A Gurkha soldier killed in Afghanistan was honoured in Oxford today. Veterans from the Royal British Legion lined Headley Way, in Headington, to pay tribute as the body of Rifleman Suraj Gurung arrived at the John Radcliffe Hospital for
SCORES of young people shared their views on proposed spending cuts – bringing an end to a countywide series of consultations. The Big Debate was organised by Oxfordshire County Council as it plans to slash £200m from its budget over the next four years
SHOPPERS in East Oxford where surprised to be invited to an impromptu performance by a hit band today. Members of The Magic Numbers turned up to help launch a new record shop – which will stay open just for the weekend. Brother and sister Romeo and
Police warned that Banbury police station would have reduced opening hours this weekend due to staff sickness. The front counter will be open between 8am and 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. A police spokesman said: "If you need the assistance of Thames
Police in Wantage have invested in new technology allowing them to check dogs for microchips. The device will allow officers to check animals against a national database for a unique identification number. PC Steve Lynch, who purchased the equipment
AEA Technology 6.75 BMW 4374 Electrocomps 241.3 Nationwide Accident Repair 102.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.25 Oxford Catalysts 61.75 Oxford Instruments 498.75 Reed Elsevier 544.75 RM 160.75 RPS Group 190.8 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley
The largest accountancy business in north Oxfordshire will be created with the merger of two Banbury firms. Ellacotts and Jones Boughton which have both been trading for 50 years, will bring a total of 69 staff together when the deal is rubber stamped
Honda today confirmed its commitment to the 2011 British Touring Car Championship, in which it will enter two racing Honda Civics, prepared by Team Dynamics. The Honda Racing Team will compete in next year’s championship as a full ‘works’ entry
TWO childhood sweethearts celebrate their golden wedding anniversary today, surrounded by family and friends. John and Barbara Kinchin, from Marcham, are holding a party tonight to celebrate. The couple met when growing up around the village in the
An alarm foiled a raid on the Co-op store in London Road, Headington, shortly after 4am yesterday. Burglars smashed their way into the store and attempted to steal alcohol, but left the scene empty-handed when the alarms sounded. PC David Kuttner
AN industrial extraction unit was destroyed when fire broke out at a Cowley factory. Fire crews were called to UYS Limited in Garsington Road, behind Unipart, at 7.43pm on Thursday. All staff were evacuated and no was injured. The blaze began following
A broken-down lorry this afternoon caused long jams on the A34 Western Bypass near Oxford. One lane was blocked on the A34 northbound carriageway at the Pear Tree interchange causing delays in the area. Emergency services are at the
In 10 years it seems we’ll all be driving around in cars that owe more to the machine I’m writing this on than generations of automotive engineering. The Tesla is a good example. Invented by a bunch of geeks in Silicon Valley, it’s effectively a flying
Q. What vehicle did you drive? A. Thrust SSC, the world’s first (and only) SuperSonic Car. At 17 metres long and 10 tonnes (without fuel), it was something of a monster. However, with two reheated Rolls Royce Spey engines (a total of about 100,000hp
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to travel back through time? It’d be expensive at first, but soon Michael O’Leary would set up Ryantime and offer cheap trips to all periods of history. History teachers could visit Rome or Atlantis. Celebrities could
Well, believe it or not, for once I have nothing to moan about. The thing is, some days on the road have a totally different impact than others and yesterday was just such a day. I was making my usual journey to work at my current contract, which covers
Business leaders have welcomed three new independent retailers have opened in Witney they believe will add to the town’s appeal to shoppers. Cards and gifts store Fresh, women’s clothing store Estilo and Jellibon, a traditional sweet shop, have all opened
SAFE, solid and sensible. Three words you have always associated with Saab cars, if not their drivers. Now you can add a fourth, subtle. The styling of the Saab 9-3X, which sits on five-spoke, 17in alloy wheels, might be a little more extrovert than
GAY culture will be celebrated in Witney tomorrow when the third annual pride event is held in the town. It runs from noon until 1am at The Plough Inn, in High Street. Organiser Toni Le Busque said: “People can expect lots of music and
OXFORD’S music-lovers are being invited to stock up on tunes at a new independent record store – for one weekend only. The venture will see an empty shop at 101 Cowley Road, East Oxford – the former home of the Videosyncratic video store – converted
TEACHERS and toddlers are enjoying using their new pre-school after a £150,000 revamp narrowly escaped Government cuts. Wantage Ed Vaizey joined parents and pupils to officially open the new building in Steventon, near Abingdon, last month. Parents
A DISUSED church which stood empty for 30 years will reopen tomorrow as Oxford’s newest place of worship. The Russian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, in Ferry Road, Marston, has undergone seven months of renovations, costing £250,000
A 19-YEAR-OLD boy who died in hospital after a crash in Horspath on Friday has been named as Sidney Spiers, from Kennington. The former St Gregory the Great Catholic School Oxford pupil, was travelling in a car with four friends on Friday night. The
An open day is being held for two remaining homes at a new development in Bicester The apartments are part of Webb Court which has been converted from listed stone buildings, including an old bakery. The development at 10 The Causeway, is a gated community
A £100,000 facelift involving public artwork is being launched to brighten up Didcot’s Orchard shopping centre. South Oxfordshire District Council is planning to invest money on art installations, seats, lights and signs for the centre, which opened
AEA Technology 7.25 BMW 4367 Electrocomps 242.3 Nationwide Accident Repair 102.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.35 Oxford Catalyst 61.75 Oxford Instruments 510.5 Reed Elsevier 544.5 RM 158.75 RPS Group 190.4 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Some free advice – so what’s the catch? Great news this week as TBAC doubled its number of active business mentors from five to ten – not bad when you consider that they all have businesses to run and none of them receive any financial reward
The new Countryman model has helped Mini record its best ever September sales. Figures released by parent compant BMW show 25,222 cars were sold globally, a rise of 1.9 per cent on the same month last year. A BMW statement said the Austrian-built Countryman
A 27-year-old man has been found not guilty of wounding with intent and unlawful wounding following an incident at a Wantage pub. Dion Bond of Hawksworth Close in Grove, appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday, October 6 and was acquitted on both
A CHEF came out fighting last night after losing out on a place in the semi-final of BBC2’s cooking show Masterchef: The Professionals. The Ashmolean Dining Room’s head chef Arun Manickam stormed his way through the heats earlier this week and took part
THE discovery of asbestos in the Old Fire Station has delayed the £3.5m project to create a new centre for homeless people in Oxford. The hazardous material was found in a sealed room in the basement of the George Street building, believed to be an old
Wallingford hope to field influential lock Mike Turner on a regular basis as they seek to climb off the bottom of South West 1 East. Turner returned to the side in last week’s 10-9 defeat to Maidenhead after more than a season out. Director
Wantage Town will give late fitness tests to Liam McCullough, Sam Belcher and Tom Malton ahead of their Premier Division clash with Oxford City Nomads tonight (7.45. Wantage are experimenting with a Friday night game for the first time in a
OXFORDSHIRE County Council last night denied it had received formal notification from a hospital trust of a £10,000 fine for bed-blocking. The Royal Berkshire Hospital said some of its Oxfordshire patients could have been discharged earlier, but were
IT IS disappointing to hear the new houses in Lambourn Road derided as eyesores. Five bungalows in the Rose Hill development to replace the old Orlits homes are completed and this is surely a step forward. Yet Peter Wilkinson, chairman of the Rose Hill
Berinsfield’s Michael McDonagh, 11, had a dream start to his ring career with victory over Aaron Iles, from the host Thames Valley gym, at Newbury. Quicker to the punch, he showed more invention to claim the votes of all three judges.
TENANTS are preparing to move into the first new council homes built in Oxford for 20 years. Five bungalows at the £5.8m Lambourn Road development, in Rose Hill, are now finished, nine months after building work started. The development
THAME’S Neil Scarborough has become a national champion after he won the Powerboat P1 SuperStock Championship in Hampshire, despite a last-day collision. Scarborough and co-pilot John Wilson failed to finish at the Lymington Grand Prix of the Sea after
SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. NPOWER LEAGUE TWO. Oxford Utd v Aldershot. FA CUP 3rd qual round: Didcot Tn v Basingstoke Tn. ZAMARETTO SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Bedford Tn v Banbury Utd, Oxford City v Hednesford. Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd v Bideford
A COMPANY has been told to change the wording of its leaflets to make sure people know they are not donating to an air ambulance charity. Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance (TVACAA) said it was concerned donors were confusing the charity with a
A TAXI driver accused of sexually assaulting a passenger told jurors he was driving a different car and did not know enough English to converse with the woman. Choudry Saleem is alleged to have rubbed the woman’s thigh and told her “young girls should
Chinnor head coach Jason Bowers says his squad are the envy of their National 3 South West rivals. Bowers’s resources have been tested in recent weeks, but he is more than happy with his reserves as they prepare for tomorrow’s visit of Bourn-emouth.
Oxford City boss Mike Ford has saluted his side’s attitude as they look for their first Zamaretto Southern League Premier Division win against visitors Hednesford Town on Saturday. Although City lost 2-0 at Salisbury in midweek, he was delighted with
Families, children, community groups, individuals and local MPs are joining forces this month to do something spectacular. And I am encouraging Oxford Mail readers to do the same. I want family and friends to spend time together and volunteer a little
Has city councillor Colin Cook been living in a cave for the past 12 months? If not, perhaps both he and the Oxford Mail would like to direct the county council towards the enormous pile of cash they seem to believe is winging its way in the direction
REGARDING Chris Walker’s article about the traffic problems along Botley Road, it is obvious that there are just too many traffic lights from West Way to St Frideswide Square. It is especially noticeable that when traffic lights are out of action, the
I write in response to your article and editorial of October 5, on the Botley Road and the planned developments for the station. I strongly endorse Oxford city councillor Colin Cook’s statement that an opportunity has been missed, and as such, in my
I WRITE regarding your report about students’ unruly antisocial behaviour (Oxford Mail, October 17). This is not unusual for students, and it is about time they are told, or taught, how to behave – before they get here. If a few of their discounts are
World champion swimmer and Strictly Come Dancing star, Mark Foster, has teamed up with the Esporta health club in Oxford to help members get fun out of their sport. Foster met with staff at the Oxfordshire Health and Racquets Club on Woodstock Road to
Sunderland-born Kevin Dillon has been manager of Aldershot since November last year, succeeding Gary Waddock when he went to Wycombe. On the field, he played more than 100 league games for Reading, and then made over 450 league appearances, many of them
What a memorable finish it was to United’s game against Port Vale last Saturday. For everyone, that is, except Ben Purkiss. The U’s right back (pictured) can’t remember a thing about it, after getting a bang on the head during the match
A group of Oxford United fans have been working hard to build up support to make tomorrow’s match against Alder-shot Ultimate Support Saturday. It’s a bid to crank up the noise volume at the Kassam Stadium – and it wasn’t bad against Port Vale last
WHATEVER the success of Anthony Durkin’s scheme to provide a new patient transport scheme on the back of an appeal to the public, we hope today’s story about confusion with the current Thames Valley Air Ambulance service will make people stop and think
BROAD Street, the Sheldonian Theatre and Radcliffe Square had been in the grip of a film company making the latest X-Men spectacular. It was impossible to move for cameras, lighting equipment, lorries, tents and massive cranes, while extras and the wardrobe
OXFORD United manager Chris Wilder says no-one should take too much notice of the league table ahead of Aldershot Town’s visit to the Kassam Stadium tomorrow, writes JON MURRAY. The Shots are down in 15th place, having drawn six of their ten matches
Oxford United’s three-game unbeaten run will be put to the test against Aldershot Town on Saturday. Although the Shots are 15th in League Two, there’s little to choose between those in upper mid-table and lower mid-table. Indeed, had
MAGISTRI linguae Latinae mittuntur in scholas urbis ut favent arti legendi et scribendi. Or, in English: Latin teachers are being sent into Oxford’s schools to boost pupils’ reading and writing. Oxford-based educational charity The Iris Project, which
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber dominated second practice at Suzuka as Red Bull marked themselves out as the team to beat in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. Vettel won this race from pole position last year and is on target to repeat that feat
A GERMAN lecturer has been found dead at an Oxford University college. The body of Gudrun Loftus, 52, was found in St John’s College, St Giles, with serious injuries shortly before 9am on Tuesday. She was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital but was
A BUSINESSMAN was killed by a car yesterday as he walked home. Lee Ostridge, from Begbroke, near Yarnton, was walking along the A44 Woodstock Road, near Oxford Airport, when the accident happened early yesterday morning. The 23-year-old former pupil
Didcot Town boss Stuart Peace has urged his side to go out and make history when they host Blue Square Bet South side Basingstoke Town in Saturday’s FA Cup third qualifying round. It is unchartered territory for the Railwaymen who have never reached
Oxford racing driver Jason Plato goes into the final rounds of the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship hoping to seal the title. Chevrolet driver Plato heads into the final three races at Brands hatch this weekend 17 points ahead
OXFORDSHIRE swimmer Simon Burnett took his second silver of the Games yesterday and promptly dedicated it to an Oxford-based charity, writes STUART WEIR Defending champion Burnett, from Tetsworth, finished runner-up in the blue riband 100 metres freestyle
Lewis Hamilton's Japanese Grand Prix weekend got off to the worst possible start today as the McLaren driver crashed out of the opening practice session at Suzuka. The Briton is bidding to re-ignite his championship bid after back-to-back retirements
A TAXI driver left a 15-year-old boy by the side of the road near to a hospital after driving over his legs, police said. At about 1.30pm on Monday, a black London taxi ran into the boy at the junction with Gipsy Lane and Greys Road, Oxford
A 19-YEAR-OLD boy died in hospital after a crash in Horspath on Friday night. The boy, who has yet to be named, was one of five teenagers in a car which crashed into a ditch in Cuddeson Road at about 8.30pm. The red Fiat Punto collided
Hannah England said she felt “really good” as she eased into to today’s final of the women’s 1500 metres at the magnificent, but almost empty, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, writes STUART WEIR. In a race where the top four from 11 starters qualified for the
Oxford archer Nichola Simpson celebrated with a cup of tea after winning a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi yesterday. The 53-year-old, who lives in Marston, achieved her lifetime’s ambition as a member of England’s three-strong team that
A DAD was fined and his music equipment confiscated to allow his neighbour’s six-year-old daughter to get a good night’s sleep. Robert McCorrisken, 44, of Tyrrells Way, Sutton Court-enay, near Abingdon, pleaded guilty at Didcot Magistrates’ Court on
BICESTER came home with a bunch of awards from the two Britain in Bloom competitions. The town won silver gilt award in the large town category and Bicester Village got best commercial operation at the awards ceremony in Birmingham. And there were further
ART in Oxford is at risk of being “severely damaged” if venues are hit by funding cuts under the Government’s spending review. Bosses from the Playhouse Theatre, Pegasus Theatre and Modern Oxford say art is vital to the city and must be preserved to
