Archive

  • Wives' efforts for soldiers' cause

    Mums and youngsters at a Wantage primary school have done their bit to help soldiers in Afghanistan. Soldiers from 4 Logistic Support Regiment, Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, held an Olympic-themed fundraiser at their base in Helmand province as they will

  • Blueprint pinpointing where homes will go in Bicester

    Plans for where thousands of homes will be built across North Oxfordshire have been revealed. Bicester is set to see a total of 6,997 houses built up to 2031, according to Cherwell District Council’s local plan. Former RAF land, off

  • Tea with The Queen

    Royal fans Alex and Shane Rae are hoping to meet the Queen over tea and cakes next month, after their names were drawn to attend a royal Jubilee Garden Party. The party, organised by the Lord Lieutenants of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire

  • Town's new mayor has done it before

    BICESTER’s new mayor will be marking three very special events this year — the Jubilee, Olympics and his 40th birthday. Dan Sames, 39, has taken over the hot seat from Rose Stratford to become the civic leader. And it’s not the first time the town and

  • Firm wings in to help build Spitfires again

    A FAMILY engineering firm is going back to the future after linking up with a high-flying heritage project. Norbar Torque Tools of Banbury delivered torque wrenches to Enstone Airfield to help with the assembly of new Spitfire aircraft. The move is

  • Blackpool Rocks

    KATHERINE MACALISTER and her family have more fun than you can shake a stick of rock at on Blackpool’s famous Pleasure Beach We loved Blackpool. I mean really loved Blackpool. And considering we had few expectations it blew us away. But

  • Lamb Hotpot

    Ben Lamb is so English it’s almost painful. He’s also good looking enough to warrant becoming the new poster boy for his generation, with a CV to match. In short, he’s the next big thing, and as such Katherine MacAlister is delighted to give this Oxford

  • Pregnant Pause

    WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING (12A) Comedy/Drama/Romance. Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Brooklyn Decker, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, Ben Falcone, Chace Crawford, Dennis Quaid, Rebel Wilson,

  • Travel Agents

    Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are joined by Josh Brolin as they head back in time for the third instalment of the Men in Black franchise. MEN IN BLACK 3 (PG). Sci-Fi/Action/Comedy. Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson

  • Danny Boy

    Singer-songwriter Dan Whitehouse tells Tim Hughes that he refuses to sell his own soul for fame. DAN Whitehouse is one of those rare creatures – a musician who makes music not because of any great desire to make it big, but simply because

  • Wych Craft

    Tim Hughes gets in the saddle for the start of the festival season – heading to a site better known for champion thoroughbreds than horseplay. AFTER an interminable winter, and even worse spring, the sun is finally out – and the

  • Schools' drama reaches the end of the road

    A DRAMA on family separation from a child’s perspective has been performed for the last time after touring Oxfordshire schools for five years. The last performance of Walking on Eggshells was put on by youngsters from Rose Hill and Windale

  • Shops graffiti spree sparks call for CCTV

    ROSE Hill shops and businesses have been hit by a spate of graffiti vandalism, prompting calls for the introduction of CCTV cameras. Branos, Cafe Spice, Super Saver, Oxford Granites and an empty shop unit are having to be cleaned up after vandals daubed

  • Fringe Benefits

    Oxfringe kicks off on Wednesday with 10 days of laughter, fun, excitement, music, dance and drama. So who to feature? To make life easier we put on a blindfold, stuck a pin in the Oxfringe map and came up with ‘psychic’ Rob Bailey to sum up Oxfringe

  • All In One

    KATHERINE MACALISTER and friends have a confusing time at a new Oxford eaterie. My wonderful old friend Albert Ford didn’t get my message in time. He was meeting me at The One in Botley Road for lunch and I had to cancel at the last

  • Top award for outstanding property

    The developer of a luxury home outside Oxford has picked up a top award. Millgate Homes picked up the Best Family Home trophy at the Evening Standard New Home Awards for Beech House, a £3.95m property in Boars Hill with five bedrooms set in two acres

  • We're looking for feedback for the new Oxford Times app

    THE new Oxford Times App has proved a huge success, with more than 3,800 people downloading it. We launched our debut into the world of Apps to view The Oxford Times on Apple products almost three months ago and the initial reaction has been fantastic

  • Local shares (PM)

    AEA Technology 0.21 BMW 5002 Electrocomponents 203 Nationwide Accident Repair 71 Oxford Biomedica 3.15 Oxford Catalysts 53.5 Oxford Instruments 1120.5 Reed Elsevier 489.5 RM 75.9 RPS Group 204.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • The new Oxford Times Property App

    HUNTING for a home can be a time-consuming and frustrating endeavour. But now The Oxford Times offers not only the best and brightest property section in the county but also a new Oxford Times Property App to search for a new home on your iPhone

  • From factory to fiction success

    Alcan factory worker Dominic James has seen his career in publishing flourish since being made redundant. He was among workers who lost their jobs at the Banbury aluminium factory in 2007. His first book, The Reiki Man, was published by John Hunt Publishing

  • Tutor bangs the drums for fairness

    A DRUM tutor who has been told he can no longer teach at his home is hoping to convince the city council to reconsider. Darren Hasson-Davis, who lives in Freelands Road in East Oxford, was refused permission by Oxford City Council to use a shed in his

  • Rhod Gilbert: The New Theatre

    Rhod Gilbert was deservedly given a warm welcome at the New Theatre by a full-house audience charged up with memorable sketches from his past two shows (who could forget that minced pie?) and eager for The Man With The Flaming Battenburg Tattoo. Although

  • Airshow producer is reaching for the sky

    A top events manager has watched his career working with big stars soar into a career involving iconic aircraft. Francis Rockliff, 60, from Oxford, has worked with TV and film stars while scoring theme tunes and soundtracks, and has produced music for

  • IVF rethink ‘is positive move’

    A MOVE TO offer IVF to women over 40 has been welcomed by Oxfordshire fertility campaigners. Fertility treatment, such as IVF, is currently only recommended by the Government’s spending watchdog for women aged 23 to 39 because the chances of success

  • Jubilee flowerbed will be blooming nice

    CELEBRATIONS for the Jubilee are starting to flower in Witney. A flower bed for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee next weekend was planted in Langdale Gate on Tuesday as part of a host of initiatives in the town to mark the Jubilee celebrations. The site

  • A prickly subject

    It all began when the Oxford writer let his passion for hedgehogs run away with him in his book A Prickly Affair. He boldly declared that “the hedgehog was the most important species on the planet”. Hugh Warwick, from Florence Park, knew he was asking

  • Where rent is a king's ransom

    An Englishman’s home is his castle, or so goes the old saying. Certainly England has long prided itself on its high number of owner-occupiers. But a new report indicates that, in Oxford at least, this may not be the case for much longer, as the

  • AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Ellis stars for Saints

    Chris Ellis scored a hat-trick of touchdowns as Oxford Saints moved top of BAFL Division 2 West after a convincing 41-0 victory over Gloucester Centurions. Despite being without a game for the past few weeks, Saints showed no signs of rustiness as they

  • Local shares (AM)

    AEA Technology 0.21 BMW 4951 Electrocomponents 202.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 71 Oxford Biomedica 3.15 Oxford Catalysts 53.5 Oxford Instruments 1124.5 Reed Elsevier 484.75 RM 75.75 RPS Group 201.9 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley

  • BAR BILLIARDS: Collins is county champ

    PHIL Collins is the Oxfordshire men’s county singles champion after beating Steven Sheard in the final. Collins played the table out with a giant score of 21,680 in the first leg, which proved enough to take the title. Pauline Withey won the ladies

  • Poetry professor knighted

    POET Geoffrey Hill was knighted yesterday by the Princess Royal for his services to literature. The 79-year-old is Professor of Poetry at Oxford University and went to Buckingham Palace to pick up his honour. He was given a knighthood in this year’

  • Hospital bosses welcome adult heart ops review

    OXFORD hospital bosses have welcomed a national review into adult heart surgery. A similar review into children’s heart surgery led to the suspension of operations on children at the John Radcliffe Hospital. The Government ordered the so-called Safe

  • Millionaire humbled by visits to charities

    BEFORE his visit to Cowley Road, secret millionaire Arfan Razak had two rules written on the kitchen walls of his chain of restaurants. Number one: “Do things as I want them”. Number two: “See number one.” But after a humbling visit to three of Oxford

  • BOWLS: Carterton are early leaders

    CARTERTON head Division 1 in the Oxford & District League, sponsored by Yarnton Nurseries, after making it two wins from as many games with a 6-0 home whitewash of Shiplake. Skips Stuart Richens, Baden Sparkes, Gordon Walker and Paul Sharman led the

  • ATHLETICS: Harris in a hurry

    HEADINGTON Road Runner Charlotte Harris shattered the women’s course record on her way to an impressive and comfortable victory in the Hook 6. Harris, 29, clocked 38mins 36secs for the six-mile course, taking an enormous 21 seconds off the previous record

  • BAR BILLIARDS: Sheard storms to hat-trick

    STEVEN Sheard lifted the Johnson’s Buildbase Oxford & District League’s Men’s Individual title for the third time after beating Dave Tooke in the final, writes PETE EWINS. Tooke won the first leg 7,310-1,170, but Sheard recovered well to knock up a

  • Man left with serious eye injury

    A 43-YEAR-old man was left with a serious eye injury after an assault in Oxford city centre. The victim was taken to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital after being assaulted in Cornmarket at about 2am on Sunday. He was involved in an altercation with

  • Blog debut for county leader

    THE new leader of Oxfordshire County Council has made his first blog post in the role. Former leader Keith Mitchell’s blog was known for its controversial takes on hot topics. New leader, Conservative Ian Hudspeth, said he will also maintain a blog

  • BOWLS: Oxon crash in trial

    OXFORDSHIRE suffered a second successive Middleton Cup Trial defeat when they were beaten 136-105 by Gloucestershire at Barnwood BC, Gloucester. Having lost 117-105 at home to Northants, Oxon were looking for a confidence-booster ahead of their opening

  • Market sign in sorry state

    There are three entrances to Oxford’s Covered Market on the High Street side, each of which has above it a curved sign that aptly reads: “MARKET MARKET”. Except that the easternmost one currently displays “ ARKET MAR ET”. Above that is flying an exceedingly

  • Keep your dogs alive

    Every year, as the weather gets warmer, the Four Paws charity receives tragic reports of dogs that have died of heatstroke in cars. So, if you are driving around Oxford, please think very carefully about what you are going to do with your dog when you

  • Warm praise for a master of melody

    I was pleased — and mildly surprised — at the warmth of the tributes this week to Robin Gibb, who died on Sunday after a brave battle against cancer. The Times was especially generous in its coverage, giving the Bee Gees singer and songwriter not only

  • Cycling event had us in a spin

    Your online edition reports that the organisers of the Halford’s Tour Cycling Event that took place in Oxford are satisfied with the number of spectators turning out to view the cyclists. Small wonder! Information supplied to us by the deputy leader

  • Meaty part is a true classic

    Eton, Oxford and then the Conservatives? That seems to be the current well-trodden path. Except that Ben Lamb is breaking the mould on numerous fronts, not least his decision to opt for RADA rather than Parliament. Following firmly on the heels of War

  • At the Becks and Boris show

    A British Airways jet of bilious yellow hue stood waiting for the off at Athens’s Venizelos International Airport as our afternoon flight from Naxos touched down on the rainsodden runway last Friday afternoon. “That could do with a bit of the Mrs

  • Marking the jubilee in true 1950s style

    Imagine opening the larder door to seek out ingredients for a celebratory party only to confront empty shelves and a few of the most basic of basic ingredients required to create cakes and fancy treats. Cooks faced with producing meals when The Queen

  • Why no horses on the river towpath?

    Strange, I have always thought, as I walk to work of a morning, that a sign on the path alongside the Thames at Osney, reads “No Horses”. Supposing I wanted to tow a barge? After all, is that not what a towpath is for? But thereby hangs a tale

  • Men in Black 3 and Moonrise Kingdom

    rediscover their swagger ten years after the lacklustre second instalment. Set largely in July 1969, Men in Black 3 is a time-travelling caper which ties up loose threads into a neat bow, suggesting this could be the end of the Smith and Jones double-act

  • Mail vendor turns the city red, white and blue

    PATRIOTIC souvenir stall holder and Oxford Mail vendor John Irvin has paid £300 to bring some red, white and blue to the city. When he discovered no plans had been made to put up bunting in St Ebbe’s, he knew something had to be done. John, who has

  • SODC accused of 'ignoring housing needs'

    OXFORD has accused a neighbouring council of “ignoring” the city’s acute housing shortage. Oxford City Council and Magdalen College mounted a combined attack on South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC), which stood against plans to build 4,000 homes

  • COMMENT: Time to put this issue to bed

    SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council and the Campaign to Protect Rural England are insistent that building any homes next to Grenoble Road is a dead issue being needlessly resurrected by Oxford City Council. Of course they do — it’s an argument they will

  • ATHLETICS: Fernandez’s call-up

    PAUL Fernandez has been selected to represent England in the at Anglo Celtic Plate 100K Home Countries International. The Abingdon Ambler earned his spot for the event in Cardiff on July 22 after some impressive ultra marathon runs in 2012. EDAO Weliy

  • CRICKET: Horspath sunk by dynamic Downs

    WES Bartlett (75) and Andy Buckingham (72) shared a third-wicket stand of 142 to steer Oxford Downs to a five-wicket win at Horspath in the Yorkshire Tea Village Cup second round. Bartlett’s innings included six fours and two sixes, while

  • Future tax on batteries?

    I read with interest about these battery-powered cars. What a marvellous vehicle: no road tax, 100 miles for just £2 to charge the batteries – this is wonderful, wonderful! But questions come to mind. Why are they not paying road tax? Every vehicle

  • Gearing up for Garsington

    Suddenly two dozen pairs of eyes are staring straight at me, the nearest of them only about six feet away. Two dozen voices emphatically deliver the words: “He must never, never know.” All distinctly unnerving, but luckily it is nothing more sinister

  • Recipe for little jubilee teacakes (makes 12)

    Thanks to the our well-stocked shops these days, Jubilee napkins, cake decorations, paper cake-cases, cake stands and miniature Union flags, can help you can transform little cakes into celebratory delicacies that will add a splash of patriotic colour

  • Profits boost at Electrocomponents

    Electronics and maintenance products supplier Electrocomponents has revealed a surge in its fortunes. Bosses at the firm, which employs more than 90 staff at its headquarters on the Oxford Business Park, reported pre-tax profits £122.3m for the year

  • GOLF: Tadmarton held by battling Bicester

    Division 2 leaders Tadmarton Heath were held to a 1½-1½ draw by hosts Bicester in the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League. Bicester’s Dan Scourfield and Nathan Gibbard halved with Guy Sambrook and John Berman, while Paul Barrow and Wayne

  • GOLF: Hole-in-one for Colleen

    There was excitement in the Ladies Coronation Foursomes at Frilford Heath when Colleen Madge recorded a hole-in-one. Madge’s ace came at the sixth hole on the Green course, where she holed out with a three-wood.

  • Art of Africa: Fillington Farm, Piddington, near High Wycombe

    Red kites swooping over Fillington Farm, at Piddington, near High Wycombe, suggest an avian theme for Art of Africa (until Sunday) at Fillington Farm, Piddington. Gemma Orkin’s elegant, handmade ceramic bowl boasts a long-tailed Sugar Bird, the

  • Stile Antico: Merton College Chapel

    One of the first things you notice about Stile Antico is that they have no conductor. This might cause a less competent ensemble to come unstuck, but these 12 singers maintain a musical cohesiveness with admirable efficiency, as they superbly demonstrated

  • Alps and Spires: St John the Evangelist, Iffley Road, Oxford

    The East Oxford Community Choir’s joint concert with Grenoble choir Interlude last weekend was a wonderfully joyous occasion, which celebrated The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with appropriately festive music, as well as continuing to wave the flag for Anglo-French

  • Preview of Oxfringe

    From just two events in 2007, Oxfringe has blossomed this year into a three-week festival, with over 160 shows taking place in more than 30 venues across the city and beyond. The Oxfringe mission has always been to encourage and support new and emerging

  • The Diary of Anne Frank: Oxford Playhouse

    ‘I am going to be a famous writer, singer and dancer one day,” announces precocious teenager Anne Frank as she batters her irrepressible energy against the unyielding walls of the hideaway protecting her family from the fanatics out to kill them. Singer

  • GOLF: Dusan's bid hit by horror nine

    Dusan Gavrilovic, the Studley Wood pro, was rueing one disastrous hole in the final round as he finished joint 30th in the Senior PGA Professional Championship at the Northamptonshire County club. A top-20 finish would have earned the 51-year-old an

  • Vita and Virginia: Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

    After the success of Tom and Viv a year ago, ElevenOneTheatre again immerses itself in the Bloomsbury set, this time focusing on the fascinating relationship between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West. Playwright Eileen Atkins captures the friendship

  • Currency question

    In the 19th century, Sweden, Italy and several other European countries introduced a common currency among themselves. Within a few years, the currency collapsed, allegedly because Italy abused the system. There was no collapse of other currencies

  • Margaret Munt: Matron who was the hospital

    A nursing Matron renowned for insisting on cleanliness at Didcot Hospital has died, aged 85. Margaret Elizabeth Gordon Munt was born in Launceston, Cornwall, in 1926, the only daughter of Reginald and Eliza Slocombe. The family, who were well known

  • Poor education record

    John Howson’s reflection, that district councils including Oxford City Council should have been more directly linked to schools (‘A better choice for control of education’, May 21) might amuse those readers old enough to remember John Garne, who until

  • THE INSIDER: Spectacular film has a lasting effect

    Oxford City Council chief executive Peter Sloman, pictured, found time to unwind last week. The council boss took time out from running the affairs of one of the world’s most iconic cities to enjoy the affairs of another. He joined other cinemagoers

  • Turner Inspired: In the light of Claude: The National Gallery

    Claude’s 1648 painting Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba proved too much for J.M.W. Turner. He apparently burst into tears when he first saw it. The busy Italianate harbour scene painted in exquisite detail, illuminated by a tranquil

  • Oxford United receive Football League award

    OXFORD United have been awarded a Football League Family Excellence Award for the 2011/12 season. Based on an independent assessment by ‘mystery shoppers’, it recognises clubs who provide what is deemed to be an outstanding experience for young fans

  • GREYHOUNDS: Peterson banned

    OXFORD trainer Michael Peterson, who handed in his licence at Cowley recently, has been fined £5,000 and warned off indefinitely following positive samples on two greyhounds. Full story in Saturday's At the Dogs.

  • Depot approval

    OXFORD: A bid to expand a planned redevelopment of part of the former Oxford Bus Depot in Cowley Road should be approved, a council report says. Berkeley Homes got permission in 2009 for 106 student student rooms in five blocks with 31 car parking spaces

  • Parents lose fight to stop academy plans

    OXFORD’S Cheney School will become an academy despite opposition from parents and staff. Consultation responses were overwhelmingly against conversion and a petition against the move was signed by 551 people. But governors decided by

  • Boat race man denies charge

    THE swimmer who disrupted this year’s university boat race has denied causing a public nuisance. The annual contest was stopped after Trenton Oldfield was spotted in the water on April 7. The 36-year-old of Myrdle Street, East London, appeared at Isleworth

  • ATHLETICS: Red-hot Radley roar in

    RADLEY top the Southern Athletics League Division 2 Central standings after a stunning display in round two at Abingdon. Their men’s tean won all but three events they entered, while Radley’s ladies triumphed in 24 disciplines. Radley finished 116 points

  • Primary is put in special measures after critical report

    A BANBURY primary school has been placed into special measures after a critical report by inspectors. The Grange Primary School, in Avocet Way, was told children made inadequate progress in reading, writing and mathematics following an Ofsted

  • Ambulance restriction is an inhumane decision

    This is no humane decision by our county council, which prevents ambulance transport from using the High Street bus gate (Oxford Mail, May 22). If any hospital patient is awarded ambulance transport, there has to be a good medical reason. It is fairly

  • Thoroughly Modern Millie: The New Theatre, Oxford

    With a back-catalogue that reaches as far into the past as 1946, the Oxford Operatic Society presents Thoroughly Modern Millie at the New Theatre as its first production of 2012. It’s 1922 in New York City and new girl Millie Dillmount is young, modern

  • FOOTBALL: Duo hand Oxford City a pre-season lift

    N E W L Y-P R O M O T E D Oxford City have received a massive boost after experienced duo Steve Basham and Chris Willmott, pledged their future to the Court Place Farm outfit. Basham, 33, scored 22 goals in all competitions, while his former Oxford United

  • CRICKET: Oxford rocked by double blow

    OXFORD’S rocky start to the season continued with losses in the Kingfisher Beer Cup and the Home Counties Premier League Red Insure Twenty20. Following defeats in their opening two Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League games, Ian Crosby

  • Roger Vignoles and Michael Chance: Holywell Music Room

    For the past few years Oriel College has sponsored an annual visiting artist concert to honour a performer. This year’s choice was accompanist Roger Vignoles who performed with counter-tenor Michael Chance at Holywell Music Room on May 9. Vignoles has

  • Equus: coming to The Theatre, Chipping Norton

    First things first: this excellent production of Peter Shaffer’s well-known play about a boy who has blinded six horses will be at The Theatre, Chipping Norton, on June 8 and 9 and should on no account be missed. The staying power of this

  • Of Mice and Men: The Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, near Newbury

    ‘Where are we going, George?” asks Lennie. “We’re goin’ to work on that farm,” George replies. Their dream is to find or make enough money to invest in a smallholding of their own, one day. But in Douglas Rintoul’s new production of John Steinbeck’s Of

  • Court told of insults to neighbours

    AN 18-YEAR-OLD dispute between neighbours played out in Oxford Crown Court yesterday as a man denied breaching a restraining order by clapping his hands and hurling insults. Keith Quartermain, of Austin Place in Abingdon, is charged with three

  • The Tempest: The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

    Jon Bausor’s versatile set is proving one of the star features of the RSC’s production of Shakespeare’s Shipwreck Trilogy. The wide, deep stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is dominated throughout by a huge ‘wave’ of jagged wood planking curving upwards

  • Police catch 88 motorists

    OXON: Nearly 90 drivers have been prosecuted for distracted driving offences after a crackdown by Thames Valley Police. The five-day operation, which was carried out with Hampshire Constabulary until last Friday, saw 39 people from the Thames Valley

  • 'Stop cashing in on honour of joing relay'

    A MARATHON runner has launched a petition calling for a ban on Olympic torches being sold by people taking part in the nationwide relay. Katy Young, 26, left, says people selling the torches for thousands of pounds on auction sites are “disgraceful”.

  • Red carpet awaits villagers

    HUNDREDS of residents who helped to make budget movie Tortoise in Love will be heading to London’s Leicester Square tonight for the premiere. It has taken three years for the movie to arrive on the big screen and 700 villagers from Kingston Bagpuize

  • Charity that helps addicts hit by break-in

    A CHARITY that helps recovering addicts in Oxford believes its offices were burgled by someone desperate to fund their habit. Laptops and a digital camera worth about £2,000 were taken from the Aspire offices in Osney Lane on Monday night after window

  • Robbed by duo

    OXFORD: A 23-year-old man was robbed by two men while walking along Barracks Lane in East Oxford at about 8pm on Thursday. After his path was blocked, one man told him he had a knife and the victim handed over his Nike rucksack, camera and mobile phone

  • Torchbearers enjoy brushes with flame

    THE Olympic Torch does not arrive in Oxford until July, but that has not stopped Oxfordshire residents from proudly carrying the sporting symbol. Yesterday the Olympic flame passed through Gloucestershire and Wiltshire as part of its national journey

  • Torchbearers enjoy brushes with flame

    THE Olympic Torch does not arrive in Oxford until July, but that has not stopped Oxfordshire residents from proudly carrying the sporting symbol. Yesterday the Olympic flame passed through Gloucestershire and Wiltshire as part of its national journey

  • Gold cup winning trainer announces retirement

    Former national hunt trainer Henrietta Knight has announced she is retiring from racing. Mrs Knight won three gold cups at Cheltenham in her career, and trained hundreds of winning horses. The 65-year-old has lived in West Lockinge, Oxfordshire, all

  • DOUBLE MURDER TRIAL: Defendant boasted 'the knife is ready'

    A FATHER-of-two was accused of murdering his wife and her mother in a violent knife attack while his three-year-old daughter slept in the same room. Ensar Gol, right, had boasted on Facebook he was going to kill his wife and mother-in-law just hours

  • 'Locals first' for more Lark Rise

    An Oxfordshire publisher is making a stand against Internet giant Amazon by supplying independent bookshops with an early 'local' edition of a book expected to become a mass-market seller. Jon Carpenter, of the Wychwood Press in Charlbury, is publishing

  • Local author

    Sharon Ann Kemp, who grew up in Wheatley and now lives in Garsington, has always wanted to write a book and now, in her mid-forties has published her first romantic novel. Lovers Deception (£7.99) follows two soldiers in the Second World War, fighting

  • Sci-fi giant looks back

    AN EXILE ON PLANET EARTH by Brian Aldiss (Bodleian, £19.99)Paradoxically this series of essays by a man renowned for his science fiction writings looks back for answers rather than forward.Confronted by an alien landscape on his return from the Second

  • Tireless work protects nature network

    Charles Rothschild loved natural wild places and feared that the industrial and agricultural revolutions of the early 20th century would destroy them. He collected butterflies and studied fleas, but he also realised that entire wildlife habitats needed

  • Inspiring initiative gives confidence boost

    When did you last have a memorable experience? What was it? A driving day, a spa session, a round of golf, a trip? How did it make you feel? MacIntyre, a national charity with a centre in Oxford is holding an event to launch its inspiring new initiative

  • An eye for talent

    A vision of Oxfordshire as seen by some of its youngest residents has gone on display in Oxford. Artwork by the winners and runners-up of Young Art Oxford is being exhibited at Barefoot Books, Banbury Road, Summertown, until Saturday. More than 1,800

  • Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 24/5/2012)

    French film-makers have been trying to make sense of the Second World War since René Clément released The Battle of the Rails (1946) within a year of the Liberation. Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows (1969) and Louis Malle's Lacombe, Lucien (1974

  • Parky at the Pictures (DVD 24/5/2012)

    Although we made a decent start on the backlog of DVDs that has built up over the last few months, it will require another couple of catch-all columns to clear the decks completely. A horror special is planned for mid-June, while this week's trawl offers

  • On the hunt for Yeti DNA

    Oxford University scientists will be examining potential Yeti DNA. Since 1951, when explorers on an Everest expedition returned with pictures of giant footprints, there has been speculation that the Himalayas and areas like the Pacific North West of

  • Willows take blows in

    The classic comedy Wind In Ihe Willows will be performed by a star-studded cast in Stonesfield. Toad, Mole, Badger and Ratty will be brought to life by the Stonesfield Players at Stonesfield Village Hall. Thirty-one actors of all ages and local rock

  • Uni's library plans fail to get funding

    A question mark is hanging over a £40m library that was to form the centrepiece of Oxford University’s new Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. The landmark library was planned to be the “symbolic heart” of the £200m scheme to redevelop the former Radcliffe