People will get a chance to find out more about planned sports facilities in the town at an exhibition in Bicester’s John Paul II Centre on Saturday, November 3. Drop-in sessions at the centre in The Causeway will run from 11am to 2pm and will
TWO old friends from Oxford who lost touch for 40 years have been reunited by a magazine article. Glynis Parsons, 82, and Ruby Medley, 90, were friends when they both lived on the Horspath caravan site in the 1960s. Along with their husbands
A GROUP of Army wives and girlfriends in Abingdon have joined forces for a fundraising calendar for injured servicemen. The calendar was the idea of mum-of-two Liz Quickenden, who lives in the town. She arranged for the group of women from
VILLAGERS in West Oxfordshire will get another chance to catch a train to do their Christmas shopping and back efforts to get their station a regular Saturday service. For the second year running, at the request of the Cotswold Line Promotion Group
BLIND marksman Tim Gebbels aimed for his first gold medal in a national shooting competition and was right on target. The 44-year-old from Cowley beat competition from all over the country to win division six in the 2011/12 Winter National VI Postal
Oxford University has promised there will be two routes through its Radcliffe Observatory Quarter after a Jericho councillor spoke of the importance of the site being open to the public. Labour city councillor Susanna Pressel was speaking after
TWO badly leaking churches in West Oxfordshire churches have received thousands of pounds to secure their future. St Britius Church in Brize Norton has received £40,000 and St Michael and All Angels in Leafield has received £50,000. The money
WOLVERCOTE residents have been sleeping a little better lately since some of the area’s potholes have been fixed. Mere Road had been blighted by potholes — including the ones inset – some of them reaching up to two metres in length and they had
A CARD from the Queen was at the centre of 100th birthday celebrations for Winifred Woodward. Mrs Woodward was surrounded by family and friends on Wednesday for the celebration at Southern Down Care Home in Chipping Norton. Born Winifred Hazell
A woman was sexually assaulted in Bicester in the early hours of this morning. Police were called to Market Square following a report that a woman had been assaulted at around 2.30am. The victim, a 21-year-old woman, was walking when she was
TWO new councillors have been elected for the Didcot All Saints parish. The new South Oxfordshire District Councillor is Labour’s Denise Ann MacDonald, with 436 votes, beating conservative candidate Jane Murphy by 96 votes. The new town councillor
POLICE have sealed off the entrance to a flat above a charity shop in Bicester. It is understood officers have been at the scene in Market Square since 7am today. Scenes of crime officers have sealed off the building and a police officer is
Shrivenham Town are looking for a new manager after Michael McNally resigned following Saturday’s 8-0 thrashing by Witney Town. Applicants should contact chairman Neil Sutton on 07710 255063. Assistant Martin Robinson takes charge for tomorrow
FEARS have been raised that a new council policy could scupper plans for a skate park in Botley. North Hinksey Parish Council is being urged to approve a new skate park for the Louie Memorial Playing Field, which it owns. But there are concerns
A SCHOOL in special measures is hoping the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign will help it on its journey to becoming a good school. Cutteslowe Primary School was placed in special measures in November last year but has just been told it is making good
MICHELIN-starred chef Michael North visited Oxford to run a pop-up restaurant for one night only. Mr North called in at Oxford & Cherwell Valley College, in Oxpens Road, on Monday, to give catering Students the chance to see what it was like
Champions Vikings A were pegged back by Rutherford in Division 1 of the Oxford & District League. A strong start saw last year’s winners 4-1 ahead and in control, but Rutherford hit back to claim a share of the spoils in a 5-5 draw, and retain
OXFORD: The city’s Muslim community was due to gather at the Kassam Stadium this morning to mark the annual Eid festival. Up to 2,000 people were expected to attend the 9.30am celebration of Eid-ul-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, a major festival
ENJOYING a school dinner with friends is something many eight-year-olds take for granted. But Usman Baker suffers from the rare, inherited, metabolic disease Phenylketonuria (or PKU), which means the wrong food could leave him brain damaged.
A COMPENSATION scheme for households affected by the planned HS2 high speed railway line does not go far enough, campaigners say. Yesterday, the Department for Transport unveiled a compensation scheme for residents and businesses that will be affected
Oxfordshire opened their County Championships Division 2 Central programme with a nail-biting 8-7 win over Warwickshire 2nd at St Peter’s Catholic School, Solihull. With the match all square at 7-7, Matt Jackson and Sarah Torgersen took the deciding
OXON: Catalogue retailer Argos has revealed it will close or relocate up to 75 stores over the next five years – but it is not known if those in Oxfordshire will be affected. The business, which has stores in Oxford city centre and on Botley Road
Wallingford struck double gold at the Diamond Jubilee Championships at Eton Dorney. Kathryn Twyman and Charlotte Burgess won the women’s under 23s lightweight double and came second to London/Molesey in the lightweight double. They also teamed
SATURDAY FOOTBALL NPOWER LEAGUE TWO Wycombe Wands v Oxford Utd. BLUE SQUARE BET NORTH Oxford City v Stalybridge. FA CARLSBERG TROPHY 2nd qual round: Poole Tn v Didcot Tn. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE Div 1 South &
ON the morning of Wednesday, October 17, while walking to the no 10 bus in Between Towns Road, I had a nasty fall. I was unable to get up – I already use a walking stick. A taxi driver stopped, a lady came across the road and the bus driver also came
I WRITE regarding the disability benefit cuts. There are a wide range of disabilities in the community, all with their own peculiarities, so how can a set assessment apply to all claimants? Besides that, who decides what assessment should take
IT is a rare sight to see a singer bring a room to an absolute standstill. But as the incredibly enchanting voice of Lianne La Havas swept through the audience at Oxford’s O2 Academy on Monday night, everyone was captivated. The Mercury prize-nominated
IT MAY not look like much but for some people this could be home. This innovative dome house was erected at the Hill End Centre near Farmoor as a demonstration using only a common cement mixer. It has been designed by Jay Emery, who runs wood
WHERE are the so-called councillors? On Saturday morning many Marston residents paid tribute to the brave heroes of the Second World War who lost their lives, by attending the unveiling of a plaque near trees planted in their honour some 60 years ago
KIDLINGTON: Traffic along the A34 was slowed yesterday after a vehicle crashed off the road and hit a sign on the southbound carriageway. The incident happened at around 1.30pm between the Kidlington junction and the Pear Tree Interchange.
WEST OXON: West Oxfordshire District Council has rejected a motion to help bring more women into its cabinet. There are currently no female cabinet councillors. Opposition Liberal Democrats proposed reviewing the situation and for a report on how
DIDCOT: The new representative of All Saints ward on South Oxfordshire District Council and Didcot Town Council will be named today after a by-election. Voters went to the polls in the area to elect a replacement for veteran Labour councillor Terry
CHEMOTHERAPY “hastened” the death of a football-mad 22-year-old, an inquest found. Chipping Norton FC player Shaun Weller died on May 2, two days after beginning chemotherapy for a rare form of liver cancer. The window cleaner, a dad-of-one
I WOULD like to convey my grateful thanks to the kind lady who found my bag, containing cards, personal items, and so on, outside Asda, in Cowley Centre, last Sunday. A big thank you also to the staff, and most particularly the manager, of Asda
l HAS this Government no soul? I am referring to the proposed cuts in the benefits to people with disabilities. It’s absolutely disgusting to hit the most vulnerable in our society because the Government cannot balance its books. It makes me very angry
AS a resident of Oxford for 63 years and a rider and driver for 56 years, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council Highways have made more traffic bungles than one can remember. The latest now in the news is Green Road Roundabout. Do they
CHRIS Wilder has no intention of changing his attacking philosophy at Oxford United despite admitting they were “mugged” by Rochdale on Tuesday. The U’s enjoyed the best of the opening 75 minutes at Spotland, but were unable to find a breakthrough
WHEN it comes to surprises, Oxford never lets you down. Where else could you witness a hunt in full cry, pursued by a truncheon-brandishing police officer in the main shopping area – in Oxford’s case, Cornmarket Street? Where else would you be
Oxford City will give on-loan Wycombe keeper Matt Ingram his debut when they host seventh-placed Stalybridge Celtic at Court Place Farm in tomorrow's Blue Square Bet North. With regular keeper Warren Carter struggling with a groin injury, boss
Didcot Town manager Gary Elkins is hoping that Richard Peirson will have a change of heart after he decided to retire from the game. The former Oxford City and Abingdon United defender, 35, called time on his 20-year career after Saturday’s 1-0 FA
A LEADING councillor has said he is reassured hospital bosses are balancing ground-breaking specialist work with the needs of hospital patients. It comes after concerns about the quality of care for patients requiring routine hospital treatment
CHRISTMAS came early to shoppers in Oxford yesterday as larger-than-life ‘Dame Doris Doughnut’ took to the streets to promote the Oxford Playhouse’s annual festive treat. Dame Doris – aka actor Leon Craig – said he couldn’t wait to welcome everyone
Captain Tom Allen and centre Ali James are unavailable as leaders Henley Hawks visit rock-bottom Barking in National 2 South. Neil Baggett makes his first start of the season at full back in place of Allen. Martin Nutt moves from right wing
OXFORD is rightly proud of its reputation as a home of medical advancements. The research done here over decades has helped countless patients. And now our newly formed Oxford University Hospitals Trust is seeking foundation status, which will
WHAT I AM CALLED: Terry… however I was christened Terence but that forename was only ever used by my parents, and then only when I had misdemeanoured. My age: 70 What I do: Volunteer Shop manager of the Lenthall Road Rose Hill Allotment
THE biggest travelling contingent of Oxford United’s season so far will make the short trip to Wycombe Wanderers tomorrow, and Ryan Clarke is determined to pay back their loyalty by helping to deliver a result. An estimated 1,500 supporters are
Oxford Harlequins director of rugby Tevita Vaikona fears that the confidence of his young players could be shattered if they suffer more heavy defeats. Quins bid to bounce back from their 73-11 battering at Newton Abbot last week when they take
MY FIRST ever vote years ago was a no to joining the European Common Market, now morphed onto the European Union (EU). So the recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the EU must be a joke of huge proportions that will upset many Oxford Mail readers
GEORGE Osborne gets on a train, knowing he hasn’t got a first class ticket, but he sits in the first class anyway because he doesn’t want to sit with the likes of us. Most of the people he doesn’t want to sit next to are hard-working people whose tax
Three Oxfordshire clubs, who suffered relegation in the Home Counties Premier Lea-gue last season, could get a reprieve following a proposal for Hertfordshire teams to quit the competition. Oxford were relegated from DivisIon 1, while Shipton-under-Wychwood
Jake Wright is raring to return for Oxford United tomorrow – but insists it was the right decision to be left out of the side in midweek. The U’s skipper missed last weekend’s 5-0 win against Accrington Stanley, but was available for Tuesday’s
OXFORD: Seven men arrested as part of an investigation into the alleged exploitation of girls aged between 11 and 16 have been rebailed. The men, aged 22 to 39, were arrested as part of Operation Bullfinch and answered bail yesterday. They
A FAMILY was forced to flee its burning house after a blaze believed to have been caused by a television left on standby. The blaze, which started in a bedroom, could have destroyed the whole house if it had been discovered just a few minutes later
MAN’s wish to control nature through chemicals rarely proves permanently successful and now we have the rise of the ‘super-rat’. Hopefully a sensible solution can be found but we can’t just progress to stronger and stronger poisons without badly
OXFORD: Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons in Great Milton came sixth nationally in the best restaurant for food in The Sunday Times Food List.
OXON: A date for the repatriation of two service personnel killed in Afghanistan had not been finalised last night. Channing Day, 25, from 3 Medical Regiment, and an as-yet-unnamed Royal Marine, from 40 Commando Royal Marines, were killed whilst
A BLUEPRINT for 11,487 new homes in South Oxfordshire has been approved by a Government planning inspector, it was announced yesterday. South Oxfordshire District Council’s planning blueprint, or “core strategy” sets out plans for housebuilding
OXFORDSHIRE has been infested by a new breed of mutant rat resistant to all legal poisons – and the problem seems to be getting worse. The mutant gene which first emerged on a farm north of Newbury has spread as far north as Wallingford, according
A MOTHER died after taking a fatal cocktail of drugs and alcohol, an inquest heard. Jade Parr was found dead in her own bed by her best friend Lucy Kibble. The 25-year-old had taken a mixture of cocaine and vodka when she got home from a night
A DRUNK taxi driver crashed his car into traffic lights and veered into oncoming vehicles. Kashif Malik, of Scott Road, Cutteslowe, wrote off his Mercedes cab in the Oxford Road smash by Water Eaton Park-and-Ride on Sunday, September 2. The
A SECOND bus company serving Oxfordshire schools shut its doors yesterday. Jeffs Coaches, which serves students in the Bicester and Banbury area, called in the administrators yesterday. Oxfordshire County Council said routes will not be affected
JON-Paul Pittman is hoping for an end to a series of hamstring problems as he looks to finally compete for a regular place in the side. Injuries have hampered the striker since he signed for the U’s last year. This season has been no exception
A HARDY band of supporters will be at the Kassam Stadium at 5am tomorrow to begin a charity walk to Wycombe. About 30 members of OxVox, Oxford United’s supporters’ trust, are making the 24-mile trip to raise money for the club’s youth and community
SUPPORTERS are being advised to book their FA Cup tickets in advance to make the most of Barnet’s reduced prices. Season-ticket holders have until Monday evening to book their places for the game on November 3, while Oxford United members are also
A NEW scheme has been launched to extend bulk buying of heating oil to electricity for rural Oxfordshire residents. It is hoped the scheme will save cash for residents who do not have gas and cannot get cheap deals. It is the brainchild of Wootton
A world-famous Oxford centre of learning has had its heart ripped out. But book fans should not despair – the Bodleian Library is undergoing a £78m revamp. Once home to 3.5m books, including some of the most precious in existence, the New Bodleian
