Archive
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Brewery sold to rival firm
Witney's Wychwood Brewery has been sold to rival Marston's, it was announced tonight. The Staffordshire brewer has bought Refresh, Wychwood's parent company, which brews 50,000 barrels of beer a year at its Eagle Maltings site, in The Crofts, close to
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Funny games indeed
In a plot twist almost as shocking as one of his films, German director Michael Haneke has been lured to Hollywood to remake Funny Games, his 1997 film about cinematic violence. Now before you cry Judas and wring your hands in despair, this isn't the
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Three bailed in sex assault inquiry
THREE men arrested in connection with a serious sexual assault on a man in Park End Street, Oxford, on Sunday have been released on bail. The men, all aged 22, are due to return to St Aldates police station on April 25. A fourth man, also aged 22
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Henmans lead eco-town opposition
THE parents of former tennis star Tim Henman are leading the fight against plans to build a 15,000-home eco-town near their village. Tony and Jane Henman and neighbours in Weston-on-the-Green said they were outraged by a Government decision to shortlist
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Raiders attack DIY store
BURGLARS stole thousands of pounds' worth of electrical appliances after breaking into a DIY store. Police are appealing for witnesses to the burglary at the B&Q store in Marley Way, Banbury, between 9pm on Saturday and 7pm on Sunday. Raiders climbed
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Henmans spearhead eco-town protest
The parents of former tennis star Tim Henman are spearheading the fight against plans to build a 15,000-home eco-town yards from their village. Tony and Jane Henman and neighbours in Weston-on-the-Green, near Bicester, said they were outraged by a Government
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Heads will decide if schools close
Education officials in Oxfordshire are planning to speak to headteachers about possible school closures during a planned strike by teachers later this month. However, County Hall said it was up to individual heads to decide whether their school should
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Audit praise
The Audit Commission has praised Oxford City Council for improving its performance during the past year. In the watchdog's annual inspection letter, it noted the aim of offering better value for money, saying: "The pace of change and improvement has
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Best hotels
Three hotels have been named among the top hostelries in Great Britain and Ireland. Celebrity chef Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Great Milton, and the Randolph and Malmaison hotels in Oxford, are among 300 featured in the Best Hotels
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Funeral to take place
The funeral of a Witney man, who was found dead in a back garden, takes place at the town's High Street Methodist Church, tomorrow, at 11.15am. Daniel Mills, 23, was discovered by a resident in Wadard's Meadow on March 22. Police are not treating
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Hospital faces uncertain future
The survival of Oxford's Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre as an independent health trust has been dealt a major new blow. The world famous specialist hospital may see its services taken over by private companies or another NHS Trust, as worrying options for
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Giving a 'helping hand' for 90 years
A 93-year-old volunteer and her 79-year-old colleague said they did not feel their age - after clocking up almost 90 years' service to their community. Dorothy Pierce, and pal Eugenia Stevenson have both worked at Barton Community Centre, in Oxford,
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FOOTBALL: Brock relishing Ardley challenge
Former Oxford United star Kevin Brock has spoken of his delight at getting back into football after he was appointed manager of Sport Italia Hellenic League Premier Division side Ardley United. Although he does not officially take over until after the
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FOOTBALL: Merritt throws down gauntlet
Oxford City player-manager Justin Merritt has set his side a challenge - let's go unbeaten for the rest of the season. Merritt, whose side face a trip to relegation-haunted Slough Town, said it was vital they got into top form as they look to cement
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Special schools get post-16 role
Parents of children with special needs are celebrating after winning a four-year battle to get post-16 education in Oxfordshire's special schools. Until now, it was the only county in England without post-16 special needs education with teenagers being
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County eyes £4m in cycling grants
A BID for up to £4m to transform Oxford's cycling network, removing accident blackspots in the city, is being submitted to Cycling England. Oxfordshire County Council says the improvements could boost cycling in Oxford to levels only seen on the continent
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New fears over NOC's future
THE SURVIVAL of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford, as an independent health trust has been dealt a major blow. The world-famous specialist hospital may see its services taken over by private companies or another NHS trust, as worrying options
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Burglars raid B&Q store
Burglars stole thousands of pounds' worth of electrical appliances after breaking into a DIY store. Police are appealing for witnesses to the burglary at the B&Q store in Marley Way between 9pm on Saturday and 7pm on Sunday. Burglars climbed a perimeter
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Local share prices
03/04/2008 pm AEA Technology 70 BMW 2830 Electrocomponents 199 Nationwide Accident Repair 128.5 Oxford Biomedica 22.25 Oxford Catalyst 159 Oxford Instruments 187.5 REED 661.5 RM 201.75 RPS Group 313.5
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Bringing up baby
Having babies can be stressful, not least because of the conflicting advice about how to bring them up. Gone are the days when Dr Spock or Penelope Leach ruled the shelves. Now books range across a wide spectrum - from the rigid routines of Gina King
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Booking a place
Bed and Breakfast 2008 (Visit Britain, £9.99) Who needs a book when you have the Internet? Well, even if you have access to a computer, it's sometimes quicker to flick pages than to use search engines. The book is well set out, with maps and information
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Mountain story
THE TOYMAKER J. D. Ballam (Velluminous, £8.95)As you expect from a teacher of creative writing, The Toymaker is beautifully written. Books can be beautiful, but frankly boring. As a reader I like a little suspense and mystery. Often plots develop with
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Window on Tibet
A YEAR IN TIBET Sun Shuyun (HarperPress, £20)Chinese writer Sun Shuyun spent 18 months with a TV camera team in a remote Tibetan village, known for its anti-Chinese stance. But this is far more than an exotic travelogue and recent events make her account
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Trouble with post
The closure of the Cowley Mail Centre, scheduled for early 2009, will bring to an end a history of sorting post in Oxford that dates back more than 350 years. The event is sad twice over - once because of the disruption it will cause the 460 workers at
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Catalyst firm takes off
AN OXFORD high-tech company says it is in better shape than ever, despite increasing its annual loss from £972,000 to £1.7m. Oxford Catalysts is spending £1.3m doubling the size of its laboratory at Milton Park, near Abingdon, and says its £15.6m cash
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Green kit for fast cars
OWNERS of fast sports cars are not well-known for their concern for the environment. But David Lewis is hoping to lead them to green paths with a conversion kit that allows high-performance cars to run on a mixture of propane (LPG) and diesel. Known
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Star takes place on the OX5 starting line
Runners taking part in this year's OX5 Run will be able to race alongside small screen legend Jason Donovan to raise money for the Oxford Children's Hospital. Last year, Jason, who is a loyal supporter of Chox, started the five-mile race around the
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Join the fun
Runners taking part in this year's OX5 Run will be able to race alongside small screen legend Jason Donovan to raise money for the Oxford Children's Hospital. Last year, Jason, who is a loyal supporter of Chox, started the five-mile race around the
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CYCLING: Zappi still shows zap
Former star Flavio Zappi was the top Oxfordshire finisher in Oxonian's 31-mile race held in blustery conditions. The 48-year-old, who attends Oxford University, completed the course in 1hr 26mins 43 secs, some seven minutes behind the winning time of
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BADMINTON: Abingdon's mixed joy
Abingdon had mixed fortunes in the final stages of the two Wallingford competitions. Wins in quick succession over Park 300-160 and Wantage 293-229 gave Abingdon A the Division 2 title of the Wallingford Three Disciplines League. Dave Stepney, Andy
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RUGBY UNION: We won't back off says Maudsley
Matt Maudsley has warned his Oxford Harlequins players that Chinnor will be a "very, very tough nut to crack" in tomorrow's main final (3.30pm). But Quins' director of rugby also pledged they would not back off from the challenge of retaining the cup
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RUGBY UNION: Brodley hails Oxford's classic mix
Oxfordshire Shield Oxford coach John Brodley says his team to face Blue Boar in tomorrow's first final (12noon) is "a classic mixture of youth and experience". Brodley has selected six Leadbitter Oxford Academy players, alongside stalwarts such as
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Winning ideas are van-tastic
After hours spent inspecting hundreds of entries, the winners of the Oxford Mail's Design a Van competition have been chosen. More than 300 people submitted ideas, with judges choosing designs by Felicity Hughes, 11, Amy Williams, 12, and Tom Reynolds
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Spheres of influence at 03 Gallery
It seems that the Oxford art scene is a lot like buses, you wait for one exhibition, and three come at once. With a handful of shows opening their doors next week, there is a lot to look forward to and I'll be very busy. However, due to the slight drought
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AUTHOR PROFILE: Tim Pears
Tim Pears is in his early 50s and lives in North Oxford with his wife Hania and two children. His novels explore family relationships and the pressing social issues of the day. Born in Tonbridge Wells, Kent, Pears grew up in mid-Devon. He left school
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A festival for the well Red
Author Philip Pullman may have attracted the biggest crowds at the Oxford Literary Festival, but it was the appearance of political heavyweights Alastair Campbell and Tony Benn that captured the imagination. Mr Benn, the veteran champion of Old Labour
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Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir mixed case, £82
Discounted case price £82. Includes three bottles of each of the following four wines Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir remain hugely popular grape varieties probably because the former is so crisp and refreshing and the latter pleasingly delicate and
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Easy — don't go without a case!
INCREASED security at our airports is all well and good and perfectly understandable but it has caused me more than a little angst. I've had to relinquish more than my fair share of corkscrews - typically gifts from producers - and at least one lost
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BOOK CLUB: Blenheim Orchard by Tim Pears
When this novel first came out in hardback last year, I wanted to read it primarily because of its Oxford setting. But I never predicted having quite so much fun as I watched Ezra Pepin grapple with his responsibilities as a father, and as a senior
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Win tickets to see Elbow live
Manchester's finest, Elbow hit town on Tuesday - wielding a new album and a head full of thunderous riffs. Elbow's gig at the Carling Academy follows a rollercoaster couple of years during which they have barely left the studio - having been barred
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HOCKEY: Oxon girls set for nationals
Oxfordshire's under 17 hockey girls are gearing up for their two big days later this month when they will represent the South of England. They won their region, beating Surrey, Bucks, Hampshire, Berks and Sussex and drawing with Middlesex, finishing
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FIXTURES: April 4
SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. BLUE SQUARE PREMIER. Weymouth v Oxford Utd. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Hitchin Tn v Banbury Utd Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd v Taunton Tn, Newport IOW v Didcot Tn, Slough Tn v Oxford C. FOOTBALL
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Air show plans fly ahead
ORGANISERS of an Abingdon air show fear visitors may stay away from their event because of confusion with a damp squib held last year. The RAF Spirit of Adventure air show was cancelled last May on its second day due to heavy rain, which contributed
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Old masters
Scores of Oxfordshire's oldest authors, poets and artists took to the stage and exhibited their work at the first Festival of Talent Show. More than 100 pensioners from 17 homes for the elderly descended on the Kassam Stadium in Greater Leys, Oxford
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Big Brian is still going strong
Legendary Brian Blessed is famous for so many things - his voice, his beard, his parts and of course his trips up Everest. Be it armoured from head to foot in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, complete with Viking helmet in Flash Gordon, or crowned in Blackadder
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All that jazz
Just controlling 50 adolescents every week would enough for most mere mortals. But oh no, Ian Richie is taking it one step further, having cast them all in Thoroughly Modern Millie opening at The Oxford Playhouse on Wednesday. Under the umbrella of
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Tropical punk
With its towering forests of skyscrapers, tangled highways and 24-hour traffic jams, Sao Paulo is far from most people's vision of Brazil. A clamorous metropolis of 19 million people, Latin America's largest city is dynamic and dangerous, with a murder
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Dapper, ambitious and sinful
They are dapper, intelligent, quintessentially English, and slightly surreal. They also have a name that sounds less like a band, and more like the start of an epic confession. They are Envy & Other Sins, and they are rewriting the rules of rock '
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Focus on deadly convoys
John Tanner, the Lord Mayor of Oxford, has warned the city is at risk of a radiation leak because nuclear weapons are being carried on local roads. Mr Tanner said scores of military convoys had used the A34 and M40 to transport weapons of mass destruction
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Oddballs ransack pop culture
Thou shalt not steal if there is direct victim. . . Thou shalt not worship pop idols or follow lost prophets. "Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Johnny Hartman, Desmond Decker, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix or Syd Barret in vain
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Air show plans fly ahead
Organisers of an Abingdon air show fear visitors may stay away from their event because of confusion with a damp squib held last year. The RAF Spirit of Adventure air show was cancelled last May on its second day due to heavy rain, which contributed
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PM Brown defends record
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has insisted Labour could retain the support of Oxfordshire voters who helped the party to power more than a decade ago. Mr Brown, in an interview with the Oxford Mail, mounted a strong defence of the Government's record
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Almost £1m stolen to fund lavish lifestyle
An office manager explained away her lavish lifestyle of exotic holidays, new cars and expensive clothes as a lucky break on the Premium Bonds. Instead, grandmother Susan MacDonald, 61, was funding her luxurious life by plundering almost £1m from her
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Pair told to behave
Two youths have been handed Antisocial Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) after a spate of crimes in New Marston, Oxford. Police are also writing behaviour contracts for three more youngsters in the area after complaints of antisocial behaviour, car crime and
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Funny Games (18)
Ignorance is bliss when it comes to Michael Haneke's contemporary update to his explosive 1997 film of the same name. Remade virtually shot for shot, Funny Games is a violent and provocative thriller about a normal family facing the nightmare ordeal
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Happy Mondays @ Purple Turtle
I've been inhaling tobacco smoke into my lungs all my adult-life, and I have deeply enjoyed every single cigarette I've ever had. Except for the ones when you're standing outside in the torrential rain and gale-force winds. And the ones that make
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Son of Rambow (12A)
For those of us who lived through the '80s (with tattered Polaroids to recall the glaring fashion faux pas), it was the decade of leg warmers and Space Dust popping furiously on the tongue. "Frankie Say" T-shirts were the political statement of choice
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Blind tasting
I could have been sitting there stark naked and Mr Greedy wouldn't have batted an eyelid. I say wouldn't, but couldn't is more accurate, because after all he was wearing a blindfold. Birthday suit or no birthday suit, we were also eating in the dark
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Council praised for improvements
THE public spending watchdog, Audit Commission, has praised Oxford City Council for improving its performance during the past 12 months. The commission is tasked with grading councils according to their performance. In the commission's annual inspection
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Crash causes A34 delays
TWO lorries and a car were involved in an accident which blocked one lane of the A34 west of Oxford for 45 minutes today. A Renault Mégane car and two lorries collided on the northbound carriageway just before 11am, between the Botley Interchange
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VW steps up 4x4 power
There is a more powerful Touareg now topping the Volkswagen 4x4 range - the R50. Only a limited number of Touareg R50s are now on sale in the UK, and the main change is a power boost to Volkswagen's 5.0-litre V10 turbodiesel engine - up from 309 horsepower
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Hot classic
A hand-built Volvo Hot Rod Jakob, which pays homage to the first series-production Volvo, the 1927 OV4, affectionately nicknamed the Jakob, has just been donated to Volvo Museum in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Hot Rod Jakob, built by Swede Leif Tufvesson
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Hybrid win
Saab's stunning design exercise, the 9-X BioHybrid, won the Best Concept award at the Geneva Motor Show, Switzerland. It drew on Saab's earlier Aero X and 9X concepts to hint at a future compact car, and is powered by a 1.4-litre BioPower turbo engine
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Pacific Rim hits above its weight
CAR makers sited around the Pacific Rim are increasingly punching above their weight in the British market, as ably demonstrated by sister Korean firms Kia and Hyundai. And there's more to come - from South Korea's SsangYong, and Malaysia's Proton
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Soft-tops will strike harder bargain
TWO prestige-brand compact convertibles, to be introduced to the UK market this year, will establish a new benchmark for drop-top residual values, according to EurotaxGlass's, publisher of auto industry 'Bible' Glass's Guide. When the newly-launched
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City drivers offered chance to Think
UK motorists will soon be able to place orders to buy a fully electric-powered car later this year, when the new TH!NK city electric vehicle (EV) goes on sale in this country. Revealed at the Geneva Motor Show by Norwegian electric vehicle pioneers
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Audi speeds up changes
LIGHTNING fast, virtually seamless Audi S tronic gear changes will soon be within the grasp of drivers of the new A4, the Q5 SUV and many more Audi models. Originally developed to work with transversely mounted units, and so initially restricted to
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Roadtest: Estate of the art
RENAULT has set itself a tough target - becoming one of the top three brands for product and service quality by 2009. The French car maker is determined to snap at the heels of Volkswagen and Honda, and its alliance with Nissan is already paying off
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Crash causes A34 delays
Two lorries and a car were involved in an accident which blocked one lane of the A34 west of Oxford for 45 minutes today. A Renault Megane car and two lorries collided on the northbound carriageway just before 11am, between the Botley Interchange and
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Not so secure
Recently, I spent some time at Heathrow Airport bus station, awaiting a connection for Weymouth. Now I know we've all seen them on TV - police strolling around the terminals with machine guns hung around their necks makes us all feel very secure!
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Estate battles
We have been campaigning for a speed limit of 20mph at Wood Farm, Oxford, for a very long time, to no avail. It has taken us years to get some warning signs, 'Beware School'- only in the last six months these were put into place. We have campaigned
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Dredge rivers to cut floods
I am sorry to creak the door again over last summer's floods, but when was the last time the Thames and its tributaries and relief channels were dredged? I have been an angler for nearly 40 years and there isn't a part of the Thames that I haven't drowned
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Cabbages and Kings
He was probably in his early 20s, heading to the city centre aboard the Thornhill park-and-ride shuttle, a large musical instrument case wedged between his legs. Sitting next to him on the bus's back seat was a 15-year-old boy with learning difficulties
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City council praised by Audit Commission
The Audit Commission has praised Oxford City Council for improving its performance during the past 12 months. The public spending watchdog is tasked with grading councils according to their performance. In the commission's annual inspection letter
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Local share prices
03/04/2008 AEA Technology 73.5 BMW 2846 Electrocomponents 203 Nationwide Accident Repair 128.5 Oxford Biomedica 22.25 Oxford Catalyst 159 Oxford Instruments 187.5 REED 667.75 RM 202.25 RPS Group 314
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BADMINTON: Mixed fortunes for Abingdon
Abingdon had mixed fortunes in the final stages of the two Wallingford competitions. Wins in quick succession over Park 300-160 and Wantage 293-229 gave Abingdon A the Division 2 title of the Wallingford Three Disciplines League. Dave Stepney, Andy
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Academy of all the talents
PETER CANN talks to the multi-talented Luke Daniels about his latest project to be performed at the Oxford Folk Festival Luke Daniels first made a name for himself in 1992 when, just 17, he won the BBC Radio 2's Young Tradition Award, stunning
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ROWING: Brodie leads Oxford to Boat race glory
Cox Nick Brodie - formerly of Abingdon School - showed his leadership qualities as Oxford gained revenge for last year's defeat on the Thames by beating Cambridge by six lengths on a choppy Thames on Saturday. The Light Blues, ten pounds a man lighter
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Eco-town plan criticised
A NEW settlement next to Weston-on-the Green has made it on to the Government's shortlist of 15 proposed 'eco-towns'. As many as 15,000 new eco-homes could be built on 800 acres of farmland between the village and the A34/M40 junction, creating a town
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Home Farm's expanding work needs your help
Home Farm Trust is a registered national charity supporting adults with learning disabilities. It provides a wide range of services for more than 1,000 people and supports 4,000 family carers. Volunteers give their time and energy to help HFT in many
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When villagers came to each other's aid
Next month, the people of Finstock will re-enact a friendly society Club Day from the 1900s, writes CHRIS KOENIG To those that have shall be given. The saying came true after the dissolution of the monastaries and again when land was redistributed
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Wildlife partners with a vision
This week a historic partnership was agreed between BBOWT and the RSPB to conserve a major part of Oxfordshire's vital wetlands, writes HELEN TAYLOR, of the wildlife trust A landscape brimming with wildlife and enjoyed by people stretching out
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Not just colourful
VAL BOURNE says this is the right time to sow easily grown hardy annuals The late doyenne of cottage gardening, Margery Fish, always said that March promised a lot and delivered very little. How right she was! Last month was bleak and it's
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Stars of the gallery opening
The recently bequeathed paintings to the Ashmolean Museum will be the main attractions of the new Pre-Raphaelite Gallery opening this month, writes SYLVIA VETTA The first international art movement that originated in Britain, the Arts and Crafts
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Can you spot Woollcott's mistake?
While my reading has necessarily been focused lately on books being discussed at the Oxford Literary Festival, it has not been exclusively in this category. I have, for instance, been dipping into Long, Long Ago, a selection of essays by the American
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Eco-towns: The full shortlist
THE shortlist for a series of "eco-towns" to be built across the country was unveiled by the Government today. The top 15 bids for the low-carbon, environmentally friendly towns includes up to 15,000 homes at a controversial site in Leicestershire and
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Clarissa Eden recalls the 'chippy' Col Nasser
'I have never had any opinion about politics at all." This statement, delivered in the well-modulated tones of a true aristocrat, will probably have surprised everyone who heard it on Tuesday afternoon in the Newman Rooms, off St Aldate's. The utterly
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Grisly glimpses of hospital life
Ill health seems almost as popular a subject for TV programmes as cookery, houses or the police. As well as voyeuristic documentaries like Channel Five's The World's Heaviest Man, there are hospital dramas galore - and multiplying. The BBC's Casualty
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Witney Lakes Resort restaurant
I wrote a glowing review of the Witney Lakes Resort's restaurant - then known as Green's - shortly after its opening and ate there three or four times in the weeks following. For some reason - certainly nothing to do with the restaurant's quality or my
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Weston on eco-town shortlist
THE prospect of a 15,000-home eco town development near Weston-on-the-Green took a step forward today, after it was included on a list of potential national sites. The Government has drawn up a list of potential eco-town locations, dubbed "Brown's Towns
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My Brother is an Only Child, Beaufort, The Book of Revelation and I'm a Cyborg But That's OK
In the 2003 epic, Best of Youth, screenwriters Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli produced a chronicle of post-war Italian life that merited comparison with the German masterpiece Heimat. The duo revisits many of the same themes in Daniele Luchetti's
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Weston eco town plans take step forward
The prospect of a massive 15,000-home eco town development in Weston-on-the-Green near Bicester took a step forward today, after it was included on a list of potential national sites. The Government has drawn up a list of potential eco town locations
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Son of Rambow
For those of us who lived through the 1980s (with tattered Polaroids to recall the glaring fashion faux pas), it was the decade of leg warmers and Space Dust popping furiously on the tongue. "Frankie Say" T-shirts were the political statement of choice
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Tell Me a Picture: 03 Gallery
The timely opening of Tell Me a Picture, at the O3 Gallery, Oxford Castle, adds an extra attraction to the Oxford Literary Festival. Although not on the official programme, it certainly complements all that's going on at Christ Church this week. This
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Oxford protesters abandon blockade
EIGHT Oxford environmental campaigners have ended their blockade of a coal power station, two hours after they started. The climate change campaigners used a cycle lock to close the staff entrance at Aberthaw Power Station in Barry, South Wales, at
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The Magic Flute, Welsh National Opera, Milton Keynes Theatre
A quick bite at the Chinese restaurant alongside Milton Keynes Theatre proved to be appropriate preparation for Welsh National Opera's Magic Flute. For what should be the first sight when the curtain goes up? It's a giant prawn (aka lobster) appearing
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Woman dies in car crash
POLICE have appealed for witnesses after a 37-year-old woman was killed in a car crash in Oxfordshire. The woman died in Checkendon, near Henley, at about 8.15pm yesterday. A red Ford Mondeo was travelling along Main Street when it appears to have
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Philip Pullman at the Oxford Literary Festival
Oxford author Philip Pullman was the star attraction on Monday night, as the 2008 Oxford Literary Festival got under way. Pullman was appearing before a sell-out crowd at the Town Hall, in an event devoted to his latest book Once Upon a Time in the North
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Italian Poems Interpreted: Christ Church Picture Gallery
There's a small show at Christ Church fixed to coincide with the Oxford Literary Festival. Curator of the Picture Gallery Jacqueline Thalmann sought among the 2,000 drawings in Christ Church's collection for those works, Biblical aside, with closest relation
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Funny games
In a plot twist almost as shocking as one of his films, German director Michael Haneke has been lured to Hollywood to remake Funny Games, his 1997 film about cinematic violence. Now before you cry Judas and wring your hands in despair, this
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Oxford protesters drop Wales power station blockade
Eight Oxford environmental campaigners have ended their blockade of a coal power station, two hours after they started. The climate change campaigners used a bike lock to close the staff entrance at Aberthaw Power Station in Barry, South Wales, at 7.30am
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Rich Hall: Oxford Playhouse
The US economy may be headed south, but thankfully its comedy stock is still riding high, notably in the form of Rich Hall. The Montana comedian has become a household name in the UK in recent years appearing on TV comedy shows like QI. He is also a perennial
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Scottish Dance, Corn Exchange, Newbury
The company opened with Liv Lorent's sure-fire hit Tenderhook, a wonderful piece danced in a honey-coloured glow of light, with flimsy, multi-coloured costumes by her long-time collaborator Paul Shriek. The costumes, like the dancers, float lightly through
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God of Carnage, Gielgud Theatre, London
Question: How many adults standing up for their children become infantile themselves? Answer: Well, at least four, according to God of Carnage. Following a playground contretemps between Ferdinand's stick and Bruno's teeth, two sets of concerned parents
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Boyz2Men: New Theatre
Boyz II Men proved they had lost none of their amazing R&B harmonies, or ability to charm their smitten fans, in concert last Saturday. The auditorium vibrated to ecstatic screams as the three soulful guys from Philadelphia crooned I'll Make Love to You
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Journeys to Freedom, Pegasus Theatre
Did you know that black American freedom fighter Malcolm X came to our city in 1964 and argued with Oxford University academics that "extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice"? I didn't. It wasn't the only thing I learnt during a series of performances
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Preview of La Fille Mal Gardée: Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury
Unlikely though it sounds, The Grand Theatre in Swansea is home to a genuine Russian Ballet company composed of graduates from the country's leading academies. They specialise in the Russian classics, and are bringing to Newbury La Fille Mal Gardée. It's
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Woman dead in car crash
Police have appealed for witnesses after a 37-year-old woman was killed in a car crash in Oxfordshire. The woman died in Checkendon, near Henley, at about 8.15pm on Wednesday. A red Ford Mondeo was travelling along Main Street when it appears to have
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CD reviews featuring Oxford artists
The four players who make up Barkingside (Emanem 4147), three of whom have strong links with Oxford, are all professionals in the world of free improvisation, a form that has grown from its beginnings in the 1960s into a musical landscape that now has
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War and Peace, Shared Experience, Oxford Playhouse
Originally staged in 1996 at London's National Theatre, the theatrical version of Leo Tolstoy's classic doorstop tome of a novel, War and Peace, has been lovingly refreshed and resurrected for the touring production, which hit the Oxford Playhouse last
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Unclue Vanya, English Touring Theatre, Milton Keynes
A stonkingly good performance by Neil Pearson (pictured) as the affable, good-sort Dr Astrov is the most compelling feature of English Touring Theatre's new production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. The play opened in Milton Keynes too late, alas, to be reviewed
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Spring Clean 08: Truwash Laundrette, Headington
Spring skittishness is energising the Oxford art scene this month, with a lively evening of performance art having been held last week in the Truwash Laundrette on Windmill Road in Headington. Yes, the laundrette! The performance Spring Clean 08, by
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Oxford protesters blockade Welsh power station
Eight environmental campaigners have blockaded a power station in a protest against climate change this morning. Two women and six men - all from Oxford - used bike locks to close the entrance to the coal-powered Aberthaw Power Station in Barry, South
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Tears before playtime
Went to Butterfly World last Saturday and little one loved it - especially the fish strangely enough. While we were there we spent half an hour in the soft play area and I got talking to another mum who had a little boy. This happens a lot now. Before
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Molora: The Oxford Playhouse
Molora is a raw, moving and intense examination of that most human - and most devastating - of acts, revenge. South African theatre company The Farber Foundry have adapted the Greek tragedy the Oresteia Trilogy, in which a mother murders her husband in
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Funeral set
THE funeral of Daniel Mills will take place at the Methodist Church, High Street, Witney, tomorrow, at 11.15am. Mr Mills, 23, was found dead in a garden in Wadard's Meadow on Saturday morning. Police are not treating the death as suspicious and an
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Bus passes turn up late
PENSIONERS across Oxfordshire are unhappy about the late arrival of free bus passes and a lack of consistency in the times they can be used in different parts of the county. Oxford City Council was accused of "incompetence" after hundreds of people
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Eco-towns shortlist to be unveiled
THE shortlist of sites for a series of "eco-towns" is due to be unveiled by the Government today. The top 15 proposals for the new low-carbon, environmentally friendly developments will be revealed by the Department for Communities and Local Government
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Homecoming for troops
THE Oxfordshire soldiers who have been serving in Afghanistan for the past six months were last night welcomed home as heroes. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester pinned campaign medals on the chests of the men and women who served in the
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Green school wins award
IT is officially the leanest, greenest secondary school in Oxford - and pupils have been enjoying the fruits of their labour. Oxford Community School, in Glanville Road, East Oxford, has been officially presented with its Green Flag Eco-School award
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Honoured
A warm welcome home to the troops of 7 Rifles. In the hubbub of daily life, it is easy to forget the tremendous work being done by our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. So it is only right, when they return from tours of duty, that we should honour
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Keep the money rolling in
With the Oxford Children's Hospital open for more than a year, some might think it is time to ease off on fundraising. Nothing could be further from the truth. The hospital, which treated more than 60,000 patients in its first year, still needs money
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Famous street in running for award
TWO Oxford landmarks have been named among the contenders for a pair of nationwide awards. The Academy of Urbanism, a group aimed at promoting public spaces, has put forward the High Street for The Great Street of the Year Award and Oxford Castle
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Complaint lodged over centre revamp
A FORMER Oxford City Council official has lodged an official complaint about its plans to demolish and redevelop Cowley Community Centre. Ben Ticehurst, who helped set up the West Indian Day Centre community facility, based at the Barns Road building
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Shakespeare Quartos to go online
OXFORD University's Bodleian Library has linked up with its American counterparts to create an online archive of Shakespeare's earliest printed editions - known as 'Quartos'. The Bodleian, which has 55 Shakespeare Quartos, has agreed to work with the
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Homecoming for heroes
The Oxfordshire soldiers who have been serving in Afghanistan for the past six months were last night welcomed home as heroes. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester pinned campaign medals on the chests of the men and women who served in the country's
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Charity marks a decade of help
A WITNEY charity set up to help people with Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia marked its tenth anniversary. Dozens of balloons carrying personal messages were released at Oxford Castle, in New Road, on Tuesday to celebrate the
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United fans take up run challenge
A LARGER-than-life Oxford United fan has taken up a challenge thrown down by the club's players to tackle one of the UK's biggest killers. Ryan Wells, nicknamed Roley, will take part in the first Oxford Run for Moore to help fight bowel cancer - an
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Tiger victim's mother hails group
THE mother of an animal trainer who was savaged by a tiger has voiced her support for an Oxford brain injury support group celebrating its 20th anniversary this week. Jan Chipperfield has hailed the contribution of the Headway centre in Bagley Wood
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Durable solutions
Sir - I should like to respond to two letters in your issue of March 21. Andrew Pritchard suggests Oxford city could benefit from a tram system because one has been proposed for the eco-town at Weston-on-the-Green. I fear there is a world of difference
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Community saves centre
THE future of a North Oxford community centre is safe "for the foreseeable future" after residents clubbed together to buy its lease. Eight hundred people contributed to a £500,000 appeal to buy the 999-year lease of St Margaret's Institute, from St
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Horror hero honoured
A pensioner who found a man crawling along a country road with gruesome injuries from a chainsaw attack has described it as something from a horror movie. Victoria Bingham, 65, picked up a police bravery award yesterday for helping a man who had been
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Grants refusal threatens festival
AN EVENT bringing thousands of women in Oxford together is under threat after its funding was slashed for the first time in its 19-year history. Oxford International Women's Festival attracted up to 8,000 people to dozens of different events over two
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Brass debut
CHILDREN from Bampton Primary School are to give a concert in the new 190-seat theatre at Cokethorpe School, in Ducklington, today, at 7.30pm. Among the performers will be Year Six pupils who recently took part in a project to learn how to play brass
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Christmas kiss led to diamond date
A FORMER Lord Mayor of Oxford and his wife said a little bit of give and take was the key to 60 years of marriage. Joseph and Beryl Blewitt toasted their diamond wedding at home in Littlemore, last week and remembered the day they met under a sprig
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Global talks
THE possibility of sustainable development will be under the microscope for a public lecture at the Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street, today. The lecture, which also talks about global change and rural communities, is free of charge and starts at 6pm
