Archive
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Rapunzel lets down hair at Mini car plant
ACTORS from the Creation Theatre Company and BMW managers let their hair down to celebrate the 10th production to be staged at the Cowley Mini plant. The shows are held in a massive tent for two months a year and have attracted 125,000 people since 2001
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Bin complaints calls still take ages
HOMEOWNERS are still having to wait an average of eight minutes to talk to a council call centre over a new bin system – even though calls have fallen. About 400 residents were last week having to wait eight minutes to get through to the call centre
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Rapunzel lets down her hair at Mini plant for new Creation production
ACTORS from the Creation Theatre Company and BMW managers let their hair down to celebrate the 10th production to be staged at the Cowley Mini plant. The shows are held in a massive tent for two months a year and have attracted 125,000 people since 2001
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Long delays on Vale council's bins helpline
homeowners are still having to wait an average eight minutes to talk to a council call centre over a new bin system – even though calls have fallen. About 400 residents were last week having to wait eight minutes to get through to the call centre run
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Help give pensioners a Christmas Day to remember
DIDCOT businesswoman Anna Gatrell wants volunteers to help her give lonely pensioners lunch on Christmas Day. More than 50 pensioners will gather at Didcot Day Centre in Britwell Road for the lunch, which is provided by local businesses. Mrs Gatrell
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Contrived Comedy
YOU AGAIN (U). Comedy/Romance. Kristen Bell, Odette Yustman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, James Wolk, Victor Garber, Billy Unger, Betty White, Kristin Chenoweth. Director: Andy Fickman. If aspiring directors could learn
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Kerr in In The Community
Tim Hughes chats to Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr about his solo side project, Lostboy. AS LEAD singer of chart giants Simple Minds, Jim Kerr was a stadium-filling pop icon. With five number one albums and a string of top 10 singles
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Beware of The Flowers 'Cos I'm Sure They're Gonna Get You...
Tim Hughes talks to veteran John Otway about doubling his tally of hits. YOU’VE got to hand it to John Otway. After 25 years of fame as the ultimate one-hit-wonder, the eccentric singer-songwriter went and did the improbable. He got another
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Stars line up to help Helen House
NEWSREADER Sir Trevor McDonald and actor Tom Hollander are to appear at an Oxford concert in aid of Helen & Douglas House hospice. They will provide readings at the musical event at University Church of St Mary the Virgin in High Street on Saturday,
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Fry Hard
Our drinks editor Jessica Mann attends opening night at The Crown in Oxford’s Cornmarket Street. The address was Cornmarket Street, but in my three years in Oxford I had never seen a pub there. McDonald’s, yes, even a Starbuck’s, but
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Page Turners
We take a look at the latest book releases... * Jump! by Jilly Cooper is published in hardback by Bantam Press, priced £18.99. The queen of the bonkbuster, right, is back with a horsey tale about jump racing. Set in fictional Larkshire
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Getting An Eiffel
ANGELA SWANN finally gets the break in Paris she has always dreamed of... MY TRACK record for visiting Paris was not good. The first attempt – on my way back from a holiday in Perpignan – found me so ill I couldn’t get off the coach. The
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Alien Mash-Up
SKYLINE (15). Sc-fi thriller. Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, Donald Faison, Brittany Daniel, Neil Hopkins, Crystal Reed. Close the blinds and stay very quiet if you want to survive in Skyline, a fast-paced sci-fi thriller
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Dynamic Duo
Comedians Armstrong and Miller are having their most successful year ever, as Katherine MacAlister discovers. ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG: Alexander Armstrong, or Xander as he likes to be called, is the happy-go-lucky, ever-smiling
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Top Trumps
Richard Bell tries out Progressively Less Elephant @ Baby Love Bar in King Edward Street, Oxford. Over the past couple of years, Baby Love Bar has very quietly and very subtly become one of my favourite venues in the city. This is a peculiar
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Youth parliament tells of plans if children ruled world
SIXTY primary school children from across the county have set the world to rights at the first meeting of Oxfordshire’s Children’s Parliament. Pupils from 15 schools discussed their ideas at Oxford’s County Hall, telling Oxfordshire County
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‘Please use special collars for your cat’
CAT owners are being urged to use quick release collars after a Kidlington cat suffered “horrific injuries”. The RSPCA is promoting collars which snap open if caught, so the cat does not get trapped. The appeal comes after a missing
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Visit boosts China links
STAFF and pupils at a Witney primary school made some new friends this week when the school was visited by Chinese teachers. Teachers from the Dongjun Primary School in Chang Sha, the capital city of Hunan, in south-central China, are visiting the Blake
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Christmas Concert for Heroes at Christ Church Cathedral
Oxfordshire's celebration of SSAFA's 125 years continuous support for the Armed Services and their families Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Saturday 4 December 2010 8.00pm (doors 7.15pm) Featuring Emilia Pountney, Soprano and the
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Nick tunes in to special award
OXFORD: Nick Chitty from the Oxford Hearing Centre is celebrating after receiving a special commendation in the UK Audiologist of the Year Awards. Judges picked out Mr Chitty from hundreds of entries across the UK highlighting his “dedication to both
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Truemans awarded QualitySolicitors brand
Oxford law firm Truemans has been selected as one of just 55 companies across the UK to carry the QualitySolicitors national legal brand. The scheme comes in advance of major changes in the legal market which will allow banks and retailers such as Tesco
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John Greening: Philanthropist
John Greening, famous for his philanthropy in Oxford, was born on December 10, 1921 in Radley, near Abingdon. He took to farming at a young age, and although this made him exempt from service, he joined the RAF aged 20. He went to Nova Scotia in August
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Nick joins growing ttMobiles team
Telecommunications firm ttMobiles based at Milton Park has appointed Nick Hadjirallis as a business analyst. Mr Hadjirallis previously worked for Oxford-based business research & consulting firm Frost & Sullivan as a strategic account manager for the
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ROWING: Golden girl Houghton so glad to be back
It was a golden week for Oxfordshire competitors at the World Chsampionships in New Zealand, where four of them captured gold medals. Wheatley’s Frances Houghton, Richard Chambers, from Henley, plus Paul Mattick and Zac Purchase from Wallingford all
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Local shares (PM)
AEA Technology 5.3 BMW 4579 Electrocomponents 248.8 Nationwide Accident Repair 100 Oxford Biomedica 9.7 Oxford Catalysts 68.5 Oxford Instruments 513.5 Reed Elsevier 533.75 RM 147 RPS Group 226.8 Courtesy of Redmayne
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£1.3m home and office
It took 200 skips, almost £700,000 and three years for a designer to transform a ruin into his perfect home and office. Guy Goodfellow, who runs an interior and architectural design company, bought Grade II-listed The Granary Barn in Watlington three
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United fan celebrates £4.4m Lotto win
AN Oxford United fan is celebrating today after winning more than £4 million on the Lottery. Graham Tustain, from Banbury, won £4,425,001 on Saturday's Lotto draw, but said the win would not change him and he still plans to go to weekly dominoes
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Character properties that offer tranquility
Two properties with a wealth of character might suit buyers who are looking for the tranquility of semi-rural life. Westbrook House is a stone-built house in the village of Piddington. The three/four-bedroom property includes a living room with vaulted
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Advantage to the savvy seller
Vendors should pitch their price to catch a buyer’s eye if they want to sell their property speedily, according to one agent. Witney-based Martyn Cox said: “The length of wait is dependent on the price being asked — high price, long wait: low price,
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The Sobell Christmas Craft Fair
Saturday 20 November 10.00am - 5.00pm Sunday 21 November 10.00am - 4.30pm Over 60 Stalls, Refreshements, Unique Gift Ideas Entry £4.00, Concessions £2.00 Radley College, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 2HR www.sobellhospicecharity.org.uk
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Delights of urban living
Urban living has many attractions, not least being able to walk to work or back from a bar or restaurant after a night out. Finders Keepers is marketing a canal-side penthouse with lift access, views over the city and two underground secure car parking
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Oxfordshire pauses to pay its respects
Thousands of people in towns and villages across the county paused for two minutes today to mark Armistice Day. Ceremonies took place to honour all who have fallen since WWI, including the 111 servicemen killed in Afghanistan in the past year.
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Developer will donate £10 for every visitor
Retirement home builder McCarthy & Stone will donate £10 to the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal for every visitor to its Banbury development this month. The company said it chose to support that particular charity because many of the residents were
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Making a meal of helping homeless
RESTAURANTS will add a voluntary £1 to diners’ bills as part of a Christmas fundraising drive for the homeless. Top restaurants have already signed up for StreetSmart 2010, which has raised more than £4.2m for the homeless since it was established in
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Lettings agency moves office
Lettings agent College & County is moving from its St Clements office to another next door. From November 17, the company’s new address will be 9-10, St Clements but all telephone numbers and other contact details will be the same. Jane Foster, of College
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Oxford United sign striker from Plymouth
Oxford United have signed their third player of the week - striker Steve Maclean joining on a month's loan from Plymouth Argyle. The 28-year-old forward is a Scottish Under 21 international who began his career at Glasgow Rangers. A
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Airport to buy £500,000 fire engine
A NEW Spanish-built fire engine costing £500,000 will be delivered to Oxford Airport, in Kidlington, next spring. Airport managing director Mike Sparrow said: “Our existing fleet is ageing and does not reflect the modern facilities of the airport. “
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Bicester car parts firm moves to Banbury
A COMPANY which has been based in Bicester for 27 years says it is being forced to move out due to a lack of suitable sites for expansion. Car parts wholesaler Firstline plans to move its 130 staff to a site just off junction 11 of the M40 at Banbury
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Man in court for breaching Asbo
A 49-year-old man appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court after he was arrested for breaching his anti-social behaviour order (ASBO). Leslie Belcher, of Magdalen Road, East Oxford, was given an ASBO on October 15, which imposes four conditions in relation
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Fashion chain H&M set for Witney
CLOTHING chain H&M is set to open a new store in Witney next year. The shop will occupy the last unlet unit in the Woolgate Shopping Centre, alongside the Next clothes store. Business leaders hailed the move as a major boost for the town. The Swedish
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Woman wakes to find burglar in room
An elderly woman woke to find a man posing as policeman in the bedroom of her Oxford home. At 9.30pm yesterday, the woman was woken by a man in her bedroom in a house in Monmouth Road, who claimed to be a policeman. The man told the woman that
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New London rail link will cut village service
A RURAL Oxfordshire train station could have its services cut. Lobbying by Islip villagers resulted in the number of trains calling at the station increasing from seven to 11 a day. But they would be cut to eight if plans for an Oxford-London rail link
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'Forgotten army' of wartime saboteurs should get a medal
THE GOVERNMENT has been urged to honour civilians trained in the Oxfordshire countryside to be Britain’s last line of defence against a Nazi invasion. They hope it will break a vow of silence by those who attended Coleshill House, on the Oxfordshire-Wiltshire
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The inside scoop on UFOs
VISITORS to the University of Oxford will be getting the inside scoop on alien activity later this month. Robert Hastings will speak on UFOs: The Secret Story, in which he alleges the US has a “covert response” to alien activity. He previously appeared
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BOWLS: Oxon stay unbeaten
Oxfordshire made it four wins from as many games in the English Short Mat Association Inter County Competition with a 32-8 victory over Worcestershire at Kidderminster. The 219-140 triumph on shots saw Oxon maintain their lead at the top of Group 2.
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'Cleared of sex charges, but my life is ruined'
A MAN cleared of sexually abusing children in Oxford said the ordeal has ruined his life. Edward Wakelin, 36, said since being acquitted he has been threatened, taunted and had stones thrown at his home in Barton. Last night he said more must be done
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Agency workers still face lay-offs threat
AGENCY workers at BMW’s Cowley Mini car plant could still be laid off without notice – despite new laws due to come into force next year. While the Agency Workers Regulations will see temporary staff enjoying many of the the same rights as their full-time
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Local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 5.35 BMW 4615 Electrocomponents 248.1 Nationwide Accident Repair 100 Oxford Biomedica 9.7 Oxford Catalysts 68.5 Oxford Instruments 521.5 Reed Elsevier 535.75 RM 147.5 RPS Group 222.8 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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GOLF: Club results
SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Knockout Cup final (Frilford Heath): Studley Wood 2½, Tadmarton Heath ½ (Studley Wood first): N Pettit & N Lawton bt G Sambrook & O King 1 hole, S Bulman & N Mortimer halved with S Hallam & L Robinson, M Stokes
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BAR BILLIARDS: Smith is hero in decider
Section 3 leaders Gladiators B slayed Section 2 pacesetters Marlborough Club 3-2 in the Johnson Buildbase Oxford League, writes PETE EWINS. With the match all square at 2-2, Pete Smith snatched victory for the hosts by beating Chris Bateman 3,500-1,750
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Oxford United sign Ben Futcher
Oxford United have signed 6ft 7in centre back Ben Futcher on loan from Bury until January. The 29-year-old defender, whose father Paul and uncle Ron were well-known footballers, becomes the second major signing of the week by manager Chris
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AUNT SALLY: Arthurs stars in 16-doll haul
Steve Arthurs reeled off a six in his 16-doll haul as Deddington ran out 6-0 winners over Chipping Norton in the Banbury Indoor League. Cricketers’ Phil Wilkins and Kevin Baker hit sixes as they posted 15 dolls apiece in a 4-2 win over Cowley Workers
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RUGBY: Griffin's England tour ends on high
Darrell Griffin had a winning end to rugby league’s Four Nations tournament in Australia and New Zealand. The Huddersfield Giants prop, from Witney, was an interchange as England defeated Papua New Guinea 36-10 in their final match. Victory meant England
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GOLF: Studley crowned knockout champions
Studley Wood are the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League Knockout Cup champions after defeating Tadmarton Heath 2½-½. Their victory at Frilford Heath comes on the back of Studley securing promotion from Section 2, while Tadmarton suffered more heartache
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ICE HOCKEY: Stars foiled in bid to cut gap
Oxford City Stars failed to make inroads on the English National League South Division 1 leaders after suffering a mixed weekend. Having recorded a superb 5-3 victory at Cardiff Blues, Stars went down to a disappointing 7-4 home defeat against
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COMMENT: Protect the club
WE must be careful now that legal proceedings are active, but hopefully the police arrests following violence at Oxford United games will quash this problem before it grows. It is now up to the courts to decide if those arrested are answerable
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Directors ‘cooked firm’s books’
TWO businessmen have gone on trial accused of “cooking the books” of an Oxfordshire firm to the tune of £1.6m. Christopher Ford, 47, and Edwin Dayan, 57, are accused of putting non-existent revenue through the accounts of Witney-based Torex
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Five held over United clashes
POLICE have arrested five people suspected of being involved in hooliganism at Oxford United matches. Officers went to a flat in Littlemore yesterday and arrested a man suspected of using threatening behaviour at United’s game against Aldershot
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GOLF: Pepperell's Walker Cup call
Eddie Pepperell has been named in Great Britain and Ireland’s provisional Walker Cup squad. The 19-year-old Drayton Park member is in a 23-man training squad for the match against USA at Royal Aberdeen next September. Pepperell, who represented England
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We deserve better than an incinerator
At the county council meeting on Tuesday, Labour councillor John Tanner put a motion, amended by the Liberal Democrats, which read: “This council believes that the cabinet is mistaken in signing a 25-year multi-million pound contract with Viridor for
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Handbag alert
I’M pleased that former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher has recovered from her recent poor health and been able to return home from hospital. Although for it to happen at the same time as a new military co-operation treaty is signed between Britain and
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Casualty station
I AM writing in response to John Woodcock’s letter headed Hospital Idea (Oxford Mail ViewPoints, November 1) No John, there never was a hospital at RAF Bicester but there was a staging post for casualties from the Gulf War in 1991. It was an ex-Second
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Show gratitude
I was confronted by the crowd of students marching along Broad Street as shown in your picture (Oxford Mail, October 29). It is good that young people look so healthy, strong, happy and decently clothed. I am very elderly, somewhat frail and must walk
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Cause for concern
Thank you for reporting so fully on the Escape to Safety exhibition (Oxford Mail, October 29). We are grateful for your attention, particularly to Filda’s experience. The exhibition was an important collaboration between a number of groups which support
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Consistent view
Craig Simmons (Oxford Mail ViewPoints, November 2) is correct in suggesting that one prominent Labour councillor was in favour of incineration. The two of them may well have disagreed on the issue in the pages of the Oxford Mail. Mr Simmons is, however
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College plans to close down historic city centre pub
A HISTORIC city centre pub is facing closure after an Oxford University college unveiled plans to convert the building for teaching and college social use. The Turl Bar, in Turl Street, is owned by Lincoln College, which also owns the neighbouring
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Nick Clegg pulls out of Union debate
DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg has pulled out of a visit to Oxford next week. Mr Clegg had been due to visit the Oxford Union for a debate with university Students next Thursday. A statement from the Cabinet Office said Mr Clegg was
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Remember the local residents
County council leader Keith Mitchell claims in his letter (Oxford Mail ViewPoints, November 5) that the way forward is to “rebalance our local economy by growing the private sector”. One of the ways we can do this is for councils to encourage and support
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THE INSIDER: Weekly update from the corridors of power
A political battle has broken out in the fair town of Witney – with the two main parties jockeying for position on the vexed subject of our age. No not civil liberties, terrorism, immigration or unemployment... this row sees opponents trying to outdo
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RUGBY UNION: Stanley's call up Archer
Former England lock Garath Archer will play for the Major Stanley’s XV against Oxford University next Wednesday (3pm). The 35-year-old, who won 21 caps for his country, is joined by Portuguese international flanker Salvador da Cunha in the
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ATHLETICS: Super Naylor off to a flier
Woodstock Harriers’ Steve Naylor made a successful start in the league as he cruised to victory in the opening round at Ascott-under-Wychwood on Sunday. After several days of rain, the skies cleared for the first race in the 2010-11 season, and with
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ATHLETICS: Meadows backs England to emerge
WORLD and European bronze medallist Jenny Meadows believes Oxford City’s Hannah England can use her successful 2010 season as a stepping stone to future success – having made not one but two international finals this year. It looked as if England would
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Power cut hits city centre businesses
A POWER cut knocked out the computer servers of councils and businesses in Oxford city centre. About 150 businesses were hit by the power cut at shortly before 8am yesterday, which Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSE) said was caused by a fault with
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Ex-pupil blows up school in cartoon
THOUSANDS of schoolchildren dream of smashing up their school. But few grow up to see their wishes encapsulated in the vivid technicolour of their own comic book story. Neill Cameron’s story, Mo-Bot High, told in the form of a Japanese-style Manga comic
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Carbon group wins top award
A COMMUNITY group formed three years ago to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Oxford has been named as Oxfordshire’s charity of the year. Low Carbon West Oxford received the award at an awards ceremony last night at North Oxford Golf Club
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Heart attack theory on light aircraft crash
A PILOT flying a private light aircraft that crashed may have died before the aircraft went down in a field near Bladon, an accident report has said. A post mortem examination showed that pilot Anthony Corr, 55, had severe coronary heart disease. An
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COMMENT: City people need homes in Oxford
WE wish Oxford City Council well in its hunt for private money to prop up its plans to build about 800 homes on the edge of the city. For too long, people born in this city have had to move out to Abingdon, Kidlington, Bicester and Didcot in
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800 homes planned in city
OXFORD City Council has admitted it cannot rely on social housing cash to pay for a planned 800 home development at Barton West. Councillors yesterday agreed to look for an investor for the scheme on council-owned land on the edge of the city
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Russians buy stake in Virgin F1 team
Virgin Racing announced today that Russian sportscar company Marussia Motors has acquired a significant shareholding in the team. From the 2011 season the team will be known as Marussia Virgin Racing. Virgin Racing, which has its technical
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Fall-out of Rok's collapse
It’s not easy these days for a council to complete cherished projects. Threats to finance are liable to jump out of the woodwork from unlikely sources — quite apart from the longer term Government cuts that are beginning to bite. As a case in point,
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Cherwell features in manga book
Thousands of schoolchildren dream of smashing up their school, but few grow up to see their wishes encapsulated in the vivid technicolour of a comic story book. Neill Cameron's story Mo-Bot High, told in the form of a Manga comic strip, features Asha,
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Reading Shakespeare's Sonnets
Reading Shakespeare's Sonnets by Don Paterson (Faber, £17.99) Shakespeare’s sonnets are the key with which he unlocked his heart, according to Wordsworth. We know very little about his life, but these 154 poems tell some sort of complicated and agonising
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Cotswold Collection
The expression ‘picture postcard village’ could have been made for the Cotswolds, and many of them appear in The Cotswold Collection (Goldeneye, £25), which covers an area from Bradford on Avon in the south to Tewkesbury in the north, with a foray
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Traffic light failure causes M40 delays
Queues built up on the M40 around junction nine near Wendlebury today after traffic lights failed on the roundabout. Delays were reported in both directions following the power failure which also affected some street lights in the area.
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Books choice
by Roddy Brooks The Confession John Grisham (Century, £18.99) Grisham’s legal-based thrillers are gripping reading. In The Confession an innocent man is on death row and the bloodthirsty people of the state of Texas won’t allow a last-minute confession
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Local author
Su Yen is a Taiwanese designer who studied historic building conservation at Oxford Brookes University. Her book, Dear Su Yen, written with English tutor Roy Preece, of Little Tew, describes her discovery of England through its poetry, painting and architecture
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When a Billion Chinese Jump
WHEN A BILLION CHINESE JUMP Jonathan Watts (Faber, £14.99)Jonathan Watts, Asia environment correspondent for the Guardian newspaper, writes here about the four corners of China, starting with the modern story of Shangri-La and of the impact of the world
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Appeal to find missing teenagers
Two schoolgirls have not been seen since Tuesday after getting on a bus to Oxford from Thame. Hannah Waters, 16, and Joanna Walters, 15, were last seen yesterday at 10.30am yesterday on Tuesday boarding a 280 bus in Thame town centre heading for the
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Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 11/11/2010)
Some stars are irresistibly watchable whatever they appear in. Hollywood used to be over-run with them. But even arthouse cinema has had its share of icons and few have been more consistently compelling than Gérard Depardieu. Always a courageous
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Rise in bike thefts prompts security warning
POLICE visited Oxford Brookes University to warn students about security after a surge in cycle thefts. They visited the Gipsy Lane campus to urge students to lock their bikes. In the past 25 days there have been 18 reports of stolen
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Estate cars
There is no question that new homes are needed in Oxford, and in particular for those who cannot afford to buy even in the depressed market of today. Oxford City Council has thus far been thwarted in its desire to see thousands of new homes built in
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Parky at the Pictures (DVD 11/11/2010)
French romantic comedies seem to exist solely for domestic audiences to relish and American producers to cherry pick for remakes. Far too few make the short hop across the Channel to British screens and it's good to see Pascal Chaumeil's polished
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Our wedding fayre offers expert advice
BRIDES and grooms-to-be will get expert advice for planning their big day on Sunday at the Oxford Mail’s Wedding Fayre. The free event will be the final Oxford Mail Wedding Fayre of the year and promises to offer everything a bride and groom
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Highest entry standards
They have all in their time stood at the top of the world. But even among those who have conquered Mount Everest, the climbers who will be appearing at Oxford Town Hall on Tuesday are viewed as giants. Oxford, along with London and Glasgow
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Minister admits UK sex attacks
POLICE are investigating a former Bicester church minister after it emerged he confessed to sexually abusing children in the UK. Robert Dando, 46, has admitted abusing two boys in the United States and now says there are victims in the UK. Thames Valley
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Costly rail scheme
Sir – Taxpayers’ payments to National Rail are running at £5bn per year and will continue to do so for years to come. That amounts to a subsidy of 16 pence per passenger-mile travelled, or to annual payments of £500,000 per year for every mile
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City backing 900 homes
PLANS to build 900 homes on land between Barton and Marston could seriously affect ring-road traffic and green land around Oxford. The warning came as Oxford city councillors yesterday agreed to seek an investment partner to deliver a major development
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Youngsters gym will be fit for purpose
A FREE community gym is to open in North Oxford. Wolvercote Young People’s Centre, in St Peter’s Road, will get specialist equipment thanks to council cash and a fundraising drive. It will install a running machine, rowing machine, exercise bicycles
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Nothing new for Oxford
Sir – I wish to congratulate Pembroke College on the recent use of the Damon Wells Chapel by Oxford Muslims. Since the college welcomes Muslim undergraduates, graduates, staff and employees, it is only right that it should also offer them the
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Fashion-conscious dons
Sir – I agree with the comments of Mr Triggs (Letters, November 4) concerning the majority of Oxford dons being agnostic or atheist. I frequently attend Evensong in college chapels and am constantly surprised at the absence of dons, even when a
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Difficult choices
Sir – The Government is proposing to raise tuition fees to as much as £9,000 for university students — a move that could have a devastating financial impact on thousands of students and their families in Oxford. All students will suffer, but those wanting
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Needs of people
Sir – Your article on the Business page (New rights for temps, November 4) suggests that the Agency Workers Regulations to be implemented next October will be to the benefit of workers, before it goes on to highlight just how toothless the regulations
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Bus service is essential
Sir – We were extremely concerned to hear that the Kidlington link of the hospital 700 service will be axed in December. This is a vital service which staff and patients in Kidlington rely on. It is particularly important to elderly patients
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Broadband ‘top priority’
Sir – I write in response to your interesting article on the need for superfast broadband network in Oxfordshire, especially in the more rural areas (County stuck in the slow lane, October 28). First of all may I say that the broadband issue is a top
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‘Reclaiming’ city streets
Sir – I’ve had my eye on Beech Croft Road for some years now. Some of the residents there have kicked up a mighty fuss to keep traffic speeds down and to close their road for the occasional party — all very reasonable, it seems. Part of me rejoices
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Oblivious to our needs
Sir – I am dismayed, but not surprised, by the council’s proposal to close the car park at Summertown in order to redevelop the site. Meanwhile, I await with interest hearing where the mysterious car park is that we may use instead. Clearly the councillors
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Disastrous plan
Sir – I am writing to thank you for the article about the St Clements car park redevelopment (October 28). I am a local trader — a clothes and gift shop on the Cowley Road — and this plan will greatly affect our business if it goes ahead. It is common
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Keep city car parks
Sir – I find it hard to believe the crass stupidity of the Oxford City Council to consider building development on the car parks that serve the suburban shopping areas. The latest of these proposals to come to light is at Summertown, on the Diamond
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Jewel in our midst
Sir – I write in response to Jill Lewis’s letter (November 4) asking for a new concert hall for Oxford. Over the past 25 years I have been involved with three attempts to build a concert hall in Oxford. These were all multi-million pound projects to build
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County falls silent to mark Armistice Day
OXFORDSHIRE will fall silent this morning as people pay tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives in combat. Shopping centres, offices and high streets will come to a standstill at 11am for a two-minute silence to mark Armistice Day. Lord Mayor
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Businesses driven out
Sir – It is not surprising that local businesses in St Clements and the High are so infuriated by the city council's plans to halve the spaces in this car park. Several years ago our association raised with the council that there was insufficient
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Despicable betrayal
Sir – I am one of some 60,000 assorted carers in Oxfordshire: poverty-stricken immigrants looking after elderly parents, affluent commuters looking after disabled children, pensioners looking after invalid spouses, and many more. With common dignity
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Classic Argentina, £99
With the highest vineyards in the world, Argentina is the place to find well-made aromatic, floral whites and seriously fruity reds that are the perfect partner for a variety of foods. Try these whites at home with fish cooked in herbs, for example, and
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Lebanon is ideal for making wine
When people talk about the wines of the Lebanon people like me think about Château Musar and Massaya — the latter being a personal favourite of mine. If, like me, you have never been to the Lebanon, you will probably be equally unaware of the country’
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Measure for Measure: Magdalen College School
“You’re furious, your brothel has been shut down! Shout at anyone who’ll listen!” Magdalen College School head of drama Christian Anthony is hard at work rehearsing a new production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure in the school’s rehearsal studio
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A green gym
An Oxfordshire family doctor’s idea to encourage patients to take some physical actitivity and at the same time help their local environment is becoming a global phenonmenon. Dr William Bird knew that some people coming into his surgery would benefit
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Volunteers help break down dementia fears
Dementia affects the lives of many people. In Oxfordshire there are estimated to be 7,500 people aged over 65 and a further 160 younger people who have dementia. As well as the effect on those with dementia, there is also often a profound impact on the
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Stewart Francis: New Theatre
Last October, I saw Canadian stand-up Stewart Francis warming up for Ricky Gervais at the New Theatre. Three weeks later, I saw Francis in his own show at the North Wall. Since then I’ve caught him on those TV programmes that announce that someone has
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Getting through November
We are almost midway through November, the month I find extremely depressing. However, the mild weather at the beginning of the month provided pleasant lulls between the rain-laden and gusty south-westerly winds. Consequently, plants in my garden are