IN A small room in the Taylorian Institute in St Giles’, working men and their families were invited to convene and discuss setting up a new art school, almost 150 years ago. The Oxford School of Art opened in 1865 and over the next century-and-a-half
A TOUR guide is in a battle with Oxford City Council and Visit Oxfordshire over what he says is a monopoly. Alasdair de Voil – better known to tourists as the Mad Hatter tour guide – has said he will take both bodies to the Local Government Ombudsman
THEY’VE travelled more than 10,000 miles from Melbourne to Cambridgeshire and now to Oxford. And the De Donato family are planning to breathe new life into The Kite Inn, in Mill Street. They have taken over the tenancy of the pub and will close
THE crown prosecution service has been told to pay £40,000 in costs for an “improper” prosecution of a farmer’s son for manslaughter. James Binning, of Great Park Farm, Besselsleigh, was charged with the offence in April last year after the death
A second multi-vehicle accident has taken place on the A34 southbound. Queues are forming after the crash which happened between the Marcham interchange near Abingdon and the Milton interchange. The accident happened at around 5.40pm, a mile
THEY went to fight in the Spanish Civil War almost 80 years ago. And now there are plans for a permanent memorial to remember the volunteers from Oxford who went into battle. A fundraising appeal has been launched to raise money for the memorial
ANYONE who has taken the maze of corridors from the main reception at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford, to cancer support charity Maggie’s Oxford will understand one of the main reasons why a new centre is being built. It took the Oxford Mail team
Commuters have been facing long delays after a crash on the A34 southbound between the Milton and Chilton interchanges. There are delays of an hour and tailbacks for six miles following the accident involving three cars. Police were called
A MOTORCYCLIST involved in a collision with a transit van sustained a suspected broken leg. The incident involving a blue Suzuki motorbike and a transit van occurred on the A338 at Grove at about 1.50pm. Police officers and ambulance staff
JOHNNY Mullins has the ability to play in midfield on a regular basis, according to Mickey Lewis. The centre back has been used in the more advanced role at times this season. Mullins started in midfield in the 1-1 midweek draw with Cheltenham
Recently, a kindly reader dropped the paper a line to complain that all I wrote about was my mid-life crisis. I, of course, was offended because I don’t believe this kindly reader went far enough. In fact, I think he pussyfooted around. If
NOT many people would know that Brasenose College, Oxford, is the alma mater of David Cameron, but ask any self-respecting Beatles fan which college was visited by the Fab Four on March 5, 1964, and you won’t have to wait long for an answer. Yet
Motorists in Oxfordshire are being offered a chance to drive BMW's new electric car and win a weekend stay in London. Test drives will be run on Wednesday, March 19, at North Oxford Garage at the Wolvercote Roundabout, Oxford. Drivers who book
Win a high spec road bike and entry to the Decathlon Good Tri Fri The Decathlon Good Fri Tri takes place on Friday April 18, 2014 and the Oxford Mail has teamed up with new Decathlon store in Oxford to offer one lucky reader the chance to
Counter-terrorism police have until Tuesday morning to interview a man arrested in Oxford on suspicion of supporting fighting in Syria. The 29-year-old man was arrested in Cowley on Tuesday morning this week and is being held in Manchester.
JOSH Ruffels is hoping contract talks with Oxford United can end on a positive note. The 20-year-old has been the biggest success of the development squad’s inaugural season, making 25 appearances for the first team. Ruffels, from Kidlington
A CARE worker from Faringdon has started a campaign to get more men into the industry which she says is facing a “drastic” staffing shortage. Vanessa Pryor, an activities co-ordinator at Ferendune Court care home, says more needs to be done to
IT is just days until the Oxford Mail Baby of The Year 2014 competition kicks off, giving parents the chance to show off their new little bundles of joy. The annual contest gives families from across Oxfordshire the chance to win a week-long holiday
OXFORDSHIRE schools could get an extra £500,000 if changes to the way funding levels are worked out go ahead. Schools Minister David Laws has announced a consultation in the Houses of Parliament. He wants to inject £350m into schools nationally
A NEW primary school for Witney will be a sponsored academy, the county council has said. Oxfordshire County Council has launched a consultation into the proposed school, to be part of the 1,000-home West Witney development. As part of the
RECENTLY Tim Metcalfe wrote about the cruel trade of live animal exports. Each spring, here in this country, many young lambs are born. Just a few months later, thousands of sheep and lambs are sent on lengthy journeys to continental abattoirs
THE Ukraine crisis has given the west a timely warning. It’s time Europe weaned itself off the need for Russian oil and gas. It may take five years to make Europe independent of Putin’s power but the sooner started, the sooner finished.
I AM very disillusioned with Nicola Blackwood’s term in office. This woman has voted for her party 733 times out of 737. She has only voted 74 per cent of the time and is really toeing the party line to the detriment of her constituency. She
WHICHEVER side of the debate you are sitting on, the silence from our MP, Nicola Blackwood, on the issue of the Doric development has been deafening. A few weeks ago, she wrote to local residents to seek our views and many of us have responded. But
The weekend is approaching so kick back and enjoy the top features and interviews from this week's lifestyle section From S&M brothel madam to the first lesbian to be artifically inseminated, Janis Hetherington has seen it all. Jaine Blackman
Alison Boulton digs beneath the city's dreaming spires All young life is attractive,’ my mother used to say – and she’s right. We should celebrate youth. The young are the future, and this city is blessed with many of them. Two universities bring
Sitting in A&E at 5am on a Saturday is not my idea of fun. However, it is nothing short of awe inspiring seeing the doctors and nurses at the JR in action. So it was that I sat admiring the skill and dedication of the staff in Paediatric A&
Sara Bailey is sharp, smart and sixteen... Oxford Fashion Week strutted to a start last Tuesday and to my utter delight, I was met with the stereotype of fashionistas. They were those faces of contempt in the audience, faces that said “are
Journalist and part-time shepherd Tim Metcalfe blows his own trumpet (a bit) Smallholders and family farms could be doing more for the world than many people may think. A new report from agricultural research organisation Food Tank shows that small
Celebrity Oxford chef Alex McKay reminds us of just how important our scaled friends are in the food chain What sort of fish is it, daddy?” Last week my sons asked me this when I cooked a whiting. Today we could be eating one of about 30 or
Rebecca Moore has some thoughts on the latest celebrity campaign Beyonce wants us to stop calling girls ‘Bossy’. The singer, along with several other female celebrities, including Victoria Beckham, released a public service announcement film declaring
Anusha Couttigane books into a hotel in Oxford’s iconic Castle Quarter for Fashion Week Sunday night marked the climax of Oxford Fashion Week, bringing the city’s week-long fashion gala to an end. Naturally, as an OFW ‘alumna’, I could hardly miss
GP Dr Ellie Cannon wants first-time mums to trust their instincts, and tells Jaine Blackman all about her no-nonsense, anti-rules approach to parenting There are, in theory, few hard and fast rules about looking after a baby, yet there is plenty
Last week was the craziest week of 2014 so far. With Oxford Fashion Week dominating my diary, I spent the week dashing dizzily between London and Oxford. Here’s a snapshot from my trusty red filofax, complete with real-time mental commentary: Monday
There's far more to Kirsty Wark than Newsnight; she’s also a mother, a baker, and now, a writer. She tells Jaine Blackman about her debut novel, sexism in TV and her old pal Jeremy Paxman, who isn’t nearly as scary as he seems If Newsnight presenter
One thing that really gets my goat is the unfounded criticism of the NHS. There can’t be many of us that don’t appreciate just what an amazing service we have and how unique it is among other countries. How different life would be if we had
We hardly ever see our neighbours. It’s not because we’re avoiding each other and it’s not that we don’t get on because Lou and Ben are proper friends with Christmas list status. It’s just down to the weather. There was many a time on a sunny afternoon
Sarah Lidwell-Durnin learns that small, independent concerns serve up fantastic drinks in side streets far from the madding tourist crowds Imagine that you want to open a hip, stylish little café in Oxford. Fired up with enthusiasm, you search
Two hundred and twenty-six years ago, the London Road went up and over Shotover Hill (Old Road), and provided passage for kings and queens into and out of Oxford. This course proved too difficult for laden horse-driven coaches, and the need to
AT last, redevelopment of the Westgate Centre, has got outline planning approval. Quoting this week’s city council meeting: “This will create a world-class retail experience and establish Oxford as the regional shopping destination.” This is
It must surely be the case that this week’s Oxford Mail’s letters pages will have numerous letters on the death from starvation of 44-year-old Bampton resident, Mark Wood (Benefit cut led to death, February 28). It is a dreadful case of Atos assessment
Alison Boulton digs beneath the city's dreaming spires If you’ve ever been stranded at Paddington Station after a long day – and an even longer evening – you’ll recall that on arriving breathless and weary to find there’s no train to Oxford for
Taking on a challenge is irresistible to Alex Jones, whether it’s wrestling with a tricky romantic situation or risking life and limb hanging off the side of a mountain. She reveals to Jaine Blackman how her ‘ditzy’ on-screen image hides a steely core
ALMOST two years after the idea was originally conceived, a primary school has finally become an academy. Wheatley C of E Primary School came under the auspices of the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust (ODST) on March 1. The school floated the
Over the next couple of weeks I will tell you about the latest popular fitness trends. I will give my opinion of the benefits and negative points to be aware of. CROSSFIT Right now Crossfit is huge. It came into the UK two years ago after incredible
Rebecca Moore says she won’t copy the woman who has married her dog in admiration of her ‘intuition’ I used to have a dog. She was – for a time – one of my best friends, especially when, at the age of 12, my actual best friend deserted me for a
Last year it seemed that spring would never come as the freezing cold persisted deep into March. This year we have spent months looking out of the window wondering if it would ever stop raining. But at last it has stopped, the sun is shining and
Sheena Patterson of Oxford Garden Design counsels caution before setting off with your shears It’s the time of year when hospital casualty departments up and down the country fill up with hapless gardeners. Gardening injuries often happen in
Unbelievable though it may sound, our electricity bills are about to get even more complicated. It’s down to the fact that energy companies may be forced to add Quick Response codes, the small squares full of black-and-white dots like barcodes, to
Once upon a time author and business consultant Claire Taylor wrote a “wisdom memoir” about her life. She tells Jaine Blackman the story We all have tales to tell and the way we do can have a big impact on our lives, according to author and storyteller
It’s the bitter old bag’s refrain but youth is wasted on the young, eh? Or maybe (just a teeny-tiny-miniscule chance, this) I am just jealous of those little scamps going off to get spangled (and also laid) at the nation’s festivals in Festivals
My heart stopped beating. I was waiting to relieve myself in the loos of a popular pub on Friday night when one of the group of young women mingling in there, adjusting their eyelashes, asked the dreaded question of her assembled mates... ‘Does this
From S&M brothel madam to the first lesbian to be artifically inseminated, Janis Hetherington has seen it all. Jaine Blackman talks to her about her new book Do you think I’ll be interesting enough?” said Janis Hetherington when I requested
RECENTLY Tim Metcalfe wrote about the cruel trade of live animal exports. Each spring, here in this country, many young lambs are born. Just a few months later, thousands of sheep and lambs are sent on lengthy journeys to continental abattoirs
‘YOU are home then?’ This rhetorical question came from ‘Big Nev’, a friend dating back to first long-trousers days when we hero-worshipped Roger Bannister as he worked towards breaking the four-minute mile and we dreamed of taking the adorable Audrey
Have the Didcot Power Station cooling towers turned from a blot on the landscape into an iconic landmark during their short lifetime of 46 years? The question arises because NPower submitted a planning application to the Vale of White Horse District
POLICE are concerned about a missing Witney man who has not been seen since he left his home earlier this week. Malcolm Jones, 54, was last seen at his Bramble Bank home at about 8am on Wednesday morning. Police have described Mr Jones as white
ANDY Whing says it is time for Oxford United to show their promotion credentials as he eyes a “pivotal” win at leaders Chesterfield tomorrow. The U’s are in their worst run of the season, which was extended to five winless games by a 1-1 draw at
IT IS a shame Mickey Lewis does not have the time to hold one-on-one sessions with nervous Oxford United supporters, because it would certainly help during the next few weeks. There are plenty of reasons why the training ground should have been
A Cowley man who was arrested as part of terror raids across the country on Tuesday was yesterday still in custody. The 29-year-old was being quizzed by counter-terrorism detectives alongside three other suspects. He was being held on suspicion
Footballer Joey Barton tweeted his thanks to the Oxford Union for having him at the debating chamber. The Queens Park Rangers midfielder spoke to members for an hour on Wednesday evening. Afterwards he tweeted to his two million followers:
AFTER almost two decades in professional football few things are unexpected for David Connolly, not even the wildly unpredictable results in Sky Bet League Two. The latest round of games on Tuesday night saw all the sides in the top seven, including
Police divers searching for missing grandmother Jackie Gulliford have finished a search of the rivers around Eynsham. The 61-year-old, who had mental problems, has not been seen since she left her Hawthorn Road home in January. Thames Valley
A BETTING shop in Oxford was the target of an armed robbery yesterday for the second time in less than two months. Two masked robbers stole cash from Stan James, in Roundway, Headington, at about 11.30am. It was cordoned off for two-and-a-half
THEY may dress in black, but we must surely be beyond the point where referees in local football are treated like pantomime villains to be booed and hissed. Unfortunately it appears there is still too much unacceptable behaviour towards the men
PRESCRIPTIONS of anti-depressants have soared in Oxfordshire, costing the NHS £8m in the past five years. In 2006/07, 220,282 prescriptions for the two main types of anti-depressants were made, rising to 355,004 in the year to last April. Health
IT is debatable whether Oxford City Council has a cast iron case that Oxford Stadium is deserving of listed building status. But it is yet another battle Galliard Homes is facing over its unpopular plan to rid us of this sporting asset and build
RYAN Williams is looking to take his goalscoring tally into double figures before the end of the season. The winger, on loan from Fulham, will be aiming to score for the third game running when the U’s visit Chesterfield tomorrow. Williams
WITNEY town councillors have been accused of secrecy after once again barring the Oxford Mail from a meeting over the town’s halls. The council told the newspaper to leave the meeting on Monday where it was discussing selling Langdale Hall so that
A bouncer is on trial accused of raping a woman inside the strip club where he worked. Ali Kacani, of Lidsey Road, Banbury, denies two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, allegedly carried out in the early hours of December 29 last
Abusing referees at football matches could see spectators being sent on education cour-ses or even banned by clubs, under a new scheme. As part of its Respect programme, launched in 2008 to combat abusive behaviour towards the game’s officials,
A BARN was destroyed in a blaze last night. Two crews from Didcot fire station were called at 7.24pm to Park Road in Didcot. Firefighters were on the scene until 1.15am and will be returning this morning to check the blaze is completely out
OXFORDSHIRE CUP BANBURY Bulls head coach James Kerr praised his players’ supreme effort after they defeated Henley 2nd 24-19 in the semi-finals at Bodicote Park last night. Henley, whose second team are also known as the Bulls, led 19-18 at
A GOVERNMENT agency will provide £42m to speed-up the development of a housing estate in Didcot. The loan will be used to build schools, colleges and community centres to support people living at the Great Western Park estate which will eventually
ASTON Rowant trainer Alan Hill is hoping Harbour Court’s class and speed allied to James Tudor’s riding skills can bring him Cheltenham Festival glory today. The 54-year-old handler is looking for the 9-2 second favourite and his Welsh rider to
DESPITE seeing his side secure a crucial victory last Saturday, Chinnor player-coach Matt Goode feels they have yet to hit peak form. Chinnor scrambled home 28-20 at home to fellow strugglers Launceston to move a step away from the National 2 South
TRANSPORT Secretary Patrick McLoughlin launched the first major work on the new rail link between Oxford and London Marylebone yesterday. Preliminary work started last August at Gavray Drive to build a new link between Bicester Town and Bicester
A LORRY has overturned in Blackthorn Road, Launton, Bicester. The road is closed both ways at the junction with West End, Station Road, Bicester Road and the A41. It happened outside the Bull Inn at around 6.45am.
A 49-year-old man who admitted possessing Class A drugs has been sentenced to three years in prison. Nickyan Bromfield, of Hollow Way, Oxford, pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court to possessing heroin and crack cocaine, with intent to supply.
The employment tribunal of a former events co-ordinator at Kellogg College finished yesterday. Catriona Carter Jonas, of Adkin Way, Wantage, is suing the Chancellor, masters and scholars of Oxford University for alleged discrimination on age grounds
Kidlington will be without Ben Weedon, Charlie Cassettari and Lewis Brownhill away to Uhlsport Hellenic League Division 1 East side Chalfont Wasps in the Bluefin Sport Supplementary Cup third-round tomorrow (2.30pm). Goalkeeper Matt Hyslop, Selch
MOLLY the Cocker Spaniel may not have won at Crufts, but in her family’s eyes she is top dog. The dog is a vital health alert for owner 11-year-old Steven Courtney, who has type one diabetes. The pair were among five finalists in the prestigious
An 85-year-old woman died after falling down the stairs, an inquest heard. Olga Shugar, of Blakes Field, Didcot, was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford after the fall on December 22, 2013, but the retired retail assistant died of traumatic
A skip worth £4,000 has been stolen from Carterton Industrial Estate. Police say a suspicious large white lorry with a crane was seen at the Black Bourton Road site at about 8.50pm on Monday. Anyone with information should call police on 101
VETERAN Labour politician Tony Benn has died at home at the age of 88, his family said today. The former cabinet minister, who regularly attended the annual Levellers Day commemoration in Burford, died this morning at his home in west London surrounded
THE A41 roundabout near Neunkirchen Way is partially blocked following an accident involving a lorry this morning. Information is that the lorry is blocking the Rodney House roundabout after going straight over the roundabout in the fog. Traffic
A41 is partially blocked following accident involving a lorry in Bicester Labour veteran Tony Benn has died A lorry has overturned on Blackthorn Road in Launton, Bicester, this morning
FOOTBALL fans will be able to bid to be Oxford United chairman for a day, the club announced yesterday, in an auction for the Twin Town Challenge. Players and club members pledged their support for the charity event and said the successful bidder
Oxford City manager Mike Ford has admitted he may look to bring in a loan keeper for tomorrow’s Skrill North trip to Boston United unless Victor Francoz can prove his fitness. With Mark Scott sidelined by a back injury, Francoz played in Tuesday
OXFORD Stadium could soon be given a new protected status which will make it harder for developers to knock it down to build homes. Officers at Oxford City Council are looking into the possibility of making parts of the stadium a conservation area
ENTRIES are now open for this summer’s Mota-vation Series. The Oxfordshire road race competition gets underway at Charlton-on-Otmoor on Thursday, May 1. Round two is at Bletchingdon on June 5, with Combe hosting the next two on July 3 and August
OXFORD City Council has said there will be no road closures as part of this year’s Christmas celebrations after complaints of disruption last year. A three-day road closure enforced around St Giles’ last year drew complaints from residents, businesses
A 29-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for forcing his way into a young woman’s home and carrying out a “terrifying” sex attack. Ali Noor of James Street, Oxford, was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday at Oxford Crown Court after admitting
ABOUT 200 people gathered along the county’s repatriation route to pay their respects to a fallen soldier. They lined the streets around the memorial garden on the edge of Carterton and Headley Way in Oxford. Army engineer Sapper Adam Moralee
Football fans are being urged to support a charity helping children in poverty-striken areas of Brazil. Shirts4SaoPaulo is collecting unwanted football shirts for a charity in Sao Paulo, supporting 600 children and young adults. And a tournament
FOOTBALL SKY BET LEAGUE TWO Chesterfield Tn v Oxford Utd. SKRILL NORTH Boston Utd v Oxford City. CALOR LEAGUE Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Hungerford Tn. Div 1 South & West: Merthyr Tn v Didcot Tn (1pm), North Leigh v
WOODSTOCK'S 7-1 victory over Virgin Active put them top of the Thames Valley Winter League Men’s Premier Division. They could consolidate their position this week as second-placed Oxford Sports take on North Oxford, who are in third. However
Didcot Town’s joint manager Ian Concannon is hoping that training on Oxford City’s 3G pitch will give them the edge when they travel to Calor League Division 1 South & West leaders Merthyr Town (1). The Welshmen are unbeaten on their artificial
NEAL Mallett, 56, from Oxford, dominated the British veterans’ championships in Gloucester to win his seventh epee title in nine years. In the final, Mallett took on last year’s bronze medallist John Leahey. After a first period of inactivity
FLOWING 77 miles from the Grand Union Canal in Warwickshire through Banbury to the centre of Oxford, the Oxford Canal has proved a watery inspiration for many artists. And now the Oxford Canal Heritage Project is inviting people to submit their
Hassan II Trophy EDDIE Pepperell faces an uphill task to make the cut today after shooting an opening round 74 in Morocco. The Frilford Heath golfer, from Abingdon, carded four bogeys and two birdies in his two-over-par round. Spain’s Alejandro
MORE than 50 suspected illegal dwellings are being investigated by Oxford City Council. Council leaders are now investing about £300,000 in tackling the growing problem of sheds and outbuildings being built in gardens without planning permission
THE owner of Oxford City FC says he is basing his sporting model on world-class clubs such as AC Milan and Barcelona. American businessman Thomas Guerriero wants to create a unified sports brand like some of the top European clubs. He bought
AN EXHIBITION of 300 hand-stitched jigsaw pieces stopped at an Abingdon school this week on its tour around the UK. Last year staff and pupils at Our Lady’s Abingdon created almost 40 jigsaw pieces for nationwide The Jigsaw Project. The project
