Archive
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Fans get their big chance!
Oxford United are offering supporters the chance to play at the Kassam Stadium during their Youth Development Benefit Game on May 29. The club are holding a ‘fans only’ game during half-time, and where a silent auction will find the players who will
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Police scoop 999 award
Thames Valley Police picked up the 2009 Contact Centre Public Sector Innovation Award after changing shift patterns, which helped staff answer 92.1 per cent of 999 calls within 10 seconds and 92.3 per cent of non-emergency calls in 40 seconds. The force
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Man questioned over shotgun killings
A man was tonight still being quizzed by detectives over the murder of an Oxfordshire couple on holiday 20 years ago. The bodies of Peter and Gwenda Dixon, of Moorlands Road, Witney, were discovered on a coastal path at a Welsh beauty spot
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‘Ex stubbed out cigarette on my face’
A teenager accused of stubbing out a cigarette on his ex-girlfriend’s face was jailed today for nearly two years. Liam Pipkin, of Freelands Road, East Oxford, was also given an antisocial behaviour order after beating up his former partner Bethan Davies
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Veterans salute the fallen
Military veterans saluted as the bodies of four soldiers killed in Afghanistan arrived at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital today. The cortege arrived in the city at 4pm, after travelling from RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire. The four soldiers
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Traders join forces to help Wantage
A CAMPAIGN group called Wantage Rejuvenated has been formed to breathe new life into the town. Set up by traders and local businessmen, the group has called for Sunday trading, empty shops to be brightened up with artwork and is lobbying landlords to
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Trust chief 'should resign' over IVF policy
CAMPAIGNERS who claim distribution of NHS fertility treatment is discriminatory last night called for the resignation of Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust chief executive Andrea Young . Richard Mackenzie, from Witney, is leading a group which said the trust
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Crane took the strain of a crane
Workmen compared building a new student block to a “jigsaw” as a giant crane was lowered into place by another yesterday. Ship Street, in Oxford, was closed for 12 hours as one lifted a 80ft tower crane into an enclosed square bordering Broad Street.
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Poet pulls out of varsity election
A LURID dossier sent to women in Oxford has resulted in the withdrawal from the race to become Oxford University’s new professor of poetry of the Nobel Prize laureate Derek Walcott, left. The dossier, which contained allegations of sexual harassment
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Famous 5p toll bridge up for sale for £1.6m
THE Swinford Toll Bridge, near Eynsham, should be bought by the county council now that it has come up for sale, says a local councillor. Charles Mathew, county councillor for Eynsham, says the bridge causes “unacceptable” traffic jams as drivers
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Show of respect
One of my last duties as Lord Mayor was to represent the city of Oxford at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Leiden, our twin town in the Netherlands. It is celebrated each year on May 4 – the date on which Hitler’s forces surrendered to the allies near
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Snouts in troughs
At a time when so many elected representatives are being shown to have claimed large allowances, perhaps we might reflect why pay for MPs was introduced. It became clear over a century ago that unless members were paid, it would be impossible
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Let local MPs reveal claims
IF the county’s MPs have got nothing to hide, why not publish their expense claims and fully disclose details of other expenditure before the elections on June 4, rather than afterwards? Indeed, why have they not disclosed them previously, if they truly
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Times have changed
AS a schoolboy in the 1970s I wrote to Margaret Thatcher MP and sent her a fifty pence donation to party funds. In return I received a letter and hand written receipt. I wonder, nearly 40 years later, how many MPs would care to give you a receipt for
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Ex-soldier's assault case adjourned
A former soldier who lashed out at police officers after being arrested had his sentencing adjourned at Oxford Crown Court. Benjamin Dickson, 25, of Stocks Walk, Carterton, was drunk when he kicked Pc Conor Breen in the mouth and used his foot to pin
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GOLF: Trio bag aces at same hole
Three Bicester members aced the same hole in the space of three days. The remarkable sequence saw club champion Mark Horseman, a five handicapper, and Daniel Brain, who plays off ten, hit holes in one at the par-three eighth on Sunday. These came during
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GOLF: Alliss does the honours
Peter Alliss added a touch of commentary as he officially opened Hadden Hill’s new par-three course. The TV commentator and former Ryder Cup player offered some impromptu analysis on the swings of four of the club’s captains when they teed
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GOLF: Fleming shines at Ascot
Frilford Heath’s Tom Fleming was in sparkling form as he won the South Region’s qualifying round for the Powerade PGA Assistants’ Championship. The 27-year-old, from Abingdon, fired a five-under-par 65 at Royal Ascot and restated his aim of
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Police win 999 award
Thames Valley Police picked up the 2009 Contact Centre Public Sector Innovation Award after changing shift patterns, which helped staff answer 92.1 per cent of 999 calls within ten seconds and 92.3 per cent of non-emergency calls in 40 seconds.
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GOLF: Results round-up
SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Section 1 Tadmarton Heath 3 (4pts), Magnolia Park 0 (0) (Tadmarton Heath first): I Manning & L Robinson bt D Cronin & L Wilson 8 & 6, S Hallam & C Lowe bt R Travis & M Jefferson 6 & 5, O King & M Hughes bt M
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Reggae legend Horace returns
Rescheduled from April 18th - when the great man came down with a throat infection - Cowley Road gets graced with a second legendary reggae performance in as many months this Friday, as Horace Andy follows The Wailers in taking to the stage at
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RUGBY LEAGUE: Admirals sink Cavaliers
OXFORD Cavaliers started their season with a thumping 62-0 defeat at home to Greenwich Admirals. Playing in the London & South Division of the Rugby League Conference, a well-drilled Admirals team proved a class above. And to compound their misery,
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BOWLS: Oxon beaten in warm-up
OXFORDSHIRE lost 108-100 at Northamptonshire in their Middleton Cup trial match at Roade. Despite winning on three of the six rinks – Mark Sykes, Greg Moon and Howard Watts the successful skips – Oxon fell just short. Sykes’s four triumphed 20-14, with
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BOWLS: New deal blooming marvellous
YARNTON Nurseries Garden Centre have agreed a new three-deal to sponsor the Oxford & District Bowls League. Owned by Nigel and Richard Wallbridge, Yarnton Nurseries were keen to continue their support after first becoming sponsors back in 2006. Richard
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BOWLS: County Under 25s defeated
Oxfordshire Under 25s opened their Home Counties League programme with a 90-63 defeat against Berkshire at Kidlington BC. The highlight for Oxfordshire was Sam Muir’s four, who finished strongly to win 25-17. And Gary May’s rink fought back strongly
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Local shares (PM)
AEA Technology 17.75 BMW 2164 Electrocomponents 144.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 93.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.25 Oxford Catalysts 28.5 Oxford Instruments 144.25 Reed Elsevier 519.25 RM 150.75 RPS Group 87 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley,
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Euro candidate sets out platform
Robin Matthews, leader of the pan-European party UK Libertas, will talk about why he is standing as a candidate for the elections to the European Parliament at the Nissan Lecture Theatre, St Anthony’s College, Woodstock Road, Oxford, tomorrow night at
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Pupils want to smarten classrooms
Schools across the county have entered their final bids for a free makeover courtesy of the Oxford Mail. We have teamed up with Abingdon construction firm the Leadbitter Group to offer £7,500 of building work and entries are flying in.
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Axed Mela acts are invited to summer event
A MULTICULTURAL event cancelled due to city council budget constraints may have been thrown a lifeline by a community fun day on an Oxford estate. The Oxford Mela, which last year attracted 5,000 people to Cowley Marsh for music and sport, will not take
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County teens' achievements to be celebrated
A celebration of Oxfordshire teenagers’ achievements is to be held for the second year running. Nominations are being sought for the second annual Oxfordshire Youth Awards, which recognise everything from acts of bravery to sporting achievement. Debbie
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Land Rover stolen in Witney
Police are appealing for witnesses after a car was stolen following a burglary in Oxford Hill, Witney. Thieves entered the house between 11pm on Monday night and 5.30am yesterday. They forced open the front door and searched the property. They stole
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Didcot head attacks 'disgraceful' school reforms
THE headteacher of Didcot Girls’ School, who this week announced she was retiring, fired a broadside at the Government for pushing through “disgraceful” education reforms. Paula Taylor-Moore, 59, who has been in education for 30 years — running Didcot
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Model and DJ will be in the pink
Model Penny Lancaster-Stewart and local radio presenter Giselle Ruskin will be leading a blaze of pink through the county this month. They are among more than 800 women to have signed up for this year’s Blenheim Palace & Cotswolds Ribbon Walk in aid
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Council cutbacks hit Banbury Museum
CHERWELL District Council is cutting services at Banbury Museum and the Tourist Information Centre to save hundreds of thousands of pounds, it has been revealed. Two members of staff have been “redeployed to other council roles” and 13 have had their
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Neighbouring councils agree to differ on homes
PLANNING chiefs from two neighbouring councils have promised to work together on proposals to build 4,000 new homes on Green Belt land south of Oxford — despite disagreeing over whether the homes should be built at all. The South East Plan, which was
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Jim Douglas
James Philip Douglas, partner to Mandy and father to Holly, Katy and Rob, was born on February 12, 1957, in Oxford, and died suddenly at home in Appleford on April 18 aged 52. Known as James, Jim, Douggie, Doug or Scunter, he grew up in Harwell and attended
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Drivers urged to car-share to cut Bicester jams
MOTORISTS are being urged to sign up to a car share scheme – to save money and help the environment. Bicester Vision is backing the initiative for the town, and believes if commuters joined the scheme there could be a 50 per cent drop in traffic.
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Quizzers are not so rusty
PUB GOERS donned their thinking caps, as well as their drinking caps, as they propped up the bar and answered questions in aid of a local good cause. The charity quiz took place at the Rusty Bicycle in Hurst Street, East Oxford, on Thursday, with 25
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TV burlesque dancer gets book published
BRITAIN’S Got Talent’s contestant Fabia Cerra has had a book telling the story of her life published. The voluptuous mother-of-one – who achieved overnight fame by performing a Burlesque-style strip routine in front of almost 12 million viewers of the
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Nothing fishy about Raymond's place
Michelin-starred restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Great Milton has received certification for two of the fish varieties served there. The restaurant, run by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc, has attained Marine Stewardship Council certification
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Essex harbours many secrets
THERE were no pretty yachts, no gentle lapping of waves and certainly no gazing into a distant horizon. Instead, there were monster car ferries, thousands of tonnes of steel and more cranes than I have ever seen in my life. From our hotel room, we listened
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Bogus council workers steal cash
Conmen posing as council maintenance workers have stolen cash from pensioners in Oxfordshire. Two men claiming to be fixing sewage pipes went to a house in Marston Road, in Oxford, at 5.45pm yesterday. They told the 90-year-old woman resident to gather
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RACING: Too Good to be true for Tessa
Amateur jockey Tessa Good is still in dreamland after recording a winner on her first ride under National Hunt Rules with an amazing success on The Baillie at Cheltenham – at the age of 50. Good, who lives at Ginge, near Wantage, jumped the
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POINT-TO-POINT: Youngster Gaby breaks duck
Sixeen-year-old Gaby Hill celebrated her first winner aboard Bering Gifts at the Vale of Aylesbury with Garth & South Berks Hunt meeting at Kingston Blount, near Chinnor. Hill, on her fourth ride between the flags, came out on top in an exciting match
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ATHLETICS: O'Hara smashes hammer record
Spectacular throwing proved the highlight of the Oxfordshire Track & Field Championships at Hors-path Road. Radley’s Emma O’Hara produced the stand-out result of the weekend in the under 15 girls’ hammer. O’Hara smashed the previous
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ATHLETICS: Male on song at opener
Oxford City’s vet 40 Steve Male nosed ahead of Abingdon’s Oz Ellis in the final ten yards to claim a thrilling victory in the first round of the 2009 Mota-vation Series at Charlton-on-Otmoor. A steady drizzle led to slow conditions for the record field
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Police appeal after sex attack on girl, 12
A 12-year-old girl was sexually attacked by a man in an alleyway in Wallingford. The girl was walking along the alley between Charter Way and Croft Road at about 5.30pm on Monday. A man pushing a bicycle started a conversation with her before sexually
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Grinning flasher targets girls in Abingdon park
A grinning flasher exposed himself to two young girls in an Abingdon park. Police are appealing for witnesses after the man, wearing a long leather jacket, approached the girls, aged 12 and 14, in Albert Park at 8.45pm on Wednesday, May 6. He grinned
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Man held over 1989 murder of Witney couple
A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a Witney couple in Wales in 1989. Peter and Gwenda Dixon, who were in their early 50s, were murdered on the Pembrokeshire coastal path above St Bride’s Bay in July, 1989. The couple were
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Plea issued after rider badly hurt
Police are appealing for witnesses to a road collision on the A41 in Waddesdon on Sunday, in which a motorcyclist was seriously injured. A blue BMW and a black Mercedes collided on the road at about 3.10pm. A motorcycle then collided with the back
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Salute for fallen soldiers in Oxford
MILITARY veterans will today salute the cortege bearing the bodies of four soldiers killed in Afghanistan last week as it arrives at the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Oxford. Members of the Royal British Legion will meet at the Headley Way roundabout,
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Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 18 BMW 2246 Electrocomponents 151 Nationwide Accident Repair 93.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.6 Oxford Catalysts 28.5 Oxford Instruments 144.75 Reed Elsevier 521.75 RM 151 RPS Group 192.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Birdsong and thunderstorms
I was rudely awoken by an insomniac coal tit at 3.40am this morning and took a moment to think about books. The first book that inevitably sprung to mind was Sebastian Faulks's World War One masterpiece Birdsong. A quick look on Amazon revealed
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Breakdowns cause A34 delays
Broken down vehicles caused long delays for drivers on the A34 near Oxford today. A van that broke down on the northbound carriageway near the Peartree interchange led to queueing traffic on the Western Bypass. Another broken down vehicle
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Traffic slow after two incidents
Traffic is slow on the A34 this morning in Oxfordshire as a result of two broken-down vehicles near Oxford. Both incidents have affected drivers on the northbound carriageway, with one lane of the western bypass blocked shortly before the Pear Tree interchange
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Lucky numbers?
HAVE you won your Oxford United season ticket for FREE? Every person who bought a season ticket by Friday evening went into a draw, that was made by U’s manager Chris Wilder yesterday. Yellow ticket number 784 was the first drawn – the
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Swinford toll bridge up for sale
The spotlight is today on the historic toll bridge at Swinford, near Eynsham. London-based HLL Humberts Leisure will at lunchtime make an announcement "of significant local interest" where it is expected the toll bridge will be put up for sale
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Historic Swinford Toll Bridge up for sale
The spotlight is today on the historic toll bridge at Swinford, near Eynsham, near Oxford. London-based HLL Humberts Leisure will at lunchtime make an announcement "of significant local interest" where it expected the toll bridge will be put up for sale
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PCT must use common sense
THE idea that Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust and schools are taking an interest in children’s weight is a good thing. What is not good is the way some aspects of the rather wordy National Child Measurement Programme are being administered.
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Weight warning angers Carterton mother
A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy weighing 3st 5lb has been labelled overweight by health officials after exceeding NHS guidelines by just one pound. Zac Forder’s mother Michala said she was furious to receive a letter as part of a nationwide weight screening
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Creighton: I'll do anything to get U's promotion
NEW signing Mark Creighton says he would run through a brick wall to get Oxford United back in the Football League. The 27-year-old centre back, who was skipper at Kidderminster where he made 158 appearances, has signed a three-year deal after joining
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Good luck Sophie
GOOD luck to Sophie Sumner, a former Headington School pupil, who is battling it out in the fifth series of the smash-hit reality TV series Britain’s Next Top Model. As the pictures we publish today show, Sophie, 19, is a beautiful girl and
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Let's hear it for community heroes
UNSUNG heroes who have dedicated their spare time to help communities in Oxford will tonight be recognised for their achievements. Seventeen people will be presented with certificates of honour from outgoing Oxford Lord Mayor Susanna Pressel
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Drivers won't get High Street bus gate fines back
MOTORISTS who have paid fines for driving through Oxford’s city centre bus gates are not legally entitled to a refund, even if the penalties are deemed unlawful. Last week, we revealed that the Traffic Penalty Tribunal had ruled the county
