Archive

  • Dragon School offers exceptional pupil achievement

    THE Dragon is a very modern traditional school - an exciting place to be as our unique name suggests. The school hums with life and laughter and boys and girls, teachers and staff apply themselves with enormous energy to creating a wonderful environment

  • Rundown park set to get a natural revamp

    PEBBLE streams, clamber nets and stepping stones will make up a new natural playground in Bicester thanks to thousands of pounds worth of funding. Bicester Town Council has been given a £70,000 grant to redevelop the “dated” and “run down” play

  • Road reopens west of Thame after a car drove into a ditch

    A ROAD has reopened west of Thame after a car drove into a ditch and had to be recovered. According to traffic reports the A418 was earlier shut in both directions due to the crash, which happened at Tiddington, between Ickford Road and Sandy Lane

  • Monty is named snappiest dresser at dog show

    OXFORD’S favourite dog show with a difference was back in town as part of the city’s Pride festival. Pride, which supports the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, started on Friday. As part of the festival, dogs and their

  • When spirit of sportsmanship was hallmark of local football

    The name Jasper Thorne in the South Oxford School football team (Memory Lane, April 13) reminded me of an era when he dominated minor league football (under-18s) in the Oxford area. I played for the Regal Youth Club in the Oxfordshire Minor League

  • The unsung hero who played huge role in city’s education

    John Henry Brookes – a small, gentle, modest man – seemed an unlikely candidate to be a role model, but he had a profound effect on education in Oxford. Thousands of students have reason to be thankful to him for his vision and leadership.

  • Railway was a lifeline for rural communities

    It could now be providing a solution to present-day congestion on the A40. Sadly, the track of the Witney-Oxford railway was ripped up many years ago. The picture, above right, was taken in 1962 when the last scheduled passenger train, hauled by

  • How an unexpected landing led pilot to top night on town

    A war was raging, but that didn’t stop pilots enjoying themselves. William Leefe-Robinson, forced to land at Port Meadow airfield in Oxford by bad weather, spent the evening at the theatre, then stayed the night in a top city hotel. He and

  • How school buses sparked a rumpus over child safety

    This community was at war – with a bus company. Worried mothers at Kennington, near Oxford, were preparing to form a human chain across a road to stop school buses being driven along their street. They claimed four school buses a day used Poplar

  • Locals-first policy should apply to housing as well

    SUSAN Gonzales’ letter highlighting Oxford City Council’s refusal for a restaurant chain to open in Cowley Centre reminds me of a similar decision involving a clear loss of potential jobs and footfall for other local businesses. In that instance

  • Well done to Vale for not closing the outdoor pool

    I AM so pleased for Abingdon residents that the Vale of White Horse District Council has backed the opinion of more than 2,000 who campaigned to keep the “much-loved” outdoor pool open. Compare this to Oxford City Council, which ignored petitions

  • Hands-on experience is crucial thing for nurses

    HOW I agree with Alison Parkinson (Mail, May 26). The amount of time wasted gazing at a screen does nothing to improve the patients’ needs, or teach nurses to do the job. “Hands-on” is what is needed with an experienced ward sister. She (or he)

  • Do union members get asked where cash goes?

    NOW the fuss about the election is over and, in the hue and cry about donations to the various parties, it transpires the trade unions give to the Labour Party. Not a problem. But I guess not all union members are socialists. I wonder if the union

  • Why was questionnaire offer ignored by council?

    CAN I be allowed to comment on the way Horspath Parish Council is going about deciding on a proposed permanent war memorial to be erected on the village green. I sympathise with Mr Brooks on the way that the council appears to be dragging its feet

  • Halting church extension plans makes me happy

    HAVING never written to the Oxford Mail before, I felt I must write to express my thanks. I refer to the proposed extension to Holy Trinity Church in Headington Quarry. It is fantastic news that the plans have temporarily been withdrawn. Though

  • Thanks for printing photo of me and my banner

    I APPRECIATED your beautiful photo and article on Monday, May 18. I make banners and made the Levellers Day banner. (I am on the left in the photo) I was previously in the Oxford Mail when I made a banner for Modern Art Oxford last year. Thank

  • Park friends feel aggrieved over lack of council contact

    THE Friends of Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park was set up by Oxford City Council (OCC) eight years ago. A recent document issued by the council states the friends can expect: “To be notified of and consulted upon... significant improvements”.

  • ‘Ultra-modern’ new lecture theatre at Oxford University

    THE director of a futuristic new university building in North Oxford has said he hopes it will become a new landmark in the city. Oxford University’s £11m Investcorp Building, in Woodstock Road, was designed by Iraqi-British architect Dame Zaha

  • Buy jove! Relate worker Maureen's tea with the Queen

    WHO would have thought that answering a job advert in the Oxford Mail could lead to rubbing shoulders with royalty at Buckingham Palace? It was back in 1989 that busy mum Maureen Buy responded to an ad for staff at relationship support group Relate

  • Recording studio revamp strikes just the right note

    RADIOHEAD rehear- sed there, Supergrass sang there and Foals wrote a whole album there. Now this rehearsal studio has been brought back from the dead with an investment of tens of thousands of pounds. Nestled in picturesque Cumnor farmland

  • ‘Cycle thieves targeted me and stole my pride and joy’

    THIEVES who stole a bicycle from a shed in Didcot have taken something that was “irreplaceable,” its owner said. Two bikes were taken from Rupert Biddiscombe’s shed in East Street on Tuesday last week, one of which was a unique carbon fibre racing

  • Executor decisions

    If someone has appointed you as an executor for their will, you may be flattered, but also wondering about what you will have to do. It can involve a lot of work and responsibility, which may go on for months or even years. You should think carefully

  • Cheerful send-off

    After hundreds of years of heavy wooden caskets taking our departed to their final resting places, the 21st century has seen a more individual trend. Personalised caskets are becoming increasingly popular, with more people choosing to give themselves

  • Rail strikes suspended amid union negotiations

    RAIL disruptions across Oxfordshire could be called off as planned rail strikes are suspended amid union negotiations. Network Rail workers could be in line for a two per cent pay rise as talks head into their fourth day of negotiations.

  • Looking to legacy

    With half the UK population now describing themselves as non-religious, humanist funerals are becoming ever more popular. Humanists do not believe in God or an after-life and seek to live good, ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason

  • What to do next

    After someone dies, the surviving family members must gather up all of the deceased's important papers. This will have all of the pertinent information needed to complete the settlement process. What to do in the first five days In many cases

  • It's your funeral

    A survey by the National Association of Funeral Directors shows only one in nine people has made their funeral wishes known to their loved ones. What are you waiting for? A funeral can be as individual as the person it is for. There are two fundamental

  • Callum O'Dowda relishing Republic of Ireland matches

    WHILE the rest of the Oxford United squad have their feet up, Callum O’Dowda has been happily putting in extra training sessions ahead of two games for Republic of Ireland Under 21s this week, writes DAVID PRITCHARD. The winger is in the squad

  • COMMENT: Alzheimer’s charity needs our support

    A MONTH-LONG campaign of TV adverts by Alzheimer’s Research UK should guarantee that more people are made aware of the disease and its devastating effects. There are more than 8,000 people in Oxfordshire who are currently affected by Alzheimer’

  • CRICKET: Superb Oxfordshire secure spot in T20 finals day

    OXFORDSHIRE booked their place in the final of the inaugural Unicorns Counties T20 competition with a commanding display yesterday. Luke Ryan’s side defeated Shropshire by four wickets in the semi-final, before a sensational display saw them thrash

  • TV advert campaign will help in Alzheimer’s fight

    AN ALZHEIMER’S charity is launching its biggest ever campaign to help combat the disease as local experts warned it was one of the greatest “challenges facing our county”. Alzheimer’s Research UK will launch a month-long campaign of TV adverts

  • Campers protest plans for more power stations

    MORE than 250 protesters gathered at a campsite near Didcot Power Station to protest against the government’s plans to open new gas power stations. The three days of protests, which finish today with a so-called ‘day of action’, got under way on

  • Update: Missing Violet Potter, 76, is found safe and well

    A WOMAN who went missing yesterday from her in the village of Sydenham, near Thame, has been found.  Violet ‘Gina’ Potter, 76, who is originally from Chinnor, left her home address in Sydenham at about 9.10am yesterday morning.  But Thames

  • Hundreds of beer lovers raise glasses at festival

    BEER lovers made the most of a sunny day in West Oxfordshire as the Chadlington Beer Festival returned for another year. The event at Chadlington Memorial Hall in the village saw real ale mix with Pimms, fine wines and cider as well as live music

  • CRICKET: No joy as Oxford are beaten again

    Oxford took a wicket with the very first ball of their Division 1 match at Slough on Saturday. But that proved to be their high point of the contest as they fell to a heavy 66-run defeat to stay bottom. The visitors chose to field first, and

  • CRICKET: Hoddle strikes to end Shipton's winning start

    Jamie Hoddle, son of the former England football manager Glenn, helped end Shipton-under-Wychwood’s unbeaten start in Division 2. Hoddle claimed four wickets as hosts Gerrards Cross secured a four-wicket win. The seamer struck as Shipton, who

  • MOTORCYCLING: Bradley Smith races to fifth in Italy

    Oxfordshire motorcycle ace Bradley Smith had great ride race to finish fifth at in the Italian MotoGP Mugello yesterday. The Monster Tech3 Yamaha rider moved up into sixth place in the championship standings in front of teammate Cal Crutchlow who

  • Poisoned soil removed from pool after a five-month wait

    CONTAMINATED soil is being removed from near Hinksey Open Air Pool five months after being discovered. Swimmers have asked why the earth was not tested before it was dumped in two empty pool tanks in 2013, and why it is only being removed now when

  • CRICKET: Aston Rowant collapse in sight of first victory

    A calamitous collapse when in with a good chance of victory led to Aston Rowant losing by 62 runs in their Division 2 match at home to Datchet on Saturday. Chasing a victory target of 227, Rowant were going well at 148-4 in reply with plenty of

  • Police ‘risk becoming solely enforcement agency’

    PUBLIC safety is being put at risk in Oxfordshire because of cuts to policing budgets, forcing officers to abandon traditional work, it has been warned. The Thames Valley Police Federation, which represents officers, has said police will be forced

  • Increase in crashes on section of M40 to be subject of probe

    THE number of accidents on a stretch of the M40 has sparked a Government review of the motorway's safety. Between January 2013 and April 2015, there have been 432 crashes on the M40, which has five junctions between Thame and Banbury. But Highways

  • WEEKEND RESULTS: May 30-31

    CRICKET UNICORNS COUNTIES T20 Group 2 semi-final: Shropshire 129 (19.4 ovs, O Ali 52, R Aucott 33, R West 3-11, C Keegan 3-19), Oxfordshire 133-6 (17.1 ovs, C Keegan 31no, H Darby 31, S Whitney 3-21). Final: Herefordshire 113-7 (20 ovs,

  • Marching against budget cuts

    ABOUT 150 nurses, workers, students and political activists descended on Oxford city centre to protest about the continuation of the government’s austerity measures. Members of the Socialist Worker’s Party, Unison, the Green Party and Unite the