Archive
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Smallest steam loco takes break
DIDCOT Railway Centre’s smallest working steam locomotive will be signing off at a special event on Saturday. Saddle tank locomotive Trojan’s boiler certificate is about to expire, meaning it will not be allowed to run again until an overhaul is carried
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Artists showcase work in church
Dozens of artists, including an up-and-coming young photographer, are showing off their work at a Bicester exhibition. St Edburg’s Church opened its doors for its third annual art show to give people in and around the town a chance to showcase their
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Plans to bring poet statue home
A copy of a famous statue of poet laureate Sir John Betjeman, right, seen by train passengers at St Pancras Station in London, could soon be standing in a Wantage churchyard. Wantage Town Council wants to put a £50,000 replica of the bronze
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The Boy done good
Oxford leads the way in the new Good Pub Guide, with two of the city’s best loved establishments on the top 10 town pubs list. The influential book gives the country’s best pubs for eating and drinking and honours the most welcoming landlords. The
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Special brooch event
An Anglo-Saxon brooch discovered in West Hanney is to go on show for the first time since it was unearthed two years ago. The brooch, found close to a human skeleton burial, will be displayed at an open day at Oxfordshire County Council’s museums resource
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Workers' rallies
Two Unison rallies will take place in Oxford tomorrow ahead of a nationwide ballot on strike action. The union is urging public sector workers to vote for industrial actions over cuts to their pensions which will see them work longer, pay more, and
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'Rowdy' takeaway plan gets a grilling
LAST MONTH police halted plans for extended hours at a Park End Street bar. Now they want to skewer a proposed new kebab shop. Former city council safety chief Saj Malik has applied to open a Mediterranean and Turkish restaurant and takeaway that would
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Curtain-raisers
If times are hard, then The Theatre Chipping Norton is coming to the rescue with the launch of their 2-for-1 tickets. First up for grabs is Penny Dreadful’s new show Etherdome, today, fresh from Edinburgh. With touches of comic cabaret and B-movie
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Union man
It was almost a year ago that Oxford helped Phill Jupitus get his comedy mojo back on track. The comic hadn’t done stand-up in a decade. He’d been distracted by other commitments: starring in West End musicals Hairspray and Spamalot, hosting his Radio
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MIDNIGHT IN PARIS: Woody’s magic in the capital of romance
Following his European jaunts around England and Spain, writer-director Woody Allen says bonjour to Paris for his new romantic comedy, his 41st movie. Disillusioned Hollywood screenwriter Gil (Owen Wilson) is contemplating giving up his life
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Slow cooked
IF I had a penny for every time someone said ‘you’re so lucky eating out for a living’, I’d be... well I wouldn’t be working here anymore I can tell you. And while it is an enormous privilege, you all assume eating out is a nice experience, worth the
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JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN: Snow joke
Johnny English Repackaged might be a more fitting title for Oliver Parker’s belated sequel to the 2003 comedy, which poked gentle fun at the image of British spies as debonair gents with a licence to kill. Aside from the casting of rising star Daniel
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New police chief makes pledge
CRIMINALS in north Oxfordshire are getting daily visits from the police to make sure they stay on the right side of the law. Cherwell’s new police boss, Superintendent Andy Boyd, has warned those who commit, or are suspected of committing crime
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Link road idea 'absurd waste'
THE key objector to Witney’s proposed Cogges Link Road has branded the scheme “an absurd use of scarce resources”. Mark Lowe QC, representing The Mawle Trust, was set to make his opening address at the ongoing public inquiry as the Gazette went to press
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County's mighty Mac-pprentices
ALMOST 50 staff at the Oxfordshire branches of McDonald’s have gained apprenticeships. The qualification is equivalent to five GCSEs with staff from nine McDonald’s branches in the county trained on the job in areas such as customer service, teamwork
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Ray of hope for winemakers
THE record hot weather has given a ray of hope to Oxfordshire winemakers as they bring in this year’s harvest. Not only has the sunshine helped ripen the grapes, it has been an added bonus for scores of volunteers who have given up their time to labour
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Rich Ripe Reds Mixed Case, £66
This month’s case contains some of the classic grape varieties that really shine when handled well by good winemakers using modern equipment. These rich ripe wines go very well with a wide variety of food and can also be enjoyed equally well
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Designer founded boutique
Oxford illustrator and designer Joanna Isles Freeman has died aged 57. The founder of The Powder Room boutique in Summertown, which opened in 2006, passed away on September 30. She first came to the city to be interviewed by Radio Oxford’s David Freeman
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Tribute to teacher who was given an MBE
Former Magdalen College School chemistry teacher Duncan Smith MBE has died aged 67. He attended private Dulwich College in South London on a scholarship and then studied at Jesus College, Oxford, staying at the university to take his postgraduate certificate
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Surgeon lived life to the full
Oxford surgeon Grant Bates died peacefully with his family at his bedside at Sobell House Hospice in Oxford on September 18 after a short battle with cancer. He was 58. Born in Tasmania, Mr Bates did his undergraduate training at Merton College, Oxford
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Dealing with dismissal workshop
Law firm Blake Lapthorn is holding an employers’ workshop on dealing with dismissal as a result of redundancy, misconduct, poor performance and ill health. It will take place at the company’s offices at Seacourt Tower, West Way on December 6 from 8.30am
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Bombay Mix
FOR a band named after a curry house, you might expect Bombay Bicycle Club to have had their fair share of free Indian food. No such luck. Rather than embracing what has surely become a celebrity endorsement, the eponymous chain of Subcontinental
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Bird-lover has 30 owls
WITH rows of cages containing 30 owls, it looks like a scene out of a Harry Potter film. But it isn’t the aviary at Hogwarts...it’s a back garden in Didcot. Security officer Christ Ashwin, 61, has dedicated his life to owls since finding an injured tawny
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Man falls from window
Ambulance crews were called to a house in Abingdon Road, Oxford, this morning to treat a 20-year-old man after he fell from a first-floor window. Paramedics were called to the house close to the junction with Newton Road shortly after 8am and
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FOOTBALL: Heapy explains why he had to leave Didcot
Jamie Heapy, Didcot Town’s longest-serving player, says the decision to leave the club he has been with for 16 years was one of the toughest decisions of his life. The 31-year-old, who made more than 720 appearance for the Railwaymen and played in every
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Mini sales surge
UK sales of the Cowely-built Mini took another leap in September, latest figures have revealed. Statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show 9,690 cars were sold, a rise of more than 28 per cent on the same month last year
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Householders object to college plans
A BUILDERS’ yard in East Oxford is set to be transformed into an Oxford University college campus – complete with its own sunken amphitheatre. Plans have been submitted for a major development off Cowley Road, which will provide accommodation for 166
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RUGBY UNION: Banbury title joy
BANBURY Under 10s triumphed in Rugby Lions’ tournament after winning all five matches without conceding a point. Dan Turner (5), Dan May (2), Luke Swann (2), Josh Kaura (2), James Barker (2), Jake Relton, Dan Chambers, and Edward Thompson scored Banbury
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Good news on the grapevine
They say drinking wine is like drinking yesterday’s weather — which might make you wonder why anyone bothers to grow grapes in Oxfordshire. This year, however, the record hot weather last week — just in time for the grape harvest — cheered up all concerned
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Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 2.1 BMW 4228 Electrocomponents 189.7 Nationwide Accident Repair 87.5 Oxford Biomedica 4.8 Oxford Catalysts 56 Oxford Instruments 723.25 Reed Elsevier 505 RM 72 RPS Group 160 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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RUGBY UNION: Bowers - Chinnor can get stronger
CHINNOR are set to get even stronger as their National 3 South West promotion push gathers pace. That is the view of head coach Jason Bowers, who is delighted with their 100 per cent start to the season. “Five out of five,” said Bowers. “You can’t ask
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University reveals interview questions
HAVE you ever looked at Oxford students and wondered how they got into university? Now the city has its answer, after Oxford University published some of the brain-teasing questions it asks prospective undergraduates when they apply for a place. Some
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RUGBY UNION: Wade wants improvement
OXFORD University head coach James Wade says their defeat to Queensland University should be a wake-up call. The Dark Blues lost 25-8 to their Australian visitors at Iffley Road on Tuesday night, with Wade admitting they had let themselves down. And
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RUGBY UNION: Gibson gives up chance of Blue
Flanker targets Saxons call-up JAMIE Gibson has turned down the chance of winning a Blue in order to focus on professional rugby with London Irish. The 21-year-old Oxford University flanker admitted it was a difficult choice – especially after missing
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RACING Giant strides out
Giant O Murchu opened his account for Aston Rowant trainer Lawney Hill at Towcester yesterday. The gelding landed a handicap hurdle under Harry Skelton by seven lengths. Banbury trainer Paul Webber was also among the winners with Halucha.
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Dual-aspect fluke for vendors
Househunters found themselves doing a double take while looking for properties in Wallingford. Numbers five and six Chalmore Gardens, which are almost identical from the outside, went on sale within hours of each other in a strange coincidence
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Picturesque pad with paddock and maybe pony
A pony might be part of the package for whoever buys a 16th-century house near Thame. Juliet Hope, who owns Grade-II listed Sandy Lane, in Tiddington, said: “We have a lovely pony which my two girls learned to ride on but are too old for now. “If they
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Neil Oliver is a past master
I was expecting Neil Oliver to be rather stuffy, all tweed-jacket-with-leather-elbow-pads and no sense of humour. Instead, I found myself not only enthused but charmed by this vibrant Scotsman. Not that he’s out to win you over, you
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Crammed in
Sir – I attended the public hearing of a planning case in the Town Hall. The tight adherence to the right process has not produced the right outcome. I am worried that expedient decisions affecting communities around our city, like the one described
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Planning farce
Sir – About 17 years ago, I took a class from The Batt CE School into Witney town centre to investigate the scale of the traffic congestion and to look at the suggested solution of the Cogges Link Road. Seventeen years later, no decision has still been
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For Petes sake
Sir – Ken Weavers (Letters, September 29) is misguided. We can always cope with the potential ambiguity when we hear ‘the boys marbles’ in context. We dont need it dumbed down in print. In 1700 it was defensible to print man’s instead of mannes, because
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I did not feel safe
Sir – I never really thought I would be afraid of adolescents until last week when I went to Alexandra Parks in Summertown. With my mother, I took my toddler to the under-5s area. In there, there were three boys on bikes, cycling though the sandpit,
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Drawing in crowds
Sir – 2011 has not been a good year for live events as many festivals and carnivals face shrinking audiences and revenues. A highly acclaimed event has gone under the truck and the Cowley Road Carnival, with its recurrent funding problems, saw its audience
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Encourage learning
Sir – May I respond to Keith Mitchell’s view (Report, September 29) that councils should stop producing literature in foreign languages, since this would encourage immigrants to learn English? It reminded me of the view of Denis Burke, Chief Minister
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Pull up the rope
Sir – While the Green Belt and associated policies have been successful at preventing the physical growth of Oxford this has not been costless. Its success in restraining development around an economically buoyant city has resulted in Oxford being one
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Vigorous defence?
Sir – On the front page of your paper (September 29), you report that “South Oxfordshire District Council wants Berinsfield and Wheatley removed from the Green Belt”. Inside, the lead letter from four local MPs claims that “South Oxfordshire
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Key to Green Belt future
Sir – The statement from our local MPs (Letters, September 29) that the Government is committed to protecting the Green Belt is welcome, but the view they express that the draft National Planning Policy Framework continues this protection is hard
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Pickles’ pennies
Sir – I am pleased to see Eric Pickles has found some money for weekly bin collections. Oxford City Council will certainly be applying for some of the cash. Of course we already have weekly collections of food waste. And we are anxious to extend that
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People become pawns
Sir – That statement from Keith Mitchell that he thinks leaflets in different languages from the county council are unnecessary, shows a complete lack of understanding of the problems in Oxfordshire. Mr Mitchell says there is less of an incentive to
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Hope for agreement
Sir – I am grateful to Mr Dance writing on behalf of the county council (Letters, September 29) for providing the up-to-date position in respect of the contempt of court proceedings in respect of the Wyatt Bros’ failure to remove all the waste imported
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Badly-needed track
Sir – Wootton needs a cycleway to Abingdon. The B4017 has had 12 cycle casualties in the last decade: nine slightly injured, two seriously injured and — in 2004 — one killed. Parishioners have wanted a cycleway since the 1980s. One was planned under
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Speak up for wildlife
Sir – Not a lot of people know this — there are two badger setts near the Oxford railway station, quite close to the city centre. This I thought would be something to be treasured, but not so! The local allotment society has been evicting a sett (using
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Fourth option
Sir – In relation to the Government’s planning reforms, your correspondent Michael Tyce (Letters, Sepember 29), who by the way should really have disclosed his role within the CPRE, accuses me and my fellow MPs of either not having read the draft planning
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Young ace Hall to stay another month with Oxford United
Rob Hall has become a real fans’ favourite at Oxford United – a position further enhanced by the U’s extension of his loan spell for another month, thanks to the supporters. The 17-year-old striker has hit three goals in five games since joining from
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Ditching a Mercedes for a Trabant
AN Oxford car enthusiast has sidelined his Mercedes in favour of an East German Trabant car in a bid to combat the rising cost of petrol. Philip Guy Davis, from Walton Street, Jericho, has owned the Trabant for 15 years but had not used it
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Hotel scheme for historic buildings
HISTORIC buildings in Oxford could be transformed into a boutique hotel. The listed buildings in St Michael’s Street, which have lain empty for more than a decade, could be transformed into a 22-bedroom hotel. The conversion would include the Grade II
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Libraries frustrated
Sir – The perception that the libraries in Oxfordshire have been saved is not entirely true. Save Oxfordshire Libraries (SOL), representing the threatened libraries, disputed neither the level of savings suggested in November 2010 (22 per cent), nor the
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ATHLETICS: City veterans strike gold again
OXFORD City’s veterans collected a second succesive gold medal after winning the 55-64 title in the British Masters Athletic Federation (BMAF) 10K Championships at Exmouth. Following on from their vet 60 win at the Southern Road Relays, Roy Treadwell
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GOLF: Tadmarton get a boost
TADMARTON Heath boosted their survival hopes in Section 1 of the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League with a 2½-½ victory over basement boys Studley Wood. All the matches were tight affairs, with Spencer Hall and James Burton pipping Studley’s Lee
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ICE HOCKEY: Stars foiled in double agony
Oxford City Stars suffered double heartache with both Cardiff Devils and Slough Jets scoring in the dying seconds to snatch draws in their South Division 1 games. A late leveller saw Stars held to a 2-2 draw at Cardiff on Saturday, before Slough struck
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AUNT SALLY: Lyon's mission
NEIL Lyon (Three Pigeons) and Steve Ward (Six Bells Kidlington) battle it out to be the singles champion at the Greene King Oxford & District League finals night at Rover Sports & Social Club , Roman Way, on Friday, October 14 (7.30pm). Finals Night
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BAR BILLIARDS: Mace's magic in vain
Geoff Mace reeled off a break of 13,660, but it couldn't stop Berinsfield losing 3-2 at home to Gladiators B in the Johnsons Buildbase Oxford League, writes PETE EWINS. Grant Johnson (4,250, break 3,110) won against the break, and then his father Reg
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COMMENT: Abingdon revamp is long overdue
FINALLY a concrete step towards the redevelopment of Abingdon. For more than 20 years traders have pushed for improvement, only to see wishful thinking fall apart. Abingdon is (alongside Oxford) the centre most in need of major work because the town
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A* pupil sits O-Level exam
A TEENAGER who aced his maths GCSE sat the equivalent O-Level and scored almost 10 percentage points fewer. Magdalen College School pupil Eddy Grogan, 15, took part in the experiment to test whether exams are getting easier. Eddy sat an International
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COMMENT: Exam debate will rear its head again
TEENAGER Eddy Grogan sitting an O Level after acing his GCSE maths will no doubt spark debate about whether exams have got easier. The controversy rears its head every year as exam marks improve, with many – unsurprisingly those who sat their exams at
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In a pickle
Normally, the announcement of a quarter of a billion pounds of Government money being found to improve local government services would be welcomed with open arms. But we were not surprised at the universally lukewarm response from councils in Oxfordshire
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Orlando and his gap yah
If you haven’t come across Orlando the Gap Yah student, then get on to YouTube and join the four million plus viewers who have nearly wet themselves laughing. Matt Lacey is now cashing in on his newfound fame with a book called The Gap Yah Plannah
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Trading Places for Fredericks
Business people are being urged to put themselves in the shoes of the unemployed and help a charity at the same time. The Oxfordshire branch of the Fredericks Foundation is running a Trading Places initiative which is designed to challenge prominent
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Parky at the Pictures (DVD 6/10/2011)
It's hard to believe that Heavenly Creatures (1994) is nearly 20 years old. On its initial release, it surprised cult aficionados who had come to associate New Zealand director Peter Jackson with such gleefully risqué ventures into splatter and satire
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Choose different wines and share
In the 1980s I had a part-time, pre-university job in the cigarette / wine and spirits section of my local supermarket. The department was positioned at the back end of the fruit and vegetable isle at the time and one of the things that used to astonish
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Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 6/10/2011)
One always suspects that no film-maker cares more than Martin Scorsese. This is particularly true of his documentaries, with an evident passion coursing through A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995) and My Voyage to Italy
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Animals' stable future
It is the birthday present everyone wanted at Burford’s famous animal charity The Blue Cross. Plans for celebrations to mark its 21st anniversary earlier in the year were dampened by the arrival at the centre of the bacterial infection streptococcus
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Oxford school manages huge turnaround
A SCHOOL highlighted as failing national targets in 2008 has turned itself around. St Gregory the Great Catholic School, in Cricket Road, Oxford, was given National Challenge status by the previous government. But in a recent inspection by watchdog
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First step comes for Abingdon revamp
Abingdon town centre is a step closer to a £53m revamp after plans to redevelop the main shopping precinct were lodged. The plans are the start of what is seen as the most significant development in the town for decades. Developer Scottish
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Men also need help with eating disorders
Young people suffering from eating disorders need more support and information, according to local charities. With funding from Comic Relief, health charity DIPEx and The University of Oxford are researching the experiences of young men and women
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Quartet well worth watching
Chess is already under way again in the Oxfordshire leagues despite some last-minute problems for Fixtures Secretary Peter Hemmings. The late withdrawal of Wantage 1 from division 1 and a University side from division 2 means that there will only be seven
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Apple's Steve Jobs dies
APPLE co-founder Steve Jobs has died after a battle against cancer - 24 hours after the company launched it's new iPhone. Mr Jobs, 56, had only stepped down recently as the technology giant's chief executive officer because of his deteriorating
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Educated Window Cleaners
Super Clean South Ltd are proud to announce 2 of their employees have just completed a Level 2 City and Guilds qualification, with the rest to follow in their footsteps in early January 2012. We have always been trying to drive the standards forward in
