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PART of a closed-down church building is going to be turned into flats so that the congregation can return to their spiritual home. Eight apartments are to be built inside the 320-year-old Chipping Norton Baptist Church, in New Street, after West

TOWN councillors in Wallingford are seeking to improve wi-fi Internet provision in the town. In September 2010 it became the first in Oxfordshire to install a wi-fi system covering the town centre. The wireless system, set up by the Wallingford

PART of the Westgate car-park in Oxford was earlier closed off by police after reports of suspicious activity.  Thames Valley Police said they received a report, but couldn't say what it was about.  Tim Firth, 27, from Abingdon was walking

PUPILS have put an audio play together to help teach their peers across the county about fire safety. The six-and-a-half minute audio drama depicts two brothers hosting a party at home after their mum goes to work. But things go downhill after

THE jury in the trial of the man who killed Jayden Parkinson will continue to consider its verdict tomorrow. Ben Blakeley, 22, formerly of Christchurch Road, Reading, admits manslaughter and perverting the course of justice, but denies murdering

THE Corn Exchange in Witney will not be available for function bookings until April next year. Witney Town Council maintains it wants the Market Square building open by the end of the year but said it has to be “realistic” about when it can be

COMMUTERS travelling home by rail from London and Reading face delays of up to 20 minutes tonight, due to a signalling problem between Twyford and Maidenhead. First Great Western services have been affected, traffic reports showed. No estimate

Doctors at the John Radcliffe Hospital have joined an innovative new scheme to bring them closer to patients at trauma scenes. MATT OLIVER reports FROM serious road accidents to a life-threatening sports injury, trauma doctors are right on the

Oxford's Andy Triggs Hodge can’t wait to compete in the Netherlands after being named in Great Britain’s team for next month’s World Championships. The double Olympic champion will stroke a four, which is made up of 2012 gold medallist Alex Gregory

A FORMER deputy headteacher whose career lasted 31 years has died aged 98. Arthur Fisher was a physics teacher who worked at New Hinksey School, Cowley St John School and Bayswater Middle School, Barton. He was also an active volunteer with

A MOTHER-of-three who strenuously campaigned for awareness of a rare condition after her son’s death has died aged 75. After her youngest son James was revealed by doctors to be affected by the severe condition Tuberous Sclerosis, Ann Hunt MBE

A COMMUNICATIONS consultancy used pedal power to cycle 647 miles and raise more than £2,000 for charity without ever leaving Oxford. Employees at BOTTLE, based at Oxford Science Park, took it in turns to keep the pedals of an indoor gym bike moving

If you think you know what a busman’s holiday is, think again. Four years ago, Steven Roberts set up an expedition club for his employer, Oxford Bus Company, taking his colleagues to Snowdon, Dartmoor and even the Tatras mountain range in Poland

OXFORDSHIRE’s gro-wth as a centre for high-tech industry could be stunted by poor infrastructure and a limited labour pool. That is the view of top entrepreneurs who claim it is easier to do business in the United States, where there is better

Catch up on all the issues and quips raised by our readers in their Letters to the Editor today. Story box: Want to give your opinion? Email letters@oxfordmail.co.uk

A MOBILE telephone accessories manufacturer is looking to triple its workforce just two years after starting up. Gusto wants to recruit more than 25 staff over the next six months – on top of the 12 it already employs at its Banbury headquarters

BUS PASSENGERS face a half-mile walk to the John Radcliffe hospital after a new dedicated service stops short of the entrance. Stagecoach announced last week it will begin running the S7 service between Carterton and Headington from Monday, July

I forgot to mention in my previous column that I took my 200th first-class wicket in the recent game against Warwickshire – a little milestone which I can give myself a pat on the back for. I did have a quick moment to reflect on my career that

Tim Hughes dons his green wellies and messes up the lawn of Blenheim Palace to preview the highlights of this weekend's CLA Game Fair It describes itself as a “celebration of the British countryside” but even it’s greatest admirers would admit

* Where some people see rabbits, pigeons and squirrels as serious pests, Rosie Barham sees delicious free-range meals. Rosie is a time-served game cook and knows all kinds of ways of turning a tree-rat into a tasty treat, a woodpigeon into the perfect

Annette Cunningham tries out a popular eaterie on George Street We're pretty spoilt for choice when it comes to eateries in Oxford. However, and call me fickle, I have become a tad bored with the city’s brunch offerings. Yawning at the now oh so

Despite rushing off with her main course in a doggy bag, Katherine MacAlister finds foodie heaven in Henley It’s hard to review a restaurant when you’ve had to take the main course home in a doggy bag but that’s life in the fast lane. Not that

Starting Up with Alasdair Burn @ The Harcourt Arms That place is up for sale”, said a friend as we had a stroll through Jericho last October. The place being The Harcourt Arms. We popped in later that day for a beer, and I knew I had found

IT’S often said there should be no secrets in a marriage, but Patricia Bass had to keep a pretty big one from husband Trevor. The 90-year-old worked as a code breaker at the celebrated Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes during the Second World War

My name is Nathan Bowles and I became interested in cooking while I was still going to Carterton Community College and had a weekend job as a kitchen porter at The Vines in Black Bourton. My interest in what was going on in the kitchen grew and

The countdown to Art In Action has begun with the county's most prestigious art fair opening its doors once again this weekend. Katherine MacAlister examines it's newest addition; four war artists all with recent experience of the frontline During

Who better than the people who live in Soha communities to tell the landlord what would make life nicer there? And who better to make the decision about how the money should be spent than their fellow tenants? The social landlord, Soha, which

Tim Hughes gears up for the big names set to grace the six stages at this year’s Truck Festival Seventeen years ago an Oxfordshire music-lover invited a group of mates to a friendly farmer’s field to play some tunes and celebrate his birthday.

IF I was lapping a couple of seconds slower than the leaders and finishing with a few points each race, I would be a lot less happy than I actually feel at the moment. The solution is simple – I must rule out the mistakes because we have the pace

It's summer. Oriel sub dean Alexander Ewing is not sure that he really likes it As anyone attempting to walk down the High Street will already know, we have entered a new season on the Oxford calendar. The last of the Oxford undergraduates have

Oxford Playhouse administrator Jane Hornsby on why she walked so far On July 3, I arrived at John O’Groats having left Land’s End 63 days earlier, somewhat foot sore after 1,187 miles, but very fit and quite tanned. Why did I do this walk?

Hotfoot from the joys of Derbyshire, I was off on Monday for an evening at the races in Windsor and a meeting with a member of the town’s most famous resident family, the Princess Royal. The introduction was supplied by my old friend Francis Rockcliff

Though many are the charms of Oxfordshire, I felt compelled on Saturday to concur with the opinion of Michael Henderson, expressed in that day’s Daily Telegraph, that Derbyshire is England’s most beautiful county. Agreement was a matter settled, really

HAS anyone ever thought that if Family Allowance was restricted to two children only, this might have an effect on a reduction in the population explosion? SHEILA SPENCER Beauchamp Lane Oxford Today’s letters

Rail is Britain’s safest, most efficient and lowest-carbon mode of nationwide inland freight transport. Rail freight has grown for at least 20 years. Last year alone it rose nine-per cent. Nearly all that growth is containers. Enlarging the Southampton-Nuneaton

“WHY are there too many cars, daddy?” asks cycling campaigner James Styring’s sweet child (July 8). There probably are too many cars on our roads but cycling campaigners often ignore the many reasons why people use cars. Here are some of the

MORE than 900 exhibitors are descending on Blenheim Palace for last-minute preparations ahead of this weekend’s CLA Game Fair. Food, games and crafts stallholders have been setting up pitches and marquees within the 181-acre showground at the Woodstock

A BUILDER has avoided jail after whipping a teenage girl with a belt buckle and throwing a television set on to her foot. Florinel Plugaru, of Blackbird Leys Road, Blackbird Leys, admitted two counts of child cruelty and received a suspended sentence

Cicerone is well known to mountaineers for its guides to peaks and scrambles in places like the Lake District, Scotland and the Alps. But it also caters for those who prefer more gentle walks, and Steve Davison has collected a good sample in Walking

RECENTLY I was one of 345 out of over 2,700 of the electorate of Old Marston who voted in the parish council elections. Had it not been for the sudden death of Councillor Roy Jones, the parish election which took place on June 26, postponed for

Your report of the petition, asking for changes at The Plain, presented to the County Council (July 4) includes Cllr Nimmo Smith’s revealing response. He says that ‘other road users would certainly lose out’ if benefits for cycling were included

OXFORD MAGISTRATES Trevor Cox, 45, of Gainsborough Green, Abingdon, admitted drink-driving in a Ford Transit in Oxford Road, Abingdon, on June 14. Had 62 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the legal limit of 35 micrograms. Fined

Reg Little talks to local film producer Damian Jones about his career and new film Belle A painting featured on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow that intrigued his wife, set film producer Damian Jones on a six-year movie making project. There was clearly

Former Oxford newsagent Angie Spendlove was born to an unmarried mother and spent part of her early life in a children’s home in Oxford. Her first book Changing Faces (Redcap, £8.99) tells the story of her mother Mary’s life, followed by an account

The unlikely title The Reluctant Cannibals will certainly get you sitting at the table ready for the literary starter — but the fleshy main course is comprised of an unlikely fusion of a group of male Oxford dons, an underground gastronomic society

Katherine MacAlister finds the food delicious down on the farm at Stanton St John It would have been easy for Graham and Penny Corbett to pack up shop and return home defeated, to put their feet up and watch daytime TV for the foreseeable future

Helen Peacocke has a starter for ten trailling Brakspear's rural pub challenge Brakspear has thrown down the gauntlet and is challenging us all to walk or cycle to the ten south Oxfordshire pubs featured on their latest ale trail that covers the

I’ve just come back from the Hampton Court Flower Show where I met a lady who lived close to Westonbirt. Almost immediately she apologised for never having visited the Arboretum, despite being able to almost walk there. I rather suspect lots of

Ben Vanheems of Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust on the free and easy effects of spending more time under an open sky Nature’s good for us. It makes us feel good. It helps to keep us mentally astute and physically fit. And it provides all

Damon Smith says it will be hard to ape this 'Planet' film for special effects Blending state-of-the-art special effects with an intelligent script, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes conjures two hours of animal magic that looks set to be crowned

Giles Woodforde drops in on Oxford University Dramatic Society’s rehearsals ‘Liar! Cutpurse!” This is not the kind of language you expect to hear in an Oxford University building, but the words echo round the Michael Pilch studio in Jowett Walk

I was a Lee Evans virgin till Tuesday. I understood the hype and the magnitude, I’d clocked how enorm-ously appealing and popular this man is and how global, I’d watched his Hollywood films and registered how his rubbery body and elastic face were

Christopher Gray urges everyone to see this play, whether in Oxford or in London First the good news: this wonderful play, brilliantly fashioned by the National Theatre from Oxford author Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel, is coming to the New Theatre

THE City Council is this week publishing its proposed Area Action Plan for the future development of the land known as the Northern Gateway, which is bordered by Pear Tree roundabout to the north, the Bicester railway line to the east, the A34 to the

IT’S nice to know our councillors study council documents well in advance of important meetings. Or not, as the case may be. When contacted about a hefty 140-page agenda item to do with school places, the county council cabinet member for education

People sometimes wish to change their names for a number of reasons. Perhaps their relationship has recently ended or they simply don’t like their name. Q. I want to change my name, how do I do it? A. Assuming that you are an adult, you are

CAMPAIGNERS wanting to buy the Temple Cowley Pools leisure facility have complained that council officers are jeopardising their efforts. Oxford City Council were prevented from selling the site for six months after residents registered it as an

One of the boons of Oxford in summer is the plethora of outside entertainment, and Oxford Shakespeare Company’s current production of As You Like It in Wadham College Gardens is a first-class example. This is the 12th year of OSC’s residence in

In April, Oxford audiences were treated to a visit to what looked like an authentic, slightly sleazy Buenos Aires nightclub, where we met a cast of tango dancers, and witnessed the dramas and seductions, and of course the tango dancing, that took place

Nicola Lisle on Bampton Classical Opera double to mark Gluck’s 300th anniversary It’s Christoph Willibald Gluck’s 300th birthday this year — but you could be forgiven for not realising because, unlike many composers, his anniversary has sneaked

Reg Little enjoys a performance by the legendary Burt Bacharach at Henley Festival You would be hard pressed to think of a more fitting venue for the legendary hitmaker Burt Bacharach to perform than the Henley Festival. The relaxed atmosphere

Truck is a homecoming gig for the Oxford band. Tim Hughes talks to Brian Briggs This weekend more than 5,000 music-lovers and artists will make a pilgrimage to a South Oxfordshire farm for an event which has been a highlight of the county’s musical

Ambulance bosses have urged people to take care as the county prepares for a heatwave. South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) urged people to avoid long periods in the sun from 11am to 3pm; to wear a hat, use suncream and drink at least two litres

Anne James reviews the abstract and figurative work of two emerging talents As part of its commitment to promoting contemporary arts and artists, the Sarah Wiseman Gallery works with emerging young artists, showing their work and supporting them

MICHAEL Appleton remains hopeful of making another signing before the weekend, but the Oxford United head coach admits improvements need to be made to their recruitment strategy. The 38-year-old quickly assessed the squad needed at least four new

Paul Hobson, director of Modern Art Oxford, reflects on messages about our time from Barbara Kruger’s exhibition At this time of year in particular, Oxford is bursting with tourists. International visitors of all ages descend on this beautiful,

Peckham-born Joseph Marcell has made quite a name for himself, as Geoffrey in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and is now back to The Bard. Katherine MacAlister talks to the reigning King Lear ‘Doth any here know me? This is not Lear... Who is it that

JURORS have been told to put emotions aside when they decide if a mother-of-four killed two children in an arson attack 17 years ago. Justice Robin Spencer yesterday began summing up at Oxford Crown Court in the double murder trial of Fiaz Munshi

OXFORD City Stars and the Oxford Mail have joined forces ahead of the new season. The Mail logo will be one of ten featured on the Stars shirts in a partnership that both parties feel will be mutually beneficial. James Schall, head of marketing

THE jury has been sent out to consider its verdict in the murder trial of the man who killed Jayden Parkinson. Yesterday Judge Patrick Eccles finished summing up the evidence given by witnesses at Oxford Crown Court. He repeated the evidence

WHILE the cinemas are laden with films filled with computer-generated effects, developers are using CGI to allow us to see the world they are planning. The latest to use this tool are the team behind the Westgate Shopping Centre redevelopment.

OXFORD City Stars have secured their first signing of the summer – and it’s a big one. Kyle Flemington, a defender from Ontario in Canada, is in the process of moving to the UK and will take to the ice for Stars when their season gets under way

NEW designs for the £400m Westgate Shopping Centre have been released today by the developers behind the scheme. It starts the final phase of public consultation, which will run until Monday and follows an exhibition in April. The Oxford Mail

FOR a small city, parts of Oxford can seem worlds apart. Many will baulk at the idea of moving into a £1.45 million four-bedroom apartment as downsizing, particularly as first-time buyers struggle to get onto the property ladder as prices continue

7:13pm The jury in the Ben Blakeley trial has been sent home to continue deliberating tomorrow  5:22pm Signalling problems cause delays on First

LONDON Welsh head coach Justin Burnell says new performance analyst Richard Tonkin will be hugely beneficial to the club. Tonkin, who replaces Jon Shelbourne, joins the Exiles after three seasons with Wasps, and has also worked with the South Africa

Thieves broke into five vans in Eynsham on Saturday between 2.20am and 11am. Power tools were stolen from a Fiat Scudo in Back Lane, a Citreon Dispatch in Greens Road and a Peugeot Expert in Merton Close. Tool marks were left on the door of

A by-election takes place today in Cowley. Residents can vote for six candidates in the poll, triggered by the resignation of Labour councillor Helen O’Hara for personal reasons. Those contesting the seat are David Henwood (Lab), Hazel Dawe (Green

A car overturned on the A420 at Cumnor causing long delays while it was cleared. Last night, police said the incident, which took place between the B4017 Abingdon Road and Besselsleigh Road at about 5.30pm, was not believed to have caused any injuries

OXFORD United players joined pupils in a football-themed walking bus through Woodstock yesterday morning. A record 190 children, parents and teachers from Woodstock Primary School, in Shipton Road, walked through the town to promote healthy exercise

Rogue Dancer (3-1 fav) romped home by 12 lengths for Aston Rowant trainer Lawney Hill in a handicap chase at Uttoxeter yesterday, with Trevor Whelan on board.

Banbury Central won 5-1 at home to Witney Mills in what may prove to be a pivotal match in the Division 1 relegation battle in the Oxford & District League, sponsored by Yarnton Nurseries. While Ian Whelpton’s four were always in charge on

Given Oxford’s housing shortages and the millions being secured from Government to boost innovation across the county, Oxford City Council can be forgiven for wanting to get on with the Northern Gateway scheme. But no one should pretend that the

TWO police forces have been criticised over a lack of communication on the night a 71-year-old woman committed suicide by lying under a lorry trailer in Burford. Thames Valley Police officers who picked up the woman and took her home hours before

Oxfordshire Ladies suffered an agonising 33-32 defeat by Hampshire in the Walker Cup national double rink regional semi-final at Sutton, Surrey. Pat Ostler’s four of Margaret Morris, Sylvia Rogers, Angie Ives chalked up a 24-16 win over Hampshire

Oxfordshire's men raced to an emphatic 149-86 victory over Cambridgeshire in a friendly at Kidlington. Oxon won on five of the six rinks, drawing the other, with Alan Ley’s four the highest-winning side thanks to a 35-8 victory. Oxfordshire

Three senior citizens from Shiplake Village with a combined age of 211 years booked their place at the National Championships for the first time with a stunning victory in the Oxfordshire semi-finals. Francis Benham, 2006 county president David

BOTH Marlborough clubs lead the way in Group B of the Oxford Summer League after drawing 3-3 against each other, writes PETE EWINS. Iain Major, twice, and Chris Iagoe put the B side 3-1 up and on course for victory. But Adam Ingram, who scored

JAVELIN thrower Freddie Curtis’s career will hit new heights when he competes at next week’s World Junior Championships in the USA. The 19-year-old, from Hardwick, near Bicester, earned his place in Great Britain & Northern Ireland’s team for

At least 9,450 homes could be built in West Oxfordshire by 2029 in a new draft local plan. West Oxfordshire District Council’s cabinet yesterday agreed to consult on the document. It will replace a former strategy that ended in 2011, which said

A 42-year-old man arrested on suspicion of kidnap after a father and daughter went missing has been released on police bail until September 10. He was arrested on May 29 and initially bailed until yesterday. It came after Ewan Powell, from

TEDDY bears might enjoy a picnic or two, but how about a sleepover? Young visitors to Oxford’s Story Museum are being invited to drop off their teddies to spend a night at the museum. When the teds spend the night in the Pembroke Street attraction

The funeral of Witney schoolgirl Liberty Baker will be held at 11am on Monday at Our Lady and St Hugh Roman Catholic Church, Moorland Road, followed by burial at Tower Hill Cemetery. Fourteen-year-old Liberty was killed as she walked to The Henry

You might have missed it, but a fierce debate is currently raging about Slow Cinema. Critics agree that its key criterion is the long take, although observational minimalism and a relaxed attitude to narrative convention are equally significant. But

Jacques Tati remains France's greatest comic and one of its finest and most fearless film-makers. The release by Studio Canal's Blu-Ray boxed set is, therefore, a cause for celebration, as well as an opportunity for those who have yet to be touched

THE head of transport for the city wants Oxford Mail readers to tell him how hundreds of thousands of remaining cash should be spent on improving conditions for cyclists in the city. We revealed on Monday that only about £15,000 of a dedicated

BILLED as the ideal property for those wanting to downsize, this Oxford apartment has just been put on the market – for a modest £1.45m. Believed to be the most expensive apartment on sale in the city, it boasts four bedrooms over two floors, a

FORMER postman Trevor Bateman made his final journey on a trailer pulled by a tractor yesterday. The tractor-trailer cortege took place at the funeral of Mr Bateman, from Charlbury, at the town’s St Mary’s Church. Rev Jan Fielden, associate

HOMEOWNERS near a train station are sitting on a goldmine, with their houses worth tens of thousands more than ones farther away. Prices in towns or villages with a rail link are 12 per cent higher than those without, research from online estate

BANBURY Harriers’ Tim Wright won the Adderbury Three Spires Challenge multi-terrain race. Wright completed the approximately 14-mile course in 1hr 22mins 48secs to hold off White Horse Harriers’ Paul Jegou, who clocked 1.24.52. Fiona Tideswell

RADLEY’S survival hopes look bleak after finishing third in their Sweatshop Southern League Division 1 round four meeting at Croydon. That result and scores elsewhere see Radley remain bottom of the table with one round to go. With four team

THAMES Valley Police have arrested 34 suspected paedophiles as part of a national operation. The force confirmed yesterday it had made the arrests over the past six months, but could not reveal how many, if any, were in Oxfordshire. It was

A STEP-FATHER has been given a three-year community order after admitting filming his step-daughter in the bath and shower. Andrew Simpson, of Burford Road, Witney, was yesterday sentenced at Banbury Magistrates’ Court for what was described as

A FORMER Oxford woman was moved to a Kent care home and cut off from her family against her wishes, a judge at London’s High Court has been told. Georgina Leigh, daughter of Joyce Smith, 85, was also gifted £300,000 from the sale of her late mother

FARHAN Ahmed bagged the accessory his Ferrari 458 Italia was missing when he parted with £15,000 for a personalised registration plate at the first day of the DVLA’s registration auction yesterday. The 37-year-old, who is the managing director

TOURISTS, commuters and shoppers will be handed the updated story of teenager Martha Fernback, who died from a drug overdose, to mark the anniversary of her death. Martha, 15, a Cherwell School pupil from Summertown, Oxford, died after collapsing

AN Olympic swimmer jumped into Blenheim Palace’s Grand Lake to pass on tips in the water. Keri-Anne Payne, who won a silver medal at Beijing 2008 and finished fourth at London 2012, gave lessons to six swimmers. She was there as part of the

A MAN is raising money for a second defibrillator in Kennington, following a campaign by a senior ambulance manager for 200 more devices to be installed across the county. There is already a device, which treats patients suffering cardiac arrest

(senior men unless stated) EVESHAM 10K Eynsham RR: 11 G Bridges (3rd V40) 38.30, 15 C Williams 39.21 pb, 17 D Ferrier 39.39, 29 H Hale (2nd lady) 40.33, 37 M Schofield (V40) 41.04, 38 S Walker (V40) 41.05, 42 A McEwan-James 41.24 pb, 66 M Creasey

A RESIDENTS’ group has responded to criticisms levelled on a design for a community centre included in plans for the £16m redevelopment of the Jericho Wharf. Concerns were raised by English Heritage, which claimed plans for the building to be erected

EVERYBODY in Abingdon is invited to help read out the names of the 1,300 men from the town who went to fight in the First World War in a ceremony on August 4. The reading of the Roll of Service will be held at St Helen’s Church from 7.30pm and

MORE must be done by county GPs to accommodate people with learning disabilities after focus group members raised concerns, a charity said. My Life My Choice received views from more than 100 people about their experiences at GP practices in a