One of Oxford’s biggest primary schools, which only came out of a notice to improve three years ago, has been praised by Ofsted inspectors. Windmill Primary School, in Margaret Road, Headington, which has more than 400 pupils, has been rated
A man who allowed his bank account to be used to cash cheques stolen from an elderly Parkinson’s disease sufferer has been jailed. Charles Reid, of Centaury Place, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday after
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg refused to tell voters in East Oxford who he would back in a coalition government on a visit to the city today. When asked to say where his loyalties would lie if there was a hung Parliament after next Thursday
An 87-room hotel next to Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium is still on the cards if planning permission is renewed. Former Oxford United chairman Firoz Kassam has reapplied to Oxford City Council to build the three-storey hotel on derelict
A man was found dead on the railway line near Cholsey this afternoon. Thames Valley Police were called just before 4pm after reports of a man being hit by a train. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity is not
A former Oxford United footballer who fears losing his leg after being crushed by a car is suing for more than £300,000. Father-of-three Steve Tavinor, 36, was unloading scaffolding from a lorry in Steeple Aston when a Jaguar car hit him.
LIBERAL Democrat leader Nick Clegg refused to tell voters in East Oxford who he would back in a coalition government on a visit to the city today. When asked by the Oxford Mail to say where his loyalties would lie if there was a hung Parliament
A MAN who allowed his bank account to be used to cash cheques stolen from an elderly Parkinson’s disease sufferer has been jailed. Charles Reid, of Centaury Place, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading
A MAN was found dead on the railway line near Cholsey this afternoon. Thames Valley Police were called just before 4pm after reports of a man being hit by a train. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity is not
A YOUTH worker is trying to dispel negative myths about Africa by spreading the word about the continent and its history. Natty Samuels, who lives in East Oxford, set up his African School on the city’s Blackbird Leys estate, to inspire local people
AN 87-room hotel next to Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium is still on the cards if planning permission is renewed. Former Oxford United chairman Firoz Kassam has reapplied to Oxford City Council to build the three-storey hotel on derelict land between
WHEN Lou Reed released his album Metal Machine Music back in the mid-70s it divided fans as no album has since. I say, divided, but, in truth, all but a handful dismissed it as unlistenable. An entire album of tuneless guitar feedback it was described
ONE of Oxford’s biggest primary schools, which only came out of a notice to improve three years ago, has been praised by Ofsted inspectors. Windmill Primary School, in Margaret Road, Headington, which has more than 400 pupils, has been rated ‘good’ by
A FORMER Oxford United footballer who fears losing his leg after being crushed by a car is suing for more than £300,000. Father-of-three Steve Tavinor, 36, was unloading scaffolding from a lorry in Steeple Aston when a Jaguar car hit him.
Today was officially the hottest day of the year so far but forecasters have warned sun seekers that the weather will not stay as balmy for the Bank Holiday weekend. Mercury levels reached 22C in some parts of Gloucestershire and Suffolk, making
RUNNERS, joggers and people with disabilities are limbering up for a charity fun run in Oxford’s University Parks to raise cash for good causes. The Oxford Rotary 2010 Charity Fun Run and Walk for the Less Able is less than two weeks away and organisers
Oxford University has secured £72m for groundbreaking research aimed at solving some of the world’s biggest problems. Multi-millionaire computer scientist Dr James Martin promised to donate up to £33m if the university raised a similar amount in
A pedestrian who died in a collision on the A40 in Witney has been identified. Adam Tippett, 24, from Staffordshire, was killed in an accident involving a silver BMW on Sunday morning at a lay-by on the westbound carriageway, just after the Witney
A pedestrian who died in a collision on the A40 in Witney has been identified. Adam Tippett, 24, from Staffordshire, was killed in an accident involving a silver BMW on Sunday morning at a lay-by on the westbound carriageway, just after the Witney East
Oxford University has secured £72m for groundbreaking research aimed at solving some of the world’s biggest problems. Multi-millionaire computer scientist Dr James Martin promised to donate up to £33m if the university raised a similar amount in a year
Three teenagers from an Oxford estate are to be handed Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) to halt their bad behaviour. Officers from the Blackbird Leys police team are drawing up the contracts with a list of acts the offenders have agreed not to commit
Train services are currently delayed after a person was hit by a train at Cholsey. Services between Reading, Didcot Parkway, Oxford, Swindon, Chippenham and Bath Spa have been disrupted.
Train services are currently delayed following an incident at Cholsey. Services between Reading, Didcot Parkway, Oxford, Swindon, Chippenham and Bath Spa have been disrupted.
Unlike the Champions League and Europa Cup, there is NO rule of away goals counting double in the play-offs. That lessens the need to grab a goal away from home, though one or two wouldn’t go amiss!
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg refused to tell voters in East Oxford who he would back in a coalition Government on a visit to the city. Asked to tell residents, thousands of which work in the public sector, where his loyalties would lie
Goalkeeping coach Alan Hodgkinson and keeper Billy Turley were both formerly at Rushden. Hodgkinson said: “I wasn’t there that long, about a couple of years. “It’s a good club, with excellent facilities . . . that was one of the big selling points
Chris Wilder is confident his Oxford United team have the players to handle the big occasion. They have proved that already this season, he says. As the U’s prepare for a nail-biting two-legged play-off semi-final against Rushden, starting at Nene
NEW Young Pony Club took the stage with a new look and a new sound. The '80s look had been fused with something more modern and sleek, but it was the music, much rawer, yet also more complex and with more subtle, thoughtful lyrics, that took centre stage
Police called on revellers to behave responsibly this May Bank Holiday weekend as more people are expected to come into Oxford to celebrate the May morning celebrations. With more than 30 premises extending their licences, police in the city
Leading scorer James Constable believes the team haven’t been getting the breaks in front of goal recently, or they would have been in the same scoring form as they were in the first half of the season. But maybe that will change in the
Mystery surrounds the exact location of the Oxfordshire Cup, which Chinnor won on Sunday. Chinnor captain Matt Hutchings had to be given a substitute trophy after his side’s 68-0 victory over Witney – because the real cup was not returned. Oxford Harlequins
Prop Ollie Tomaszczyk was named Oxford University’s player of the year at their end of season dinner. The powerful ball carrier was the toast of his teammates, while back-row forward Michael Rickner won the Director of Rugby Award. Another prop, Will
Abingdon RFC president Paul Murphy will become only the second Oxfordshire representative to take up the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) top job. Murphy has been nominated as RFU junior vice president for the 2010-11 season, a post that leads to him being
Seven Dark Blues have been named in the Oxbridge Under 23 squad to face their Combined Services counterparts at Twickenham on Saturday. The 12 o’clock game is a curtain-raiser for the traditional Army versus Navy clash at 3pm. Full back Will Browne,
I will be revealing my Oxford Mail team of the season in Friday’s paper, so don’t forget to buy your copy. All players have been judged against the level they compete at, so there is a fair spread of clubs. With three teams having secured promotions
JAMES O’Reilly scored two tries as rugby league side Oxford Cavaliers lost 30-24 to Bedford Tigers in their final pre-season friendly. Cavaliers led 16-4, but could not quite contain the visitors in their first home game after returning to Oxford RFC
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg refused to tell voters in East Oxford who he would back in a coalition Government on a visit to the city. Asked by the Oxford Mail to tell residents, thousands of which work in the public sector, where his
AEA Technology 22.5 BMW 3197 Electrocomponents 226.3 Gladstone 33.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 90.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.35 Oxford Catalysts 67.5 Oxford Instruments 285 Reed Elsevier 509.75 RM 177.25 RPS Group 215.1 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley
IT IS not uncommon for Oxford researchers to be crying out for volunteers to help with groundbreaking research. But what makes studies at Oxford Brookes University different is the age of the people they need – babies, aged just four to 14
A GROUP of mums are celebrating the end of a five-year battle to build a new playground in their village. Work finally started at Station Road recreation ground in Cholsey ahead of a grand opening on Sunday, after a long-running campaign by parents.
OXFORD City and Radley em-erged victorious in the boys and girls’ competitions as the Fit-2-Run Oxfordshire Track & Field League began at Horspath Road. City saw off Radley by four points in the boys’ event, while Radley posted a nine-point win over
SPRINTER Seb Tully-Middleton has been fast-tracked as a future British Olympian after being chosen to join the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative. The 19-year-old former Chenderit School pupil, who lives in Culworth, near Banbury, will receive a cash
OXFORD City took the honours in their opening match of the Southern Women’s League Division 1 West season at Horspath. City finished eight points in front of North Devon, while Radley B, finished in fourth place in the new ten-team format. For City
CHRIS Riley was Oxfordshire’s leading athlete at Sunday’s Virgin London Marathon. Riley, whose second-claim club is Headington Roadrunners, ran a personal best of 2hrs 31ms 57secs, finishing a highly impressive 73rd in a field of more than 36,000 runners
SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Section 1 Tadmarton Heath 2½ (3½pts), The Oxfordshire ½ (½) (Tadmarton Heath first): L Robinson & S O'Connor bt P Green & J Garnish 5&3, S Hallam & C Lowe bt D Knight & G Abbott 5&4, G Sambrook & O King halved
The strength of the housing market varies widely across the country this spring with prime property areas achieving larger-than-average price rises which put a healthy glow on the entire market. That is the conclusion of several market analyses this
WARBURTONS BICESTER AND DISTRICT LEAGUE Div 1: Highfield SC A 2, Black Bull B 1; Black Bull A 2, Prince of Wales 1; Football Club 3, Bull Launton 0; Crown B 0, Star 3. Div 2: Red Cow A 3, Barley Mow 0; Fountain 2, Highfield SC B 1; Red Lion 2, Bull
Kingston Bagpuize BC have officially opened their impressive new £34,000 all-weather outdoor playing surface. Alison Rooke, from the Vale of White Horse District League, performed the ceremony. An 18-end match, organised by captain Frank Abraham, between
Lee Jackson and Simon Alcock teamed up to secure a convincing victory in the Burford Pro-Am. North Oxford pro Jackson and Frilford Heath amateur Alcock triumphed by five strokes with the lowest winning score since 2005. Gross rounds
Leighton Davies receives his green jacket and trophy from captain John Barr after winning the Kirtlington Masters. Davies stormed to victory with a nett seven-under-par second round, which saw him beat Duncan Cooper by three shots. Paul Slade was third
Vikings sprang a massive surprise in the Johnsons Buildbase Oxford League’s Team Knockout Cup Group A semi-final with a 4-1 victory over Premier champions Kennington Club at Headington Conservative Club, writes PETE EWINS. Bob Allsworth’s 3,000 break
This was initially a very tight affair, Hanney were missing their regular goal keeper and two other players due to the A34 being closed. The game started with a full but makeshift Hanney team. Kidlington dominated the first 20 minutes and had a few chances
7.35: All Spice 3, Dees Charm 2, Primo Hann, Strike Away Ally, Thurlesbeg Lough, BROTHER CHARLIE. 7.50: PRIMO RUSSIAN, Pennys Awesom, Call It Mylene, Conduit, Kilmore Amey 3, Dave The Chain 2. 8.05: Ballymac Shane, Greyfox Pennypop, WHEN IN ROME, Mixababe
VILLAGERS are organising a mountain bike challenge to raise cash for their village hall. ‘Uptonogood’ will take place on Sunday, June 20, at Upton, near Didcot. Organisers hope more than 200 people will turn out for the rides, ranging in length from
THIRTEEN is the lucky number for a group of opticians raising money for charity. That is the number of people from across the county who have organised and will take part in a triathlon to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Trust. The event on Sunday
A GAP-year student who toured London with a camera – dressed as a photo booth and asking people what their favourite facial features were – has won £5,000 in a competition. Ben Shorter, 19, beat 160 other film makers to the prize after winning
Police are appealing for witnesses after a Headington shop was broken into overnight. Thieves broke into La Croissanterie, in Old High Street, by smashing the rear doors and stole a quantity of cash from the tills. PC George Atkinson said: “This
REVELLERS gathering on Wallingford’s riverbank say they are not to blame for littering or disorder at the beauty spot. Last week, litter bins were burnt out and smashed bottles and cans left close to Wallingford bridge, near where new moorings are being
Would-be robbers demanded money and threatened men in two attempted robberies in East Oxford last night. In the first incident in Stratford Street, two men approached a 33-year-old-man and demanded money. In the second, which happened in the same road
A young woman faces a terrifying ordeal in J. Blakeson’s accomplished feature directorial debut. The Disappearance of Alice Creed is an edge-of-seat thriller that by its simple design – three characters trapped predominantly in one location – could easily
At too high a price, I know, the closure of our air space brought a few days of blissful silence without the overhead roar of jet engines. Last weekend, when the A34 was closed for work on the Wolvercote viaduct, we in West Oxford enjoyed a day free of
‘Take a bike ride in the sunshine into Oxford tomorrow,” a helpful reader from South Oxfordshire suggested in a telephone call to me last Thursday. “I think you will be surprised at how few of the colleges will be flying the flag of St George.” I did
Ten minutes walk from Carterton town centre, Valiant Court is a new development of two flats and three bungalows targeted at over 55s. As the Black Bourton Road development is owned by Harry and Anthony Watts, who run the nearby Robert & Doris Watts
Charley’s Aunt it is most certainly not – except that Laura Wade’s portrait of Oxford undergraduate life, Posh, is a play set among a similarly nobby set with the Lord Fancourt Babberley of Brandon Thomas’s celebrated farce matched, though not
Will Bratt makes his first visit to the Marrakech street circuit in Morocco this weekend, when the second event of the 2010 FIA Formula 2 Championship gets under way. Making a strong debut in the category a fortnight ago during the season-opening
"Down it in one as you would with an oyster,” said Rosemarie, as we eyed the round ‘pillow’ of white transparent jelly wobbling in front of us. But I had other ideas and tackled Emily Watkins’s new take on Gin Fizz with a spoon. The result was
A two-bedroom property in Temple Cowley with impressive views over the city and secure parking is available to rent. The apartment, on the third floor of new building Spire View in Crescent Road, has bi-fold doors that lead on to a private veranda.
A record nine out of 10 people who bought a new-build property were pleased with the quality of their home, a survey showed today. Around 88 per cent of people who bought a new home during the 12 months to September 2009 said they were very or fairly
When the discussion turned to boiling the perfect egg the other night, all my friends had an opinion. It proved a fascinating conversation because everyone had a different theory. It was rather like discussing which goes into the cup first, the hot tea
Now that the hedgerows are greening up and the blackthorn is in full bloom, driving down the little road that leads to Callow Farm Shop, near Stonesfield, is a real joy. I made my trip during the period when volcanic ash was preventing aircraft from
Cochineal beetles that have been crushed and mixed with linseed oil and water act as the foundation wash for several of Karen Purple’s remarkable pictures on show at the North Wall Arts Centre. Other pictures are given a foundation wash created from stinging
It’s not often that a choir can gather together such a starry line-up as Dame Emma Kirkby, Christine Rice, Jane Glover and Ian Bostridge for one concert. But Schola Cantorum has done exactly that for its 50th anniversary gala concert, which is being held
There are very few singers who have achieved as much as Laura Marling in her 20 years on the earth, nearly all of which have been financed by either Disney or Simon Fuller. Her rapid rise is signalled not only by her becoming an artist whose albums sell
Of the 91 men and one woman who have occupied No 10 Downing Street since 1732, when Sir Robert Walpole moved in at the suggestion of George II, only one so far has come from an Oxfordshire constituency. He was Frederick, Lord North (1732-92), the
Alphabet Backwards is a band that take up one of the British pop music’s most popular and chameleonic mantles, that of radio-friendly, hummable songs with a touch of social commentary, seeking to find beauty, poetry and solace in the banality and traditions
Every year I bang on about the ODN (Oxfordshire Drama Network) Festival held at the Unicorn Theatre in Abingdon. This year the dates are May31st- June 5th. Two or three plays are put on every night and a good time is had by all. The adjudicator
It is extremely rare for any audience to be expressly told not to applaud the artist as they take to the stage or during the performance, but these are the exact instructions that are issued just before Rufus Wainwright begins his set. The reason
One hundred and one photographic portraits, and every one depicts a member of the Christ Church community who has been connected with the college in some way for more than ten years. Each person has been photographed in a place of their choosing within
‘Amateur’ and ‘opera’ are words which, in juxtaposition, usually make me run a mile. But the Oxford Singers’ performance of Britten’s Albert Herring last week had very little which was ‘amateur’ about it. This was a highly entertaining production, with
Police are appealing for witnesses after two attempted robberies in Stratford Street, off Iffley Road, Oxford, at about 10.30pm yesterday. In the first incident, two men approached a 33-year-old-man from behind and demanded money. In the second
Tom Stoppard’s analysis of ‘the real thing’ in his 1982 play of that name is concerned with the search for truth and morality in politics, play writing and human love. In the matter of the first, he annoyed members of early audiences with what seemed
Tonight’s event marks the grand opening of Oxford’s newest venue, Glee Club, the third club of its kind in the UK with sister venues in Birmingham and Cardiff. The venue promises to bring the best the UK’s comedy circuit has to offer. This is welcome
Changeable skies saw in the first of Garsington’s two Spring Concerts this year with the rain holding off long enough for a few picnickers to brave it in the gardens. This was a celebratory occasion, a concert in honour of pianist and conductor Steuart
There’s no reception desk on the ground floor of Modern Art Oxford now. The gallery has been refurbished to accommodate a giant screen, which is showing a 70- minute film Déjà vu, shot on location at Rose Hill. Commissioned by MAO, it is the work of
St Giles Orchestra is 30 this year, and while Saturday’s concert wasn’t billed as an anniversary event, it easily could have been with this feel-good programme. The opening piece, Josek Suk’s Fantastic Scherzo, certainly had a celebratory feel
When Sir Harcourt Courtly, the corpulent 57-year-old ‘weather-vane of the beau monde’, decides to take a wife, no one is more certain than he of his base and mercantile intentions. A visit to Oak Hall in Gloucestershire, country seat of the Harkaways,
Oh no: Glen Campbell’s just turned 74! Oh yes: he’ll be at the New Theatre on Saturday night! Acknowledged as being one of the great session guitarists, he played with artists like Bobby Darin, Merle Haggard, Presley and Sinatra. It may be that
Entertaining and irritating in almost equal measure, Eric Chappell’s Wife After Death bears little similarity to life as most of us know it. Its concern is the funeral of a major comedy star, who is discovered to have been a serial philanderer.
Britain could see its warmest day of the year so far today as temperatures head towards a balmy 23C (73F). Parts of south-east England could see the mercury reach at least 22C as much of the country enjoys unseasonably warm weather. Helen
WITH the country swamped by General Election fever, people are being reminded not to forget the local elections. Thirty-nine candidates are standing for 17 seats at the Tory-controlled Cherwell District Council on Thursday, May 6. These include two
Sixteen of the 48 seats on West Oxfordshire District Council are up for grabs next week. Ahead of the elections, the political balance of the council was: Conservatives, 38 seats; Liberal Democrats, six; Independents, two; Labour, one; with one vacantcy
West End playwright Willy Russell has become the unlikely saviour for a young Oxford fan who looked set to miss tomorrow’s big play-off match. Football-mad Ollie Williams faced a difficult choice: watch Oxford United’s semi-final or concentrate
Oxford United’s play-off opponents Rushden will be faced with hundreds of Chris Wilders in the two-legged semi-finals! Supporters trust OxVox have had a mass of Chris Wilder masks produced, and fans have been snapping them up for the 12th Man
YOUNG people who gather on Wallingford’s riverbank say they are not to blame for littering or disorder at the beauty spot. The weekend before last, litter bins were burnt out and smashed bottles and cans left near Wallingford Bridge, close
A TEENAGER ruined St George’s Day celebrations in Didcot by stealing the England flag flying at the Civic Hall. The Cross of St George had been hoisted on the town’s flagpole to celebrate England’s patron saint’s day on Friday. But that
NEW play equipment at a Didcot playground has been modified after worried parents claimed it was “a death-trap”. Didcot Town Council’s new £60,000 Great Western Drive playground has proved popular with children since it opened last week, but
THE commanding officer of the Didcot’s bomb disposal heroes has thanked the people of Didcot for their “unwavering” support following their town parade. Lt Col Gareth Bex, who commanded the Counter-IED Task Force during its seven-month tour
WEST End playwright Willy Russell has become the unlikely saviour for a young Oxford fan who looked set to miss tomorrow’s big play-off match. Football-mad Ollie Williams faced a difficult choice: watch Oxford United’s semi-final or concentrate on his
Many thousands of workers die every year from accidents, occupational diseases and work-related driving. Workplace injuries, ill health and death are preventable. Today is Workers’ Memorial Day. All over the world, workers and their representatives
