Archive
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Father pays tribute to drowned son, 12
The father of a 12-year-old boy who drowned while fishing on the River Thames has paid tribute to the son he described as a "shining light". David Monaghan said Nathan had died pursuing one of his favourite pastimes. The schoolboy, from MacKenzie Avenue
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Soccer academy
Young football enthusiasts in Berinsfield have another chance to improve their skills in training with professionals. The first Pat Wright Academy earlier this year sold out. So another has been arranged for next month at the Abbey Sports Centre. The
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Wassail that noise?
The rural tradition of wassailing to protect orchard trees from evil spirits and encourage a good crop of fruit will be revived at Cogges Manor Farm Museum on January 11. It will involve singing and traditional merry toasts to future harvests. The event
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Winter gift for spring
Christmas gifts for a group of elderly people will come into their full glory in the spring. A collection of bulbs in pots was handed over on December 16 to The Elms day centre in Church Green, Witney, by the town's Inner Wheel club. President Barbara
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School plan
The School of Engineering at Oxford Brookes University's Wheatley campus could be housed in a new two-storey building if South Oxfordshire District Council agrees the university's planning application.
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Money shared
Proceeds from a race night organised by Ridgeway Unicorn No 7 have been distributed to different charities. Wantage Counselling received £150 and £100 was given to the Multiple Sclerosis Centre in Abingdon. A further £100 was awarded to Harvey's Fund,
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Vote needed
Wantage Town Council is to co-opt a new member following the resignation of John Coates. Members will meet on Dececmber 23 to vote for a replacement before a planning meeting at the Civic Hall. Mr Coates, 76, stood down after resigning from the Conservative
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Seasonal promise
Tories on the Vale of White Horse District Council have delivered a seasonal pledge to ban charges for green rubbish bags. They have sent 65,000 Christmas cards to every household in the district with the promise, if they win the district council elections
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Tears shed as another family firm bows out
One of Wantage's oldest family firms, The Arbery Centre, announced today it was closing after almost 120 years, to make way for a high street chain. The Arbery Centre A report by The New Economics Foundation says that Britain's rural towns and villages
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Estate hit by fires
Car fires continue to plague a Bicester housing estate. Following a string of arson attacks in the autumn, police stepped up patrols on the King's End side of the town. Insp Ian Edwards, who is in charge of Bicester police, said: "We are still patrolling
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Death was due to lung problem
A man who was admitted to hospital three days after a procedure to check for cancer later died of natural causes, a coroner ruled. An inquest in Oxford heard that Peter John Pocknell, 53, of Fewcott, Bicester, had been referred to hospital by his GP after
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Football: Cool Costar plunders hat-trick
WES Costar hit a second-half hat-trick as Marcham Sunday moved into the last 16 of the Berks & Bucks Sunday Junior Cup with a 9-2 thrashing of Reading side Tilehurst United, writes MICK DAY. Tilehurst, who scored 11 goals against Didcot Labour Club
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Reward to catch vandals
A train company has offered a reward of up to £2,000 for information leading to the conviction of railway vandals. Chiltern Railways is also asking parents to educate youngsters about the dangers of trespassing on railway lines. Since April, 356 incidents
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Football: Brilliant Bough leads Vikings demolition
PAUL Bough was in top form, notching a hat-trick as he helped North Oxford Conservative Club to a 6-2 home victory over AFC Vikings in Division 1, writes GEOFF BOWER. In a programme hard-hit by the wet weather, Vikings were quickly out of the blocks,
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Users welcome train company's fare deal
A rail company operating through north-east Oxfordshire has announced that it will offer cheap day return and saver return tickets all day on December 27, 30 and 31. Normally on weekdays the tickets are available only after morning rush-hour trains. Steve
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Table tennis: Fabulous Forum take over at top
Kidlington Forum B gained revenge over Vikings A to go top in Division 1 of the Oxford & District League, writes BRIAN HAMILTON. Forum had been beaten 8-2 by Vikings earlier in the season, but this time they came out on top by the same score. The
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Volunteers meet
Members of the Oxfordshire Council for Voluntary Action will hold their next meeting at County Hall, Oxford, on January 28.
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Call to clean
Congregation members are invited to roll up their sleeves for a cleaning session at St Mary's Church, Headington, on December 21. The session starts at 10am.
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Players tune up
The Oxford Brass Players are polishing their instruments ready for a New Year's Day concert at Cowley Conservative Club, at 8pm. For tickets, call 01865 366271 or 735890.
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Officer 'hit'
A police officer was allegedly struck in the face as he assisted with a mental health patient. Staff asked police to help in the sectioning of the man under the Mental Health Act at Forresters Tower in Wood Farm on December 17, a police spokesman said
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Family relieved as murderer jailed
The sister of a Banbury woman murdered by her boyfriend has said she feels her sister can finally rest in peace after the killer was given a life sentence. Philip Caswell, 32, strangled and battered Stephanie Hancock, 22, at their their home in Gosport
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Pub earns rosette
Chefs at an Oxfordshire pub are celebrating after securing a top award. The Crown Inn in Church Enstone won the coveted rosette from the AA after expanding its restaurant. The family pub was praised for the high quality of its food, both English and more
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Work on retail park due to start
Building work on west Oxfordshire's first retail park is scheduled to get under way early in the new year and is set to create more than 200 jobs. The park is to be built alongside the Carterton Road and Upavon Way, close to the main entrance to RAF Brize
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Charity workers to visit
Africa Charity workers from the Didcot-based Mali Development Group (MDG) will be visiting some of the third world people they are aiming to help next month. The team works with Jeunesse et Developpement, an agency run by Malian professionals to help
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Market faces cancellation
THE launch of the Cowley Road Community Market on December 21 could be cancelled due to lack of interest. The market, organised by Oxford City Council and the East Oxford Action Group, designed as an open-air bazaar to provide an opportunity for community
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Till death us do part
AN Oxfordshire bride has gone into the record books by walking down the aisle -- of a department store. The couple after the ceremony Selina Clark, 25, of Benson, near Wallingford, and groom Matthew Birkby, 28, pictured, were married on the shop floor
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Turkey still top choice as festive sales boom
Turkey sellers across the county are reporting brisk sales as Christmas approaches, but beef is also proving popular. One of Oxfordshire's top turkey traders, Peach Croft Farm, has sold more than 8,500 turkeys and geese already this year. Turkey sales
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Twins 'less likely to develop cancer'
Twins could be less at risk from developing childhood cancers compared to single children, according to Oxford researchers. Preliminary studies by Cancer Research UK's General Practice Research Group suggest twins have a 20 per cent lower chance of contracting
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Canal care call
British Waterways, which maintains the Oxford Canal, is warning people to take extra care if they visit the canal this winter. Waterways manager Christine Styles said people should be aware that canal and lock edges could be slippery during icy weather
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Planners urged to install crossings
The county council has been urged to put pedestrian crossings on a road where a teenage girl was hit by a car. City councillors say plans for 17 pedestrian crossings face delays because they are part of the Headington and Marston Area Transport Strategy
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Countryside help offered
Countryside communities can get help with building and development issues from the South East Rural Community Council. Call regional officer Jacinta Thorley on 01483 459292.
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Help for disabled
Help is at hand for disabled people in Oxfordshire on a variety of issues, including transport, support, holidays, leisure and a range of other issues from the charity, Dialability. For more information call 01865 764729 or send an e-mail to helpline@
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Cars crash due to frost
Icy conditions caught out many early drivers on December 18. Thames Valley Police said they received reports of collisions from across the region, including two injury accidents on the northbound M40 between junction eight at Wheatley, and junction ten
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Tests solve riddle of hero war pilot
Remains found in Germany are those of a missing Second World war hero described as the "most valuable pilot in the RAF", officials have confirmed. Sir Alec Guinness, on the set of the 1953 film The Malta Story Wing Commander Adrian Warburton disappeared
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It's panto time
The pantomime The Woodcutter and the Wolf will be staged by professional London troupe Chaplins at the Abbey Sports Centre on December 21 at 3pm. To buy tickets, priced from £3 (or £15 for families), for the first-ever panto at the sport centre, call
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School adds colour to cards
Christmas celebrations at Crowmarsh Primary School were high-profile this year. Claire Chappell A festive watercolour by pupil Claire Chappell, pictured, was chosen to feature on 500 greetings cards sent out by South Oxfordshire District Council chairman
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Till death us do part
A Wallingford bride has gone into the record books by walking down the aisle -- of a department store. Selina Clark, 25, of Benson, near Wallingford, and groom Matthew Birkby, 28, were married on the shop floor of Selfridges, on London's Oxford Street
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Battle looms over shop demolition
A supermarket and three town centre shops in Wallingford could be demolished to make way for a massive housing development. The Waitrose store and the other properties -- Blockbuster Video, Care dry cleaners and Brooking Travel -- are all marked for demolition
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Bullying service
Children from Chipping Norton will be taking part in a candlelit church service to show support for young victims of bullying. The event will be held at St Mary's Church at 6pm on Christmas Eve.
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Work on retail park due to start
Building work on west Oxfordshire's first retail park is scheduled to get under way early in the new year and is set to create more than 200 jobs. The park is to be built alongside the Carterton Road and Upavon Way, close to the main entrance to RAF Brize
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Think big for charity
The father of a boy with cerebral palsy plans to climb the highest mountain in Africa to raise money for a charity helping people with the condition. Matthew Tree, nine, had a brain haemorrhage when he was born, resulting in cerebral palsy. His father
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Trip planned
The French group of the Wantage and Grove Twinning Committee is planning a trip to the Vive la France exhibition in London on January 18. Tickets cost £18 and can be booked by calling 01235 223410.
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'Duke' is given a big send-off
A headteacher who changed the face of his school with his enthusiasm and commitment is retiring. Earl Ashford Earl Ashford, known as Duke, is leaving Charlton Primary School, Wantage, after 31 years in the post. Generations of staff and pupils reunited
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Tears shed as another family firm bows out
One of Wantage's oldest family firms, The Arbery Centre, announced today it was closing after almost 120 years, to make way for a high street chain. A report by The New Economics Foundation says that Britain's rural towns and villages are fast becoming
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Try a dive
Bicester's sub aqua club is offering a try dive as a novel Christmas present. Each dive is £12.50. For more information call Robin Bright on 01869 601296.
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Boxing: Ben blasts his way to victory
There were mixed fortunes for the two Berinsfield ABC boxers in action at a show in Lymington, near Bournemouth. Ben Stewart, the 17-year-old welterweight, who reached the ABA junior semi-finals last year, stopped his London opponent Kraniqi at the end
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Public to be given say on lorry gateways plan
Residents will be consulted on the location of gateways designed to keep heavy lorries out of Bicester town centre. The "gateways" will reduce the width of both Buckingham and Banbury roads and change traffic priorities. Truck drivers will be encouraged
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Speedway: Cheetahs stars on their bikes
THE Oxford Cheetahs speedway team has had the heart ripped out of it with three riders departing for new clubs. No 1 Leigh Adams has signed for Poole, where Lukas Dryml is set to join him, and skipper Steve Johnston has joined Belle Vue. It appears that
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Panto time
Pantomime is coming to Bretch Hill in the New Year. Touring theatre company the Chaplins Smalltime Group, will present The Woodcutter and the Wolf at Bradley Arcade on January 5 at 10am. Tickets are £2.50 for children, £3.50 for adults, and family tickets
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Football: Jammi in hot water again
Jammi FC could face OFA disciplinary charges after the referee was forced to abandon Sunday's Division 4 game with Catherine Wheel. Catherine Wheel, who have been cleared of any charges, were leading 5-1, when the referee, who had sent off three Jammi
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Golf: Lewis finds drive-in an arresting task
THE legal tables were turned on retired solicitor Mike Lewis when he drove in as North Oxford's new captain. As he approached the first tee, he was 'arrested' by two policeman - namely club president Malcolm Hookham and last year's captain, Ray Southgate
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Little Chef firm sold
Hundreds of Little Chef roadside restaurants and Travelodge hotels, including more than a dozen sites in Oxfordshire, are under new ownership. Compass, the world's biggest catering firm, sold the businesses for £712m to private equity business Permira
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Business fined for polluting stream
A property firm has been fined £1,500 for polluting the Mill Brook, a tributary of the River Thames, in Wallingford. Portarlington (UK) Ltd, of West Lodge, Streatley, allowed mineral oil to seep into the brook from a pumping station on the Beadle industrial
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Battle looms over shop demolition
A supermarket and three town centre shops in Wallingford could be demolished to make way for a large housing development. The Waitrose store and the other properties -- Blockbuster Video, Care dry cleaners and Brooking Travel -- are all marked for demolition
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Review: Fame: The musical
Work for it. Fight for it. Hustle for it. Help yourself to it, since it was clearly always going to come to you anyway. Love it, abuse it, lose it -- fame's the game. Worth playing? If you've the guts, the stamina. Worth watching? Always -- and Fame's
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Boyfriend killed himself after split
A man killed himself in his car after splitting up with his girlfriend, an inquest in Oxford heard. The body of Martin Morgan, 39, of Laburnum Road, Didcot, was found in his car parked in a barn at Milton Heights on March 15. The vehicle, which had its
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Council wants its own police force
Didcot Town Council wants to set up its own police force -- similar to municipal forces in France. If Home Secretary David Blunkett were to adopt the radical proposal, council leader Mike McNulty said the force could tackle anti-social behaviour, public
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Bali report issued
A graduate of the Said Business School, Oxford, has been assessing the impact of October's bombings on people in Bali which killed 200 people. Claudia McKay headed out to Indonesia after completing an MBA to work for Oxford-based agency Opportunity International
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Access views
The elderly, disabled and people with young children who have difficulty with highways, pavements and public transport can contact Oxfordshire County Council's committee on inclusive transport. For more information, call chairman Dr G Newman on 01865
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Display aids carers
A firework display has resulted in £1,6084.98 being donated to the Douglas House respite centre appeal. Bicester Round Tablers raised the amount from their event staged on Pingle field, off Oxford Road, Bicester, in November. The centre, next door to
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Head chef turns food into gold
A forces chef beat off international competition to win a gold medal in the Culinary World Cup. Richard Bowden, head chef for Eurest Defence Support Services at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, travelled to Luxembourg as part
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Brookes given permission for halls
Plans for Oxford Brookes University student accommodation on Marston Road, which were refused earlier this month, have been given the go-ahead -- with strict conditions. The three-storey blocks will be allowed if Brookes can prove they will not increase
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Ideas flow for pupils' booklet
Primary school children produced a booklet charting the architectural and natural history of a riverside area near their school. Pupils aged and eight and nine at West Oxford Primary School worked on the booklet about the stretch of the Thames from Osney
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Gene therapy company in £500k boost
An American charity has given an Oxford gene therapy company £500,000 to investigate possible treatments for motor-neuron disease. Oxford BioMedica, based at Oxford Science Park, has been given the grant from the charity Andrew's Buddies/FightSMA, which
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Bus firm comes under fire
The Oxford Bus Company doubled the number of vehicles on a busy route to cope with demand, after passengers faced delays of up to 50 minutes. Residents and councillors were told by Nigel Eggleton, commercial director of the company, that delays on the
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Football: Jammi in hot water again
Jammi FC could face OFA disciplinary charges after the referee was forced to abandon Sunday's Division 4 game with Catherine Wheel. Catherine Wheel, who have been cleared of any charges, were leading 5-1, when the referee, who had sent off three Jammi
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Speedway: Cheetahs stars on their bikes
THE Oxford Cheetahs speedway team has had the heart ripped out of it with three riders departing for new clubs. No 1 Leigh Adams has signed for Poole, where Lukas Dryml is set to join him, and skipper Steve Johnston has joined Belle Vue. It appears that
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Gene therapy company in £500k boost
An American charity has given an Oxford gene therapy company £500,000 to investigate possible treatments for motor-neuron disease. Oxford BioMedica, based at Oxford Science Park, has been given the grant from the charity Andrew's Buddies/FightSMA, which
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Residents get help to get rid of junk mail
Waste reduction officers at Oxfordshire County Council are helping residents to tackle junk mail. They have set up a hotline to advise residents on how to remove their details from databases. During the past 10 years, junk mail in Britain has increased
