Archive
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SPEEDWAY: Oxford Cheetahs third on return to track
OXFORD Cheetahs finished third in their four-team tournament at Swindon’s Abbey Stadium last night, writes ROBERT PEASLEY. The crowd, which exceeded all expectations, was estimated at 2,000 – with an impressive number of Oxford fans in attendance. Swindon
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FOOTBALL: Didcot facing drop danger
DIDCOT Town FC have been told they will be relegated unless they spend tens of thousands of pounds on extra seats they claim they do not need. The Football Association have informed the Railwaymen that if they want to stay in the Zamaretto Southern League
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Brookes Headington campus plans rejected
City councillors tonight threw out controversial multi-million plans to redevelop Oxford Brookes University’s Headington campus. Councillors voted 20-13 against the £150m scheme at a full council meeting at the Town Hall in St Aldate’s.
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Brookes Headington campus plans rejected
CIVIC leaders tonight threw out controversial multi-million plans to redevelop Oxford Brookes University’s Headington campus. Oxford City Councillors voted 20-13 against the £150m scheme at a full council meeting at the Town Hall in St Aldate’s. After
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School mourns death of excellent headteacher
TRIBUTES were last night paid to a school headteacher who colleagues said had made a “huge impact” on her pupils’ lives. Gill Carey, head of Northern House School in Summertown, Oxford, died aged 49, after a long battle with cancer. Staff and pupils
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Oxfordshire flood risks re-examined
MORE than one thousand homes in Oxfordshire are no longer at risk of flooding, the Environment Agency said last night. The agency has shifted approximately 1,270 homes – mainly in parts of Abingdon, Oxford and Wallingford – from its new flood
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F1 penalty rules face review
The World Motor Sport Council appear set to review their policy in relation to punishing team members following the latest scandal to blight Formula One. It is understood the Council are to address the matter in Paris on Monday once they have reviewed
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Driver angered by £70 fine
A woman given a parking fine while dropping off her disabled mother in Oxford city centre said the experience had left her bitter. Sally Cherrill, 46, of Craven Way, Didcot, drove her 80-year-old mother Jean, who cannot walk without aid and
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FOOTBALL: Bridges boost
Witney United are boosted by the return of Ricky Bridges for their FTL Futbol Hellenic League Premier Division home clash with Oxford City Nomads. They will be without Dan Szczukiewicz, who is getting married in his native Poland. In
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FOOTBALL: Gass ruled out for the season
Abingdon Town youngster Marc Gass has been ruled out for the entire season after suffering cruciate knee ligament damage, writes Kieren Bushnell. The 18-year-old picked up the injury during last Saturday’s defeat against Reading Town, when
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RUGBY: Ex-Welsh coach signs up at Henley
Henley have signed a three-month coaching contract with Clive Griffiths, the former Wales and Great Britain rugby league coach. Griffiths takes up his appointment this week and will be working with Hawks head coach Jason Forster. They had previously
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TENNIS: Brown on verge of top 200
Promising young Oxfordshire player Lucy Brown stands just outside the top 200 juniors in the world after winning her last two overseas tournaments. The 15-year-old from Elsfield, neat Oxford, stands at No 204 in the international Tennis Federation’s
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FOOTBALL: Banbury boss Billy relishes Rugby reunion
Banbury United manager Billy Jeffrey is aiming to turn the tables on his old club when he takes his side to Rugby Town in the Premier Division on Saturday. It is the first time that Jeffrey, who managed the Warwickshire outfit for two-and-a-half seasons
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Manure dumped on Clarkson's lawn
Climate campaigners have dumped horse manure on TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson's front lawn in protest against his views on global warming. The activists from environmental group Climate Rush unloaded the bag-loads of manure at his home in Chipping Norton
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Bike thieves strike in Oxford
Police are warning motorcycle and moped owners to be on their guard after a series of thefts in the Oxford area over the past two weeks. There have been nine separate reports of this type of theft and in the majority of cases, the bikes have been
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Paedophile jailed for 18 years
A man was today sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment after he was found guilty of 11 counts of sexual assault against children. Victor Huckfield, 42, of High Furlong, Banbury, was found guilty of committing the following offences between June 1994 and
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Thieves crash stolen MG
Police are appealing for witnesses after a car stolen from a house in Wantage was involved in a collision. Thieves stole a silver MG ZR from a house in Stockham Park some time between 11pm on Saturday and 1am on Sunday. The vehicle was later discovered
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Manager speculation inevitable says Thomas
Kelvin Thomas is resigned to the fact that there will inevitably be speculation linking Chris Wilder with vacancies at other clubs while Oxford are doing well. League Two frontrunners Rotherham were thought to be eyeing Wilder after Mark Robins left
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Ellie launches new bid for stardom
YOUNG actress Ellie Robbins was already tipped for the top when she won an international movie award last year. But the 16-year-old from Yarnton is not resting on her laurels and has won a place in the regional finals of a national singing
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Green enjoys England C experience
United striker Matt Green played 45 minutes for England C in their 1-1 draw with Hungary in Székésfehérvár on Tuesday night. “It was a really good experience,” Green said, on returning to United’s training ground yesterday. “I came on at half-time for
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Eastbourne's record commands respect
Oxford United are hoping for another big crowd for tomorrow’s clash with Eastbourne Borough. It won’t be anywhere near the size, nor produce anything like the atmosphere, of the last home match, against Luton, but indications are it will be
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£100,000 bonanza for United
Oxford United are overjoyed at landing a massive sponsorship deal this week after tying up a new partnership with Bridle Insurance. It is worth at least £100,000 to them in the next year alone. The insurance company, who have their head office in Witney
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Stag night fillip
Mansfield will be without joing top scorer Kyle Perry through suspension for their top-of-the-table clash with Oxford United at Field Mill next Tuesday. Perry had scored twice, and also gone very close to scoring twice more, as the Stags led Stevenage
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Driver ticketed off by £70 parking fine
A WOMAN given a parking fine while dropping off her disabled mother in Oxford city centre said the experience had left her bitter. Sally Cherrill, 46, of Craven Way, Didcot, drove her 80-year-old mother Jean, who cannot walk without aid and regularly
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The Wilder side of Sheffield!
Die-hard Sheffield United supporter Chris Wilder will have to grit his teeth next week – because the U’s are training at rivals Sheffield Wednesday in preparation for their game at far-away Gateshead. “We’ll just do the right things,” he said. “We’
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Berinsfield bikers put safety first
EXPERIENCED bikers are to advise novice riders on the importance of road safety at a well-known roadside meeting point. The event, which will run from noon until 4pm on Saturday at the H Cafe on the A4074 in Berinsfield, has been organised
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Teenage swimming star Rosie Bancroft makes photo finals
TEENAGE swimmer Rosie Bancroft is the star of a photograph shortlisted for a major award. The 14-year-old, who is hoping for glory at the 2012 Paralympic Games, was pictured by Paul Floyd Blake in a swimming pool changing room after a swim.
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FIXTURES September 18
SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. BLUE SQUARE PREMIER. Oxford Utd v Eastbourne Borough. ZAMARETTO SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Bedford Tn v Didcot Tn, Oxford C v Tiverton Tn, Rugby Tn v Banbury Utd. Div 1 South & West: Cinderford Tn v Abingdon Utd, Frome v North
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Accident verdict over cycle tragedy
A CYCLIST was hit by a car when his bicycle chain broke in the middle of a dark country road, an inquest heard. Jacob Joseph, 39, of Lodden Avenue, Berinsfield, was dressed in dark clothes and had no lights on his bike when an Audi A3 struck
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Schoolgirl's plinth design is natural choice
AN ABINGDON schoolgirl has won a competition to design a new plinth in Oxford commemorating naturalist Charles Darwin. Poppy Simonson, a pupil at the School of St Helen and St Katharine, will see her design carved into a high plinth outside the Oxford
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Green power on the way
A NEW company is set to build on work by re-searchers at Oxford University to bring a revolutionary lightweight motor for electric cars to the market. The new firm, Oxford Yasa Motors, has secured £1.45m from Seven Spires Investments – a private investment
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Bicester Market Square to get £1m redesign
WORK to regenerate Bicester’s Market Square could start next year after three proposals for a £1m facelift were unveiled. Residents will get a chance to have their say on the options at a public consultation due to be held in November. The project is
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Word on the street is surveyed
RESIDENTS from three Oxford estates have taken to the streets to learn how to improve life for the community. People from Barton, Wood Farm and Northway have spent the past three months quizzing people on their estates over what they want to see changed
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Join gospel choir coached by the best
A TOP conductor and music teacher to the stars is urging aspiring singers with no musical experience to join a new community choir in Didcot. Sarah Tenant-Flowers, who coached Coronation Street star Bradley Walsh on BBC2’s Maestro last year, is urging
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OAP: ‘Use my garden to grow your veg’
PENSIONER Kathleen Lay has offered her vegetable garden to help ease Witney’s allotment crisis. The 72-year-old has struggled for the past two years to maintain the large vegetable patch at her home in Middletown, Hailey. She has advertised her garden
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Meet the blood match-maker
THESE are the people who are responsible for getting more than 25,000 units of donated blood to the right patient each year. Prof Mike Murphy, a consultant haematologist, and Barbara Cripps, manager of the blood safety and conservation team, work in
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Where to next?
As the secondary school open day season begins, Steffan Griffiths, usher at Magdalen College School explains how to get the best out of a visit. It is a somewhat disappointing fact of school life that, just as families are settling into the school
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Something special going on
Nestling in the heart of a leafy corner of academic Oxford, close to the colleges and the science faculties, New College School has the air of something special. Perhaps it is the family atmosphere in which parents and even grandparents join
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Opening of sparkling new nursery
What is the most important thing in your life? Depending on your age, sex and general outlook, this could range from your house and car to your job or friends. For those who are parents however, undoubtedly the most important thing in your lives
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Moving up from primary school
Abingdon School appreciates that the transition to secondary school is a big step, and has developed a programme of activities for boys, and their parents, to ensure that the progression is both enjoyable and managed as smoothly as possible.
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Testing times to gain entrance
As summer draws to a close, it is time for the annual ritual of the publication of exam results, and the now seemingly inevitable news that more candidates have passed/achieved top grades than ever before, to be followed immediately by claims
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The Manor has it all covered
During the summer, The Manor Nursery received its Ofsted registration, which means its facilities for the very young will now extend to two-year olds. This is great news for parents. Children will now be able to attend The Manor shortly after
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Abuzz with energy and activity
Alasdair MacPherson, academic head of sixth form at d'Overbroeck's College, looks back on a successful year — and forward to the next... This summer's A-Level results were outstanding. With 62 per cent of all our students’ A-Level entries receiving
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Celebrating a successful year
Headington staff and girls have had good reason to celebrate this summer — not only did this year’s GCSE and A-Level cohorts gain some of the best marks in Headington history, they also put the school at the top of the UK league tables for GCSE
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Paedophile found guilty of rape
A paedophile was today found guilty of 11 sexual assaults against children over a seven-year period. Charges against Victor Huckfield, 42, of High Furlong, Banbury, included raping a child under the age of 13, three accounts of rape against
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Old roots, contemporary learning
Burford School was founded by Charter in 1571 and has been maintained continually since then. The school was developed as a county school from 1929 when the foundation admitted girls. In 1957, the school moved up the hill to its present 36-acre
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Boys welcomed to senior school
‘Our Lady’s Abingdon prides itself on being very much a family school, which can cater for your child from nursery through to sixth form. Our move to co-education provides a valuable opportunity to strengthen these family ties’— Lynne Renwick, head
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Support, guidance and well-being
The headmaster of Cokethorpe School, Damian Ettinger, wrote in a recent school newsletter about how parents should not expect their children to grow up in their image, as each child is an individual and has the right to develop that individuality
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Centre of technological excellence
Bartholomew School is a mixed comprehensive founded in 1958, which offers an exciting and stimulating educational experience for the young people of the area. The school is justly proud of its success, which depends on enthusiastic and committed
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UPDATE: High Street incident
Police have reopened Oxford High Street following an accident involving a Stagecoach bus and a male pedestrian. The accident happened at 11.50am in the section of High Street where roadworks are being carried out by Oxfordshire County Council. David
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Strong pastoral care the key to academic success
Stimulating teaching across a broad curriculum encourages curiosity, questioning and investigation and a zest for intellectual exploration and discovery. Girls value the opportunity for discussion and research, in and outside lessons, and at all
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A most charming prep school
Oxford’s Dragon School is one of the country’s leading preparatory schools. A co-educational boarding and day school it offers, together with the Dragon pre-prep, Lynams, an outstanding educational experience to boys and girls from 4 to 13 years
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Exceptionally high standards
Reading School is a selective grammar school providing free tuition for boys within the statemaintained sector and is suitable for day boys within the Reading area, and for weekly boarders. The school has been placed consistently in the top 25
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Man guilty of child sex crimes
A man has today been found guilty of 11 counts of sexual assault against children. Victor Huckfield, 42, of High Furlong, Banbury, was found guilty of committing the following offences between June 1994 and June 2001: Rape of a child under the age
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Nothing ordinary at Oratory
The Oratory School is the UK's only All Boys' Catholic day and boarding senior school in the UK, founded in 1859 by John Henry Cardinal Newman. In this, the school’s 150th anniversary year, Pope Benedict XVl has announced the beatification
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Where girls grow to be women
Alice Thomson wrote in The Times on July 23: “Parental interest in a child’s education has four times more influence on attainment by age 16 than does socio-economic background”. I guess that a good many of my readers fall into the category
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Providing opportunities for all
Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. A good school provides opportunities for all its students to achieve greatness in a range of areas — academic, sport, arts and drama, music, personal and social
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School that refuses to stereotype
Having now spent a year as headmistress of St Helen and St Katharine, Abingdon, it is a good time to reflect on my first impressions and compare them to my subsequent experience of the school. Immediately, the buildings and facilities took
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Success assured for every child
It is essential that every child feels that they are achieving success in some area of school life. The educational philosophy at Summer Fields is to provide a breadth of education, endless opportunity and bags of encouragement that allows every
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Hill concerned for F1
Damon Hill believes Formula One has "a lot of soul searching to do" in order to clean up its act. The 'crashgate' scandal is the latest to sully a sport bedevilled by problems, most notably over the past two years, further damaging its reputation.
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E-fit issued after Abingdon burglary
Police today released an e-fit of a woman they would like to speak to in connection with a burglary in Abingdon. Thieves gained entry to the house in St John’s Road some time between 2.30pm and 5pm on August 28. Electrical items including two iPods
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The toast of brewing
Beer drinking may be taking a nosedive nationwide but one Oxfordshire brewery is bucking the trend — and watching its sales grow like the local hops from which many of its beers are produced. Wychwood Brewery in Witney, home to brands including
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OXFORD MAIL JOB FAIR IS ON NOW!
Job-hunters will have a chance to meet employers at the Oxford Mail Job Fair at the Town Hall until 4pm. Computer firms, recruitment companies and armed forces will be among exhibitors. Admission is free.
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Adventurous re-write inspired by pupils
No one can accuse author Mark Haddon of ignoring his readership. His latest book, Boom!, a tale of boyish derring-do centred on two schoolchildren who set off to discover the meaning of a dark, mysterious language spoken by their teachers, was
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81-year-old killed in car crash
A driver died after his car crashed into a railway bridge in Bicester earlier today. The 81-year-old was driving a blue Vauxhall Astra in Lords Lane, near the roundabout at Bucknell Road, and hit the railway bridge support. He taken to the Horton General
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Man, 81, dies after Bicester crash
Police are appealing for witnesses after a fatal collision in Bicester in the early hours of this morning. At about 1.15am, a blue Vauxhall Astra was travelling on Lords Lane, when it approached the roundabout at the Bucknell Road, it lost control
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Joy of Amaranthus
There’s a trial of amaranthus (love-lies-bleeding) at RHS Wisley this summer. The rectangular plot is a patchwork of butterscotch-brown and beetroot-red splashed with lime-green. The stems are two inches thick at the base and many of the 30-odd varieties
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Four weeks to save meadows
Awash with wildflowers swaying in the summer breeze and home to wheeling flocks of lapwing in the winter, Leaches Farm is an incredibly special place. These hay meadows have been left unploughed for more than 300 years, forming an ancient landscape
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Cushion Concerts: Jacqueline du Pré Music Building
There are three things you need if you are going to work with children: enthusiasm, energy and a sense of fun. Pianist Mark Hooper, who combines a performing career with introducing children to the delights of classical music, possesses all three by the
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Oxford Chamber Music Festival
This year’s Oxford Chamber Music Festival promises “some of the greatest pieces in the history of chamber music”. But, like previous festivals this isn’t simply a showcase of the standard classics. Yes, there are works by some of the giants of the 18th
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Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 31.25 BMW 3074 Electrocomponents 166.9 Gladstone 24 Nationwide Accident Repair 92.5 Oxford Biomedica 11.5 Oxford Catalysts 64.5 Oxford Instruments 199 Reed Elsevier 480.25
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Cockroaches found in Oxford butcher's shop
COCKROACH and mice infestations led environmental health officers to shut an East Oxford butcher’s and convenience store. Oxford City Council inspected the JM Halal shop, in Cowley Road, last Friday, and secured its closure at Oxford Magistrates’
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Traffic delays following M40 and A34 incidents
Ambulance staff are this morning dealing with a four-car accident on the A34 north of Oxford. Paramedics were called to the southbound carriageway near the Peartree interchange at 8.45am. A spokesman for South Central Ambulance said:
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Poor roads top UK's pet hates
British people are increasingly dissatisfied with public services, with the state of the nation's roads topping the list of frustrations, a survey has revealed. Just 54% of the public are satisfied with the condition of the UK's roads and highways,
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Mother on a £1m mission
LIKE many of us, Chrissi Sharkey dreams of owning a £1m home – but jobs that pay a big enough wage to foot the bill are not that common. For most of us in the current economic climate it seems a dream too far, but one woman from Littlemore,
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ATHLETICS: Hannah hits the jackpot
Hannah England could not hide her delight after producing her best performance on the international stage at the World Athletics final in Greece. England, who was left out of the British team for the World Championships in Berlin, showed what the selectors
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Swift rebuke
Sir – Having studied the swifts in the tower of the University Museum, Oxford, for the last 47 years I have yet to see a swift perching. Perhaps Peter Barrington, author of the article, (Threatened with swift decline, September 3) could explain to
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Digital interference
Sir – Has anyone else living in the Headington/Cowley area been experiencing severe interference with their digital BBC reception every night for the past two or three weeks? It’s now become impossible to watch anything on BBC 1 or 2 in our house, whether
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First and last visit
Sir – Last month I planned to visit Oxford. Never having been before I took the precaution of ringing tourist information to verify parking provision for Blue Badge holders explaining that my disabled mother, temporarily without her wheelchair,
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Tackle student ghettoes
Sir – We welcome the new laws which have been proposed by John Denham, the Communities Minister, to make it harder for neighbourhoods in university towns to be colonised by large student populations. This is a topic which is highly relevant for residents
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Unhygienic proposal
Sir – On learning that from August 3, green wheelie bins with excess rubbish placed by or on top of them will no longer be collected I called the given helpline to ask if special provision will be made to cope with extra rubbish during the Christmas
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Keep lavatories open
Sir – I agree with Julie Martyn in her letter Inconvenient truth (September 3) about closing Oxford city toilets. In particular I wish to express my concern at the proposed closure of toilets at Wolvercote in the winter. The Wolvercote toilets are
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Protecting the public
Sir – The campaign against locating the Oxford probation office in West Oxford, and specifically in Trajan House, Mill Street, has made four main claims, which have unfortunately been accepted at face value. Every one is false. 1: That crime increases
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Damaging plan
Sir – As a resident of Summertown I am furious about the city council’s plans for what they call the ‘Northern Gateway’; as a Parliamentary candidate my inbox is overflowing with objections from worried locals not to mention a statement from the county
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Hugely impractical
Sir – Is Chris Shipton (Letters, September 10) having a laugh? A citywide speed limit of 10mph for cyclists? Has April the first come early? Apart from the hugely impractical and prohibitively expensive ‘network of average speed cameras augmented with
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Make 20mph defeault limit
Sir – When in charge of a vehicle we assess risk on our terms. We are in an environment that has been developed through many iterations and at great cost to protect us. From this environment we are guided by the cues of road width and physical environment
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City should share traffic problems
Sir – I read with dismay the article about the trial closures of Lime Walk and Latimer Road at their junctions with London Road (Report, September 3). This is another knee-jerk reaction by our council to a pressure group obsessed with its own self-importance
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Diary of tragedy and recovery
At the moment of “the miracle” Ruth Jolly had been in Paris, enjoying a light lunch in the Galeries Lafayette. She had gone there on a four-day trip with her elderly mother, who had never visited the French capital before, and the meal had been a final
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EMPLOYMENT:Work? No, I'm better off on benefits says Oxford mum
YOU are better off on benefits – that’s the message from Oxford families weighing up whether to go out and get a job. Statistics yesterday revealed the number of people out of work had reached its highest level in the UK since May 1997.
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Controlled competition
Sir – Unfortunately, a competition inquiry (Report and Leader, August 27) will probably ignore the main factor that keeps fares down, and be unable to admit that competition can increase fares, if the market isn’t managed. The main factor that drives
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Little forethought
Sir – Once again I read of a traffic-related scheme to save Abingdon from the follies of its own council. Most of the people I know don’t go there unless they have to because the council has consistently failed to handle its traffic problems sensibly
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Right first time
Sir – All too often local councils are vilified in these columns, so it is most pleasant to be able to praise them. At last feedback on bus-stops is being acted on. The 16B route number has been added to bus-stops in Iffley Road, the D4 stop in Bonn
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Paint the roads red
Sir – Chris Osman (Letters, September 10) is absolutely right about the problems drivers face in trying to see road signs in urban settings. Oxford needs to adopt the tactic used in Portsmouth (the first city to adopt the 20mph limits) where every road
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EMPLOYMENT: Mum sets herself £1m mission to buy dream home
LIKE many of us, Chrissi Sharkey dreams of owning a £1m home – but jobs that pay a big enough wage to foot the bill are not that common. For most of us in the current economic climate it seems a dream too far, but one woman from Littlemore, in Oxford
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Ruskin plan scaled down
RUSKIN College is determined to go ahead with the redevelopment of its Old Headington site, despite missing out on more than £20m from the Learning & Skills Council. Ruskin had been relying on the LSC to provide two-thirds of the money to transform its
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'Weakling' thief jailed for preying on 101-year-old
THIEF Stephen Gillespie “bit off more than he could chew” when he snatched a wallet from 101-year-old war veteran Kazimierz Michalski, a judge said. The pensioner told Oxford Crown Court how he held the 47-year-old thief in a bear-hug and watched
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Grand designs
Oxford does not need the epithet ‘UK City of Culture’. By any standards, we already are one of the major cultural centres of the UK. Few cities of the size of Oxford in the world could boast the level of cultural endeavour that goes on here. There is
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Hospital beds
We should be glad that Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust is to create a new community hospital for Oxford on a ward of the John Radcliffe Hospital. At least the city is to retain some sort of community hospital facility. One cannot help
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Rich ripe reds, £71
This week’s case contains some of the classic grape varieties that shine when handled well by good winemakers using modern equipment. These rich, ripe wines go very well with a wide variety of food and can also be enjoyed equally well on their own because
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Gewürztraminer from Chile was a surprise winner
Is it just me or does anyone else get irritated at the nonsense other people talk? On my way to the annual Wines of Chile tasting, I had an overwhelming urge to leap up and tell the ladies sitting next to me that the white marks on their fingernails were
