Archive
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Oxford's Mini marks 50th birthday
FIFTY years ago today a motoring legend was born in Oxford. The first Mini to roll off the production line emerged from the Cowley car plant on May 8, 1959, ready for its debut on forecourts later that summer. Half a century later, and
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TENNIS: City ladies' double joy
Oxford City’s Ladies A team enjoyed a successful week with victories in the Wilson OLTA League and the National Club League. They beat Witney A 4-0 in the Ladies Pink Division with first pair Jo Love and Barbara Gibbins enjoying straight-set wins. Second
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POINT-TO-POINT: Boy tops hopefuls
BURNTOAKBOY, winner of the Coral Cup at the 2007 Cheltenham Festival, could line up at the Vale of Aylesbury with Garth & South Berks Hunt meeting at Kingston Blount, near Chinnor, tomorrow. Richard Newland’s 11-year-old, a winner between the flags last
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CRICKET: It could be Evans above
Oxford could have a father and son spin duo Ian and Rupert Evans in their side when they visit Welwyn Garden City in Division 1 tomorrow. Banbury open up at home to champions High Wycombe, with wicket-keeper Ian Hawtin taking charge for the first time
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CRICKET: Thame have eye on the future
Consolidation is the aim as Thame Town start their Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 2 West campaign with several new faces. Thame have recruited batsman Pratik Patel from Ealing, Simon Joliffe, who was player of the year at nearby
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CRICKET: Morrick is upbeat
Promoted Aston Rowant have big hopes for the new Division 2 West season, according to new captain Wes Morrick. The South African-born all-rounder said: “We are really excited to be back in the league. “We will not only be hoping to stay up this time
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CRICKET: Harrison hails Oxford depth
Oxford captain Jason Harrison says they have a stronger squad as they bid to regain the Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 1 title they won in 2007. Despite losing Adam Cook and Pat Jobson, Oxford have made five signings.
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CRICKET: Banbury look to new quartet
Banbury have made four new signings, but two of them are returning to the club who finished second in Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 1 last year. Swing bowlers, New Zealander Ant Bullick, and former Kidlington man Jamil Faruq,
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CRICKET: Myburgh move is put on ice
Oxford Downs’ hopes of fielding South African star Johann Myburgh in the Oxford Times Cherwell League have hit a stumbling block. The west Oxfordshire club are still hoping to register the 28-year-old, who has been playing first-class cricket
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Carterton student died after losing control of car
A TEENAGER died after losing control and crashing her car into an oncoming lorry, an inquest heard today. Laura Bradley was killed instantly when her black Ford Ka crossed into the path of a green delivery lorry on the A424 between Burford
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Liking Lisa
"MESMERISING", "stunning", "exquistely ethereal"... Lisa Hannigan's performances never fail to attract a gushing flow of praise from usually hard-bitten reviewers. Judge for yourself what all the excitement is about this Sunday, when this ridiculously
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Charities get a helping hand from Gannett
MORE than £20,000 has been dished out to Oxfordshire charities in the latest round of community grants by the publishers of the Oxford Mail. The Gannett Foundation, which is part of Gannett, the owner of Newsquest Oxfordshire, has spread the money out
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Dinosaur footprints go on show in Woodstock
FOSSILISED dinosaur footprints dating back more than 160 million years go on show at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock on Saturday. The giant prints are thought to be from a Megalosaurus and will appear in a new Dinosaur Garden exhibition. They
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Cabbages and kings
“WHAT do you know about Edgar George Wilson?” The question was posed by the male half of a middle-aged Welsh couple, armed with telescopic walking sticks, haversacks and boots that once wouldn't have looked out of place in a Rhondda coal mine. “Who?”
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Hunks are on a mission to help pre-school
THREE burly strippers are set to treat villagers to a one-off performance of their world-renowned routine to raise money for a pre-school. The former Chippendales – now known as Here Come the Boys! – certainly had the regulars in a bit of lather
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Back to basics
I READ that there has been concern about plans in Oxfordshire to allow girls as young as 11 to be given the morning-after pill. While this may be necessary as an emergency safety net, surely more should be done to discourage teens from having sexual
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Incineration is a rubbish choice
Paul Gibbs (Oxford Mail letters, April 29) is absolutely correct. There is considerable opposition to the use of incineration for the disposal of waste. No one can be in any doubt that the use of landfill has to stop, and I would have to say that
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Mum saw dogs kill pet kitten
A MUM has told of her horror after she saw her family’s pet kitten ripped apart in the latest animal attack on an Oxford estate. One-year-old Kitty died after she was set upon by two lurcher dogs in Primrose Place, Greater Leys, on Monday evening.
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Penalty time
THE road works in Headington, have cost untold millions to Oxfordshire businesses, and the resulting congestion can be seen all over the surrounding area. Much higher penalties for time- overruns would ensure contractors work a full day, every day during
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Gold rush
EVERYWHERE I look there are adverts urging people to sell their old gold. Presumably its value has gone up in the past few months. If only the Government hadn’t sold so much of our gold reserves in the past, Britain might have been able to take advantage
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Estate gets a play boost
CHILDREN on an estate are enjoying a new playground thanks to a £75,000 cash boost. The new equipment, which includes swings, slides and a small toddler unit, is in the centre of parkland off Bernwood Road, in Barton, Oxford. Plans are also afoot to
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Shoot along
RESIDENTS in North Oxford are being asked to help tackle global warming at a three-day eco-festival starting today. The Living Green festival was held in North Oxford two years ago, and now St Margaret’s Church and other community organisations are
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Artistic pupils boost charity
ARTWORK from hundreds of the county’s schoolchildren has been displayed at an Oxford museum – all in the name of charity. The Young Art Oxford 2009 exhibition saw more than 300 pictures on show at the University Museum of Natural History in Parks Road
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'We're in-spired'
A HISTORIC church at the heart of Witney has launched an appeal to raise more than £1m to pay for a vital makeover. St Mary’s Church, in Church Green, has not had any major repairs for the past 150 years. Members of the 900-year-old church want to
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Artists open studios for Artweeks
OXFORDSHIRE’S artists are opening their homes and studios to the public as part of the annual Artweeks exhibition. Throughout May, about 400 free shows are being staged. A collective called Mannish Trousers is showing installations at Liscious Interiors
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Zippy VIP joins parks fun run
THE High Sheriff of Oxfordshire is running in tomorrow’s 5km Oxford Fun Run to raise funds for a charity which helps parents of children with cerebral palsy and brain damage pay for physiotherapy. Father-of-four Richard Dick, 58, from Appleton, has already
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Taxi driver guilty of sex assaults
A TAXI driver has been found guilty of sexually assaulting women in his cab. Baber Khan, 30, of Dashwood Road, in Rose Hill, Oxford, denied two counts of sexual assault by touching. A retrial at Oxford Crown Court, ordered after a jury could not reach
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Rooftop design sets the scene
Investors are taking advantage of property price reductions in the Oxford market, seeking long-term refuge in bricks and mortar, according to an Oxfordshire-based lettiings agency. Frank Webster, director of Finders Keepers, said: “Investors are keen
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Talks aim to solve Thames lock keepers' pay dispute
TALKS are being held in a bid to avert the threat of industrial action by lock keepers on the River Thames. Lock keepers in Oxfordshire who are members of the GMB union were preparing to be balloted on industrial action in a dispute about lock keeping
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Man held on bag snatch charge
A man from Wantage has been arrested on suspicion of robbery in Didcot. The arrest yesterday relates to a robbery that happened on 4 May in an alleyway in Cronshaw Close, Didcot when a 36-year-old woman had her bag stolen. The 20-year-old man
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Man chases schoolgirls
Police are appealing for witnesses after a man chased two schoolgirls in the car park at Sainsbury’s in Wantage. Between 4.15pm and 4.45pm on May 1, two 11-year-old girls were walking home from school when a man, who was believed to be drunk, jumped
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Teams sign up for Children's Hospital soccer tournament
A FOOTBALL tournament in aid of Oxford’s Children Hospital is calling for teams to help complete a hat-trick of successful events. The Play2Give competition, held at Oxford City FC’s Court Place Farm ground, will be back for a third time this
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Taxi driver guilty of sex assaults
An Oxford taxi driver has been found guilty of assaulting two women. Babar Khan, 30, of Dashwood Road, Rose Hill, was found guilty at Oxford Crown Court of two counts of sexual assault by touching. This is in relation to two incidents, one on September
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Strippers to take over village hall
THREE burly strippers are set to treat villagers to a one-off performance of their routine to raise money for a pre-school, writes Katherine Macalister. Here Come the Boys! – who boast ex members of the Chippendales among their number - were
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Win curries in Oxfam pub quiz
A quiz to raise money for Oxfam will be held at an East Oxford pub tonight. The charity quiz takes place at the Rusty Bicycle pub in Hurst Street, with a free curry on offer for the winning team at the Majliss restaurant in Cowley Road.
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Men face burglary charges
Two men have been remanded in custody accused of committing a string of burglaries across south Oxfordshire. Nicholas Shackleford, 19, of Blandford Road, in Reading, and Thomas Frank, 25, of Brixham Road, in Whitley, Reading, are both charged nine counts
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U's reject approach for Wilder
Oxford United have turned down an official approach from Burton Albion to speak to Chris Wilder about their vacant manager's position. Burton clinched promotion from the Blue Square Premier to the Football League but caretaker boss Roy McFarland, who
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SPORTS CALENDAR May 8
SATURDAY CRICKET SERIOUS CRICKET HOME COUNTIES PREMIER LEAGUE Div 1: Banbury v High Wycombe, Henley v Radlett, Welwyn Garden City v Oxford. Div 2 West: Aston Rowant v Falkland, Thame Tn v Wokingham. THE OXFORD TIMES CHERWELL LEAGUE Div 1: Banbury
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RUGBY UNION: England trio back for Bicester's big day
England trio James Forrester, Andy Gomarsall and Jon Goodridge returned to help former club Bicester celebrate their 60th anniversary on Sunday. Former Gloucester player Forrester, who retired due to injury, and Goodridge, who helped Leeds
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Pair charged over south Oxfordshire burglaries
Two men have been remanded in custody accused of committing a string of burglaries across south Oxfordshire. Nicholas Shackleford, 19, of Blandford Road, in Reading, and Thomas Frank, 25, of Brixham Road, in Whitley, Reading, both face nine charges
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Update: RAF Benson's future secured
STAFF at RAF Benson today welcomed the news that the future of the helicopter base near Wallingford is secure. The base’s future has been under review for a number of years, but an announcement last year that 600 staff from RAF Aldergrove in Northern
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Wins seal promotion for Oxford 1
Oxford 1 finished their Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) season in splendid fashion. Before the last three matches, Oxford were top of the division 2 table — but hotly pursued by three teams within a point of them. In Saturday’s match, Oxford saw off
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New plea over Oxford shooting
Police today renewed an their appeal for information after a shooting in Barton two weeks ago. The neighbourhood policing team will be distributing posters to shops and residents today, containing an e-fit of a man they would like to speak
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Feeling Naughty at Malmaison
Oxford Fashion Week held its Lingerie and Swimsuit show last night at Malmaison. Scantilly clad fit young women and men marched up and down a make shift catwalk in the Champagne Bar on the 3rd floor. The well dressed, good looking populace
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Art of flower arranging
I have to admit that my idea of flower arranging is to bring in a stem I’ve accidentally snapped off in the garden and plonk it into a posy vase on the kitchen windowsill – more with sorrow rather than joy. But Judith Blacklock is a flower arranger
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Australian Shiraz mixed case, £96
When it comes to easy-to-drink, smooth, rich ripe wines there is no better choice than Australian shiraz. Here you will find none of the comparatively rough edges of a Rhône style from France — Aussie wines have much more ripeness and depth which
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Challenging time for Aussie wines
If I was told I could choose any job in the wine business tomorrow, I would be hard-pushed to tell you what I would want to do. Who would want to be in sales? Competition is currently so fierce that a friend of mine described his job as being “
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Grasp nettle for wildlife
Be nice to nettles Stinging nettles are prickly and grow everywhere, so why should we have them in the garden I hear you cry? Well, despite the sting that can get under our skin, nettles are wildlife havens. The stinging nettle supports
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Club aims to keep rare breeds of poultry
As a result of the efforts by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust over more than 30 years, traditional breeds of farm livestock have been preserved for the future, with conservation measures introduced whenever their numbers have been giving cause for
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Rodchenko & Popova: Defining Constructivism: Tate Modern
Exuding energy, enthusiasm, optimism, Russian Constructivism propels you on. You can’t help but feel its confidence and conviction as Tate Modern’s major spring exhibition charts the progress of this early 20th-century Russian art movement in the
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Spin Jazz Club tenth anniversary
In 1999 three Oxford-based jazz musicians got together, discovered a musical compatibility and decided to look for opportunities as atrio. While knocking on the doors of bars and pubs they discovered the Wheatsheaf, where the landlord was just
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Worn to be wild: Banbury Museum
Do you fancy seeing some creative clothes, but can’t make it to Paris or London Fashion Week? Why not go to Banbury instead? Banbury Museum’s permanent displays of historical costume may not share the fame of the collections at the V&A,
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Decision due today on future of RAF Benson
THE future of helicopter base RAF Benson near Wallingford is expected to be finalised today. The base’s future has been under review for a number of years, but an announcement last year that 600 staff from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland
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Accident slowing traffic
Drivers heading to London from Oxford have been forced to go slow by an accident on the A40 today. The accident happened after 7am on the eastbound carriageway near Wheatley, close to the junction with the M40. One lane of the eastbound carriageway
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Hamilton ready for Spanish battle
Lewis Hamilton fears taking a step backwards at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on Sunday after revelling in his giant leap forward in Bahrain. With the 'lie-gate' saga now behind him, the weight is finally off the shoulders of the world champion
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SPEEDWAY: Skornicki to lead Cheetahs in challenge
Oxford Cheetahs will roar back onto the track at Swindon’s Abbey Stadium in July, spearheaded by Polish champion Adam Skornicki. The homeless Cheetahs featured in several challenge matches in 2008, but the four-team tournament at Blunsdon will be a notch
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Keble plans set for rejection
KEBLE College’s plans to demolish the former Acland Hospital to make way for a new college campus look set to be thrown out by councillors today. The £45m scheme to create a campus between the Woodstock and Banbury roads could be one of the biggest college
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Double charging
Sir – Why are we constantly subjected to being double charged on an item when doing a large shop at leading supermarkets? It seems to be a regular occurrence these days where items are scanned twice by mistake, unbeknown to shoppers. And, if you do
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Make crossing friendlier
Sir – I noticed today that there was a policeman standing at the traffic lights outside the Co-op in Summertown. He was telling all the children from Cherwell School to get off their bikes when crossing. Presumably he was there due to the complaints
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Praise for hospital
Sir – Recently I was discharged from the John Radcliffe Hospital. Not bad as I am in my 89th year and it was my first experience of being an in-patient in any hospital. I cannot praise enough the cheerfulness and tender loving care I received from
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Much-needed space
Sir – Angie Paterson’s letter (April 30) refers to the Green Belt preventing development “within the current village envelope” of Berinsfield. This sounds like code for wanting to build on our central field. I should point out that in the recent survey
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Feeling the heat
Sir – Last November, a multi-signatory letter was published in this newspaper under the title Unfriendly Britain. It warned of the impact the Government’s nasty “ID cards for foreigners” spin would have on our cultural and economic life. We warned
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No opinion?
Sir – The article on the front of The Oxford Times MPs call for rethink on incinerator (April 23) should perhaps have focused on the fact that Witney MP David Cameron was alone out of the five Oxfordshire MPs in not offering any opinion on this issue
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Not cheapest option
Sir – I read the editorial (April 24) about incineration with interest: ‘The best you can say of the county council’s approach is that it has probably given us the cheapest option rather than the best’. I don’t think it is the cheapest option; not
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Better sites available
Sir – On April 6, Oxfordshire County Council resolved to register Warneford Meadow as a Town Green. This follows a long campaign to protect the 18 acres of untended grassland and orchard. Local resident Paul Deluce applied in December 2006 to register
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Right kind of wind
Sir – Good news last month for those who believe that landscape damage from on-shore wind farms needs to be better recognised in decision making. A district council in Norfolk refused a six-turbine wind farm, saying “the height and number of turbines
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Doubts over Trust's openness
OXFORDSHIRE’s Primary Care Trust has left itself with more questions over its openness with the public after supplying answers to the Oxford Mail over its handling of swine flu. Parents were naturally concerned when it was confirmed that a six-year-old
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Keble's new campus bid set to be rejected today
KEBLE College’s plans to demolish the Acland hospital to make way for a new college campus look set to be thrown out today. The £45m scheme to create a campus between the Woodstock and Banbury roads had promised to be one of the biggest college developments
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Oxfordshire ordered to build 55,200 homes by 2026
THE Government has given the go ahead for 4,000 new homes to be built on the Green Belt south of Oxford in its plan to see Oxfordshire grow by a fifth in 20 years. After six years of negotiation and consultation, Whitehall yesterday finally
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Talks to avert river action
TALKS are being held today in a bid to avert the threat of industrial action by lock-keepers on the River Thames. Lock-keepers in Oxford-shire, the majority of whom are members of the GMB union, had been preparing to be balloted on industrial action
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Repair streets properly
Sir – Oxford is spending big money on resurfacing streets and pavements — for example at present they are working on New Inn Hall Street. Yet utility companies can dig the streets up and the council clearly allow them to repair the streets using tarmac
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Visual swamp
Sir – Rex Knight, Clerk to the Governors at Oxford Brookes University, is right. Simon Callow does not have a ‘proper understanding’ (Actor opposes Brookes, April 30). What he has not understood is that the proposed new blocks at Brookes’ Headington
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Who are we to trust?
Sir – I attended a public display of the proposed plans to build a new children’s home on the site of the existing Thornbury House, Kidlington. After attending the display I was more than happy with the proposed plans. What did annoy me was the somewhat
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Incineration debate gets heated
The anti-incinerator campaigners were detecting some positive signs, with the warming wind of public approval at last beginning to stir in their favour. The numbers putting their names to the Sutton Courtenay Against the Incinerator campaign
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Straightforward idea
Sir – I should like to ask the student, who described to Radio Oxford her compulsion to jump off Magdalen Bridge as soon as the May Morning closure had expired, if she had considered the effects of her action upon other people who may also wish
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He is just an actor
Sir – You featured several things about Simon Callow protesting about the plans for Brookes University’s development in your April 30 issue. He is not a resident, and therefore knows little about the economics of this city. It depends crucially on
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Right to know
Last week in this column we suggested that the UK appeared to be well placed to handle an outbreak of swine flu, and we reflected the message we were receiving from the local health authorities that there was no need to panic. This week, we have to express
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Images of airshows
Sir – I am researching the history of British airshows in order to produce a book marking the 100th anniversary of the first British event in 1909. I was wondering if any of your readers had recollections they may wish to share and photographs filed
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Far from average
Sir – Oxford is ‘Extremely unaffordable’? The article on April 16 highlights yet again the problem of averages. At a time of relative financial meltdown understanding averages becomes crucial to any survival of optimism. It is quite
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Monorail for city
Sir – The brilliant ideas submitted by your correspondents regarding ‘trams for Oxford’ persuade me (as a partially qualified tram-driver) to suggest two further proposals, both of which have been tested and tried by military and civil authorities.
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Claims of secrecy in swine flu case
DELAYS in the release of information about Oxfordshire’s first confirmed case of swine flu have provoked accusations of secrecy against local health officials. News that a six-year-old Oxford girl had potentially become ill with swine flu was
