Archive
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A new home is Ashley Cole's goal
INSTEAD of Easter bunnies, the Blue Cross animal rescue centre in Burford has plenty of guinea pigs needing homes this holiday. Ashley Cole is looking for a new home, along with fellow furry friends named after England football players - Rio Ferdinand
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Hospices land £640,000 boost
PATIENTS and staff at two Oxfordshire hospices are celebrating after securing £640,000 to spend on improvments. The Department of Health announced the grants to help improve facilities at Helen & Douglas House, in Oxford, and Katharine House
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Driver held after woman dies in M40 crash
A man was in police custody tonight after an elderly woman died in a three-car crash on the M40 in south Oxfordshire. The woman, a passenger in one of the cars, was taken to High Wycombe Hospital but later pronounced dead. A male driver
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M40 crash: Driver arrested after woman dies
A MAN was in police custody tonight after an elderly woman died in a three-car crash on the M40 in south Oxfordshire. The woman, a passenger in one of the cars, was taken to High Wycombe Hospital but later pronounced dead. A male driver was arrested
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Woman dies in crash on M40
A MAN is in police custody tonight after an elderly woman died in a three-car crash on the M40. The woman, a passenger in one of the cars, was taken to Wycombe Hospital but later pronounced dead. A male driver was arrested on suspicion
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Hospices land £640,000 boost
PATIENTS and staff at two Oxfordshire hospices are celebrating after securing £640,000 to spend on improvments. The Department of Health announced the grants to help improve facilities at Helen & Douglas House, in Oxford, and Katharine House
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FOOTBALL: Boss O'Hara sets sights on glory bid
IN-form Abingdon Town continue their quest for silverware when they host Shrivenham at Culham Road in the quarter-finals of the Bluefin Insurance Brokers Cup on Saturday. They have doubs over leading goalscorer Graham Edney (hamstring), while Dean Moss
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School of rock proves real hit
BUDDING rock stars went down a storm at a gig in front of hundreds of people. Children as young as six took to the stage at Langdale Hall, in Langdale Gate as part of the Witney Music Festival. The 60 performers are members of Witchwood
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FOOTBALL: Peace puts heat on Oxon rivals
Didcot Town boss Stuart Peace has set his side a challenge – to finish the season above at least one of their Oxfordshire rivals. Didcot extended their unbeaten run to six games with a 4-2 win against high-fliers Leamington on Tuesday to put them within
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Nurses bow out after half century of caring
TWO hospital nurses are looking forward to a well-earned rest after clocking up 50 years of service between them. Anne Day, 59, and Tessa Kear, 60, both joined Abingdon Community Hospital in 1985. At a celebration held on their last
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School marks 100th birthday
A PRIMARY school celebrated its centenary by asking pupils to dress up in Edwardian costume. St John’s County Primary School first opened as Wallingford Council Boys School on Tuesday, April 4, 1910. This week pupils learned about the
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Estate folk are good neighbours
RESIDENTS in Oxford have formed a new community group to help organise outings and talks – and stop them “staring at the walls”. People living in sheltered accommodation at Alice and Margaret House, The Oval, Rose Hill, decided they wanted to get to
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Teenager held in Godwin murder probe
A teenager is in custody on suspicion of murdering Oxford United academy player Godwin Nii Lawson. The Metropolitan Police confirmed a 19-year-old man was arrested last night in Finsbury Park and remains in custody at a north London police
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Schools star in Artweeks
A RECORD number of schools are taking part in this year’s Oxfordshire Artweeks. The festival, which runs from Saturday, May 8, to Monday, May 31, will see 474 exhibitions in everything from galleries to front rooms, featuring the work of more
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Teenager arrested in Godwin murder probe
A teenager is in custody on suspicion of murdering Oxford United academy player Godwin Nii Lawson. The Metropolitan Police confirmed a 19-year-old man was arrested last night in Finsbury Park and remains in custody at a north London police station.
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Man held over Oxford nightclub attack
A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm following an incident in an Oxford nightclub. At about 1.30am last Friday, a 21-year-old man was head-butted in the face in the Lava Ignite nightclub in Park End Street, breaking one
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RUGBY UNION: Quins can seal third
Oxford Harlequins will seal third place in National 3 South West if they pick up at least two points at Redingensians on Saturday. Quins look well-placed to achieve their best ever finish, but with champions Taunton to come in their final match
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Fun ways to help hospice's work
Since 1975, the Sobell House Hospice Charity has been supporting those residents of Oxfordshire affected by terminal illness. Its work is always underpinned by their mission statement which says its aim is to, ‘offer psychological, social and spiritual
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RUGBY UNION: Alchester resume Twickenham bid
Alchester's bid to reach Twickenham in their first season of competitive rugby continues against Cirencester at Marston Ferry Road on Saturday (2.30). The RFU Senior Vase quarter-final clash is likely to be Alchester’s toughest of the season, but they
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BADMINTON: Oxon in best finish
Oxfordshire Under 21s secured their best finish in the Yehlex Inter County Championships with a fifth-place showing at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Having finished 11th last year, Oxon opened the 20-team competition with a 5-1 win over Avon, a 3-3 draw against
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Judge blocks rail strike
AN INJUNCTION preventing a strike which would have halted train services in much of Oxfordshire next week was granted to Network Rail this afternoon. The strike by signallers and maintenance staff would have have meant there would be only limited First
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Rolling along
Rock and roll has earned itself something of a bad name in recent years. Since its inception way back in the 50s it has exploded into all of our lives, giving birth to popular music as we know it today. In the late 60s and early 70s rock and
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Swimmers splash out for hospice
SWIMMERS are aiming to cover the equivalent distance of a return journey from Witney to its French twin town, Le Touquet. Witney and District Swimming Club will take on the sponsored challenge of swimming the 318 miles at Carterton Swimming
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Master Plan
STRICKLAND Banks has had it hard. A sharp-suited soul singer, he found success with bittersweet love songs, but lost it all when he was jailed for an offence he never committed. Life is hard inside and Strickland has to rely on his wits – and
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Missing lipstick led to love for Marston couple
WHEN Peter Knowles went to the cinema one night 52 years ago he ended up rummaging in the dark for a lipstick dropped by a girl in the row behind. But he never thought for a minute that he would end up marrying her. That is exactly what happened, however
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Local shares (PM)
AEA Technology 21.5 BMW 3185 Electrocomponents 223 Gladstone 32.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 82.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.25 Oxford Catalyst 56.5 Oxford Instruments 268.75 Reed Elsevier 524.25 RM 170.75 RPS Group 204.3 Courtesy
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Counting cost of Haiti quake
AN accountant will spend Easter counting the devastating cost of the earthquake in Haiti. Chris Fyfe, a 43-year-old father-of-three, has been helping relief workers deal with the aftermath of the January 12 disaster, which killed an estimated 200,000
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SPORTS CALENDAR April 2
SATURDAY FOOTBALL ZAMARETTO SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Chippenham v Banbury Utd, Oxford City v Halesowen Tn, Truro City v Didcot Tn Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd v Bracknell Tn. FTL FUTBOL HELLENIC LEAGUE Bluefin Insurance Brokers Cup quarter-final
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Poetic appeal for David or Bill Bourton
What happened to Dorchester-on-Thames in the 1960s and ‘70s was a crime against our heritage. In particular, the Big Rings, a Neolithic henge monument described as a rare concentration of ritual activity equivalent to Avebury and Stonehenge in national
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I object to being misquoted
FORGIVE me for prolonging the correspondence regarding bloodsports and religion, but I object to being misquoted by Mick Heavey (letters, March 26). I did not write “all life was created by a loving God” – that is not my belief, but it is apparently
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RAF reunion 50 years after graduation
I AM appealing for members of the 85th Entry RAF Halton Apprentices (1957-1959), to make contact, to inform them of a planned reunion. It is now 50 years since our graduation and we hope to meet on September 25, after the RAFHAAA triennial.
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Greece is the word
OH DEAR, Greece has gone bust. Hard luck, but does it really matter to UK citizens? France and Germany, however, say British taxpayers have to fork out on a £20bn package to help them. Now I understand why my income tax for 2010/11 has gone up by
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Welcome debate about English Parliament
I RECENTLY read the article in the Oxford Mail regarding the campaign for an English Parliament and its visit to Oxford. I have to say how refreshing it was to read in a large local paper about the views of the CEP, and would like to thank you for actually
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Constituency changes are not gerrymandering
G L Samson (Oxford Mail, March 26) accuses the Boundary Commission of gerrymandering over boundary changes to the Oxford West and Abingdon parliamentary constituency. But this is not so. Gerrymandering can only occur when politicians become involved
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Gravel extraction destroys our heritage
What happened to Dorchester-on-Thames in the 1960s and ‘70s was a crime against our heritage. In particular, the Big Rings, a Neolithic henge monument described as a rare concentration of ritual activity equivalent to Avebury and Stonehenge in national
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Bicester barber gutted by yob attack
A BARBER has been landed with a bill for thousands of pounds after vandals broke in and wrecked part of his shop. Andy Willis, 32, had only finished a major refurbishment of Andy’s Barbershop in Sheep Street, Bicester, in December. He
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POINT-TO-POINT: Foley to have first runner at Lockinge
FORMER top jockey Marcus Foley is set to saddle his first runner as a point-to-point trainer at the Old Berks Hunt meeting at Lockinge, near Wantage, on Monday. Foley, who hails from Lew, near Witney, quit the saddle last summer to run a pre-training
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Train co-op must be an April Fool
WHEN I read that a cooperative, which soon hopes to be running a direct train service from Oxford to Swindon wants people to chip in to help, l was sure it was an April Fool prank. A bunch of people called The Go! Co-operative? They sound like an ‘indy
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Cabbages and Kings
G’DAY, Sport, or “Why don’t you clear off home?” are two comments tossed the way of Ywen, who this week, flanked by his two large dogs Miss Easy and William Wallace, has been playing his didgeridoo in Cornmarket Street with rather less skill than Rolf
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Update: Woman killed in M40 crash
A driver has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after an elderly woman died in a three-car crash on the M40 today. The woman, a passenger in one of the cars, was taken to Wycombe Hospital but later pronounced dead
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M40 FATAL CRASH: Lane reopened
Traffic on the M40 is slowly moving again after one lane was reopened. Drivers are now able pass the three-car crash, which happened on the southbound side this morning, after the Highways Agency opened lane one and the hard shoulder.
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Oxford teenager charged with criminal damage
An 18-year-old man has been charged with criminal damage, in connection with an incident in Worcester Street, Oxford, on January 31. Charles Thomas Humble, of Blandford Avenue, has been charged with seven counts of criminal damage. He has been released
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City recycling plans approved
Householders will definitely be able to throw all their recycling into one bin in a shake-up of Oxford’s waste collection rounds, city councillors have agreed. At a Town Hall meeting, they awarded a contract to Community Waste Recycling Ltd to process
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Enemy lines
STROLL into any high street book shop right now and it won’t be long before you spot a copy of Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada. Cast your mind back to the end of 2006, when Vintage published the paperback edition of Irene Nemirovksy’s Suite Francaise
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Pepped up
I am all for the ‘eat less meat’ campaigns, meat-free Mondays, and all that. While I could never (willingly) go veggie, I accept that the fewer slabs of flesh I consume, the better for me and for the environment. I know all that. It’s just that I can
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Co-op unveils record profits
Bosses at the Midcounties Co-operative are celebrating after racking up record profits. Trading profit at the group which has its head office in Botley Road, Oxford, rose 19 per cent to £19.3m for the year to January 23. Chief Executive Ben Reid said
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Would-be Masterminds take the challenge
OXFORDSHIRE’S brainboxes have been auditioning for a chance to show off their knowledge on TV’s most famous black chair. Mastermind researchers grilled scores of people on a wide range of general knowledge subjects to see who has what it takes
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UPDATE: One person dead following M40 smash
A driver has been arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving after an elderly woman died in a three-car crash on the M40 this morning. The woman, a passenger in one of the cars, was taken to Wycombe Hospital but later pronounced dead
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City recycling plan rubberstamped
Householders will definitely be able to throw all their recycling into one bin in a shake-up of Oxford’s waste collection rounds, city councillors agreed last night. At a Town Hall meeting, they awarded a contract to Community Waste Recycling Ltd to
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Stroke of genius
Madonna, David Beckham, John Lennon, John F Kennedy, Sir Christopher Wren, Joan of Arc, Ghandi… there are some people that have made almighty impressions on the world… and one of them, Michelangelo, has work in a gallery near you. Not a
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Scandalously funny
Has Rory Bremner bitten off more than he can chew? This is certainly a question that keeps the famous satirist awake at night as he rehearses material for his Election Battlebus Tour. Because not only has Rory taken it upon himself to light the election
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Update: Crash closes M40
A serious crash today closed the M40 in both directions in Oxfordshire. The motorway was closed following the collision involving three vehicles on the southbound carriageway between junction six at Watlington and junction five at Stokenchurch
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Graze anatomy
Edd Lewington of Out to Graze Festival, has spilled a few more beans about this year’s Oxford Wheels Project fundraiser. The bash, staged by the Bassmentality and Simple & Slide collectives this year moves Fir Tree Country Park in Warmington, near Banbury
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Wonderful night on the cards
IT GETS curiouser and curiouser. Alice, the white rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts will be out in their glory at the O2 Academy this Saturday. No, they haven’t spiked the lager with nutmeg, but they are taking a trip into the surreal world of Alice in
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Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 21.5 BMW 3138 Electrocomponents 219.5 Gladstone 32.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 82.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.65 Oxford Catalyst 57.5 Oxford Instruments 268.5 Reed Elsevier 524 RM 171.5 RPS Group 203.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley
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CLASH OF THE TITANS (12A)
Director Louis Leterrier updates the 1981 swords and sandals epic based on Greek mythology, made famous by Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion creatures. With all of the new-fangled technology at his disposal, Leterrier bombards the screen with computer-generated
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KICK-ASS (15)
Being a superhero is a dangerous business in Matthew Vaughn’s brutal coming of age tale, based on the comic written by Mark Millar and John S Romita Jr. Adapted for the screen by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, Kick-Ass is a thrilling, hilarious and
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A broth of fresh air
BEING amongst the clown princes of music, the traditional juvenile fare of Bowling for Soup’s songs isn’t an apparent snug fit with the usually more staid format of an acoustic gig. They’ve traditionally sung about being the loser kids at school
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HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (PG)
Almost 10 years since Shrek emitted his first pungent burp, DreamWorks Animation soars to dizzying heights with a brilliantly-executed and deeply touching story of one boy’s friendship with a supposedly fearsome dragon. Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda both
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'Your dad was very, very bent indeed'
‘Military intelligence has as much to do with intelligence as military music has to do with music.” I did not take down in my notebook a great deal of what John le Carré had to say at the Sheldonian Theatre last week – I was too busy enjoying his speech
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My 'table with a view' as it is at the moment
My favourite view from any Oxford restaurant is that supplied from Quod, in High Street. But not at the moment. A reader has kindly sent me the photograph above, which shows the startling sight through the restaurant’s front door at present, with
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Our Giles spotted a student star
The acting skills of Rosamund Pike — a superb Hedda Gabler at the Playhouse this week – were spotted during her student days at Wadham College by our critic Giles Woodforde. Reviewing her performance in David Hare’s Skylight at the Old Fire Station,
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Cooks supply soup for the homeless
An Oxford charity, which was named as one of the first Golden Jubilee Award winners in 2003 and was featured in the Queen’s Christmas broadcast to the nation the following year, relies on cooks throughout the county to provide nourishing soup for
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Pollen packers
Like many gardeners I am obsessed by the weather and I prop myself up in bed with a cup of tea to catch the early morning slot on Radio 4. It can ruin my day completely if Jim Naughtie overruns so that the man from the ‘met office’ squeezes the forecast
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The great elm experiment
The loss of elm trees across the country has been a source of continuing regret but now there is hope that, in time, they could be re-populating parts of both the rural and urban landscape. The Great British Elm Experiment has been launched by the Conservation
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The Royal Oak, Ramsden
A sign outside The Royal Oak at Ramsden asked the question: “Are Volvo drivers boring?” It certainly gave me pause for thought as I drew up beside it . . . at the wheel of our Volvo. If I hadn’t used an assumed name when I booked for lunch, I would have
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Jazzy delights
JAZZ... nice! Break out the black turtlenecks, shades and Gauloises, because the city gets hip to the sound of bebop this week for the annual OxfordJazz festival. Running until Sunday, acts range from one-time Ronnie Scott collaborator Mornington Lockett
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Solving mysteries of Ascott Park, Stadhampton
Anyone who has recently driven the back way to Henley from Oxford can hardly have failed to notice that those beautiful and mysterious gate piers framing a grand entrance to nowhere, just the other side of Stadhampton, have been sensitively restored.
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Recipe for mushroom soup: serves four
One of the wonderful things about soup is that you really can make it up as you go, but as Sophie Grigson famously said: “A soup is only as good as the ingredients that go into it. You can use up the various left-over bits at the back of the fridge –
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Stop Messing About: New Theatre
It really was a time warp, topped by a ghost. There we were, sitting in the Curve, Leicester, an ultra-modern theatre, where the side walls of the stage can be lifted into the air, so that passers-by can see what goes on outside performance hours
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Kick-Ass
Being a superhero is a dangerous business in Matthew Vaughn’s brutal coming of age tale Kick-Ass, based on the comic written by Mark Millar and John S. Romita Jr. Adapted for the screen by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, the film is a thrilling, hilarious and
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The Enchanted Pig: Oxford Playhouse
“Love is a drug,” begins the opening number. No, it’s nothing whatever to do with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest blockbuster Love Never Dies, but it’s sung by three princesses, Mab, Dot, and Flora as they sit and sew, dreaming of love. Their father
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Elli Goulding: O2 Academy, Oxford
To say that Hereford born songstress Ellie Goulding has enjoyed something of a meteoric rise over the last couple of months would be an enormous understatement. Awarded the Critic’s Choice award at the Brit Awards, she has seen both her debut single and
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Therese Raquin: Unicorn Theatre, Abingdon
When Émile Zola’s novel Thérèse Raquin first appeared in 1867, its frank depiction of sexual desire caused a real stir. In his preface, Zola explained how he wished to study temperament rather than character, based on the ancient idea of the four ‘humours
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Madina Lake: O2 Academy, Oxford
Hailing from Chicago, four piece Madina Lake have seen the path to the very top of the music world cleared for them by acts like Korn and Limp Bizkit 15 years earlier. Metal bands with pop sensibilities have proved to be big business, with their records
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Woodstock Music Society: St Mary Madgalene Church, Woodstock
A celebratory mood permeated the society’s spring concert, as befits a programme to mark Woodstock’s 900th anniversary. Both choir and orchestra were in exuberant mood, spurred on by decisive direction from conductor Paul Ingram, and they delivered an
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Preview of Stop Messing About: New Theatre, Oxford
It really was a time warp, topped by a ghost. There we were, sitting in the Curve, Leicester, an ultra-modern theatre, where the side walls of the stage can be lifted into the air, so that passers-by can see what goes on outside performance hours. But
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Ballet Central; The Theatre, Chipping Norton
I have been reviewing Ballet Central’s graduate student shows for ten years, always with interest, sometimes with excitement. I have to say that this was not a vintage year, but there were some delights among the eight short pieces presented. They began
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Tosca, Welsh National Opera, Milton Keynes Theatre
Michael’s Blakemore’s marvellously managed and superbly designed (Ashley Martin-Davis) production of Puccini’s Tosca for Welsh National Opera was first seen in Oxford three days after its opening in Cardiff 18 years ago and has returned frequently since
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Review of David Bowie CD A Reality Tour
Ithas been a long time since David Bowie released a new album. The fact his double CD A Reality Tour is a live album recorded over two nights in November 2003 at the Point Depot in Dublin should not put anyone off. For it captures Bowie in scintillating
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Ricky Gervais: New Theatre, Oxford
It often strikes me that our top stand-up comedians are coming to see themselves increasingly as rock stars – and none more so that Ricky Gervais, a star with an ego to easily match Bono and Robbie Williams. On his return to the New Theatre, he
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Oxfringe 2010: Various Venues
Spring has arrived and with it the annual Oxfringe Festival, bringing some of the best entertainment from local companies and other shows on the UK fringe circuit. The range and variety is impressive as for three weeks the festival takes over many
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Harry Beckett, Chris Biscoe and Pat Thomas: The Spin, Oxford
This was a unique, possibly historic, evening at the Spin. Trumpeter Harry Beckett is now 75 and far from sprightly; Chris Biscoe is 63, while Pat Thomas, Mark Doffman and Raf Mizraki trail behind by at least another decade. I took a black-and-white photograph
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Paloma Faith: O2 Academy, Oxford
By attempting to become both a successful actress and singer, London’s Paloma Faith characterises herself as a return to the stars of yesteryear. In the way she sings, her elaborate stage set, the 1930s-style outfits her musicians wear and her numerous
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Burford Singers: Burford Parish Church
Fauré and Rutter . . . two composers who appear to have little in common. But the Burford Singers’ concert last weekend made sense of this pairing, as their performance of Fauré’s sublime Requiem was Rutter’s edited version of the original orchestration
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To and Fro: The Rookery, Headington
Immersive theatre came to Oxford last week in the shape of To and Fro. The piece, based on the T. S. Eliot poem The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock, was staged in grade II listed (and Ruskin College owned) building The Rookery in Headington The audience
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Hedda Gabler: The Oxford Playhouse
The excellent Rosamund Pike, so effective as the cowering wife of a bullying husband in the Old Vic’s 2007 revival of Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight, is seen as a woman of markedly different stamp this week in the title role of Henrik Ibsen’s celebrated
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ROWING: Extra crew could spice up Boat Race
THE annual Oxford-Cambridge boat race may be expanded to include a third crew to spice the competition up, writes Richard Cox. The traditional Varsity race between Mortlake and Putney was first held in 1829, but has always been a two-team clash between
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Driver lied to avoid speeding ticket
A driver has been convicted of perjury after covering his face while speeding past a traffic camera and then claiming his number plates had been stolen. Stuart Hill, of Cranley Road, Barton, was driving at 67mph in a 40mph limit in Bicester Road, Kidlington
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Home truths from Oxford United boss Wilder
Manager Chris Wilder has denied that Oxford United blew their title chance and claimed their rivals have just been better at the crunch time. After seeing their automatic promotion hopes effectively die at Stevenage, he acknowledged the despair of fans
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Inspirational home sparked garden business
The challenge of transforming the garden of her home in Coombe near Woodstock inspired Sheena Patterson Patterson to launch her own landscape gardening business. Ms Patterson, who runs Coombe Garden Design from an office in the five-bedroom
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A stamp of approval?
If you have a house worth £1m + which you might want to sell one day — and plenty of people in Oxfordshire have — prepare to sell it now. That seems to be the message from the Chancellor in last week’s budget. On the other hand, if you are
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Parking poser
Sir – Every time I drive past one of those yellow signs in West Oxfordshire announcing ‘Civil parking’ I wonder if there’s been an embarrasing (sic) spelling mistake: shouldn’t it be ‘Civic parking?’ Bob Forster, Shipton-under-Wychwood
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Lack of culture
Sir – I was very disappointed to read (Report, March 25) about the opening of a lap-dancing club at the Thirst Lodge, St Ebbe’s. I have always considered that the city of Oxford is cultured, but unfortunately this is no longer true. J.A. Drewitt (
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Centre on the market
Sir – In response to the letter from Sheila Read (March 25) Building in floodplain, the facts of the matter are these. The property known as the Innovation Centre is indeed on the market. However, it is not the case that Oxford City Council is interested
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Few checks on councils
Sir – I am not talking about a housing estate or a new road but about a very small area of almost unspoiled woodland in our parish of North Hinksey, nestled between houses. The paths are muddy after rain and slippery but there are many roots which
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Extra school funding
Sir – Oxfordshire County Council has been successful in securing £62m as part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme to make substantial improvements to its secondary schools. Frank Newhofer suggests that this news disguises “. . . one
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Motivated youth
Sir – Watching the excellent performance by Pegasus Theatre of Caring for Lear, it occurred to me that several members of the youthful cast are approaching public examinations. What motivation — which modern youth is said to lack! Valerie Jones, Headington
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Negative side
Sir – From Sushila Dhall’s letter (March 25), it seems that she has muddled her objectives in relation to Frideswide Square. She enthusiastically proclaims the idea of holding up traffic in queues, but then talks about wanting to stop pollution in
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Financially neglected
Sir – As parents of a son with mental illness, we were bitterly disappointed to hear of the High Court ruling that 18 acres of land owned by the Warneford Hospital should be registered as a town green. The meadows are certainly very beautiful, and
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Intense pressure
Sir – I am intrigued by the correspondence regarding the 20mph limit in Oxford. I am keeping an open mind as to its value, and wait to see how it has affected accident statistics or air pollution after it has been in operation for a while. May I suggest
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Time police did their job
Sir – I was appalled by Hugh Jaeger’s objections to the introduction of the new 20mph limit, and its enforcement (Letters, March 25). There is a better way to reduce carbon emission than increasing vehicle speed, where there are pedestrians: remove
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NHS budget to be cut by £45m
UNIONS have questioned the impact on the public and health workers as hospitals face having to find more than £45m in savings. Staff were told the cost-cutting plans were dependent on significant reductions in patient numbers admitted to hospital
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Power from the Thames
Sir – Indeed we are aware of the possibility of developing hydropower at Sandford, as suggested by Mr Cheke (Letters, March 25) and look forward to receiving the results of forthcoming prefeasibility studies shortly. Jane Jackson, Sandford-on-Thames
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Negative side
Sir – Reg Little’s article on Oxclean 2010 (Report, March 18) is very heartening in one respect. A lot of people were concerned enough about the state of cleanliness of our city and its suburbs to take direct action to improve the situation. But there
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Reasonable solution
Sir – I am a commuter cyclist and travel daily through Summertown and, essentially, I agree with what Mr Duller (Letters, March 25) has to say. It annoys me when I see cyclists breaking the law because it degrades the reputation of cyclists. What
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Good manners needed
Sir – I fear that Hugh Jaeger (March 25) may be out of his depth. It is conventional for a report of a scientific study to start with an introduction stating why the study was done. The authors of the BMJ paper explained that they did their work because
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Muddying the issue
Sir – The argument about 20mph will continue ad infinitum until its critics understand why lower speeds, however imperfectly adhered to as yet, are welcomed by most road users not behind a driving wheel — and increasingly by drivers too. Above all,
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North Oxford rail plan will ease roads
Sir – I can sympathise with residents living close to the Oxford to Bicester railway line, if their properties have suffered damage caused by the vibration of heavy freight trains (Report, March 25). However, the freight trains have been
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A lifetime blazing the trail
On the way from the airport, the Fijian taxi driver took a long look at Jan Morris before demanding: “Are you a man or a woman?” With her usual eye for detail, this most well-travelled of writers vividly recalls what happened next. “I told him,
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Gravel plan threat to countryside
Large areas of countryside look to be under threat because of demands from the Government for a big increase in gravel and sand extraction in Oxfordshire. Parishes across the county have warned that a heavy environmental price will have to
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Hospitals eye £45m cuts
Hospitals in Oxfordshire will have to find more than £45m in savings in the new financial year. Staff have been told the cost-cutting plans will rely on significant reductions in patient numbers admitted to hospital, shorter lengths of stay and fewer
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New quad gets green light
KEBLE College’s plans for a £50m campus in North Oxford have been approved, despite city councillors’ concerns about a new research building to be constructed in Woodstock Road. Keble had to substantially redraw its plans to redevelop the site
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Luis Canas Rioja six-bottle case, £76
To give you a sneak preview of two wines from Bodegas Luis Cañas in advance of the upcoming Dinner Tasting at The Cherwell Boathouse on April 13, we have put together a small taster case of a classic white and red to showcase this producer’s modern, quality-driven
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Cogges fears
It is disappointing to report this week that Cogges Manor Farm Museum in Witney will not be open to the public this year. We, along with most people, expected last year’s rescue plan, under which a trust was to take over the running with financial help
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Cuts in waiting
We can have little surprise at the news that the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust will have to find big savings next year. The state of the public purse means few public services will escape the pain whatever the politicians promise us in the
