ONE hundred and twenty military troops returned home tonight. Amid emotional scenes, families and close friends came to see their loved ones come back from a six-month tour of Afghanistan. The soldiers of 3 Logistics Support Regiment flew into
A postal union has extended the deadline on a ballot of Royal Mail staff on whether to go on strike over Government plans to privatise the service. It was due to close today and would affect Oxfordshire if it went ahead. But the Communication
A cyclist was taken to hospital after a crash on the A40. The cyclist, in their 50s, was taken to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital yesterday after a collision with a Red Volkswagen just after 2pm. He was treated at the scene for suspected head
WITH one in six 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training – NEETS as they are known – the Traineeships Programme aims to give a generation of youngsters a much-needed foot in the door of work. The scheme – unveiled this summer
THE season is now officially over and I just can’t believe how quickly it has gone. In fact the past five years have flown by and my career is whizzing by. As is always the case after the last game of the season there are a few emotions flying
During his 35-year career, TV producer Dai Richards has filmed on death row, met with triads and interviewed Mafia hitmen. And although he’s worked on flagship programmes such as Newsnight, Panorama and Timewatch, it was a lucky break that took
AN engineer is celebrating after being voted one of the top apprentices in the Thames Valley. Lydia Feasey scooped the Advanced Apprentice of the Year title at the regional finals of the National Apprenticeship Awards. Ms Feasey, 22, is in
An ability to see both sides of a problem clearly is one of the most valuable qualities for a businessman, Jonathan Reuvid believes. It has worked well in a career that includes work for French oil giant Total, investment banking, general management
The way we watch television is changing dramatically. A generation ago there were just three channels watched on a wooden-cased set controlled manually with dials. Now there are hundreds of channels, programmes can be recorded, downloaded and
FROM being homeless and unemployed, Rod Nixon is back in work with prospects. Mr Nixon, 57, from Cowley, is one of 14 people benefiting from newly launched enterprise Equip. The not-for-profit company was set up by Stuart Waddington and offers
HI-TECH firms have the potential to add an extra £1bn to the Oxfordshire economy in the next 10 years. That is the conclusion of a major report into the potential of the science and technology sector in the county being launched today by Science
CHERWELL is believed to be one of the first districts in the country to forge a twinning link with a city in China. Banbury MP Tony Baldry is leading moves to link Cherwell District Council with Xishuangbanna. The agreement could see the Chinese
MANAGERS at BMW’s Cowley Mini plant are urging girls to spend their half-term holidays later this month seeing how the car is produced. The aim is to encourage young women to apply for apprenticeships at the plant, which are traditionally male-dominated
Claire Alexander at The Killingworth Castle's on-going tale of relaunching a country pub... There’s nothing better than a heated debate with chefs over culinary terminology. The latest saga involved salt cod & crab fishcakes the chefs were
BOURNEMOUTH is bubbling with entertainment and activity year round. This autumn the Oxford Mail is offering one lucky reader the chance to win a three-night break for two at the amazing Art Deco Cumberland Hotel overlooking the Bay in Bournemouth
A lunchtime visit to a picturesque spot by the riverside fails to leave KATHERINE MACALISTER feeling refreshed Annie’s Tea Rooms has long been on my agenda, as I suppose it’s been on yours. That whimsical sign just past Kidlington, enticing you
Hot Chip frontman Alexis Taylor and steel band virtuoso Fimber Bravo tell Tim Hughes about a remarkable collaboration about to hit Oxford LIKE all the best combinations, this one really shouldn’t work. Take one of the biggest and hippest names
Flights of Helios expect to rattle a few picture frames when they play at an art gallery, as TIM HUGHES learns from the Oxford five-piece A MUSEUM of art is perhaps not the first place you’d expect to encounter mind bending psychedelic space rock
KATHERINE MACALISTER finds out more about a comedy club with a difference It’s long overdue, but The Oxford Playhouse has stepped up to the mark to host Comedy Club 4 Kids, stand-up for children with some of the top names in the business. Organised
TV star Karl Howman plays cat and mouse with KATHERINE MACALISTER It’s half an hour to curtain call and Karl Howman is as cool as a cucumber, chatting away about his grandchildren as if he hadn’t a care in the world. You’d never know that in a
Tim Hughes talks to Olivia Sebastianelli about a musical career - which began in the back of an old car If Olivia Sebastianelli has one thing to thank her father for, it’s his choice of car. Or rather, his eye for a bargain. If there was one
A 45-YEAR-OLD woman has been given a community order after pleading guilty to overclaiming more than £23,000 in benefits. Sharon Bishop, of Cherry Close, Greater Leys, Oxford, was charged with fraudulently obtaining housing benefit, council tax
OXFORD MAGISTRATES Ian Davies, 49, of Oxford Homeless Pathways shelter, in Luther Street, Oxford, admitted stealing three bottles of wine worth £17.97 from Sainsbury’s, in Oxford, on September 19. Ordered to pay £9.98 compensation. Ryan Carr
PRIME Minister David Cameron has written to three teenagers to show his “admiration” for them trying to save a pensioner’s life. Eynsham’s Nicky Wishart, 15, Tyler Walker, 16, and Ollie Hinchliffe, 16, pulled Arnold Gwilliam, 83, from a village
PUPILS from a North Oxfordshire school found out what it was like to live in the Victorian era — but just for a day. Children from Sibford Gower Primary School, near Banbury, went for the day to St John’s Museum, Warwick. Youngsters donned traditional
A MUM-OF-FOUR who had no experience of running a pub until a year ago has won the Oxfordshire Restaurant of the Year award. Interior designer Caron Williams bought the Star Inn in the village of Sparsholt, near Wantage, from Punch Taverns last
ALAN Clarke, who has died aged 60, was a lively character who ran The Horseshoe Inn in Bampton. Mr Clarke, right, was born in Wales in 1953 but moved to Reading in Berkshire with his parents as a baby. He started his career sweeping the floors
A PEACE campaigner who once got thrown out of the House of Commons has died aged 87. Jean Eleanor Kaye (née Sherbourn) was born in Witney on April 30, 1926, the second of four daughters to George and Ellen Sherbourn. She lived in the town until
A MAN who invented one of the first hospital hoists has died aged 90. Oxford businessman John Payne, pictured, also spent years helping maintain hospital equipment in Africa. In 2010 Oxford Brookes University named a new technology lab and
WORDS of wisdom were traded between schoolchildren and elderly care home residents in Witney. The skills switch saw children teaching residents how to use an iPad, and learning knitting and flower arranging from them in return. Ten students
Sometimes, seeing a rotund figure ahead of us in the street, Rosemarie and I will turn to each other and say “Yes!”. This answers the understood question: “Does my bum look big in this?” Many readers will recall this catch-phrase of an Arabella Weir
‘Thanks for the lovely pictures. Would love to meet Druna one morning this week.” This email message was eminently susceptible to misinterpretation by anyone reading it, a category that included the secretary of the gentleman who had sent it from
ONE year on from its launch, North Parade farmers’ market in Oxford is continuing to breathe new life into the area. The monthly market was resurrected last October by Labour city councillor James Fry and businesses in the area. On Saturday
HE’S used to dealing with some of the demands of the biggest names in rock and pop at London’s legendary Hammersmith Apollo. So Jamie Baskeyfield is the perfect choice to bridge the gap between artists and officialdom over a musical problem in
Q. Do you agree that there is a compensation culture in this county? A. I believe there is a fear of a compensation culture, rather than a culture itself. What there is, is an increased willingness to seek legal redress (usually compensation) when
DIDCOT’S three new schools will be run by an academy trust or Catholic leaders but not town heads, it has been announced. A shortlist of four organisations set to run the two primaries and secondary for 1,200 pupils has been revealed. The schools
Ruth Hawkins Solicitor with Turpin and Miller THIS Sunday is Grandparents’ Day in the UK. I am sure it’s mainly a day which has been manufactured by the flowers and cards industry, but it does give us an opportunity to reflect on the value
WHEN firefighters step in to burning buildings and rescue residents, they are not only saving lives. For Oxfordshire Fire Service has calculated that it saved more than £23m last year. The figure, drawn from the 2012-13 annual report is based
NUDE angels and cherubs are the more traditional subjects of church art. But a modern-day woman is now adorning the walls of St Mary and St Nicholas Church in Littlemore this week as part of its Harvest of Talents art exhibition. Among the
BARTON youngsters are taking advantage of free story readings to help them get ready for school. The sessions at Barton Neighbourhood Centre every Thursday are aimed at introducing writing and speaking to children on the estate before they go to
THE woman found dead in a lay-by near Burford is in her 70s, police have just confirmed. The woman was discovered by a member of the public near the entrance of Burford Golf Club on teh A361 just after 7am. Police have said her death is not
WASTED space on Oxford’s Barton estate is to be brightened up and put to good use as part of a new scheme. The Barton Community Association is surveying the estate for spaces which could be turned into flower beds or even vegetable patches.
THE chief executive of Cowley-based charity Oxfam has experienced life outside the boardroom and on the frontline as part of a new BBC World programme. Mark Goldring – who became chief executive officer of Oxfam in May 2013 – discovered the challenges
A PILOT who caught a burglar outside his home grilled him about why he had done it as he detained him for 12 minutes while waiting for police to arrive. Former Royal Navy air engineer Paul Hughes refused to let career burglar Warren Lawrence escape
A MAN will appear later this month at Oxford Crown Court charged with causing death by careless driving. Daniel Fallaw, of Peregrine Way, Bicester, is due to attend a plea and case management hearing on October 28 following an accident on December
Part of a major road in the city centre will closed for five weeks for resurfacing and repair work. A section of St Aldate’s will be closed in both directions from a point just north of the junction with Thames Street to just south of the junction
ONE southbound lane of the M40 is blocked this morning because a vehicle has struck the central reservation. The accident has happened between junction 7 and junction 6 and it is the outside lane that is closed. Updates will be posted automatically
SICK children waiting to see their doctor have an army of new toys to play with, thanks to generous donations to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital. A wish list of new toys to distract youngsters before and after surgery and other appointments was
JUNIOR ROUND-UP TWO tries from Harry Smith helped Banbury Under 17s win 29-5 at home to Shipston-on-Stour. Charlie Allerton, Coenie Else and Barney Galliffe also crossed over, with Hugh Saar converting two of Banbury’s five tries. Banbury
THE Oxford Bar Billiards Association have announced a sponsorship deal with Risinghurst hairdresser Gracie J’s. Gracie J’s has replaced Scotlands Ash Garage as sponsor of the League Cup. OBBA secretary Pete Ewins is pictured celebrating the
BIOLOGY students Tarlea Cantrill and Kathleen Anderson took a closer look at their DNA at a museum workshop. The A-Level students from Witney's Henry Box School were at the A Question of Taste workshop at the Oxford University Museum of Natural
OXFORDSHIRE’S Steven Sheard is celebrating after pulling off a memorable double. He became the new All England singles champion after beating Paul Sainsbury in the final and also helped Oxford A launch a stunning comeback to reach the Inter Area
Heatwave creates bumper potato crop down on Rectory Farm SPUDS, it seems, are back. After two wet summers left potatoes in short supply, this year’s heatwave means spuds are firmly back on the menu for farmer Richard Stanley. Mr Stanley
OXFORDSHIRE is at a low risk of surface water flooding as heavy downpours are expected later today, says the Environment Agency. The organisation has classed the county as low risk and the Met Office has issued a yellow warning of rain. Heavy
A WARNING about illegal chemicals in fat-burning supplements has been issued by Oxfordshire County Council's trading standards department. The department is urging bodybuilders and weightwatchers in the county to be vigilant when purchasing fat-busting
TEACHERS and pupils are celebrating after getting an upgrade from Ofsted inspectors. At its last inspection in 2011, Launton Primary School on Bicester Road, Launton, was rated satisfactory overall. Inspectors said that pupils’ achievement
HE HAS been named the world’s sexiest movie star but it was business as usual for Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch on the set of his new film in Bicester. Scenes for The Imitation Game are being shot at the former RAF Bicester base this week.
OXFORD City Stars’ sensational start to the season shows no sign of stopping after an 8-3 home victory over Wightlink Tigers made it four straight wins. A bad-tempered English National League clash saw 75 minutes of penalties handed out. But
A LEADING councillor has resisted a call to resign after a campaigner said his Oxford University job was causing a conflict of interest. Summertown resident Sean Feeney, known for launching legal challenges, called on Colin Cook to resign at a
GREENE KING IPA CHAMPIONSHIP LONDON Welsh head coach Justin Burnell was keen to keep his side grounded after their third straight win, but he had no doubt as to their “biggest improvement”. The Exiles defeated Plymouth Albion 40-9 at the Kassam
OXFORD MAIL CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE THERE will be a new race for the youngest athletes when the league gets under way again next month. Organisers are introducing a ‘Race 0’ for boys and girls aged eight and under, which will take place before
AN undercover police officer has denied that there was “nothing wrong” with cable accepted by a scrapyard during a sting operation. Yesterday the second of two officers who posed as metal thieves at TR Rogers & Sons took the witness stand at
OXFORD Academy has been told it is taking steps that could eventually lead to it coming out of special measures. The school in Sandy Lane West was visited by inspectors for a monitoring visit in the second week of the new school year in September
A VICAR and former magistrate is on trial accused of sexually assaulting a girl. Christopher Tadman-Robins, 66, pictured, is accused of touching and kissing the complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, when she lived in Oxfordshire.
Oxford City Stars tough guy Andy Cox found himself behind bars before his side’s win over Wightlink. Cox, who is Oxford’s most penalised player of all time, was sent to Oxford Castle Unlocked as part of a unique partnership between the tourist
THREE incidents on Oxfordshire’s roads have caused serious delays this morning. Drivers have faced delays this morning on the A420 between Faringdon and Littleworth and the B4027 Bletchingdon Road at Islip following collisions. Another incident
OCA champions Westbury have turned down the chance to join the Cherwell League. The Bucks club took the decision at a meeting of players and officials on Tuesday night. Westbury skipper Rich-ard Tredwell said: “We’ve decided to stay where we
Suspended Gloucestershire bowler Jack Taylor will have shoulder surgery after suffering an injury in practice. The 21-year-old off-spinner, who who came through the youth ranks of Oxfordshire cricket, has been out of action since May after being
While many trainers saw a dip in their tally of winners last term following a severe winter, Ben Case bucked the trend with his most successful season to date. With 11 winners from 95 runners, he almost doubled his previous best score from his
A RAPE crisis centre says it has a three-month waiting list to help abused women after the Jimmy Savile scandal led to a rise in calls. The number of women seeking support from Oxford Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre has rocketed by 18 per cent
THE real scandal and real shock surrounding Jimmy Savile was the way he got away with abusing so many children for so long. He was, so obviously with hindsight, the devil who hid in plain sight. Everyone says they had their suspicions and the
YET another gem from Councillor John Tanner (Labour), board member for a Cleaner, Greener Oxford, city councillor for Littlemore and county councillor for Isis (Letters, September 24). Congratulations indeed, though, to Louise Upton’s “remarkable
I CAN’T believe that I went to the same meeting that Councillor Roy Darke, pictured, refers to in his letter (September 30). Councillor Williams made it very clear that he was very much in favour of the Barton development, especially with the housing
SOUTH WEST 1 EAST RELEGATION may just prove a blessing in disguise for Oxford Harlequins, according to head of rugby Steve Chadbone. Quins dropped out of National 3 South West after winning just three times in the whole of last season.
After a slim Labour victory in the former Lib Dem stronghold of the North Oxford ward, Neil Fawcett, deputy leader of Oxfordshire's Liberal Democrats, explains why the party is still feeling confident about the future: HAVING made eight gains from
Oxfordshire teenager Miles Hammond has been named in the England Under 19s’ squad for the winter tour of the United Arab Emirates. The 17-year-old off-spinner, who lives in Oxford, is one of 18 players selected for a tri-series against Pakistan
FOLLOWING an outcry over Lord Howell’s comments about the “desolate north”, you would think the Tories would be keeping the quips to a minimum. But not Ian Hudspeth. No sooner had the Tory leader of Oxfordshire County Council arrived in Manchester
I LIVE in the St Ebbe’s area and welcome the plans to improve our area through the new Westgate Centre and related improvements along Oxpens Road. The latter will double the local resident population and, alongside an extension to the railway station
WE are writing to express our grave disquiet at the possible developments by Doric in West Way, Botley. One of the attractions of this area is the friendly local shopping. We get the impression that Vale of White Horse District Council regards
WE are supposed to be a nation of animal lovers, yet dogs that have risked their lives to sniff out explosives for the Army are put down at end of an operational tour. Surely these dogs could be passed to the police or private security companies
ATTENDING a cremation service at the Oxford Crematorium I was surprised to be immersed in unusual fumes, as soon as I stepped out of the car. The closer to the crematorium I got the stronger the fumes became and mentioning it to my companions,
FINSTOCK 10K SARAH Le Good led the way as Witney Road Runners enjoyed a successful trip to the multi-terrain event. Le Good was the first lady home and helped Witney win the female team prize. Banbury Harriers’ Simon Pritchard was the men
A CAMPAIGN backed by the Oxford Mail has been hailed a success after this year's Key Stage 1 results showed dramatic improvements. The Oxfordshire Reading Campaign was launched a year ago to boost reading levels in seven year olds and to foster
Oxford Playhouse has apologised after the opening performance of 1984 was cancelled at the last minute. The theatre in Beaumont Street said that “unforeseen technical difficulties” forced the cancellation on Tuesday evening and the audience of
Oxford City secretary John Shepperd will be honoured at Buckingham Palace on Monday for his outstanding contribution to football, writes MATTHEW BRUCE. The 78-year-old will be presented with his award by the Duke of Cambridge, who has organised
A Chipping Norton man is among 14 Greenpeace activists to have been charged with piracy by the Russians in Murmansk. Phil Ball was part of a 30-strong crew on a ship belonging to the charity which was protesting against oil drilling in the Arctic
A FAMILY has welcomed a compensation payout worth £12m to cover care for their son who was left badly disabled by a doctor’s blunder. Kidlington boy Yiqun Zhang, pictured, was left with cerebral palsy after his skull was fractured and his brain
EVERY dog has his day – and some dogs have three. That, at least, was the case for the ruff and ready doggies of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, near Wallingford, which has been the base for a three-part BBC Two show on man’s best friend. The Wonder
THE Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has ridiculed a plan for an £18.2bn airport south of Abingdon. Bristol architects firm Pleiade Associates has submitted a plan for a four-runway airport to the Government’s Airports Commission, which
WE FULLY endorse the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s view of why it has to formally object to the barmy plan to build an airport near Abingdon. “It was tempting to ignore these suggestions as just ridiculous nonsense,” a spokesman for the group
Dorothy Wordsworth (1771-1855) was the younger sister of the great Lakeland poet, separated from him as a child after their parents died. In their twenties they were reunited and spent the rest of their lives together. Coleridge called her a genius
FOR her 100th birthday, Winifred Parker received the present of a lifetime, the first photo of her whole family together. The matriarch, who turned 100 on Sunday, was joined at her home in Kidlington yesterday by her son, daughter-in-law, two grand-daughters
A PENSIONER tried to cover the tracks of her long-term lover after he murdered a wealthy pensioner, a trial has heard. Benson resident Jennifer Creasey, 73, is accused of penning a Christmas card in the murder victim’s name in a bid to steer investigators
First Great Western has been handed a new deal to run trains in the county. It has been announced this morning that the Government will continue running the franchise to operate trains between London Paddington, the Cotswolds, south Wales and the
TRAFFIC delays are expected on the A34 this morning after a lorry fire closed part of the busy route. One lane has opened since the blaze on the southbound carriageway, just before the Kidlington turn-off. Two crews from Bicester fire station
Having won a BAFTA for his 2011 short, Until the River Runs Red, 31 year-old Paul Wright makes an ambitious feature debut with For Those in Peril. Evoking both John Grierson's Drifters (1929) and Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies (2000), it trades
It's common critical practice when a Shakespearean play is adapted for the screen to lament that the language will drive away the multiplex crowd. However, with his take on the celebrated comedy Much Ado About Nothing, geek idol Joss Wheedon has turned
Technically the legend demands that blackberries be picked before Michaelmas Day, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, held on September 29. After that day the devil is said to spit on them. This year spring was so late that I have carried on
THREE STARS The poster for moody thriller How I Live Now shows Atonement actress Saoirse Ronan staring sullenly into the distance, headphones firmly blocking out the world around her. You might assume from this striking image that Kevin Macdonald
FOUR STARS This one-woman show is a rather enigmatic piece — in many respects it is more an art installation than straight theatre — but an interesting experience nonetheless. Created by Melanie Wilson, a writer, performer and sound artist, Landscape
FOUR STARS Charles Marowitz’s Sherlock’s Last Case comes wreathed in many mysteries, not the least of which is why a play of such marvellous entertainment value, concerning a great fictional detective known to all, is so rarely staged. The
OSJ Ashmolean Voices OSJ proms Ashmolean Museum n Tonight, 7.30pm Tickets: 0845 680 1926 Join the OSJ for this special tribute to St Cecilia, the patron saint of music, in the gloriously atmospheric setting of the Ashmolean’s Atrium. The
Children’s show DINOSAUR ZOO New Theatre, Oxford n April 17-19 Box office: 0844 871 3020 or atgtickets.com/oxford This is a show worth getting in the diary in plenty of time and for which tickets are already on sale. Dinosaur Zoo, from
On my first theatre outing post-holiday (to the Newbury Watermill’s hilarious Sherlock’s Last Case — reviewed elsewhere on The Oxford Times website) I picked up the surprising news of Libby Purves’s dismissal, effective from October 11, as chief theatre
The Ritz London 150 Piccadilly, W1J 9BR 020 7493 8181 theritzlondon.com Now, if you’re blue... — [I think I’d always imagined it was only for the likes of Fred and Ginger.] — And you don’t know where to go to. — [And deep down, I’m
I’ve been busying my spare time with this malarkey for six years now. For some reason it has been an acceptable excuse for missing family gatherings and trips to Ikea (yes, I categorise them together). The allotment plot has overwhelmingly
The very diversity of life ensures that valuing nature and wildlife is hugely different for each of us, and for many of us it’s based on how, as children, we are introduced to nature. Millions of children have grown up in the last few years watching
FOUR AND A HALF STARS Everyone is above the law, not least the police, in Jon S Baird’s giddy, grim black comedy adapted from Irvine Welsh’s 1998 novel of the same name. Infused with directorial brio and no-holds-barred performances from an
In Conversation Kevin Mccloud and Bruce Munro Waddesdon Manor Wednesday, October 9 Call 01296 653226 An opportunity to hear these two experts in their fields discussing their 20-year friendship, the importance of light and how they
FIVE STARS The North Wall arts centre continues to programme some of the best contemporary touring theatre available and their latest coup was to host one of the most lauded productions to come out of this year’s Edinburgh Festival — The Events
When I opened the brochure for this year’s Oxford Lieder Festival, one name instantly jumped out at me — that of Sir Willard White. The legendary Jamaican-born bass is making a welcome return to the festival with his wife, soprano Sylvia Kevorkian,
The cuttings on my desk are yellow and curling — a visual reminder of Felix Dennis’ more anarchic days, when student demos and taking on the establishment were the name of the game. Famously arrested in 1971 as co-editor of controversial culture
Samuel West has seen his already prolific career take off recently. Yet, in true English style, he is characteristically reticent about owning it. In fact, he tells me an anecdote about Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino filming together to emphasise his
