the Oxford Mail Boys League need players for this season. Greater Leys Youth are looking for nine and ten-year-olds to join their under 11s. Contact Ian Fieldwick on 07557 020355. AFC Brightwell need under 12 players. Contact
MEMBERS of Abingdon Rowing Club loved watching Team GB rowers compete in the Olympics and come away with a haul of medals. And they have been inundated with youngsters who want the chance of one day emulating their heroes who triumphed at the London
People convicted of offences at Oxford magistrates' court recently: Callum Hart, 20, of Townsend Square, Oxford, admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of unlawful violence in Queen
DAVE the snail, Violet the Millipede, Lara the tarantula, Pebble the Rat and Amelia the cockroach were all guests of honour at a nursery school. As part of a session about senses, youngsters got up close to the bugs to learn how they differ from
RESIDENTS in Kennington are excited about £1m plans to prevent flooding in the village. A consultation was held at Kennington Village Hall ahead of the scheme to improve drainage and the sewer system in the village next month. Thames Water
RESIDENTS in two Oxfordshire districts have been rated first and second in the country for recycling rates. Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils – which run a joint waste collection service – topped the latest survey by
POLICE have admitted they have no widespread evidence that CCTV solves crimes. Thames Valley Police said it would have to go through each crime recorded on CCTV to see if cameras helped catch the culprit. A force report said: “TVP’s systems
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THE league table makes happy reading for Oxford United – but manager Chris Wilder believes his side can get even better. Back-to-back wins against Bristol Rovers and Southend United represents an excellent start, but no-one at United has shown
Didcot Town manager Dave Mudge is warning his side against complacency when they host Abingdon United in tomorrow’s FA Cup preliminary round tie at Loop Meadow Stadium. The Railwaymen beat one of the favourites for promotion Yate Town 2-0 in
The final summer bank holiday is upon us. With the Jubilee celebrations a distant memory and the Olympic flame doused, you might wonder what there is left to toast? Well, if you live in Oxford, then there is plenty. First off it’s the annual
MALCOLM Rose set a new course record on way to claiming victory in the final race of the Summer Series in the Cotswolds. The Oxonian rider came home in 24mins 25secs to claim his second victory of the season. Pete Oliver was just four seconds
DEFENSIVE strength has been key to Oxford United ’s strong start this season and skipper Jake Wright has his sights set on a fourth successive clean sheet tomorrow. United have yet to concede in five hours of football so far this season, their
THE league table makes happy reading for Oxford United – but manager Chris Wilder believes his side can get even better. Back-to-back wins against Bristol Rovers and Southend United represents an excellent start, but no-one at United has shown
The August bank holiday weekend has always been an tricky time for cinema releases. With the schools due back in a matter of days, there is little point in launching an SFX-laden blockbuster or a specifically kid-friendly picture, as there simply
And still they keep coming. The British. Colin Welland predicted they would in his Oscar acceptance speech for Chariots of Fire. It may have taken 30 years and an Olympic Games, but this country suddenly feels proud of itself. Not just of its sporting
MICHAEL Duberry boosted Oxford United ’s travelling support last weekend by watching the win at Bristol Rovers from the terraces. It was only five days after the 36-year-old had neck surgery, and he was still wearing the protective dressing.
BY HER own admission Jorna Begum was ‘a troublemaker’ who did not care about her grades, her education, or a career. But teachers at the Oxford Academy knew there was more to the teenager than the tough facade and refused to give up on her.
SIX months before sitting her GCSEs , Lydia Berrows underwent a major operation to correct an 80 degree curve in her spine. The 16-year-old spent three months off school recovering from the scoliosis operation and now has titanium rods lining her
LIBBY Turner has been through more than most 16 year olds. She was diagnosed with a form of cancer, osteosarcoma, in her leg, which resulted in missing a year of school when she was 11. A year on crutches and in wheelchairs undergoing intense
Oxford City boss Mike Ford has praised his side’s sterling efforts in their win at Gloucester City and wants more of the same at Solihull Moors in Blue Square Bet North tomorrow. City bounced back from their opening-day defeat by Chester, to win
NOW they have their A-Level results, thousands of young people are preparing to head off to university. For those of them living with the chronic, fluctuating condition Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, commonly known as ME, coping with the demands of
FURTHER to my letter, printed August 6 (Oxford Mail, View Points), and Michael Clarke’s letter shortly afterwards, European Arrest Warrants have replaced traditional extradition arrangements between member states of the EU. Any person
THE parking problems in the Cutteslowe Park area were discussed at a meeting on Monday, in the Cutteslowe pavilion. It was organised by Mr John Goddard, Ms Jean Fooks and Mr Mike Gotch, local councillors and Mr David Tole, the county council principal
YOUR report of the packed meeting at Cutteslowe Pavilion (Call to resolve parking issue, Oxford Mail, August 22) suggests that many residents have been affected by the introduction of parking charges at Cutteslowe Park. The obvious solution is
I WAS just thinking about card posting for Christmas. I bet the amount of people posting mail will drop and the Post Office will see a difference in the money it receives. I normally post about 60 cards so that will be out this year. It
SATURDAY FOOTBALL NPOWER LEAGUE TWO Oxford Utd v Plymouth Argyle. BLUE SQUARE BET NORTH Solihull Moors v Oxford City. FA CUP Prelim round: Bracknell Tn v Shrivenham, Cinderford Tn v Abingdon Tn, Didcot Tn v Abingdon Utd, North
Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 2 West THAME Town captain Michael Higgs says his team will be going all-out for three wins from their final three games. A thumping at the hands of fellow relegation rivals Shipton last
MATTHEW Cox and girlfriend Beth Sandland shared a celebratory kiss after opening their exam results together. Matthew, 16, of Newlands Avenue, Didcot, picked up his results first at St Birinus School and then went to Didcot Girls’ School so that
SIMON Spiers had a dual role yesterday — as a headteacher congratulating his students and as a proud parent. For the past five years, the King Alfred’s Academy, Wantage, headteacher has watched his daughter, Katy, now 16, make her way up through
RESULTS have rocketed at Oxford Spires Academy in just its second year. The school saw a huge 16 percentage points jump in the proportion of pupils achieving the benchmark five A* to Cs at GCSE including English and maths, from 41 to 57 per cent
Four local schoolboys returned from Bulgaria with world bronze medals. Titus Morley and Callum Jones, from St Edward’s, and Charles Shaw and Thomas George, from Radley, were in the GB eight at the World Junior Championships in Plovdiv. Coached
A DISABLED Christian girl, said to be aged between 10 and 13, and to have Down’s Syndrome, a condition characterised by, I believe, occasional outbursts of rage, has been taken into custody amid claims she burned religious papers. Anyone found
I THOUGHT I had heard it all, but my eyes nearly popped out of my head on reading your article (Brave Caroline won’t let condition stop her, Oxford Mail, August 15). Miss Earnshaw has an extremely rare cardiac disorder which could kill her
HAVING read Peter Hughes’s report (Reservoir lorries will be danger in village, Oxford Mail, August 16), I can only come to one conclusion and that is the Wheatley nimbys (not in my backyard) mentioned are only interested in one thing – themselves
TWO weeks ago a young woman on a Westgate Centre stall promoting natural cosmetics had tried to sell me an expensive system of nail treatments for my daughter. On Tuesday she smiled and introduced me to a new colleague. This was in spite of my
WHAT I’M CALLED: Kelle Marie Nixey (née Chinnery). MY AGE IN YEARS: 30 years old. WHAT I DO: What don’t I do? I am a proud mother of four, a partner in a manufacturing company and a livery yard, part-time model, event organiser and promoter
Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 1 IAN Crosby admitted tomorrow’s trip to Harpenden will go a long way to determining Oxford’s top-flight status. Victory over the mid-table side will give Crosby’s men a chance of staying
New words have been published for the first time in the latest quarterly update of the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford Dictionaries Online is run by Oxford University Press and staff say social media is continuing to shape
YOU have to admire Dr Chisholm Ogg’s lawn, and his dedication. Most of us groan at the thought of spending a Sunday morning mowing the grass. Dr Ogg spends hours every day tending to his pride and joy, leaving other gardeners green with envy
Tony Capaldi is hoping Plymouth Argyle put a good run together – after today’s trip to the Kassam Stadium . The left back has been part of an Oxford United back four which has not conceded in five hours of football so far this season. Capaldi
The family of Vittoria Baker has paid tribute to her after the discovery of her body last week led to a murder inquiry. The 52-year-old’s daughter Kauthar Silvera, 29, appeared at Oxford’s crown and magistrates’ courts on Monday charged with her
AN OBSESSIVE gardener has proved he is a cut above the rest after turfing out the competition in a national lawn contest. Dr Chisholm Ogg spends up to 10 hours a day manicuring his prized garden. The retired kidney doctor, of Long Wittenham
TWO cars collided on an Oxford bypass roundabout just half an hour after traffic lights failed. A blue Chevrolet and a silver Vauxhall Astra collided on the Heyford Hill Roundabout at about 10am yesterday. Traffic signals at the roundabout,
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build student housing on part of the St Clement’s car park are to be considered again. The scheme for 140 rooms was thrown out last week by members of Oxford City Council ’s west area planning committee. But other councillors
A 35-YEAR-OLD man, arrested in March as part of an investigation into an alleged child prostitution ring in Oxford, has been released without charge. Nine men have been charged in connection with Operation Bullfinch , and a further nine men remain
SERIOUS questions are being raised after schools across Oxfordshire saw English language GCSE passes drop by as much as 20 per cent. Schools are asking for papers to be remarked or remoderated, and others launching investigations after scores of
TICKETS for Oxford United ’s derby with Swindon Town have sold quickly since going on sale this week. The two rivals meet in a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie at the Kassam Stadium on Wednesday, September 5. Supporters queued at the ground when
CONGRATULATIONS to all our hard-working students who picked up GCSE results. We hope they go on to fulfil their ambitions. Among the fantastic results were some truly-inspirational stories of young people triumphing over adversity. But
It was a shock to learn that Sir James Galway’s recent appearance at the BBC Proms was his first there in over a decade. “The living legend of the flute”, as he describes himself on his website, once seemed to be ubiquitous. Belfast-born Jimmy
AN ABINGDON Road trader hit by crime has said she will shut her shop before Christmas because stock worth £800 was stolen. While overall crime has decreased by 12 per cent in South Oxford from 495 to 437, domestic burglaries have risen by 19 per
