Archive

CLUTCHING his son’s photo, proud dad Nadeem Iqbal picked up a special award in memory of the 12-year-old who died from a rare disorder. Haider Iqbal defied doctors’ expectations to survive Raine Syndrome for so long, but in December he passed away

ALL too often young people are seen as ‘yobs’ who constantly display antisocial behaviour. However, if there’s one event that shatters those misconceptions it’s the Oxfordshire Youth Awards. The achievements, the selfless acts and the community

WHEN he died aged 104 in 2011, Maurice Draper left behind an artistic legacy depicting the town he loved. Now his pictures of Banbury have gone on show in a new exhibition at Banbury Museum in Castle Quay shopping centre. Maurice Draper’s Banbury

DEFENCES were on top as Oxford United were held to a goalless draw at home to York City. The home side had the better of the game, but lacked the guile to take advantage. Josh Parker came as close as anyone in yellow to breaking the deadlock, forcing

CHANGES are being made to train timetables next month to improve reliability of a key Oxfordshire commuter train. From Monday, March 4, the 7.15am train from Charlbury to London Paddington will depart three minutes earlier, at 7.12am, and will

A MAN who distributed hundreds of indecent images of children has been jailed. Christopher Lines, of Grimsbury Drive, Banbury, was handed a one-year prison sentence at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday. The 39-year-old admitted 18 counts of distributing

MEMBERS of an Oxford painting club have seen the fruits of their labour go on show at the 03 Gallery at Oxford Castle. The ten members of the Hudson House Art Group meet once a month to share tips and critique each other’s efforts. They work

AN INDEPENDENT newsagent claims an “appalling” precinct redevelopment has driven him out of business. Peter Wiblin, who owns Abingdon News Plus in Bury Street, is closing at the end of today...because he can no longer afford the rent on his unit

BENEFIT claims processing targets have been missed by Oxford City Council for the past three years, a report has revealed. In a document due to be looked at by the council’s audit and governance committee on Thursday, the council has admitted a

A 64-year-old man convicted of common assault has lost an appeal at Oxford Crown Court. Snowy Snow, of Long Bridges Towpath, Oxford, was convicted after a trial on February 24 last year of slapping victim Joe Phillips in the face. Yesterday

Good afternoon and welcome to a freezing Kassam Stadium, where hopefully Oxford United will warm everyone up with a decent display. Struggling York City are the visitors, so hopes are high of a second successive win for the U's. As ever we

WHEN Gareth and Nic Keymer’s twins were born prematurely, the couple were told to prepare for the worst. But thanks to Oxford Children’s Hospital and the twins’ fighting spirit, the pair pulled through with remarkably few complications. To

PERFUME and poetry came together in perfect harmony at an unusual event in Oxford. The Penning Perfumes evening was held at Jericho’s Albion Beatnik Bookstore, where poems inspired by scents were read, and perfumes inspired by verse were enjoyed

STUDENTS in Oxfordshire are to be taught how to manage their money. Abingdon and Witney College is taking part in a national initiative next week that aims to improve budgeting, saving and spending. More than 1,500 students at the college’s Abingdon

BICESTER’S newest Poppy Appeal coordinator David Crabbe wants to make the 95th year since the end of the First World War the most profitable yet when it comes to fundraising for the Royal British Legion (RBL). But he urgently needs new ‘conscripts

THE commanding officer of a regiment nicknamed the Real Hurt Locker will head out to Afghanistan to support his boys in April. Lieutenant Colonel Adam McRae, commanding officer of 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment (11 EOD), will lead a task

Phil MacKenzie says London Welsh have every reason to be confident as they face the pressure of a relegation battle. The 25-year-old Canadian international will start on the right wing when Welsh visit Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership today

Captain Tom Hayes says Exeter Chiefs are aware of the threat London Welsh will pose at Sandy Park today. Hayes was in the Exeter side who lost to Welsh in September and knows the Devon club, who have lost their last five league games, will need

POLITICAL heavyweights will walk away from life at County Hall in Oxford this year after decades of service between them. Among the county councillors standing down ahead of the election in May are former leader Keith Mitchell, fellow Tories Charles

A MAN charged with attempted burglary of a home in Oxford has been remanded in custody after a court appearance. Martin McDonagh, 45, appeared at Oxford Crown Court yesterday charged with trying to burgle a house in Oxford Road, Littlemore, on

PRE-SCHOOLS in Bicester and Thame could be merged with their sister schools if a county council proposal is approved. Members of the council’s cabinet will vote next week on plans to move on to the next stage of plans to extend the lower age range

ROADWORKS which have part-closed South Parks Road in Oxford are expected to continue until early April. Scotia Gas Networks has been working in the road since Monday. At the moment, traffic travelling on the road into the city are diverted

Seb Jewell, Tyson Keats and Greg Bateman comes into the London Welsh team to face Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park today (3). Jewell replaces Sonny Parker at inside centre, with the former Welsh international dropping to the bench, Scrum half Keats

VIKINGS A suffered a potentially decisive setback in their bid to retain the Oxford & District League Division 1 title. They failed to field three players in losing 6-4 to a very strong British Rail side. Ray Powell inspired Rail with a

TOWN saw off Gown in their annual contest at the University Sports Centre, Iffley Road. Oxford sealed both men’s clashes, while the ladies’ match was drawn. Pawel Jaskolski, Tony Stead, Neil Hurford and Glen Freeman took control as Town’s first-team

HAYLEY Smith, from Kingston Bagpuize, won a gold medal in the Southern Region Grades trampoline competition at Farnborough. The Faringdon Community College student, who is a member of the Flying Solo club, excelled in only her second event and

Lyn Jones believes London Welsh will need at least 32 points to stay in the Aviva Premiership. The Exiles’ head coach says that means they will need to win two or more of their remaining seven matches. And a glance through previous season’s

A WRITER from Oxford has received royal approval for her unusually titled book about pregnancy. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sent a letter of thanks to Lara Fairy Love after she sent them her book The Princess and The Poo. Mother-of-two

A man charged with fraud by abuse of position appeared in court. Christopher Walsh, 48, of Banbury Road, Kidlington, is accused of committing eight counts of fraud and one count of theft between 1999 and 2008. A plea hearing at Oxford Crown

PROPERTY entrepreneur turned film maker Robin Swailes is celebrating after one of his first productions won a top international award. Mr Swailes shot Florence, a four-minute short film about a dyslexic girl’s struggle to come to terms with school

A FAMILY last night spoke of their terror after fighting off masked gunmen in their own home. Two men pointing a gun and brandishing a six-inch bread knife demanded gold from the family of six after forcing their way into the Abingdon Road home

CROPREDY maintained their 100 per cent record in Division 1 of the Banbury Indoor League with a 22-run win over Middleton Cheney. Richard Lynch’s 25 not out helped Cropredy to 111-2 from their ten overs, Middleton replying with 89-4 as David Eaton

CHIPPING Norton’s Sean Walkinshaw almost secured a deserved podium finish on his European Formula 3 Open debut in the first round of the 2013 Winter Series at Paul Ricard in France. But after lying in third place for the bulk of the 14-lap encounter

LITTLEMORE AS enjoyed some excellent sport on Len’s Lake at Milton Pools, near Wheatley, where the 18 anglers produced a total weight of 100lbs 10.0oz. The carp went into hiding due to an overnight frost, but the skimmers and roach certainly obliged

A STRETCH of road which has been the scene of a string of fatal car crashes has got new safety markings. Jack Varney, 19, and Rhys Roberts, 21, both from Didcot, died when the car they were in crashed into a wall on the A4130 at Hadden Hill on

English National League OXFORD City Stars will be looking to make it seven wins in a row when they travel to face Wightlink Tigers in a South Division 2 top-of-the-table clash tomorrow (6.15pm). It’s a crucial four-pointer, with Tigers sitting

GERARD Ward, from Berinsfield ABC, will be fighting next month for a National Schoolboys title after a convincing victory at the weekend. Ward stopped Harry Needham, from the Ted Harris Boxing Academy, in the second round of their class 1 (born

BICESTER welterweight Daza Usher warmed up for his clash with Andrew Patterson in Swindon on Saturday, March 9 by hosting an open sparring session at his home town’s boxing club. The work-out was attended by several of the Home Counties’ most talented

A SUPERB century break from Gavin Wright helped Witney G to a 4-2 victory at Witney E in Premier/Division 1 of the Gentworks Oxford & District League. Wright produced a break of 104 in the first of his two winning frames against Andy O’Toole

Oxfordshire & North Bucks Championships CITY of Oxford made a big splash with 20 gold medals on the second weekend of the Oxon & North Bucks County Championships at Aylesbury. They touched first in 14 individual events and pulled off

A MAN who denies raping a woman in an Oxford park has been accused of changing his story. Julio Dos-Santos, of Nightingale Avenue, Oxford, and Takudzwa Hunda, of Casterbridge Road, Swindon, deny the attack in Bury Knowle Park, Headington, on September

TWO assistance dogs from Thame have been nominated for a special award at this year’s Crufts for helping their disabled owners cement their love. Sue and Byron Harvey originally met because of the link between the assistance dogs they had then

FOR many fans, supporting Oxford United is a real no-brainer. Now Oxford University researchers are studying whether supporting the U’s has intellectual benefits too. Eighty volunteer fans are needed for a study looking at how fans’ passion

MARK Sennett, chairman of Oxford United Supporters Group OxVox says there is much more to football than just kicking a ball around a field. Now Oxford University researchers are looking to prove that by studying how fans’ passion for their team

A MAN and woman arrested on suspicion of causing arson with intent after a large flat fire in north Oxford were released on bail yesterday. The fire forced residents in the three-storey block of about 30 flats in Hawksmoor Road, Cutteslowe, to

A TEENAGER yesterday told a jury she was physically abused by a man who charged £600 for others to have sex with her. The witness also told the Old Bailey she blamed herself after she was hit around the head and sexually assaulted with a baseball

Damian Batt wants Oxford United to repay the home fans for their backing with a strong performance against York City this afternoon. The U’s got back on track with a 1-0 win at Plymouth Argyle a week ago and will fancy their chances of taking another

WOODSTOCK care home residents have been making felt and jewellery as part of a scheme to encourage creativity. Oxfordshire artist Helen Jacobs visited residents at Spencer Court, in Union Street, to introduce them to different crafts. The project

SCHOOLS in Oxfordshire are being given a final chance to sign up to the Oxfordshire Reading Campaign. A headteachers’ conference has been organised for Monday by the National Literacy Trust, which is running the Oxford Mail-backed campaign, after

OXFORD’S Pitt Rivers Museum is well known for its collection of striking exhibits. So it was the perfect venue for an unusual collection of wooden stools. Students on the furniture design foundation course at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College

AS builders prepare to start a controversial scheme at St Clement’s car park, Oxford City Council has introduced parking restrictions to allow work to begin. Years of wrangling came to an end in September when the council gave developer Watkin

A former antiques dealer has been convicted of running a cannabis factory. Leslie Ballard, 59, of Broughton Road, Banbury, was convicted yesterday of producing a Class B drug by a unanimous jury verdict. Gulfam Yousaf, 39, of Chestnut Road,