Archive

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Salute to soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Members of the British Legion lined Headley Way in Oxford last night as two soldiers killed in Afghanistan were repatriated. The bodies of Sapper Darren Foster, 20, inset left, of 21 Engineer Regiment, and Sapper Ishwor Gurung, 21, right, of the Queen

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Jeremy jumps in to help Lido

TOP Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson will help users of the town’s Lido celebrate its 40th birthday. The Lido in Fox Close is urging people to dig out their flares and platforms for a 70s-themed party on Friday, September 3. Mr Clarkson will run a fundraising

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Halt pool move, say protesters

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Temple Cowley Pools have demanded the closure plans are stopped. More than 100 people attended a public meeting on the pool’s future at Oxford Town Hall on Tuesday and the majority called for it to remain open.

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Guides discover a wide world of adventure

Hundreds of Oxfordshire Guides joined their colleagues from around the world for an adventure week. Nearly 900 Guides, Rangers and Young Leaders from the county camped at the European School, Culham, for Quest 2010. They were joined by guides from as

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Cape Crusader

Holy smokes, Batman! Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly talks monikers and motivation with TIM HUGHES. FUSING acoustic melodies with spiralling layers of beats and electronica, Sam Duckworth stands alone among the glut of new-folk artists. Hailing

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Worlds Apart

Drawn into the Meller Merceux gallery by a couple of art legends, SARAH MAYHEW finds a little-known talent. A brisk walk past the window of new art gallery, Meller Merceux, on Oxford’s High Street, and you’re sure to stumble after spotting

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Take With A Pinch of Salt

SALT (12A). Action/Thriller. Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Olbrychski, August Diehl and Andre Braugher. Director: Phillip Noyce. Angelina Jolie’s first film for two years takes itself far too seriously

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Lords of The Dance

KATHERINE MACALISTER discovers how Marlon “Swoosh” Wallen, founder of street-dance troupe Flawless, achieved his goal. Marlon “Swoosh” Wallen is one of the coolest dudes on the planet. Not only is the 26-year-old the founding member and

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With The Accent on Taste

KATHERINE MACALISTER renews her acquaintance with an old culinary friend. I was so behind on what was going on at Brasserie Blanc it was embarrassing. Last thing I heard Le Petit Blanc in Jericho had been bought by Loch Fyne because Raymond

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Swing Stars

KATHERINE MACALISTER meets a cast who take open-air theatre to new levels. Every night for the past two months Decky and his Bronco mates go out and risk life and limb to bring us a new theatrical experience. And between them they have accumulated

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OLD AGE MUSCLE TUSSLE

THE EXPENDABLES (15). Action. Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Steve Austin, David Zayas, Giselle Itie. Director: Sylvester Stallone. Brawn triumphs over brains

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Dog Days

MARMADUKE (U). Family/Action. Lee Pace, Judy Greer, William H Macy and the voices of Owen Wilson, George Lopez, Emma Stone, Steve Coogan, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kiefer Sutherland, Stacy Ferguson. Director: Tom Dey. Based on

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Fishes and 'Dishes'...

PIRANHA 3D (18). Horror/thriller. Elisabeth Shue, Ving Rhames, Christopher Lloyd, Jerry O'Connell, Kelly Brook, Eli Roth, Jessica Szhor, Richard Dreyfuss. Director: Alexandre Aja. You already know what to expect from Piranha 3D

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Cellar Dweller

RICHARD BELL tries to resist the march of time at Bits and Pieces at The Cellar. Change comes to all things. Time beats its mighty drum ever on, reducing great cities to dust, draining oceans, wearing down mountains, wrinkling skin and claiming

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'Help us reach £5,000 target for hospice'

A FATHER-OF-TWO who lost his wife to cancer in May is asking Oxford Mail readers to help him reach his fundraising target for Sobell House hospice. Stephen Cannon, 52, was joined by 15 family members and friends on the Oxford Moonlight Stroll

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Really Reading

TIM HUGHES finds the secret of Reading Festival’s success is simple: it’s all about the bands. ‘THIS is the world’s greatest music festival!” It’s a quite a claim, but Melvin Benn is in no doubt that he’s right. The polite and softly-spoken

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Ashmolean unveils second big revamp

A £5M redevelopment is being planned at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum to showcase the museum’s world famous collections from ancient Egypt. Only eight months after the new Ashmolean was opened by the Queen following a £61m extension scheme, the museum has

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Local shares (PM)

AEA Technology 18 BMW 3564 Electrocomponents 209.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 82.5 Oxford Biomedica 10 Oxford Catalysts 80 Oxford Instruments 334 Reed Elsevier 530.25 RM 129.5 RPS Group 172 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

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Part exchange proves popular

PART exhange is proving popular at Hailey Gardens, a new development in Witney, according to agents Thomas Merrifield. The one four-bedroom and six three-bedroom houses, built by Antler Homes, all have views over surrounding farmland. Guy Glover, of

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Following in famous footsteps

Whoever moves into Woodpecker House in Old Boars Hill will be following in some illustrious footsteps, an agent has pointed out. The detached house, which has two reception rooms and three to four bedrooms, is available to rent immediately.

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A wilderness transformed

Keen gardeners Derrick and Jane Taylor have transformed a wilderness into landscaped gardens including ponds, vegetable plots, woodlands and orchards. But the finished product is not just for show, as within their 19-acre plot is a 5,500sq ft computer-controlled

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Two strings to his bow

What was your first job and what did your responsibilities include? My first grown up job after newspaper rounds and Saturday jobs was a part-time stores person for a magnet company called Gensco in Toronto. I was in charge of all parts and stores, but

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Man charged with burglary at Oxford college building

Thames Valley Police has charged a man with burglary following a break-in at a residential building belonging to Magdalen College in Oxford. The offence is alleged to have happened between 8.30pm on Saturday and 11am on Monday. Lewis Steer, 20, of

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Woman attacked and robbed in Banbury

Police appealed for witnesses after a woman was knocked to the ground and robbed in Banbury last night. The 39-year-old woman was leaving the Co-op store in Ruscote Arcade shortly after 10pm when the incident happened. As she was coming

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Peter Carter - dedicated to village issues

PETER Carter, who served Appleton villagers as a parish councillor for over 35 years has died, aged 80. Mr Carter, who died on August 1, was born in Appleton in 1930 and spent his life in the village he loved. His father, William George

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Science makes a stitch in time

Dorothy Hodgkin, Oxford's only female Nobel scientist (so far) looks pleased with her wire-and-ball model of Vitamin B as she poses for a 1955 photograph. By then she had already spent eight years trying to solve the vitamin's structure, in

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Fringford pub slimmers raise £600

FRINGFORD pub regulars supporting staff on a diet could keep informed of every pound they lost – by counting bags of sugar. Butcher’s Arms landlady Pat Aisthorpe, 55, and barmaid Caroline Wright, 46, set themselves a challenge to lose a stone before

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£1.3m grant to help create affordable homes

CHERWELL District Council has been given a £1.35m grant to provide affordable homes in bloxham The Homes and Communities Agency has approved the cash to help fund 24 energy-efficient homes — 17 for social rent and seven for shared ownership. Properties

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Police issue plea over van stolen in Oxford

Police today appealed for information about a van that was stolen in Oxford at the weekend. Between 7.30am and 10.15pm on Saturday thieves stole the Mercedes Vito van, registration KF 55 XJJ, from outside a property in Bella Court, off The

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Taking new steps to A-Level success

If you made the grade on results’ day, congratulations, you can sit back and dream about a new life soon to begin at university. But if you did not get exactly what you needed, and the dream now seems distant, one question will dominate: Now what

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Girls realising their hopes and dreams

The waiting is over. Throughout England and Wales 18-year-old school leavers have spent the last few weeks trying not to think about their A and AS-Level results, which are now published. For the vast majority of our students, their hopes will be realised

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Not end of world if results were not as you wanted

Underachievement at A or AS-Level — even by potentially very able students — is extremely common. Every year in August, the narrators of the story change, but the tale itself remains remarkably consistent: “My GCSEs were good, but the AS was a

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Keeping the vision — Rye St Antony celebrates 80 years

Alison Jones, headmistress of Rye St Antony, looks at the vision of her school’s foundresses and the significance of the faith life of a school community. Rye St Antony is exceptional as a Catholic independent school for girls in having been founded

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Nursery to sixth form: 150 successful years

At this time of year parents start looking through educational supplements and league tables to try to decide on a school for their child, which is probably one of the most important decisions they will have to make — matching his or her abilities

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Service and action

For A-Level and AS students at Headington and across the country, today is a big day — the culmination of all of their sixth form studies. But there is one group of Headington sixth formers who have not spent a moment this summer waiting for examination

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Taking stock for future achievement

A-Level results day is inevitably an anxious one for anyone who sat the exams in the summer. For those in the first year of the sixth form, the results will hopefully provide confirmation of the hard work put in earlier in the academic year, and

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In a league of its own

Magdalen College School’s Clark Glasgow, who has recently taken his A-Levels, explains why he, and more and more British students, are now considering an American university. All the statistics in the press suggest more and more top UK students are choosing

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Moth evening postponed

A moth and bat spotting evening planned for St Mary & St John Churchyard, in Oxford, tonight has been postponed because of heavy rain forecast for this evening. It will now be held - weather permitting - on Thursday, September 2, from 8.30pm onwards.

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Teen is checkmate champ

A SCHOOLBOY’s trophy cabinet is bulging after he pipped the reigning chess champion to the post to win a British title. Marcus Harvey, 14, beat his teenage counterpart by one point to win the under 14 title in the British Chess Championships, at the

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Fishing tackle shop raided

Police today appealed for witnesses after a burglary of a fishing tackle shop in Bicester. Burglars smashed their way into the J & K Tackle shop in Sheep Street at about 3.30am last Friday and stole fishing equipment. Details of the burglary were

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Brize Norton aircrew aid Pakistan aid effort

A CREW from RAF Brize Norton is delivering vital aid to thousands of people stranded by the Pakistan floods. A Boeing C-17 Globemaster aircraft operated by 99 Squadron has been called in by the Department for International Development (DFID

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Bay abusers and parking pests face £30 fines

EXTRA patrols to curb problem parking in Wantage will be made by police over the next two months. Residents have been complaining about motorists misusing disabled bays, parking on double yellow lines and ignoring time limits. Officers will be stepping

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Cut in car spaces cripples takings for traders

TRADERS claim they will lose up to 70 per cent of their income if much of Bicester’s Market Square becomes a pedestrians-only zone. Shopowners said the staging of a fair and the creation of a construction base in the Crown Walk car park last week would

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Rail bridge work will block Kennington rat-run

KENNINGTON residents hope a five-month road closure will put the brakes on drivers using their village as a rat-run. The railway bridge carrying the old Abingdon Road over the Oxford-Didcot main line will be shut from this November until March

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Pedigree shines through in 9-5

For a time last year it seemed the Saab name would cease to exist. Embroiled in the troubles of its parent company GM, Saab looked like it would simply be swallowed up, leaving behind an illustrious history as well as many loyal owners high and dry.

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Radio station's Glee stunt hits global headlines

FOR Oxfordshire fans of hit TV show Glee, unfortunately, it was all a joke. Managers at FM107.9 have been stringing along listeners since Monday, claiming the radio station would be relaunched as Glee FM and would play nothing but songs from

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Reading Festival

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Education computing firm RM makes redundancies

EDUCATION software company RM has declined to reveal how many jobs have been lost as a result of the Government scrapping its Building Schools for the Future programme. The company, based at Milton Park, near Didcot, confirmed it had made a “small number

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ATHLETICS: Double gold for Kuester

David Kuester, of Bicester AC and Oxford City AC Veterans won two gold medals at the Welsh Masters Open Track & Field Championships at the Cardiff International Stadium. Competing in the 65+ age group, Kuester won the javelin (35.81m) and hammer (33.15m

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BAR BILLIARDS: Oxford take a big lead

Oxford A took a commanding 4-1 victory in the first leg of their Inter-Area Cup third round tie against Eynsham A at the Gladiators Club. Skipper Kevin Godfrey knocked up two 7,000 breaks in his score of 15,100 as Oxford took the opening game. Eynsham

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Man robbed by gang in Christ Church Meadow

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was attacked and robbed in Christ Church Meadow, Oxford. The 20-year-old man was walking along the footpath beside the river in Christ Church Meadow, when he was approached by three men who demanded

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Marmaduke

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Expendables

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Piranha 3D

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Salt

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Reading Festival

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Cannabis conviction scuppers' promising future'

A WOULD-BE investment banker found with a stash of cannabis and diazepam in his student house has “waved goodbye to a promising future”. Police raided 23-year-old Mohammed Hassan’s house in Marston Road, Oxford, on June 28 last year and found 92.25 grams

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Local share prices (AM)

AEA Technology 18 BMW 3586 Electrocomponents 210.7 Nationwide Accident Repair 82.5 Oxford Biomedica 10 Oxford Catalyst 80 Oxford Instruments 336.2 Reed Elsevier 536.25 RM 129.5 RPS Group 174.8 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

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Blow me! Vuvuzela takes place in Oxford dictionary

IT MADE its mark on the World Cup, now it’s made its mark on the English language. The vuvuzela, the giant plastic horn which provided the soundtrack to this summer's football, has been included in the latest edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English

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A helping hand

Growing businesses and those that have been downsizing in the recession both need one thing — decent administrative support. Small firms often cannot afford a full-time role but need back-up as and when required, while a shrinking company may decide

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Police arrest wrong man in hunt for graffiti vandal

THE search for the graffiti vandal behind hundreds of “Soak” tags is continuing after police picked up a man who claimed never to have used a spray-paint can. Gardener David John, of Walton Street, Jericho, was arrested on suspicion of causing

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ROWING: Georgia and Fiona are the golden girls

Georgia Howard-Merrill and Fiona Gammond stunned themselves and their rivals as they powered to Britain’s second gold in Singapore yesterday. The Headington School pupils, who were part of Great Britain’s gold medal winning eight at the recent

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Speed camera data 'misleading'

SPEED camera bosses have been accused of misleading the public over claims more motorists are speeding since the cameras were switched off on August 1. Last week, Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership said a roadside camera on the A44 in Woodstock

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What's the difference?

SO CHIEF Constable Sara Thornton says people should get involved more in dealing with antisocial behaviour (Oxford Mail, August 3), but what if they get injured? The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board will not pay out if the victim was partly to

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Simple steps

I READ with interest the letter by Paul Hughes, headed Chaotic city centre (Oxford Mail Viewpoints, August 12). I agree with Mr Hughes’s concern on the lack of discipline not given out by students, who are supposed to be responsible for groups of foreign

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Real vandalism

Yes, the vandals should not have stolen copper wires which led to delays for rail commuters, but Keith Mitchell sadly deserves a more incisive title not of just moron, but pompous prig too. I too could use other words to describe his actions – as the

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Crude treatment of criminals won’t help

I welcome county council leader Keith Mitchell’s apparent support for non-custodial sentences for some offenders. However, his proposed alternatives seem crude, impractical and counter-productive. Martin Roberts and William Morris (Oxford Mail ViewPoints

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COMMENT: Public misled by statistics

THE deception of the public over speed camera statistics once again raises the spectre that safety is taking a back seat to the political machinations of a cabal of organisations protecting their own self-interests. Oxfordshire County Council cannot

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GREYHOUNDS: Raven can scare duo

There's £3,750 up for grabs in what promises to be a great night’s action at Oxford Stadium on Thursday night, writes John Gaisford. Former leading owner Max Picinelli is backing both big races and five supporting opens through his business

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AUNT SALLY: Roaring Lyon sinks George

Neil Lyon was in devastating form, clanging off a brace of sixes in his 14-doll haul as Three Pig-eons beat The George 2-1, writes ANDY BEAL. George set 28 in the opening leg of their Premier/Section 1 clash, which seemed to be enough when Pigeons were

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The Insider: A weekly update from the corridors of power

The Insider congratulates Oxford city councillor Patrick Murray on his recent marriage to Olga Ivannikova. The ceremony was followed by a reception in north Oxfordshire, where the happy couple were joined by friends and family – including some of Mr

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Don't feed the birds

THERE are notices in and around Queen Street and Bonn Square saying: ‘No cycling…no litter…no chewing gum…no alcohol’. But we badly need a notice saying: ‘Do not feed the pigeons’. Visitors eating sandwiches in Bonn Square feed the pigeons every day

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Heads in the sand

SPEEDING is up in Oxford following speed cameras switch-off (Oxford Mail, August 12). The 20mph speed limit signs in St Giles are officially not enforced by the police. Oxford University Parks ban cycling, but officials seem to turn a blind eye to

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True kindness

I just had to write to say how heart-warming it is to find there is still a strong sense of community spirit in Kidlington. I have just returned from the funeral of my aunt, Marlene Denton. She was a colourful character around Kidlington High Street

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No courtesy

KEITH Mitchell, leader of the county council and clearly on the more progressive wing of the Conservative Party, suggests that the vandals who stole copper cabling from the railway in Tilehurst should, you report, be put in stocks and have rotten fruit

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GOLF: Oxon girls in foursomes triumph

There were mixed fortunes for Oxfordshire’s girls in their four-cornered county week against Berkshire, Bucks and Hertfordshire at Temple. The week started in great fashion for Oxon when they won the foursomes stableford competition with 106 points to

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GOLF: Robinsons united in success

Former Oxford United captain Les Robinson continued his winning streak at Tadmarton Heath by scooping the Banbury Town Cup Open Competition with a nett 65 ahead of Barry Warmsley, John Perry (both 66) and Phil Hackett (67). The best gross score of the

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GOLF: Gregor, 9, in Grand display

Gregor McKenzie, from Kirtlington, continued his winning form with a four-shot victory at the British Junior Golf Tour Grand Final held at Heythrop Park The promising nine-year old had rounds of 97 and 99 to finish four shots clear after being joint

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GOLF: Rowlands just misses out on £10,000 jackpot

Neil Rowlands, Chipping Norton's director of golf, shot the lowest round of the day in the televised Trilby Professional Final at the Buckinghamshire, but missed out on the £10,000 first prize. His four-under-par round of 66 put him ahead of European

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'Spies' drop in for a spot of breakfast

FIFTY years ago the sight of Russian soldiers having breakfast at an English pub would have set alarm bells ringing. But these airmen were welcomed with open arms at the Plough in Wolvercote – even though they are here on official ‘spying’ business.

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Oxford Utd Res 1, Southend Utd Res 1

Mitchell Cole netted against his old club as Oxford United Reserves drew with Southend Res in their opening Totesport.com Football Combination fixture at Didcot Town. In front of watching boss Chris Wilder, Cole put the U’s ahead after nine minutes

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RAF display pilot involved in 'incident'

AN RAF pilot has been suspended from flying at air shows following an undisclosed “incident”, the Ministry of Defence said last night. Flight Lieutenant Tom Saunders, who grew up in Bladon, has been withdrawn from his role as the solo display pilot for

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Race to help flood victims

BANBURY’S Asian community has launched a appeal to raise cash for the millions of people affected by floods in Pakistan. So far about £2,000 has been raised for Flood Appeal Pakistan but now residents plan to step up fundraising initiatives. The

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Fraudster conned £28k out of retired teacher

A FRAUDSTER tricked a retired school teacher out of more than £28,000 after befriending her while she was on holiday in Portugal. Sheldon Gould, 37, of Osney Court, Botley Road, Oxford, was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to five charges of

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Another recordbreaking A-level year

One in 12 A-level exams was awarded an A* grade today as sixth-formers scored another recordbreaking year of results. A total of 69,302 exam entries (8.1 per cent) were awarded the new top grade, according to figures published by the Joint

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GMC to investigate suspended Oxford GP

THE General Medical Council (GMC) has launched an investigation into a city doctor suspended by NHS Oxfordshire, it emerged last night. Dr Mark Huckstep, who worked at Wolvercote Surgery and Kendall Crescent Health Centre in North Oxford, was suspended

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Focusing on the future

The poor old young. Never before have jobless figures for the six million people in the UK between 18 and 24 been so high — at 17.5 per cent. And never before has the scrabble to find something to do, and avoid the NEET (Not in Economic, Education, or

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Asbo study

The Government should take seriously the thoughts of those in Oxford who say Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (Asbos) have been effective in curbing unruly behaviour on the city’s estates. It is very easy for one government to overturn what the previous

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Wine, cheese and charcuterie

Having featured Oxford wine bar Bottega in The Oxford Times when it opened in March, it seemed a good time to pop back to see how it was getting along. Unfortunately, the cafe in Walton Street does not yet open at lunchtime, though co-founder Chris

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Cupcakes and coffee

Dawn Gigg was growing tired of corporate life. After 20 years in management consultancy in the human resources sector she needed a new challenge, especially as the recession was putting a dampener on her firm. She explained: “Business

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Zouming along nicely

Modern languages teacher Monica Hyde knew that music helped her pupils to learn French, but was frustrated that there weren't enough good songs around. So she decided to write her own, helped by the fact that her husband, John, is a professional composer

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Sweet taste of success

Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins famously sang that ‘a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down’. Children, the elderly and infirm, and those on regular medication will heartily endorse her words. Healthy adults can take a few bitter pills or liquids for

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Sweet dreams at 19th hole

Paul Gibbons did not get where he is today without identifying a good deal and driving a hard bargain to boot. So in 2002, when prestigious golf club the Oxfordshire went into liquidation, he threw his hat into the ring by making an offer — £5m take

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Unwiring our future

Medical and consumer electronics markets are converging. Advanced semi-conductor technology is transforming the medical services market and at the forefront of this latest generation of high-tech healthcare is a new way of monitoring the human

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Rising from the ashes

Fire struck last year at Daylesford, the farm and farm shop straddling the Oxfordshire-Gloucestershire border operated by the Bamford family, owners of the JCB company. The food hall burned down causing some disruption, but this year a new barn has risen

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Boss wants Oxford United to be more ruthless

Chris Wilder has told his Oxford United players: “Forget the hard luck stories.” The U’s boss says he doesn’t want to be over-critical of his players, who he feels have been the better side in all three games so far this season. But he doesn’t want

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Row erupts over 'misuse' of speed camera data

SPEED camera officials have been accused of releasing “misleading” figures after it emerged fewer drivers were breaking the law at a camera site since Oxfordshire’s cameras were switched off. Last week, Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership claimed

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Uncertainty as RM axes jobs

Educational software company RM has declined to reveal how many jobs have been lost as a result of the Government scrapping its Building Schools for the Future programme. The company, based at Milton Park near Didcot, confirmed it has made a “small number

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Snapshot

The Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership has always had a big stake in the success of speed cameras in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. It was principally set up to manage the network of speed cameras across the three counties on

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Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 19/8/2010)

The whole point of torture porn is to aggravate its opponents. Most will join the chorus of disapproval without actually bothering to watch what they're protesting against. Even fewer will recognise that their revulsion matters more to the director than

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Parky at the Pictures (DVD 19/8/2010)

It's 65 years since the Netherlands was liberated by the Allies at the end of the Second World War and the anniversary is marked by the reissue of Paul Verhoeven's Soldier of Orange (1977), which won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Film

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The impatient patient

His restaurant may have been been named one of Britain’s top three eateries, but, by his own admission, Raymond Blanc is grumpy. The chef saw his double Michelin-starred restaurant Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, in Great Milton, climb five places

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A Dodo at Oxford

It threatens to be the most explosive ‘lost diary’ find since the supposed discovery of the Hitler diaries were announced to a frenzy of worldwide interest 27 years ago. For the diary that has been unearthed in an Oxfam charity shop in central

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Charity bid to lift disabled sex taboo

THE mother of a man with Down’s syndrome is setting up a charity so disabled people can use prostitutes. Otto Baxter, 23, from Steventon, was so desperate to lose his virginity he appeared in a TV show last March in his quest to find a girlfriend. His

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Pair pedal to Paris for Alzheimer charity

A TRIP to Paris is most people’s idea of a holiday, but Witney friends Mark Holloway and Andrew Fisher are doing it the hard way. The friends will set off from London on Wednesday, September 15, on a 320-mile sponsored cycle to the French capital

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No mixed sex ward in county hospitals

PATIENTS in Oxfordshire hospitals will never have to share accommodation with the opposite sex, except in emergency situations, NHS managers say. A senior nurse director said the only time patients would share their ward would be when it was “absolutely

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Organised crime

Sir – It seems a little disingenuous of the police to be shifting the blame for cycle theft on cyclists who don’t lock their bikes to fixed structures or use secure locks (Report, August 5). My daughter’s very ordinary, oldish bike was stolen within

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Quarry dangers

Sir – During the long school holidays, young people will be looking for excitement and places to hang out with their friends. I would like to appeal to parents in your area to ensure that their youngsters are not tempted to enter into local quarries

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Incinerator decisions

Sir – You have published as a matter of great public interest for three successive weeks a photo of the proposed incinerator with its 82-metre high chimney stack that was refused Oxfordshire County Council planning permission in October 2009. Following

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Game on to help everyone find a way to play

Everyone knows how vital play opportunities are, particularly for young children. However, many children with disabilities miss out on the wide range of benefits and enjoyment that come from playing games with their friends and family. Because

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Too cool

Sir – During the recent heatwave I think many shoppers have ‘enjoyed’ taking refuge in a supermarket, where it has been delightfully cool, so cool that the assistants are usually wearing fleeces while they work. However this haven comes at a cost.

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Sad end of hotel

Sir – Chris Koenig (Weekend, August 5) looked back at the sad end of the Clarendon Hotel. As he reminded us, it is generally accepted that it was Harold Macmillan, a graduate and later Chancellor of Oxford University, who personally decided to allow

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Fascinating people

Sir – You refer (August 12) to a police warning about “aggressive begging” in Oxford, by “gangs of Romanian women” . . . “dressed in fairly typical Romanian clothing, with long flowing skirts and long hair”. I do not know how familiar people may

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Seas and oceans need your help

In November of last year, after nearly a decade of campaigning by the wildlife trusts and partners, the Marine and Coastal Access Bill was passed. It is fantastic news for our seas, promising sustainable development of the marine and coastal environment

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Hypnotic turbines

Sir – In response to John Webber (Letters, July 29), not only will industrial heritage groups be nurturing wind turbines in 100 years time, Oxford will be known as the City of Dreaming Spires and Hypnotic Turbines. Not sure about waste incinerators.

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Lack of versatility

Sir – Your editorial about the extravagance of Oxford City Council in spending £70,000 on a non-playworthy pirate ship (July 29) will ring a bell with many North Hinksey parishioners. North Hinksey Parish Council and the Vale of the White Horse District

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Three cheers

Sir – Minutes after getting off a bus, I realised I had been stupid enough to leave my handbag on it. Rushed back to the bus stop, but the bus had gone. At home, I phoned the Oxford Bus Company and got through to a recorded voice telling me that the

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Collecting plastics

Sir – I moved to Oxford three years ago and I was delighted to find that Oxfordshire County Council provided a large skip for recycling light plastics at the Redbridge Recycling Depot, as such plastics can account for 50 per cent of waste which

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Disgusting mess

Sir – Water features in some new towns are very nice and very pleasant to sit beside on a hot day, whilst resting from shopping. However, in Bicester we have a water feature (more like a rubbish feature) as this moat has got all kinds of rubbish thrown

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Pointless polarisation

Sir – Can someone tell me why Oxfordshire County Council had to announce the fact that they were turning off the speed cameras? After all, it is known that only a small percentage were active at any one time: the deterrent effect relates to the fact

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Government cut budget

Sir – John Power’s ability to dress up an untruth as an apparently unassailable statistic (Letters, August 12) never ceases to amaze me. Our budget is close to a billion pounds per annum. Just about half of that slithers straight through our financial

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Traffic will speed up

Sir – We need facts, not prejudices, in the debate about the efficacy of speed cameras. For years we have been told that they have reduced speeds and reduced accidents; the evidence is there, as highlighted by your correspondent Dani Rabinowitz among

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Worrying insight

Sir – The Conservative administration at County Hall voted to press ahead with plans to close Oxford School and put a new academy in its place. In doing so it ignored the 78 per cent of respondents to the consultation who disagreed with the plans.

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Agapanthus: Singing the blues

Many years ago I was teaching and looking after a family of small children. I had a 30-minute car journey to school every morning when I hopefully transformed myself from harassed mother into competent teacher. I always tuned into Danny Baker on Five

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Wilfred Thesiger in Africa: Pitt Rivers Museum

This exhibition marks the centenary of Wilfred Thesiger’s birth in Addis Ababa, Abyssinia, now Ethiopia. It is the first exhibition ever to explore Thesiger’s long-standing relationship with Africa, a continent to which he was to return again and again

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Volcano: Turner to Warhol: Compton Verney

It seems a way to go to watch a 14 minute 30 second film, but even if to see James P Graham’s breathtaking footage of Stromboli were your only reason for visiting the Volcano: Turner to Warhol exhibition at Compton Verney, Warwickshire this summer

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Yeomen of the Guard: Oxford Castle

Oxford Castle has witnessed some extraordinary sights during its 1000-year history, but never has it seen colourfully-dressed Yeomen striding among its ancient walls. All that is about to change, as the castle is soon to become the backdrop for

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A good pub wine list worth a trip

I love a well-cooked, homely pub meal and am happy to be within walking distance of three (four if the legs are fresh!) that offer up a fair selection of food. On the downside, the wine selection in each establishment is dire and, while I am not averse

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Wines of Alsace, £106

The vineyards of Alsace are concentrated in a narrow strip on the lower eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains at altitudes of 175-420 metres. These provide a good balance between temperature, drainage and sun exposure. This is an area of quality wine