Archive
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Murray out for season
OXFORD United skipper Adam Murray will miss the rest of the season. The midfielder had been back in full training for two weeks after recovering from a back problem, and was on the brink of a return to the first team. But after taking
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999 operator loses disability tribunal hearing
A POLICE control room operator lost her disability discrimination case against Thames Valley Police today. Laura Robinson told an employment tribunal in Reading she was sacked from her job answering 999 calls and dispatching police cars because
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Alonso aims to win from front
Fernando Alonso is hoping he will not need to rely on another driver's misfortune as he bids for a second successive victory at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. The Spaniard made the perfect start to life with Ferrari as he won the season-opening
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OAP fails to turn up again in bottom-grab case
A PENSIONER who touched two plumbers on the backside as they worked at his home has failed to turn up for sentencing for the fourth time. Richard Thompson, 69, was due to be sentenced at Oxford Magistrates’ Court today on two counts of sexual assault
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Man assaulted 16-year-old girl
A 34-year-old man who drunkenly groped a teenage girl was today handed a community order. Daniel Rowland, of Wueen's Crescent, Clanfield, who earlier admitted one count of sexual assault, touched his 16-year-old victim as they sat on a sofa on February
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Parents and pupils enjoy books together
THE importance of parents and children reading to each other is being highlighted by a new story-telling scheme. Hundreds of children from Oxford are being given a taste for reading – and listening to – stories from a young age under the Storybird scheme
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Reading strengthens family bonds
The importance of parents and children reading to each other is being highlighted by a new story-telling scheme. Hundreds of children from Oxford are being given a taste for reading – and listening to – stories from a young age under the Storybird
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Culture Secretary visits new Pegasus Theatre
Teenagers who have helped shape the rebirth of an East Oxford theatre offered an exclusive sneak preview behind the scenes. Pegasus Theatre, in Magdalen Road, is in the final stages of a £7.4m revamp and today the Government’s Culture Secretary Ben
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College mourns former principal
Daphne Park, a former principal of Somerville College, Oxford, has died. The Conservative peer and former MI6 officer passed away on Wednesday aged 88. She became principal of the college in 1979 and was made Baroness Park of Monmouth
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Keble's £50m campus plans given go-ahead
City councillors have approved revised plans for a £50m college campus in North Oxford. Keble College is planning to build on the former Acland private hospital site, between Woodstock and Banbury Road, acquired four years ago for £10.75m. The
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Rail firm says Bicester line upgrade on track
An engineering company has insisted work to improve the Oxford to Bicester railway line will not be affected by a sub-contractor going into administration. It was revealed yesterday that contractor Jarvis had called in administrators following a fall
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College wins its fight to develop
CITY council leaders tonight approved revised plans for a £50m college campus in North Oxford. Keble College is planning to build on the former Acland private hospital site, between Woodstock and Banbury Road, acquired four years ago for £10.75m
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United cannot afford another home lapse
In general, a point away is a good result – providing you keep winning your home games. And that’s what United will be endeavouring to do against Gateshead on Saturday. Although their last home match against Kettering was a disappointing
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Culture Secretary takes a peek at the new Pegasus Theatre
TEENAGERS who have helped shape the rebirth of an East Oxford theatre offered an exclusive sneak preview behind the scenes. Pegasus Theatre, in Magdalen Road, is in the final stages of a £7.4m revamp and today the Government’s Culture Secretary
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Easter course at Chesterton
In the Easter holidays, Oxford United Youth and Community Sports Trust are running a special soccer course at United’s training ground. It's a chance for youngsters to have some friendly, quality coaching while learning new skills, and experience first-class
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United fans hit the road for charity
Two more Oxford United fans are going that extra mile to try to raise money for the 12th Man Fund. OxVox supporters’ trust member Andy Hill is donning his running shoes to take part in the Flora London Marathon on April 25, the day after the final game
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Title is still on, insists Hargreaves
Chris Hargreaves says there’s no question that Oxford United are still going for the title. Three successive draws have reduced their chances of landing top spot, but that could all change over the next two weeks. And the 37-year-old midfielder says
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Community order for drunk groper
A 34-YEAR-OLD man who drunkenly groped a teenage girl was today handed a community order. Daniel Rowland, who earlier admitted one count of sexual assault, touched his 16-year-old victim as they sat on a sofa on February 15 last year. Rachel Drake,
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College mourns former principal
DAPHNE Park a former principal of Somerville College, has died. The Conservative peer and former MI6 officer passed away on Wednesday aged 88. She became principal of the college in 1979 and was made Baroness Park of Monmouth in 1990.
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Stevenage crunch clash is close to a sell-out
There will be more than 1,600 fans supporting the U’s at Stevenage on Tuesday. As of last night, United’s ticket office had sold out of the 1,392 tickets they had for the game, and Stevenage had already sold around 250 to Oxford fans before United took
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Diet of religion
Bea Bradley asked why religious leaders aren’t rallying against the ‘blasphemy of blood sports’ because ...all life was created by a loving God”. She’s illogical in thinking God sides with her. “Thou shalt not kill” was for humans, not animals;
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Smart remarks
I FOUND Andrew Smith’s comments about the Smart car (Your Wheels, March 5) narrow- minded and very offensive. Obviously writer Andrew Smith has no first hand experience of driving or owning a Smart car. I have been the proud owner of a Smart Cabriolet
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Town v gown
IN HER latest letter Pamela Webber (Oxford Mail, March 12), complains angrily about student sports teams using the public rec down by Meadow Lane. This letter, unfortunately, says more about her obvious bias against students than anything else. As
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There hangs a foxy tail
THE two women were delivering a passable impression of the late Les Dawson and his chum Roy Barraclough playing the gossipy duo, Cissie and Ada. They perched on seats in Cornmarket and made critical observations about the world and its wife. Yet these
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Border tampering
For those who don’t know, jerrymandering is an example of the sort of political chicanery that is only possible where there is a first-past-the-post system, as in the UK and US. It is supposed to have been invented in the US by a Senator named Gerry
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Riding roughshod
I WRITE regarding the letter from Troth Wells (Oxford Mail, March 22). We are all aware that horses are allowed to use the roads (horses came first, after all) and the many bridleways in and around Oxford are also for their use. Although the bridleway
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FOOTBALL: Boss O'Hara eyes top-six finish
Abingdon Town boss Mark O’Hara has targeted a top-six finish as his side prepare for the trip to Fairford Town in the Premier Division on Saturday. Abingdon have won their last three games, including a 3-0 midweek win at Ascot. O’Hara
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Budget will benefit Oxford's homeless
FOR the past 10 years I have worked with people experiencing homelessness in the city. During that time public and private services have improved dramatically for this minority group, with legislation such as the Homelessness Act 2002 helping to balance
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FOOTBALL: Didcot snap-up former Crawley star
Didcot Town are set to give a full debut to former Crawley Town midfielder Josh Huggins when they host Merthyr Tydfil in the Premier Division at Loop Meadow Stadium on Saturday. Huggins, 20, had been training at Fleet after being who released by the
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Rail firm says Bicester line upgrade will go on
AN ENGINEERING company has insisted work to improve the Oxford to Bicester railway line will not be affected by a sub contractor going into administration. It was revealed yesterday that contractor Jarvis had called in administrators following a fall
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School safety records back in order at Cutteslowe
A PRIMARY school which fell foul of new, tougher regulations on safeguarding has passed its first monitoring inspection with flying colours. Cutteslowe Primary School, in Oxford, was given a notice to improve after failing to keep all details of criminal
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School safety records back in order at Cutteslowe
A PRIMARY school which fell foul of new, tougher regulations on safeguarding has passed its first monitoring inspection with flying colours. Cutteslowe Primary School, in Oxford, was given a notice to improve after failing to keep all details of criminal
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Archers' star's possessions go under hammer
Possessions owned by long-serving Archers actor Norman Painting have raised £9,000 for charity at auction. Fans of the BBC Radio 4 drama series flocked to Banbury’s Holloway’s Auctioneers to bid for 40 lots owned by the late actor, who played the
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Roadworks to close A34
Construction work on the new £44m A34 Wolvercote viaduct will enter its final stage this weekend. More than 18 months after work began to replace the worn-out 1960s Oxford bypass viaduct, contractors will lift the deck of the new southbound
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Abingdon school turning things around, says Ofsted
A PRIMARY school which was put into special measures in 2008 has been praised by Ofsted. Thameside Primary School, in Abingdon, went into special measures following a poor report by the schools inspectors in March 2008. Following another inspection in
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Abingdon school turning things around, says Ofsted
A PRIMARY school which was put into special measures in 2008 has been praised by Ofsted. Thameside Primary School, in Abingdon, went into special measures following a poor report by the schools inspectors in March 2008. Following another inspection
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Bicester school vision is top of the class
PLANS to build a £4.4m sixth form at a Bicester school are likely to be rubber-stamped before the Easter break. Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet approved a scheme to build the zero carbon building at Cooper school after a public consultation
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A34 to close for weekend viaduct work
CONSTRUCTION work on the new £44m A34 Wolvercote viaduct will enter its final stage this weekend. More than 18 months after work began to replace the worn-out 1960s Oxford bypass viaduct, contractors will lift the deck of the new southbound
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Archers' star Norman's possessions go under the hammer
POSSESSIONS owned by long-serving Archers actor Norman Painting have raised £9,000 for charity at auction. Fans of the BBC Radio 4 drama series flocked to Banbury’s Holloway’s Auctioneers to bid for 40 lots owned by the late actor, who played the leading
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Bicester school vision is top of the class
PLANS to build a £4.4m sixth form at a Bicester school are likely to be rubber-stamped before the Easter break. Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet approved a scheme to build the zero carbon building at Cooper school after a public consultation
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Competitors gear up for Pooh Sticks
Thousands of competitors will gather over the River Thames on Sunday to take part in a quirky international event. Families will dangle sticks from a bridge over the River Thames, at Days Lock, Little Wittenham, for the 27th annual World Pooh Sticks
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Competitors gear up for Pooh Sticks event
THOUSANDS of competitors will gather beside the Thames on Sunday to take part in a quirky international event. Families will dangle sticks from a bridge over the River Thames, at Days Lock, Little Wittenham, for the 27th annual World Pooh Sticks Championship
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Local share prices (PM)
AEA Technology 22.4 BMW 3044 Electrocomponents 219.9 Gladstone 33.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 86.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.9 Oxford Catalyst 57.5 Oxford Instruments 267.5 Reed Elsevier 523.25 RM 171.5 RPS Group 190.4 Courtesy of Redmayne
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CRICKET: Bicester's woe shocks Woods
FORMER Bicester & North Oxford stalwart Darryl Woods says he is “gutted and devastated” by the club’s decision to withdraw from the top flight of this season’s MP Sports Cherwell League. Following a mass exodus of players, Bicester, who were members
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CRICKET: Elevated Tew in mixed reaction
GREAT & Little Tew chairman Dave Freeman has expressed mixed feelings about the turn of events which has seen his club unexpectedly promoted to Division 1 of the MP Sports Cherwell League. Tew, having finished third in Division 2 last season, were handed
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Programme
TOWN HALL MAIN STAGE Friday 8pm: Telling the Bees 8.40pm: Maclaine Colston & Saul Rose 21.30: Bellowhead Saturday Noon: Gael Academy 12.50: Luke Daniels & Sam Proctor 1.40pm: Torivaki 4.40pm: Roots Union 5.30
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POINT-TO-POINT: James Pine in line for cup challenge
JAMES Pine could swap the heady atmosphere of the Cheltenham Festival for the more tranquil surroundings of the rearranged Heythrop Hunt meeting at Dunthrop, near Chipping Norton, tomorrow. Sent off the 200-1 rank outsider for the Christie’s Foxhunter
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Evergreen 3 rail firm in administration
The engineering company responsible for delivering improvements to the Oxford to Bicester railway line has gone into administration. Last month, railway maintenance contractor Jarvis landed a £55m contract from Chiltern Railways to work on the mainline
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Who’s on and where . . .
BELLOWHEAD (Friday, Town Hall Main Stage) Making their triumphant fourth appearance at the Oxford Folk Festival Bellowhead are back. The sharp-suited, 11-strong band made their first public appearance in front of an unsuspecting audience
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Seventh heaven!
Growing bigger and better every year, the 2010 Oxford Folk Festival festival will see new venues, new events and new music mixed with the tried an tested favourites of previous years. This years also sees the start of an exciting new relationship
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RUGBY UNION: Chinnor look to move on
Chinnor will seek to bounce back from the low point of their season when they host Coney Hill in National 3 South West tomorrow. That was how their official match report described last week’s 22-7 defeat to Exmouth, which all but ruled out a third-place
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Young entrepreneurs go undercover
A GROUP of young entrepreneurs would be the first to admit their business is pants — and it’s highly successful as a result. Pupils at the School of St Helen and St Katharine in Abingdon have set up their own company, Magma, under the Young Enterprise
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RUGBY UNION: Witney put league first
Witney are putting their Southern Counties North title hopes ahead of a third trip to Iffley Road in five seasons. The league leaders are prioritising Saturday's home game with Aylesbury over Sunday’s Oxfordshire Cup semi-final against Wallingford
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BADMINTON Results
OXFORD & DISTRICT LEAGUE. Ladies’ Div 1: Leys A 5, North Abingdon 1; Windrush A 6, North Abingdon 0; Headington A 3, Evenlode A 3; Evenlode A 0, Headington A 6; Evenlode A 0, Windrush A 6; Evenlode A 2, North Abingdon 4. Div 2: Gosford Hill
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Jazz festival to hit Oxford
MUSIC lovers are in for a treat as the city hosts the second Oxford Jazz Festival. Starting on Thursday and running until Sunday, April 4, there will be 50 different jazz events in venues across the city. Key to the festival is performing music in iconic
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BUDGET: The Cider House rues
CIDER maker Robert Fitchett admitted he was surprised after the drink was hit with a 10 per cent above inflation hike in the Chancellor’s Budget. Mr Fitchett, who runs the Upton Cider Company near Didcot with his wife Val, was confident the company would
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New talks over East Oxford CPZ
People in East Oxford will be reconsulted on a Controlled parking Zone scheme after Oxfordshire County Council failed to reach a decision on the controversial initiative. The council’s proposals to introduce the zone in the Magdalen Road
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FIXTURES March 26
SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. BLUE SQUARE PREMIER. Oxford Utd v Gateshead. PUMA YOUTH ALLIANCE. Under 18 South West Conference: Oxford Utd Yth v Plymouth. ZAMARETTO SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Bedford Tn v Banbury Utd, Didcot Tn v Merthyr Tydfil, Swindon
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East Oxford CPZ scheme back under discussion
RESIDENTS in East Oxford will be reconsulted on a Controlled Parking Zone scheme after transport bosses failed to reach a decision on the controversial initiative. The council’s proposals to introduce the zone in the Magdalen Road area to reduce
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St Michael at the North Gate
Cornmarket Street, Oxford OX1 3EY Services for Holy Week and Easter Palm Sunday 6.00pm Choral music and readings for Passiontide Maundy Thursday 7.30pm Holy Communion and Vigil Preacher: The Revd. Angus Ritchie of Magdalen College and St
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Man charged after Wolvercote cannabis raid
A 28-year-old man has been charged with cultivation of cannabis following a raid on a house in Godstow Road, Wolvercote. Anh The Le, of Oliver Road, Oxford, was remanded in custody and will appear before Oxford Magistrates’ Court today. Officers
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Claire signs up for tlc
HEADINGTON: The Letting Centre (tlc) has appointed Claire Whiteside as its senior lettings negotiator. Ms Whiteside is delighted to be working for a family-run firm. She said: “I love working for tlc as the emphasis is on quality and the personal touch
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Woodstock Road Baptist Church
198 Woodstock Road, Oxford Easter Day Service for all ages 10.30am - 11.30am All welcome
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Raw food to fuel Rebecca's London Marathon effort
A WOMAN who ditched traditional cooked meals for a diet of just raw food has so much energy she is running the London Marathon. Three months ago Rebecca Wyles ate the usual fare most of us take for granted, from pasta to steak and chips, and
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St Clement's Church
Marston Road, Oxford Services during Holy Week and Easter 2010 Palm Sunday Services Sunday 28th March 10.30am and 6.30pm A Festive Celebration on Easter Day, Sunday 4th April A Family Holy Communion and Easter Egg Hunt at 10.30am A Communion
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First Church of Christ, Scientist, Oxford
36a St Giles’, Oxford OX1 3LD 10.30am Sunday Service & Sunday School 7.30pm Wednesday Meeting This glad Easter morning witnesseth a risen Saviour, a higher human sense of Life and Love, which wipes away all tears.Mary Baker Eddy Reading
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Evergreen 3 rail firm in administration
THE engineering company responsible for delivering improvements to the Oxford to Bicester railway line has gone into administration. Last month railway maintenance contractor Jarvis landed a £55m contract from Chiltern Railways to work on the
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All Saints' Church
Lime Walk, Headington Palm Sunday March 28th 8.00am Holy Communion 10.00am Sung Eucharist Preacher – Canon David Knight 3.30pm Evensong Preacher Mr J.R.J. Larminie Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday Holy Week 8.00am Holy Communion 8.00pmShort
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MOTOR MOUTH: The big petrol con
Seven years ago, Tony Blair and the President of the World, oops sorry, I meant the USA, started a war amidst a web of lies and deceit. They had to stop that nasty Bin Laden bloke from destroying Western culture (as we know it) and the evil Saddam had
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Man charged over cannabis factory
A 28-year-old man has been charged with cultivation of cannabis following a raid on a house in Godstow Road, Wolvercote, yesterday. Anh The Le, of Oliver Road, Oxford, has been remanded in custody and will appear before Oxford Magistrates’ Court today
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St Barnabas Church
Jericho, Oxford Traditional liturgy, music and ceremonial Maundy Thursday 7.30pm Mass of the Last Supper with Washing of Feet and Vigil Good Friday 10.00am Children’s Service 2.00pm Liturgy of the Passion
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The worst cars evah! ALFA ROMEO ARNA
Back in the 1980s, the penny finally dropped at Alfa Romeo that their cars were totally unreliable. Sporty, great to drive and nicely designed, they looked great in the workshops of dealerships where they were being continually repaired. Scratching
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Flasher exposed himself at leisure centre
A MAN exposed himself to a woman in Banbury town centre this week. At about 8.10pm on Tuesday a 35-year-old woman was walking back to her car in the car park of the Spiceball Leisure Centre in Spiceball Park Road, when a man shouted to her. When she
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St Mary Magdalen C of E Church
Magdalen Street, Oxford Holy Week Services 2010 Palm Sunday 10.15am Blessing of Palms in Trinity College Chapel followed by a procession to St. Mary Magdalen 10.30am approx. High Mass with the singing of the Passion according to Luke Wednesday
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Dash of Style
KATHERINE MACALISTER finds the perfect place to reintroduce a new slimline Mr Greedy to fine food after her spell as Florence Nightingale. Mr Greedy has lost two stone. I know! How inconsiderate of him to render his nickname obsolete. Not
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St Aldates Church
40 Pembroke Street, Oxford Palm Sunday Family Services 10.30am Sunday 28 March 2010 Good Friday Service with St Ebbe's 10.00am Friday 2 April 2010 Easter Day Family Communion 10.30am Sunday 4 April 2010 Easter Day Baptisms 6.00pm Sunday
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FAMILY FAVOURITE
Have you started a family and thought you’d kissed goodbye to the freedom and romance of city breaks? Think again, as Victoria Owen reveals the perfect capital getaway with children Grace and Barney. ATTENTION all young parents: ever craved
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Talk of The Festival
ANDREW FFRENCH looks ahead to the most controversial event of this year’s Oxford Literary Festival – the launch of Philip Pullman’s new book. LAST weekend, Oxford author Philip Pullman joined Malorie Blackman and Frances Hardinge to discuss
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Just Listen
Tim Bentinck is so hugely entertaining you want to lug him off down the local for a night of anecdotes and hilarious stories. But then if you venture to The Theatre in Chipping Norton on Wednesday you can hear the Archers mainstay doing just that in his
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Wesley Memorial Methodist Church
New Inn Hall Street, Oxford Good Friday Service 11.00am Easter Sunday 10.30am Holy Communion 6.30pm Taize Service
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Sandra Plays A Blinder
THE BLIND SIDE (12A). Drama. Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Lily Collins, Jae Head, Kathy Bates. Dreams do come true. Just ask Sandra Bullock. Earlier this month, the reigning queen of the romc com prized the Oscar statuette
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St. Michael and All Angels Parish Church
Lonsdale Road, Summertown, Oxford Holy Week & Easter 6.00pm Stations of the Cross Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Film ’Cry Freedom’ Monday 29 March 7.30 pm at the vicarage Maundy Thursday 8.00pm Service of Footwashing
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Going Green
RICHARD BELL enjoys St Patrick’s Day – without breaking the bank – at the popular Mutiny night at Oxford’s Purple Turtle. Once again the biggest drinking night of the year rolls around, and once again the enormous fun that is St Patrick’
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Violently Funny
PERRIER’S BOUNTY (15). Thriller. Cillian Murphy, Jim Broadbent, Jodie Whittaker, Brendan Gleeson, Michael McElhatton, Don Wycherley, Liam Cunningham. Foul-mouthed and gleefully violent, Perrier’s Bounty is an edgy black comedy
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Nan-Tastic
NANNY McPHEE & THE BIG BANG (U). Comedy. Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Asa Butterfield, Lilian Woods, Oscar Steer, Eros Vlahos, Rosie Taylor-Ritson, Dame Maggie Smith, Rhys Ifans, Sinead Matthews, Katy Brand, Ralph Fiennes, Ewan
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Get out and go wild
A spring in your step As spring arrives, there is an adventure to be had each morning exploring which new plants and flowers have sprung up overnight. It might be snowdrops or daffodils, crocuses or primroses. At the same time, the wildlife around us
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Crocuses like jewels on the sea
Daffodils are ominously late this year owing to the horrible winter of 2009-2010. The snowdrops and crocuses have also been later – but not as far behind as the golden daffodil. Even the earliest large-flowered daffodil ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’ is
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Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 22.25 BMW 3007 Electrocomponents 219.4 Gladstone 34 Nationwide Accident Repair 86.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.1 Oxford Catalyst 57.5 Oxford Instruments 267.5 Reed Elsevier 521.75 RM 173.25 RPS Group 187.6 Courtesy
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Hedd Girl
Former Bond girl Rosamund Pike tells KATHERINE MACALISTER of her delight at revisiting Oxford to star in Ibsen’s classic Hedda Gabler. Sorry, I completely forgot about the interview,” Rosamund Pike says in those unmistakably clipped and measured
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Love is...
Fame doesn’t sit easily with rising star Ellie Goulding but – as TIM HUGHES finds out – she’s just going to have to get used to it. UNREQUITED love. It’s always been a rich seam of inspiration – for poets, writers, artists and
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Mink — menace or native?
Life is beginning to change for the American mink on the riverbanks of the Upper Thames and its tributaries in Oxfordshire. For decades the mink has been dominant — if officially an intrusive — mammal in the wildlife of Britain. It is known to be one
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How to deal with the Sicilian
By beating Wantage 1 last week, Oxford City 1 have won the Oxfordshire leagues first division for the third year in a row. City have lost only once and will do the double if they manage to beat Cowley 2 in the final of the Frank Wood Shield. Cowley
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Oxford Contemporary Music season
Anyone looking for a rich diversity of entertainment that sits slightly outside the mainstream need look no further than Oxford Contemporary Music’s forthcoming programme, which covers just about as eclectic a selection of music as you could hope to find
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True Faith
Tim Hughes gets an insight into the magical, stylish world of Paloma Faith. ACTRESS, dancer, burlesque performer, lingerie salesgirl, magician’s assistant – and singer. When it comes to a career path, few can match Paloma Faith. And that
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New woman at New Theatre helm
When Rosemary Squire came to see her son’s student productions at the Oxford Playhouse, she probably wasn’t immediately thinking that one day she would be boss of the New Theatre round the corner. But that’s what has happened: Rosemary is
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Patti Smith: Holywell Music Room
The inspiration for Patti Smith’s new book could not possibly be any sweeter. Just Kids was written after she made the promise to former boyfriend and dear friend, Robert Mapplethorpe, as he lay dying of Aids in 1989, that she would tell their story.
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Scores of drivers caught using mobiles
One hundred and four drivers were caught using their mobile phones at the wheel on Oxfordshire’s roads during a week-long crackdown. The organised checks were carried out across the Thames Valley last week. The enforcement campaign aimed
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Hop Topics
Tim Hughes gets a sermon on how to put the world to rights from the man who really should be our next Prime Minister – Dan le Sac. THEY are the unlikeliest of moral guardians; the last people you’d expect to hear pontificating on sex education
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Wines for Easter, £70
With the clocks going forward on Sunday is it safe to assume that spring is finally here? It’s been a great year for snowdrops, but the daffodils are so late this year. What’s going on? Will we have that BBQ summer that we heard about last year and never
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A pick of 2008 Rhône vintage
For the first time, Berry Brothers and Rudd recently hosted a Rhône en primeur tasting, with 2008 the showcased vintage. It represented a refreshing interlude, sandwiched between the Burgundy and Bordeaux tastings. As Berry’s Rhône buyer, Simon Field
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Police catch 104 drivers on the phone
Police caught 104 drivers using their mobile phones in Oxfordshire during organised checks. The motorists were handed Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) of £60 and three penalty points for the offence across the region, as Thames Valley Police
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Man exposed himself in Banbury
Police are appealing for witnesses after a man exposed himself in Banbury. At about 8.10pm on Tuesday, a 35-year-old woman was walking back to her car in the car park of the Spiceball Leisure Centre, in Spiceball Park Road, when a man shouted to her
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'I'm an amateur' says Tim Pears
It’s uncommon to hear a published writer declaring himself to be an ‘amateur’, but Tim Pears is proud to say this. “I don’t like the idea of a professional writer,” says the Oxford-based author of six novels. “My belief is that you have to be an amateur
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BLUEEYEDBOY by Joanne Harris
Such a deceptively sweet title for such a dark, troubled, troubling book. Joanne Harris’s latest novel is set claustrophobically in a small house in a small town in Yorkshire, but much of the ‘action’ takes place online, told through posts on an
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THE MINISTRY OF FOOD by Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall
Who would have thought that by turning back the pages of history and following guide lines created during the Second World War, we could fight some of the problems caused by the recession? This book highlights thrifty wartime methods of feeding our families
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Life of Emily Dickinson
The commonly told story of poet Emily Dickinson, who published ten poems in her lifetime, but left behind 1,789, is that of a pathetic recluse, disappointed in love, who shrank from publication. But a new biography, Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson
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Universities face cuts
One thing was already certain, even before Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling got up to speak yesterday: the chill wind of spending cuts had already begun to blow over this part of the world. Oxford University’s money from the Higher Education
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Wonderful Patti names her king of cool
She knew them all (or almost all) at New York’s Chelsea Hotel. So who was the coolest? Patti Smith was in no doubt at all when asked the question during her inspiring, heart-warming appearance at the Oxford Literary Festival on Monday. “William Burroughs
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Critics words exploited to deceive us
Andrew Lloyd Webber hardly needs me to stick up for him, but in the interests of fairness it is only right to challenge the oft-heard claim that Love Never Dies got a mauling from the critics. On the contrary, the writers that matter almost all
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Goose is ready for business under a new team
I lunched on Tuesday at The Goose, in Britwell Salome, which will surprise the more foodie-minded of my readers since the restaurant is closed. Famously closed. Newspaper readers all over Britain learned of the sudden walkout on a Saturday morning in
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The Chequers: Cassington
My telephone booking for dinner at The Chequers in Cassington had successfully been made. The charming young lady with whom I had been dealing – she was boss Sally Westmacott, though I didn’t then know it – suddenly remembered something she thought
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Recipe for twice-baked goat's cheese souffle
During my day at Thyme Cookery School, Gloucestershire, chef James Graham demonstrated a twice-baked goats cheese soufflé, which we later ate for lunch – it was absolutely delicious and far easier to make that one would suspect. This is his recipe.
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Perfect lamb bakes in a bed of hay
Wild snowdrops, and other signs of spring were evident as I headed for the beautiful Gloucestershire village of Southrop. I normally aim for its 17th-century ivy clad pub, The Swan, when visiting this village, but this time I was en-route to Thyme, a
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Treasure trove of fascinating facts
Who do you think you are and why do you think the place in which you live looks like it does? The study of family and local history is getting ever more popular, and with more archives available on the web the past will become even more accessible to
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Tie-dye company flying high
A GROUP of young entrepreneurs would be the first to admit their business is pants — but it’s a big success. Pupils at St Helen and St Katharine school, Abingdon have set up their own company, Magma, under the Young Enterprise Scheme, designing retro
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Mixed reaction to Budget
CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling squeezed the rich in his final Budget before polling, announcing help for first-time home buyers and young jobless, plus measures aimed at wealthier people. David Jackson, of property consultants Savills, welcomed the doubling
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Charlie backs Green Gym
Celebrity gardener Charlie Dimmock has added her voice to a campaign to urge people to get their hands dirty for conservation projects. Ms Dimmock visited Woodstock and Chipping Norton Green Gym yesterday to encourage more people in Oxfordshire
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Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang
Released in 2005, the original Nanny McPhee was a strong successor to Mary Poppins in every way. Adapted from the Nurse Matilda books by Christianna Brand, the film pitted seven mischievous tykes against an ugly woman with a snaggle tooth, warts and an
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New Young Pony Club: O2 Acadmey
London’s New Young Pony Club came to prominence in 2006 when they opened the NME Rave Tour alongside the Klaxons and CSS and, although they did well on the back of the emerging nu rave scene, NYPC only ever loosely fitted in with that genre. The bands
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Emma Pollack/Josh Pyke: OT Academy
Co-headline tours are never as described. They are either an act of face saving, when one act is asked to support another who they consider to be their equal, or a battle of egos that ends in meltdown three dates in. There are vital questions. Who gets
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Jerusalem: Apollo Theatre, London
The undisputed hit of last year’s theatre scene, Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem was rivalled only by Lucy Prebble and Enron for the sheer speed with which The Establishment rushed to clasp it to the rigidly upholstered bosom of respectability. To
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The Stones of Venice: Art Jericho
This exhibition is composed of more than 70 portraits of the Grand Canal in Venice. Each picture portrays a specific building or series of buildings, and all are fronted by the waters of the canal. This is a rich, substantial and painstakingly executed
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Woodstock Music Society: St Mary Magdalene, Woodstock
A rarely-performed anthem, recently discovered in the Blenheim archives, forms the centrepiece of this weekend’s concert by the Woodstock Music Society, tying in neatly with the Woodstock@900 celebrations. When Saul was King over us was written by Italian
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Josephine Davies: The Spin
In jazz, despite the success of all-women bands such as the Guest Stars in the 1980s, female musicians are still most likely to be vocalists or pianists and unlikely to be taking on the weight of a tenor sax. Yet such women are out there and inevitably
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Oxford Harmonic Society: Oxford Town Hall
‘All 77 choruses in Lento and Adagio in one sitting: that I have not yet learnt to endure,” complained Clara Schumann, having walked out of Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Even in Bach’s home city of Leipzig, audiences – and maybe performers too – could not
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Antigone: The Oxford Playhouse
Jean Anouilh’s Antigone is a play of conflicts – conflicts between characters, conflicting principles and ideas, and the lead characters’ own inner conflicts. As with the Greek myth on which the tragedy is based, the story opens in the shadow of
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CRICKET: Bicester look forward with optimism despite exodus
Bicester & North Oxford, once one of the leading teams in Oxfordshire, have withdrawn their first team from the top flight of the Cherwell League following a mass exodus of players. Eleven playing members, including the first XI captain Darryl Woods
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CRICKET: Great Tew promoted to Division 1
Great & Little Tew will play in Division 1 of this season’s Cherwell League following Bicester & North Oxford’s withdrawal. The league’s executive committee have also given four other teams a surprise promotion. Fixtures for each division have been
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Oxford United battlers hit back for vital point
Oxford United hit back from a goal down to earn a vital point from a 1-1 draw at Rushden & Diamonds and stay in the title hunt. Substitute Sam Deering came off the bench and grabbed United’s equaliser just three minutes after his arrival on the pitch
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North Oxford in the Cotswold countryside
A small corner of the Cotswolds will forever be north Oxford, thanks to the whim of a 19th century classics don. Fowlers House was built in the village of Kingham near Chipping Norton in 1879 for William Warde-Fowler, a fellow at Lincoln College. Fowler
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RACING: Watch out for Carruthers next year
Mark Bradstock has vowed to return with Carruthers for another crack at the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup after his charge finished a gallant fourth behind the new champion Imperial Commander. The seven-year-old, from Brad-stock’s Letcombe Bassett yard
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ROWING: Dark Blues edge home in Boat Race warm-up
Oxford and Cambridge were on the Boat Race course last weekend, taking on two of the best crews in the country in the warm-up to neext week’s big race. On Saturday, Oxford raced Leander from Putney to Chiswick Steps in a tetchy, clash ridden contest
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Breaking up policing
Sir – It comes as no surprise that the Thames Valley Police performed badly last year (Report, March 18). It is just too large, in fact one of the largest in the country. As the influential think tank Reform reported last year the smaller the police
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Building in floodplain
Sir – Why on earth is Oxford City Council planning to compulsorily purchase the Oxford Innovation building in Mill Street and put family social housing there instead? It might suit the housing association but everybody knows it’s in the floodplain
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Blighted junction
Sir – The whole point of the four-lane junction called Frideswide Square, according to its designer, county transport planner Roger Williams, was to hold traffic in queues. It was vociferously supported on this basis by all three main political
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Food for thought
Sir – Once again the views of Oxford residents have been ignored (Latest Brookes battle, March 18). When will councillors realise that Brookes is becoming an unwelcome intruder in our area? How many councillors live in the shadow of Brookes and personally
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Serving alcohol
Sir – I fail to see the relevance of the profession of the subject of the news item (Co-op refused soldier bottle of whisky, March 18). Surely the point is whether a store is, or is not, within its rights to refuse to serve a customer suspected of
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Swift action
Sir – Last month I reported a pothole in my street using the online form on Oxfordshire County Council’s website. Within a week the hole had been repaired. It could have been coincidence of course, but still I was sufficiently encouraged to
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Politics proves popular
Sir – An election hustings for the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency attracted over 300 people on Saturday night. Questions and discussion kept the five candidates on their toes for two hours at St Margaret’s Institute in North Oxford. Any of
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Taking a broader view
Sir – At last, the Oxford Brookes development plans have been approved. Hooray! Hopefully this will silence the nimbys in the Headington Residents’ Association who have seemed hell-bent on stopping the development at any cost. It would be interesting
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Another look at killing fields
Like most of the world, Robert Redford learnt most of what he knew about one of the most gruesome episodes in modern history from the Oscar-winning film The Killing Fields. At least that was the case until the Hollywood legend met Oxford-based
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20mph bullies
Sir – 20 mph wastes fuel. The DfT says vehicles emit 30 per cent more CO2 and diesels emit 30 per cent more PM10 particulates at 20 than 30. 20 mph increases carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions. Widespread 20 limits can increase climate change
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Triple A-rated cyclists
Sir – James Styring, chairman of Cyclox, the cycling campaign for Oxford, is very good at lecturing the police and appealing to them to enforce the 20mph speed limit on Oxford roads (Letters, March 18). And he is quite right in doing so. I assume
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Nonsensical scheme
Sir – We are amazed at the county council’s plans to impose a deeply unpopular parking scheme on East Oxford. In the county’s own consultation 61 per cent of residents said they were against the Magdalen Road Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ).
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Far too cryptic
Sir – Could I add another cruciverbalistic gripe to that from Mr Hawes (Letters, March 18)? The quick crossword clue for 7 Down on March 11 was Book of maps (5). The answer published was “Atlae”. What? No wonder there was a lack of correct entries!
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Hidden city secret
Sir – CPRE Oxfordshire is delighted to learn that a High Court ruling has upheld Oxfordshire County Council’s decision to register Warneford Meadow as a town green. Warneford Meadow is one of the hidden secrets of Oxford city. Seven hectares of unkempt
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Mine’s bigger than yours
Sir – The arguments for and against the proposed wind turbines at Horspath and Cutteslowe have centred on their size and visual impact. However there seems to be another issue — status. If the council really wanted to generate green electricity, it
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20mph limits will prove costly
Sir – In his letter (March 11), Professor Sir John Grimley Evans confuses the effect of 20mph limits alone with that of 20mph limits enforced with traffic calming. He quotes a study claiming crash reductions for 20mph zones enforced with calming;
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TV gardener Charlie Dimmock's backing for Green Gym
CELEBRITY gardener Charlie Dimmock has added her voice to a campaign to urge people to get their hands dirty for conservation projects. Ms Dimmock visited Woodstock and Chipping Norton Green Gym yesterday to encourage more people in Oxfordshire
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City could lose child heart ops
CHILDREN’S heart surgery services in Oxford could end, regardless of the outcome of a review into four children’s deaths. Paediatric cardiac surgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital was suspended earlier this month to enable the South Central
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A sad state
It is no surprise to see a big rise in the number of potholes on Oxfordshire’s roads following the winter we have had. We can all point to stretches of road that have been turned into no better than tracks because of the break-up of the surface. County
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Fine jumpers
We expect there will be a warm welcome in East Oxford to police suggestions that Magdalen Bridge should remain open for the traditional May morning celebrations. This is a hugely popular event and one that ought to be easily accessible to people who
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Pushing the boat out for art
Gondoliers from the Oxford Venetian Rowing Club manoeuvred an authentic gondola into an Oxford gallery – to accompany an exhibition of paintings. The crew, dressed in traditional straw boaters and striped jumpers, took the boat into the Art Jericho
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Child heart unit could close
CHILDREN’S heart surgery services in Oxford look to be facing closure whatever the outcome of the inquiry into baby deaths at the John Radcliffe Hospital. It is feared that paediatric cardiac surgery, which is suspended following the deaths of four children
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Threat from new trains
North Oxford residents have voiced concerns about the impact of the proposed Oxford to London Marylebone rail route on their properties. Residents living close to the upgraded line fear vibrations from faster, more frequent services could add
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'New Oxford-London rail link threatens our homes'
NORTH Oxford residents have voiced concerns about the impact of the proposed Oxford to London Marylebone route on their properties. Residents close to the upgraded line fear vibrations from faster, more frequent services could add to already
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Were you born in Radley?
Sir – Paul Hornby asks why the question “do you live in Abingdon?” is sometimes posed when a door is left open in Oxford (Letters, March 18). I cannot enlighten him as to the origin of the phrase. But, having been brought up in Abingdon, I feel I am
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Who left the gate open?
Sir – Further to Mr Hornby’s letter (March 18) concerning local sayings in Berkshire. During the the war, I lived with my grandparents in Witney, on the Burford Road, and whenever we had a cold wind blowing my grandfather would say “they’ve left the
