Archive
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Extra cash on food fails to tempt pupils
Only a quarter of pupils in Oxfordshire eat school dinners - a lower proportion than anywhere in England, despite the county spending more than most on ingredients. A league table of school dinners produced by the Soil Association shows that while Oxfordshire
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Confusion and silence reign
In trying to distinguish between fact and fiction over Oxfordshire County Council's threat to impose parking charges on Oxford's residents, county councillor Neil Fawcett is selective with his evidence (Oxford Mail, March 3). It is not fiction that residents
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Jim Easton
Didcot driving instructor Jim Easton has died of a heart attack, aged 59. Mr Easton, of the Easton School of Motoring, had lived in the town for 26 years. He died at his home in Churchill Road on March 15. He was born in Dudonald, Ayrshire, and moved
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Malcolm Young
Trade union official and stalwart socialist Malcolm Young has died aged 79 after a period of illness. At a time when the unions were big news, Mr Young was the subject of a number of in-depth interviews in the Oxford Mail, and featured in countless stories
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Abduction warning
Schoolchildren in Thame are being warned to be vigilant after the attempted abduction of an 11-year-old boy. The boy was walking to school in Queens Road, on Monday, March 21, at about 8.15am, when a black saloon car drew up opposite and the male driver
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'Use funds to help hospital'
Campaigners are calling on health bosses to ring-fence money raised from the sale of Wantage's former health centre for the benefit of the town's hospital. The South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust is being urged to spend the £800,000 it is expected
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Homes plan for cinema refused
Plans to convert Wantage's cinema into flats were refused permission after councillors heard the business was a valued local entertainment facility which could be made financially viable. The proposal for the change of use and sub-division of the Regent
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Bar billiards: Withey lands British Open
AFTER more than 30 years playing bar billiards Pauline Withey has taken the Ladies British Open Championships title - and become the first Oxfordshire player to do so. Withey, 53, who plays at Morris Motors Sports and Social Club, beat Jean Over from
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Football: Ace Blossom banishes Exiles with four-timer
Morrells of Oxford Sunday League: Wayne Blossom netted a four-timer as Highfield kept up the pressure on the Premier Division leaders with a 6-0 demolition of Oxford Exiles. After a goalless first half, Blossom opened Highfield's account with a 35-yard
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Table tennis: Harrison proves too hot for rivals
Sam Harrison (Forum) beat Nick Lacey (Bicester) 11-4, 11-4, 11-4 to take the Wren Trophy. The Oxford League's blue riband junior event was the culmination of an excellent tournament at Forum Youth Centre, Kidlington. Lacey earned his place in the final
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Joseph Kirwan
Joseph Kirwan - the man who made Oxford's Plater College a reality and received honours from the Pope for his work - has died, aged 94. When Mr Kirwan became principal of Plater in 1962, it was his drive and foresight which took the college, then the
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Thursday, March 31: Only half the picture
TV cook Jamie Oliver has certainly stirred up the debate over school meals. On the day that he delivered a petition to Downing Street demanding better quality, the Government announced a £280m package of improvements. It will allow 50p to be spent on
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The vole world in their hands
A colony of voles is to be moved from its natural habitat to make way for a major housing development in Didcot -- even though planning permission has not yet been given for the new estate. Water voles living south of the A4130 will be moved after an
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'Lazy residents' get blame for flytipping
A senior councillor has branded a minority of people living in his ward "lazy" for littering the streets with dumped furniture. Oxford City Council's deputy leader, Bill Baker, who represents Iffley Fields, spoke out after he discovered a rolled-up carpet
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Smoking ban by-law 'too costly' for city
Health watchdogs are today expected to reject using a Local Act of Parliament to turn Oxford into a smoke-free city. Members of the Oxford Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee believe it will be too expensive to introduce a by-law banning tobacco in
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Vote for me and I'll be Tony Bare!
If Blair wins power in Oxford East he has vowed to turn up to Parliament naked -- so people can see him for what he is. Not Tony Blair, but New Loony candidate Honest T Blair, who is convinced he has the policies to sweep him to victory in the General
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Speedway: Machine are sheer magic
Arena Essex 41, Oxford Silver Machine 49: A magical performance by Oxford Silver Machine saw them pull off a shock victory over Arena Essex at the Purfleet Raceway in last night's Elite League speedway encounter. Oxford, rocked by a career-threatening
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Surgeon should be reinstated
Henk Giele, the surgeon struck off by the General Medical Council, is the kindest, most honest and decent man anyone could hope to meet. If he has committed any crime, it is to have been nave and too kind. Other consultants I know are familiar enough
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'Jumping ship' will backfire
I find it fascinating that Val Smith has "jumped ship", resigning from Oxford City Council and putting herself forward as a candidate for Oxfordshire County Council (Oxford Mail, March 23). Her platform for standing for the county is apparently to have
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Rescue team tells of tsunami horror
A team of Oxfordshire-based search and rescue specialists have described the scenes of devastation they saw during a three-week mission to tsunami-hit Asia. Gary Foo, of Oxfordshire Search and Rescue, treats a little girl with an infectionFour volunteers
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Date set for start of traffic improvement
Preparation work is due to start in September on a key part of Abingdon's new town centre transport strategy (Abits) - converting Stratton Way into a two-way route and turning Stert Street and the High Street into single lanes. But monitoring of air quality
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Green group wants shop
A group determined to get the green message across to people in Wallingford wants to set up a community shop. The venture by Sustainable Wallingford is still in the planning stage, but members are working to provide a shop which will sell locally-produced
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Teenager spotted climbing monument
This teenager, pictured climbing to the top of the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall, was risking his life and the future of the historical site itself, according to English Heritage. The boy spotted at the top of the ruins of Minster Lovell HallThe boy was
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Bowls: Super Rover retain crown
Rover Cowley have convincingly retained the Inter-Club League title, organised by Oxford & District Indoor Bowls Club. The double rink competition was open to outdoor bowls clubs and sponsored by Rub-a-Dub laundries. Rover's skips Chris Earl and Paul
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Football: Pearce keeps Jackass in the hunt
Autotype UTV League: Jackass Inn closed the gap at the top of Division 2, with a hard fought 2-0 home win over Dorchester United. Johnny Pearce was the two-goal hero, the first a converted penalty after Stu Morrisson was brought down. Pearce made sure
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Golf: Sheila claims bronze prize
Sheila Catterall, a member of Oxford Ladies, walked away with the honours at the Oxfordshire Ladies Bronze Championship qualifying medal competition at Southfield. But she failed to make it through the knock-out stage of the competition. From a field
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Ice hockey: Prachar's hat-trick in vain as Stars lose out
Oxford City Stars suffered their third defeat of the end-of-season play-offs when they lost 6-5 away to Streatham Redskins Despite an improved performance, Stars could not cope with the loss of four forwards, Derek Flint, Gary Slevin, Alan Green and Scott
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The vole world in their hands
A colony of voles is to be moved from its natural habitat to make way for a major housing development in Didcot -- even though planning permission has not yet been given for the new estate. Water voles living south of the A4130 will be moved after an
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Water firm welcomes downpours
Desperately-needed rain gardeners and water companies have been hoping for has finally started to fall. But experts say there needs to be much more before the threat of water shortages is averted. A spokesman for Thames Water said: "We have had a good
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Why Blunkett's not for turning
Tory county council leader Keith Mitchell finally met his match in a car park yesterday - when he came face-to-face, and bumper-to-bumper, with Labour MP David Blunkett. No sooner had the former Home Secretary and his entourage arrived at County Hall
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Boxing: Mullins claims bronze on England debut
Wolvercote's Steve Mullins has experienced a week of frantic activity and the 24 year-old Witney boxer could not be happier. His first ABA final appearance in London was followed by an eleventh hour call to represent his country at the Four Nations tournament
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Water is good value
With the water bills coming through the letterboxes, there is concern at another rise in prices. Some people suggest meters, others a standard charge. Dare I say, I accept the new charges. Do people ever stop to think what it was like before we could
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My record on pensions
Andrew MacGregor (Oxford Mail, March 23) asks about my record of work on pensions. In fact, I was responsible for big steps forward, both in occupational pension protection and in tackling pensioner poverty. The new Pension Protection Fund will, from
