Archive
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Santa 'tracked by missile system'
As well as watching for a nuclear missile attack, America's air defence body is tracking Santa's Christmas Eve flight for the 55th year. Now the information is on Twitter, Facebook and mobile phones as well as the traditional phone line and website
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Gipsy caravan site plan fails
A BID to put eight gipsy caravans on a former landfill site in West Oxfordshire was thrown out. Councillors rejected the plan for Stanton Harcourt, south of Witney, as the site was “not made safe for human occupation” because of pollution from
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Stagecoach trebling its Christmas Day bus services
STAGECOACH is offering a Yuletide boost to bus passengers by trebling the number of city services it runs in Oxford on Christmas Day. The Cowley-based firm will this year run hourly buses from Barton and Kidlington to Oxford as well as providing the
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Fun all the way for golden pair
A WANTAGE couple say their 50-year marriage has been ‘good fun all the way’. John Hallett, of Linden Crescent in Grove, visited his wife Daphne at Wantage Nursing Home in Garston Lane, to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. The couple met when
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Spare a thought for Christmas workers
WHEN you’re tucking into your turkey or snoozing in front of the Queen’s speech, spare a thought for those putting in a day’s work over Christmas. From keeping the lights on to fighting fires, hundreds will be working hard so you can have a
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Fire control centre may still move to Hampshire
OXFORDSHIRE’S fire control room could still move to Hampshire, county fire chiefs have admitted. The Government announced this week it was axing the plan to create nine new regional control centres under a £423m project. The county’s
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Buy 1 Get 1 Free - Bubbly Bar
Drinks, music & suitable for parties BUY 1 GET 1 FREE Drinks and Shisha Sunday – Thursday 7.00pm – 11.00pm 4-6 Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1HH Tel: 01865 245710
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20% Discount - The Tree
Specialist Chefs leading each of the Continental, Thai and Indian Cuisines Experience the style, quality and outstanding flavours 20% DISCOUNT OFF THE FOOD BILL Tree Hotel, Church Way, Iffley, Oxford OX4 4EY 01865 775974 www.treehotel.co.uk
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Free Bottle - The Railway Inn
Pauline and Roy welcome you to the Railway Inn and wish to offer a FREE BOTTLE OF HOUSE WINE per table (Minimum of 2 adults eating 2 courses, from Thursday to Saturday) Good English Food Great Ales B&B The Railway Inn, Station Road, Culham
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15% Off - Al-Shalam
Lebanese Restaurant For those who appreciate good food 15% OFF total bill 7.00pm – 11.00pm Sunday – Thursday Good Food Good Atmosphere Open Every Day 4-6 Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1HH Tel: 01865 245710
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Give the animals more than sanctuary
“SPARE a thought for the animals in our care and all our staff who will be working right through Christmas.” That’s the message from the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary over the festive period. The centre in Stadhampton cares for animals who have found
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£1,000 reward after Radley College arson
Police are appealing for witnesses following an arson attack at Radley College. Police said some time between Tuesday and Wednesday a Takuti 175 digger was set ablaze in a deliberate attack. The digger was being rented by the college for ground
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SNOW: United pitch for help
Oxford United are looking for fans to help clear snow before Tuesday’s match against Macclesfield. A large crowd is expected for the fixture but three to four inches of snow needs to be cleared from the pitch if it is to stand any chance of going ahead
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Friday, December 24: Oxford's most wanted
IT is the day before Christmas and we’ve saved the best present for police until last: Oxford’s most wanted man. Rohan Crooks’ face appears behind the last window of our Badvent Calendar, a countdown to Christmas with a crime-fighting difference. Every
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Local share prices
AEA Technology 6.25 BMW 5384 Electrocomponents 268 Nationwide Accident Repair 99.5 Oxford Biomedica 5.8 Oxford Catalysts 70 Oxford Instruments 706 Reed Elsevier 537.5 RM 170.5 RPS Group 231.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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County council to axe political assistant posts
COUNTY Hall is set to axe political aides employed with taxpayers’ money. Oxfordshire County Council currently employs three political assistants, attached to the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat groups, at a cost of £139,000 per year. But
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GREYHOUNDS: Bumper crowd in the pipeline
Oxford Stadium are looking for a bumper turnout for their Boxing Day meeting, weather permitting. The action is due to get under way at 11am with a 12-race card. Entry is £6, while admission to the New Year’s Eve BAGS meeting is free. Although the track
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AUNT SALLY: Butler serves up a six
Mike Butler bagged a six in a 14-doll haul to help Yarnton RBL to a 6-0 thrashing of Cock Inn in the Yarnton Royal British Legion League. Mick Berry clanged off a six for Chauffeurs in their 4-2 victory against Misfits. He rattled off
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Could the next Lord Sugar be living on the Leys?
CASH to help parents on Oxford’s largest estate become the next Lord Sugar is up for grabs in the new year. The Leys Children’s Centre is offering families the chance to boost the amount of cash in their purse by trying their hand at setting up a small
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Rail bridge set to be removed
THE rail bridge at Redbridge, South Oxford, will be replaced tomorrow. Network Rail engineers will start demolishing the existing bridge on Old Abingdon Road at midnight tonight and hope the new bridge will be in place by Boxing Day evening. The bridge
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COMMENT: Real spirit of Christmas
EVERY Christmas there are tales to bring a warm glow to your heart, and today we are happy to feature two real community champions. Trevor Cowlett and Icolyn ‘Ma’ Smith epitomise what the Yuletide spirit is all about. Mr Cowlett is 78 and has been carol
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Ma Smith praised at 20th festival meal for homeless
“THERE is no one else like her. She is an angel on Earth.” Those were the words of homeless people enjoying the 20th annual Christmas dinner cooked by Icolyn ‘Ma’ Smith. The grandmother of nine, of Kelburne Road, Cowley, has been cooking
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£3,000 statue stolen from Woodstock gallery
Police today appealed for witnesses after a bronze statue was stolen from a gallery in Woodstock. At 12.53pm yesterday, a man entered the Iona House Gallery on the High Street. While the assistant was busy serving another customer, he stole
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Santa picks up presents at Oxford Castle
VISITORS to Oxford Castle have donated almost 100 presents for children with life-threatening illnesses. On Wednesday, Father Christmas collected the gifts from his on-site grotto before taking them to Helen and Douglas House hospice in Magdalen Road
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Four accused of trial intimidation
Four men have appeared in court accused of intimidating a witness in a murder trial. Byron Haines, George Kirika, Callum Spencer and Dexter Williams are charged with intimidating John Amadason in the trial of Eze Eke. Eke was this month
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Trevor tots up 50 years of carol singing
“WE HAVE never missed a year, never missed a day and never missed a street.” That is how carol singing Trevor Cowlett has managed to bank £50,000 for charity in 50 years. The 78-year-old is celebrating half a century of singing Christmas
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Snow keeps Oxfordshire's criminals at home
SNOW is keeping criminals at bay this Christmas, with snow and sub-zero temperatures leading to a dip in crime. New police figures show serious acquisitive crime, which includes burglary, robbery and autocrime, has fallen since the snow hit
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GREYHOUNDS: Colton to rest ruby
Trainer Nick Colton is to rest Rising Ruby after she disappointed in an open race. She will now be aimed at the Oxfordshire Stakes in the new year along with kennelmate and ante-post favourite Jolly Poacher. Poacher won all three big races here last
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Man dies after crash near Henley
Police today appealed for witnesses to a fatal collision near Henley. At about 6.30pm yesterday, a collision involving three vehicles, a black Land Rover Discovery, a white Volvo and a black BMW, happened on Greys Road, Rotherfield Greys, near
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SWIMMING: Green called up
Oxfordshire's Hannah Green has been selected for the Great Britain synchronised team at the Junior European Championships in Serbia in July next year. It followed the 16-year-old’s medal-winning display at the ASA Synchronised Swimming National Age
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Base had obscure history
I am writing in support of Tony O’Gorman’s letter (Oxford Mail, December 17) relating to RAF Bicester. I was based there as a 19-year-old in 1940, and although it provided a vital service as an operational training unit, it was a relatively obscure
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Wrong-minded move
I would like someone to tell me who in their right mind would want to go out and work every day if they are on the dole. To me, this sounds like exploitation of the people on benefits. David Cameron wants to get people on the disabled list and all those
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Don't believe pledge
ON Tuesday’s Oxford Mail letters page, council leader Keith Mitchell mentions the possibility that libraries and youth clubs (if they survive) might “return at a future time to local council funding”. Is this an example of that discredited word ‘pledge
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Libraries will be lost
The Tory leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Keith Mitchell, is trying to encourage community groups to take over the running of their local libraries when the county council stops funding 20 of them next year. This may seem like a good idea to some
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Online campaign spreads sexual health message
NHS Oxfordshire has re-written a festive carol to spread a message of sexual health. Using social networking site Twitter, they sent out 12 ‘tweets’ – on the theme of the Twelve Days of Christmas – warning of the consequences of unprotected
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GREYHOUNDS: Fewer chances worries Atkins
Veteran Oxford trainer Terry Atkins says lower-graded hounds may not get regular runs in the New Year – because of the high-class racing strength at the Sandy Lane track. He voiced his concern after the extra meetings in the run-up to Christmas saw the
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The ugly face of football hooliganism in Oxford
A TEENAGER who clambered over segregation netting at an Oxford United game has been given a community order. Ashley Creed dodged stewards in the North Stand at the Kassam Stadium as he made his way towards Aldershot fans shouting “****ing come and get
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CABBAGES & KINGS: A festive tale to cheer the heart
“I SUPPOSE you’ll be boring us with snow stories and man’s struggle with the elements,” said former college scout James, adding a third tube of sugar to his Marks & Spencer hot chocolate. He is a seasoned critic of the Press, but at least he reads our
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Festive thanks
At this time of year, I want to highlight to Oxford Mail readers the immense generosity shown to PACT from the Oxfordshire community over the past year. Parents And Children Together is a charity that works across Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley,
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Vibrant community is a source of pride
RECENTLY my husband and I were very pleased to be asked by our friends to go with them to see their son Ivo in East Oxford Primary School’s nativity play. Our family has a long history with the school, but as our children had left 14 years ago, my husband
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COMMENT: Nauseating idea
PERHAPS we are being a bit bah-humbugish, but using The Twelve Days of Christmas to put out a funky ‘education’ message about sexual health matters shows where the NHS goes so wrong. NHS Oxfordshire has been putting out nauseating ditties such as “On
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Yemi's set for the bench against United
Stevenage are the League Two draw specialists this season. Whereas Oxford United, for example, have drawn just one of their ten home league games this campaign, Graham Westley’s team have seen six end all-square. But they remain defensively tight, conceding
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FOOTBALL: Clanfield praying
Clanfield chairman John Osborne says it will take a miracle for Monday’s Division 1 West clash with Bicester Town to be on. Osborne said: “The pitch is covered by six inches of snow and is frozen underneath, so you could say we need a weather miracle
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Family pays tribute after "Super granny" dies in tragic accident
“OUR mother had incredible compassion and believed it was her duty to care for people.” Those were the words of Ann Powles’ children after their mother’s body was found underneath ice in the River Cherwell, along with her border terrier Jumbo
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Oxford United box with arch rivals
Old acquaintances – and a bitter rivalry – will be renewed when Oxford Uni-ted take on Stevenage on Boxing Day. Assuming the match is on, and the Hertfordshire club have been working hard to try and beat the freeze, it will be like a throwback to the
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FOOTBALL: Boss Gee fears long lay-off
North Leigh face the prospect of going six weeks without a game should Monday’s Division 1 South & West home clash with Bishops Cleeve be wrecked by the big freeze. The midweek trip to Bideford was called off due to a frozen pitch, which means
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Rail operators reduce services
Train passengers trying to get home for Christmas will be hit by a reduced service after three rail operators were expected to cut their Friday timetables by a quarter. Chiltern, First Capital Connect, and Merseyrail cut up to 25% of their services
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Break in snow aids Christmas exodus
Millions of people are expected to travel for Christmas today as a break in snowfall gave welcome relief after the worst winter weather for a century. Roads and rail tracks were expected to get respite from snow but forecasters warned of sharp
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Ticket U-turn shocks United
Oxford United have been taken aback by Stevenage’s decision to relax the all-ticket rest-riction on away fans for the Boxing Day game at Broadhall Way. And they say it was done without any consultation with them. Fans can now buy tickets at the turnstiles
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Fears over Government plans for schools
A HEADTEACHER has hit out at the Government over the future of teaching. Simon Spiers, of King Alfred’s School, Wantage, said the Government’s planned changes to education were frustrating. He added his school was now looking to become an academy to
