Archive
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A virtual pilgrimage to Mecca
Visitors to Oxford's Ashmolean Museum this weekend will be able to take a virtual pilgrimage to Mecca. People of all faiths are welcome to attend the event called "Hajj - in the footsteps of Abraham (peace be upon him)", which has been organised by
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Former teacher faces child porn charges
A FORMER teacher has appeared in court accused of a string of child porn offences. Philip Carmichael, 58, was arrested and charged by police following a probe into indecent websites. He appeared at Didcot Magistrates' Court today charged with seven
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City vows to boost youth football
Youth football leaders tonight welcomed a commitment by Oxford City Council to get more children out on the pitch and playing the beautiful game. New deputy city council leader and qualified FA referee Ed Turner said the Labour group was keen to invest
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Ex-teacher faces child porn charges
A former teacher has appeared in court accused of a string of child porn offences. Philip Carmichael, 58, was arrested and charged by police following a probe into indecent websites. He appeared at Didcot Magistrates' Court today charged with seven
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Post Office minister defends closures
POST Office Minister Pat McFadden has defended the Government's programme of service cuts in Oxfordshire - and said more than nine out of ten customers would experience "no change" in the branch they used. Post office users are coming to terms with
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Man hurt in unprovoked attack
A MAN was shoved into a wall during an unprovoked attack in Grove. Police are appealing for witnesses after the man was assaulted while walking behind Co-operative Funeral Directors, in Millbrook Square, at 8pm on Friday. The attacker is described
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Police tow away burger van
POLICE stepped in to tow away a fast food van which was becoming a magnet for vandalism. It is not known exactly how long the van had been abandoned in Ferry Hinksey Road, but officers had the damaged vehicle removed. Thames Valley Police spokesman
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Bid to demolish former pub fails
PLANS to knock down a former 19th-century coaching inn in East Oxford have been rejected by a planning inspector. In June last year, members of Oxford City Council's east area committee turned down a controversial scheme to demolish the dilapidated
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Help conquer breast cancer
A mother whose baby was delivered early because she needed treatment for breast cancer has urged people to take part in a fundraising walk in Woodstock. Janet Moran, from Witney, was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago when she was 37. She
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Police tow away burger van
Police stepped in to tow away a fast food van which was becoming a magnet for vandalism. It is not known exactly how long the van had been abandoned in Ferry Hinksey Road, but officers had the damaged vehicle removed yesterday. Thames Valley Police
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Minister defends post office closures
Post Office Minister Pat McFadden has defended the Government's programme of service cuts in Oxfordshire - and said more than nine out of 10 customers would experience "no change" in the branch they used. His comments are likely to further enrage post
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Parade dancers get ready to shake
A troupe of belly dancers are set to perform in the annual Lord Mayor's parade in Oxford. Up to 30 belly dancers from across Oxfordshire - aged between 16 and 80 - will join the parade, stopping along the route to show off stheir steps during the event
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Bid to demolish old pub fails
Plans to knock down a former 19th century coaching inn in East Oxford have been thrown out by a planning inspector. In June last year, members of Oxford City Council's east area parliament turned down a controversial scheme to demolish the dilapidated
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CRICKET: Bicester look to Bradshaw in all-Oxfordshire top flight
An all-Oxfordshire Division 1 for the first time since the competition began in 1974 is set to add extra spice to what promises to be a highly-competitive top flight this season. With Aston Rowant relegated from the Home Counties Premier League last
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PCSO takes step up
A Police Community Support Officer is looking forward to becoming a fully-fledged police constable. Lucy McDonagh, 25, from Chipping Norton, has been a PCSO in her home town for the past three years. She said: "I want to have more responsibilities.
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Woman arrested after assault allegation
A woman has been arrested following an assault in Greater Leys. Police were called to Kingfisher Green at 7.45pm on April 28, where they found a woman in her 20s who had allegedly been assaulted and injured by a group of four women, a Thames Valley
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Fun results in lots of funds
A fundraising comedy show at Oxford's New Theatre has netted more than £45,000 for the city charity providing respite care for sick children and young people. It was the fourth time Childish Things has been held in the city in aid of Helen and Douglas
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CRICKET: League changes rules and points
It's all change in The Oxford Times Cherwell League this season with new playing rules and a different points system, writes Russell Smith. After clubs voted for change, the Cherwell have aligned themselves with the Home Counties Premier League. Instead
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Give school some welly
West Oxford Community Primary School is asking for donations of spare wellies, gloves, mittens or hats for its children's Forest School group. Donors should drop any equipment off at the school, in Ferry Hinksey Road, call the school office on 01865
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Massive error over Westgate
I think Oxford City Council has just made a massive misjudgment, focusing the city centre on commerce rather than strengthening the history that it is famous for. People don't whisper 'shopping' when they think of Oxford, the image that is conjured
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CRICKET: Harrison wants more success for champs Oxford
Oxford captain Jason Harrison wants his side to prove last season wasn't a one-off as they begin the defence of their Homes Counties Premier League Division 1 title on Saturday. Harrison led Oxford to top spot as they exceeded many people's expectations
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Unearthing treasures
Modern Art Oxford is currently housing three fantastic exhibitions. I have now visited three times without feeling as though I have seen it all. On walking into Katie Paterson's exhibition Encounters, a version of Moonlight Sonata plays on the grand
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Closures come as no surprise
The closure of all the threatened post offices in Oxfordshire comes as no surprise to the Green Party. We will lose our post offices as surely as we have lost our NHS dentists under the Tories and Labour. People were invited to vote Labour on the basis
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Stamping over our community
It is official: all 22 post offices marked for closure in Oxfordshire will be out of action early next month. During the consultation period, thanks to the Oxford Mail, a petition with 6,000 signatures has been handed over at 10 Downing Street, and
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CRICKET: Eager Oxon are raring to go
Oxfordshire should finally get their competitive season up and running on Sunday when they host Cheshire at Great & Little Tew (11). Having seen their first match against Shropshire rained off followed by a weekend off, Oxon are itching to play.
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Thanks Steve!
I'd never heard of Steven Spielberg when I settled back against my bed's primped-up pillows, my parent's old black-and-white flickering at the far end of the room. But that February in 1975, it was ITV's Sunday night movie, and as far as I could tell
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Man hurt in unprovoked attack
A man was shoved into a wall during an unprovoked attack in Grove. Police are appealing for witnesses after the man was assaulted while walking behind Co-operative Funeral Directors, in Millbrook Square, at 8pm on Friday. The attacker is described
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History written on postcards
Postcards are usually associated with happy images of sun-kissed families playing on beaches at the seaside. But staff at Oxford University's Bodleian Library have used a recently-acquired collection to show how cards were sent during wartime to remind
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Two chances to run in the sun
An Oxford charity is set to benefit from one of two fundraising runs taking place this weekend. Pathway Workshop, in Blackbird Leys - which offers employment and training for adults with physical and learning disabilities - will enter five teams in
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History is all wrapped up
A project looking into the history of Witney's world-famous blanket industry has caught the imaginations of hundreds of people. The Journey of a Blanket is now linking Witney in a cultural exchange with Canada. Blankets from the town were historically
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Cabbages and Kings
He is known as Dusty from Isis Lock to Cropredy, the man on the narrowboat of that name which supplies diesel, gas and coal to land-locked admirals who chug along the Oxford Canal, or have made their home in what we space-hungry landlubbers see as a floating
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Extra traffic will simply choke Oxford
Some may welcome the announcement that the £330m redevelopment of the Westgate Centre in Oxford is on the move again, but those that can see beyond the end of their shopping trolley have a lot to be worried about. I've nothing against John Lewis in
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Tesco bids to expand main store
TESCO has submitted plans to extend its flagship store in Bicester. If given the go-ahead, the Pingle Drive store would almost double in size from its current 4,299sq m. The application, which has been submitted to Cherwell District Council,
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Top crime-buster wins award
A POLICE officer who solved almost 70 per cent of all the crimes he has investigated recently, has won a top award. Oxford-based PC Paul Phillips, 44, solved 68.9 per cent of the criminal incidents he dealt with in his city centre beat over a six-month
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RUGBY: Oxon lifted by Newbury trio
The Newbury trio of Tom Payne, Gregor Hayter and Martin Nutt all come in for Oxfordshire's home game with Eastern Counties at Chinnor tomorrow (3). Payne and Hayter can both play in the back and second row, while Nutt will add potency on the wing.
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Today's local share prices (PM)
AEA Technology 68.25 BMW 2957 Electrocomponents 185 Nationwide Accident Repair 133.5 Oxford Biomedica 25.5 Oxford Catalyst 169.5 Oxford Instruments 210.5 Reed Elsevier 666.25 RM 207.25 RPS Group 329 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Hot deal at La Tasca, Oxford
The folk in Malaga were all geared up for a castanet-clickin' shindig in September 1914. It's a shame so few people from Oxfordshire could make it to the party, owing to the fact they were being machine-gunned in Belgium. The conflict is billed as the
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Currently in fashion
One night, five venues and 18 bands. Yep, it can only mean one thing ... the Punt! Conceived as Oxford's version of London's notorious Camden Crawl, the annual Oxford Punt has grown to become the city's best night of new music. This evening-long festival
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TENNIS: Gujral and Corfield hold nerve
Woodstock A produced a gritty final-round display to beat Oxford City A 5-3 in Mixed Division 1 of the 3-Pair League. Leading 3.5-2.5 going into the last matches, they were forced to hold their nerve to clinch a narrow victory. Although Mike Miller
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SPEED RACER (PG)
"Go, Speed Racer, Go!" Based on the Japanese animated series, Speed Racer signals the return of Andy and Larry Wachowski, the publicity-shy brothers who pioneered 'bullet time' in The Matrix trilogy. There are souped-up thrills here too, set in a
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POINT-TO-POINT: It's open for Bon Accord
Bon Accord could bid to redeem his reputation at the Vale of Aylesbury with Garth & South Berks point-to-point meeting meeting at Kingston Blount, near Chinnor, on Saturday. The eight-year-old, trained by Alan Hill at nearby Aston Rowant, ran a blinder
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Top crime-buster wins award
A police officer who solved almost 70 per cent of all the crimes he has investigated recently, has won a top award. Oxford-based Pc Paul Phillips, 44, solved 68.9 per cent of the criminal incidents he dealt with in his city centre beat over a six-month
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WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS (12A)
All's fair in love and war, especially when there is a three million dollar divorce settlement at stake. What Happens In Vegas is a romantic comedy about two mismatched strangers who tie the knot in the gambling capital - under the influence of alcohol
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Party Whips
In an industry full of moody posturing, The Whip are a breath of fresh air. Hailed as the decade's best indie-rock dance crossover, this Manchester band have plenty to shout about. And such is the frenzy surrounding their hook-laden blend of hard beats
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DOOMSDAY (18)
If you were in Glasgow on April 3 this year, then you're doomed! The Scottish city saw the an outbreak of the deadly Reaper virus, prompting the Government to act swiftly (for once) and construct a steel wall along Scotland's border. So begins the nightmarish
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Offering help with HR
June 17: Employment breakfast club - Help - call in HR! examining different scenarios where swift advice and action from human resources is required, Morgan Cole, 3 West Way, Oxford OX2 0SZ, 7.30am, £20+VAT
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Choir marks 50th anniversary
A group of Oxford singers have put pen to paper to celebrate 50 years of golden melodies and memories. The Cumnor Choral Society, who are now mainly based in Botley, have produced a memoir to chart the high and low notes of their history for their golden
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ROWING: Varsity women hit rivals for six
Oxford University women's crews dominated the 56th Wallingford Regatta with six wins at Dorney Lake, Eton. The senior squad excelled, with four crews winning their events after an exhausting 11 hours of racing. They won the senior 2 and 3 eights,
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Who the *@£$& is Royston Vasey?
The crowds at the New Theatre will be chanting tonight: "Who ate all the pies? Who ate all the pies? You fat b******, You fat b******, You ate all the pies!" Yes, this is the welcome Roy Chubby Brown has come to expect in the build-up to his act. And
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Famous Monday Blues @ The Bully, Cowley Road, Oxford
Aphra behn once wrote that 'Variety is the soul of pleasure...' (The Rover, Part II, Act I, 1681), and so have I heeded these words with regards to the column. How, you say, have I found relevance in the scribblings of a 17th Century playwright? Well
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Get this book at half-price
Lionel Shriver's The Post-Birthday World is the Oxford Mail Book Club's current novel - on offer at Waterstone's in Oxford and Witney with the voucher printed in tomorrow's Oxford Mail. It's an engaging, post-modern novel from the author of We Need
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FIXTURES: May 10
SATURDAY. CRICKET. HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE. Div 1: Henley v Welwyn Garden City, Oxford v Slough, Tring Park v Banbury. Div 2 West: Thame Tn v Thatcham Tn, Wokingham v Kidlington. THE OXFORD TIMES CHERWELL LEAGUE. Div 1: Banbury 2nd v Bicester
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Artweeks kick off
Lights, camera, action ... Yes, its that time again - Artweeks. It's the annual showcase for art in the county, with 1,000 artists opening their doors to the public. From street festivals to tours and workshops, by children to world renowned artists
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Marching on to help Hadrian's Wall
Soldiers from Bicester will be making improvements while undertaking a sponsored march along Hadrian's Wall. Men and women from 23 Pioneer Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, based at St David's Barracks, will be taking part in the event next week in aid
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Tesco bids to expand main store
Tesco has submitted plans to extend its flagship store in Bicester to a whopping 7,090sq m. If given the go-ahead, the Pingle Drive store would almost double in size from its current 4,299sq m. The application, which has been submitted to Cherwell
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Awards finalists announced
The top companies and business leaders in the county have been shortlisted in the Oxfordshire Business Awards 2008. Judges from a variety of business backgrounds have spent hours whittling 120 entries down to the top three in each of the 12 categories
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Awards finalists announced
The top companies and business leaders in the county have been shortlisted in the Oxfordshire Business Awards 2008. Judges from a variety of business backgrounds have spent hours whittling 120 entries down to the top three in each of the 12 categories
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Buyer sought for Super Aguri
Accountants who have taken over the Super Aguri motor-racing team in west Oxfordshire are hoping to sell it as a going concern. However, uncertainty surrounds the future of the team's 90 employees at the Leafield Technical Centre, near Witney, which
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Flood cash: 'Too good to be true'
THE leader of the Vale of White Horse District Council said he feared the £110m pledged by the European Union to help flood victims in the UK was too good to be true. Speaking today, Jerry Patterson said when the money was promised earlier
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Can't not run
What incredible weather - I'm sure it was snowing not too long ago! It is impossible for me not to go out running in this weather. I moan (inwardly usually) about the wind and rain so when the sun gets his hat on I have to go for it. My legs are feeling
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Poet and hymns
Jane Falloon first came across the poems of George Herbert as a schoolgirl in the 1940s, when she sang them as hymns at Tudor Hall School in Banbury. "We used to sing a hymn every morning at prayer," she said. "My aunt was my headmistress and she loved
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Special forces
The Wild Province Roderick Bailey (Jonathan Cape, £25) "Set Europe ablaze" cried Churchill and thus the Special Operations Executive was born. Its mission: to cause as much havoc as possible in the territories occupied by Hitler. That meant the Balkans
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Classics with style
THE Oxford World's Classics - originally mini hardbacks that sold for a shilling - have been rebranded once again by Oxford University Press. Now in paperback, with 700 titles, they have new covers and new editions. Editors at the Great Clarendon Street
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Flood cash: 'To good to be true'
The leader of Vale of White Horse District Council has told the Oxford Mail he feared the £110m pledged by the European Union to help flood victims in the UK was too good to be true. Speaking today, Jerry Patterson said when the money was promised earlier
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Slow travel for idlers
Readers are rightly tiring of tales of wacky journeys from publishers seeking to repeat the success of Tony Hawks' book Round Ireland with a Fridge. But Three Men in a Float (John Murray, £12.99) is about a journey with a purpose - the authors, Dan Kieran
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Other people's lives
There's something about Amy Hempel. Her short sentences. Her punchy titles. Her succinct way of writing. Her getting straight to the point. Her directness. Her take on uncomfortable realities. Whatever it is, Hempel is an accomplished short-story writer
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Emergency stop
Some of the 90 workers at the Oxfordshire- based Formula One racing team Super Aguri expressed wry surprise this week after learning that their team had pulled out of the 2008 FIA Formula One Championship. Performing a little old-fashioned door-stepping
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Pupils evacuated in chemical scare
OXFORDSHIRE Fire and Rescue Service were called to a report of a chemical spillage at Chipping Norton Leisure Centre today. The spillage was contained to prevent the risk of a gas leak and the chemicals absorbed by crews using dry sand. Chipping Norton
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A wine masterclass from Australia
Last week I was sat in Australia House taking part in a masterclass aimed at capturing "the past, present and future of Australia's leading wine expressions". Put another way, the Australians wanted to show us that they are as capable of producing iconic
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Cue chance to learn the lines
Oxford Playhouse also performs an educational role with its youth theatre ensemble 16I22, writes PETER CANN Oxford Playhouse's youth theatre group is inviting anyone between the ages of 16 and 22 who is excited about making and creating theatre to
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You can help someone speak up for themselves
Every day we make choices and decisions, however small, that affect us. Most people take it for granted that their views and wishes will be taken seriously by those who matter. However, there are people for whom this does not happen. There may be a
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Town plays a part in history of the empire
Lottery helps fund project to remember role of Witney blankets in colonising Canada, writes CHRIS KOENIG Blankets and rugs may be rarer in British and Canadian homes than they once were, having been superseded by the duvet, but the part that the
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Mantra is to reduce
VAL BOURNE says most garden debris can and should be recycled on site Everybody is talking about compost and recycling as though they have invented it. A short drive down our village on bin day shows how seriously people are taking it. It's a fascinating
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It's a wild birthday party!
A hard-working conservation group In Oxford which has proved popular with all ages passes a significant milestone this month, writes PETER CANN This month marks the 20th anniversary of Oxford Urban Wildlife Group. Formed in May 1988 to encourage
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Of popes, kings and princes
THERESA THOMPSON says it's your last chance to see the National Gallery's tribute to a neglected master of portraits Sir Humphry Morice calmly looks out at us. Cross-legged, he reclines against a tree after a hunt, one hand lightly fingering
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Festival endures to celebrate English tradition
As the second English Music Festival returns to Oxfordshire, NICOLA LISLE talks to founder and organiser Em MarshallK Hundreds of artists performing at 19 events in five days at four venues sounds like an organisational nightmare. But for Em Marshall
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Thief snatched mobile phone
A thief snatched a man's mobile phone in Carterton. At about 8pm on Thursday, the man was standing outside the Aviator public house in Brize Norton Road, talking on his phone, when a man ran past and snatched the Nokia N95 phone. The thief was today
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Mobile phone snatched
POLICE today appealed for witnesses after a mobile phone was snatched from a man in Carterton. The man was standing outside the Aviator public house in Brize Norton Road talking on his phone when a man ran past and snatched the Nokia N95 phone from
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Strong cast
In its 25th anniversary year The Central School of Ballet visits The Theatre, Chipping Norton. DAVID BELLAN talks to director Bruce Sansom Bruce Sansom has been director of The Central School of Ballet for just over two years. Behind that appointment
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School evacuated after chemical spill
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to a report of a chemical spillage at Chipping Norton Leisure Centre shortly before 7am this morning. The spillage was contained to prevent the risk of a gas leak and the chemicals absorbed using dry sand
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Cameron recalls ‘biblical floods’
TORY leader David Cameron said he would never forget the "biblical scenes" of homes and cars being flooded in his west Oxfordshire constituency. The MP for Witney said communities were scared of a repeat of the floods that devastated parts of the
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Water Baby
I was quite excited about Littl'un's first pair of arm bands - but she wasn't. In the past she'd been 'swimming' in her baby rubber ring, but she's outgrown that now and that's where the arm bands came in. As soon as I put them on in the changing room
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Flood victims left high and dry
Victims of flooding in Oxfordshire are set to receive a fraction of the European Union cash promised to them in March, it has emerged. The Government has set up a fund of £31m for local authorities affected by last summer's flood to help rebuild their
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Oxfam goes upmarket
Oxford-based charity Oxfam has launched a chain of upmarket boutiques to sell designer gear at discount prices. Their store in Westbourne Grove, London, has been given a dramatic makeover and big-name designers including Stephen Jones and Christopher
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Reservoir 'absolutely essential'
OXFORDSHIRE will start to run dry in six years unless moves are made towards building a £1bn reservoir near Abingdon, Thames Water warned. As the company unveiled its management plan, it said water restrictions would be in place from 2014 if its measures
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Punches took away my husband
THE wife of a man who was left in a permanent coma after being punched at a party spoke of her guilt, as his attacker faced a "substantial" jail sentence. Thomas Hurley, 22, was yesterday convicted of grievous bodily harm after admitting punching Andrew
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Safe move
It is good to see that Oxfordshire County Council approved the installation of a sprinkler system in a new science block at the Marlborough School in Woodstock. The Conservative administration at County Hall was prompted into drawing up a policy where
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Sprinklers go in classroom
A sprinkler system is being installed in a new £3m science block at an Oxfordshire secondary school after a policy shake-up in the light of several high-profile blazes. It is the first time such a system has been approved by County Hall leaders after
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Water is again the hot topic
Typical, isn't it? Yesterday was by far and away the hottest day of the year so far and, yes, we found ourselves talking about hosepipe bans and water shortages. Thames Water announced the county could run dry unless moves are made towards building
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Restaurant plan for church hall
A CRUMBLING church hall in East Oxford could soon find a new lease of life as a restaurant. The Diocese of Oxford has launched an ambitious scheme involving SS Mary and John Church Hall, in Cowley Road, the old vicarage and a car park between the church
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Girl, 15, bailed over abduction claim
A TEENAGE girl arrested by police in connection with a reported abduction by a gang of men has been re-bailed. Police investigated reports that a girl was dragged into a red sports car in Dunnock Way, Blackbird Leys, on Sunday, April 6 - and then held
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Fear for Burmese families caught in cyclone
Burmese people living in Oxford have spoken of their fears for loved ones and their country after a devastating cyclone struck at the weekend. Cyclone Nagris struck the heart of Burma, including its largest city, Rangoon, early on Saturday and state-run
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Corpse 'left in flat for days'
A TENANT on an estate was found dead in his council flat ten days after a neighbour said he raised the alarm with Oxford City Council's housing department. The man, believed to be in his 50s and named locally as Phil Walker, had not been seen at his
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Festival aids skatepark plan
A NEW festival is to help raise funds to keep a place for Oxford skateboarders and BMXers to practise their sports. The Out to Graze Festival, which will be held on the Oxon/Bucks border in Shabbington from Friday, June 13, to Sunday, June 15, is in
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'Do not lease our tennis courts'
THE only remaining public tennis courts in North Oxford should not be leased out to a private company, say some local residents. The city council's leisure services department has been preparing to lease Alexandra Courts, in Middle Way, Summertown
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Region ‘running out of water’
Oxfordshire will start to run dry in six years unless moves are made towards building a £1bn reservoir near Abingdon, Thames Water warned last night. As the company unveiled its management plan, it said water restrictions would be in place from 2014
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Election looms as Lib Dem quits
ELECTIONS are like buses. You wait two years for one to come along - and then two appear in a short space of time. And so it is at Oxford City Council after Richard Huzzey, the Liberal Democrat city councillor for Holywell, decided to quit his post
