Archive

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And the last word goes to... John Mackie

SUNDAY, July 7, 2013 must surely be remembered as a momentous occasion in the annals of modern British history for two contrasting events. As the day we finally got rid of Abu Qatada and my fellow countryman, Andy Murray, became the first Brit

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Splat’s the way to enjoy a day out

CHILDREN were given an after school treat as the annual Wood Farm School festival got underway. Youngsters took part in a host of games including splatting a wet sponge at classmates, blow football, using a straw and ping-pong ball, and pin the

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Shop raid knifeman is jailed

A FAILED chef who stole around £3,500 from an elderly shopkeeper at knifepoint has been jailed for three years. Kristopher Williams, below, formerly of Lucy Faithfull House homeless shelter in Oxford, robbed JK News in Abingdon Road, Oxford, on

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Scales of justice: Some of the people convicted at magistrates' courts around the county recently

BANBURY MAGISTRATES Jason Glover, 32, of Brampton Road, Barton, Oxford, admitted stealing a bottle of perfume worth £45 from Boots in High Street, Witney, on June 8. Given a 12-month conditional discharge and told to pay a £15 victims’ surcharge

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It’s all style on charity run

STYLISTS from the Bladez hairdressing salon in Didcot are preparing to cut a dash in Sunday’s Race for Life, in honour of their former boss, Daphne Russell, who died in 2011 after a long battle with cancer. Crimpers Jo Hodson, 41, her daughter

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Glam rock, hot pants and TV gems. We love the 70s reveal Oxfordshire's great and good

DAVID Bowie, Marc Bolan, Queen and the Sex Pistols were some of the biggest names in the 1970s. And while many male teenagers publicly pledged their allegiance to hard rock giants of the era, they had their own dirty secrets, according to county

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Oxford United sign two defenders

OXFORD United have added to their new development squad by signing teenage defenders Kenzer Lee and Matt Bevans. The pair, both 19, have been on trial with the U's this summer and played 45 minutes in Saturday's opening pre-season friendly, a 2

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New head sets out 'real world' vision for special school

THE new headteacher of Bicester’s special needs school has set out his vision for its future. Top of the agenda is preparing its 55 students for the “real world” and to become part of their community. John Riches, 32, took over the reins at

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Exchange of views

WITNEY Town Council will hold a public halls committee meeting on July 15. The committee is working to reopen the Corn Exchange, the public hall that was closed by the council in 2011. The meeting takes place at the town hall, in Market Square

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Church damage drives MP batty

GOVERNMENT officials are meeting with the Church of England after an Oxfordshire MP raised concerns about the issue of bats. Banbury MP Sir Tony Baldy spoke in the House of Commons about the damage bats have been causing to a church in his constituency

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Classical surprise as musicians treat patients at Churchill Hospital

PATIENTS at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital were treated to the soothing sounds of Mozart, Bratton and Vivaldi. Musicians from Oxford Music Festival gave a classical concert for patients, staff and visitors in the hospital cafe. One of the youngest

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Sunny parish picnic

THE parish of Cowley St John is holding a summer picnic on Wednesday, July 17. The bring-your-own event at SS Mary and John Church in Cowley Road, Oxford, runs from 6pm to 8pm. Soft drinks will be provided and wildflower and history tours with

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Views sought on plans for village

PEOPLE are being urged to comment on proposals for South Newington conservation area. It is the first time since 1989 the village’s buildings, character and any heritage assets have been appraised by Cherwell District Council. A public exhibition

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OCA League results

OCA LEAGUE Division 1 Chadlington 232-9 (A Yarnley 83, M Lambert 40, S Hunt 37no, Akram Aslam 5-46, S Morgan 4-39), Broughton & NN 196 (N Mepham 74, Ansar Aslam 30, A Yarnley 6-32, M Duester 3-44). Shrivenham 373-5 (C Taylor 159, A

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Actor seeks backing to fulfil ambition to make it in America

AS A boy he dreamed of stardom in the Big Apple. And now an Oxford actor has the chance to finally make the big time in the US. Steve Hay, 46, is preparing to perform his play Mythmakers at the New York International Fringe Festival. It

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Old friends meet again 50 years after leaving Milham Ford School

THEIR school days may be long gone, but their memories live on. Former pupils of Milham Ford School in Oxford met up at the Randolph Hotel after leaving the school around half a century ago. Nearly 30 of them turned up on Wednesday to reminisce

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Meet the Crackpots

MEET The Crackpots. We confess we don’t know anything about them, except that they were an Oxford entertainment band. This picture appeared in the Oxford Mail on April 2, 1954 and the only reference to them was a brief caption giving their names

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Celebrations as Queen Mum opens new library

FLAG-WAVING children from St Ebbe’s School greeted the Queen Mother when she arrived in Oxford to open the new central library in 1973. The Royal visitor was accompanied by the Lord Mayor, Fred Ingram, as she made her way through the crowds in

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Remember when... Wartime police wore gas masks?

POLICEMEN in Oxford took a leading role in encouraging people to wear gas masks at the start of the Second World War. The city’s Chief Constable, Mr CR Fox, told members of his force to put on their masks at 10am on Mondays wherever they were on

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Mailbag

Speedway hero came to stay I WAS interested to read the article about Oxford speedway rider Arne Pander (Memory Lane, June 24). As you reported, he broke his left leg and ankle in a crash against Swindon at Cowley in 1967 and hundreds of get-well

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the changing face of Chalgrove

PICTURE 1 Gill Walker and Eleanor Fitchett are pictured preparing their entry for the Royal British Legion show in the village in 1983. The most successful competitor that year was Ken Belson, who won the Wallis Cup for the most points for the second

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The bell tolled for city tollhouses

WITH plans afoot to remodel The Plain in Oxford, here is a reminder of what it looked like in the past. When this picture was taken, there was a toll gate, with travellers having to pay to pass through. The view is taken from Magdalen Bridge

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The changing face of Abingdon

PICTURE 1 PUPILS at John Mason School took part in a ‘pearly perambulation’ to mark the school’s 30th anniversary in 1990. They wore a variety of very fancy hats during a sponsored walk to help raise money to buy the school a new minibus. Pictured

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Faithfully Yours: Dr Katy Jennison from Witney represents the Oxford Pagan Circle on the Oxford Council of Faiths

I am a Pagan, part of an Earth-based spiritual tradition (“Earth-based” meaning, for me, centred around this present world rather than another, transcendent one), and I represent the Oxford Pagan Circle on the Oxford Council of Faiths. Here I meet

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Yours Faithfully: The Rev Rachel Weir, chairman of WATCH (Women and the Church) on the women bishops issue

This past weekend, the Church of England’s parliament, or Synod, has been meeting in York and, again, they are discussing women bishops. It’s a discussion that’s been going on for a generation now. There was a vote back in 1978 and, if it had

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Remember when... Racket of jet halted meeting?

THE proceedings of Moreton Domestic Court at Wallingford Town Hall were constantly halted by the noise of aircraft engines from planes taking off and landing at RAF Benson. Witnesses, solicitors and members of the bench complained bitterly in 1953

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Celebrating a centenary of scouting at Youlbury

It wasn’t all dibbing and dobbing! YOULBURY Activity Centre is celebrating 100 years’ service to the Scout movement. As we recalled last week, it opened in 1913 as a base for the Scout troop at nearby Wootton and since then, has been used by

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‘Mr Brass’ was top class

HARRY Mortimer, who spent a lifetime making music, was once described as the ‘Toscanini of the brass band movement’. ‘Mr Brass’, as he was also known, was a composer, conductor, tutor – and director of music for Oxford’s Morris Motors’ brass band

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A daring Dambuster turned pub landlord

TO MANY people, Bill Townsend was the amiable host of the Lord Napier pub in Observatory Street, Oxford. To a select few, he was a member of the Dambusters, the elite team of RAF men led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who attacked the German dams

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So long to retiring jam man

WORKERS were determined to give their boss a good send-off. Mr Bentford was retiring as foreman at Frank Cooper Ltd, the famous Oxford marmalade and preserves company, and staff gathered to wish him well. He would certainly have a reminder

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Rugby League results

KINGSTONE PRESS CHAMPIONSHIP ONE Oxford RL 4, Oldham 22. WEST OF ENGLAND LEAGUE Oxford Cavaliers 24, Gloucestershire Warriors 0.

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Friendly result

FRIENDLY Ardley Utd 1, Oxford Utd 2.

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Drama as summer drinkers escape from blazing pub

DOZENS of people were evacuated from a 600-year-old pub after it caught fire on Saturday night. More than 50 firefighters tackled the blaze at the Horse and Jockey, in Faringdon Road, Stanford in the Vale, late into the night as flames took hold

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RACING: Gannon continuing to make big impression

Cathy Gannon is in good spirits as she circles round the paddock on Callisto Moon at Jo Hughes’s Upper Lambourn stables. Paul Blockley, the trainer’s partner, jokes that the Wantage jockey should be smiling with a photographer present. But

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Cherwell Cricket results

CHERWELL LEAGUE Division 1 Banbury 2nd 247-8 (E Phillips 87, W Briggs 40, A Sabin 35, J Lambden 30), Great Brickhill 174-9 (N Cadman 33no, G Davison 31, S Hart 6-62, O Murrey 3-41). Buckingham Town 286-5 (C Price 80no, S Myatt 67), Oxford

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Oxfordshire cricket score

Western Division: Oxfordshire 226 (65.3 ovs, R Kaufman 62, J Perkin 54no), B Sanderson 4-68, E Green 3-61), Shropshire 250-5 (37.5 ovs, R Foster 82, J Ralph 77no, R Oliver 48, C Keegan 3-53).

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Father's festival tribute to Amber

Abingdon Market Square was host to the fifth annual Yeahbaby festival on Saturday – in memory of an Abingdon girl who died of leukaemia. Amber Phillpott died, aged 18 months, in 2011. Her father, James, organises the festival each year to raise

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Showground camp offers fair lot of fun

QUAD-BIKING and hovercrafting were just a couple of the challenges for thousands of Scouts at the Oxfordshire Jamboree on Saturday. A total of 4,200 scouts – 725 from Oxford – gathered at the Thame Showground for activities and entertainment to

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Councils boost housing and tax inquiries scheme

RESIDENTS in South Oxfordshire and the Vale who have housing benefit and council tax queries will now get an improved service, a council leader pledged. Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire district councils have expanded their contract with

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Rugby League results

KINGSTONE PRESS CHAMPIONSHIP ONE Oxford RL 4, Oldham 22. WEST OF ENGLAND LEAGUE Oxford Cavaliers 24, Gloucestershire Warriors 0.

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Masked men escape after raid on Co-op

TWO masked men robbed a Co-operative shop in Ferriston, Banbury, yesterday. At around 6am, the two raiders, one armed with a crowbars, forced staff to hand over money from the shop’s safe. It happened as members of staff were bringing in newspapers

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Bowls result

MIDDLETON CUP Group 2 Section B South: Oxfordshire 131 (20pts), Kent 97 (2).

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Olympic torch tribute race to run

A relay race is being run to mark the first anniversary of the Olympic Torch Relay, which travelled through Oxfordshire. Oxfordshire Sports Partnership will mark the milestone of the torch arriving at Oxford City Council’s Horspath Athletics track

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FOOTBALL: Brock pleased at Ardley's effort

KEVIN Brock was delighted with the competitiveness of his Ardley United players against Oxford United, particularly as their pre-season had started less than a week earlier. The squad had undergone just two training sessions, but despite the roasting

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And the last word goes to... David Diment

DEAR old Hans Hammerschmidt labels me ‘pompous’ (Oxford Mail, June 26). Moi? I unreservedly retract my tongue-in-cheek observation that his comment about the “Police operation” notice constituted a complaint rather than a joke, and my insinuation

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Ideally other streets should also be closed

The many visitors and residents that I saw in Cornmarket Street, right, recently have much reason to be grateful to Ann Spokes Symonds and the then city engineer. Their foresight helped to create a space for people to move, shop, eat and be entertained

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Soldiers were not only fighting for the elite few

WITH the recent 99th anniversary of the shooting of Archduke Ferdinand (the catalyst for the First World War), attention has turned towards commemoration of 100 years since the start of the so-called Great War. Sir Tony Baldry recently spoke at

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CRICKET: Ferraby sees Rowant to last-over win

Contrasting half-centuries from Tim Morgan and Nick Ferraby guided Aston Rowant to an exciting last-over victory in their Division 2 West game at home to Cove. Although Rowant’s victory mar-gin was seven wickets, it was a tight game as they paced

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CRICKET: Oxfordshire bowlers take a pounding

Oxfordshire's attack, missing injured skipper Luke Ryan, were given the run around on the first day of their Western Division match against Shropshire at Banbury yesterday. Ryan had to drop out after splitting the webbing of his left hand, while

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Bowls result

MIDDLETON CUP Group 2 Section B South: Oxfordshire 131 (20pts), Kent 97 (2).

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MOTORSPORT: Raikkonen's regret as he takes second

Kimi Raikkonen was left to rue running out of laps as the Lotus driver finished second to championship leader Sebastian Vettel in yesterday’s German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. The Finn finished just 1.008 seconds behind Vettel with teammate

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Far eastern delight

Downton Abbey may be well known to Bampton residents, where much of the filming takes place, but now people in China are familiarising themselves with the hit ITV drama, starring Hugh Bonneville. The programme is the number one British TV show

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Hobby horses clash

Thousands of people donned costumes at Banbury’s annual Hobby Horse Festival yesterday. The event began with a parade through the town, led by a cadet band, and hobby horse races took place. The mayor’s team was victorious in the traditional

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Boost for local clubs

The Bullingdon Community Centre held its annual fun day on Saturday. More than 300 people turned up to the free event. Money was raised for a range of local groups, including Wood Farm Youth Club and £150 for the reformed Bullingdon Youth Football

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Classics on parade

Classic cars, games and farm animals were all part of the fun at Milton-under-Wychwood fete on Saturday. It took place at the Recreation Ground, where people enjoyed go-karts, children’s races, a hobby-horse competition, parade of classic cars

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Villagers in race for fancy dress fun

The 67th Eynsham Carnival brought thousands to the streets of the village on Saturday. Among the highlights was the annual Shirt Race, now in its 55th year, which saw teams race in fancy dress on non-motorised vehicles between seven pubs. The

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Carnival returns to its spiritual home

BACK in Cowley Road for the first time in three years, the returning carnival was hailed a great success. Thousands of people enjoyed the sun, vibrant colour and culture of the event, which kicked off at noon yesterday. Businesses did a brisk trade

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COMMENT: Carnival’s right back where it ought to be

Cowley Road Carnival, welcome back. It’s been too long, but now you’re back where you belong. You only have to look at our pictures today to know the people of Oxford agree. It was the perfect weather for a wonderful celebration of everything

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Man about town: Wimbledon and Horizon with a touch of frivolity

I know I’ll be haunted by this admission for the rest of my life, but so what, I’ll be dead in 30 years... You see, I think television can be good. Admittedly, 90 per cent of it is terrible, but the 10 per cent that is good is....as the saying

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Sports commentators have me confused

that the sports commentators use to describe how far the ball has been hit or kicked? What’s happened to the old miles and yards? I know we are ruled by Brussels, but have we lost our language too? MR C BUCKINGHAM, Edmunds Road, Cowley

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More questions than answers over tests

EXTRAORDINARY to go to the education section of the Cornmarket WH Smith, Oxford, and now see, where a short time ago there were Key Stage 2 SATS test papers and study guides, row upon row of 11+ equivalents hogging the shelves. At whom might these

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Insect in newspaper is a parasitic wasp

REGARDING Cliff Harris’s letter (Oxford Mail, July 1), he is wrong in his identification of the insect (Oxford Mail, June 25). The insect is in fact an Ichneumon (Netelia testacea). There are two types: yellow or large. The one shown is the yellow

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Extra work needs to be done to clear clippings

THE present weather is lovely, but not so good for hayfever sufferers. Another problem is caused by dry grass blowing about and this is due to council contracted workers who do a very sloppy job and fail to pick up the mown clippings. These blow

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If owners’ demands are met there will be no going back for stadium

WE CAN all look back and remember what used to be and I am as guilty as anyone when considering the threat to the Oxford Stadium, but the threat is about the future not the past. The faceless venture capitalist owners and their less-than-responsive

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CRICKET:Tew make leaders work for victory

Great & Little Tew suffered their second defeat of the season when losing by four wickets away to Division 2 West leaders Gerrards Cross in a close contest on Saturday. After being inserted on the hottest day of the year, Tew quickly found

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Road victim’s inquest

An inquest into the death of road victim Amy Reynolds, 26, from Wheatley, is due to be held tomorrow. She was killed when her blue VW Golf left the A40 Northern Bypass, near Oxford’s Green Road roundabout, on Saturday, January 19. The inquest is

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Delays after crash

There were long delays on the M40 on Saturday morning following an accident. Delays were reported near Junction 11 at Banbury and Junction 10 at Ardley and Cherwell Valley Services, where the accident happened. The road was cleared by 2pm.

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Heat puts pressure on ambulance crews

The county’s ambulance service has been under pressure this weekend after a huge increase in call-outs. In a usual 24-hour period, South Central Ambulance Service gets in the region of 1,030 calls. Yesterday, between midnight and 5pm, there were

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Running for a cause

The annual Didcot five-mile race took place yesterday. The run, pictured, now in its eighth year, was organised by the Didcot Runners in aid of local charities. Participants started at Willowbrook Leisure Centre for the one-lap road race.

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What a scorcher! Cornbury Festival celebrates its glorious 10th

Tim Hughes feels the heat as festival marks its first decade MORE than 16,000 people, including the Prime Minister and a clutch of A-list celebrities, gathered in glorious sunshine to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Cornbury Festival – which

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Boss Wilder hails influence of new signing Kitson

CHRIS Wilder said Dave Kitson provided a “magic example” to his new teammates as Oxford United’s pre-season began with a 2-1 win at Ardley United. The striker, United’s highest profile summer signing, took less than three minutes to show his value

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County council to debate provision for elderly

County councillors will debate the pressures created by Oxfordshire’s growing elderly population at a meeting tomorrow. The number of people over the age of 85 in the county is predicted to increase by 168 per cent between 2011 and 2035, from 14,683

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Smalley's header gives Oxford United victory in pre-season opener

HOT weather and a determined opposition combined to give Oxford United a real test in their opening pre-season game on Saturday. The visitors had to wait until Deane Smalley’s 90th-minute header to finally overcome Ardley United, who had levelled

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Alice's Day was wonderful, say thousands of visitors

OXFORD was turned into a magical wonderland during Alice’s Day on Saturday. The annual event, which has been running since 2005, celebrates the day that Lewis Carroll first revealed Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on the River Thames in Oxford

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Police cordon mystery in Cowley Road

Police cordoned off an area outside an Indian restaurant in Cowley Road, but have not explained why. Staff at Kadai & Naan said they noticed the cordon at around 9am on Saturday but said it was nothing to do with their restaurant. A forsensics

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Fox and Hounds pub comes down at last to make way for new Tesco

A NEW Tesco store on the site of a dilapidated pub in South Oxford should be open by the end of the year. Workmen started demolishing the former Fox and Hounds pub in Abingdon Road on Thursday. The supermarket chain wants to build one of its

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As a mobile phone is stolen every three hours the blackspots for thefts are revealed

A MOBILE phone is stolen roughly once every three hours in Oxfordshire, the Oxford Mail can reveal. Cowley Road, Hythe Bridge Street and Park End Street in Oxford are the places you are most likely to suffer phone theft. And while Nokia was once

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COMMENT: We all need to take more care to stop mobile thefts

TECHNOLOGY is truly a remarkable thing. When the first mobile phones came out in the 1980s, they were huge, ugly bricks that were largely the preserve of Yuppies. They cost thousands of pounds and barely qualified as portable. Now everyone

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Town hopes fair will be Jubilee repeat

PEOPLE in Didcot are being encouraged to support Saturday’s town fayre. The event takes place in Edmonds Park, Park Road, and starts at noon. Last year, Didcot Town Council staged a summer picnic in the park to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond

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Honour for young scientist reaching for stars’ energy

A SCIENTIST from Abingdon has joined the likes of Stephen Hawking in being awarded a national prize for his groundbreaking work. Dr Ian Chapman has been named one of the UK’s top young physicists by the Institute of Physics, winning the 2013 Maxwell