Archive

Scrabble champion Chris May has beaten the world record for the most games played at once tonight. The 29-year-old Oxford Scrabble Club member successfully completed his world record attempt to play and win the most games simultaneously by a single

MENTION Cowley Road, and you might think of graffiti, exotic food outlets and perhaps some colourful characters. But a new guided tour of East Oxford reveals the road’s hidden corners and secret history. And the tours are being led by the city

THE story of how a dilapidated garage site became a vibrant community garden was at the heart of an event held there on Sunday. Stories of the Great Turning, 16 tales of regeneration, was launched at Barracks Lane Community Garden, East Oxford.

ROADWORKS which are restricting a stretch of the A40 to single lanes are due to continue until August Workmen from Oxfordshire County Council have been carrying out resurfacing work on the A40 between Oxford and the M40 junction eight since June

THE heart of a revamped Oxpens is set to be reserved for up to 125 houses and 172 apartments. The scheme to transform the area into a vibrant new city quarter goes before Oxford city councillors tomorrow. And the draft masterplan sets out how

CINDERELLA, Harry Potter and Humpty Dumpty popped up in an Oxfordshire village. The storybook characters were created by residents of Stratton Audley, near Bicester, and were among 18 scarecrows featuring in a weekend trail around the village.

RESIDENTS are calling for additional speed signs in Wolvercote because hundreds of drivers have been ignoring the 20mph limit. Thames Valley Police carried out speed checks in March which revealed that drivers in Godstow Road were breaking the

A FAMILY of five escaped from a fire sparked by a light fitting in the bathroom of their home. Flames spread to the roof of the house in Bassett Road, Barton, last night at 11.30pm. A young member of the family noticed the smoke and raised

THOUSANDS packed into Banbury’s Spiceball Park for the biggest Banbury and District Show in the event’s history. About 15,000 people attended the Banbury Town Council-organised event on Sunday, which included two arenas and a range of attractions

A 35-year-old man who sexually abused a 10-year-old girl in Abingdon has been jailed for 20 months.  Jason Roberts, who used to live in the town, admitted five counts of sexual assault of a child under 13. The prosecution came after a 15-year-old

I was pushing my bike along St Michael’s Street towards Cornmarket last Thursday when I, and many others, encountered an obstruction. A young, blonde woman, smartly dressed (I think), was posing for photographs in the entrance to the Oxford Union

WITH regards to garden waste recycling: the cost of having a brown garden waste bin from Oxford City Council has risen this year to £39. When we used the green bags, they were emptied for free, but I appreciate that with the health and safety issue

Congratulations to Jeff Clements for his ambitious war memorial stories. The story is a fitting tribute to his hard work. His frustrations and fascination with the research exactly mirror the experience of Carterton U3A’s family history group

A TAXI driver was attacked in the early hours by a knife-wielding passenger on Barton (June 3). Only recently, some cabbies were against an Oxford council plan to install CCTV in taxis and mini-cabs operating within Oxford. Now as I understand

WHAT a poke in the eye for the hard working staff at the J R Hospital who are receiving a one per cent pay rise. What next? Hospital bosses have received large bonuses for doing the job for which they are paid handsomely. This, I am sure, will

IT IS pleasing to read that Oxford City Council is asking for comments on planning matters so that it can improve the service. If some recent “applications” experienced on Rose Hill are anything to go by, then improvement is needed. Of particular

Today we talk to Steph Forman, IBM project manager  and Dorchester Festival organiser   WHAT I’M CALLED: Steph Forman. MY AGE: 49. WHAT I DO: In my spare time I manage Dorchester Festival, which happens in Dorchester Abbey every two

I HAVE just read with dismay that 20 of our hospitals may have to close because the NHS faces a £54m blackhole by 2022. Why isn’t the Government giving more money to the NHS because it is giving millions of taxpayers’ money away each year in foreign

I know what you’re thinking, that someone like me must make a wonderful friend. Caring, considerate, loyal, appreciative and dandruff free. And you know what? I am. But believe it or not, not every single one of my friends would agree to that.

HERE’S one man who is in at the deep end. Mark Goldring is the new chief executive of Oxfam, the Cowley-based aid charity which has more than 5,000 paid staff around the globe and an annual income of more than £380m. And there is, of course, the

THE weather at the moment is on the change for the better. So how long before we get the hose pipe ban? Furthermore, it’s now reported that there are plans for 885 homes to be built at Barton West and more houses being built in Oxfordshire alone

A TRIATHLON, attended by more than 22,000 people, was disrupted after a tourist coach damaged a pedestrian bridge. The temporary bridge providing access to the Blenheim Palace Triathlon, which took place on Saturday and Sunday, was “badly damaged

MORE than 4,500 county people died prematurely because of habits like smoking, alcohol and poor diet, official figures show. A website launched today shows Oxfordshire scores well for the number of premature deaths between 2009 to 2011 compared

CHEWED-UP grass verges on the main route into Oxford’s Rose Hill estate could be replaced by parking spaces. Rose Hill city councillor Ed Turner says a solution needs to be found for the “eyesore” verges in Ashurst Way, which are being damaged

Luke Higgins, 23, of Clapcot Way, Wallingford, admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of, or provoke, unlawful violence and two counts of assault by beating in St Mary’s Street, Wallingford, on

FARMS across the country threw open their doors at the weekend for Open Farms Sunday. Among the local farms taking part was Southdown Farm, in Crawley Road, Witney. The small fam, which specialises in producing goat’s cheese, also has pigs,

Sir – I very much welcome the proposals to remove buses from Queen Street, though it’s much better since the stops were removed. But we should be clear that transferring the buses to St Aldates will make a bad situation even worse. The pavements

Sir – I’m sorry to hear that Chris Brewer (Letters, May 30) is disappointed that only 30 new homes are included in the redevelopment of the Westgate shopping centre. This is, of course, 20 more homes than are currently on the site. The substantial

Sir – Before the plans for the new Westgate are set in concrete, the public transport infrastructure to serve it must be sorted out. May I suggest a solution? Move the bus stations to the Oxpens, just across the road from John Lewis and the new

Sir – The traders in Oxford’s Covered Market would like to say a heartfelt thank you to every member of the public who has taken the time to complete our petition forms. We are overwhelmed by the comments you have made, and we very much appreciate

Sir – Simon Banks raises some interesting points in his letter, (May 30), but I would like to clarify that a cyclist is only stationary, when their wheels are not turning and someone that is not holding on to their handlebars whether stationary or

Sir – Your article (Report, May 30) recorded the results of a survey by The Oxford Times, lists the proportions of cyclists breaking various rules such as jumping red lights and concludes with the rather odd statement: ‘almost half were not wearing

Sir – The presence of Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, at Oxford’s Said Business School on Saturday, May 18, (Report, May 23) raises many questions, not least on whether he should have been in Oxford at all. The students from the Oxford Business

Sir – Everyone at Meningitis UK and Meningitis Trust was touched to read that four soldiers raised more than £3,400 for Charlotte Nott, who lost her limbs to meningitis and septicaemia. It was amazing to learn that Mark Dowland, Scott Lee, Scott

A 22-YEAR-old man has been charged with raping a 14-year-old girl. Owen Froude, of Gainsborough Green, Abingdon, has been charged with rape and causing or inciting a child aged between 13 and 17 to be involved in pornography. Froude was arrested

Sir – In response to the letter Friendship with Leon (April 18), the link between Oxford and Leon is extremely laudable and I have also had the pleasure of visiting the city along with many areas of Nicaragua. But, as with any fact-finding mission

Sir – We recently moved to East Hendred with our daughter and two cats. We were blown away by the welcome we received from our neighbours and have settled in really well. One of our pets is a 13-year-old rescue cat, Sam, who is very friendly and

Sir – What is going on at the Brize Norton sewage pumping station at the bottom of Station Road? Once again we have temporary lights reducing traffic to a single lane while up to six giant tankers are in attendance day and night. Station

Sir – The very large pothole in Eynsham Road, just west of Pinnocks Way in Botley, was repaired recently. This has resulted in wheel trims being sprung off. During the past week four wheel trims have been picked up. These are now

Sir – I was amused to see Professor AC Grayling described as a ‘thinker’ (Weekend, May 30). This seems to imply that most people do not think. I suppose the answer is that Prof Grayling thinks there is no Supreme Being, whereas many others know

Sir – We’ve had The God Delusion, now we have ‘The God Argument’ (Weekend, May 30). Why do these high-profile atheists like Richard Dawkins and AC Grayling find it necessary to try to combat religious faith? Do they perhaps feel in some way

Sir – Many congratulations to Dr Taj Hargey for his unequivocal call for “wholesale root and branch reform of the (Islamic) faith” (First Person, May 30). Good luck with that. However, although he may be technically correct in correlating Muslim

Sir –  It’s clearly not appropriate for Humanists to pontificate about Muslims’ holy books but, on behalf of Oxford Humanists, I would like to congratulate the Imam, Dr Taj Hargey, on his plain-speaking article (First Person, May 30) and to confirm

Sir – Did you serve with 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron at any time between 1940-1967, or did your father or grandfather serve with them? If so please get in touch. For many years, the squadron has been looking for a home so that everything we

Sir – Most restaurant critics I have read tend to visit new places upon opening, or perhaps after a short delay, to allow the new restaurant to bed in. It was kind of Christopher Gray to give the Old Post Office, in Wallingford, a full four years

Sir – On Friday, while cycling through Summertown I lost my wallet. A kind person picked it up and delivered it that evening to my home address in East Oxford, complete with all my worldly possessions. They didn’t leave their details but I am eternally

RESIDENTS and city traders are being asked to help shape the future of Oxford’s Westgate quarter. Developers behind plans for a £400m redevelopment of the Westgate shopping centre and surrounding area have launched a consultation and public exhibition

CHERWELL LEAGUE Division 4 DAVID Slade produced club record figures of 9-31 as Didcot crushed Chearsley by nine wickets. The hosts were bowled out for 91 in 30.4 overs before Simon Pritchard (49no) fired Didcot to 92-1 in 17.1. Chearsley

CHERWELL LEAGUE Division 5 DANE Bailey took 8-34 as Cumnor 2nd dismissed Tiddington 2nd for 144 to win with seven balls left. Earlier, the home side had managed exactly 200, thanks to Max Mannering (53). Jon Talbot took 4-50, while Andy

OXFORD Cavaliers’ winning start to the season was halted by a 42-8 defeat at Gloucester Warriors. The win saw the hosts leapfrog their opponents to go top of the West of England League. Travel problems meant the visitors arrived late and handling

A COLLAPSE in the second half saw Oxford RL let a healthy lead slip to lose 42-28 against Rochdale Hornets in the Kingstone Press Championship at Iffley Road. The hosts were 28-12 ahead after the break, but they wilted to concede five tries on

OXFORD: A film which tells the story about a man with Motor Neurone Disease will be introduced by an Oxford man who has the condition. Mark Stone, who was diagnosed with the disease last year, will join Oxford neuroscientist Prof Kevin Talbot to

A ‘COSMIC’ art exhibition at a pop-up bookshop invites viewers to look at themselves from space. Mark James’s Big Cosmos Art Show is currently on display at the Healthy Planet bookshop, which is using the former Habitat store at the Seacourt retail

CHERWELL LEAGUE Divisions 6-10 GEORGE Jeacock starred with 7-25 as Bicester & North Oxford 2nd saw off Bletchley Town 2nd by 53 runs in Division 7. Kevin Hicks (40), David Clark (34) and Stevyn Jackson (33) helped Bicester to 192-7.

Jon Jukes and 66-year-old Paulette Guy took the top individual honours at the Greene King ODDA Winter League finals night at Roman Way. Jukes (Chequers Inn) and Kevin Wilkins (Goodlake Arms) lined up in the men’s final, Jukes taking the opening

Cowley’s Haroon Usman produced an extraordinary bowling performance as the OCA League Division 2 leaders beat visitors Clifton Hampden by five wickets. Hampden were shot out for 93, with Usman claiming 7-7, all of his victims being bowled.

IT TOOK four hours 10 minutes, about 400 words, and 28 opponents. But now Scrabble expert Chris May is the world record holder for the most number of games played and won simultaneously by a single player. The 29-year-old student at Lincoln

CHERWELL LEAGUE Division 3 SHAUN Smith’s unbeaten 106 helped Dinton 2nd thrash bottom club Bicester & North Oxford by eight wickets. He was joined by Aqib Khan (86no) in a match-winning partnership as Dinton reached 207-2 in only 41

CHERWELL LEAGUE Division 2 ALI Morteza followed up last week’s century by taking seven wickets – including a hat-trick – as leaders Cumnor bowled out Cropredy for 72. He conceded only five runs during a remarkable spell, his hat-trick wrapping

I WAS so excited to read (May 30) that St Ebbe’s Primary School is extending its hall as part of its expansion programme. Well done Oxford County Council. Perhaps you are at long last listening to the parents, school staff and public and responding

IN REGARD to Don’t waste our time (February 25), in my recent experience the patient transport ambulance does just that. On February 8 at the JR, a doctor on my behalf phoned the patient ambulance transport service to ask them if they would take

AS WE approach the second session of austerity measures, rumours are now being raised of a £1bn reduction in the education budget. A man living near me is driving his car on the roads each day displaying in his windscreen a car tax disc that expired

I MUST throw a different light on what I believe to be exaggerated claims of Bruce Ross-Smith in his letter (No Unity over Union, ViewPoints, June 10). I was one of the group of photographers outside the Oxford Union awaiting the arrival of several

CHERWELL LEAGUE Match of the Day OXFORD 2nd seamer Waqas Latif took a wicket in each of his first four overs to rip the heart out of Shipton’s middle order in this Division 1 clash. He went on to finish with 5-26 from a devastating seven-over

TEAMS enjoyed a brief respite from league action last Thursday and instead, congregated at the Green Road Club (Kidlington) to participate in the inaugural running of the ‘Science Fiction’ Tabletop. One might think it could be difficult to maintain

CHERWELL LEAGUE Division 1 HORSPATH stretched their lead at the top of the table by pulling off an unlikely run chase at Great Brickhill. High totals were always likely in a match between the division’s fastest scoring teams, and so it

Oxfordshire's Josh McEachran is expected to be given his first European Under 21 Championship start for England against hosts Israel tonight. The 20-year-old Chelsea midifielder, from Kirtlington, has so far featured for just 15 minutes in the

Oxford United’s quiet summer looks to be coming to an end, with David Hunt poised to join and five young players agreeing to extended deals. Crawley Town released Hunt yesterday and he looks set to complete a move to the U’s later this week.

THE MEN GUILTY OF SEXUALLY ABUSING YOUNG GIRLS Kamar Jamil – Age: 27. Lived: Aldrich Road, North Oxford. Guilty of: Five rapes, two charges of conspiracy to rape, one of arranging child prostitution. Akhtar Dogar – Age: 32. Lived: Tawney Street

AUTHORITIES were last night looking at findings of a major report after MPs and campaigners said lessons needed to be learnt to stop sex grooming gangs. MPs charged with investigating child sex exploitation rings and the failure to stop them reported

Former Oxford United left back Paul Powell has agreed to sign for Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 1 East side Milton United. Powell, 34, made 177 appearances for the U’s and later played for Tamworth and Brackley before joining Didcot Town, helping

Minor Counties Championship Oxfordshire were shot out for 54 in their second innings to crash to a 135-run defeat against Cheshire in their Western Division opener at Great & Little Tew. Resuming on 105-5 in reply to Cheshire’s first innings

THIS is the new logo for Bicester’s £70m town centre redevelopment. Cherwell District Council yesterday revealed it, exactly a month ahead of the opening of Pioneer Square. The £70m redevelopment – to include a Sainsbury’s, Vue cinema and shops

Last week we had a blocked drain (similar problems had previously occurred down the road). Dyno-Rod being unable to unblock it, they recommended calling Thames Water. To be fair, even though it was after 10pm, Thames Water came out and after

I’M NOT one who believes the conspiracy theories regards the notorious and shady Bilderberg group, I just think it’s a group of rich, powerful, mainly white men, getting together to discuss ways of paying less tax and increasing their disgusting wealth

THE planning application regarding a building in Marston Road to be a private hire taxi office has been refused twice. However, a new application has been made. How many times can a similar application be made? Surely, it should be a final

Our county council is a national leader in promoting buses – except in central Oxford, where it keeps dismembering what was once a simple, well-connected network. In 2009 it removed stops from Queen Street and put extra stops in Castle Street and

Two weeks ago I cycled to Holland. Nervous about the 200 mile ride, I was all kitted up in Lycra leggings and wicking Merino wool tops. I needn’t have bothered with the fancy dress. The journey’s a walk in the park, or would have been, were it

London Welsh have held talks with Oxford University RFC about playing at Iffley Road next season. The Dark Blues are considering whether they can feasibly host the Championship club, who look set to remain in Oxford despite being relegated from

CUSTOMERS have hit out after learning Thames Water paid no corporation tax and received £5m credit from the Treasury as revenues rose to £1.8bn. Thames Water made £549m in underlying pre-tax profits as it hiked bills by an inflation-busting 6.7

BICESTER: A broken down train caused rush hour delays for rail passengers between Oxford and Bicester yesterday. Chiltern Railways put on a replacement bus service from 9am while the faulty engine was removed from the line between the two stations

TRUANCY is not an issue solely for the local education authority and schools to deal with. It starts and ends at home. There is the increasing problem of family holidays being taken in term time, mainly due to costs. But having at least 400 children

THE more we discover about big corporations’ tax affairs, the more it seems the humble British taxpayer is being continually mugged by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. Thames Water may be doing nothing illegal but how can it be right that it

OXFORD: Homes in the Headington area have been leafleted inviting families to apply for places at the new Tyndale Community School. The free school is due to open in September at the former Lord Nuffield Club in Barracks Lane, Cowley.

OXON: A 73-year-old man from Abingdon is the oldest of 95 people arrested so far in a police drink-driving campaign. The campaign, launched on June 1, has seen 28 arrests in Oxfordshire and 67 from elsewhere in the Thames Valley. The 95 arrested

PLANS for a major expansion of an Oxford hotel have been withdrawn after it failed to win the backing of council officers. Oxford City Council’s west area planning committee was due to rule on the plans for 57 extra rooms at the Oxford Spires Four

POSTAL delivery staff could strike for the first time in four years over the sacking of two postmen. Oxford East Delivery Office workers voted on Friday to ask the Communication Workers’ Union to approve an official ballot over the dismissals earlier

AT least 400 children – the equivalent of a large primary – are missing lessons every school day in Oxfordshire on average. In the past three years the number of school days missed in Oxfordshire due to unauthorised absence has grown by about 13

A lorry carrying wood spilled its load across the A34 northbound yesterday afternoon. Drivers faced delays in traffic more than four miles long after the accident near the Pear Tree interchange. The lanes were not completely blocked but traffic

STUDENTS at Oxford Brookes University faced delays of up to two hours for exam results yesterday after a website crashed. The university’s Personal Information Portal (PIP) went down after students visited it to find out their results. The

A NOT-for-profit garden project opened its doors to visitors to attract volunteers. The Oxford Garden Project (OGP) is half way through a complete overhaul which will allow it to welcome visitors full time for the first time. But with eight-and-a-quarter

“SHORT sighted and selfish” thieves have been berated for stealing wood from the site of a new community centre. Dean Court Community Association vice chairman Priscilla Waugh described as “pathetic” the removal of planks which were going to be

FOR primary school pupil Grace Taylor, the closure of Science Oxford was a particularly sad moment. The 10-year-old has been a regular visitor at the science centre in St Clement’s Street, where her mother works. But now, after eight years