OXFORD City Council will tonight activate its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) for rough sleepers. Extra bed spaces will be available for any rough sleeper in the city - even if they would not usually be eligible for the city’s adult homeless
THE Lord Mayor of Oxford will host a reflection service to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day next week. The service, led by Colin Cook, will allow members of the public, city council employees and councillors to honour survivors of the Holocaust
TWO purses were stolen in Bicester town centre yesterday. At least one of the incidents is believed to have been a distraction theft, where the victim was offered assistance and afterwards noticed their purse was missing. The other theft saw
THREE men tried to burgle an empty house before driving away at speed. At about 6.45pm on Sunday, they smashed a rear window and broke into the property on Corbett Road, Carterton. The house was waiting to be moved into, so nothing was taken.
A THIEF accused of stealing thousands of pounds from his employer has admitted carrying out the offence. Christian Whitton, of Overdale Close, Oxford, was set to stand trial for the single count of theft by employee but in a last minute change of
A PETITION has been launched calling for more parking spaces at Oxpens for ice rink users after the city council slashed capacity at the neighbouring car park. Earlier this month the council closed off 241 spaces on decking and matting at the car
A MAN has been charged after an elderly woman in her 80s was tricked into handing over a large amount of cash. Police have charged Musthafa Ali, aged 21 of Quaker Court, Islington in London with one count of conspiracy to defraud. The charge
A LECTERN dedicated to the memory of the late Major and Mrs. Moir, of Old Place Yard House, has recently been returned to St Edburg’s Church after being on loan for several years to St Edburg’s School. Both had been heavily involved in the life of
THE genetic disorder Haemochromatosis, if left untreated, can cause serious illness such as liver failure, diabetes and severe arthritis. It had been previously believed the condition, which doctors have labelled a 'stealth disease', affected about
'WITCHES in Wellies and Wedding Dresses' are invited to an all women's ball for International Women's Day. The secret location of the event – which will feature a burning ceremony and female entertainment act – will be announced two weeks before
A clean cut young woman in full academic dress walks out of the Bodleian Quad, flanked by two male students, in white bow ties and flowing gowns. The good looking trio, stride purposefully across the cobbles of Radcliffe Square, heads held high
As guitarist in rock band Little Fish, Julia Sophie Walker had her taste of rock & roll fame. Stepping back from the limelight she has tried her hand at making everything from soap and apple juice to film soundtracks as well as rocking out in electro-pop
A clean cut young woman in full academic dress walks out of the Bodleian Quad, flanked by two male students, in white bow ties and flowing gowns. The good looking trio, stride purposefully across the cobbles of Radcliffe Square, heads held high,
A YOUNG entrepreneur on a mission to support her fellow females in business has recently launched a new service. Wheatley-based Lucy Crane, 29, has developed a support system for female entrepreneurs with her Bespoke Networking and Lead Generating
AHMED Kashi has become Oxford United’s third signing of the January transfer window after finalising his loan move from France. The 30-year-old is switching from Ligue 2 side Troyes for the rest of the season and will provide competition for John
A CONTROVERSIAL development featuring up to 91 homes and a care complex is likely to get the go-ahead. Plans to build on land west of Shilton Road, Burford, were delegated to planning officers to approve by West Oxfordshire district councillors
GOLFERS got back in the swing of things for the annual Bicester Hotel and Charity golf day. The event is held each year to help raise funds for charity and this time was in aid of Bardwell School, in Bicester. It involved four teams of seven
JEAN Ashton, who has died aged 86, ran chip shops across Oxfordshire, becoming a familiar face for generations of residents. Mrs Ashton lived in Witney, Carterton and Chipping Norton, but will be best remembered as one half of W & J Ashton’s
A NEW Oxfordshire health chief has said she is confident the county’s hospitals will not be forced into cancelling operations en masse like last year. The winter of 2017/18 saw hundreds of operations cancelled between December and March as cold
A PROFESSOR of European Law will speak at a free event organised by People's Vote campaigners. Professor Michael Dougan, an academic at the University of Liverpool, will address a public meeting titled 'Brexit: Where Now' at Witney Corn Exchange
BEREAVED parents who channelled the heartache of losing their baby boy Oscar into creating a charity are now marking its fifth anniversary. Hannah and David Cole, from Kirtlington near Bicester, were left heart broken when Oscar died suddenly on
A NURSERY school in East Oxford has been described by Ofsted as 'welcoming and outward-looking.' Comper Foundation Stage School, which educates 53 pupils aged two-five, received the praise in a new report. It was inspected in January and Ofsted's
SPORT in Chipping Norton will receive a welcome boost after contractors were appointed to install an all-weather pitch at the town's leisure centre. The new sand-dressed pitch will replace the existing tarmac surface in an £85,000 project that will
By Helen Bishop Consultant Solicitor Boardman, Hawkins & Osborne LLP AS WE enter a New Year it is a time for reflection and to look forward to the coming year, and Family Law is no exception. 2018 saw some high-profile family cases in
THE Oxford Union is embroiled in yet another debate about free speech, after it invited 'fascist' French politician Marion Maréchal-Le Pen to speak next week. An Oxford MP has told the Union to 'grow up' and stop inviting 'racist after racist'.
EDDIE Pepperell carded a four-under-par 68 to climb the leaderboard at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this morning. The Abingdon golfer has moved to six under for the tournament and is joint 23rd after the second round. Pepperell is six shots
THE first public drop-in event as part of a final round of consultation on South Oxfordshire District Council's Local Plan will take place today. People in Didcot can visit the Cornerstone Arts Centre between 3pm–7pm to find out more about the document
OXFORD City Stars captain Darren Elliott is under no illusion as to how tough the second half of the season will be for his side, writes JACK SALE. Their 13-1 victory over Lee Valley Lions kept Stars fourth in the English National League South Division
'RACIST and bullying behaviours' have blighted the work environment at Oxfam, according to a new report. The interim report produced by the Independent Commission, set up by Oxfam International last year in the wake of the Haiti scandal, found
A VILLAGE school has encouraged parents to step forward to help save their parent-teacher association. Sunningwell CE Primary School near Abingdon has become the latest to warn that its PTA, which carries out valuable fundraising, could fold if
LITTLEMORE have learnt the hard way about the difficulties of adjusting to life in a higher division – but back-to-back wins have proven it can be achieved. Eleven successive defeats before the festive break left the side staring at the possibility
AN AMATEUR cyclist will ride 66 miles to raise money for a charity that helped him bond with his disabled wife through video games. Jason Jones, from Witney, is taking part in the 2019 Etape Loch Ness in April in aid of Charlbury-based charity SpecialEffect
MOTORISTS were urged to take care on the roads this morning after snowfall in Oxfordshire. Oxfordshire County Council said it received reports of snow 'around the county' at about 7.45am. We are getting reports of snow showers around the
DOZENS of Oxfordshire’s property professionals gathered at Harwell science campus for the launch of the second annual Oxfordshire Property Festival. Last year, hundreds of people took part in the county’s first major property and development festival
OXFORD City Stars head coach Kenny Redmond hailed the attitude of his side after they thumped struggling Lee Valley Lions 13-1, writes JACK SALE. The one-sided success at Oxpens maintains their English National League South Division 2 title ambitions
We have to blame Friedrich Schiller for the notion that Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots ever met, as he created a confrontation between the Tudor cousins for his 1800 play, Maria Stuart. It's no surprise, therefore, to see Saoirse Ronan and Margot
Not every debuting director can list Mark Rylance and the late Alan Rickman among his associate producers and their presence in the credits undoubtedly gives writer-director Mark Gillis's Sink an enviable seal of approval. In fact, there's nothing
ED David has been elected Oxford University’s new skipper. The 23-year-old succeeds Dom Waldouck with immediate effect, and the Dark Blues’ first game under his captaincy is against Bristol University on January 23. David, who has previously
BICESTER continued their strong showing in the junior events of the Chiltern Cross Country League. Following the fourth round at Keysoe Equestrian Centre, Bedford, the under 15 boys and under 13 girls teams sit second in their respective Division
Changes made to the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV have been firmly focused on retaining its title as the UK’s best-selling plug-in vehicle. When it was launched in the UK back in 2014, the plug-in hybrid market was in its infancy and electric cars
WEST Oxford Democrats reached the semi-finals of the Oxford & District League’s Team Knockout Cup when beating Masons Arms 7-5 on aggregate, writes PETE EWINS. With a 4-2 lead from the first leg, visitors Democrats lost the opening game as Chris
A PROLIFIC thief who has plagued bike owners across the city has been handed a jail term after his latest cycle of thefts. Serial offender Sofiene Menhnan, of Luther Street, Oxford, had already admitted two counts of theft of a pedal cycle.
A SCHOOL in Oxford has appealed for witnesses after a parent's car was damaged in a minor collision, after which the driver failed to stop. New Marston Primary School notified police after the collision occurred outside the school during pick-up
A SPECIALIST hospital team has been easing pressure in A&E by treating approximately 300 patients a month who would otherwise be in hospital beds. The Rowan Ambulatory Unit at the Horton Hospital in Banbury has been receiving patient referrals
AHMED Kashi is on the verge of a move to Oxford United, which is expected to be completed today. The midfielder, who played for Karl Robinson at Charlton Athletic, was in attendance last night as the club’s under 18s were knocked out of the FA Youth
THE number of workers at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) who took part in the national NHS staff survey increased by 10 per cent compared to the previous year. In total, 5,767 staff took part in the 2018 survey – 48.1 per cent of staff who were
A MERRILY-named wine store is set to open in north Oxford tomorrow. 'Grape Minds' will be a fixture on Summertown's South Parade following the success of a 'pop-up' version late last year. And owners Graeme Woodward and Michael Jelley, who
A GROUP opposed to the Oxford-Cambridge expressway potentially ploughing through Green Belt land has urged the Government to build a new link road between the A34 and A420 for it. The Expressway Action Group is opposed to the new road, which could
TRANSFORMATION plans which the county council has said could mean the loss of 890 jobs could still save nearly £50m, councillors will hear today. Last year, the council said an £18m project would lead to an end to 'salami slicing' of services and
SECURITY guards have been put in place at more Oxford tower blocks as residents continue to be dogged by anti-social behaviour. Evenlode and Windrush Towers in Blackbird Leys now also have a 24-hour security presence to combat the problem of youths
ENFORCING parking across some Oxfordshire districts could be taken out of the police’s hands and given to councils to control next year. It follows moves across Oxfordshire to take the powers from Thames Valley Police, with statistics showing the
OXFORD MAGISTRATES’ JACK MCKNIGHT, 21, of Offas Close, Benson, was convicted of speeding in a 40 mph area at Berkshire on August 7. He was fined £395 and must pay a victim surcharge of £39 and court costs of £85 and his driving licence was endorsed
A MULTI-MILLION pound scheme to reduce the risk of flooding in Abingdon has been abandoned due to spiralling costs. The Environment Agency had been working with Vale of White Horse District Council, Oxfordshire County Council and the Thames Regional
A FRAUDSTER stole a young woman's identity and advertised items for sale at her home - and the first she knew of it was when buyers turned up at the door. People from around the country have been travelling to the woman's house in Bicester to collect
A RADICAL new rail route through West Oxfordshire is the 'silver bullet' that will fix the district's 'chronic' transport woes, campaigners say. The Witney Oxford Transport Group (WOT) has proposed a new line running from Hanborough to Carterton
ENVIRONMENTALISTS and experts have given a mixed response to the latest proposals on a Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ). The new plan, which sees proposals for a 2020 ban on driving in central Oxford dropped, has provoked criticism from some activists.
ECO-FRIENDLY products - including beeswax food wrap and bird houses - are helping to bring in vital funds at Oxfam charity shops. Oxfam, which opened the country’s first charity shop in Broad Street, celebrated a bumper Christmas, boosted by sales
PANTO season is in full swing, with performances taking place across the county over the next few weeks. The family-friendly shows always offer a great array of photos and we dug into our archive to find some crackers from years gone by.
THANKS to support from a local homelessness charity, a man from Oxford has turned his life around by learning how to drive. Emmaus Oxford has helped 30-year-old Nigel Pollard to increase his chances of getting back into employment by learning the
