MORE than £2,200 was raised by a family’s sponsored walk for Helen and Douglas House. Six-year-old Benjamin Oliver organised the event from Rich’s Sidings in Didcot to the Civic Hall in Britwell Road on Sunday for the East Oxford hospice, which
DAVID Cameron’s right-hand-man has praised paramedics who he says saved his life. West Oxfordshire District Council leader Barry Norton, who is the Prime Minister’s election agent, was rushed to hospital earlier this month. His wife Molly had
A PLANNING application for Rose Hill’s new £3m community centre has been delayed as discussions continue over what services it will provide. Oxford City Council had hoped to submit proposals for the new facility this month but this has now been
Oxfordshire's best new music festival announces a fresh batch of names for summer weekender Hot news from Truck Festival this afternoon, with organisers announcing a tranche of new bands to play this summer’s two-day feast of rock, pop, folk, blues
A NEW book brings a splash of colour to the dying days of steam trains on the railways of West Oxfordshire and further afield. The late Alan Maund, from Worcester, first used colour film in 1959 and travelled widely over the next few years, photographing
I offer today one of my occasional outbursts in print against expressions that have me, as with playwright Hanns Johst over the word ‘culture’, “[releasing] the safety on my Browning” — a quotation often misattributed to Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Goering
Oxford United have confirmed they will vist Oxford City again as part of their pre-season programme. The U's will visit Marsh Lane on Tuesday, July 23, in between their games against Birmingham City and Coventry City at the Kassam Stadium.
The Old Post Office St Martins Street, Wallingford OX10 0AA 01491 836068 opowallingford.co.uk Oakman Inns & Restaurants, under its charismatic boss Peter Borg-Neal, first swam into my ken in December 2011 with the transformation of
Strawberries and chocolate – the combination is irresistible. On learning that Lindt Master Chocolatiers have devised a chocolate bar that combines their superb velvety dark chocolate with strawberries I just had to try it. It proved to be the
Ask John Rustage from Fulbrook and David Brokwell from Filkins (the Hogfathers) for the secret of their success and they will tell you it’s the delicious aroma of roasting pork that draws people to their carving gazebo. “People passing find it irresistible
The pink has been a quintessential cottage garden plant for centuries, grown for its clove fragrance and pretty flowers. It was known as the pink due to the ragged edges on the petals and we still use ‘pinking’ shears for cutting pinked edges today
As a child, many exciting summer days started before the sparrows were out of bed! My brother and I were thrilled to watch the sun rise through the trees as Grandma drove us to a favourite picnic spot in the woods where we’d enjoy breakfast, cooked
THREE STARS Long before Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart sank their pearly whites into The Twilight Saga, British director Neil Jordan was entertaining A-list bloodsuckers on the big screen. Interview With The Vampire: The Vampire
ONE STAR Based on the 2006 French farce Mon Frere Se Marie, The Big Wedding chronicles the trials and tribulations of a fractured family on the biggest day in a young man’s life. Justin Zackham’s lacklustre English-language remake is
FOUR STARS When I go to a musical, what I really hope for is that it is full of great songs and nifty dancing, and Oxford Operatic Society’s latest production of The Sound of Music provides all that in abundance. A strong production by
Musical BREAK THE FLOORBOARDS Oxford Playhouse n Thursday, May 30, to Saturday, June 1 Call 01865 305305 The team behind smash-hit musical Britain’s Got Bhangra bring their new show to Oxford where vibrant Bollywood and street dance styles
On the surface, the hour-long Blue Remembered Hills is just a group of seven-year-olds in wartime Britain playing in the sunshine. But it isn’t long before their childlike teasing turns to bullying and fighting, and things quickly spiral out of control
FOUR STARS Resisting the cliché concerning double-decker buses, I nevertheless note the curious coincidence that two versions of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde story should be occupying local stages at the same time. In the
Theatre THE TAMING OF THE SHREW Old Schools Quadrangle, Bodleian Library July 9-21. Tue to Sun eves: 7.45pm, Sun mats: 2.30pm, Sat 20: 3.30pm n Box office: 01865 305305 or oxfordplayhouse.com Shakespeare’s Globe makes its summer visit
‘Contesting religion is like engaging in a boxing match with jelly.” That’s what AC Grayling concludes in his new book The God Argument, and this is the perfect way to summarise not only the noted ethicist and philosopher’s humanist ruminations but
THEY were a common feature around Oxford before being melted down for their metal during the Second World War. But the black railings which still decorate parts of the city are making a comeback. And the Oxford Preservation Trust is hoping
WALLINGFORD’S Carnival Princess has been chosen to lead the parade during the town’s big celebration next month. Nine-year-old Caitlin Acreman, of Beeching Road, Wallingford, was selected from five candidates hoping to be crowned at the town’s
I FIND it incredible that the council has assessed the traders in the Covered Market individually and has decided to raise their rents. When money is still in short supply and people are spending less, this magnificent decision is arrived at. I
I FELT quite subdued when I read that ‘legendary’ landlord, Gerry Stonhill, of the Masons Arms, South Leigh, is retiring (Oxford Mail, May 24). Although I have not visited the establishment for quite some years, I have followed its fortunes in
For more years than I care to remember, the lane running down from Shotover to Gidley Way in Horspath has been called Sandy Lane and for the last 50 years or so (where it meets Gidley Way) there has been a road sign saying Sandy Lane with Bullingdon
I DON’T understand the council and social services. I have a friend who has worked all his life but he is now retired and he has also got Alzheimer’s. He has to walk with a frame and he has fallen over a number of times. His wife has been trying
LONDON Welsh have suffered a major blow with the news that stalwart captain Jon Mills has left to join Sale Sharks. Mills, who was the Exiles player of the year last season, was announced as a Sale player today. The 28-year-old lock was
I AGREE, totally, with Chris Brewer’s views about the Westgate Centre (ViewPoints, May 28). As he says, this part of central Oxford was the main residential area until the council decided that what the city needed was, the fad of the moment, a shopping
Why do some minorites say they feel offended when we state that we are proud of our country? This is not racism, so let us not treat loyal English, Welsh and Scottish citizens like criminals. We have every right to proclaim this, just as much as
MY nine-year-old son and I decided to cycle from Banbury to Oxford along National Cycle Route 5 (NCR5). It was our intention to reach Oxford in about three hours, but it was such a nice day it took us a little longer. The real problem is the way
ENGINEERS have carried out further repairs to Sandy Lane level crossing. The crossing, where Banbury man Tom Pizzey, 85, died in January, malfunctioned again today following recent repairs. Network Rail said its repair team completed the work
NETBALL, basketball and tennis have been boosted in Didcot thanks to £100,000 of leisure improvements. The town council has agreed a package of upgrades for Edmonds Park costing about £100,000. Residents in Didcot are currently being asked
A NEW health and social care watchdog has been urged to communicate effectively and involve minority groups and children. Healthwatch will become the statutory link between patients and health and social care bosses, and will also have the power
I FULLY agree with what Mick Haines has to say on the filling-in of the London Road subway in 2010. The traffic in Headington since the subway has gone is terrible and can only get worse with the number of housing increasing in the coming year or so
WHAT I’M CALLED: Andrew Baker, or Andy, either – I don’t mind, I love both. Schoolmates always tended to call me Andy more. I’ve been called worse. MY AGE: 25 in June. WHAT I DO: I run Play2Give, a fundraising organisation
Sir – Your correspondent Richard Anderson (Letters, May 16) has a valid point to make but he should bear in mind that Oxfordshire County Council is a long-term resident of the lunatic fringe of highways authorities. In the early 1990s it was they
There will be no inquest into the death of Megan Brindle, who was found dead at a home in The Link, Risinghurst, on Saturday night. A 58-year-old man was initially arrested on suspicion of murder, but was released on Monday after a post mortem
An inquest into the death of a pensioner who died in a collision near Benson at the weekend has yet to be opened. Geoffrey Catliff, 86, from Berrick Salome, near Benson, died after his Vauxhall Corsa was involved in a collision with a lorry on
Sir – I think the correspondent last week who objected to cycling pressure groups and suggested a toll for cyclists crossing Magdalen Bridge has missed the point. Some 29,000 deaths a year in the UK are currently attributed to air pollution by
No one has yet been arrested in the hunt for three teenage boys who raided a house in Priors Forge, Cutteslowe. The youths, wearing hooded tops, forced their way into the family home at 8pm on Tuesday, May 21, and stole a PlayStation and a small
Sir – I would like, through your pages, to congratulate the university’s planners. The two new buildings on the grounds of the old Radcliffe Infirmary are of no particular note, but the gap between them is masterly. Just stand outside the old Infirmary
Sir – I grew up in Oxford and was inspired by Port Meadow. Such an open space next to the city, that attracts all kinds of birds when flooded in winter, is such a unique asset next to such an important and beautiful city. Surely protecting the
Sir – While I agree with John Howson’s view that our voting system should be more proportional (Letters, May 9), his references to politics and horse races are strange, to say the least, given his election material over the last year. In the recent
For a county with so much water flowing through, round and over it, Oxfordshire seems remarkably lacking in good pub gardens. So I am launching the 2013 quest for perfection in terms of riverside dining and drinking. Perhaps it’s because having
Sir – So councillor Ian Hudspeth and others think that the Conservative vote dwindled because of disillusion with national government, and not because of anything our Oxfordshire councillors did or didn’t do (Report, May 9). How convenient. May
Sir – Nice to see Mr Hugh Jones’ letter (May 9). One would have thought that he would have remembered that we had a referendum regarding proportional representation only a short while ago and the vast majority of the public voted against it. The
Sir – The Ministry of Justice has issued a consultation document, Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system. As a recently retired circuit judge who sat exclusively in the criminal crown courts, I feel able to comment
Sir – Your front page article of May 2 reports the head of Magdalen School as criticising Education Secretary Michael Gove for reforming education for political rather than educational reasons, and by so doing damaging children’s education both in
Sir – Among the things that most affect people’s everyday lives, few can be more important that the kind of health care available when they need it. The changes being made to our traditional NHS are so radical and so rapid but I find no reflection
Sir – In his “open letter” to Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps (Report, May 9), Keith Mitchell urges “I think you need to realise that local councillors are your stormtroopers and your first line of support for your members of parliament”,
Sir – Thank you for publishing Mr Ross-Smith’s generous tribute (Letters, May 9) to Rick Mather, architect, of whom you had published a handsome obituary the preceding week. I had known that Mather was American-born but the story of his family
Sir – Paying our leaders huge salaries and enormous pensions has become necessary to attract ‘the best talent’. But I can't help noticing that our 'best talent' often refuses to resign when they have overseen a catastrophic muck up. When these
Sir – Is the Indonesian Government so worried about the weakness of its claim to West Papua that it feels obliged to summon the British Ambassador to explain why Britain ‘allowed’ the Free West Papuan campaign to open an office in Oxford (Report, May
Sir – I appreciate your publishing my letter last week about the once-in-a-century opportunity for a new station at Oxpens , but am puzzled by your choice of illustration. This appears to be of the old proposal for a south-facing bay platform on
Sir – On June 1, badgers out on their nightly forage for food in areas of the West Country will be shot. Many of them will not be killed outright but be badly injured and go and crawl off to die a slow and painful death. How can this be happening
Sir – Rick Taylor (Letters, May 16) deduces from the number of worshippers that his god is alive and well. On that criterion, the liveliest god in Oxford city is Bacchus. I’d be more impressed if any god ever verifiably did anything. For example
Sir – Please can someone explain to me why we have to pay a booking fee at the Playhouse each time we buy a ticket? If we buy a ticket and go straight into the theatre what is the booking fee for? Is it to avoid paying tax? If the extra money is for
ORGANISERS of a student ball have had to apologise after guests of the event say they were left in tears, with burns and without food. The Last Ball at Somerville College - but also organised for Jesus College students - was advertised as a “last
FRIENDS and colleagues of Oxford United fan Les Denny hope to keep his memory alive in a road name. Littlemore parish councillors wants one of the new streets at the disused allotments at East Minchery Farm to be called ‘Denny Gardens’. The
IN any major war casualties are inevitable. But not usually at historic re-enactments. Audiences at Blenheim Palace were treated to a sight not seen at the Civil War during the 1640s – that of the air ambulance interrupting proceedings.
TOO many streets in Oxfordshire are given generic street names. There are those that take their names from birds like Warbler Walk or Moorhen Walk in Blackbird Leys or plants like Lily Close or Primrose Drive in Bicester. So we applaud Littlemore
Adam Tucker plundered a sensational 172 not out as Shrivenham had a field day at Hook Norton in OCA League Division 1 on Saturday. Tucker’s huge knock was backed up by Conor Taylor’s magnificent 132 in a second-wicket stand of 236 as Shrivenham
Christian Von Eitzen claimed two county records in the Oxfordshire Track & Field Champion-ships at Horspath. The 16-year-old, from Abingdon, starred on a weekend, which saw three other local athletes set Oxfordshire bests. Von Eitzen, who
A man has appeared at Oxford Crown Court after he admitted stalking a girl under 18 years old. Hungarian national Roland Der, of Swinburne Road, Abingdon, confessed to the crime taking place in Abingdon between November 25, 2012, and March 28 this
FLY-TIPPERS dumping piles of rubbish at recycling centres could force them to be scrapped altogether. Mattresses, scraps of cardboard, bins and old furniture have been left at centres across the Vale of White Horse. Now councillors have said
Oxford Academy gained their first county triumph by twice coming from behind to beat Lord Williams’s (Thame) 4-2 in the Oxfordshire Under 12 Cup final at Thame United. Lord Williams’s opened the scoring with a 25-yard free kick, only for Oxford
Browsing through The Oxford Times recently my eye was caught by a coloured picture. An idyllic scene of a coach bowling along on a country road bordered by beautiful scenery. The headline “Hitting the High Road is back”. My mind went back to
Kingston Bagpuize won the Abingdon Vale six-a-side tournament on Bank Holiday Monday. Bagpuize saw off an Abingdon School Old Boys side in the final, passing their 53-run total without losing a wicket.
Aston Rowant cruised to a resounding 115-run victory at home to Amersham in the Club Cricket Conference Cup first round. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Rowant made 208 with solid contributions from Tim Morgan (47), Miles Hammond (42) and
Captain Luke Ryan reflected on Oxfordshire’s shortcomings after the county bowed out of the MCCA Trophy. Oxon scrambled home by one wicket in their opening two Group 1 games against Devon and Bedfordshire, before losing by seven wickets to Hertfordshire
Kaiulani (2-1), owned by Camilla Radford, made a winning debut for West Ilsley trainer Mick Channon at Leicester yesterday.
A HEARING to examine a new system to make developers pay for community services is due to begin today. Oxford City Council hopes to replace what are termed existing “section 106 payments” with the Government’s new community infrastructure levy.
DISAPPOINTED children were turned away from a playground yesterday after burglars raided the charity’s building. Staff at South Oxford Adventure Playground, known as SOAP, turned about 30 children away on the first day of half-term because of damage
David Murphy claimed two gold medals as Abingdon Vale enjoyed a successful time in the south east regional age group championships at Crawey. The 14-year-old won the 100m and 200m breaststroke finals in club record times and also came fourth in
The OCA came out on top by seven runs against the Cherwell League in their representative match at Garsington. Minster Lovell’s Charlie Fisher top-scored with 50 as the OCA were dismissed for 170 after winning the toss and electing to bat.
Jonny Cater continued his superb form with an unbeaten 88 as Banbury cruised to an eight-wicket win over Oxford in the Home Counties Premier League Twenty20 second round at White Post Road. Cater, who had made an undefeated 81 in the nine-run defeat
Oxfordshire Academy slipped to their second successive defeat with a four-wicket loss to Bucks Academy at Marlow. Having won the toss and decided to bat, Oxon, who were beaten by Sussex in their county opener, were all out for 179. Jasper Davies
Abindon Vale did nothing to dent Cumnor’s status as favourites to win Cherwell League Division 2 with a decisive home defeat on Saturday. Cumnor’s 43-run victory was even more comfortable than the scoreline suggests, as Vale never looked like coming
RESEARCHERS at Oxford University Press have combed through thousands of short stories submitted by children only to find the most popular word was very close to home. Lexicographers analysed 40 million words in 90,000 stories to find that mum,
AN ILLEGAL immigrant who used a forged passport to work for a care company for eight years has been jailed. Aderemi Adepoju, of Owens Way, Temple Cowley, Oxford, admitted using a false passport, obtaining a financial advantage through deception
Police are still hunting a man following an attempted child abduction. A young boy was playing in Overbrook Gardens, Blackbird Leys, when he was approached at about 11.45am on Sunday. His mum’s partner went outside and found the boy with a
IT BOASTS of being everything everywhere. But in Oxfordshire superfast internet connectivity on mobile phones which launched today won’t be available across most of the county. The new 4G service – five times faster than existing 3G technology
POLICE yesterday appealed for witnesses after a teenager claimed she was raped in Headington. Officers said shortly before 9pm last Tuesday, a 17-year-old was allegedly approached by a man in an alley between Waitrose and Bury Knowle Park.
THE M40 in North Oxfordshire is fully open following work to clear an overturned lorry today. The lorry tipped over at 4.30am on the southbound carriageway between junction 10 for Ardley and junction nine for Bicester. Lane closures were put
A COCKTAIL of potentially lethal chemicals left a man with burns and breathing problems after a mixture of cleaning liquids was poured into a blocked sink. Hazard teams were called to Ivy Lane in Headington, Oxford, at 2.42pm on Monday. A resident
TODAY’S announcement that Tyndale Community School will open in September is welcome news – but the devil is in the detail. Oxford is in dire need of school places, and existing Cowley schools are over-subscribed. But while this is a bold move
SPINNER Jack Taylor, who came through the youth ranks of Oxfordshire cricket before joining Gloucestershire, has been suspended from bowling by the England and Wales Cricket Board after being reported for a suspect action. Hampshire seamer Glenn
OXFORD’S first free school will open in September, it was announced last night. Those behind Tyndale Community School said it will open at Cowley’s Lord Nuffield Club despite being refused planning permission earlier this year. The move has
Banoffee will bid to give East Ilsley trainer Hughie Morrison a first Classic success after being supplemented to run in the Investec Oaks at Epsom on Friday. The three-year-old filly will take her chance after her owners – headed by Michael Kerr-Dineen
A LORRY has overturned causing long delays on the M40 in North Oxfordshire this morning. The incident happened at 4.30am on the southbound carriageway between junction 10 for Ardley and junction nine for Bicester. Two lanes of the motorway
TWO pupils at the Marlborough School in Woodstock have been praised for giving up their spare time to help younger children develop their literacy skills. Ilona Harding-Roberts and Juliet Coe, both 15, spent three months working with year five
ROGER Goodall was among three men to hit sixes as Six Bells C Kidlington won 2-1 in their Premier section clash at Gladiators Club A, writes ANDY BEAL. Steve Horne and Alan Surman also claimed maximums, but Goodall top-scored with 14 dolls (4-6
COMPLAINTS about the behaviour of Oxford Brookes University students have fallen after it launched a community wardens scheme. Thirty per cent fewer complaints from residents to Brookes about its students were recorded this academic year compared
REPAIRS to a broken water main in Oxford city centre will be carried out today. Thames Water is replacing part of a broken 18-inch cast iron pipe opposite Oxford Crown Court in St Aldate’s. Matthew Rowlatt, project manager for the firm, said
A NEW zebra crossing on a busy road in Wallingford is set to make life safer for school pupils and other residents in the town. About £12,000 has been set aside from developer contributions for the crossing in Reading Road, close to the St Lucian
DISABLED youngsters from across the UK took part in a tag rugby tournament in Witney. A total of 18 teams made up of about 400 young players, from nine clubs, took part in the event at Witney RFC on Saturday. Witney Wolves, which includes pupils
GREENE KING OXFORD & DISTRICT AUNT SALLY LEAGUE Premier /Section 1: Red Lion A Eynsham 1, Vikings Sports B 2; Gladiators A 1, Six Bells C Kidlington 2; Garsington Sports A 2, Three Pigeons 1; Cricketers B 3, New Club A 2; Ampleforth Arms A
NEW parking restrictions in Oxford have been hailed a success after a campaign to improve traffic flow in Blackbird Leys. The new measures, which stop people parking in Sandy Lane between 9am and 5pm on weekdays, were introduced in January.
FREEVIEW viewers are being reminded they may need to retune their TV equipment today. Work to free up frequencies for the roll-out of 4G mobile broadband was completed successfully overnight. Chris Cain, Digital UK spokesman, said some commercial
