In a world of bland, corporate pop, earnest singer-songwriters, and sound-alike indie rock it makes a refreshing change to be confronted with a festival bill on which hardly anyone was familiar. But then that is the beauty of Irregular Folks Summer
SINGLE-use plastic cups, stirrers and straws will be phased out of all county council premises after a vote this week. Conservative councillor Suzanne Bartington urged councillors to support her plan which called for the ‘elimination of all avoidable
When Aldous Huxley penned his dystopian classic Brave New World in 1931, we were still living in an age of steam. Yet, incredibly, his seminal work of science fiction accurately predicts genetic engineering, reproductive technology the rise of
Tracy van der Heiden of St Edward’s School, Summertown, on the school's heroic links with the RAF From the terrifying image of a young pilot desperately clinging to his overturned aircraft mid-flight, to accounts of the unspeakable horrors faced
Tracy van der Heiden of St Edward’s School presents an exhibition exploring the school's RAF links From the terrifying image of a young pilot desperately clinging to his overturned aircraft mid-flight, to accounts of the unspeakable horrors faced
A procession of stars from the past and present of pop, will parade before the audience at Cornbury Festival this weekend. But, among a line-up of vintage chart stars, reggae legends and country music heroes, one face is set to stand out – a sparkling
Cornbury Festival has always prided itself on its niceness. Its blend of family-friendly fun, country house setting, well-heeled clientele, unthreatening atmosphere and celebrity punters have earned it the nickname ‘Poshstock’. But its chilled
FROM funky flashing trainers to traditional floor-length gowns, the class of 2018 pulled on their finery to say a stylish ‘farewell’ to school. Oxfordshire schools are in the swing of prom season, throwing swish parties to mark the achievements
JON Obika and Luke Garbutt found the net to seal a hat-trick of victories for Oxford United in their pre-season tour to Ireland. The pair struck in the space of five minutes in the first half against UCD – and had the visitors shown more of a killer
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy with a spinal cord injury overcame scorching temperatures to reach the top of Mount Snowdon and raise thousands of pounds for charity. Samuel Appleton was pushed, pulled, carried and wheeled up the mountain by 12 people for the
ONE of the men accused of killing Christopher Lemonius wanted to ‘punish’ one of his comrades on the night of the killing, a court heard. As the murder trial at Oxford Crown Court continued today, prosecutor Stuart Trimmer QC quizzed Otman Lamzini
THERE are fresh hopes the pints will flow once more at a ‘neglected’ West Oxford pub as a brewery is revealed as the new owner. The Holly Bush closed in 2015 and though plans to convert it into housing were rejected by the city council’s planning
ACCOUNTANTS Whitley Stimpson have celebrated their move to bigger and better offices in the heart of Witney town centre. The firm hosted a drinks reception to welcome clients and contacts to their new premises at 13-15 High Street. Whitley Stimpson
A POLICE boss has said the battle against 'county lines' drug dealing is pulling resources from other important areas. Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police Francis Habgood has said the significant resources poured into tackling serious drug
THE King’s Centre has become the official examination venue for Oxford Brookes University. All standard written exams now take place at the conference venue in Osney Mead, West Oxford, the largest in the city. The first exam took place recently
AN Oxford United fan is offering a reward for the return of an England flag he plans to take to the World Cup final. If England make the final in Moscow on Sunday, Liam Robbins fears he will have to travel without his St George’s Cross, emblazoned
THIS year’s Witney Carnival theme is Once Upon a Time and organisers are hoping for a fairytale ending to Saturday’s event. The annual celebration regularly draws up to 10,000 people as revellers flock to the Leys to enjoy the festivities. While
MORE than 200 people turned up to give their views on plans for an urban district north of Oxford. The Oxford North scheme could create 4,500 new jobs and 480 homes on land between the Wolvercote roundabout, the A34 and the Peartree roundabout.
A 161-YEAR-old locomotive has been polished up ready for its day in the sun this weekend. Wantage Tramway No 5 will be brought out of her engine shed at Didcot Railway Centre on Saturday for a rare chance to see her in the open air. At 12 noon
SUMMERTOWN Library will reopen next week after a six-week £90,000 refurbishment project funded by the community. The South Parade library has been transformed to create space for up to 100 people for events, with new bookshelves, an expanded children
A 22-YEAR-old who died in the River Thames near Donnington bridge has been named as Amayad Bokhari. The Oxford-born man, who lived in Howard Street, died on the morning of July 1, an inquest into his death heard today. His unresponsive body
EXTRA paramedics will be out across Oxfordshire for what they anticipate will be a busy night, regardless of how England fare in today’s semi-final. South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) said emergency calls increased by nearly a third on Saturday
A COUNCILLOR will ask her authority to congratulate senior members after a swimming pool opened last month. Vale of White Horse District Council spent £1.3m renovating the Abbey Meadows pool. Katie Finch, councillor for Abingdon Abbey Northcourt
CYCLING, potholes and swim parks are top of the agenda for Witney’s newest town councillor. Andy McMahon was elected to represent Witney North last month following the departure of Carol Reynolds earlier this year. Mr McMahon only decided to
There has been a lot in the news recently about plastic. From headlines about the eight million tonnes of plastic being dumped in our oceans each year, to America dumping its electronic waste in Ghana; from Mumbai in India being the first city to
OFSTED South East director Chris Russell shines the spotlight on a very special Oxfordshire school which is helping some of the county's most vulnerable children. The teenage years can be challenging and difficult for children. There are so
ABINGDON’S ‘last’ Yeah Baby festival took place on Saturday, after a decade of fundraising for three charities. But organisers hinted it might not be a final goodbye for the event, which was begun in memory of youngster Amber Phillpott and has
A COCONUT shy and 'splat the rat' game could help a congregation to improve church facilities. The popular games are among a packed programme of family-friendly activities in Sandford-on-Thames this Sunday, which will fundraise for a Littlemore
A NEW pop-up office space and art studios is set to officially launch in Oxford. Makespace has been set-up temporarily in a building owned by Wadham College in Jericho. The launch party for the new space will take place on Saturday from 2pm until
'PURPOSEFUL' teaching and polite pupils have impressed an Ofsted inspector. Launton CE Primary School near Bicester has maintained its rating of 'good', according to the regulator, after a short check-up inspection last month. A letter sent to
AS PART of RAF centenary celebrations a screening of aviation documentary Spitfire and a Q&A with one of its directors will take place in Abingdon. David Fairhead will be at the Unicorn on July 18 from 7pm to talk about the film, which uses
BIRD song took on new meaning at a village church after a swift got stuck in a 100-year-old organ. Parishioners of St Matthew’s Church, Harwell, rallied to the rescue when the swift became lodged in the organ pipe on Friday. The bird was first
THE proportion of items successfully recycled in West Oxfordshire will be discussed at a meeting today. Figures released ahead of the meeting show nearly 27 per cent of the district's waste was recycled. Vale of White Horse, Oxford City and South
A RECORD sum of cash raised at an annual fete will help to refurbish a school kitchen. Sandhills Community Primary School in Oxford has announced the impressive £1,600 profit made at its school fete, which took place at the end of June. The school's
AN OXFORD dance school celebrated a silver milestone in showbusiness in January 1981 with a pantomime performance of Hansel and Gretel. It was the 25th production by the Jackie Bebbington School of Dance – based at the Rose Hill Community Centre
ONE of the organisers of a new youth group music festival has said she is 'hugely excited' for its big debut this weekend. George Hicks, who runs the Sweatbox youth club in Wantage, hopes the first 'What The Fest!' on Saturday will be 'amazing day
A COMMUNITY meal will connect strangers in Cowley on Friday. The 'Neighbourhood Kitchen' will see residents from all backgrounds, ethnicities and ages sit down to share a meal in the Ark T Centre between 6.30pm and 8.30pm. It is being put on
A HEADINGTON church will be hosting a series of free concerts every Wednesday. The annual weekly Summer Festival of Music and the Arts will be held in the ground of All Saints' Church in Headington. The Recorder Club of St Luke's Church from
PUPILS from Brightwell cum Sotwell Primary have put on a performance of Theseus and The Minotaur. The year 3, 4, 5 and 6 children were congratulated on what one Wallingford audience member declared was 'the best the school had seen'. Headteacher
THE business brains of the future can learn more about studying the profession at an Oxford Brookes open day. The Postgraduate open day for prospective students will be held on Saturday between 9.30am and midday. It will provide a chance to visit
TWO law students at Oxford Brookes University will compete in the national finals of the leading national criminal advocacy competition this month. Bramble Badenach-Nicolson and Carola Binney qualified for the competition finals in June and will
WORLD Cup fever has gripped Oxfordshire and we want to see how you are backing England ahead of tonight's World Cup semi-final against Croatia. Football fans are preparing for the clash by dressing up their dogs, decking out their homes and businesses
A BIG screen will not be erected in Oxford for England's World Cup semi final tonight after the city council decided against it. There have been growing calls for Oxford to have its own large outdoor screen similar to those seen in other cities
A BROKEN down vehicle caused delays on the A34 southbound carriageway between the Milton Interchange and North Abingdon this morning. The vehicle blocked one lane and drivers faced delays of 10 minutes during the morning rush hour. Police awere
THE developers behind a proposed 190-home community in Wolvercote have defended concerns over burglaries, fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour. CALA Homes has clarified its plans for a new housing estate, GP surgery and community centre at the
BEN Charlesworth was in the runs as England Under 19s beat South Africa in the first of their two Test matches yesterday. The Oxfordshire all-rounder, who was in the team alongside fellow county plyer Harrison Ward, finished on 41 not out as England
A FORMER Oxford midwife has returned to the Churchill Hospital after 60 years to see her artwork displayed as part of a special NHS 70th anniversary exhibition. June Simms, 86, left the Headington hospital to have a family in 1958, moving to Surrey
CAPTAIN Joe Butcher hit a sensational century and then took four wickets as Abingdon Vale beat hosts Tiddington by 95 runs in Division 1. At 101-6, Vale were in deep trouble having opted to bat first. But Butcher then took centre stage, with
WOLVERCOTE batsman Tim MacIntyre upstaged Oxenford’s Ayyaz Mallik to seal victory in a high-scoring OCA League Division 1 clash. Mallick scored a brilliant century for Oxenford, but saw them suffer an unlikely eight-wicket defeat. The hosts scored
WOLVERCOTE batsman Tim MacIntyre upstaged Oxenford’s Ayyaz Mallik to seal victory in a high-scoring OCA League Division 1 clash. Mallick scored a brilliant century for Oxenford, but saw them suffer an unlikely eight-wicket defeat. The hosts
POLICE have declined to reveal the nature of an operation using an unmarked car on Botley Road yesterday. Officers were spotted on the bridge near Waitrose speaking to the apparent owners of another car shortly after 1pm. The Oxford Mail asked
SHANDON Baptiste was happy to deliver for Oxford United in their 5-1 win at Longford Town. The 20-year-old provided three assists, two of which were for Jon Obika, in the victory against the League of Ireland Division 1 side. His first came before
THE Mini plant production line will grind to a halt tonight as workers are given the evening off to watch the big game. For the first time in the tournament the car plant’s owners BMW have decided to shut early at 6.30pm to give staff the chance
GARSINGTON Sports A continued their bid to become Greene King Oxford & District League Premier Section champions for the first time when beating Chequers C 3-0, writes ANDY BEAL. Barry Ruffels led the way with 13 dolls (5-3-5) in a 29-26, 27
A SENIOR leader at one of the country's best state schools is set to become the first ever headteacher at Oxford's new Swan School. Despite not having yet secured planning permission for the 1,260 secondary school in Marston, bosses are persevering
CAPTAIN Joe Butcher hit a sensational century and then took four wickets as Abingdon Vale beat hosts Tiddington by 95 runs in Division 1. At 101-6, Vale were in deep trouble having opted to bat first. But Butcher then took centre stage, with
CHILDREN who were moved out of a special school in Blackbird Leys will be back in by September, according to a senior county councillor. Parents and pupils attending Northfield School protested with staff to retain and refurbish it, despite Oxfordshire
GARETH Southgate’s smart look on the touchline is boosting sales of waistcoats in Oxford. England fans are trying on the dapper garments, according to gentlemen’s outfitters in the city. Despite everyone trying to keep cool in the heatwave, the
FORMER England defender Martin Keown has urged Gareth Southgate's men to play without fear tonight and backed them to book a place in the World Cup final. The 51-year-old, who was born in Oxford on the day England last won a World Cup semi final
OXFORD United handed an unlikely debut to a 40-year-old last night – but boss Karl Robinson is expecting real reinforcements will be on the way shortly. The U’s manager revealed a cash bid for a permanent transfer had been accepted to boost his
SECURITY has been tightening up around Blenheim Palace in recent days in anticipation of a visit from President Donald Trump. The controversial US leader and the First Lady, Melania, will be hosted by Prime Minister Theresa May for a black tie
PUBS in Oxford are cheering on the England team as the World Cup continues to boost beer sales. Elisha Agar, 22, a member of the bar staff at the Eurobar Hotel in George Street, said the pub would be packed out for the semi-final against Croatia
