Archive
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Burnell in Exeter trial
OUT-of-favour midfielder Joe Burnell is on trial at League Two Exeter City in a bid to get fixed up at another club. The former Bristol City and Northampton midfielder, who has another year to run on his contract at Oxford, has been told by Chris Wilder
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Audi TT stolen after Didcot home burgled
Police are urging residents to be vigilant and are appealing for witnesses after a spate of burglaries in Didcot. Last night, thieves broke into a house in Long Furlong and stole a laptop and some car keys. They then drove away in the car, a blue Audi
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57 drivers caught in speed check
More than 50 drivers were caught exceeding the speed limit in a road safety operation near Henley. During a two-hour check on Greys Road, Rotherfield Greys, on Wednesday, 57 drivers were issued with Fixed Penalty Notices for exceeding the 30mph
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Burglars strike at South Oxfordshire homes
Police are appealing for information after a recent spate of burglaries in South Oxfordshire. A camera was stolen from a house in Great Milton on March 21. On March 30, burglars broke into a house in Cuddesdon by snapping the window
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Man critically ill after North Oxford crash
Police are appealing for witnesses after a traffic collision in Banbury Road, Summertown today. Police were called to a single vehicle collision at 4.30pm involving a blue/green Volkswagen Polo which collided with traffic lights. The driver, a
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A34 crash teenager still seriously ill
A TEENAGER critically injured in a crash on the A34 near Oxford that killed a teenage girl was still seriously ill in hospital last night. Joe Robinson, 18, of Thame, was injured when a Toyota Yaris he was a passenger in left the carriageway
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New era dawns for play areas
CHILDREN and parents were celebrating yesterday after the first of more than 50 refurbished playgrounds on Oxford opened. The city council is spending £2.5m to modernise 52 playgrounds over the next two years. The first to reopen after
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New era dawns for play areas
Children and parents were celebrating after the first of more than 50 refurbished playgrounds on Oxford opened. The city council is spending £2.5m to modernise 52 playgrounds over the next two years. The first to reopen after its facelift has
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FOOTBALL: Centenary celebration
North Leigh are holding a cabaret evening on Saturday, May 9 at the Windrush Leisure Centre to mark their centenary and want as many players, past and present, to come along. Chairman Pete King said: “The club has enjoyed a remarkable 100th year - winning
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FOOTBALL: Stratford on road to recovery
Hook Norton player-manager Karlton Stratford, who suffered an horrific double leg fracture earlier this month, is on the road to recovery – thanks to a special boot, writes NICK FARRANT. Stratford, 42, broke the tibia and fibula in his left leg during
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FOOTBALL: Jeffrey eyes up Easter revival
Banbury United manager Billy Jeffrey says his side can still pull off the great escape from relegation from the British Gas Business Southern League Premier Division – starting with Saturday's clash with Bashley at the Spencer Stadium. Although
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Road closed after car crashes into traffic lights
Banbury Road in Oxford is expected to be closed until ast least 7.30pm after a man lost control of his car and crashed into traffic lights. The incident happened at 4.30pm today and Thames Valley Police spokesman Sarah Colston said: “The man is believed
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Bishop gives out hot cross buns to Bicester shoppers
THE Bishop of Dorchester gave away hot cross buns in Bicester today as part of the Oxford diocese’s Easter celebrations. The Rt Rev Colin Fletcher was in Sheep Street for about an hour on Maundy Thursday. He was joined by Canon Theresa
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Child porn youth worker jailed for a year
A PAEDOPHILE with a history of sexual “demons” who had a job working with children in Oxfordshire has been jailed for downloading thousands of pornographic pictures. Michael Jay-Stone was employed by Oxfordshire County Council as a youth support worker
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Police link south Oxfordshire burglaries
Police have urged residents in south Oxfordshire to keep their homes secure after a spate of linked burglaries. A camera was stolen from a house in Great Milton on Saturday, March 21, and burglars snapped a window latch to break into a house in Cuddesdon
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No job club tomorrow
Cherwell District Council has issued a reminder that there will be no Banbury Job Club tomorrow. The next job club club will be replaced by Banbury Job Fair at the Town Hall between 10am to 5pm on April 17.. The following week, April 24, the job
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Banbury Road closed after accident
Police have close Banbury Road in Oxford after an accident at about 4.30pm. The incident is causing large tailbacks as traffic leaves the city ahead of the bank holiday weekend. More details to follow.
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FIXTURES: April 10
SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. BLUE SQUARE PREMIER. Oxford Utd v Wrexham. PUMA YOUTH ALLIANCE. Under 18 South West Conference: Plymouth Argyle v Oxford Utd. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Bashley, Merthyr Tydfil v Oxford
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POINT-TO-POINT: Repeat showdown at Lockinge
East Lawyer and Meandmrsjones, first and second at the Old Berkshire Hunt point-to-point meeting at Lockinge, near Wantage, 12 months ago, are set to renew rivalry at the popular venue on Easter Monday. Lucy Cowen, from East Garston, rode
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Inquest told of East Oxford woman's self neglect
A WOMAN found dead in her Oxford home died from a combination of malnutrition and uncontrolled diabetes, an inquest heard today. The body of unemployed Rebecca Ford, 46, was found by police at her first floor flat in Princes Street, East Oxford, on August
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'Pirate' plans re-enactment group for the Thames
A MAN with a passion for pirates is calling on would-be Long John Silvers to join a new re-enactment group. Paul Winters, from Kidlington, wants to stage historically accurate recreations of pirate activity in Oxford — and is searching for like-minded
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Beano's just like Deano!
James Constable has set his sights on finishing as the Conference’s top scorer this season as Oxford United prepare for their penultimate home game of the season on Saturday. His brace against Histon took his tally for Blue Square Premier games to 21
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Didcot burglaries prompt keys warning
Thieves broke into two homes in Didcot last night to steal car keys and a and laptop. The thieves drove away in a blue Audi TT Quattro, registration DE51 FJZ. On the same night, a house in Westwater Way was burgled and car keys were
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All-Star celebrity benefit match on the way
Oxford United are to stage an All-Star and Celebrity benefit match on Friday, May 29 to raise money for youth development. Admission prices will be £10 per adult and £4 for kids in any stand. Players will include some squad members, 1986 Milk Cup winners
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Adam's dilemma
Chris Wilder says it’s up to Adam Chapman whether the teenage midfielder wants to remain an Oxford United player for next season, or go back to playing in front of just a few people. The on-loan Sheffield United player is enjoying his time with the U
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Arranged marriage mother wants life in Banbury back
A mother-of-four who said she endured years of hell in an arranged marriage and lost two of her children in a house fire is desperate to get her old life back in Banbury. British-born Asma Akhtar and her children were forced to stay in Pakistan
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Much-travelled Jefferson's back
Dean Saunders is not the only ex-Oxford United striker returning to the club with Wrexham on Saturday. There’s our old friend Jefferson Louis, the former Thame United and U’s centre forward, who has had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus.
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Groups want Oxford pedestrian zone expansion delayed
CIVIC leaders, pensioners and disabled bus users have added their backing to calls for Oxfordshire County Council to delay the start of work on plans to pedestrianise more of the city centre. The groups have come forward to back a call for
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£3m plans for Oxford's High Street branded 'mediocre'
A £3M scheme to improve Oxford’s High Street risks transforming Oxford’s historic spine into “a mediocre” public space, a new study has warned. The report commissioned by traders and colleges based in High Street offers a damning verdict on Oxfordshire
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Charity needs volunteers to help run shops
A STAFF shortage has prompted a chain of Oxfordshire charity shops to hold a month-long appeal for volunteers. The British Heart Foundation, which has three shops in Oxford– in Headington, Cowley, and the city centre – and others in Abingdon and Didcot
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Postal service has got worse
THE article about first class letters by Amanda Williams (Oxford Mail, March 30) is really excellent. I especially liked the very clear maps of where the letters were posted. For about 10 years, up until 1998 – when local post office advisory committees
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Flagging down a bus can prove hazardous
HOW MANY other people, I wonder, have taken their lives in their hands trying to flag down a bus in Magdalen Street, Oxford? With this short street crowded from end to end with buses going to every conceivable destination, one single-decker is
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Amnesia over smartcard system
IN response to the Liberal leader’s letter (Oxford Mail, March 27), I suggest she is suffering from amnesia as I have never opposed a modern, 21st century, efficient smartcard system to improve the bus passenger’s choice. What I did oppose was an old
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Memories of The Plain
IT WAS nice to have a picture of the newly spruced-up fountain on The Plain (Oxford Mail, March 26, but what a pity about the building to its right. I remember when there used to be quite an attractive house here, with decorative balconies
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Arranged marriage victim wants life in Banbury back
A mother-of-four who said she endured years of hell in an arranged marriage and lost two of her children in a house fire is desperate to get her old life back in Banbury. British-born Asma Akhtar and her children were forced to stay in Pakistan
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Oxford skaters join the stars
A TEAM of Oxfordshire ice skaters is breaking into the big time, starring alongside Olympic skating legends Torvill and Dean on Saturday night. The Oxford Freestylers will perform a hip hop and break dance number when the Dancing on Ice Tour opens for
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Oxford museum offers close-up view of the jungle
A TASTE of the jungle came to an Oxford museum this week with Jonathan’s Jungle Roadshow. Former primary school teacher Jonathan Cleverly brought a host of creepy crawlies and unusual animals to Science Oxford, in London Place, St Clement’s, on Wednesday
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Clown bike ride across Zimbabwe hits first snag
CHARITY fundraiser Richard Pantlin, who is attempting to cycle across Zimbabwe dressed as a clown to raise money to build an orphanage in the country, has hit his first spot of trouble. An attempt was made to arrest a member of the entourage
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Tooth-pulling on the increase
The number of people in Oxfordshire going to hospital to have teeth removed has risen by six per cent. Department of Health figures show 1,275 people received dental treatment involving the extraction of teeth in the county's hospitals in 2007-8 — up
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More people have teeth removed
The number of people in Oxfordshire going to hospital to have teeth removed has risen by six per cent. Department of Health figures show 1,275 people received dental treatment involving the extraction of teeth in the county's hospitals in 2007
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Man seriously injured in assault
Police are investigating an incident in which a man was seriously assaulted in Haddenham. Officers were called to Run Furrow at about 9.30pm yesterday after reports of an assault in which a man sustained multiple injuries which are not thought to be
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Oxford project helps young carers rediscover childhood
YOUNG carers have been rediscovering their childhood with the help of a new play facility. About 230 children from Oxford are receiving support from the Young Carers Project, which is based in Cowley Road. On Tuesday, more than 100 families
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First refurbished play area opens
The first playground in the city council's massive £2.5m refurbishment programme to improve run-down play areas will open today. A total of £65,000 has been spent to revamp the Botley Road Recreation Ground play area. It is the first of 52 rusting
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Oxfordshire band's music features in cult TV show comeback
THE music of an Oxfordshire band has been picked to feature in the eagerly awaited come back of a cult science-fiction TV programme. Red Dwarf, which first aired in 1988, will return to the screens after nine years. And Tropical State, a track by the
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Children's Food Festival returns by popular demand
A CHILDREN’S food festival is back by popular demand this summer – and expected to attract almost 20,000 hungry young cooks. The first Children’s Food Festival held at Abingdon airfield in 2007 drew a crowd of more than 16,000 people. Organisers are
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Archivist uncovers lighter side to First World War
AN ARCHIVIST from Eynsham has found the programme from a horse show which featured Oxfordshire soldiers in war-torn France during the First World War. Mike Cross, a researcher for the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust (SOFO), uncovered the programme, dating
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Campaigners call off cathedral protest
Campaigners aborted a planned protest on top of Christ Church Cathedral this morning. Fathers4Justice campaigner Roger Crawford was to protest on top of the cathedral, but a spokesman for the group said it was cancelled due to safety concerns. Instead
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You'll never forget where the allotment key is... ever again
Let's not beat around the bush. Barbara likes to hold a grudge. Well, maybe, that's too simplistic. It's more like a little mental store she can dip in and out of when it's opportune to remind me of how inept I am. The conversation usually
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Planks used as weapons in Witney street fight
Planks of wood were used as weapons in a street fight. Police are appealing for witnesses after about five or six people were seen fighting outside Norton’s bar in Langdale Court, Witney, at 2.30am on Friday. A 23-year-old man suffered
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Man admits causing M40 death
A 24-year-old man has admitted causing the death of a man following a crash on the M40 — and then setting fire to his van. Bernie McDonagh, of Middle Ground, Wheatley, admitted causing death by careless driving, driving while disqualified, possession
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Obesity spending rises
Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust has seen its spending on obesity soar, new figures have shown. High demand for stomach surgery for obese patients as well as the cost of specialist equipment - such as larger examination couches - means the costs
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Man admits M40 death smash
A 24-year-old man has admitted causing the death of a man following a crash on the M40 — and then setting fire to his van. Bernie McDonagh, of Middle Ground, Wheatley, admitted causing death by careless driving, driving while disqualified,
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'Outstanding' success
AMID all the economic gloom, one Oxford organisation is celebrating its “outstanding” performance. It is the Ethnic Minority Business Service (EMBS), with training centres in Oxford and Banbury, which is valiantly coping with rising demand for its courses
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First novel in line for award
When a novel is described as having “uncommon power” and is selected for BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime, it has to be good – nothing insubstantial will do. When the selected book is a writer’s first novel, it has to be a really outstanding read
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THE SORCERER’S TALE
THE SORCERER’S TALE Alec Ryrie (Oxford, £12.99) This is the riveting story of Gregory Wisdom, an extraordinary conman who lived in the 16th century, and his chief victim, Henry, Lord Neville, the eldest son and heir of the earl of Westmorland
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PCT spending on obesity soars
Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust has seen its spending on obesity soar, new figures have shown. High demand for stomach surgery for obese patients as well as the cost of specialist equipment - such as larger examination couches - means the costs incurred
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CHAPLIN: THE TRAMP’S ODYSSEY
CHAPLIN: THE TRAMP’S ODYSSEY Simon Louvish (Faber, £25) Simon Louvish has proved himself adept at the comic biography with his studies of Mack Sennett, Laurel and Hardy, Mae West and the Marx Brothers. However, he has yet to top his revisionist
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Arsonists target bin store
A fire on an Oxford estate is being treated as arson. Fire crews were called to a blaze in a bin store at Danvers Road, Rose Hill, at 2am today. The blaze was extinguished and police are investigating the cause of the fire. Anyone with information
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M40 opens after lorry blaze
A lorry blaze caused the M40 to shut for five hours last night. Police and firefighters were called to the northbound carriageway between junctions 10 at Ardley and 11 at Banbury at 8.20pm yesterday. The lorry was carrying pressurised
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Support your local boozer call
Drinkers in Oxfordshire have been urged to give their backing to a National Cask Ale Week as part of a drive to get people out of their house and down to their local. The call for an annual celebration comes from the Campaign for Real Ale,
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Police probe bin store fire
A fire on an Oxford estate is being treated as arson. Fire crews were called to a blaze in a bin store at Danvers Road, Rose Hill, at 2am today. The blaze was extinguished but police are investigating the cause of the fire. Anyone with information
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Delays after M40 shut for five hours
A lorry blaze caused the M40 to shut for five hours last night. Police and firefighters were called to the northbound carriageway between junctions 10 at Ardley and 11 at Banbury at 8.20pm yesterday. The lorry was carrying pressurised canisters. No
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Man locked up on club knife charge
A 20-year-old man has been locked up for trying to get into a nightclub with a knife. Alex Timms, of Taphouse Avenue, Witney, was arrested at The Palace nightclub in the town on March 15. He was sentenced to eight weeks at a young offenders
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Seeing red over Santa
WHEN we dared to suggest last year that Christmas had been virtually removed from the city’s festive celebrations, we were accused of fabrication. The row erupted after a mix-up between Oxford Inspires and the city council and sent civic leaders into
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United booster for season-ticket holders
`OXFORD United season-ticket holders will be able to watch their team for less next campaign after the Blue Square Premier club announced they cutting their prices by five per cent – for the second year in a row. The price cut applies to
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Oxford twin town band was banned from wearing Santa outfits
MUSICIANS from Oxford’s twin Dutch city yesterday revealed they were told not to wear Santa suits at Oxford’s Christmas festivities to avoid offending anyone. The Feestkapel Decibel band from Leiden, was invited by Oxford City Council to play
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Young musicians at Oxford
What do violinist Priya Mitchell, tenor Ian Bostridge, soprano Susan Gritton and the Belcea Quartet have in common? Answer: they all had their early careers handled by the Young Concert Artists Trust (YCAT), which this year celebrates 25 years of promoting
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Right reward
We have a curious obsession in this country with how much people earn. And the more they earn, the less, it seems, we think they deserve it. While for most of us a £100,000-plus salary is the stuff of dreams, running a multi-million pound local authority
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Save the subway
Sir – Well done to Keith Mitchell for the part he has played in lobbying for lower business rates. Now that he is in Fairy Godmother mode, perhaps he can grant another wish to the residents of Headington and let them keep their pedestrian subway. I
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Provision of choice
Sir – I’m far from sure that I’m qualified to respond on behalf of “the church”, but your correspondent, Edward Sanderson (Letters, March 12), seems to have very little appreciation either of sociology — or of the raison d’être of Humanism. Taking
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Not the first
Sir – It is good to see that there is to be a jazz festival in Oxford over Easter (Weekend, March 26) and it is to be hoped that it will be successful. However, Paul Medley is wrong to call this the city’s first jazz festival. Recent jazz festivals
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Grossly neglectful
Sir – In more normal circumstances I might share Richard Thurston’s delight that Network Rail are finally ready to reinstate the footbridge connecting Mill Street and Osney Lane (Report, April 2). It has certainly been a long time in coming and I am
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£120m Oxpens College plans in crisis
PLANS to revamp Oxford and Cherwell Valley College’s campuses across the county are in limbo following a collapse in Government funding. Projects worth £120m at Oxpens, in central Oxford, at Blackbird Leys and in Banbury, could be affected
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Hunt plants if you dare
Whenever I open the cottage door at the moment I’m greeted by the scent of spicy vanilla with chocolate overtones. Whether I’m coming in or out I can’t resist burying my nose into the shrub responsible – Azara microphylla. The tiny mustard-yellow flowers
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LSC shambles
It is hard to imagine a more shambolic situation than that which prevails over further education funding at this time. As more details come out about funding for sixth-form and college courses and new building work overseen by the Learning and Skills
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Wartime nursing
Sir – I am hoping to produce a book on the role of women in nursing during the Second World War, and would very much like to contact anyone in the Oxfordshire area who was part of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) either during, or immediately
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Wrong area
Sir – Imagine our surprise a week or so ago when we heard the news that Thames Valley Probation Service is considering locating a centralised probation centre (serving Oxford city centre, Banbury and Abingdon) in Mill Street, Osney. We understand
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Police look undignified
Sir – Britain probably had the smartest police uniform in the world. Few organisations had managed to achieve such a degree of robust elegance for everyday wear. A sharp decline began in the 1990s when the tunic was dispensed with, except for ceremonial
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Unimpressive square
Sir – While the new Bonn Square, with or without its new pile of books (Feature, April 2), may be an improvement on its immediate predecessor, I doubt that it will impress our German visitors next month, as our Continental neighbours really know a
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Green advice
Sir – Councillor Dhall used your columns to warn rather sternly (Letters, March 26): “This is how local democracy works. Like it or not, Oxford University is subject to the same planning system vagaries as every other body or individual ……” I suppose
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Trams not the answer
Sir – Having trams instead of buses seems an attractive idea; but some practical difficulties are being overlooked. I wonder if High Street is wide enough to take two pairs of rails while allowing space for goods vehicles unloading. Trams cannot overtake
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Hybrid buses could be answer
Sir – Emerging as the main issue in the debate surrounding bus service provision in Oxford is the legitimate concern regarding diesel fumes. New, but available, technology may be the key here. Hybrid buses are being trialled in London, where these
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Bodleian rethink will be positive
Sir – I can assure the previous correspondents on the topic of the Bodleian book storage facility that the University looked carefully at sites in Oxford. We searched for a site where we would have a freehold, where a building exceeding 12 metres in
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No sense of place
Sir – It is time the Government stopped its Stalinist thinking. Affordable housing cannot be centrally-planned. It needs to be wanted, needed, designed for, and controlled by the local community in order to have a sense of place which no big estate
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Polluting buses
Sir – Last Sunday, cycling through the Broad and then North I played leap frog with one of the open top tourist buses. When ahead the air was clear when behind the air was filled with foul diesel smoke. Are these buses exempt from any pollution regulations
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Let bus take the strain
Sir – As a bus passenger I am delighted with the improvements made by Oxfordshire Highways to the Hids Copse Road bus stop on Cumnor Hill. The new bus shelter will be fitted with an electronic display to give the time to the next bus. The extra space
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Trams are the answer
Sir – The unwelcome proposals to build on the Green Belt beyond Grenoble Road could significantly overload Oxford’s buses. In 1948 Thomas Sharp assessed that Oxford’s bus and road networks could not expand to serve more than 100,000 residents. His
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Electric shuttle
Sir – I write again to urge a more systematic approach to Transforming Oxford, as proposed by the county council and much discussed by correspondents in your columns. One clear problem is that the exercise of reorganising the city centre’s transport
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Jeffrey on The Path of Glory
The black bra being dangled in front of Jeffrey Archer’s face told its own story. He had been well and truly caught out. But this was one public humiliation that the novelist could happily laugh off. For when Oxford historian Julie Summers delved
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Funding threat to £60m college plans
A MAJOR threat hangs over a £60m scheme to rebuild the further education college at Oxpens — viewed as a centrepiece of Oxford’s West End development. Oxford and Cherwell Valley College’s city campus was to have been completely redeveloped, with the
