Father-of-one Philip Blazdell has completed one of the world’s toughest marathons, the Baikal Ice Marathon in Siberia. Mr Blazdell, from Ambrosden, near Bicester, also raised £7,000 for charity The Iain Rennie Hospice At Home, which supports terminally
A team of cricketers made famous in three bestselling books will take on a Norwegian side in Oxford on Sunday. The Captain Scott Invitation XI, whose exploits have been documented in Penguins Stopped Play, Rain Men and Zimmer Men, will face the Oslo
Ballroom dancers will strut their stuff hoping to win a pot of cash for their favourite charity. Eighteen pairs of dancers have been in training since February to take part in the Strictly Bicester final this weekend. Sue Douglas is
Prime Minister David Cameron kept a bar-room pledge to allow a group of fundraisers to begin their bike ride from Downing Street. More than 30 cyclists set out from 10 Downing Street on the Mike Ride, in aid of Katharine House Hospice, in Adderbury,
A COMMUNITY project which bakes birthday cakes for children who might otherwise miss out is hoping the Jubilee Fund for Oxfordshire will help put a ‘cherry on top’ of its service. Free Cakes for Kids boasts a legion of volunteer bakers who spend their
SIXTY-SEVEN years after the Second World War ended, villagers are to recognise their soldiers who perished in the conflict. For decades people in Botley and North Hinksey did not realise any local servicemen had been killed in the war. A plaque in
WHILE the music industry rushes into the digital age, with even the MP3 download starting to look long in the tooth, one Oxford band are doing their best to celebrate the golden age of recorded sound. Jazz-jive-rockers The Original Rabbit
Protesters at Oxford Brookes University were tonight preparing for their second night under canvas. About 25 students, calling themselves Occupy Brookes, put up tents and banners at the Gipsy Lane campus on Wednesday to protest against tuition fee rises
AN EAST Oxford music venue has responded to concerns over its plan to extend opening times, as objections from residents continue to mount. The O2 Academy in Cowley Road has applied to open an hour earlier every day and stay open until midnight on Sundays
LOCKOUT (15). Sci-Fi/Action/Thriller. Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare, Lennie James, Vincent Regan, Joe Gilgun, Tim Plester, Jacky Ido. Directors: Stephen St Leger, James Mather One man can make a difference – he can
Take Raymond Blanc. Like all the big-name chefs, the product and the man have become almost indistinguishable from each other. Which means when you do break through, it’s even more enlightening. Katherine MacAlister speaks to the famous French chef about
The first major solo exhibition by British artist Shezad Dawood proves to be a challenging experience for SARAH MAYHEW at Modern Art Oxford. A cacophony of cultural collisions, integration and appropriation… “Where am I, who am I, and what
TIM HUGHES talks to singer-songwriter Jessica Goyder. SHE’s travelled the world, earning fans wherever she goes. But for the launch of her debut release, singer-songwriter Jessica Goyder has chosen a venue that is about as homely as it is
KATHERINE MacALISTER tries out a favourite old city pub that has changed hands. It’s a brave man that takes on one of Oxford’s most ancient landmark pubs, strips out the ‘character-building’ decor, removes the £2.50 a pint menu, brings in
SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN (12A). Drama/Romance/Comedy. Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr Waked, Tom Mison, Rachael Stirling, Conleth Hill. Director: Lasse Hallstrom A socially awkward fisheries expert reels
JEREMY SMITH looks at Michael Crichton’s final literary effort, which is the latest Guide Book of the Month. THE BOOK: HERE’s the list – Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Sphere, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The Lost World
Spanish musician Juan Zelada tells TIM HUGHES about his money-back guarantee to fans. MOST musicians are fairly confident about their work. But Juan Zelada has gone further than most to promise people a good night out at his shows. In a
A CHARITY which helps people with mental health problems is set to get hundreds of pounds of free electricity thanks to a green thinking community group. Low Carbon East Oxford entered a competition to win a major solar panel installation for an inspirational
AEA Technology 0.23 BMW 659 Electrocomponents 232.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 68.5 Oxford Biomedica 4.25 Oxford Catalysts 49 Oxford Instruments 1273 Reed Elsevier 526.75 RM 80 RPS Group 236.7 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Dora Saint, the author “Miss Read”, who has died aged 98, wrote homely and nostalgic stories about rural life in an English village called Thrush Green, based on Woodgreen in Witney. Born in April 1913, she grew up in Kent and London. She wanted to be
A former Oxford magistrate has died at her Boars Hill home aged 89. Jill Thomas, the wife of late Oxford GP David Thomas, passed away last Thursday of respiratory failure. She was being treated for thyroid cancer. Born Jill Bishop in Twickenham in 1922
BOMB disposal experts have been called to Banbury following the discovery of an unidentified device giving off fumes on a building site. Middleton Road in Grimsbury is closed in both directions between the Priory Vale Road junction and the
PROTESTERS at Oxford Brookes University are tonight preparing for their second night under canvas. About 25 students, calling themselves Occupy Brookes, put up tents and banners at the university's Gipsy Lane campus yesterday to protest against tuition
A COUPLE have just celebrated 60 years of wedding bliss, despite the bride-to-be not turning up on their first date. Fred and Beryl Ballard, from Headington, said their relationship had flourished despite the less than perfect start.
FOR years, volunteers have endured the cold and wet at Farmoor Reservoir to help disabled sailors like Emma Crees enjoy life on the water. Now a specially designed £500,000 pontoon will make the task of helping sailors into boats plain sailing. The
PLANs to build a second incinerator near Bicester are being discussed by councillors. Buckinghamshire County Council’s development control committee on Tuesday started a hearing over plans for a burner handling 300,000 tonnes of waste a year at Greatmoor
CONFIRMATION on where Oxfordshire children with heart problems will be treated could be a step closer today. The Royal Brompton Hospital in London has this morning lost its legal bid to save its heart unit from closure. The hospital’
Craig Haupt will miss most of Oxfordshire’s Minor Counties Trophy matches after breaking a bone in his right elbow. The burly Banbury left-hander suffered the injury during his match-winning century for Oxfordshire in their 50-over friendly win against
The number of people out of work and claiming benefit in Oxfordshire dropped last month by 168 to 8,080, or 1.9 per cent of the working age population. The month-on-month drop was recorded in all five districts across the county but is up by 116 on the
THE proprietor of an Oxford bar and restaurant has been convicted of attacking a customer. Hugh Anderson, 67, left, who runs the Hi Lo Jamaican Eating House in Cowley Road, East Oxford, was convicted of unlawful wounding by jurors at Reading Crown Court
SHE was a music-loving 24-year-old whose mild epilepsy was kept well in check as she travelled the world. But a year ago today Jane Swarbrick collapsed suddenly and died. It was another six months until the results of a post-mortem examination
CHILDREN, parents and staff are celebrating after Marcham Pre-School Playgroup was given an outstanding rating by Ofsted. The pre-school, based at the village primary, was given Ofsted’s highest rating in every area. In her report, inspector Margaret
Stagecoach bus tickets are to rise in price by an average of five per cent later this month. The firm, which runs services throughout Oxfordshire, says fares will increase from Sunday, April 29, to cope with rising operating costs and a hike
Rail passengers travelling between Bicester and Oxford are being warned to disregard online timetable information on the National Rail enquiries website. Due to a database fault, the website is advising passengers to travel via Banbury, rather than using
FOUR Oxfordshire bowlers have been selected for England trials next month. Headington’s Nathan Lewis will line up in the men’s trial at Norgren BC, Shipston-on-Stour, on Sunday, May 27. Oxford City & County duo Katherine Hawes and Donna Knight together
GLADIATORS Club B were crowned champions of Section 3 in the Johnsons Buildbase Oxford League after a 4-1 home victory over Vikings B, writes PETE EWINS. Although they lost the opening leg when Sean Stratford beat Richard Stowe 6,100-1,400,
LEADBITTER Oxford Academy can win the Oxon, Berks & Bucks Colts League Division 1 title if results go their way. Last week’s 35-7 victory over Chinnor means second-placed Oxford go into their final match three points behind leaders Amersham & Chiltern
WITNEY have become the first Oxfordshire club to be awarded RFU Accreditation status. The award, similar to Sport England Clubmark, recognises the strength of their mini and youth section, plus their growing links with local authorities and
Graham Brown (Spread Eagle, Abingdon) claimed his first Abingdon Winter League singles title with a 3-1 win over Brian Clapton (Abingdon United B). Clapton had earlier recorded a stunning 5-4-6 to knock out Barry Parker, the champion for the last three
Every so often you publish letters from atheists (Peter Garry March 27; Roger Keable, Monday’s ViewPoints) who ask for proof of God’s existence. By using our reason we can discover sufficient evidence for God’s existence. Consider the universe, nothing
Oxford Saints started their 2012-13 season with a 21-14 friendly defeat by South Wales Warriors at Abingdon RFC. Saints, who will play in Division 2 West of the British American Football Association Community League, went behind early on. But Jonny
Oxford have been handed a tough trip to Thame Town in the Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup first round on Tuesday, June 5 – after falling at their first hurdle last season. With the previous season’s semi-finalists seeded into the last eight, the city
Caitlin Shaw, from Burford, came third in the handicap section of the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Junior Girls Championships at Denham. Shaw, a 19-handicapper, recorded a nett score of 69. Elisha Gujral, from Kirtlington, won first prize in the stableford
Oxford United supporters have turned out in record numbers to buy early bird season tickets. Just under 3,100 fans have already snapped up their seats for the 2012/13 campaign, enticed by frozen prices and the potential of npower League One football
It has always been open to anyone to stand for election to a local council without a party label. The electorate then has the choice of voting or not voting for them. No Big Society, whatever that means, is necessary. SHEILA CUSS, Newland
You were kind enough to publish a letter from me on Tuesday about tracing an ex-RAF comrade. This is to let you know that I received a phone call from the person in question yesterday and we had a good chat and will be meeting up in the near future.
FRILFORD HEATH Ladies’ Andrew Walsh Trophy: 1 P Kendall. OXFORD CITY Robinson Cup: 1 P Parsons 41pts, 2 R Chivers 39, 3 S Tabor 36. OXFORD LADIES Cowley Cup: 1 R Stockford nett 74 (cb), 2 M Edwards nett 74.
Frilford Heath suffered a surprise 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Drayton Park in Section 1 of the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League. Drayton’s wins came from Martin Roberts and Graham Shirley, who won 4 & 3, and Darren Morton and Andy
Eddie Pepperell was not totally happy with his game despite finishing tied sixth in the EuroPro Final Qualifying School at Frilford Heath. Pepperell, who was playing on the Red and Blue courses at his home club, had rounds of 69, 71, 69 for
OXFORD: The court case of a man accused of causing the death of a cyclist by careless driving has been adjourned. Stephen Bateman, 74, was charged following the death of Joanna Braithwaite in Woodstock Road, North Oxford, on October 28 last
VOTERS are calling on Oxford City Council and developers to come clean about fresh plans to build student flats on St Clement’s car park. The future of the car park has emerged as a key issue in East Oxford during campaigning for next month
OXFORD City’s under 11 boys led the way with a victory in round one of the Wessex Young Athletes Track & Field League at Ashdown Leisure Centre, Poole. Jack Judson claimed first place in the category known as quad kids because athletes compete over four
OXFORD University will host the city’s “biggest sevens tournament for many years” at Iffley Road on Saturday, May 26. The 12-team charity invitational event will feature international sides such as Wales and Afghanistan, plus Oxford and Cambridge universities
Oxford City Council has a duty to residents to come clean over its plans for St Clement’s car park ahead of May’s election. Its move to sell part of the car park for student development caused a huge outcry when it was first mooted more than
I read with interest Michael Hugh-Jones’s letter about the postal price increases (View Points, April 6). As he says, from April 30 the cost of a first class stamp will rise from 46p to 60p, that’s 30 per cent more. Royal Mail was given permission to
OXFORD: The funeral of Rose Hill musician Aaron Buron will be held a week tomorrow at James Street Church, in East Oxford, at 11am. The 29-year-old died from stab wounds to the chest in St Martin’s Road, Rose Hill, on Saturday, March 31. Haydan O’Callaghan
YOU could be forgiven for forgetting there is a hosepipe ban in Oxfordshire as heavy downpours spread across the county yesterday. Tourists in Oxford huddled under umbrellas in Radcliffe Square and a blocked drain caused a large puddle in Becket Street
HENLEY Hawks will make a renewed effort at winning promotion next season after falling short this time around. That was the message from backs coach Pete Davies, who believes Hawks are as strong as any team in National 2 South. Old Albanians and Richmond
We would like to thank all those who participated in the convoy to the Pride of Longbridge run on Saturday, who together formed a great Cowley Convoy, see Picture This, right. Thank you also to Andrew Smith MP for waving us off and for members of the
Mick Heavey’s letter (Monday’s Oxford Mail ViewPoints – Make officials pay for wasting money) must have been uncomfortable reading for some council employees but it is reasonable to expect a sensible approach when administering taxpayers’ money. I suspect
If you thought the Liberal Democrats in Westminster were taking a beating after jumping into bed with the Tories, spare a thought for one of their former leading lights. Ex-MP Lembit Opik, right, no stranger to courting publicity, grabbed a headline
Transport Minister Norman Baker says he is ready to look at proposals to move Oxford railway station to Oxpens. Oxford Civic Society has been campaigning for a new station to be built in Oxpens at the heart of a new city transport hub, an idea previously
ELYSIA Ridley helped her first-claim club Swansea Harriers to a silver medal in the National Women’s Six Stage Road Relays at Sutton Park, Birmingham. Ridley, from Ascott-under-Wychwood, ran the first of the 4.819km legs, clocking 17mins 32secs. Swansea
OXFORD Harlequins coach Tony Edney praised the efforts of his players after they avoided relegation from National 3 South West. Quins achieved safety thanks to their 8-3 victory at Barnstaple on Saturday – their fourth win in five matches. Asked whether
A STRIKING RAF themed play area will be open by the school summer holidays in a bid to bring together military and civilian communities. The Ministry of Defence yesterday pledged £130,000 so work can start on the £330,000 Faulder Avenue, Carterton plan
VILLAGERS across Oxfordshire are going to get their own community cinemas after being among the groups handed almost £60,000 in ‘Big Society’ cash. Oxfordshire County Council also confirmed that, as part of the hand-out, the newly reopened Blackbird
I recently witnessed this scene in Headington. A cyclist, (cycling along), suddenly, a tut, an audible sigh, a shrug of the shoulders and roll of the eyes. Mutters: “What am I supposed to do now?” Despair you might think? No, the cyclist was riding
WHAT I’M CALLED: Simon Spiers. AGE: 48. WHAT I DO: Headteacher at King Alfred’s Academy in Wantage. This is an Academy with 1,900 students and 220 members of staff. WHERE I LIVE: Faringdon. WHO I LOVE
What is it about the English that makes us over-indulge to such a ridiculous extent? After all, it seems our existence is punctuated by an increasingly regular advent of celebrations that can only be enjoyed by eating our own bodyweight in
OXFORD City’s Steve Male, pictured after winning the Abingdon Marathon in October, is expected to be one of Oxfordshire’s leading finishers in the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday. Male, whose likely rivals for the county’s ‘No 1 spot’ include Abingdon
A DRIVER escaped serious injury near Abingdon last night when he crashed his car into a telegraph pole. Police and an ambulance crew were called at 9.20pm after the black Clio Expression hit the pole in the High Street, Sutton Courtenay. South Central
TWENTY drivers have been fined today for trying to jump traffic queues on the Botley Road by using the Seacourt park and ride lane. Pc Glenn MacRae and Pc Steve Higa were out for an hour and a half stopping and fining motorists £30.
THE mini Occupy-like encampment set up by protesting Students at Oxford Brookes University may get some rolling their eyes, but at least there is a focus to their campaign. Students are unhappy at fees and bursary changes at Brookes and,
Students inspired by the Occupy movement yesterday set up a protest camp at Oxford Brookes University. The students are protesting against the planned increase in tuition fees, which will see degree courses at Brookes costing £9,000 per year
The usually unflappable Maureen Lipman is in a bit of a tizzy when we speak. But as Barefoot In The Park, which she’s directing and starring in, is days from opening, it’s entirely understandable. “I’m doing this as a pure exercise in masochism. I’m
‘I think you’re horny,” Trekkie Monster from Avenue Q says rubbing himself while I sit, notepad in hand, interviewing him, trying not to act like Mary Poppins. “Do you want to come back to my room after this,” he continues, stroking away like a teenage
THE trial of Thame man Ensar Gol, 22, who denies murdering his wife and mother-in-law and attempting to murder a family friend was postponed yesterday. Gol, of Ireton Court, denies murdering Julia Sahin and Michaela Gol and attempting to murder
Wayne Brown admits winning a fourth promotion of his career this season would be a “great swansong” after being drafted in to replace the injured Ryan Clarke. The 35-year-old goalkeeper kept a clean sheet in his league debut for the U’s, a 0-0 draw at
THE former Oxford police commander who left the force after a high-profile court case is now protecting oil tankers from Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Jim Trotman quit Thames Valley Police after being acquitted in 2010 by a jury over allegations
It’s been a tough season for Oxford 1 in the top division of the Four Nations Chess League and in the remaining three matches at least 5 points from 6 will be needed to avoid relegation. The final matches will be played over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend
Sir – No need to go over the obvious ins and outs of why we end up without a water storage system, as yet more concrete is laid to hurry rainwater even faster to the rivers, then out to the sea. No, we want a sensible cure to the drought, which is rain
Sir – Readers of The Oxford Times are entitled to more serious fare than Mr Gray’s abysmal restaurant review last week. Apparently he visited the venue several months ago and by his own admission the review is based on a ‘murky recollection’ and ‘my
Sir – Burgess Field Nature Reserve, by Port Meadow, is one of the loveliest places in Oxford. It is spacious, green and tranquil and, if you go early in the day, you find roe deer that stare at you as you walk by. Although the city council tries to keep
Sir – One moment it is merely overcast, the next it is falling down with desperately-needed rain, and the next there is brilliant sunshine. One scarcely knows what to wear. Forget global warming, or climate change as we are now supposed to say. I
Sir – We are writing to express our incredulity on reading the report on the recent Ofsted inspection at Eynsham Primary School. As current/recent parents and active members of the community, and having had a great deal of involvement with the school,
Sir – I am attempting to trace anyone who has knowledge of a lad from Wantage by the name of Barry Wheeler. He will now be in his mid-60s and he joined the RAF as a boy entrant in 1962. A reunion is planned for the 50th anniversary of us ‘young boys’
Sir – All ranks from RAF, WAAF and WRAF or next of kin who served at RAF St Eval are invited to join the RAF St Eval Coastal Command Association. We have two reunions every year, in April and September and two newsletters, in January and July
Sir –The unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial in London on June 28 will provide the perfect opportunity for a formal announcement that, at last, a Bomber Command Campaign Medal (BCCM) is to be awarded. Special committees have been appointed in Canada
Sir – Clean it up! This is 2012 not 1512. The piles of dog mess in Betjeman Lane, the Betjeman Park and footpaths by the Letcombe Brook, Wantage, are disgusting. They need not be. This area of Wantage is a gem. Whoever walks a dog here and allows it
Welcome as the news is that progress is being made in cutting overcrowding on trains running through Oxfordshire, it only underlines how much remains to be done to bring the rail network into the 21st century. Newly-released Department for Transport
Sir – Two of your correspondents, Deborah Manley and Robert Triggs (Letters, April 12) quote religious texts to support their opposition to same-sex marriages. They seem to have overlooked the words of Jesus quoted in Matthew 18.19: “Again I tell you
Sir – It appears to be fashionable to highlight every misdemeanour of cyclists, with the implication that car drivers are all angels. May I attempt to redress the balance? One evening last week at about 10.15pm, I cycled from Woodstock Road to Botley
Sir – The main gist of the arguments of R. Triggs and D. Manley against gay marriage (Letters, April 12), seem to be ‘marriage has always been between a man and a woman and I don’t like the idea’ and ‘gay people can’t reproduce’. Compelling prejudices
Sir – I read with interest the news that parts of Oxfordshire were about to get super-fast broadband, but noted with dismay that no mention was made of the Vale of the White Horse and, in particular, Wantage, where the reception is quite appalling and
Sir – Further to letters (passim) on the apparently lemingesque tendency of so many schools to accede to academy (Government) school status, as the premier solution to school improvement, please allow me to illuminate what the main evidence actually
Sir – Your report the oddities of the New Headington Traffic Scheme (April 12). No one can doubt the county council’s good intentions which are to increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists, but may I suggest that what has been done in one aspect
Many parents in their late 70s or 80s are still caring for their disabled sons and daughters and can feel very isolated. Their big worry is what will happen when they are no longer around to support their relative. Thanks to a grant from Comic Relief
Sir — Mr Fawcett (Letters, April 5) was right to ask if the track vibration protection question in the Oxford-Marylebone rail link could not be settled around the table with Chiltern Railways. The bats in the tunnel are all alive after all, so vibration
A pair of Oxford alumni dominate this week's DVD column. Margaret Thatcher studied chemistry at Somerville between 1943-47, while Aung San Suu Kyi read Philosophy, Politics and Economic at St Hugh's in the mid-1960s before settling in the north of the
This year marks the centenary of the birth of Gene Kelly and the 60th anniversary of the release of his most popular picture, Singin' in the Rain. Rather like The Artist, this was a nostalgic paean to the art of silent cinema and the panic that rippled
DAILY flights from Oxford to the Isle of Man are set to start next month, following the success of a weekly service to Jersey. The first scheduled flight in airline Manx2.com’s 19-seater Jetstream 31 aircraft will take off on May 8 – in time to take
WHILE express trains now dash between Bicester and London in just over 40 minutes, one special Chiltern Railways service is able to cover the run in under two minutes. Unfortunately for commuters dreaming of an even faster journey, the trip
