Archive

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Tornado means stormy start to Cropredy festival

A MINI-tornado hit a festival campsite yesterday – as thousands of music-lovers arrived in Cropredy, near Banbury, for three days of entertainment. But organisers of the annual Fairport’s Cropredy Convention said Oxfordshire’s longest-running music festival

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Police open new Wootton office

A NEW police base will be opened in Wootton, near Abingdon, tomorrow. The new base will be at the Wootton and Dry Sandford Community Centre. Area police chief Insp Ian Money said: “The base will make police officers and the police community support

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Singer reaches final of TV talent show

A TEENAGE singing sensation has made it through to the live TV finals of a talent contest. Anastasia Budziszewski, 17, from Preston Crowmarsh, near Wallingford, is one of 20 members of The Songtimers, who stormed through heats of Channel 5 show Don’t

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Barton playground bid is still in limbo

CHILDREN on an Oxford estate are still waiting to hear if their £800,000 play park will ever be built, as the Government remained tight-lipped on revised funding. As reported in the Oxford Mail, the Department of Education froze funding for the Play

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Knitters need to help elderly keep warm

KNITTERS are lending their expert hands to an older people’s charity. Oxfordshire Age UK, formerly Age Concern Oxfordshire, has appealed for young and old to get involved in the Big Knit 2010. Seasoned knitters are needed to help make hundreds of thousands

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Girl shot in eye with ball-bearing gun

A 13-YEAR-OLD girl was shot in the eye with a ball-bearing gun in Barton. The girl was in Underhill Circus at about 1.46pm on Monday when she was hit. She had to be taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital for treatment. Pc Jamie Thornton said: “Thankfully

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Drugs worth £500k seized in raid on Oxford house

DRUGS worth at least £500,000 have been uncovered from a house in East Oxford, police said last night. Police confirmed the seizure was one of the largest in Oxford’s history. Heroin, cocaine and cannabis were seized from a house in Reliance Way, off

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Man attacked after getting off bus

A man suffered head injuries when he was assaulted after getting off a bus in Headington. The 50-year-old got off a No 8 Oxford Bus Company bus, in London Road, near the Green Road roundabout at about 11.20pm on Wednesday last week, when the attack

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Out On An Airbender

THE LAST AIRBENDER (PG). Family/Action. Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Cliff Curtis, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi. Director: M Night Shyamalan. M Night Shyamalan is an odd choice to direct a special effects-laden

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Who's The Daddy?

He may be best-known as Amy’s father, but Mitch Winehouse is making his own waves, writes TIM HUGHES. A lifelong jazz fan, with a youth spent hanging round some of London’s coolest venues, at the age of 59, Mitch Winehouse is taking the plunge

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Best In Show

TIM HUGHES reports on perhaps the only festival to offer ferret racing alongside kora playing... GO wild in the country! Get the city smog out of your lungs this weekend by getting out of town and into our county’s rural heartland for a taste

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Ale And Hearty

KATHERINE MACALISTER finds a hostelry worth the hike. Panting like Maria Sharapova at a Wimbledon final, I burst into the Horse and Groom in Caulcott, ordered a pint of cold lager and downed it in one. Not very ladylike behaviour I would agree

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New Leaf

August is famously 'slow-time', so why not sit back, relax, and take a peek at one or all of these new releases. * How I Escaped My Certain Fate: The Life And Deaths Of A Stand-Up Comedian, by Stewart Lee (Faber and Faber) £12.99 Back in

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Blind woman nominated for UK award to mark work for fellow victims

FOR many people, going blind may be the scariest thing they will ever encounter. But one inspirational woman from Oxfordshire has spent two decades helping blind people come to terms with their condition – despite being registered blind herself. Daphne

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Beautiful Bath

WENDY O’NEILL leaves the family behind for some right royal pampering in Bath. BEING married with children is fantastic. Most of the time. At other times, it can be: a. stressful b. expensive c. exhausting and d. relentlessly hard work

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In Need of Fairy Dust

TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE (U). Family/Drama. Featuring the voices of Michael Sheen, Mae Whitman, Lucy Liu, Kristin Chenoweth, Raven-Symone, Angela Bartys, Lauren Mote, Jesse McCartney. Director: Bradley Raymond.

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Secrets of Sorcery

THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE (PG). Action/Comedy/Romance. Jay Baruchel, Nicolas Cage, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Toby Kebbell, Monica Bellucci, Alice Krige, Omar Benson Miller, Jake Cherry. Director: Jon Turteltaub. Halfway through Jon

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Special Delivery

Postman Pat has a TV series, DVDs and now a live show. Has fame gone to his head, asks Katherine MacAlister. When the curtain goes up on Sunday at the New Theatre, Postman Pat will be there with all his friends, and of course his black and

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Vintage Performers

The Quartet cast are enjoying the banter, writes KATHERINE MACALISTER. If you’re gliding down the Thames on Monday and happen to spy Timothy West, Susannah York, Gwen Taylor and Michael Jayston punting towards Oxford, you’re not seeing things

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Mind Games

Richard BELL is impressed by the majesty of Freud cafe bar in Jericho. Oxford isn’t the biggest city, and its citizens tend to gravitate to the same places. Some prefer the Cellar, some the Purple Turtle, some the Bridge, some Park End and

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‘Be calm’ clue to getting pregnant

Stressed-out women are 12 per cent less likely to fall pregnant during their fertile time than those who are calm, according to Oxford University researchers. While women have long been told to relax when trying for a baby, the evidence behind such claims

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Plaque marks canal saviour’s contribution

BANBURY MP Tony Baldry has unveiled a blue plaque by the Oxford Canal in the town in memory of Tom Rolt, the man credited with saving the country’s canal network. Mr Rolt and his wife Angela spent their honeymoon cruising the canals of England in the

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Businesses urged to apply for EU cash

PROJECTS to boost tourism and rural businesses across South Oxfordshire are being urged to apply for a share of £1.89m of European Union funding. The Southern Oxfordshire Leader (a French acronym, standing for ‘Liaison Entre Actions de Développement

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Students spruce up a pavilion

Pupils from Matthew Arnold School, Oxford, have spent the first weeks of their summer holidays brightening up a playing field pavilion. As part of their summer holiday activities programme, students have painted a mural on the walls of the Louis Memorial

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EQUESTRIAN: Ami through after jump-off

Steventon rider Ami Measor went through to the Horse of the Year Show after winning a qualifier in Py-combe, Sussex. Riding Diamond Touch II, the 23 year-old won a jump-off against 40 of the 104 riders in her class, and will now compete in the Amateur

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Jean Pearce - an inspiring force

OXFORD’S Black History Month is fast approaching and this year, special tributes will be paid to Jean Pearse, a “pioneering force in the Caribbean Community in Oxford”. Mrs Pearse, 83, who died in Trinidad in June, was responsible for setting up Blackbird

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Dr Brian Lloyd - nutrition expert headed creation of polytechnic

TRIBUTES have been paid to Dr Brian Beynon Lloyd CBE, Emeritus Fellow of Oxford University’s Magdalen College and former chairman of the Health Education Council. Dr Lloyd, who was 89, died on June 28. His eldest daughter, Megan Turmezei

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Local share prices (PM)

AEA Technology 18 BMW 3436 Electrocomponents 209 Nationwide Accident Repair 82.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.9 Oxford Catalysts 72.5 Oxford Instruments 346 Reed Elsevier 533.25 RM 131.25 RPS Group 180 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

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Chancellors opens new Bicester lettings office

Chancellors estate agents has opened a new lettings branch in Bicester. Liz Thompson has been appointed lettings manager at the office in Market Square, having worked for the company for the last four years in offices across the county. Ms Thompson,

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Chancellors opens new Bicester lettings office

Chancellors estate agents has opened a new lettings branch in Bicester. Liz Thompson has been appointed lettings manager at the office in Market Square, having worked for the company for the last four years in offices across the county.

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Protests spread over OAP day centre shake-up

ELDERLY users of another day centre are fighting plans to change the way they are run. More than 150 people have signed a petition against the changes at Bicester’s Launton Road Resource and Wellbeing centre, which has been running for 30 years. Oxfordshire

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Family's fundraising memorial to adrenaline junkie son

THE father of an ‘adrenaline junkie’ who passed away two years ago this week is fundraising so others can fulfil their dreams in his son’s name. Tom Dunkley, from Forest Hill, near Wheatley, died in a swimming accident off the Caribbean Island

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Catchment area is the big draw

The pre-Autumn school term rush is pushing up demand for family houses in Headington, according to one leading letting agent. Tracey Hayden, of agents Scott Fraser, said “We are seeing unusually high demand for four-bedroom properties but it

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Victorian city downsizing

Two Victorian town houses with a number of similarities and close to the centre of Oxford are both ideal for downsizers, according to one agent. The first, in Warwick Street in Iffley Fields, includes a number of period features such as an open fireplace

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Gothic-style cottage in village location

A Gothic-style semi-detached cottage in a village setting has a number of interior character features, such as open fireplaces and exposed timbers. The sitting room of Pea Pod Cottage, in Charney Bassett, has windows on two sides and an open fireplace

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Turret, well and something secret

A Turret, well and secret garden are some of the unusual features found in a Grade II-listed character cottage built of local ironstone and with a thatched roof. Turret End Cottage, in Hempton, also has exposed beams, flagstone floors and open fireplaces

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GOLF: Results round-up

SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Section 4 Badgemore Park 1½ (2pts), Hadden Hill 1½ (2). FRILFORD HEATH Ladies’ Skelton Salver (Blue Course): 1 P Kendall 76-11=65, 2 H Morgan 83-15=68, 3 J Purcell-Smith 88-19=69.

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Bakers cook up a treat for kids

A CRACK team of amateur bakers has mixers poised ready to ensure every child in Bicester gets a special birthday cake. Six women have got together to follow in the footsteps of a successful community project that has been running in Oxford for about

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Villager brands mental hospital negligent

A VILLAGER who claims he saw the same man repeatedly threaten to commit suicide has branded a mental hospital as failing in its care. Brian Adams said the Littlemore Hospital patient threatened to jump to his death from a railway bridge in Sandford Road

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BOWLS: Feeley's on fire

Kidlington's Jim Feeley lifted the Oxfordshire Bowling Association’s Allison Cup for non-badged players with a 21-14 victory over Charlbury’s Nigel Siford in the final at Oxford City & County. Banbury Central’s Ian Whelpton stormed to a 21-5 win over

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Didcot generates debate

That great ogre on the skyline that so many of us love to hate, namely Didcot A Power Station, with its massive cooling towers belching forth steam over south Oxfordshire, must close by January 1, 2016, at the latest. Lead times for building new power

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GOLF: Donny delivers

Donny Henderson-Sowerby became Burford club champion with a three-stroke victory. Henderson-Sowerby lifted the Pelican Cup with rounds of 71 and 70, giving him a one-under-par total of 141. Jonathan Wilks was second on 144, with Dave

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Campus cops on Brookes patrol

OXFORD Brookes University’s own pair of Pcsos will hit the campus to crack down on rowdy students from September. The university has forked out about £124,000 to pay for the police community support officers, Rachel Cooper and David Hession, to patrol

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Man attacked in Headington

Police are appealing for information after a man was assaulted after getting off a bus in Headington. The attack on the 50-year-old man happened after he got off the Number 8 Oxford Bus Company bus in London Road, near to the Green Road Roundabout

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The Sorcerer's Apprentice

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The Last Airbender

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Tinker Bell

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Amnesty aims to solve county's crutch crisis

A RISE in the number of people making off with crutches from the county’s hospitals has caused health bosses to call an amnesty. A similar appeal was held three years ago, when 15 to 20 pairs of crutches were going missing every month – amounting to

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Cropredy

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Girl shot in eye with airgun on Oxford estate

A 13-year-old girl has been shot in the eye with a BB gun on Oxford's Barton estate. The girl was in Underhill Circus at about 1.46pm on Monday when she was hit. She was taken to the city's John Radcliffe Hospital for treatment. Pc Jamie Thornton

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BOWLS: Headington in Preston Cup joy

Headington B captured the Preston Cup with a 20-17 win over Prospect Park in the final at Abingdon. John Philpott, Ian Kiddlewhite, Nathan Lewis and Mark Charlett made up Headington’s triumphant four. In the semi-finals, they beat Hagbourne 17-15

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Local share prices (AM)

AEA Technology 17 BMW 3463 Electrocomponents 209.6 Nationwide Accident Repair 82.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.9 Oxford Catalyst 72.5 Oxford Instruments 344 REED 535.25 RM 132 RPS Group 182.4 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

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Fashionistas’ favourite

Watsons was established in 1950 in Oxford’s famous Covered Market. It is a nationally respected boutique offering the latest trends at the best possible prices, sourced from a range of up-and-coming designers across the UK. Watsons boutique has become

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Have you got the neck?

Quit worrying about your bum, tum and thighs this summer. The body part you really need to prepare for exposure is your neck. Hemlines are not the only thing rising with the temperature gauge — hair is going higher too with tied-back locks

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Mum dies week after seeing her son wed

A MOTHER whose last wish was to see her son married died on Tuesday after a long battle with lung cancer. Last month, the Oxford Mail reported that Janet Hambridge, 60, had been able to celebrate the wedding of her son Trevor Francis, 31. She said on

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BOWLS: Oxon cruise in for victory

Oxfordshire recorded a clean sweep of rink wins to thrash Middlesex 155-91 in the Home Counties League at West Ealing. A week earlier Middlesex had been on the end of a 50-shot battering which virtually guaranteed Kent the title. And Oxon inflicted

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GOLF: What a Guy - it's two aces in two days

John Guy bagged an amazing double with two holes in one in two days. The Chipping Norton member aced Burford’s 11th hole last Monday. Not content with that, a day later he repeated the trick at Chippy’s 15th hole during their Tuesday Fish & Chips Competition

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BOWLS: Headington end 30-year wait

Headington A ended a 30-year wait by being crowned champions of the Oxford & District League, sponsored by Yarnton Nurseries, for a second time. Their 6-0 thrashing of Banbury Chestnuts sealed the title triumph they have chased since winning the first

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GOLF: Hart stars at Sand Martins

Hadden Hill’s Victoria Hart won the girls’ 12 and under prize in the BB&O Golf Partnership’s Junior Academy competition at Sand Martins. Hart, a member of the BB&O GP’s Junior Academy at Studley Wood, scored 33 points to finish ahead of Rebeca Fuentes

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ATHLETICS: Baird to the four as Radley shine

Aislinn Baird won four field events to help Radley finish first in their Southern Women’s League Premier Division match at Tilsley Park, Abingdon. Baird claimed the senior B String shot putt in 8.44m, the discus in 25.96, the hammer in 36.45 and the

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Osney pub punting on changing image

A pub alongside the River Thames in Oxford is changing its name for the first time since it opened almost 140 years ago. The Waterman’s Arms, on Osney island, will become The Punter when it reopens later this month after under- going a major refit.

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ATHLETICS: Ashton bags fourth record

Mathew Ashton and Jenny McBain were crowned men’s and women’s champions after round four of the Mota-vation Series at Chipping Norton. Ashton, from Witney, who runs for Aldershot, Farnham & District, set his fourth course record in four races

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ATHLETICS: Fernandez retains title

Abingdon Ambler Paul Fernandez retained his Hooky 6 title. Fernandez crossed the line first in 32mins 15secs to see off James Bolton (Woodstock Harriers) and Julien Lhomme (Harriers). Woodstock’s Sophie Carter was the first women home in 36.25 as her

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BOWLS: Hawes thrilled by title glory

Oxford City & County’s Katherine Hawes admitted she had surprised even herself by her remarkable triumph in the Bowls England Women’s National Championships Champion of Champions singles. The 40-year-old, who also won the title in 1997, dominated the

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THE BIG SWITCH-OFF: Motorists already speeding

POLICE will not increase speed enforcement despite figures showing more drivers are breaking the law since roadside cameras were switched off. Figures from the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership showed since the speed camera in Watlington Road, Blackbird

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ATHLETICS: Yamauchi eyes New York double

Mara Yamauchi is targeting a record-breaking double after signing up for November’s ING New York City Marathon. The Oxford-born runner, who turns 37 tomorrow, hopes to become the first athlete to win the city’s 26.2-mile and half marathon titles in the

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GOLF: O'Connor rues horror round

Oxfordshire champion Katherine O’Connor was left to rue one poor round after finishing tenth in the English Ladies Open Strokeplay Championship at Whittington. She was left kicking herself after a nightmare third round ruled her out of contention

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GREYHOUNDS: Thursday's Oxford runners

7.35: Seems Like Magic, Roadstown Magic, Angel Risky 3, Dublinyourmoney 2, Sierra Vista, MOONVEEN PARIS. 7.50 (Maiden Derby Ht 1): Bowtime Lefty 2, Loughside Beauty, Chapelane Harry, ABBY JEFF, Aghaburren Viper 3, Crack Out Syd. 8.05 (Cesarewitch Ht

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Boss Wilder salutes clinical United

Oxford boss Chris Wilder said the display against Bristol Rovers, especially the second 45 minutes, told him a lot about his team. What normally happens when a team has a fantastic first half against higher division opponents is that they ease off in

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Bad timing

IT IS amazing how quickly a newly-surfaced road can attract utility companies to come along and dig it up again. No sooner had the City Works department made an excellent job of repairing Ashhurst Way, in Rose Hill, than, without warning, the gas services

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Right connection

ARE we to understand from the ending of John Tanner’s letter (Buses need priority, Oxford Mail ViewPoints, August 5)…“to deliver a superb public transport system across our city” that at last we are going to have a transport system across the city with

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Cortege concern

I AM seething! I have every respect for the good people of Wootton Bassett, who turn out regularly with the Royal British Legion to welcome home our fallen heroes as the cortege passes through their town. What makes me so angry is that Meridian News

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Pathetic approach

I was disgusted to read your front-page article on graffiti and the £100,000 cost to the taxpayer (Oxford Mail, August 2). This turned to outrage at the comment made by councillor Susanna Pressel that the law-abiding taxpayer should foot the majority

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Cowley Road needs a thorough clean-up

I have written on many occasions regarding the filthy streets of Oxford. On Monday, you reported on the sorry state of Cowley Road (Street of Shame). Cowley Road is probably the worst in the city to keep clean, because of the high density of food outlets

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Work starts on former Radcliffe Infirmary development

A GROUND-breaking ceremony yesterday marked the start of building work on the former Radcliffe Infirmary site. The development will provide Oxford University with a new £500m campus on the 10-acre site bounded by Woodstock Road, Somerville

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Oxford United hitman Constable delight at cup double

Two-goal James Constable admitted it was a relief to get off the mark, and said to have all three forwards scoring in Oxford United's 6-1 Carling Cup win over Bristol Rovers was a massive bonus. The U's skipper, who hit 26 goals last season

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COMMENT: Some insight on Pakistan’s pain

Oxfordshire’s Pakistani community is pulling together to help victims of the floods decimating their home country. The images filtering back show scenes of devastation – how harrowing they must be for people who have relatives living in Pakistan. This

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COMMENT: Do more for troops who come home

SAM Weller knows about the scars of war. The 55-year-old served in the British Army during the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the mid-1970s. At the time, thousands of soldiers would bury their problems with drink and, he says

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A weekly update from the corridors of power

They say New Yorkers have a no-nonsense attitude – and Oxfordshire county councillor Larry Sanders showed his Big Apple core as he gave an impassioned speech against plans for a waste incinerator near Ardley. So much so, the Green Party

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Change at top

Sir Jonathan Michael,the chief executive of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, should resign as head of policy at our wonderful hospital – that it is wonderful is due to the nursing staff, not NHS management. The likely abandonment of children

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St Clement's student block could be 13 storeys high

A STUDENT tower block that could stretch to 13 storeys threatens city views of the dreaming spires, a residents’ group warned last night. Proposals to build accommodation for 130 students in the St Clement’s car park were unveiled on Tuesday. At a public

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Curfew aims to protect foreign language students

AN OXFORD language school is reinforcing a curfew on pupils to help cut the risk of robberies. EF Language Travel, based at the Kassam Stadium, has different curfews for students of different ages, ranging from 10pm for under 14s, 11pm for under 16s

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Mosques start flood fund to help Pakistan

MOSQUES in Oxfordshire are banding together to raise money for victims of the Pakistan flood disaster. At prayers tomorrow special appeals will be made at mosques around the city to urge people to donate what they can. Saj Malik, county

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Meteor shower to light up night sky

Shooting stars are set to provide a dazzling display of celestial fireworks across the UK tonight. Experts said the annual Perseid meteor shower, which occurs each August, would be one of the most spectacular in recent years. Conditions for

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Soldiers' stress 'swept under carpet by the Army'

AN EX-SOLDIER has accused the British Army of sweeping mental illness under the carpet and turning former servicemen and women into ‘ticking time bombs’. Sam Weller, from Chipping Norton, served in Northern Ireland during the height of the troubles in

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M40 smash sparks rush hour delays

Drivers on the M40 are experiencing delays this morning following a crash between a petrol tanker and a lorry. One lane remains closed on the southbound carriageway between junction six at Lewknor and junction five at Stokenchurch, and traffic

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New quarter emerging

A ground-breaking ceremony yesterday marked the start of building work at the new city-centre quarter being created on Oxford’s former Radcliffe Infirmary site. The site will provide Oxford University with a new £500m campus on the ten-acre

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Tesco town

Tesco is back in the news this week with two new stores opening in Oxford, and plans for a large new store in Faringdon causing some consternation. The Faringdon proposal has inevitably produced a mixed reaction in the town. Traders fear the supermarket

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Clean sweep

There is little doubt that something needs to be done about the appalling state of the Cowley Road, Oxford. But precisely who should clear up the mess which appears each morning seems to be causing some disagreement. Business owners say the onus should

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New city tower block

A 13-storey tower block could be built yards from Magdalen Bridge if plans to create student accommodation on a city car park go ahead. Proposals to provide accommodation for 130 students on the St Clements car park were unveiled on Tuesday

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Wilder hails 'fantastic draw'

Oxford United were rewarded for their magnificent result against Bristol Rovers by being drawn away to West Ham in the second round of the Carling Cup. The match at Upton Park will take place on either August 24 or 25 – and it’s likely to

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Parky at the Pictures (DVD 12/8/2010)

According to Ingmar Bergman's biographer, Peter Cowie, the 1960s saw the director's emphasis shift `from man's place in the universe to the condition and validity of the artist in society, to a closer examination of man's inner weakness and the mysterious

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Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 12/8/2010)

Twelve years after its original release, Sous le Sable remains the most poignant cinematic study of grief. Director François Ozon revisited the theme with mixed results in Time to Leave (2005). But he once again demonstrates his innate understanding of

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Fun venue with a taste of quality

For those of you that have been the recipient of a vet’s bill, read on. My unquestionably brilliant vets (Wendover Heights: www.whvc.co.uk for the curious) had asked me to give a wine tasting as part of an event they were running and had given

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Morse celebration for literary festival

Hundreds of book lovers will be heading to Woodstock next month for the town’s literary festival, now in its sixth year. The 2010 Independent Woodstock Literary Festival includes over 60 talks, walks and events held in venues across the town

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Juniors excel at championships

Oxfordshire juniors have a long history of success in claiming national age-group titles and they have excelled again this year. At the recently concluded British Championships – held in Canterbury – Bicester club’s Marcus Harvey beat the favourite,

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Dr Brian Beynon Lloyd CBE

Tributes have been paid to Dr Brian Beynon Lloyd CBE, Emeritus Fellow of Magdalen College and former chairman of the Health Education Council. Dr Lloyd, who was 89, died on June 28, leaving his wife, Reinhild, 89, seven children and 13 grandchildren.

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Jobs go as book firm stops trading

Online bookseller and magazine The Good Book Guide, which has an office at the Monument Business Park in Chalgrove, has ceased trading — making staff redundant. Richard Hicks, who bought the York-based business from administrators in 2008, has approached

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Programme helps children get on their feet

Footsteps is a ground-breaking Polish therapy programme brought to the UK, consisting of a team of highly experienced therapists, who use a unique and specialised piece of equipment called the Spider. The Spider enables therapists to properly align the

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Secrets of tomb finally revealed

Howard Carter, the man who discovered Tutankhamun’s resting place in the Valley of the Kings, spent a decade documenting the treasures found in the tomb. A smile crosses the face of the Oxford Egyptologist Jaromir Malek as he reflects that

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State pupils enjoy fortnight at Dragon School

CHILDREN from city state schools have been taught to love learning, with the help of a holiday programme at one of the city’s most exclusive schools. The two-week summer school at the Dragon School, in Bardwell Road, North Oxford, was designed to show

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Glossy review of 50 years of wildlife

A GLOSSY new book is helping the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust celebrate its 50th anniversary year. Put together voluntarily by a local designer with photographers supplying images free of charge, Fifty showcases the wildlife of the three counties

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Get out and go wild

View from the window Looking out of the top window of my house gives me a bird’s-eye view of the neighbourhood with each back garden showing its individuality – perfect rows of vegetables and a well kempt lawn in one, gravel and weeds in another,

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Mystery of cafe tables

Sir – Chris Koenig’s evocation of old-style Oxford shopping (Weekend, August 5) was a delight. But he failed to explain a major mystery. Why was it that half the tables in Elliston’s cafe were always “Reserved for staff teas” — yet these tables

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Double-deck drawback

Sir – While John Tanner may congratulate Stagecoach on the introduction of its new hybrid buses (Letters, August 5), not all users will find double-deckers on heavily used routes with many short journeys such a boon. Climbing up and down stairs on

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Too small to cope

Sir – Chris Fox (Letters, August 5) may be hoping to cause some mischief with his suggestion that moving to unitary local government would help in the search for savings. While he is undoubtedly right about potential savings, the present government

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Inconvenient situation

Sir – As you have reported in your columns, the copper cable between Stanton Harcourt and Eynsham was stolen on July 27 and more the next night. British Telecom persists in refusing to put a message on the affected lines that they are temporarily out

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Lovely but a menace

Sir – Chinese lanterns are lightweight, paper-covered frames which float into the air powered by the heat of a candle. They can look lovely as they rise into the night sky — but they are a menace when they land in the countryside. If the wire parts

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Precious service

Sir – I read with interest Martin Sheldon’s letter about library volunteers (August 5). That is one possible way of reacting to the threatened cuts. There must be others, like greatly increased donation of books by the public. I hope that our librarians

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Dead tree dangers

Sir – Isn’t it astonishing, the zeal with which Oxford is wont to remove trees for any number of reasons. The latest being the two spindly rowan trees in South Street, Osney Island. Ostensibly, they were diseased and posed a safety risk. Some have

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Bad driving kills

Sir – The excellent letter from Mark McArthur-Christie (Letters, August 5) makes more sense than anything else, which you acknowledge in you leader. What has puzzled me for some while is why is the accident record of the driver not taken into consideration

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Desirable limits

Sir – Mark McArthur-Christie may be chairman of the Oxford group of the Institute of Advanced Motorists but his grasp of basic physics seems shaky. Last week he was quoted as stating “Speed does not kill. Inattention, people not observing properly

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Cameras cut by diktat

Sir – Dani Rabinowitz (Letters, July 29) set out a carefully argued case, well supported by statistical facts, to show how the cameras have reduced death and injury on our roads. He also showed that just one death, apart from the human suffering, would

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Facing serious anger

Sir – Your letters page shows much concern amongst your readers about the impact of the county council decision to turn off the county's speed cameras. Your front page (August 5) highlighted the expected dangers to villages and communities near the

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Who enforces limits?

Sir – Now that the cameras are off, can someone tell me just how the speed limit will be enforced? Since no alternative has been proposed, it would seem that motorists either require no law enforcement, or are above the law. As for affordability,

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Chaotic city centre

Sir – I would like to express my concern at the number of visiting groups of foreign children to the city centre of Oxford. I have witnessed over the past several years, an increase in the number of groups of foreign children being shepherded around

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Noble profile

Sir – Imagine my surprise when, after so devoutly wishing it, I and his legion of other fans were finally rewarded with a view of that noble, acquiline profile and keen-eyed gaze on the back page of the Weekend section this week. I am, of course, referring

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Routine reflex

Sir – Giles Woodforde claims the Globe touring company ‘richly deserved’ its ‘standing ovation’ for its reduction of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Weekend, July 29). True, you can strip out characterisation, poetry, subtlety and magic from this play and

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Half-baked initiatives

Sir – How right Suzanne McIvor is to condemn the turbines as a blot on the landscape in her letter (July 22). They are also putting on hold two important projects in the community woodland, the site proposed for the turbines, namely new allotments

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Cutting camera costs

Sir – What hasn’t been questioned in the debate regarding speed cameras is the very high costs presented for their operation. With numberplate recognition software now commonplace, and a mobile telephone

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Mixed BBQ case, £65

Wines with plenty of fruit compliment the relatively strong smoky flavours from the grill, especially when you are eating outside. Spicy wines in particular do the job very well and are brilliant with marinated meats or just plain juicy sausages

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Abolishing a pet hate

Sir – The debate about Oxfordshire County Council’s decision to cease speed cameras misses the main motive for the decision by the ruling Conservative group’s decision. The financial reasons are spurious. Consider the evidence. a Government grant of

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Cutting councillors

Sir – I would like to suggest areas where the county and district councils might save our money. First, they could follow David Cameron’s example. He is reducing the number of MPs and Ministers and reducing the pay of the latter. We could get by with

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City shoppers welcome a pair of Tesco stores

Shoppers in Oxford were welcomed to the opening of not one, but two new Tesco stores in the city centre. A Tesco Metro, in the former Borders store in Magdalen Street, and a new outlet at St Aldates will employ almost 200 people. Town