Archive
-
Date
Officers seize plants in drug 'factory' raid
A cannabis 'factory' was discovered by police who raided an east Oxford house. Specialist equipment was used to break through the door of the Howard Street home yesterday (Friday, March 18). More than 40 cannabis plants were seized, along with pills and
-
Date
Housing could go on city golf course
John Collinson asks if we really want Oxford to become the Butlin's holiday camp of social housing, and to hell with its history (Oxford Mail, March 5). If people like him and me don't fight, it could well come to that. I agree we need housing, but in
-
Date
Colin shows his passion
The big guns will be out in force for Oxford's Monday Blues this coming week, when the gig plays host to some greats of modern blues -- the Colin John Band. Singer, songwriter and skilled guitarist Colin John has a reputation as an artist of passion -
-
Date
Poll asks youths for ideas
'Tell us what you want' is the message going out to young people in Wallingford in a survey aimed at helping the town's teenagers. Town councillors have asked youths to be sensible and consider the money needed when they put ideas forward, but they have
-
Date
Minister details spending on relief
A Sri Lankan Methodist Minister who trained in Wallingford has detailed how money raised by local people is being spent to help the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami which devastated their villages. He is helping Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist
-
Date
Rugby: Lame Banbury well-beaten
Midlands Division 3 East South: Banbury gave a limp and lacklustre display as they slumped 32-10 away to Lutterworth. Against a big and well-organised pack, the visitors struggled to generate any sustained pace and momentum and failed to adapt to the
-
Date
Thursday, March 17: The screw is turning
THE announcement that cameras are to be installed in Oxford to keep bus lanes free for buses is long overdue. Too many motorists and lorry drivers try to jump the queues and save a few seconds by sneaking into them. It is an infuriating habit, not only
-
Date
Reunited after 50 years
A brother and sister who have not seen each other since 1953 have met in Witney for the first time in more than 50 years. Constance Caveney, 74, has lived in Newcastle, Australia, since the family emigrated in the 1950s. Her brother Maurice Roper, 76,
-
Date
Fire destroys mobile home
A MAN still fighting a legal battle after losing his home and business more than 20 years ago has seen his mobile home destroyed by fire. Mike Hunt, 75, and his family, who lived at the site in Aston Rowant, were left with just the clothes they were wearing
-
Date
A treasure-trove of enduring characters
It is not often that you enter the name of an author you're about to interview into an Internet search engine and come up with her name and the promise of nude pictures. I delicately broached the topic with Claire Harman when we met at her house in Jericho
-
Date
Hockey: Horne treble boosts on-song Rover
South League: Rover Oxford continued their excellent end-of-season form in the Regional division with an emphatic 6-1 victory at already-relegated Wokingham. In truth, it was not one of Rover's better performances, but it was all that was needed against
-
Date
FOOTBALL
McClaren upbeat despite Boro exit FORMER Oxford United coach and now Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren refused to be disappointed by his side's UEFA Cup exit last night. Boro lost 1-0 against Sporting Lisbon in the second leg of their second knockout
-
Date
BOXING
Wolvercote ace Mullins targets ABA triumph BOXING WOLVERCOTE'S Steve Mullins carries the hopes of the entire Home Counties as the region's lone finalist on amateur boxing's night of the year at London's ExCel Centre tonight. The 24 year-old Witney-based
-
Date
Villagers rally to save shop
Villagers are hoping they can keep their shop from closing down next weekend with long-term plans to form a cooperative. Residents have been working together over the past few weeks ever since owner Vincent Kilkenny put up a notice to say The Shop on
-
Date
Homestart branch could close
An organisation that provides a spare mother or best friend to vulnerable families across Bicester could be forced to shut. Homestart opened three years ago in Bicester with a £274,000 Lottery grant and during that period it has helped more than 100 families
-
Date
Arthur Smith
Arthur Smith, who has died aged 92, had a lifelong love of angling. He ran a fishing shop in Magdalen Road, east Oxford, and from the mid-1930s to the 1970s supplied anglers throughout Oxfordshire with tackle. He wrote the angling column for The Oxford
-
Date
Hundreds turn out for tribute match
More than 500 people braved rain and cold winds to watch a charity football match in tribute to schoolboy Tomas Ryan-Vig, who died when his schoolbus and a tractor towing a trailer collided. The match raised around £1,500 for the Diambars charity, set
-
Date
Athletics: Harris knocks five minutes off '15 record
Headington Roadrunner Gary Harris smashed his club's 15-mile road race record by a massive five minutes as he romped to victory in the Banbury 15 on Sunday. Harris took first place in convincing style, finishing almost a minute clear of second-placed
-
Date
Football: Ferreira hits a cracker for Town
Abingdon Tn 1, Edgware 0: Jemaine Ferreira's superb second-half volley weas enough to give Abingdon their third successive home win in Ryman League Division 2 on Saturday. Ferreira was on target in the 61st minute, smashing the ball into the next after
-
Date
Football: Struggling City fail to ease relegation fears
Oxford City 1, Bromsgrove Rovers 2: Oxford City remain on the fringe of the Southern League Division 1 West relegation zone after going down to promotion-chasing Bromsgrove at Court Place Farm on Saturday. Bromsgrove held the upper hand for much of the
-
Date
Ga ga for the Ga Gas
Disturbed and itchy after a year of turmoil, traveling and writing, singer/guitarist/ songwriter Tommy Gleeson decided he needed to find three like-minded and equally troubled individuals to share his dream of creating an awesome new rock band. A demo
-
Date
Review: Insignificance (Oxford Playhouse)
Terry Johnson's Insignificance (at the Playhouse until 19 March) glitters with every kind of commendation, bestowed since its appearance in 1982. The current staging by Sheffield Theatres is the last under the artistic directorship of Michael Grandage
-
Date
Clicking with the cooking
It was the comedy gloves that struck me first. What were people supposed to think as I crept into a neighbour's back garden, holding a smoking polystyrene box, my hands in surgeons rubber gloves, only to reappear empty-handed? But they can rest assured
-
Date
Teenage gang beats club steward
An Oxford social club steward hailed as a hero after tackling an armed robber 16 months ago has been attacked by a gang of eight teenagers. A reward of £1,000 is on offer for information leading to the capture of the gang who beat up 52-year-old Chris
-
Date
Allders fate is still uncertain
Discussions are continuing into the future of Oxford city centre's Allders department store, with budget fashion chain Primark expected to move into its Westgate Centre premises if a sticking point in the lease can be overcome. The fate of the shop's
-
Date
Sleeping mate flung from lorry in crash
A lorry driver's mate died after being flung from a sleeping 'pod' above the cab during a roadside crash in Spain, an inquest in Oxford heard yesterday (March 17). Nicholas Jamieson, of Oxford Road, Cowley, was probably asleep when the Headington-based
-
Date
New private hospital holds MRSA at bay
A scrupulous screening system has helped keep Oxford's new private hospital MRSA-free since it opened six months ago. Staff at the Manor Hospital, Headington, treat patients with a special shower gel before admission and wash curtains in rooms contaminated
-
Date
FOOTBALL
Mooney set to return OXFORD United look set to return to the norm against Boston United at the Kassam Stadium tomorrow - despite Chris Hackett's stunning two-goal show at Mansfield. Head coach Horacio Rodriguez says that, well though Hackett played through
-
Date
Primark back in Allders deal
Retailers in the Westgate Centre say they are already seeing a fall in custom in the wake of Allders' collapse. The department store ceases to trade on Sunday (March 20) and the future of the 30,000 sq ft property and its 140 staff is uncertain after
-
Date
Mother's day attack unfair
I would like to respond to Julia Colwell's letter about the Dancing Dragon restaurant in north Oxford (Oxford Mail, March 10). I was also there on Mother's Day with my two daughters, granddaughter and husband. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and as usual
-
Date
County teenagers' scores ahead of national average
Pupils in Oxfordshire have continued to perform above the national average for results in English, maths and science at the age of 14, according to Government figures. Results published today reveal that 73 cent of Oxfordshire pupils passed Key Stage
-
Date
Children at play in a post-war paradise
Candida Lycett-Green is best known for books that celebrate her love for the English countryside, including the best-selling The Garden at Highgrove, written with Prince Charles. In her latest book, The Dangerous Edge of Things, she uses real-life events
-
Date
Campaign examines the media
NEWS junkies keen to find out more about how the county's media works will have an opportunity to find out more on Saturday March 19. The Oxfordshire Local News Campaign is holding a series of workshops aimed at informing people about how they can get
-
Date
Big Bang is a real sizzler
Recently I was looking for a new house to live in Jericho. One place really took my fancy -- a flat in Walton Street above a vacant shop - which was going to become a sausage and mash restaurant. Now for some this might not sound exactly like heaven on
-
Date
'I'm here to stay'
Firoz Kassam has told Oxford United's shareholders: "I'm going nowhere". The club's chairman told the 54th annual meeting yesterday (Mar 18) that he had no intention of leaving and the football club was not for sale. There had been speculation that the
-
Date
Housing boom provides 600 new homes in town
A boom in house building in Abingdon shows the town is a popular place in which to live and work -- and now a further 169 new homes and business units close to the town centre are to be built. The latest addition brings the total of new homes already
-
Date
Residents dismiss TV docu-drama on Kelly saga
It is a story that never seems to go away for the village of Southmoor, near Abingdon -- no sooner is the tragedy of the late Government weapons inspector David Kelly laid to rest than the the embers are raked over again. This time the story features
-
Date
Students prepare to put MP in spotlight
Media students at Abingdon and Witney College will turn the spotlight on Oxford West and Abingdon MP Dr Evan Harris as the country prepares itself for a likely General Election in May. A group of students have already visited the House of Commons and
-
Date
The Rev Colin Jee
The Rev Colin Scott Jee, who was rector of Ludgershall, near Bicester, for more than 30 years, has died aged 72. Although Mr Jee retired in 1998 to live at Haddenham, near Thame, he was invited back to Ludgershall to attend village events and also to
-
Date
Harry Wheeler
Harry Wheeler, who has died aged 92, spent his whole working life in the newspaper industry in Oxford. He began as a printer and ended as a journalist in a career spanning 50 years. He started as an apprentice compositor with The Oxford Times at its premises
-
Date
Two injured in crash
Police are looking for witnesses to a car crash in Wallingford which left two men seriously injured. Both are in the John Radcliffe Hospital at Oxford and one is in a critical condition. The incident happened on the Wallingford bypass at 7.35am yesterday
-
Date
Rugby: Worrall's try boosts Witney play-off bid
Southern Counties North: Witney enhanced their chances of securing the promotion play-off position with a tight 11-8 victory away to fellow contenders Grove at Cane Lane. In a tight encounter, there was just a penalty for each side during the first half
-
Date
Rugby: Ali's try gives Henley a lifeline
National League 1: Henley Hawks achieved the first of three victories they have targeted to avoid relegation with a tense 13-10 victory over Nottingham at Dry Leas on Saturday. In a pulsating finish, Nottingham threw caution to the wind, but Henley hung
-
Date
Rugby: Mighty Quins bounce back
South West 1: After two successive defeats by Chinnor, Oxford Harlequins bounced back with a bang to hammer Cheltenham 54-19 at Horspath Road on Saturday. Quins were quickly out of the traps with three tries in the first ten minutes. Left wing Barry Nutt
-
Date
Rugby: All Blacks pull off shock
Berks Bucks & Oxon Premier Division: A superb defensive display helped Gosford All Blacks gain a shock 12-7 victory over promotion-chasing Wallingford at Stratfield Brake. Gosford, with Simon John and Mark Wingfield Digby reunited at half-back, dominated
-
Date
March 14: The right to know
Godfrey and Sissel Fowler have fought a hard battle with the authorities to find out the answers to a simple question. How did their son die? Yet, 10 years on, they are no closer to the truth than the day Adrian Fowler died in an accident at Oxford railway
-
Date
It Asda be good news
Supermarket chain Asda has said it plans to open at least 15 stores around the country this year -- and looks likely to announce new plans for a Witney branch soon. Asda, which is owned by giant American company Wal-Mart, said it hopes to make an announcement
-
Date
Foster carers gain awards
Months of studying have paid off for two foster carers who have gained vocational awards which prove how good they are at their jobs. Melissa Moody of Grove, near Wantage, and Pat Sampson, of Carterton, who are both employed by Oxfordshire County Council
-
Date
Hockey: Gundry's goal keeps Hawks in the groove
Women's matches: Oxford Hawks continued their good run of results in South Clubs' League Division 2 with a hard-fought 1-0 win away to Basingstoke. It was a scrappy affair, with chances falling for both sides. Hawks had a scare after 15 minutes, when
-
Date
Nominate a good citizen
People are being invited to nominate a friend, colleague or family member for the annual Bicester good citizen awards. The awards scheme run by the town council aims to recognise people who have made a contribution to the community. There are two age
-
Date
FOOTBALL
Is it no-go for City hotshot Joe? OXFORD City striker Ronnie Joe could be on his way out of Court Place Farm, unless he can sort out his availability problems with boss Andy Sinnott. Several weeks ago, Aylesbury-based Joe, an electrician by trade, had
-
Date
FOOTBALL
Didcot are seeking to gun down Jarrow DIDCOT Town manager Stuart Peace has vowed to go all-out for victory as the Railwaymen look to take a decisive lead in the first leg of their semi-final tie against Jarrow Roofing Boldon CA tomorrow. Although Didcot
-
Date
Review: Constantine (15)
Keanu Reeves stars as John Constantine, a haunted supernatural detective, who can see the eternal battle between Good and Evil that plagues humanity. Keanu Reeves as Constantine Based on the Hellblazer comic series, the film is laden with impressive special
-
Date
Athletics: Grizzly is tamed by Jegou
White Horse Harrier Paul Jegou continued his run of form in multi-terrain races with an excellent third place in one of the toughest races in the calendar. The infamous 'Grizzly', run over 20 miles, started and finished on the seafront at Seaton in Devon
-
Date
Athletics: Masterful show as City's Vets star in Ireland
Oxford City's Vet 50 team starred again on the national stage, this time in the British Masters Cross Country Championships in Belfast. They were the first team to have three runners home, but were beaten into third place overall by Nene Valley Harriers
-
Date
Football: Keen brace seals victory
Danny Keen bagged a brace as Thame United came from behind to beat Bedworth United in Southern League Division 1 West at Windmill Stadium. It was the first meeting between the two clubs - the second is at Bedworth next Saturday - and Thame went into the
-
Date
Football: Forinton on fire to lift Banbury's survival bid
Banbury Utd 2, Hitchin Town 1: Howard Forinton grabbed a late winner to ease Banbury's relegation worries in the Southern League Premier Division. Playing with a strong wind behind them in the first half, Banbury took the lead in the 18th minute. George
-
Date
Football: Erratic Kidlington lose to title rivals
GLS Hellenic League - Kidlington 2, Shrivenham 4: Kidlington's erratic form continued as they crashed to defeat against fellow Division 1 West title-chasers Shrivenham. In the first half, only Shrivenham capitalised on numerous chances to go 2-0 up through
-
Date
Football: Burnell's injury mars Leigh's derby victory
GLS Hellenic League - Carterton 2, North Leigh 4: North Leigh came out on top in a highly-charged Premier Division clash, despite losing midfield dynamo Joe Burnell with a bad knee injury. Burnell had to be transported to hospital before half-time. Carterton
-
Date
TV chef to unveil store
Celebrity chef and food writer Sophie Grigson is to open a country life shop in Wallingford's newest shopping development. She will be at Down To Earth in the newly-built arcade linking St Martin's and St Mary's streets in the town centre on March 18
-
Date
Now club chairman is declared bankrupt
The problems of Morris Motors Social Club deepened after its chairman was declared bankrupt. The bankruptcy order applies to Tom Doliamie as an individual, but his opponents are now seeking to have him disqualified from his position as chairman. The order
-
Date
Brown sugar sweetens voters
Chancellor Gordon Brown handed a huge pre-election sweetener to pensioners in yesterday's budget. With the Government under increasing pressure from a growing army of pensioners wanting more cash and smaller bills, Mr Brown stepped in by pledging free
-
Date
March 18: A farce but no laughs
THE saga of department store Allders is beginning to resemble a pantomime. Are jobs safe? "Oh yes they are," the audience screams as Primark announces its takeover in February. "Oh no they ain't," comes the villainous reply, as the deal collapses on Tuesday
-
Date
Review: Hitch (12A)
"I'M Michaelangelo and you're my Sistine Chapel," says Dr Alex 'Hitch' Hitchins (Will Smith) to pudgy Albert (Kevin James), insisting he can teach men how to capture the woman of their dreams. Will Smith and Eva Mendes But, while Albert is smitten by
-
Date
Health centre bid
A new state-of-the-art health centre could built on a public recreation ground in Didcot. The town council is considering selling one acre of Smallbone Recreation Ground, off Britwell Road, for the construction of an expanded health centre to replace
-
Date
£5,000 to trap 'Beast of Burford'
More reports of a big cat, believed by some to be a panther, roaming west Oxfordshire have led to the Cotswold Wildlife Park offering £5,000 for the capture of the "Beast of Burford". The Burford park, which said none of its cats was missing, wants to
-
Date
Africa art goes under hammer
Traditional works of art from Uganda went under the hammer at an Oxford school to raise money for African pupils. The auction was held by Larkrise Primary School, in Boundary Brook Road, and raised £500 for a primary school in Jinja, Uganda. Larkrise
-
Date
Jeans offer clue in sex attacker hunt
A man who seriously sexually assaulted a 56-year-old woman in her Oxford home lives locally and is very distinctive, according to detectives. A press conference was called yesterday by the investigation team who described the incident as "particularly
-
Date
Centre offers Internet training
A new information technology centre will officially open on March 19 on Oxford's Northway estate. The Northway IT Hub in Westlands Drive runs IT and computing courses and provides Internet access for residents. The launch party, which starts at 2pm, will
-
Date
Burglaries fall by 28 per cent across city
Burglary offences have plummeted by more than a quarter during the last year in Oxford. Oxford police said house and flat break-ins were down 28 per cent on the 2003-04 financial year, when the city saw a five per cent increase. During the last two weeks
-
Date
'Cycle lanes are a mess'
Dilapidated cycle lanes must be included in road maintenance programmes if people are to continue to get on their bikes, according to an Oxford church minister. The Rev James Bloice-Smith, minister of Headington Baptist Church, urged city councillors
-
Date
New focus for cameras blitz
It's a familiar sight in Oxford -- motorists using bus lanes to beat the city's traffic jams. But drivers who take this illegal short cut will have nowhere to hide from this summer if the county council gets approval to install CCTV cameras at key locations
-
Date
Machine's
SPEEDWAY H-bombs blitz rivals OXFORD Silver Machine's two H-bombs, Greg Hancock and Billy Hamill, savaged the Wolverhampton Wolves 47-41 in their Airtek Challenge at Oxford Stadium. The American aces promised a lot, and they didn't let the fans down.
-
Date
Praise from cyclists
I wish to express the sincere thanks of Cyclox, on behalf of all Oxford cyclists, to Ashley Prior, the county council officer who managed the implementation of a flush kerb from the Botley Road cycle lane to the Thames Path, north of the newly-painted
-
Date
My daily battle to be 'normal'
I have recently read the news about the 61-year-old man who has been cured of type 1 diabetes, thanks to the groundbreaking cell transplant technique. I was diagnosed at the age of 10 with type 1 diabetes, 20 years ago. The doctors told me that there
-
Date
The sound of music -- or not
May I, through your pages, raise a query regarding piped music in public places? As at most shopping centres, we have played music, of various kinds, through our malls for more than 10 years. However, just as we are working on removing cigarette smoke
