Archive
-
Date
Praise for Constable
England C manager Paul Fairclough paid tribute to James Constable after the Oxford United striker had played for his country for what might be the last time at the Kassam Stadium. Because of his age, 24, he will be ineligible for England C’s next games
-
Date
Richard Alston Dance Company
Richard Alston came late to dance. He came to the London area to attend Croydon Art College, but in the mid-1960s he saw a performance of Ashton’s La Fille Mal Gardee and became completely hooked on dance. “I was obsessed with it” he says. “If someone
-
Date
Clerics angry at 'karaoke' plan for crematorium
VICARS fear organists will be phased out of services at Oxford crematorium after its owners revealed plans to install a new sound system. The owners of the crematorium, Dignity Funeral Services, are set to install a Wesley Music System to download
-
Date
Pipe down
Church leaders are today fearing the loss of organ music at funerals in Oxford Crematorium. They say a new music system could spell the end for the classic organ sound. But perhaps it is a sign of our increasingly secular times. As we see time and
-
Date
Call to investigate 'hospital's shame'
HEALTH Secretary Alan Johnson has been asked to investigate the “shameful” conditions elderly patients were forced to endure at an Oxford hospital. The state of disrepair at Oxford Community Hospital was exposed in a report, which found vulnerable patients
-
Date
Murder victim named
A man murdered in broad daylight in east Oxford has tonight been named by police. Devon Delroy McPherson, 43, of Divinity Road, died after he was stabbed in the neck shortly before midday on Monday following an argument with a man in Ridgefield
-
Date
Maggini String Quartet: Holywell Music Room
The Maggini String Quartet has long been a firm favourite with Oxford audiences, and its concert at the Holywell Music Room last Sunday — given in aid of the restoration appeal – was delivered with its customary zeal and flair. Three of the four players
-
Date
'Shameful condition' of city hospital
HEALTH Secretary Alan Johnson has been asked to investigate the “shameful” conditions that elderly patients were forced to endure at an Oxford hospital. The state of disrepair at Oxford Community Hospital was exposed in a report that found
-
Date
M&S shoppers snap up penny bargains
HUNDREDS of shoppers queued up in Oxford to take advantage of Marks & Spencer’s 125th anniversary Penny Bazaar. Items up for grabs at the Queen Street store for just one penny included a scarf, a purse, knickers, jewellery, a passport holder and a tea
-
Date
Incinerator 'would take waste from other counties'
IF a controversial incinerator was built at Ardley it would take waste from other counties, it has been confirmed. In revised plans, operator Viridor has admitted the incinerator, which would burn 300,000 tonnes of waste a year, would not be restricted
-
Date
42nd Street: New Theatre
The choice of 42nd Street struck me as a daring, perhaps even foolhardy one for a company that specialises in singing. OK, Oxford Operatic Society put on musicals which have some dance in them, but a show that requires almost the entire cast to be able
-
Date
Five jailed over truanting children
Five parents have been jailed and scores more punished by the courts in the past five years for failing to send their children to school. Since 2003, 143 parents, grandparents or guardians in Oxfordshire have appeared before the courts for failing
-
Date
Trio triumph at Chelsea
THREE garden designers from the county picked up top awards at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show. Stephen Hendry, 53, owner of Newington Nurseries, near Stadhampton, won the President’s Most Creative Award and a gold award for his Undersea Reef
-
Date
GOLF: Simpson set for Wentworth
Paul Simpson was in relaxed mood as he prepared to tee off in Thursday’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The West Berks pro, who lives in Witney, begins his campaign at 10.30am alongside Simon Wakefield and Miles Tunnicliff, who briefly held the course
-
Date
GOLF: Tadmarton on top
Tadmarton Heath went top of Section 1 in the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League after thrashing Burford 3-0. They maintained their 100 per cent record as they leapt above early pacesetters The Oxfordshire. Andy Purdy and John Lally put Burford
-
Date
GOLF: Results round-up
FRILFORD HEATH Ladies’ May Stableford – Silver Div: 1 E Sadler 40pts, 2 F Banks 39, 3 M Chaundy 38. Bronze Div: 1 A Aldred 35 (cb), 2 D Phipps 35, 3 J Kilpatrick 32. Copper Div: 1 D Taylor 33, 2 K Bartlett 31 (cb), 3 H Fooij 31. Ladies’ Silver Stableford
-
Date
Parents jailed over truanting children
Five parents have been jailed and scores more punished by the courts in the past five years for failing to send their children to school. Since 2003, 143 parents, grandparents or guardians in Oxfordshire have appeared before the courts for
-
Date
GOLF: Dyer dominates
Chris Dyer secured Chipping Norton’s junior championship after shooting two rounds of 84. Dyer, Chippy’s junior captain, finished on 168, 11 shots ahead of Charles Rose, who in turn, pipped George Kay on countback. Richard Whiston won
-
Date
Design trio triumph at Chelsea Flower Show
THREE garden designers from the county picked up top awards at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show. Stephen Hendry, 53, owner of Newington Nurseries, near Stadhampton, won the President’s Most Creative Award and a gold award for his Undersea Reef Garden
-
Date
RUGBY UNION: Barrett served on and off field
Former Oxford RFC captain, chairman and president Don Barrett has died aged 72. Barrett first played for Oxford on leaving Magdalen College School in 1954. In the 1961-2 and 1962-3 seasons he captained the Oxford Nomads team, and then skippered the
-
Date
TOUCH RUGBY: Oxford on top
Wet conditions could not save Wolfe Fitness in round two of the Oxford Summer Touch League, sponsored by the Oxford Mail. Wolfe lost 9-1 to Men’s Division leaders, Oxford Touch 1st, while Gosford All Blacks overran BASES 12-3. Third-placed Hartley’s
-
Date
A lust for Fife
BY the time I’d pulled myself to the clifftop there was no going back. I was hanging from a rattling steel chain anchored to a vertical volcanic crag. Ahead, and below, was a sheer drop down to fractured rocks, battered by the aquamarine waters
-
Date
Church appeal walk raises £13,000
TWO friends, who walked 500 miles to kick-start a £1.5m appeal for a new community hall and memorial garden have raised about £13,000. Father Paul Martin and parishioner Ewan Gordon, 36, walked from the Hebridean island of Iona back to Bicester in just
-
Date
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Everyman, Cheltenham
BRB bravely came to Cheltenham with three unfamiliar works, one formally classical, two adventurously contemporary, but happily found themselves dancing for an almost full house. It is interesting that it was the classical opener that received the least
-
Date
Wesley gets own radio show
NEWS presenter Wesley Smith is to hit Oxfordshire's airwaves. Radio station BBC Oxford has signed up the former ITV Thames Valley Tonight anchorman for a regular Saturday afternoon show, starting on June 13. Mr Smith said: "The show
-
Date
MPs can expect a vote backlash
AT THIS particular time, everyone in this country is having to tighten their belts due the economic situation. People are being put out of work, are losing their properties, are so short of cash they can’t afford to feed themselves and their families
-
Date
Why should MPs get council tax paid?
HAVING watched Tory leader David Cameron on television, I was pleased to hear his schemes for getting the snouts out of the trough on MPs expenses. That is, until he mentioned that MPs would be allowed to claim council tax and rent allowance. Why? We
-
Date
Time to scrutinise local government expenses
CONSIDERING the exposure of the allowances scam in parliament, now would be the perfect time to investigate the possiblity of the same thing happening in local government, across the country. As few councillors appear to consider the needs of local
-
Date
Why hasn't smoking done for me?
“SMOKING kills”, declares the message on my packet of cigarettes. Yet it has not killed me. I became addicted to smoking fags on being conscripted into the army in May 1941, a week before my 20th birthday, when the habit was ‘de rigueur’. I have since
-
Date
A hollow apology
WITNEY MP David Cameron has apologised for the conduct of Tory MPs in the parliamentary expenses row. Of course, while many MPs are saying sorry, they are probably just sorry they have been caught. They are now making promises which I have neither the
-
Date
Radical way to improve road manners
With worsening road manners in Oxford between pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, and the city’s first recorded guilty court verdict of a cyclist knocking a pedestrian over at a crossing, I propose removing all cycle lanes, bus lanes, pedestrian crossings
-
Date
Young Abingdon filmmaker is top dog
AN Abingdon schoolboy was crowned the winner of a national film competition. Pierre Leveque, 15, a student at Abingdon School, was awarded £250 after winning the under-15 age group of the National Young Filmmakers Award in Leeds. He
-
Date
Wesley gets his own radio show
NEWS presenter Wesley Smith is to hit Oxfordshire airwaves — thanks to pleas from Oxford Mail readers. Radio station BBC Oxford has signed up the former ITV Thames Valley Tonight anchorman for a regular Saturday afternoon show, starting on June 13.
-
Date
BOWLS: Snowdon rocked by an avalanche
A crushing loss for Ian Snowdon’s rink proved crucial as Oxfordshire slipped to a 103-100 defeat against Gloucestershire in their final EBA Middleton Cup trial game at Banbury Central. Snowdon’s four of Malcolm Edney, Robbie Clanfield and Baden Sparkes
-
Date
Designers want your ideas for playgrounds
FAMILIES across Oxford will get the chance to have their say on designs to improve more than 50 crumbling play areas. Earlier this year, Oxford City Council announced it would spend £2.5m refurbishing 52 run-down play parks across the city. The council
-
Date
POINT-TO-POINT: Irilut on song as Whitfield opens
Prolific winner Irilut provided the star turn at the Grafton Hunt meeting as Britain’s newest course at Whitfield, near Brackley, enjoyed a successful if somewhat soggy opening day. The 13-year-old gelding, from Robert Waley-Cohen’s Edge Hill stables
-
Date
BOWLS: Champs Central get off to flying start
Reigning champions Banbury Central A opened the defence of their Oxford & District League title with a 5-1 victory at Headington A. Headington, many people’s favourites for the Yarnton Nurseries Garden Centre-sponsored competition this year, battled
-
Date
Greg Stiles
A TEENAGER killed in a five car pile-up has been described as athletic and popular. Greg Stiles, 18, of Thame, died when his Ford Fiesta was involved in a collision in Kingsey, Buckinghamshire, on Sunday afternoon. His girlfriend, Abi Dowdy, 17, of
-
Date
Ken Robey
WANTAGE Silver Band’s figurehead Kenneth Robey has died after a short illness. Mr Robey, was born in Grove on July 25, 1920, and died in Wantage’s Community Hospital, on Monday May 11. The 88-year-old, of East Hanney, followed in the musical footsteps
-
Date
BAR BILLIARDS: Oliver captures singles crown
Vikings’ Alan Oliver was crowned the Buildbase Oxford & District League's Men’s Individual champion with an aggregate victory over Horse & Harrow’s Ian Moquet on finals night at the Gladiators Club, writes PETE EWINS. Oliver lost the opening
-
Date
AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Harry leads way for super Saints
Ian Harry was the star of the show as an understrength Oxford Saints made it three wins out of three in BAFL Division 1 with an 8-0 victory over Birmingham Bulls. Harry, known as the ‘Ice’, finished with seven tackles, a fumble recovery and a sack in
-
Date
Apartments raided in Oxford
Police are appealing for witnesses after three apartments were burgled in Linacre Court, Spring Lane, Headington Quarry, Oxford. It is believed that burglars entered the apartment block between 11.30am and 4.30pm yesterday by forcing open the
-
Date
'I may continue to fight home demolition'
A MAN who built a bungalow in his Oxford back garden without planning permission may take his case to the High Court. Retired architect Nigel Cowell, 66, has spent the past four years trying to get retrospective approval for the bungalow in Mill Lane
-
Date
Burglars steal Vauxhall Insignia
Police are appealing for witnesses after a burglary in Ramsay Road, Headington. It is believed that burglars entered the ground floor of the property between from 11pm last night to 6am today stealing a number of items including: Sat Nav equipment,
-
Date
Rider seriously injured in crash
Police are appealing for witnesses after a motorcyclist was injured in a collision in South Newington. At 1.10pm on Saturday, May 9, a black Ford Focus and two motorcycles collided on the A361 between Bloxham and Chipping Norton, near South Newington
-
Date
Campaign aims to save Wallingford Paddock
CAMPAIGNERS want to save a former recreation area from development by having it officially designated a Town Green. The Paddock – a grassed area next to Wallingford Hospital – has been fenced off by its owners, the Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust, since
-
Date
The Insider
ALL this dodgy expenses lark is a real tonic, it really is. Just when the boundaries between the main political parties were becoming so blurred you would struggle to fit a cigarette paper between them, faith is restored that there is a difference
-
Date
Man, 24, goes missing
Police are appealing for the public’s help in tracing a missing man from Oxford. Conal Browning, 24, of Upper Fisher Row, was last seen at his address on Friday where he was packing his belongings to move back to his parents’ home. Conal is white
-
Date
Williams sign African deal
The AT&T Williams team Formula One team at Grove today confirmed the launch of a new partnership with Ridge Solutions. Ridge Solutions is one of Africa’s leading private sector companies, based in Angola, with interests in real estate,
-
Date
Cricket's a darn sight harder when you're blind
A CRICKET match between a partially sighted team and an Oxfordshire league club has been hailed a success. Oxfordshire Cricket Association team Cairns Fudge took on a team of partially sighted players in the one-off fixture at Wheatley Park
-
Date
Concerns over bottle bank collection
AN eagle-eyed resident spotted glass bottles — which had been painstakingly sorted into separate bins for different colours — all tipped into one truck load. Brian Parsons, 63, was on his way to buy a paper in Bowmont Square, Bicester, when he saw
-
Date
Sister on a mission for Maggie
AFTER both Christine Dunkin’s sisters were diagnosed with cancer, she decided to start fighting back. Now she has pledged to help raise the £3m needed to build and run a Maggie’s Centre, next to the Churchill Hospital, Headington, Oxford. Mrs Dunkin
-
Date
All the fun of the fair at Grove Primary School
A PRIMARY school was filled with the noise of a steel band at its annual fair. Pupils at Grove Primary School in North Drive, near Wantage, made the best of the wet weather to enjoy traditional Maypole and country dancing on Saturday. Wantage Silver
-
Date
Thousands of Scouts join weekend of activities
OXFORDSHIRE children are looking forward to the biggest Scouting event in the county for more than a decade. Zodiac 09 will bring together more than 3,000 Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers from all over the county for a weekend of camping and activities
-
Date
Bay Trading workers set to learn their fate
Workers at the Oxford branch of fashion chain Bay Trading will tomorrow learn whether their jobs have been saved. The parent company, Eposcan, which was placed in administration last month, has been sold to Rinku Group, but just 566 out of about 1800
-
Date
Wii, what fun, say pensioners
PENSIONERS have been bowled over by a computer games console – and every older person across the district will get the chance to try it out. Cherwell District Council has organised 36 Nintendo Wii sessions in its towns and villages. Back in January,
-
Date
ATHLETICS RESULTS
VETERANS LEAGUE WESTERN DIVISION Women - 1 Radley 139pts, 2 Newbury 110, 3 Abingdon 100, 4 Reading 95, 5 Wycombe 55, 6 WSEH 40, 7 Witney RR 22. A STRING DETAILS O35 200m: 1 K Reynolds (Radley) 27.4 O50 200m: 1 J Ashton (Witney RR) 34.2, 2 L Ahmet (
-
Date
Residents fear Didcot housing plans will swallow village
FAMILIES fear the open space around their village could be swallowed up by proposals for hundreds of homes south west of Didcot. People in West Hagbourne — two miles south of the town and with a population of just 220 — want to protect the
-
Date
Local share prices (PM)
AEA Technology 15.5 BMW 2313 Electrocomponents 157 Nationwide Accident Repair 91.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.75 Oxford Catalysts 46.5 Oxford Instruments 143 Reed Elsevier 525.75 RM 170.75 RPS Group 187.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
-
Date
Cancer research deal
BIOTECH company Oxford BioTherapeutics has signed a deal with UK pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline which could be worth up to £244m. The company rose from the ashes of Oxford University spin-out Oxford Glycosciences, which disappeared after
-
Date
IVF campaign goes on the road
An IVF campaign group took its fight to the streets in an all-day roadside protest against Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust. The group, which claims its members are being discriminated against for IVF funding because of their age, started its
-
Date
University 1 take Frank Wood Shield
In the final of the Frank Wood Shield (FWS), first division University 1 defeated second division Witney 1 by 4.5 – 1.5. A convincing enough scoreline; but, because of the FWS handicap system, Witney needed only 2.5 points to retain the shield.
-
Date
ATHLETICS RESULTS
MARLBOROUGH DOWNS CHALLENGE White Horse Harriers: 2 P Jegou 2.13.00. BRATHAY WINDERMERE MARATHON Alchester: E Gould 4.28.54. BMAF PENTATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP White Horse Harriers: 3 J Peake – Long jump: 4.47. Javelin: 26.97. 200m: 29.24. Discus: 24.57
-
Date
ATHLETICS: Humphreys takes award for Radley
Radley had to settle for third place in their second Young Athletes League Southern 1 West meeting. Radley posted 25 first places in the girls’ section. Highlight of the day came from Megan Humphreys (under 13). She clocked 4mins 8.7secs to win the
-
Date
ATHLETICS: City regain top national crowns
Oxford City’s were crowned champions in the vet 50 and vet 60 categories as they stole the show in the British Veterans Road Relays at Sutton Coldfield. The vet 60s last won in 2007 and the vet 50s in 2006, and both teams were second last year. But
-
Date
ATHLETICS: Kelsey leads the way
Oxford City gained the bragging rights as they beat Radley into second place in their Southern Men’s League Division 3 match at Tilsley Park. City finished with 110.5 points – seeing off Radley by almost 15 points to take victory. Ben Kelsey was the
-
Date
The Shah's Treasures: British Museum
If you want to understand modern Iran, the British Museum asserts, the best way is to start with the reign of Shah Abbas I. He came to the throne in 1587, the fifth ruler of the Safavid dynasty, and is remembered as one of the country’s most influential
-
Date
Minutes - 23/04/09
Present: Alan Wilkins, Steve Simmonds, Paul Lyon, Mary Simmonds, Dave Taylor, Kevin Trendall, Lakis Christodoulou, Tracey Haslam. Apologies: Kenny Moore, Dave Ashman. 1. Minutes of last meeting. Left out a question on how the 7 day registration
-
Date
Alphabetical Order: Oxford Playhouse
As exclusively revealed last week, the director and set designer of the original 1975 production of this Michael Frayn play descended on the cuttings library of this very newspaper for research purposes. The chaos and litter they obviously found
-
Date
An utter disgrace
I vaguely watched that television two-parter those other evenings on Channel Four: 1066: The Battle for Middle Earth, about battles that took place that year between the inhabitants of these islands and invading Vikings and Normans. Apparently
-
Date
Why poetry matters
If poetry matters so much, why is the Beeb running its new show on BBC2, presented by Griff Rhys Jones, at the same time as The Apprentice on BBC1? Everyone knows how addictive Sir Alan's show is, which surely spells a very small viewing audience
-
Date
Test Article
Test Article
-
Date
Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 15.75 BMW 2343 Electrocomponents 158.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 91.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.8 Oxford Catalyst 46.5 Oxford Instruments 143 Reed Elsevier 533.25 RM 168.75 RPS
-
Date
Smarter than the average
The dictionary definition of ‘average’ – usual amount, extent or rate, ordinary – is not one most car makers would be overly happy being associated with one of their best-selling cars. But one aspect of Honda’s British-built Civic makes the
-
Date
PC voted top officer
A police constable from Bicester has been voted the Community Officer of the year for Oxfordshire. Caroline Brown is the Community Officer for Bicester and she helped introduce the Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) to her area. The NAG is a group consisting
-
Date
Dying man 'begged for help'
A dying man begged for help to save his life before collapsing in a shop doorway after being knifed in the neck. Police launched a murder inquiry and were today still hunting the knifeman who stabbed a man in the neck in East Oxford at about
-
Date
Signal problem sparks rail delays
Rail passengers using CrossCountry trains between Birmingham and Oxford are suffering delays this morning due to a signalling problem. The signalling failure at Coventry is causing delays of up to 45 minutes and so far there is no announcement on when
-
Date
New signings keen to make their mark
Energy and enthusiasm – they're among the key ingredients fans will see from Oxford United's two new signings Dannie Bulman and Alex Rhodes. Manager Chris Wilder completed the capture of the duo, with experienced midfielder Bulman signing a two-year
-
Date
MP on expenses: 'I'm sorry'
AN Oxfordshire MP has this week apologised for using taxpayers’ money to buy luxury and antique furniture for his Letcome Bassett home – just days after insisting that he was “fairly comfortable” with his expense claims. Ed Vaizey, Tory
-
Date
Stay alert for rogue traders
Today we reveal the tidy profit made by scum-of-the-earth rogue traders across the county. Dodgy builders and roofers have pocketed almost £1m by fleecing unsuspecting members of our communities. The trading standards teams and police seem to be working
-
Date
Tooth care worries
It seems we should all be eternally grateful nowadays to be treated by an NHS dentist. The chances of getting your name on a patient list appears to be a tough task in the UK. Many – even the most health conscious – give up and go for years without
-
Date
Crime team targets rogue traders
CONMEN posing as roofers and builders have cheated almost £1m out of vulnerable and elderly people across Oxfordshire in the last 12 months. In the past year, trading standards have been alerted to rogue traders 276 times. They
-
Date
Tribute to firefighter killed on daughter's birthday
A RETAINED firefighter who died in a motorcycle crash while on his way to his daughter’s second birthday party has been described as a “ray of sunshine”. His partner of nine years Laura McGilligan, 38, paid tribute to Simon Mackrory, who was
-
Date
Abingdon schools call for 20mph limit
HEADTEACHERS in Abingdon are calling for a 20mph speed limit on the town’s roads in a bid to improve safety for pupils cycling to school. The town’s six secondary schools and Abingdon & Witney College are drawing up an action plan, which includes new
-
Date
MURDER UPDATE: Dying man begged for help
A DYING man begged for help to save his life before collapsing in a shop doorway after being knifed in the neck. Police launched a murder inquiry and were last night still hunting the knifeman who stabbed a man in the neck in East Oxford at about noon
