Archive
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School report delights staff
Staff and pupils at the 1,712-pupil King Alfred's Community and Sports College, in Wantage, are celebrating after being rated outstanding or good in every aspect of its education by inspectors. They described the school as "good with outstanding features
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Don't be a Christmas crime victim
Motorists are being advised to look after cars, vans and motorcycles following a spate of thefts of vehicles left parked in the same location for a long time. Police say thieves have been targeting vehicles left on driveways or in private parking areas
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Killers 'should die behind bars'
THE father of two children murdered in a firebomb attack said their killers should spend the rest of their lives in jail. Mohammed Khan lost his nine-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son in the arson attack at their home in Magdalen Road, East Oxford
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Sunday bus boost
Stagecoach has increased its Sunday service on Route 100, which runs from Carterton, Witney and Eynsham to Oxford. The frequency has increased from every 30 minutes to 20 minutes and on the first Sunday, carried an additional 300 passengers. Trevor
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Bravery award for sea hero
An air-sea rescue helicopter crewman - now serving at RAF Benson - is to be honoured by Prime Minister Gordon Brown for bravery. Flt Lt Iain Robertson was co-pilot on the rescue helicopter, off Grimsby, when the crew picked up three men who had been
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Killers 'should die in prison'
The father of two children murdered in a firebomb attack said their killers should spend the rest of their lives in jail. Mohammed Khan lost his nine-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son in the arson attack at their home in Magdalen Road, East Oxford
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'999 delay cost cyclist his life'
A cyclist who collapsed at the side of the road during a charity ride died after waiting an hour for an ambulance, an inquest heard yesterday. Patrick Royle, 31, passed out in Hollow Way, Cowley, Oxford, after suffering heatstroke while taking part
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999 delay 'cost cyclist his life'
A CYCLIST who collapsed at the side of the road during a charity ride died after waiting an hour for an ambulance, an inquest heard yesterday. Patrick Royle, 31, passed out in Hollow Way, Cowley, Oxford, after suffering heatstroke while taking part
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FOOTBALL: Patterson faces selection posers
Darren Patterson has some intriguing selection dilemmas for his first FA Cup game in charge. Firstly, who replaces the suspended Carl Pettefer in central midfield, and secondly whether to recall Matt Day or Eddie Anaclet at right back or stick with
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Mini will stay in Oxford, says BMW
Oxford will always be the home of the Mini, bosses have confirmed. Parent company BMW has admitted a four-wheel drive version of the car will be built in another plant, but stressed this did not mean all production would switch from the Cowley works
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Lotto win helps disabled sailors
A floating jetty and new lift will be built at Farmoor Reservoir after a charity scooped £80,000 during a televised competition. The pontoon project won the cash as part of the National Lottery's People's Millions, run in conjunction with ITV's Thames
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Tears of joy as Iraq troops return
CHILDREN ran to greet their fathers as troops returned home to Bicester after six months in war-torn Iraq. Family and friends waved banners and balloons as the 72 soldiers from 23 Pioneer Regiment arrived back. The troops were greeted with tears
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Choir gives residents a united voice
A community choir is helping Oxford residents use their diverse backgrounds to find a united voice. The Barton Sings! group sang songs from across the globe during a performance on the estate. Choir members have been teaching each other songs they
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Plato stays at SEAT
SEAT Sport UK will retain its Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Teams' winning driver line up for 2008, with Oxford driver Jason Plato and Darren Turner confirmed as the squad's drivers for next season. They will pilot the team's two-car
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Ghost 'festival' opens
Oxford's first ghost festival opened tonight as paranormal investigators tried to tap into the city's spine-tingling past. Ghost hunters used psychic equipment during an overnight investigation to establish whether Oxford Castle, in New Road, is one
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Revamped nightclub reopens
Club-goers are getting their first look inside Oxford city centre's biggest club - which reopened last night with a VIP Champagne reception. Park End Club, in Park End Street, has relaunched as a new Lava Ignite club, following a £500,000 refurbishment
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Smoke thwarts rescue attampt
Neighbours have described their attempts to rescue a disabled woman from a house fire only to be driven back by acrid smoke. Sheila Langsbury, 68, died in a blaze in her semi-detached bungalow in Brookside, Chalgrove, on Tuesday. Friends and neighbours
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A wasted journey for my post
A 'sorry you were out' card was left for me after an attempted delivery of a parcel. It clearly stated on it that the Sandy Lane office at Cowley, Oxford, would be open from 7am to 5pm on weekdays. When I got there at 3pm, it was closed. A notice
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Cuts threat to heritage
The county council is proposing massive cost-cutting across its cultural heritage services, including the Oxfordshire Record Office, Oxfordshire Studies, the Victoria County History and the county museum service. It appears that to minimise (but not
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Fight to save farm museum
Oxfordshire County Council is proposing to close and sell Cogges Manor Farm (Oxford Mail, November 27). I urge all readers who care about the historic environment, about education at all levels and the delight of present and future generations, to fight
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GREYHOUNDS: Oxford track gets booster
The future of Oxford Stadium looks a lot brighter after the owners Risk Capital Partners abandoned their plans to put the six-track business up for sale. The whole GRA (Greyhound Racing Association) set-up, which as well as Oxford, includes Wimbledon
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GREYHOUNDS: Atkins hit by van theft
Terry Atkins, Oxford's elder statesman among the training ranks at Cowley, had a weekend to forget when thieves stole his van and complete range of equipment including cages, muzzles and leads from his Windsor base. However, just like Angie Kibble when
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Africa visit inspires Fairtrade move
Teenagers who have seen what life is like for small farmers in Africa are backing a move to make Witney a Fairtrade town. They are among 1,600 people who have signed a petition asking the town council to sign up to the promotion of Third World products
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GREYHOUNDS: Sunday's BAGS card
2.21 450m A9 Quills Tiger (Peterson) SEE YOU LATER (Massey) Luna Rossa (Magnasco) Witness Box (A Kibble) Greygrove Badboy 3 (T Kibble) Ballysally Magic (W) (Mayo) 2.38 450m A8 Pennys Broadway (Magnasco) SCOOTALONG HOLLY (T Kibble) Macadam (Mayo
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Residents live in 'crater' Leys
People living in an Oxford cul-de-sac have claimed their road is in a horrendous state because of a wrangle over whose responsibility it is to maintain it. Residents in Woodpecker Green, Greater Leys, say they live with a swimming pool in the summer
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SNOOKER: Chester break is new best
Paul Chester set a new highest break in Division 1 of the Gentworks Oxford & District League with a magnificent 94. Chester's break came in frame four of Witney C's 4-2 victory over Green Road Club, although he rode his luck when he potted a fluke on
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BILLIARDS: Fieldside close gap
Fieldside closed to within a point of top spot in Division 1 of the Oxford & District League after a 2-1 win at Riley. Riley's Allan Copelin (+90) beat Norman Woodcock (+70) 150-122, but Fieldside hit back through Simon Aries (-50) and Bob Chivers (
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POOL: Osney clinch national crown
Osney Arms won the BAPTO National Pool Team Trophy at Pontin's Blackpool, after a thrilling end to the competition. After losing their first match 11-4 to the Ram Inn, Mansfield, Osney hit back to beat a team from Belfast and make the knockout stages
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GREYHOUNDS: Put your money on Moll
Bigwood Moll can follow up her good run in the qualifiers to land the BGRF Christmas Bonus Sweepstakes final at Oxford tonight. TONIGHT'S RUNNERS 7.35: Fisar Monica, Riverbank Lulu, Brambly House, Ballyneale Kate 3, Sooty Blue, HUSKY SARAH. 7.50: Bee
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SKATER HOCKEY: Storm reach Europe after racing to prestigious title
Oxford Blues' PeeWee team - Oxford Storm - are national champions - rounding off an amazing season. The youngsters, aged between seven and 11, went through their campaign unbeaten to win the Southern League title, thus qualifying for the national finals
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Revamped Oxford nightclub reopens
Club-goers are getting their first look inside Oxford city centre's biggest club - which reopens tonight with a VIP Champagne reception. Park End Club, in Park End Street, has relaunched as a new Lava Ignite club, following a £500,000 refurbishment.
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ANGLING: Raffell's catch is just the ticket!
Once a month, a group of sea anglers from Oxford and Bicester travel down to the Isle of Wight for a couple of days' fishing. The group comprises Tony Middleton, Dave Bartlett, John Brew, Paul Raffell and Roger Prowton, and on their last trip they were
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ANGLING: Deadly Dougie makes up for lost time
With the Cherwell bank-high the Oxford Bus AC decided to travel over to Glebe Lake, although at the start of the match, the four anglers should have stayed at home as nothing was moving. Suddenly, the fish at Glebe decided to wake up and have some brunch
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TABLE TENNIS: Bushell turns tide for Forum
Forum A, last year's Oxford & District Handicap Shield winners, successfully negotiated a tough first-round match against Division 4 side Lord Nuffield D. With a 230-points start, John Joyce, Malcolm Burr and Paul Howard put up a good show for Lord
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TABLE TENNIS: Campbell overcomes broken bat
Top seed Craig Campbell (Drayton) overcame the burden of having his bat broken immediately before the final to win the Division 1 title in the Didcot & District League's divisional championships. Campbell won the final 13-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8. Young
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Cyclist died during heatwave
A cyclist taking part in a charity bike ride to Oxford on an "extremely hot" summer's day collapsed and died while it took an ambulance nearly an hour to arrive, an inquest heard today. Patrick Royle, 31, was nearing the end of the ride from Richmond
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Sailing ahead at reservoir
A FLOATING jetty and new lift will be built at a Farmoor Reservoir after a local charity won £80,000 during a televised competition. The pontoon project beat 22nd Oxford Sea Scouts to win the cash as part of the National Lottery's People's Millions
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Today's local share prices (PM)
AEA Technology 106.25 BMW 2983 Electrocomponents 220.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 126.5 Oxford Biomedica 22 Oxford Catalyst 150 Oxford Instruments 202.5 Reed Elsevier 615.75 RM 201.75 RPS Group 303.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Chairman quits to let people run council
Blackbird Leys parish council should be run without the involvement of political parties, according to the second chairman to resign from the group in six months. Lee Cole resigned on Tuesday, saying enough residents had stepped in to run the council
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700 Santas swell city streets
Oxford city centre will be brought to a standstill on Sunday by the unusual site of more than 700 fun runners - all dressed as Father Christmas. It is the first such event in the city and those taking part in the two-mile run will be raising money for
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Sailing ahead
A floating jetty and new lift will be built at a Farmoor Reservoir after a local charity scooped £80,000 during a televised competition. The pontoon project beat 22nd Oxford Sea Scouts to win the cash as part of the National Lottery's People's Millions
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Laptops take 30 seconds to steal
Police have urged laptop owners to protect their property - saying a thief can steal a computer within seconds. Det Sgt John Linsdell of Thames Valley Police demonstrated to the Oxford Mail that it takes just 30 seconds to reach through a small gap
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Tears of joy as troops return from Iraq
Children ran to greet their fathers as troops returned home to Bicester after six months in war-torn Iraq. Family and friends waved banners and balloons as the 72 soldiers from 23 Pioneer Regiment arrived back. The troops were greeted with tears of
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Cotswold comforts
There is an art to being all things to all people because the potential dilution of what is being offered by that jack of all trades' impression is definitely not the intention. In the food sphere, it is a clever restaurant that manages to achieve the
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Riverside ramblings
As summer fades and autumn brings its own palette of colour to the landscape, a riverside walk conjures up a magic that is particular to the closing pages of the year. Flowering plants, insects and summer-visiting birds are now largely absent from the
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Bloody and brutal
W e are horrified today by the violence found in some sports, and the injuries received by the combatants, but most of these pale into insignificance compared with rural sports practised as late as the 19th and early 20th centuries. Cutshins and
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From Filkins to Westminster
E xactly 60 years ago, on November 13, 1947, Sir Stafford Cripps was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in Clement Attlee's Labour government. It was the climax of a political career that spanned nearly two decades, during which he courted controversy
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Garden of stone
When someone mentions war cemeteries, it is often the great silent cities of Flanders, the Somme or Normandy that spring to mind. Row upon row of immaculate headstones meticulously cared for in beautifully laid-out cemeteries with flowers and trees,
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Burglary warning issued to students
TENS of thousands of students in Oxford are being warned before they go away for their Christmas break to do all they can to make sure their empty houses are not targeted by the city's criminals. Emails and letters are being sent by Thames Valley Police
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Darts fan hits the bullseye
A Witney man has put up £4,000 of his own money to lay on the town's biggest ever darts event. Colin Smith has been playing the indoor game since a teenager and has lined up darts legends John Lowe, who he has got know as a friend, Eric Bristow, Keith
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Tanner in fine victory
Banbury kickboxer Louise Tanner is celebrating an impressive victory. The 24-year-old, who fights for the Warriors Club, gained a unanimous points verdict over Brighton's Tasha Davies in front of her home fans in a prestige fight at Hove Town Hall.
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Burglary warning for students returning home
Thousands of students in Oxford are being warned to secure their homes before they go away for their Christmas break. Emails and letters are being sent by Thames Valley Police and Oxford City Council to students at Oxford Brookes University and Oxford
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Police plea over missing woman
Police are appealing for help from the public to trace a missing homeless woman last seen in Oxford. Alison Cox, 36, is homeless, but was in touch with local care services. She was last seen in Oxford on Wednesday, November 21 and reported as missing
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Sandford lead the way
Sandford St Martin lead Division A of the Oxford Cricket Board Indoor League ahead of the final fixtures on Tuesday. BYFIELD bowled 44 wides in their six-wicket defeat to Kings Sutton in Division 2 of the Banbury Indoor League. RESULTS Byfield 94-4
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Skaife rested by Stars
Oxford City Stars have back-to-back away games in the English National League South A Division this weekend. Stars visit Telford Tigers today (face-off 5.30pm) and travel to Milton Keynes (6.30pm) in the league cup tomorrow looking to build on their
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Otwell powers to second title
Jordan Otwell became a double national boxing champion with victory at the Junior Novice ABA finals in Manchester. The 17-year-old Oxford Boxing Academy fighter added the bantamweight title to the flyweight crown he won six months ago. And his coach
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Ambulance catches fire on A40
Emergency services were called to the A40 near Wheatley at 1.30pm today to an ambulance on fire. It was a private ambulance from outside Oxfordshire transporting a patient and it is not known how the vehicle caught fire. There was no collision prior
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Birinus duo fly the flag
Ben Watson and Peter Dutton produced good performances for England in a Tri-nations weightlifting event in Bergen, Norway. The duo, from the St Birinus School club at Didcot, helped England come second, with the host nation triumphing and Sweden in
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Ambulance catches fire
POLICE, fire and ambulance were called to the A40 between the A418 and the Headington roundabout at 1.30pm today to an ambulance on fire. It was a private ambulance from outside Oxfordshire transporting a patient and it is not known how the vehicle
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Daggitt on England duty
Matthew Daggitt, from Magdalen College School, Oxford, has been selected to represent England Under 16s in the Commonwealth Chess Championships in India. The Kidlington teenager was joining 11 other players who are flying out to New Delhi today together
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Cokethorpe storm into final
Holders Cokethorpe (Witney) stayed on course to retain rugby's Oxfordshire Under 15 Cup with a 27-12 home win over Lord Williams's (Thame) in the semi-finals. Cokethorpe ran in tries through Jacob Wilson, Nick Baboolal, Julian Watkins and Danny Burford
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Police launch pub drug crackdown
THREE people were arrested after a drugs dog was used to search pub-goers and clubbers in East Oxford and Cowley. A total of 25 people were searched, after black Labrador Benson indicated they may have drugs. The arrests were for suspected possession
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Concern for missing woman
POLICE are appealing for help to trace a woman who has gone missing in Oxford. Alison Cox, 36, is homeless, but was in touch with local care services. She was last seen in Oxford on Wednesday, November 21 and reported as missing on Wednesday. She
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His Dark Maze
I had great good fortune the other night when I was invited by Oxford writer Philip Pullman to interview him at his country home. Mr Pullman is the author of the acclaimed trilogy, His Dark Materials, and on December 5, The Golden Compass, the film of
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BMW pledge to keep Mini at Cowley
OXFORD will always be the home of the Mini, managers have confirmed. BMW has admitted a four-wheel drive version of the car will be built in another plant, but stressed that this did not mean all production would switch from the Cowley works to another
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We're staying in Oxford, BMW says
Oxford will always be the home of the Mini, bosses have confirmed. BMW has admitted a four-wheel drive version of the car will be built in another plant, but stressed that this did not mean all production would switch from the Cowley works to another
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Today's local share prices
AEA Technology 109.75 BMW 2959 Electrocomponents 222.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 128 Oxford Biomedica 22.25 Oxford Catalyst 150 Oxford Instruments 208.5 Reed Elsevier 608.5 RM 199.75 RPS Group 306.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Police launch pub drug crackdown
Three people were arrested after a drugs dog was used to search pub-goers and clubbers in East Oxford and Cowley. A total of 25 people were searched last Saturday, after black Labrador Benson indicated they may have drugs. The arrests were for suspected
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Celebrities back charity concert
CELEBRITIES best known for their appearances on film and television will take centre stage at a Christmas charity concert in Oxford. Award-winning actor Jim Broadbent, journalist and broadcaster Jeremy Paxman, actress Patricia Routledge, and Emmerdale
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Excuses, excuses
There's an old verbal put-down a friend used to come out with: 'That's a reason, not an excuse." It's one of those catch-all clinchers that rarely fails. And since I've been slogging it out on the train each day, at the mercy of delays and cancellations
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Rapper's act wins applause
AN OXFORD rapper has been named runner-up in a national competition searching for the best young singing star. Elliott Haslam, 21, who performs under the name Mr Shaodow, is a law and business student at Oxford Brookes University. He was picked
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Woman killed in M40 smash
A woman from Oxfordshire has been killed in a multi-vehicle pile-up on the M40. Five cars, an articulated lorry and heavy goods vehicle were involved in the crash on a stretch of the motorway in Buckinghamshire at about 6.50am yesterday. A 39-year-old
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Christmas driving crackdown starts today
ROAD safety experts will start their Christmas crackdown today knowing that accidents linked to drinking and driving are on the increase. Figures released last night showed that the number of Oxfordshire drivers involved in accidents - and subsequently
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Oxfordshire woman killed in M40 crash
A WOMAN from Oxfordshire has been killed in a multi-vehicle pile-up on the M40. Five cars, an articulated lorry and a heavy goods vehicle were involved in the crash on a stretch of the motorway in Buckinghamshire at about 6.50am yesterday. A 39-year-old
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Pullman film will bring extra £15m to Oxford
THE Golden Compass could bring up to one million more visitors to Oxford, the city's senior tourism officer has claimed. Jane Lubbock, facilities manager at Oxford City Council, said the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel Northern Lights - released
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Risk checks on every county school
EVERY school run by Oxfordshire County Council will undergo a fire risk assessment in a bid to better protect buildings. In the past three years, 24 fires have broken out at schools, with the repair bill topping £2.1m. The situation has to come to
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More tax official blunders
TAX OFFICIALS under fire for losing the country's child benefit details have erred again by sending personal details to the wrong addresses in Oxfordshire. Grandad Ron Leaver and mother-of-three Tracey Giles were stunned to receive letters from HM Revenue
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Asda plan promises 400 jobs
A proposed supermarket depot, which will bring 400 jobs to the county, has raised fears of traffic congestion. The Vale of the White Horse District Council has received a planning application from Asda to build a 450,000sq ft warehouse on land east
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Gym parties
CARTERTON'S leisure centre is celebrating its fourth birthday with a day of community events tomorrow. Events include a pool disco, aqua aerobics, gym tots sessions, fun fitness challenges and free gym inductions. Contact the centre on 01993 861981
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Campaigners issue safe sex message
CAMPAIGNERS in Oxford will be raising awareness of safe sex today to mark World Aids Day. Staff from The Gap Project, a day centre in Park End Street for young homeless people, will be giving out free condoms and red campaign ribbons at the stall in
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Rescued donkey to star at theatre
FROM death row to the spotlights of the New Theatre, Oxford, it has been quite a journey for this donkey. Pollyanne, who lives at the Island Donkey Sanctuary in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, near Wallingford, will be taking to the stage next month for the
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U's handed Barnes boost
OXFORD United boss Darren Patterson has been handed a huge FA Cup boost from his old boss Paul Sturrock. He asked Plymouth Argyle's new manager if he would give the U's permission to play loan striker Ashley Barnes in tomorrow's second-round tie against
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Project means happy landings
MEMBERS of the City of Oxford Rowing Club can now take to the water without fear of tripping up or falling into the river, thanks to a £22,000 project to replace the club's landing stage. And as rowers tried out the new facility, club treasurer Amy
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Rich winter reds mixed case, £68
As we move into December we have selected a mixed case of hearty winter warmers that are the perfect partners for rich and warming dishes such as casseroles, roasts, game and pasta. The wines are fruit driven with good ripeness and richness while remaining
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A star is born
Sir - I'd never heard of the celebrities due to switch on the Christmas lights in Bicester, Banbury and Abingdon (Report, November 23), whereas John Tanner has been a celebrity for years. And we won't have to pay him a fee to do the switching. Citizens
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Busy crossing
Sir - Should not your photographer (Report, November 23) have encouraged the youngsters to stand and place their floral tributes on the pavement side of the railings at the busy crossing on Ducklington Lane, Witney? It seems rather foolhardy and irresponsible
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Hotel bar wins award
A HOTEL bar has beaten competition from 17 countries to win a design award. The Gun Room at Eynsham Hall has won the Best Interior Design award at the European Hotel Design Awards. Judges praised the bar's mix of Chesterfield sofas, high ceilings
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Lake plan
A WILDLIFE lake could be created on arable land on the Woodperry estate, near Stanton St John, if South Oxfordshire District Council grants planning permission.
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Clear message
Sir - I'm afraid Thelma Sanders (Letters, November 23) hasn't grasped the message in Wilfred Owen's poetry. The sentiments of his poem Dulce et Decorum Est are quite clearly set out in the final eight lines: 'If you could hear, at every jolt, the
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Inconsiderate parking
Sir - May I ask the police if they would please pay a visit to First Turn, Wolvercote, on any Sunday morning after 11am. Due to the farmers' market at Wolvercote School, inconsiderate drivers park on the pavement over the bridge and also on the corner
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Thrilling atmosphere
Sir - I was very disappointed not to find any reference this week of the Youth Proms held at the Albert Hall two weeks ago. I was there on Wednesday, November 14, when the Massed Choirs of Oxfordshire were the only choir. Over 30 schools and choirs
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Guiding principles
Sir - On learning that Tony Blair told the BBC he avoided talking about his religious views while in office for fear of being ridiculed (forthcoming episode of The Blair Years), I was drawn to thinking that there is a silent majority for whom their
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Out of the mouths . . .
Sir - Some two weeks ago I was waiting hopefully along with a dozen other passengers at the Randolph Hotel stop for the northbound Stagecoach No.6 bus to Wolvercote. The electronic indicator at the stop read: 6 Wolvercote DUE (1st bus) and beneath
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Find a new site
Sir - Let us hope that the university, having already lost much time in pursuing their ill-advised plans for the Bodleian's book depository on Osney Mead, will now redouble their efforts to find an alternative site, rather than, in the face of so much
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It's lighting up time
SUPPORTERS of Katharine House Hospice, in Adderbury, are lighting up their homes this Christmas to raise money for the charity. Jenny and Stewart West, of St Mary's Road, Adderbury, will be trying to beat the £560 they raised last year. They will
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Imaginary idyll
Sir - The IPCC has issued a number of forecasts of the effect of global warming over the years, in varying degrees of doom according to the assumptions fed into their computer models. However, even after many years, and much public money, they still
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Plans to save centre
Sir - We now know that the promised £100,000-a-year saving from closing Peers Sports Centre is a fantasy. It assumes every user will switch to another city council leisure centre and income will be the same. In fact the closure will only save about
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Huge cost of EU
Sir - The Oxford Times reported last week on three areas where money was lacking to finance local needs. The Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust said that it was facing an unexpected fall in income of around £2m, the government says it will not pay
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Wrong conclusions
Sir - Stuart Skyte (Letters, November 16) has drawn two incorrect conclusions about my letter about declining work ethic in this country; that 1: I have no idea what's going on in the real world outside the inward looking UK 2: I ascribe Britain's
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Roadtest: I-Spy the future
THE year is 2010. In the latest shake-up of local government, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council have been abolished and in a move to devolve power to the grassroots, parish councils across the land control every aspect of day-to-day
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NHS dental treatments falling
THE NUMBER of county patients treated by NHS dentists has fallen in the past three years, new figures have shown. The news came as Oxfordshire NHS Primary Care Trust admitted for the first time that no new dental practices would be commissioned to
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Future focus
Ford's new-look Focus goes on sale in Britain in January, with prices to run from £11,945 for the 1.4-litre Studio three-door, to £20,595 for the five-door 2.5-litre ST-3. That pitches the new Focus range at £250 more than outgoing models, and trim
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Ghastly schemes
Sir - You printed two letters about the modernist extension to St Antony's College (November 16). One was from the director and senior curator of Modern Art, Oxford, who, I presume, have a vested interest in imposing ugly, ridiculous, expensive architecture
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Courageous question
Sir - Your action in carrying out a mini-poll on 30 households in Aston Street, Oxford about waste disposal was extremely valuable. It is good to see that recycling has increased. However, there is clearly unrest over the question of whether food
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Sweeping response
Sir - Mr Jefferson (Letters, November 23) asserts that the council has stopped sweeping the streets or collecting the leaves. None of us mind being told of shortcomings in the services for which we are responsible. Indeed, without such challenge and
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4x4 concept goes soft
Audi's Cross Cabriolet design study, an impressive-looking open-top car with all-terrain ability, is wowing the crowds at the Los Angeles Auto Show. With dimensions close to those of the A5, the four-seater Cross Cabriolet features a 3.0-litre V6
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Museum closure would be a tragedy
Sir - I feel I must alert readers to the astonishing news that Oxfordshire County Council is proposing to close Cogges Manor Farm Museum in Witney. Cogges Museum is a fantastic resource which we, in Witney, are lucky to have right on our doorstep.
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Quaint view on waste
Sir - Ms Fooks has said (Report, November 23): "Why do some people want a return to weekly collections? It's the food waste, I think." That's very shrewd of the lady! Let them eat vitamin pills. This somewhat aristocratic attitude towards the common
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The premiere league
IT was a film premiere that Philip Pullman was never going to miss. The big night in London with movie stars and all the media hysteria greeting the release of The Golden Compass was still a few days away. But as the massive publicity machine to promote
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Hot-rod primed to rock and roll
VOLVO has just unveiled some colourful and creative vehicles for an American equipment manufacturers' show - and sitting in the line-up is a retro-cracker, the Caresto Hot Rod. It is the fifth time Volvo has exhibited at the world's biggest car-product
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Six of best
The new Mazda6, a ten-strong range of saloons and hatchbacks, arrives in UK showrooms at the very end of this year, with six diesel models going on sale in January, followed by nine estate models in March. December launch model prices will range from
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Fire risk checks for schools
Every school run by Oxfordshire County Council will undergo a fire risk assessment in a bid to better protect buildings. In the past three years, 24 fires have broken out at schools, with the repair bill topping £2.1m. The situation has to come to
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Apprentice scheme is league leader
OXFORD United is at last topping the league - with the best young apprentices in the country. The club's youth development scheme turned out nine graduates in the Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (ASE) Programme - more than any of the 71 other
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When will they get it right?
Everyone makes mistakes but what's the worst kind? The one you repeat - and that's when you know you're in serious trouble. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs made a horrendous blunder when it lost two discs last week containing the sensitive information
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'Rescued' novel named a hidden gem
A WRITER whose novel was rescued from the 'slush pile' has been chosen to feature on a list of 100 'Hidden Gems' for next year's World Book Day. Playing With the Moon, by Eliza Graham, of Kingston Lisle, near Wantage, was chosen by World Book Day organisers
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Chance to meet Santa
CHILDREN can meet Father Christmas on his rounds in Abingdon - with a little help from the Lions Club. Next Wednesday, Santa will be in the Kennet Road area followed by Mons Way and Appleford Drive areas on Thursday and Friday. On the weekend of
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Tourists to flock to Lyra's Oxford
Blockbuster movie The Golden Compass could bring up to one million more film buffs to Oxford, the city's tourism chief has claimed. Jane Lubbock, facilities manager at Oxford City Council, said the movie adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel Northern
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New blunder by benefit officials
Bungling tax officials under fire for losing the country's child benefit details have messed up again by sending personal details to the wrong addresses in Oxfordshire. Grandad Ron Leaver and mum-of-three Tracey Giles were stunned to receive letters
