RUNAWAY trainee guide dog Toffee was last night reunited with his owner – after finding his own way home. Ian Francis, who is partially sighted and registered as blind, appealed for help to find Toffee after the guide dog ran off on Monday night
A FAMILY had a lucky escape yesterday when a fire began in their living room. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze began at home in Benson Place, Oxford, at about 3.35pm after a candle on top of a television caused a fire, which had
Volunteers have been working tirelessly to transform a little-known beauty spot in North Oxford. Matt Oliver reports For years the Wolvercote Lakes languished behind fencing, overgrown and inaccessible. But that is a far-cry from today, with
A CHARITY golf tournament will be held in memory of much-loved Blackbird Leys councillor Val Smith this month. The Save Oxford Stadium campaign group, which is trying to bring the Oxford Stadium on the estate back into use, will raise money for
IT’S supersquirrel! He may look nuts, but this furry fiend wasn’t chicken when there was a Kentucky-fried feast in the offing. Former Oxford Mail photographer George Reszeter put some leftover homemade spicy chicken wings out in his garden,
FIRE investigators and police are working to determine how a blaze started in a school building in Didcot this morning. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was called at 11.19am to St Birinus School, in Mereland Road, where there was a
IF you ever wondered what driving an electric car is like, you can give it a go next week. As part of this year’s Low Carbon Oxford Week there will be an electric vehicle test-driving day at Cutteslowe Park on Saturday, June 20. To give our
A BLIND man who lost his dog said he has been “astounded” by the support he has received from people locally and up and down the country. Ian Francis, who lives in Gibbs Crescent, Oxford, lost his trainee guide dog, Toffee, right, on Monday night
TOOLS have been stolen from a property in Witney Lane in Stonesfield. Thames Valley Police said between about 4pm yesterday and 7am today, the property was burgled after thieves forced entry through the rear door. Tools including Dewalt battery
A man armed with a baseball bat entered McDonald's in the early hours of this morning and demanded money. And police are investigating whether the incident is linked to a similar one last year at the same location. Thames Valley Police said
WANTAGE Summer Festival has been saved from the axe but too late to go ahead this year. Now organisers have appealed to young performers in Wantage, Grove and surrounding villagers to pitch their acts for next year’s 20th anniversary bonanza.
MOST people rarely get the chance to witness the brute force of blacksmiths. But visitors to the Earth Trust Centre in Little Wittenham near Didcot got the chance to hammer away at metal and man the fire pits during a taster workshop. The blacksmith
A motorist who performed a handbrake turn and cut across three lanes of traffic has been jailed for his dangerous driving. Aiman Ahmed, of Newland Road, Banbury, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday to a total of 16 months’ imprisonment
A SEVERE weather warning for heavy rain has been issued for Oxfordshire on Friday. The Met Office warned thunderstorms were likely to unleash “intense downpours” and said “frequent lightning could prove to be a hazard”, with the warning in place
HE WAS so convinced it wouldn’t happen, he never even wrote a winner’s speech. But to his shock, Rob Jones walked away from a glittering London ceremony with a People’s Book Prize award, at the age of 26. The Abingdon-based illustrator beat
THE victims of last month's triple-murder in Didcot were discovered by a friend of suspect Jed Allen, a coroner's court has heard. Inquests into the deaths of Philip Howard, 44, Janet Jordon, 48, and Derin Jordon, six, were opened at Oxford Coroner's
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Hugo Boss has admitted breaching health and safety rules after a boy died when he was crushed by a mirror at its store in Bicester Village. Four-year-old Austen Harrison of Crawley died after an unsecured 18-stone wall mirror fell on him in the
When it comes to epitaphs, Spike Milligan's quip, "I told you I was ill," has become a legend in last words. The Goons comedian wrote his final joke before his death in 2003, but most people leave the difficult task of summing up a life in a few
A VILLAGE near Bicester will finally get its own war memorial to remember its fallen soldiers. Currently, Arncott has a small memorial garden on the village green in Norris Road and a commemorative plaque in Ambrosden with the names of six residents
Time to plot a burial spot There are far more options to consider than being buried in the local cemetery, including woodlands and our own gardens. As funeral costs rise and people encounter a shortage of burial plots, most now opt for cremation
TO SHOW my support for Friends of the Abbey Meadow Outdoor Pool, I attended this season’s opening. The difference to last year, with the change of contractor, is impressive. The pool has been scrubbed clean with not a trace of algae, lines painted
CAN I use your pages to thank on behalf of the Oxford Branch The Royal Green Jackets Association all those generous shoppers from Asda in Wheatley for supporting Care for Casualties, The Rifles charity. The money received from the “Green Token”
NEAR the main door to the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford High Street – or on the High – there is an arrow pointing to an “accessible entrance”, accompanied by depictions of a wheelchair user (if that is still OK this month) and someone with a pushchair
I WOULD like to say thanks to the Oxford Mail for your recent tribute to our original Great Dane Arne Pander. Although I only caught the tail end of his career, I am told by my older brother that he was the finest rider ever to grace the Cowley
MANY tenants of Oxford landlords live in abject poverty – some unscrupulous landlords encourage their hard-pressed tenants to fill out housing benefit forms stating that they pay more rent than they actually do. This extra cash – which comes from
YOUR headline ‘We fought the law and won’ (June 1) told of solicitor Nigel Harvie being brought to account by the neighbours of an elderly, vulnerable lady with no living relatives and suspected of suffering from dementia. Mr Harvie obtained her
THIS is a warning to those who use the postbox outside the old Post Office in Witney. Beware of birds in the trees above! I was just about to post a letter on Sunday morning, when a bird “fouled” my letter from a great height. Fortunately, I was
CLOUD Cuckoo Land! That is where you will find the planners and councillors who believe the proposed changes at Wolvercote roundabout will make things better. They are proposing that two of the approaches are made wide enough for three lanes
SAD to hear Bonhams is going. We attended just one sale there and were flabbergasted to see a small, I think, FamilleVert, teapot up for £600-£800 sold for £76,000. Hard to believe and we were gobsmacked. There were 10 telephone lines.
IN RODNEY Rose’s letter (May 18), he doesn’t accept that buses cause congestion. How can he say this when buses are coming through Headington in convoys all day and night? Has he even been to Headington to see for himself? There are London
I WOULD like to thank my work colleague Binaya Dhungana. On Friday, May 22, she held a fundraising lunch within our department in aid of her earthquake stricken brethren at home. The Nepalese curries that we were given were a delicious education
THE KILLER of Jayden Parkinson has been sentenced to eight months in prison after a brawl at Didcot Parkway station. Ben Blakeley was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court today for affray. The 23-year-old admitted fighting with Haydn Cannon outside
YES Recently published author Annie Boon First, it has to be accepted that a new form of language has sprung up via social media. It is now possible to message hundreds of people at one time using a ‘shorthand’ made up of symbols like
THE proximity of a new drug and alcohol support centre in Blackbird Leys to an off-licence should not be treated as a problem, organisers have claimed. The empty tattoo parlour in Knights Road is set to become a community hub, run by national charity
The statistics for domestic abuse are sobering. Each year over 120 women are killed by their partner, and more than 30 men killed by theirs. Domestic abuse crimes account for 29 per cent of all recorded violence against the person crimes, and nearly
MORRIS Motors footballers have finally got their hands on the Oxfordshire Senior Cup – 30 years late. Following their 1-0 victory over Bicester Town in the 1985 final, Motors’ skipper Paul Baker was unable to be presented with the original cup,
TRAIN passengers will be able to spend a penny while enjoying a view of Oxford’s Botanic Garden. A new quirky toilet design is being rolled out across Chiltern Railways trains to give passengers a view of the Oxford University garden when they
COMEDIAN Ed Byrne has revealed he excluded Oxford from his UK tour after accusing the New Theatre of “ludicrous” ticket prices. During a radio interview with Graham Norton on Saturday, Mr Byrne was asked in which city he most dreaded performing
A spate of shed thefts over the last week has seen bikes, tools, cables and a wheelbarrow stolen. Two properties were targeted on Wednesday, May 27, in Donnington Bridge Road and Rivermead Road. On Thursday, May 28, a shed in Cave Street was broken
CHILD safety campaigners last night welcomed the arrests of nine men under Oxford’s latest investigation into the rape and grooming of underage girls. Yesterday more than 100 officers from Thames Valley Police took suspects into custody during
OXFORD United Women’s goalkeeper Demi Lambourne has been called up to the England U19 squad as they prepare for the summer’s European Championships in Israel. The 19-year-old joins for a double-header against France – the first of two games taking
One of the country’s most popular poets, Philip Larkin, turned down the chance to be Oxford University’s professor of poetry, it has emerged. Rachel Trickett, a fellow of St Hugh’s College, invited Larkin in 1968 to put his name forward, but he
The creation of a brand new ‘BioEscalator’ at Oxford University’s Old Road campus is due to be discussed today by Oxford City Council. Its East Area Planning Committee will meet from 6pm at Oxford Town Hall to discuss plans for the new Headington
Will Sutcliffe slammed 132 not out as Thame Town ended Tiddington’s 100 per cent record in Cherwell League Division 1 to get the better of a draw. Thame amassed 250-3 in their 53 overs as Sutcliffe and Oxfordshire under 17 batsman Harry Thomas
NEWLY-elected Witney mayor Jim King has vowed to make sure the town never turns into “another Milton Keynes”. On being sworn in as mayor, Mr King said he would do everything he could to protect Witney’s rural market town character. The former
ALL the way from Kenya, the super supple ladies of the Konjowech acrobatics troupe have arrived in Oxfordshire to amaze. The flexible female foursome are travelling with Giffords Circus, which pitched its big top at Stadhampton Village Green on
8:19pm UPDATE: Missing trainee guide dog Toffee has found his way home 6:57pm UPDATE: Five men charged following yesterday's child sexual exploitation
A VIRUTAL gym at an Oxford hospital has been transforming the lives of children, including a boy suffering from chronic pain. Bryn Baber-Day, 10, has been using the new hi-tech gym at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington to help him cope
PEOPLE in Wantage have a new mayor and official representatives for planning and the environment. The new mayor is town councillor StJohn Dickson, who takes over from Fiona Roper after two years. The new members of Wantage Town Council elected
THERE were major delays this morning on the A34 around Abingdon after two lorries were involved in a crash at 6.30am. It happened on the northbound stretch between the Marcham Interchange and Abingdon North. Lucy Billen, spokeswoman
Rules to fine buskers were discussed by councillors last night. Oxford City Council wants to bring in a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to tackle anti-social behaviour. Campaigners have criticised the order and petitions have been launched
A MAN who flouted a five-year ban from an area of Oxford in order to buy petrol to sniff and get high was jailed yesterday. Robbie Stephens, 23, was also sentenced for racially assaulting a police officer the day he was arrested. But having
Cowley Internationals finally got off the mark with their first win of the season as they defeated hosts Witney Swifts by five wickets in the first round of the OCA League's Airey Cup. Holders Cowley were indebted to a superb all-round performance
A CHARITY for the elderly whose minibus was vandalised beyond use have thanked the Oxford Mail for its help in a fundraising campaign to repair it. Age Concern Chalgrove said it was “thrilled” to get the bus back from the workshop this month and
FOOTBALLERS raised cash for the county’s biggest street parade. Organisers of the Cowley Road Carnival are busy preparing for this summer’s festival next month. Xhetan Bushi, owner of Cowley Road’s Bar Aroma, decided to support the cause and
VETERAN Tony Bradford clanged off 15 dolls for the second time this season as Section 1 leaders New Club A enjoyed victory in the Greene King Oxford & District League, writes ANDY BEAL. The 81-year-old top scored (5-5-5) as New Club convincingly
A BLIND man has asked the public to help him find his trainee guide dog Toffee. Ian Francis, 46, of Gibbs Crescent, Oxford, said he has been unable to leave his home since Toffee, a four-year-old golden Labrador, ran away at Oxford Railway Station
CHRIS Webb, Simon King and Nick Cross all bagged sixers in several high-scoring Section 2 encounters. Webb starred for Ampleforth Arms B as his six in a 13-doll haul (3-6-4) helped them to a 3-0 win at home to Kennington Social Club. The opening
A TEEN rock band has written a tribute song for Witney schoolgirl Liberty Baker who died last year. Liberty, 14, was killed on June 30 last year when she was hit by a car driven by Robert Blackwell as she walked to Henry Box School. Twisted
ARTHUR White will celebrate his 100th birthday with family and friends today. But he still has very vivid memories of being a child and how times were very different. Mr White, who worked at Pressed Steel in Cowley for 50 years, was born on June
BUSINESSES and residents have rallied behind a petition against plans for a Tesco superstore on the outskirts of Thame amid fears it could harm the town centre. Last month the supermarket chain applied to build a 2,522sqm store and petrol station
