OXPENS Meadow could be preserved as a green space in the name of the Queen. Oxford City Council’s executive board will meet on Friday to vote on whether to designate the five-acre beauty spot as a ‘field in trust’. ‘Fields in trust’ is a scheme
THE Bishop of Oxford proved his head for heights when he climbed on to the roof of a north Oxfordshire church to bless some new solar panels. The Rt Rev John Pritchard climbed to the top of St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Deddington to give the
A NEW birds of prey centre could open at Millets Farm near Abingdon. The centre would hold three displays a day in the summer showing owls, hawks and vultures, as well as welcoming schools and working on conservation in the area. The plan,
DESIGNS for a major new development in Littlemore are set to go on show to the public. Developer and charitable organisation The Donnington Hospital Trust is hoping to build 140 homes on land it owns north of the Littlemore Mental Health Centre
A MOSAIC depicting the best of Abingdon is to go on show at County Hall in Oxford in January. Volunteer Carole Collins, pictured with the artwork, runs a mosaic class at the Abingdon Health and Wellbeing Centre for people in their 70s and 80s,
RESIDENTS are being urged to express an interest in a bulk energy-buying plan being put together by council chiefs. Cherwell District Council wants to secure a cheaper deal for domestic electricity and gas customers if enough sign up. It would
Police believe the victim of the houseboat fire in Wolvercote is 49-year-old Kevin Pryor. Mr Pryor lived on the Lady of the Lake boat which was burnt-out in the blaze late on Friday night. Forensics police expect to be on the scene until later
FAMILY activities at an Oxford museum took an oriental twist as part of a one-off workshop. The Ashmolean’s education centre hosted Japanese-themed family activities. Japanese native Akane Hetherton, with her daughter Emma Airi, two, and her
ACTOR Timothy West took a break from treading the boards at the Oxford Playhouse and tried his hand at teaching. The actor had been appearing in The Handyman but was then joined by his wife Prunella Scales in leading a drama workshop for the homeless
AN East Oxford cycle shop owner should be given permission to turn a rural pub into his dream home despite concerns, a council report says. Nasser Salehi, 60, who runs Cycloanalysts in Cowley Road, bought the closed Fox Inn at Stanton Harcourt
PARKING bosses hope to free up space in Witney by shortening the time for motorists in some car parks. All 853 spaces at the Woolgate car park will be made short stay, meaning motor-ists can park for a maximum of three hours. At the moment
SIX good causes from Oxfordshire have won grants after filming videos showing their work within the community. Oxford-based energy supplier Opus Energy awarded £8,500 to help power the projects of local charities and community groups. Not-for-profit
APPRENTICES at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory struck gold when they were presented with awards for their achievements. Olympic rower Mark Hunter was guest of honour at a ceremony to reward the trainees based at the Harwell site. Liam Starrett
THEY arrive with less fanfare than traditional road ambulances, but are every bit as vital at saving lives. Slicing through traffic and crowds St John Ambulance cycle responders are frequently the first on the scene. Now the burgeoning service
CREDIT controller Daniel Lawson-May is celebrating bagging himself a new job after two years of hunting for employment. Mr Lawson-May, 39, from Cowley, was featured as one of our 12 job seekers in the Oxford Mail’s We Want to Work campaign in September
Ardley United will host Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division outfit Newport (IoW) in the third round of the FA Carlsberg Vase on Saturday, December 8. Fellow-Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division side Kidlington will travel to the winners
INSPECTORS have criticised an Oxfordshire nursery for poor observation and unhygienic practices. Petit Enfant Day Nursery, in Madley Park, Witney, was rated inadequate following an Ofsted inspection last month. Inspectors highlighted a range
People convicted of offences at magistrates' courts around the county recently: Colin Raworth, 56, of New High Street, Headington, Oxford, admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour in Oxford on April 21. Convicted of sexually
OXFORD City Athletic Club owes its existence to a Portuguese Jew living in Amsterdam, who fled to England to escape the Nazis during the Second World War. Albert Milhado helped run the London edition of the Dutch resistance newspaper, Vrij Nederland
LES Belcher was privileged to see most of motorcycle ace Mike Hailwood’s victories. He has sent in three pictures of ‘Mike the Bike’ and his team, who achieved so much together during his 21-year career on the track. As we recalled (Memory
THIS was the day work stopped and pleasure began. We published one picture of workers at Hunt Edmunds brewery at Banbury enjoying an annual outing, probably in the 1920s (Memory Lane, May 7). They were photographed on a Salter’s steamer, having
IT MAY look like a clever advert for BBC Two, but this is a real-life flock of starlings. Former Oxford Mail photographer George Reszeter took this picture of the ritual, known as a murmuration, often performed by birds before going to roost for
Oxford & District Darts Association results MEN Premier & Section 1: Green Rd SC B 4, Goodlake Lake A 5; Peachcroft SC 4, Cowley Workers SC 5 Section 2: Donnington CC B 4, Green Rd SC A 5; Vikings SC A 6, Donnington CC A 3; Red Lion 6, Corner
THESE two young ladies were chosen to welcome guests to a major exhibition. Denise Wiggins, left, and Valerie Fisher were chosen by bosses at the Morris Radiators’ factory in North Oxford to be hostesses at the British Motor Corporation’s Chain
THE first flower festival at St Olave’s Church in 1975, in aid of church funds, drew a steady stream of visitors. The picture shows Beryl Wrighton, left, and Mr and Mrs Marcus Turner admiring an arrangement on the font. Villagers planted an oak
BMW 5101 Electrocomponents 203.3 Nationwide Accident Repair 58.5 Oxford Biomedica 2.25 Oxford Catalysts 110 Oxford Instruments 1330 Reed Elsevier 602.75 RM 80.25 RPS Group 208.9 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
WANTAGE: An 18-year-old woman suffered minor injuries in a cycling accident on the B4944 Ormond Road. Paramedics were called to the accident at 3.20pm yesterday after the teenager fell off her bike. She was treated at the scene and was not
OXFORD: Catalytic converters have been stolen from vehicles in a spate of thefts in the city. In the past week, the exhaust-cleaning devices, which contain valuable metals such as platinum, have been stolen in Westbury Crescent, Cowley; Stanway
IT WAS agony for Milton Football Club striker Daniel Osborne as he took part in a sponsored leg wax for charity on Saturday. The event was the idea of seven-year-old Jazmine Selby, from Abingdon, whose father Adrian is the club’s assistant manager
MILTON: The northbound A34 was closed for more than an hour after a three-vehicle collision yesterday. Police were called to the scene at 3.15pm. The drivers only suffered minor injuries and the road reopened at 4.20pm.
THE fight is back on for residents who won a battle against plans for an Oxford nightclub to increase its opening hours. In June, Oxford City Council turned down plans for the O2 Academy, in Cowley Road, to open an hour earlier each day, for four
THE controversial heir to Blenheim Palace could be set to follow in his father’s footsteps after all. Charles James Spencer-Churchill, more commonly known as Jamie Blandford, hit headlines for his battle with drug addiction and his excessive lifestyle
Good morning and welcome to our weekly chat about all things Oxford United. We're here for an hour to discuss whatever you want, particularly thoughts on the defeat at Chesterfield and tomorrow's visit to Barnet. Post your thoughts below or
Didcot Town’s habit of conceding late goals plagued them again as they were held to a 3-3 draw by hosts Cinderford in Evo-Stik Southern Division 1 South & West. The Railwaymen, who were knocked out of the FA Carlsberg Trophy the previous week
ROSE Hill residents have cast their votes on the future of their community centre. Oxford City Council has offered members of the public a choice between a revamp of the current centre, in The Oval, or a new development next to the recreation ground
New signing Ryan Brooks pepped up North Leigh’s attack, but could not bring them victory in a goalless draw against dogged Paulton Rovers in Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West on Saturday. Brooks, who joined from Witney Town the
NEW signs proposed for the Covered Market to boost trade have been condemned as “absolutely mad”. Oxford city councillors on the west area planning committee described the city council-designed signs as “completely unimaginative”. They said
MARY Clarkson’s response regarding Marston’s residents’ concerns appeared to be very admirable (Viewpoints, November 13). However, having been a Marston councillor for 14 years, surely she has had ample opportunity to ensure Marston residents were
AFTER a three-week spell in ward 15 urology, at the Churchill Hospital in 2005, and another 10 weeks earlier this year in ward 6JF at the JR Hospital, my granddaughter Melissa was so impressed at the the very high standard of treatment I had received
YOU have published three letters from readers reputedly in answer to two of mine. First was the woman who lives in Minster Lovell, and can’t understand why I cannot hear the church bells ringing there from my home near the centre of Oxford. Three-quarters
WHO says you can’t teach an old dog (and a smug one at that) new tricks? For instance, last week in Kidlington I saw a sign outside its village police station advertising a ‘Defensive Planting Exhibition’. Admitted, I first saw this at 6.30am,
YOUR humanist correspondent, John White, is justified in complaining that humanists, atheists, agnostics, etc, cannot speak at commemorations of the war dead. This may be because religious people believe that the dead are living up in heaven and
I HAVE been going along to health authority meetings, off and on, for more than 35 years. Usually the language is calm, littered with acronyms, the latest management clichés and medical references that only the privileged few fully understand.
My children are now old enough to get themselves back from school. (And for those worriers among you, the village school is only 500 metres away and there aren’t any roads to cross.) This is great because I can stay centrally-heated while I watch them
THE row over press ethics came to Oxford yesterday as Hollywood actor Hugh Grant took part in a lively debate in the city. He was speaking at an event hosted by Hertford College and chaired by BBC Radio Oxford presenter Bill Heine on the topic
The Covered Market is one of the gems of Oxford city centre. In a country with increasingly bland and homogenised high streets, it is an oasis of independent shops. But you could easily walk past and not know it was there, as the existing signs
ANDY Whing believes Oxford United’s players need to lower their sights and not be distracted by the npower League Two table, writes DAVID PRITCHARD. After briefly topping the pile in August, the U’s have spent the last two months in the bottom
FOOTBALL NPOWER LEAGUE TWO Chesterfield 2, Oxford Utd 1. BLUE SQUARE BET NORTH Corby Tn 1, Oxford City 1. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Hitchin Tn 1, Banbury Utd 2. Div 1 South & West: Bishops Cleeve v Abingdon
LONDON Welsh head coach Lyn Jones backed his selection policy as the Exiles fell to another LV= Cup defeat. Having already been beaten by Exeter Chiefs, Jones gave some squad members the chance to impress at Gloucester, but they fell to a 46-20
TWO men attacked the sub-postmaster of Oxford's Wood Farm Post Office during a dawn raid. The men went into the Atkyns Road post office at about 5.30am on Saturday and stole items including cigarettes. Police officers do not believe the men
LETCOMBE Bassett trainer Mark Bradstock’s thoughts were with Coneygree’s late breeder, Lord Oaksey, after his charge galloped to an impressive victory at Cheltenham yesterday. The strapping five-year-old gelding made all the running under Mattie
Oxford City were denied their first win in five Blue Square Bet North games by an 83rd minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Corby Town on Saturday, writes Matthew Bruce. City had taken the lead late in the first half thanks to a Jamie Cook penalty
Mark Janes scored a first-half hat-trick as Witney Town, from the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division, trounced Oxfordshire Senior League hosts Marston Saints 9-1 in the second round of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup. Witney led 7-1 at half-time,
Abingdon Town climbed off the bottom of the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division table for the first time this season by winning 2-0 away at fellow strugglers Shrivenham with goals scored by Tom Larman and Dan Morgan. Headington Amateurs won
Ryan Curtin was the star as Kidlington produced one of the upsets of the second round of the FA Carlsberg Vase when they triumphed 4-2 away to Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division leaders Marlow. Curtin scored all four goals for Kidlington
LONDON Welsh were outclassed by Gloucester as they fell to their second straight defeat in the LV= Cup on Saturday. Ben Morgan showed England what they were missing with a hat-trick of tries in Gloucester's emphatic win over a much-changed Welsh
CHRIS Wilder says he fully understands supporters being unhappy with Oxford United’s league position. But the U’s manager stressed the players and staff were hurting just as badly. United dropped to 18th place in npower League Two following
DRIVERS were stranded for several hours at a service station in Oxford after a gas leak. Police sealed off the Pear Tree services at the junction of the A44 Woodstock Road and the A34 shortly after 3pm yesterday. Customers at the service station
“HEATING or eating” is the stark choice now facing pensioners across Oxfordshire. Leading charities say elderly people are struggling to deal with the costs of living, as food, fuel and medical bills rise at a rate higher than their pensions.
IN the 21st century, the idea of anyone in this country having to choose between heating and eating is appalling. Even more so when those people have worked hard all their lives. Yet pensioners across the county are facing this stark choice
Banbury United produced a tenacious display to win 2-1 in their crucial Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division relegation battle away to fellow strugglers Hitchin Town on Saturday. Boss Edwin Stein’s side deserved to earn a victory which takes
HERE’S one pigeon fancier who had a right royal ‘coo’. Eamon Kelly, 48, from Steventon went home yesterday after nabbing these two fine specimens, which had been donated by The Queen. It was part of a fundraising pigeon auction, held at the
AN OXFORDSHIRE Christmas tree grower has rubbished reports that a fungus presents a threat to the traditional fir tree. Andrew Ingram, who runs The Tree Barn at Christmas Common near Watlington and is a committee member of the British Christmas
CRIME scene investigators have spent two days searching for human remains on board a burned-out boat in Oxford. Officers yesterday said they still did not know whether anyone was on the boat when the fire broke out on Friday night. Officers
Oxfordshire resident, Chris McClement, believes that the support he has received from Macmillan has helped him and his family to cope with his diagnosis of lung cancer. He tells his story: “I was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2010, and
Oxford City manager Mike Ford felt his side they were unlucky not to return home from Corby with three points, writes Matthew Bruce Ford blamed a lack of composure in front of goal for City’s missed chances early in the game. “I thought in the
OXFORD MAIL BOYS LEAGUE Under 9 Red League: Oxford City Blues 0, Didcot Tn Yth 9; Hinksey Park 4, Goring Robins 1; Horspath Yth Lions 0, Bure Park Juniors 3. White League: Cumnor Minors 0, Abingdon Yth Yellows 0; Oxford City Whites 1, Kennington
A NEW subpostmaster is being sought to run Jericho’s post office. Post Office officials are looking for someone to take over running the branch in a bid to seek a permanent solution to the area’s lack of a subpostmaster. Both businesses and
THIS school is hoping to ensure that nine out of 10 children reach higher reading levels after taking part in the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign. More importantly, staff at St John’s Primary School, Wallingford, are hoping to engender a lifelong
MEET the latest weapon in the battle against rats. Patterdale terrier Rock the Socks is so keen to catch rodents it is said he will “tear doors off their hinges” to chase them. Owner William Walker says Rock the Socks – known affectionately
