Archive
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School gardeners celebrate success
The winners of a school gardening competition have been rewarded for their hard work. Witney Schools in Bloom has been running for 14 years and aims to get school children planting flowers and enjoying the outdoors. Each of the 13 schools from around
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COMMENT: Winners all round
IT IS good to see Ferrol Steel — the so-called Bushman of Blackbird Leys — turning his life around with the help of Oxford City Council. Mr Steel was living in a bush but now has a flat supplied by the council. It is not just Mr Steel who is now benefitting
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'Council flat has turned my life around'
A MAN who slept rough on Oxford’s largest estate for five years said his new council house has changed his life. Ferrol Steel said his quality of life had improved “dramatically” since he moved into his one-bedroom flat in Sandy Lane, Blackbird
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Crash victims' conditions improve
The condition of two teenagers fighting for their lives after a crash in Horspath improved tonight. The 19-year-old driver and a 17-year-old passenger were both in a critical but stable condition at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital. They were in a red
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Anger at course payments to prison inmates
BULLINGDON Prison near Bicester has started paying cash bonuses to convicts attending rehabilitation and anger management sessions, despite prison officers’ protests. Inmates are already compelled to attend the classes to secure early release, but now
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Leys pre-school gets top marks from Ofsted
THE only pre-school left on Oxford’s largest estate has been given the thumbs-up by education inspectors – two years after it faced closure. Shepherds Hill Pre-School, based at Windale Primary School, is now rated outstanding by Ofsted. It was rated
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Martial arts club kicks out boredom
A MARTIAL arts group is keeping young people on the straight and narrow on an Oxford estate, and sweeping up international awards at the same time. The Oxford Sport and Traditional Martial Arts group has been running for almost a decade in the Barton
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Local shares (PM)
AEA Technology 7.3 BMW 4283 Electrocomps 242 Nationwide Accident Repair 105.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.5 Oxford Catalysts 62.25 Oxford Instruments 544 Reed Elsevier 553.25 RM 145.25 RPS Group 191.3 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley
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Eager to please but well able to attack
Twenty years ago at a wedding more than usually star-studded in attendance I found myself seated during the munching and swigging part of the event next to Douglas Adams, of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame. He spent the afternoon on his mobile
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The Half Moon, Cuxham, near Watlington
Reputations, they say, are fiendishly hard to build but often destroyed in minutes. No matter how many customers are pleased or rave reviews published, the above maxim stalks those in the restaurant business with unrelenting vigour. Restaurants
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Ready to meet comic actor Ronnie
I am greatly looking forward to Tuesday night’s star-studded opening of the Ambassador Theatre Group’s Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. This is chiefly because it will bring me into close proximity with the wonderful Cilla Black, who is performing
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Recipe for Lotte Duncan's Winter Tonic Jelly
Nothing is wasted in Lotte Duncan’s kitchen, even bruised windfall apples can be used to create delicious treats and preserves that can be enjoyed throughout the winter. Her Winter Tonic Jelly, that is spiced up with cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise
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Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Mr Nice
More than 20 years after Michael Douglas won an Oscar as scheming Wall Street trader Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone’s Wal Street, the character’s mantra — “Greed is good” — rings louder and clearer than ever. The global recession continues to bite and much
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Lotte shows how it is in a fine new recipe book
Cookery demonstrator and broadcaster Lotte Duncan, from Long Crendon, is convinced that if she had published a cookery book a decade ago, it would not have been the right time. Had she worked on it earlier she is sure it would not have been as good and
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The Railway Station Oxford might have had
The railways came to Oxford comparatively late — thanks to the university authorities’ fear that the bright lights of London might tempt undergraduates away from their studies and generally undermine the cloistered world of dreaming spires. The Warden
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Spend Spend Spend! Oxford Playhouse
Zip goes a million! Actually it was the equivalent of £5m in today’s money that Viv Nicholson and her husband Keith ripped through in high living after their legendary football pools win in 1961. Their story is told in Steve Brown and Justin Green’s
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Preview of Lenthall Concerts: Burford
Sholto Kynoch, local tenor Daniel Norman, the English String Orchestra and the Bochmann Trio are just some of the artists lined up for the new Lenthall Concerts series in Burford, which opens next Wednesday with a suitably gala-style occasion to mark
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Oxford Chamber Music Festival
The Oxford Chamber Music Festival is an event I always look forward to. This year’s theme, White Nights, offered a smorgasbord of musical delights from Scandinavia, the Baltics and St Petersburg. The enthusiasm of the musicians who come together and perform
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Simon and Tom Bloor; Manfred Pernice: Modern Art, Oxford
It’s good to be challenged and forced to reconsider one’s understanding of art. Modern Art Oxford is recognised for its complex, and sometimes quite quirky exhibitions which leave the visitor puzzling over the experience for some considerable time.
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Valse Sentimentale: Oxford Chamber Music Festival
On Friday night during the OCMF, legendary violinist Ivry Gitlis effortlessly stole the limelight with a typically adventurous and impish interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Valse Sentimentale, ably accompanied by pianist Katya Apekisheva. At 88, you’d think
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Preview of Marfan Come and Sing, Magdalen College
On Saturday, October 16, Magdalen College will host a Come and Sing day conducted by one of Britain’s foremost choral composers and conductors, John Rutter (right). Singers will be taken through Rutter’s own Requiem, plus “a mixture of choral gems old
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7734, Jasmin Vardimon: The Oxford Playhouse
In this gruelling, moving work, Israeli-born Jasmin Vardimon looks at the Holocaust, and, by flitting backwards and forwards in time, she examines how children reared on survivor stories become ‘memory-candles’. The work also highlights how easy it is
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Monteverdi Choir: Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford
A big birthday demands a big occasion: Wadham College was founded 400 years ago this year, so in celebration it decided to sponsor a performance of its musical twin — Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610. To guarantee the big occasion, Wadham, in partnership
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We Are The Ocean: O2 Academy
Back in the early part of this century, after the arena-filling overly macho frat boys of Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach had faded from view, there came an interesting development in alternative music. From a brief moment fans couldn’t get enough of bands
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Pam Ayres: The Oxford Playhouse
She’s come a long way in 35 years, has Pam Ayres — from a childhood in Stanford in the Vale and working as a secretary in Witney in the 1970s to her present status as ‘housewife superstar’ and poet-at-large for all classes. I last saw her live as a panellist
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Single Spies: The Watermill Theatre, Newbury
Perhaps because Guy Burgess and Anthony Blunt were both traitors, both toffs and both gay it has become traditional for the same actor to play them in productions of Alan Bennett’s 1989 double-bill Single Spies. Robert Powell and Nigel Havers did fine
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SCHOOLS FOCUS: Church Cowley St James
WITH 467 pupils, Church Cowley St James is the largest primary school in Oxford. New headteacher Jonathan Walker arrived from Lewknor in January, and said the school is now “improving rapidly”. A new values document, published in the spring, outlines
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Mini sales dip again
Sales of the Cowley-built Mini fell in the UK by more than 12 per cent in September, latest figures have revealed. Statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show 7,567 cars found buyers compared to 8,634 in the same month
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Britain set to enjoy Indian summer
Much of Britain is expected to be graced with an unusual spell of sunshine later this week, forecasters said. Sun worshippers seeking autumn rays will enjoy unseasonably warm temperatures with the mercury set to peak at 22C on Friday.
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FOOTBALL: City are on song
Oxford City Blues beat Tower Hill Ladies 4-0 at home in Division 2 of the Thames Valley League. City went in front inside five minutes when Amy Taylor netted from outside the box. Tower keeper Mandy Bev-an was injured in attempting a save, and had to
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Endurance championship deal signed
The Motor Sports Association and Britcar Limited have finalised an agreement for the creation of the MSA British Endurance Championship. The MSA British Endurance Championship will take its place on the MSA-sanctioned roster alongside the UK
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Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 7.4 BMW 4290 Electrocomps 243.6 Nationwide Accident Repair 106 Oxford Biomedica 9.45 Oxford Catalyst 62 Oxford Instruments 531.5 Reed Elsevier 550.5 RM 146.5 RPS Group 192.1 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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FOOTBALL: Powell's at the double
Former Oxford United star Paul Powell’s double gave Didcot Casuals a 2-1 home win over Lambourn Sport in Division 1, writes PHIL ANNETS. Adrian Mooney replied for Lambourn, but it wasn’t enough and the victory sees Didcot form part of a trio of teams
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Girl and boy robbed in Oxford
Police are appealing for witnesses after a girl and boy were robbed on their mobile phones in Littlemore. The incident happened shortly after 8pm on Monday in Champion Way, when a 14-year-old girl and her 15-year-old boyfriend were approached by a man
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Beaujolais trip will boost Helen House fund
STAFF from a Woodstock hotel will make a dash for it across the Channel to collect some of France’s finest wine to sell at a hospice fundraiser. Staff from The Feathers Hotel are gearing up to race to Beaujolais for the time-honoured tradition of collecting
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Burglars strike five times in Kidlington
Police are appealing for information after a series of burglaries in the Kidlington area over the past four days. Overnight between Saturday and Sunday, burglars forced their way into the Kidlington Recreational Trust Social Club in Yarnton Lane and
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Wedding ended in fight
A WEDDING reception ended in bloodshed when the bride’s family set upon the groom’s relatives. Violence erupted at the Royal British Legion in East Challow, near Wantage, as more than 100 guests marked the marriage of 19-year-old Jeanie Down
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FOOTBALL: Grieve grabs superb seven
Oxford Mail Girls League Hannah Grieve’s magnificent seven inspired Marston Saints Angels to a 16-0 victory over Chalgrove Cavaliers in the Under 14 League. Grieve’s seven goals were supplemented by Rosie Bradbury (3), Freedom Jackson (2), Alicia
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YOUTH FOOTBALL: Vikings on the rampage!
Jack Scott, Lewis Bartlett and Jamie Mariani hammered hat-tricks as Witney Vikings Youth cruised to a 15-1 victory over Banbury United in the Giles Sports Witney Youth Under 15 League. Luke Bolley added a brace, and there were further strikes for Sam
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COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Sad Simpson is off target
One of Oxfordshire’s best hopes of a medal, archer Nichola Simpson is out of the women’s individual archery competition in Delhi. Having come fourth in the qualifying competition, she lost 4-0 to Elizabeth Mitchell in the first knock-out round. It
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FOOTBALL: Heyford keep up unbeaten run
Heyford Athletic kept up their unbeaten record in Division 1 of the Banbury District & Lord Jersey FA with a 4-0 defeat against Kings Sutton. Mark Byrne (2), Wes Bone and Ryan Byrne were on target. Late on, Sutton’s Ollie Emblen and
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FOOTBALL: Deadly duo smash doubles
Braces from Aaron Howlett and Luke Beauchamp earned Bletchingdon Res a 5-2 victory at Broughton & North Newington Res in Division 2 of the Oxfordshire Senior League. Howlett’s double saw Bletchingdon take a 2-0 lead, only for Gareth Furey and Mark Jackson
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BENEFITS REFORM: Child benefit move 'unfair'
PARENTS in Oxfordshire have condemned a plan to cut child benefits for higher earners, claiming it is unfair and will hit stay-at-home mothers. A major criticism of the Government’s child benefit reform is that it will hit single parents and
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FOOTBALL: North Oxford are top
North Oxford took over at the top of the RT Harris Oxford City FA Division 1 with a 3-0 win at home to Inter Oxford. Joshua Peedle, a piledriver from Arron Stockford, and a penalty from their goalkeeper Dan Boyes completed their tally.
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FOOTBALL: Harper at the double in cup shock
Mark Harper bagged a double as Yarnton upset the odds with a shock 2-1 victory at Premier Division Eynsham in the first round of the President’s Cup. Eynsham took the lead through Tom Hall, only for Harper to equalise for the Division 1 side
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COMMENT: Coalition just can't win
THIS Government is in a no-win situation. With every move it makes to try to steady the economy and the deficit, it is attacked for yet another cut. But the question has to be: What else can it do? We are in a hugely difficult financial
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Development sticks out like sore thumb
Malcolm Everton praises the co-ordinated effort by Oxford City Homes officers, councillors and a local building firm for the refurbishment of Cardinal House, in Littlemore, and the new build at Lambourn Road, Rose Hill (Oxford Mail ViewPoints, September
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Sentence made no sense
JUDGE lets pub thug walk free (Oxford Mail, September 25). This puzzling headline took my eye straight away because for some time I have had an interest in the pronouncements of Judge Julian Hall. For a few months, this judge has made comments and given
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Muddle over new waste bins
B Fisher (Share the bins, Oxford Mail ViewPoints, September 28), wrote about the changes being made to the rubbish collections from the flats in Northcourt Road and Brookside, in Abingdon, namely, communal bins to be kept in new bin stores which have
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When will bus gate be tidied up?
COULD Oxfordshire County Council break its silence and tell the taxpayers of Oxford when they are going to finish the High Street bus gate? The bus gate area still looks like a building site months after the main road was resurfaced. For example, there
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Sassy & Single: Breaking elevator etiquette
AT THE weekend I met the person I’d really like to be in 30 years’ time. Strangely it was a man, but hey, it is 2010. That said, the fact he was a feller wasn’t the important bit, it was more the type of person he was. And even though I only spent
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FOOTBALL: Bolt strikes a four-timer
Mike Bolt notched a four-timer for Wychwood Forest as they beat Tetsworth 4-1 in the first round of the OFA John Fathers Junior Shield. Dan Sollis and Craig Isle were their other marksmen. KEA crushed Wootton Sports 6-0, Kevin Earl leading
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FOOTBALL: Thomas in four-goal haul
Chris Thomas bagged a four-timer as AC Finstock beat Minster Lovell 6-4 in the Premier Division of the Witney & District FA. Leigh Travers and Jed Riddy bagged a brace apiece for the hosts, but Thomas’s haul, and goals from Jim Baughan and Jason Blackman
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Please sign child diabetes petition
MY BROTHER has Type 1 diabetes so I know the impact it has on his day-to-day life and how important it is to manage the condition effectively. But I have heard stories from children and young people about the emotional difficulties they deal
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City mourns loss of comic legend
TRIBUTES have been paid to legendary comic Norman Wisdom, who has died aged 95. Sir Norman was a regular visitor to Oxfordshire, appearing in pantomime, opening supermarkets and even punting along the River Thames. Last night people in the county who
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Hundreds of call centre jobs to be axed
MOBILE telephone giant Vodafone is to close its Oxfordshire call centre with the loss of 400 jobs, it was revealed last night. The company said it was shutting its site at Banbury Business Park in Adderbury next year to “improve and simplify the service
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Crash partly blocks A4260
A crash involving three vehicles led to delays on the A4260 Banbury Road at Deddington today. The collision partially blocked the road outside the fire station, leading to slow traffic in the area and single alternate line traffic. Emergency services
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Friends 'too drugged' to save drowning man, inquest told
FRIENDS of a 29-year-old man who drowned skinny-dipping at Oxford’s Tumbling Bay were too “mashed” on Ketamine to help him, an inquest heard. Graffiti artist Dan Lewis, of Templars Close, Wheatley, had snorted the drug on Wednesday, June 2,
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We must maintain this standard, says Oxford United boss Wilder
Oxford United boss Chris Wilder is urging his team not to be flash against the best, and trash against the rest. He says it’s important the U’s follow up their impressive performance against League Two leaders Port Vale with a similar-standard
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Death crash trial halted by new evidence
THE trial of a man accused of killing a 53-year-old woman in a car crash collapsed yesterday after new evidence suggested it was a tragic accident. Pedro Cardoso was charged with causing the death of Linda Bennett by careless driving on the
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Lifelong United supporter is our Face in the Crowd
LIFELONG Oxford United supporter Dean Soanes was this week’s winner of our Face In The Crowd promotion. The 44-year-old computer analyst from Kidlington said the £75 prize couldn’t have come at a better time. He said: “Only the other day, I promised
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Sewage is smell of success for 200 homes
UP TO 200 householders will be able to heat their homes with renewable gas generated from waste at a sewage plant. Biomethane gas from the Thames Water depot in Basil Hill Road, Didcot, is now pumping enough gas through the National Grid to
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Grand work by United fans helps little Tess
OXFORD United fans joined forces with rival Port Vale supporters to raise more than £1,000 for a three-year-old girl with a rare disorder. In August, before the U’s played Accrington Stanley at the Kassam Stadium, U’s fan Dave Cudd read about the plight
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Plan targets cut in town-centre fumes
PLANS to divert traffic around Wallingford to reduce pollution in the town centre have been revealed by South Oxfordshire District Council. The draft plan focuses on encouraging through-traffic to bypass the town centre and persuading people
