A GROUP of Oxfordshire businesses will lend support to a homeless hostel this year. OCTN, a network of 32 local business groups, will help Oxford Homeless Pathways (OxHoP), which runs the only direct access homeless hostel for people aged 25
GORDON Wilson was jobless and homeless when he visited a free workshop at Film Oxford in Catherine Street. Eight years later he works with Channel 4 as a documentary maker and his first full-length film, 66 Months, is being showcased at festivals
Art students have used Oxford museum pieces to invent weird and wonderful creations. The Pitt Rivers Museum and the Museum of the History of Science are hosting Necessity: The Mother of Invention. It features collections explaining how need led humans
In the first of our new features on Oxfordshire’s museums LIZ NICHOLLS sinks her teeth into the wonders of Oxford’s Natural History Museum. Bad day? Bad week? Hang in there because I’ve got just the cure for you: perspective. Yeah,
YOUNG ADULT (15 Comedy/Drama/Romance. Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser, Jill Eikenberry, Mary Beth Hurt. Director: Jason Reitman. Gentlemen don’t prefer blondes in Young Adult, a scabrous black
As majestic musical The King and I sweeps into Oxford, KATHERINE MACALISTER spends time getting to know the two lead actors and finds out what it takes to tackle such iconic roles. Is there anything you haven’t been in?” I ask Josefina Gabrielle
JON MURRAY kicks back and laps up the high-quality cuisine at a ski resort that is a perfect place to spend special occasions. IMAGINE a holiday where every meal you have is up to Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons standards – or better. Imagine
ANDREW FFRENCH gets under the covers with our latest Book of the Month, a mind-bending debut from author SJ Watson. * THE BOOK: EVER had a moment when you had to wrack your brain to remember something – the name of the goalscorer in that classic
CARNAGE (15) Comedy/Drama. Jodie Foster, John C Reilly, Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet. Director: Roman Polanski. Director Roman Polanski strips away the veneer of civility that supposedly separates man from beasts and reduces
They may not be quite sure how to describe themselves, but Midlands lads Dog is Dead are making a big noise at clubs and festivals around the country. TIM HUGHES finds out more about them. THEY’VE have had a tremendous 12 months, and are
Jurassic-themed dance artist Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, aka Orlando Higginbottom, tells TIM HUGHES about his rise to success, and how it all started right here in Oxford. MONSTER beats, killer breaks and great stomping basslines.
BUDDING DJs are urged to join a project to get Bicester on the internet radio waves. Alex Kerr has set up Bicester Internet Radio and is looking for presenters. People of all ages and backgrounds are needed to host of shows. Mr Kerr, a coach driver
Bats in a railway tunnel near Wolvercote will not hold up a £130m link between Oxford and London. But moves to press ahead with the long-awaited East-West rail link could delay Chiltern Railways’ plans to run commuter trains from Oxford to Marylebone
For the past 25 years Sheila Bailey has received left over, day-old flowers for Valentine’s Day – but she doesn’t complain. Mrs Bailey is the joint owner of independent flower shop Daisies in Jericho and Valentine’s Day is a busy day.
PAULINE Woods, a popular Didcot lollipop lady whose blood donations helped save the lives of hundreds of babies, has passed away, aged 68. Mrs Woods, of Green Close, Didcot, died on January 21, just days before her 69th birthday, following lung cancer
THE man responsible for looking after the teeth of Headington residents for more than 30 years has passed away, aged 89. Dr Raymond Read, who worked as a dentist in the area from 1951 until 1989, died peacefully at his home on Tuesday, January 24. He
MAURICE Andrews, one of Didcot’s best-known butchers, has died aged 90. Mr Andrews, who was born in the town on February 22, 1921, was the son of Hubert and Rose Andrews, of H Andrews & Son Master Butchers. One of seven children, Maurice Andrews survived
THE woman now in charge of Oxfordshire’s best loved beauty spot has promised to improve facilities at the visitor centre next to Wittenham Clumps. As reported in the Oxford Mail, Dr Jayne Manley has been appointed as the Earth Trust’s new chief executive
THE winner of last year’s West Oxfordshire photography competition is urging people to have a go. Self-employed business coach Peter Young, 52, from Long Hanborough, beat 117 entries to win the competition, which is run by West Oxfordshire District Council
Scribbles and words created by East Oxford artist Tamarin Norwood’s pen over the next week will form an exhibition at Modern Art Oxford. Visitors can chat to the writing artist, pictured, as she works at the Pembroke Street gallery between 1pm and 3pm
Witney town council has given out £3,630 in grants to 13 organisations this year. The grants are given to bodies judged to have contributed constructively to the life of the town. The grants include £650 to youth club Base 33 for project work, £100
ONCE rare red kites are becoming a pest because too many people are feeding them, according to conservationists. Between 1989 and 1994, 93 fledgling kites were released in the Chilterns where the birds had been hunted to extinction.
OXFORDSHIRE have high hopes when they kick-off their National Under 20 Championship South West A campaign against Berkshire at Henley on Sunday (2.15). And with 2011 group winners Dorset & Wilts losing to Buckinghamshire last week, Oxon believe they
Johnsons Buildbase Oxford League Comrades Club’s Adam Thorn was in top form to knock out Berinsfield’s Craig Mace 9,970-3,090 over two legs in the Pat Webber Cup, writes PETE EWINS. Phil McFarland defeated Masons’ Mick Murphy 6,380-4,290 in the other
TWO men have been arrested after a 40-year-old man was set upon in a baseball bat attack in Hollow Way, Cowley. He was treated for fractured ribs and a broken arm at the John Radcliffe Hospital after the attack, which happened at about 12.25am yesterday
WEST Oxford patients are worried about their doctors’ surgery moving to Jericho. The West Oxford Surgery, a branch of the Jericho Health Centre, will shut in May and move to a new building in the £11.5m redevelopment of the old Radcliffe Infirmary site
OBB Colts League Div 2: Bicester 54 (tries P Howard 7, M Duncalf, C Kohle, F Everitt; cons H Gaunt 2), Wallingford 7. Under 15: Banbury 29 (tries H Smith 2, S Jackson, H Graham, T Chapman; cons H Saar 2), Grove 0. Under 14: Effingham & Leatherhead 12
The county’s three local radio stations have won over more listeners latest figures suggest. About 71,000 people tuned into BBC Oxford from October to December compared to 62,000 in the same period in 2010. Glide FM’s audience went from 13,000 to 18,000
John Townsend posted a six in his 15 dolls as Clare Car Hire beat Garsington Sports Club 4-2 in the Gladiator Friday League. Cliff Lewis also had a night to remember, with his first six as Misfits beat Alders Oldies 5-1. Tim Daniels top-scored in the
Oxford & District star Katherine Hawes is through to the national finals of the English Indoor Bowling Association’s ladies’ champion of champions competition at Warner Lakeside, Hayling Island, tomorrow. Hawes booked a last-16 tie against
NORTH OXFORD Midweek Stableford: 1 D Clutterbuck 37pts, 2 R Simpson 35, 3 J Nicholson 33. Winter Challenge round 7: 1 F Ridler & B Watson 45 pts, 2 B England & J Riley 43, 3 N Allen & G Henwood 42. Winter Challenge round 8: 1 N Allen & G Henwood 48
Pensioner Constance Robarts failed to survive an operation to help her eat and drink more easily, an inquest heard yesterday. Oxford Coroner’s Court was told Miss Robarts, 84, died from acute peritonitis on August 1 last year at the Churchill Hospital
Burford have become one of the latest clubs in Berks, Bucks and Oxon to receive the GolfMark. This is awarded to clubs who meet standards of operation, particularly with regard to the development and care of juniors. Robin Thompson, Burford’s secretary
Frilford Heath’s new captain, Chris Allen, started his year in office with a bang. Just before the 61-year-old 13-handicapper, from Abingdon, drove into his office, he was distracted as his grandson Finley, ten, put an exploding ball on the tee. Photographer
A kitchen porter yesterday made allegations of racism against former colleagues at an £8,000-a-term prep school, an employment tribunal heard. Gazmir Dema claims he was branded a “terrorist” and “gypsy” at The Dragon School in Oxford, whose
Thame amateur Craig Hinton, who qualified for last year’s Open Championship at Royal St George’s Sandwich, will be flying the flag for England in a United States event this weekend. The 23-year-old, from the Oxfordshire Golf Club, is one of
Detectives want to speak to these three men after more than £7,000 of cigarettes and a CCTV unit were stolen from the One Stop shop in Wootton Road. The items were taken from a store room at about 5.20pm on Friday, January 20. Anyone who has any information
An 18-year-old has been ordered to pay £1,000 compensation after wrecking a £50,000 statue in Bristol. Jack Kennedy, of Asthall Leigh, near Witney, was caught after pictures of him climbing on the statue, outside the Royal West of England Academy in
OXFORD University fly half Tom Mitchell said he surprised himself by forcing his way into the England squad for the NZI Sevens in Wellington, which starts tomorrow. The 22-year-old joined the England party after his try-scoring appearance in Oxford’
FORMER Chinnor back-rowers Dave Seymour and Tom Johnson will be reunited in the England Saxons ranks for tomorrow’s clash with Scotland A at Galashiels. Sales Sharks captain Dave Seymour is on the bench, while Exeter’s Johnson gets a start at No 8.
New figures for Oxford reveal that close to half of all births were to non-UK mothers. Population statistics for 2010 show that 47 per cent of babies were to mothers born outside the UK, compared to the national average of 26 per cent. Oxford
OXFORDSHIRE ladies’ cross country champion Frances Briscoe finished 16th in the Midlands Cross Country Championships at Wollaton Park, Nottingham. Running for her first-claim club Coventry Godiva Harriers, Briscoe, who also competes for White Horse Harriers
Calgary Bay, from Henrietta Knight’s West Lockinge stables, near Wantage, was among 82 entries unveiled yesterday for the John Smith’s Grand National on Saturday, April 14. The nine-year-old gelding fell at the fourth fence in last year’s Aintree marathon
Carruthers could be back in action at Newbury on Saturday week after escaping serious injury in the Coral Welsh National. The Hennessy Gold Cup hero, from Mark Bradstock’s Letcombe Bassett yard, near Wantage, needed several stitches after being badly
HENLEY Hawks head coach Steve Barnes insists his side remain right in the National 2 South promotion race. Hawks slipped to fifth place and six points off a play-off spot following Saturday’s disappointing home defeat to Shelford. But Barnes believes
STEVE Naylor continued his strong start to 2012 with a 12th-place finish in the South of England Cross Country Championships at Stanmer Park, Brighton. The 32-year-old, from Woodstock, helped his first-claim club Bedford & County to a team silver medal
Today we talk to Anthony Church, the town crier of Oxford and several other towns in Oxfordshire WHAT I’M CALLED: Anthony Church BEM. MY AGE IN YEARS: 59. WHAT I DO: Town crier to the City of Oxford and Banbury, Chipping Norton, Daventry, Thame and
‘IN my 10 years as Leader of the Council, I have led an unremitting war against sloppy use of English,” thundered county council leader Keith Mitchell on his Internet blog on Friday. “I am about to admit defeat as I face the prospect of handing over
How I would rejoice if the Homes in Mulitple Occupation licensing system (Monday’s Oxford Mail) meant that Oxford’s low-income residents would have better housing as a result. But the city council has been having to push people towards inadequate housing
John MacAllister (Oxford Mai ViewPoints, January 19) seems to speak with some authority when he likens the cruise liner Costa Concordia to a biscuit tin and I, for one, should be genuinely interested to know in precisely what that expertise resides.
SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. NPOWER LEAGUE TWO. Oxford Utd v Barnet. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Chesham Utd v Banbury Utd, Frome v Oxford City. Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd v Gosport Boro, Cinderford v North Leigh, Didcot Tn v Halesowen.
IHAVE found over the past three months that writing this column has been a most cathartic experience. It culminates today when I let you into the deepest, darkest and most unpleasant secret of my life. I am having an affair. I am using this article
Why all the fuss about capping the amount of money a family gets in benefits? If folk can’t afford big families they need not have them. Just visit the chemist. To save money, don’t give winter fuel allowance to folk who live in Spain and similar places
All ranks from RAF, WAAF and WRAF – or next of kin – who served at RAF St Eval in Cornwall are invited to join the RAF St Eval Coastal Command Association. We have two reunions every year, in April and September, and publish two newsletters, in January
I welcome the positive coverage you have given to the first draft of a masterplan for Bicester but I need to challenge the priorities (Oxford Mail, January 26). They were “education, sports and health facilities and a resolution to traffic congestion
A visit to Bicester town centre on Tuesday revealed that those who pop in to make a quick purchase from one of the local shops have now lost the chance to park free in the on-street 30-minute zones in Market Square. These have been converted into bus
AN accident between two cars is partially blocking the High Street in Oxford. Police, who were called around 8.15am, and ambulance are currently on the scene. A woman, whose age is not yet known, is being treated at the site.
Oxford United Ladies are ready to embark on the biggest match in their short history – and they can’t wait. But while a trip to Manchester City in the FA Cup third round on Sunday February 5 has got the club buzzing, they are hoping it is the first of
TWO masked men armed with a knife and baseball bat threatened four people in an Abingdon home before smashing a television and computer. A 19-year-old man suffered minor injuries after he was hit in the face during the raid at the house in Willow Brook
Cowley Road Carnival has been killed off by the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Organisers announced last night the carnival would not go ahead this summer in any form – on the road or in the park. They said funding
So, new figures for Oxford reveal that in 2010, close to half of all births in the city were to non-UK mothers. Well, Oxford has always been a city shared and lived in by people from across the world, and all of them have helped shape and sculpt
Let’s be honest, this year was always going to be a tough year. What with the Olympics, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee AND a recession, it’s hardly surprising that the organisers of the Cowley Road Carnival have decided to put it on hold. After
Driving the new Volvo V60 leaves you with a reassuring glow — an orange glow that is. Both in the heads-up display of the windscreen and to the sides, the V60 delivers more technology aimed at keeping driver, passengers and pedestrians safe than any
Sir – I am a local author and social historian, currently researching a book commissioned by Viking Penguin about the stigma of illegitimacy from 1918 to the 1960s. It’s posing some intriguing questions. What was it really like to bear, or to be, an
Sir –While hen harriers are unlikely to colonise Oxfordshire, they do try further north and Charles Nodder’s defence of gamekeepers is disingenuous (Letters, January 26). In spring 2009, I spent a few days in the northern Peak District, walking across
Sir – You report (January 26) that Lord Blair “is now chairman of the new Fabric Advisory Committee” of Christ Church Cathedral. Until now this has been the only cathedral in the country subject to no outside control whatever (because of its status as
Sir – Oh dear! The danger with rhetorical questions is that they might get an answer. The ‘badge of every civilised person’ is not to ‘loathe that lot’, ie Gervais, Brand, Clarkson and Clive James. (Gray Matter, January 26). Not that I have any desire
Sir – In our street we have had five power cuts in less than three months, the last yesterday. Each time Southern Electric say they have fixed it. This cannot be allowed to go on. If one thinks of elderly people on the stairs or in the bath when the
Sir – I was interested to read about “Oxford’s only bullfighter” (Feature, January 26). I have always liked the idea that one needs to walk a mile in someone’s shoes before being qualified to criticise them. Perhaps we could see more along these lines
Sir – One is an ‘animal rights extremist’ if one protests against bullfighting?! (Feature, January 26.) Are you mad? One would have to be a sub-human empty shell not to. Had the article said ‘credible threats from normal, compassionate citizens’ it would
Sir – Leaving aside the question of where democracy in the county resides (Letters, January 5), it would seem that Keith Mitchell in his reply to Chris Hall (Letters, December 22), who accused the county council of wasting public money by holding a public
Three years ago, Askumar Limbu was jogging in Rose Hill and was drawn to the large open steel gates of the Lenthall Road Rose Hill Allotment Association (LRRHAA). A native of Nepal and a former Gurkha, Mr. Limbu had relocated to Rose Hill in December
Sir – More nuclear waste to be stored near village runs your headline (January 19). You quote East Hendred Parish Council Chairman John Sharp saying it is “of some concern” to his community. It should be of some concern to all of us. This
Sir – Two per cent of the annual NHS budget allocation for Oxfordshire over a period of two years is to be set aside for ‘non-recurrent expenditure’. This amounts to about £35.5m, much of which will be spent on the ‘non-recurring’, top down restructuring
Sir – Nick Clegg’s plans for a ‘John Lewis economy’ will not create a more responsible economy but simply increase the gap between those in jobs with high earning power and the multitude who are struggling to cope with the daily escalating prices
Sir – The BBC2 series Stargazing Live missed a valuable opportunity during the discussion on SETI — the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence. Scientists may boast about their technological achievements but there is a paradox here; we feed nearly
Sir – I enjoyed Nigel Clarke’s witty response (Letters, January 26) to my letter of January 12 about British and French railways. But he seems to misunderstand the French pricing system when he states that the Avignon-Paris fare “is” £43.50. The prices
Sir – On the subject of comparing the efficiencies of different railway systems, I had the privilege of spending the Christmas and new year periods in Singapore with friends and had the opportunity to enjoy the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system there.
Sir – Robert Mitchell is mistaken in his surmise that the British Rail Residuary Board land has got extensive tree cover (Letters, January 26). The aerial photograph reproduced (January 19) was taken before the site was recently cleared. The only trees
Sir – I write to add my voice to the recent debate about the growing proliferation of kebab vans occupying the central streets of Oxford. As an alumnus of Pembroke College, I refer in particular to the van which dispenses fast food in Pembroke Square,
OXFORD: Detectives investigating a reported rape near Periwinkle Place, Blackbird Leys, have made no arrests. An investigation was launched after a 25-year-old woman reported being attacked by a stranger outside flats at about 4am on Sunday. Anyone
It is 70 years since that wartime evening when a small group of people gathered in the Old Library of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin for what was to be one of the most globally significant meetings in Oxford’s history. The group
A MAN walked into a building society yesterday with a replica gun, sparking a police alert. He walked into the Nationwide in Market Place, Banbury at 11.15am yesterday with what police believe was a replica plastic firing pistol. Thames Valley Police
A TEENAGER passed his driving test two days before he lost control of his car on a bend near Banbury, his mother revealed yesterday. Joanna Peck, 45, from Banbury, called for additional safety measures on Broughton Road following an inquest
There's no surprise that Roman Polanski finds drama in confined spaces. During the Second World War, he hid under the stairs to escape a Nazi round-up in Krakow and, after his parents were dispatched to concentration camps, he sought refuge with kindly
One of the gambits currently being employed by cinemas to lure potential patrons away from their television, computer or mobile phone screens is the live streaming of stage productions from prestigious venues around the world. This is an ironic reversal
CUMNOR: Firefighters tackled a small house fire in Forsters Lane caused by a wood-burning stove. The fire service was called by a neighbour at 5.25pm on Tuesday after they heard a smoke alarm inside the house. The blaze, in the ground-floor lounge,
HALF-price parking could be introduced in South Oxfordshire. Drivers using season tickets at council-run car parks will be better off if two discount schemes go ahead on April 1. But the initiatives designed to boost trade are set to cost the taxpayer
IF you have always found it impossible to get your head around maths, help could finally be at hand. Experimental psychologists at Oxford University believe they can help those left bemused by algebra, quadratic equations and long division by passing
FOUR Oxfordshire schools were among the best- performing sixth-forms in the country last year, according to new figures. Based on an average points score for A-Levels, International Baccalaureate and equivalent sixth- form qualifications in 2011, St
THE future of the Banbury and District Show has been secured and it will be free for the first time this year. Banbury Town Council has stepped in to manage the June 10 show after organisers were hit in the pocket by last year’s rain-sodden event. The
IFFLEY Community Shop staff are appealing for people to use it more after earning a profit of just £14 in a whole year. Volunteers running the shop in Church Way, Iffley village, insist it is thriving but want more customers to boost takings. They have
