THE first phase of Bicester’s 5,000 home eco town has received financial backing from two investors. Resolution Property and Altitude Real Estate LLP have bought the freehold to 80 acres of land of farmland off the B4100. Plans were approved in August
THE legacy of an Oxford folk musician who inspired hundreds of young women will be celebrated at the opening of a new recording studio. Kate Garrett, who died of cancer in May 2009 aged 37, had spent eight years working on the Young Women’s Band Project
A new tourism book which suggests something to do in the Vale of White Horse district for every week of the year will be on sale next month. The 52 Things to Do book will be launched on Saturday, December 10, at 2pm at a temporary Blackwells book shop
THE Oxford Brass Players will play a charity concert on New Year’s Day to raise much needed funds for Vale House, the dementia care home in Botley. The event will be held at Cowley Conservative Club from 8pm and will feature the band plus special guest
A NORTH Oxford college wants to expand its Banbury Road site, submitting plans to build six classrooms and a workshop. St Clare’s, an international residential college, is seeking Oxford City Council approval to demolish a biology laboratory, prep room
WITH little chance of finding the arsonists who burned down a gardening project used by a mental health charity, PCSO Rob Bliss knew he had to act. So using his contacts from the Banbury community, he rallied companies to donate a replacement summer-house
IT’S been all hands on deck for children from Blackbird Leys this year as they’ve enjoyed life on their new canal boat. Biddy’s Dream, a 60ft narrowboat, was launched in April to take the Oxford estate’s young people out on to the county’s waterways.
SCHOOL buses were put to the test when police officers carried out an operation to check their roadworthiness. A team of roads policing officers lined up on Wednesday morning to meet coaches as they arrived at The Cooper School in Churchill Road, Bicester
A little piece of history connects Oxford’s George Street and the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. In 1959, the ABC Ritz Cinema (now Odeon, George Street) proudly announced the showing of South Pacific: “for the first time in breathtaking
AEA Technology 0.26 BMW 4286 Electrocomponents 198.8 Nationwide Accident Repair 67 Oxford Biomedica 4.7 Oxford Catalysts 51 Oxford Instruments 919.25 Reed Elsevier 503.25 RM 71.5 RPS Group 178.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
AN ALLOTMENT site that was closed eight years ago because of contamination should finally reopen in the spring. Claypitts Allotments, off London Road, Bicester, was shut after soil was blighted by waste from a former dump at the allotment site. And
COMPUTER users will be able to access free wireless internet in Wantage town centre from next month. The scheme means shoppers, workers, and visitors can check emails and browse the internet anywhere in the Market Place. It is hoped the service will
ONE man’s passion for his village has led to him setting up his own museum of its history. And history buff Graham Kew, 69, is now writing a new book on Minster Lovell to boot. The loyal villager hopes will be a great success and having first moved
There is normally just one reason for opting to buy an estate car – space. Vauxhall has come up with another one – style. The sleek Astra Sports Tourer certainly offers a much greater ability to swallow up everything a family could reasonably throw
Pupils from Witney’s Henry Box School were inspired by a talk from Oxfordshire author Sarah Powell. Ms Powell, who uses the pen name SL Powell, visited the school last Friday to talk to pupils about her new book Fifty Fifty. Librarian Nicola Patrick
A TINY independent school in Ascott-under-Wychwood has made it into a list of the top 100 prep schools in the UK. Each year, The Sunday Times publishes a list of the top 100 schools in the private and public sectors, based on test results. For the first
AN Abingdon pre-school has been issued with a notice to improve after receiving Ofsted's lowest rating. Riverside Pre-School, in Cotman Close, was judged inadequate in all but three of the 17 areas examined, following an inspection in September
A FAMILY retailer has a personal reason for raising awareness of prostate cancer, as male staff from Buywise get hairy for charity. Six members of staff at the electrical and furniture store, Buywise Domestic Appliance Ltd in Parson’s Street, Banbury
ORGANISERS behind the decision to cancel next year’s Oxfordshire County Show said a lack of young volunteers was partly to blame. The Thame Show has lost about £116,000 over the past four years, and chairman Martin Hector said cancelling the 2012 event
IF YOU find politicians send you sleep, then this may just be the perfect gift for unruly children. Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha have both recorded children’s stories for a local charity making audio books for the blind. And to
A TEENAGE boy has admitted raping a woman in her 70s. The 14-year-old, who cannot be named, appeared at Oxford Crown Court this morning and entered a guilty plea to one count of rape. The boy raped the pensioner in Banbury on November 12 after asking
A well-known Woodstock character has put reaching his 100th birthday down to a daily glass of sherry and a good bet on the horses. Fred Edwards, who has lived in Woodstock for 75 years, celebrated his century last Friday surrounded by more than 60
MORE Oxfordshire schools have confirmed they will close on Wednesday because of teachers’ strikes. Set to close are: Carswell Community Primary, Fitzwaryn School, Glory Farm Primary, John Watson School, New Hinksey Primary, Pegasus Primary, St John’s
Ardley United give a late fitness test to striker Scott Bridges as they look to extend their lead at the top of the Premier Division at home to near-neighbours Kidlington on Saturday. Bridges is Ardley’s only injury doubt. He limped off after scoring
Forwards never turn down the chance to score a goal. But Oxford striker James Constable said that he did, briefly, consider going down for a penalty when he found the net against Crawley last week. Beano nipped in between Pablo Mills and keeper Scott
A MOVE to change Abingdon’s name back to Abingdon-on-Thames has moved a significant step closer but the public will get their say. The Tory town council has approved the plan despite it being labelled “pretentious” by a former mayor. The council rejected
A MAN known as “Scabby John” rode around a park on a mobility scooter with his genitals exposed to children, a court has heard. Disabled John Devine denies one count of exposure and is standing trial at Oxford Crown Court. The 58-year-old is alleged
Oxfordshire pair Andrew Brockie and Edith Langford struck gold in the Wiltshire Under 17 badminton tournament at Melksham. Brockie, from Faringdon, beat Hampshire’s Ross Green 21-19 to take the boys’ title, while Langford saw off Dorset’s Sophie Males
Oxford United’s own mobile network is launched on Saturday. The club hope that last week’s eye-catching promotion of OUFC Mobile will have whetted the appetite of fans, who will sign up and be entitled to exclusive offers and promotions that will only
Almost ten years to the day, Ian Atkins took charge of his first game as Oxford United manager (although technically he was still director of football at the time) as the U’s recorded a 3-0 win over Cheltenham Town at the Kassam Stadium. Paul Moody, Jamie
SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. NPOWER LEAGUE TWO. Oxford Utd v Cheltenham Tn. FA CARLSBERG TROPHY. 3rd qual round: Banbury Utd v Wealdstone, Bromley v Didcot Tn. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Div 1 South & West: Bridgwater v North Leigh, Yate Tn v Abingdon Utd
Leanne Reeves, of Wallingford, fared well in the first trial for the 2012 Great Britain junior (under 18) teams at Boston, Linconshire on Saturday. Among the youngest of the 89 girls competing, Reeves finished in a respectable 14th place, putting her
Former Wallingford flanker Will Woodward earns a first start for third-placed Henley Hawks as they visit National 2 South leaders Richmond opn Saturday. Woodward comes in for Jamie Sutton, who drops to the bench, while lock Stuart McLaren is on the bench
Didcot Town manager Dave Mudge has hailed the capture of former Newcastle United striker Paul Robinson from Chesham United. But Robinson, 33, will have to wait for his debut as he is cup-tied for Saturday's FA Carlsberg Trophy third-qualifying-round
Although there are only five teams in the Football Combination Northern Division, the table is incredibly tight. Victory for Oxford United against Colchester on Wed-nesday night could have seen them go top. But they lost 3-1, and are now bottom! Assistant
North Leigh manager Mark Gee has urged his Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West side to get back on a good run, starting with Saturday’s trip to Bridgwater. Earlier in the season, his side put together a run of four successive wins and Gee
Oxford Harlequins say won’t be underestimating Witney when the sides clash in Sunday’s Oxfordshire Cup quarter-final at North Hinksey (2.30). Quins may have won their last two games after a poor start to the National 3 South West season.
With another big crowd expected for another big game, Chris Wilder knows that his players need to step upto the plate against Cheltenham tomorrow. The U’s are in the middle of a difficult run of matches, which has seen them suffer four defeats in a row
Oxford United are urging supporters to bring along tomorrow anything that could make a Christmas present. The U’s are preparing for their annual visit to the Oxford Children’s Hospital at the John Radcliffe next month. Last year the club received lots
THE Conservative Government’s decision to cut discounted coach fares for pensioners and disabled people shows how little they care about the most vulnerable in our society. The concessionary coach scheme was a lifeline for many people and a vital link
IT is noted in the Oxford Mail (November 21), ‘No, no, no to city CPZ’, that the county highway bosses want to create a single controlled parking zone covering the whole of Oxford. It is hoped they will spare a thought for surrounding villages, which
MANY thanks to Linda King (November 10) for thanking me for my letter (November 4) concerning the relationship between physicians and pharmaceutical companies. Referring to older people, she writes: “They’re given something, have side effects from that
Despite sending 35 emails to Oxfordshire County Council Highways Department about the dangerous state of the pavement in High Street, Witney, replies were merely weak excuses coupled with half-hearted attempts to make improvements to just a few of the
I’ve always liked the letters of R. Lee and Tim Siret. They take the view that the war in Iraq was illegal (could not agree more) and the Afghan war is killing our soldiers. Why, I do not know, unless it’s to stop the Taliban in their tracks. Most thinking
SO now we have a trio of ‘little Englanders’ in the Oxford Mail – Limmer, Tucker and Winkfield. I thought this aberration was gone but no, it seems the first talks about Stasi (East German police) on the subject of CCTV in cabs (good idea to protect
THE backdrop was the History of Science Museum in Broad Street, not a choice I would have made bearing in mind what else was on offer within yards, but who was I to question the preferences of seven young camera-toting Chinese women? I had dodged past
EAST OXFORD: Five men and boys have been charged after a 20-year-old man was stabbed in Cowley Marsh Park. The victim was attacked on May 16. Hamin Rahman, 18, of Asquith Road, Rose Hill, Hamid Shah, 25, and Mokthair Isakhail, 21, of Pound
ON Sunday, November 6, a charity band concert for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal was organised by the Legion’s Witney branch and the Gateway Lodge of Freemasons, raising the sum of £1,300. The music was provided by Witney Town Band. We would like
INSTEAD of wasting so much time, effort and money on “rebranding” Abingdon with the twee appendage “on Thames”, perhaps we could maintain the free school transport for our children. As it is apparently deemed safe, by our councillors for 11-year-olds
THE A4074 is currently closed both ways after two crashes between Baldon Lane, Nuneham Courtenay, and Henley Road, Sandford-on-Thames. The accidents happened on the last hill near Nineveh Farm. Meanwhile, one lane in both directions
UP to 20,000 people, including Sarah Turner, left, and Lee-Anne Drummond – packed Broadway in Didcot last night for the town’s annual Christmas street fair. Among those enjoying the spectacle, now in its 18th year, was Adrienne Guiry, 63, from
AS THE sun began to set over Headley Way, crowds fell silent to mark the passing of four soldiers killed in Afghanistan. About 250 people lined roads close to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital as a cortege containing the bodies of Lance Corporal Peter
THEY came because they felt they had to, not because they wanted to. Yesterday, 700 people – about 200 more than the previous week – lined Norton Way in Carterton and watched with sadness and respect as four hearses slipped past, carrying the bodies
THE UK’s data watchdog is investigating a complaint about controversial moves to record all conversations in Oxford’s taxis. The Information Commissioner said it had received a complaint from a member of the public over Oxford City Council’
STAFF working in the operating theatres at an Oxford hospital have been given plastic whistles to call for help in an emergency. Hospital bosses last night admitted there is no unified emergency call system in operation at the John Radcliffe Hospital
Classic ghost story Oh Whistle And I’ll Come To You, My Lad by MR James never fails to leave either its readers or viewers – if you’re a fan of the two BBC adaptations – both horrified and deeply disturbed. And couldn’t the same be said of today’s disturbing
Lewis Guy returned to Oxford United yesterday, hoping to impress enough to get a longer-term deal. The forward, who was on loan at the Kassam Stadium at the start of the season, has been restricted to just one substitute appearance since returning to
A WOMAN who came home to find builders had left her toilet dumped in her kitchen said she was charged more than £6,000 for an unfinished bathroom. Jane Thomas gave evidence on day three of the “rogue trader” trial against Trevor Bateman, David Merriman
THE winner of Oxford’s biggest talent competition has realised her dream of releasing a CD. Fifteen-year-old Eleanor Williams stormed to victory in Talent Oxford in June with her rendition of Puccini’s O Mio Babbino Caro. Since then, the wannabe opera
THE boyfriend of a young glider pilot who plunged to her death wept as he described watching her fall from the sky above Bicester. Yesterday, an inquest heard how Amy Barsby, 25, died last August, when the wings fell off her glider seconds after take-off
THERE are new faces on the beat in East Oxford and Headington to combat friction between town and gown. But rather than PCSOs or street wardens, the young people patrolling the Gipsy Lane estate, Cheney Lane area and Divinity Road area are students
