Archive
-
Date
Tributes to favourite teacher
Tritbutes have been paid to a woman who dedicated her entire life to one Witney school. Isabelle Spencer, who died on September 8 at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, aged 87, came to the then Witney Grammar School in 1946 as a junior
-
Date
Top career in education
Ann Mayou, who died on September 7 at the age of 69, was involved in education, mainly in Oxfordshire, for almost all her adult life. Working in all types of secondary education, her quiet determination and compassion had a large impact on
-
Date
Newspaper man had a great love of music
Former Oxford Mail and Oxford Times journalist Peter Sykes was known for his “great respect” for the English language. More tributes were last night paid to the former Oxford Times editor, who died on Monday aged 81 after a short illness.
-
Date
‘We won’t close ticket offices’
RAIL firms say they have no plans to shut ticket offices at small stations in Oxfordshire in the wake of a Government report recommending cost cutting measures. Sir Roy McNulty said in his report that 675 smaller ticket offices out of 2,500 across the
-
Date
Campaigners may get to buy meadow
CAMPAIGNERS who battled for four years to save Oxford’s Warneford Meadow from development may soon get the chance to buy it. The Friends of Warneford Meadow says the Department of Health plans to sell the 18-acre meadow, which sits behind Warneford
-
Date
Dragon backs course for entrepreneurs
YOUNG entrepreneurs are hoping to draw on the experience of a Dragon as they start on a pioneering new qualification at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College. The first students have enrolled for the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy to study enterprise and
-
Date
Care homes set to be taken over
ALL SIX of Southern Cross’s Oxfordshire care homes will transfer to new operators by the end of October. Existing operators will take over four of the collapsed care provider’s homes on Friday, September 30. Four Seasons Health Care
-
Date
Marathon boost
More than £800 was raised for The October Club in Wantage after the White Horse Marathon in April. White Horse Harriers will present a cheque to the day centre for those with dementia and Alzheimer's on Monday, September 26.
-
Date
CHARITY MATTERS: Cycling the length of UK
A BICESTER architect is taking on a gruelling cycling challenge this month to support his wife’s work providing emergency shelter. David Babister, 37, plans to pedal about 100 miles a day to complete the Land’s End to John O’Groats 1,035 mile challenge
-
Date
CHARITY MATTERS: Staff celebrate coffee morning
STAFF at a builders’ merchants in Oxford joined customers for a bacon butty to raise funds for a cancer charity. At Johnsons Buildbase in Cowley staff celebrated the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, the firm
-
Date
CHARITY MATTERS: Aim to raise £25,000 for charity
FOR Sharon Duffy, the Royal Marines are a cause very close to her heart. Her grandfather, Ronald Winchcombe, served with the regiment during the D-Day landings in Normandy during the Second World War. When he died aged 92 last year it prompted the Stadhampton
-
Date
CHARITY MATTERS: Mum’s big jump to celebrate
A YOUNG mother who has been given the all-clear from cancer will be celebrating with a jump, twist and a shimmy. Bethan Reading, 33, was diagnosed with breast cancer last November and since then has undergone treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy
-
Date
CHARITY MATTERS: Cycling for charity
Cassie Sutton is also tackling the Land’s End to John O’ Groats ride, to raise money for the Alzheimers Society and the Order of St John Care Trust. She is pictured with Barbara Cox at the Meadowcroft Care Home in Thame, where her late grandfather Jock
-
Date
CHARITY MATTERS: Going beyond the call of duty
A HOSPICE volunteer will go above and beyond the call of duty to raise vital cash. Charlotte Austin, a volunteer receptionist at Adderbury’s Katharine House Hospice, is in training to climb the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro. She roped
-
Date
CHARITY MATTERS: Carving hero for heroes
WOODCARVERS spent four months shaping Hero the Dragon in a bid to raise more than £8,000 for Help for Heroes. Hero has been appearing at events across the county and people have been donating at least £2 to have their names carved into one of his 4,000
-
Date
CHARITY MATTERS: Battling Channel to raise £10,000
LISA Auchinvole has raised more than £10,000 for charity after battling the English Channel. The owner of tfd health and fitness club in Grove raised the cash for Action Duchenne as her school friend Trudi Carpenter’s eight-year-old son Adam suffers
-
Date
Local share prices (PM)
AEA Technology 2.65 BMW 4950 Electrocomponents 205 Nationwide Accident Repair 92 Oxford Biomedica 5.75 Oxford Catalysts 58.5 Oxford Instruments 815.25 Reed Elsevier 489.8 RM 93.1 RPS Group 186.8 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
-
Date
A question of security
The question of providing better rights for agency workers is a particularly touchy one in Oxfordshire, thanks to the wholesale cull of jobs that occurred back in 2009 when BMW axed 850 agency staff at its Cowley Mini plant. Now, with the European Union
-
Date
Law firm commits to work experience
Bosses at an Oxford law firm have pledged to give youngsters from poorer backgrounds better quality work experience. Blake Lapthorn, based at Seacourt Tower, Botley, has joined PRIME, a profession-wide committment to ensure pupils have a clear insight
-
Date
Bryony's on song for national competition
A TEENAGER has been given her chance to bring the house down in a national singing competition. Bryony Gibbs, 16, from Filkins, made it through to the regional finals of Open Mic UK 2011 at the NEC in Birmingham and is competing for a place in the national
-
Date
Learning to plan ahead
A new school in Wallingford is earmarked for the wrong place and should be moved, it was claimed last night. Town councillors are calling for developers to switch the proposed location of a new primary school. Slade End Farm, off Wantage Road, has been
-
Date
Hilda delighted with Queen's card
Age is no barrier for Banbury pensioner Hilda Miles. Hilda, who celebrated her 100th birthday on Wednesday with family and friends, still loves to take her tartan shopping trolley to Marks & Spencer. But she took a break from stocking up on her favourite
-
Date
Tesco plans
Tesco has written to neighbours of The Ox in Oxford Road saying it hopes to open a Tesco Express in the former pub in December. The supermarket giant also said it is close to applying for planning permission for elevations, air conditioning works, and
-
Date
Treat yourself on the spa bus
A beauty bus will be rolling into Bicester Hotel Golf and Spa on Friday, September 23, from 11am to 4pm to raise cash for Mothers4Children Charity. Beauty product firm Elemis has transformed a London bus into a spa as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations
-
Date
Fresh student centre is true to form
Students are enjoying life in a new sixth-form centre after a £3,000 refurbishment. The centre at John Mason School in Wootton Road, Abingdon will also accommodate pupils from Larkmead, Fitzharrys and Abingdon and Witney College. More than 300 sixth
-
Date
Cancer rate stats are not clear-cut
NHS officials have dismissed a charity’s statistics showing people living in the north and south of the county are more likely to get bowel cancer. Figures released by the charity Beating Bowel Cancer also reveal the areas have a higher-than-average
-
Date
Family's going places with green taxi business
A FAMILY has driven its way out of recession and is on the road to success thanks to setting up a new business. Builder Michael Hatter, his stepson Mark John, an IT worker, Mr John’s sister Melissa Spencer and her husband Nick all found themselves out
-
Date
Economy picking up say county business parks
BOSSES at Oxfordshire business parks have pointed to growing signs of confidence in the county economy with a raft of firms moving in and snapping up available space. Monument Park at Chalgrove is now almost fully occupied – with nine businesses moving
-
Date
Burial U-turn
Funeral firm Memoria has withdrawn an application to build a crematorium and remembrance garden off the A338 Wantage Road, Garford.
-
Date
Academy high
North Oxfordshire Academy has made “good progress” because of its emphasis on student achievement and higher quality teaching, an Ofsted inspector said. The county’s first academy was set up in 2007 to replace Drayton School. Inspector Christopher Nye
-
Date
French boules rolls into the country
A French boules club has been set up in Drafyton by a man who lived in France and played the game for nine years. The free club plays at the Red Lion every Friday from 6.30pm and there are already more than 20 members. Call organiser John Sheppard on
-
Date
Talking shop
Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood has urged council leaders to listen to traders’ concerns as the town prepares for a £53m shopping centre revamp. Shopkeepers fear the redevelopment of the Abbey Shopping Centre and The Charter area could change Abingdon’s
-
Date
Fundraising swap shop
A fundraising swap shop will be held at the White Hart, in Wolvercote on Saturday. It will run between 9.30am and 2pm and all proceeds from the sale will go towards the new Cutteslowe Wolvercote and Wytham Community Bus. Anyone intending to trade should
-
Date
Two arrested after Facebook fight
A fight organised on facebook saw 30 teenagers attacking each other at the Witney Feast. Yobs armed with nunchucks were involved in the brawl at about 9pm on Monday night at the Leys recreation ground on Station lane in Witney, which left a 19-year-old
-
Date
Tickled pink
A fundraising bingo night will be held next Tuesday in Witney. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start at Langdale Hall. All money will go to Against Breast Cancer. For more information about the event, email witneyinthepink@live.com
-
Date
Fair will fill you in on services
Residents in Wantage can get advice and information about services and benefits at the Wantage Information Fair later this month. The event on Tuesday, September 27, between 10am and 1pm, at Wantage Civic Hall, will include stalls from Age UK, Sovereign
-
Date
£200k bill for Church over solar panels
THE rooftop of one of Didcot town centre’s landmark buildings has been transformed after £200,000 was invested in solar panels. Over the summer, 190 photovoltaic panels were fixed to the roof of Baptist House in Broadway, and the project was officially
-
Date
£200k bill for Church over solar panels
THE rooftop of one of Didcot town centre’s landmark buildings has been transformed after £200,000 was invested in solar panels. Over the summer, 190 photovoltaic panels were fixed to the roof of Baptist House in Broadway, and the project was
-
Date
Soil plant 'a million miles from fears'
A soil waste recycling site is to be built in Kingston Bagpuize despite protests from residents. Oxfordshire County Council gave permission to turn the farmland at Swannybrook Farm into a site which turns waste soil from construction sites
-
Date
Jobless figures rise in Oxfordshire
THE number of people out of work and claiming benefit in Oxfordshire last month increased by 168 above the July figure to 8,058, or 1.9 per cent of the working population. The figures represent an increase of 540 over the figure for August last year
-
Date
BAR BILLIARDS: Sheard falls at the last
OXFORD’S Keith Sheard finished runner-up to Sussex’s Kevin Tunstall in the Berkshire Open final. OXFORD Ladies lost 4-1 to Wallingford in their Inter-Area C Team competition second leg to go down 8-2 on aggregate. Sue Atkins (7,300) provided Oxford’
-
Date
COMMENT: Great news for city
THE noises coming from the new firm with a controlling interest in Unipart is reassuring for hundreds of families. Mention “multi-national private equity firm” and buy-out of a company and its employees will automatically get nervous. Private equity
-
Date
GOLF: Results round-up
SHAW GIBBS OXFORDSHIRE FOURSOMES LEAGUE Section 1 Chipping Norton 1 (1pt), Burford 2 (3) (Chipping Norton first): S Kench & C Heslip bt A Salter & B Gaertner 3&1, M Johnson & M Stanton lost to J Wilks & D Henderson-Sowerby 1 hole, A Johnson & R Whiston
-
Date
Tasty treats on offer at Oxford Castle's food festival
THE Oxford Castle Food and Wine festival gets under way this weekend. More than 10,000 people are expected to descend on the site where they will be greeted with food stalls, live cooking demos, wine tasting and recipe swaps. Lord Mayor Elise Benjamin
-
Date
Double delight for Hall
Robert Hall said that his goal at Dagenham on Tuesday was a sweet moment on two fronts. Firstly it meant he scored on his Football League debut, but secondly, as a West Ham player, it was great to sink their local rivals. Hall, pictured, converted a
-
Date
BOWLS: Headington lift repeat double
Headington A completed the double for the second successive year by capturing the Oxford & District League Cup. Having already been crowned league champions, Headington ran out 67-55 winners over Oxford City & County in the final of the cup competition
-
Date
Dagenham win ends Oxford United's 1-0 drought
Peter Leven could not hide his surprise when told that Oxford United’s win at Dagenham & Redbridge was their first 1-0 victory for 17 months. But the midfielder says that the result and performance bodes very well for the future.
-
Date
MOTORSPORT: Michael geared up to join GB stars
Sam Michael can’t wait to link up with British drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button following the announcement that he is to join McLaren as sporting director. Michael is shortly due to leave the Grove-based Williams team where he has spent the last
-
Date
Easy targets
I notice that the latest scheme from our city council is to target free leaflets. What a good idea. Finding an easy target and advertising it as a major step forward looks good and gets lots of publicity, but means nothing. Like so many council initiatives
-
Date
How could you cost £20,000 a week, judge asks prostitute
A JUDGE asked a Didcot prostitute to justify how she could charge a client £20,000 a week. Judge Stephen John quizzed the call girl over charges for sexual services she provided to a director of firm Toys R Us. Dawn Dunbar, of Wessex Road, Didcot, told
-
Date
GOLF: Hopkins's birdie boosts Burford
BURFORD’S Simon Hopkins holed a 30-foot putt to clinch a 2-1 victory at Chipping Norton in Section 1 of the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League. Victory extends Burford’s lead, while Chippy are still third, despite not winning at home this season
-
Date
BAR BILLIARDS: Masons squander big chance
KENNINGTON Club survived an almighty scare before scraping through against Masons A in the Johnsons Buildbase Oxford League’s Threes competition at the Democrats Club, writes PETE EWINS. They came from 2-0 down to tie the match 3-3, and progressed 20,500
-
Date
Snub for HQ
It's good to see various Thames Valley officers getting awards. But, why are they presented at a golf club? They have a huge HQ in Kidlington with conference rooms and a spacious recreation room. RW TUCKER Kingsway Drive Kidlington
-
Date
Aircraft history
Following on from the letter by Tony O’Gorman, (Oxford Mail, September 8) about the North American Mustang, I thought readers might be interested in the fascinating history of this aircraft. At the start of World War Two, Britain had to evacuate its
-
Date
A few bad apples
We have had several wars, hundreds of thousands of innocents slain, rendition and torture, (aligned with Colonel Gaddafi), lies and hypocrisy! And now, a devastating end to the Iraq Abuse Inquiry that talks of “serious gratuitous violence” and “violent
-
Date
Not a nation of dog lovers
Your article about a rise in dumped pets (Oxford Mail, September 12) was heartbreaking to read. Day after day we read and hear in the media, news items regarding dogs, dangerous dogs, abandoned dogs, abused dogs, sanctuaries over-run with dogs and the
-
Date
RUGBY UNION: Danielli bemoans missing hat-trick
Former Oxford University winger Simon Danielli was left rueing the one that got away – despite being Scotland’s two-try hero in their opening World Cup win over Romania in Invercargill. Danielli touched down twice in the last five minutes as Scotland
-
Date
RUGBY UNION: Oxford Rugby is new name
Oxford Rugby will take to the field next season after being approved as the name for the city’s newly-merged club. Executive members of the new club, which joined together Oxford and Oxford Harlequins, felt the name “ticked all the boxes”, according
-
Date
Landlady's letting tips
A woman who owns six buy-to-let properties says anyone can become a successful landlady or landlord. Susanne Norton, who lives in Ramsden, started building her portfolio 15 years ago when she retired. Her first buy was a building in
-
Date
RUGBY UNION: Hodgson lesson for Dark Blues
England's loss should prove Oxford University’s gain when Charlie Hodgson coaches the Dark Blues today. Saracens fly half Hodgson, who was omitted from Martin Johnson’s 30-man World Cup squad, will act as a kicking and attack adviser for the Varsity
-
Date
THE INSIDER: A weekly update from the corridors of power
Former Oxford West and Abingdon MP Evan Harris pops up everywhere. When The Insider wakes up in the morning, he’s on the Today programme. He bombards Twitter with a stream of consciousness. He is on more TV shows talking about abortion
-
Date
Jilted boyfriend hung himself from goalposts
A JILTED boyfriend hanged himself from the crossbar of football goalposts at his local park after a break-up with his pregnant girlfriend, an inquest heard. Aaron James had picked the spot for his suicide after being told by the mother of his unborn
-
Date
GOLF: McCairns lands sixth title
JUDY McCairns edged out Dee Chapelle to win Oxford Ladies’ club championship at Southfield for the sixth time. McCairns, 65, defied wet and windy conditions, to produce a two-round total of 162 to win by two shots from Chapelle. The
-
Date
Safety concerns over railway barriers at Steventon
Plans to change the way the railway barriers that divide Steventon village are controlled are causing serious concerns. A significant number of residents live “over” the barriers, which are currently controlled from a “keeper’s hut” on The Causeway.
-
Date
Carterton expansion plans lead to protests
PROPOSALS to build up to 1,300 homes on land west of Carterton came under fire at a special council meeting yesterday. Four sites around the town are earmarked for development but the main focus of opposition is on the Carterton West site, between the
-
Date
Twists and turns of historic lodge
A secret passage leading to a spiral staircase is one of the intriguing features in a Grade II listed Victorian property once owned by a duke’s daughter. Barcote Tower, in Buckland, is part of Barcote Park mansion, built for the Duke of Westminster
-
Date
Determined golfer's winning handicap
WHEN David Wilkinson talks about his golfing handicap, he’s not just referring to the numbers on his scorecard at the end of a match. For the former pub landlord from Abingdon needed a prosthetic limb fitted after his left leg was amputated
-
Date
Street light switch-off not such a bright idea
COSTCUTTING plans to turn off thousands of street lights after midnight have been dropped by Oxfordshire County Council. County Hall decided not to switch off streetlights after finding changes in electricity tariffs mean it would not produce major savings
-
Date
COMMENT: A real inspiration
THERE’S real inspiration to be taken from David Wilkinson, the man who has got back to playing golf despite losing one of his legs. It is yet another example of human spirit conquering adversity. We suspect that the real benefit to Mr Wilkinson is not
-
Date
ATHLETICS: Male cruises in to clinch victory
VETERAN Oxford City athlete Steve Male sho-wed his class as he cruised to victory in the Cotswold Classic 10-mile road race, hosted by Witney Roadrunners. The event, which incorporated the Oxfordshire 10-mile championship was also part of the Grand Prix
-
Date
ICE HOCKEY: Stars silence Thunder for first win
OXFORD City Stars recorded their first win of the South Division 1 season with a 5-2 victory over Milton Keynes Thunder in a feisty affair at Oxford Ice Rink. Taking to the ice for the third time this term, Stars were without Andy Cox, Josh Florey and
-
Date
St Clement's car park flats rejection 'a small victory'
A CONTROVERSIAL plan for student flats on an East Oxford car park was last night kicked out by the city council. The authority’s west area planning committee rejected the proposal – that would have netted the council £5m – by five votes to four. Residents
-
Date
Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 15/9/2011)
It's 50 years since Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins's West Side Story hit cinemas and had critics cheering the revival of the screen musical. The genre had constantly been forced to reinvent itself throughout its short life span, as popular tastes changed
-
Date
Parky at the Pictures (DVD 15/9/2011)
It's long been a complaint of provincial cineastes that the British Film Institute should be renamed the London Film Institute. While the BFI has made major contributions to film-making and its publishing arm has produced several important books, its
-
Date
Giving people control over their lives
Personalisation is about giving people choice and control over the support they receive. It has transformed many people’s lives. But community and voluntary organisations, while welcoming the concept, are sometimes struggling to know how to practically
-
Date
Tikka masala cheddar
ROCK star turned Oxfordshire farmer Alex James, left, has launched a new range of cheeses, including tikka masala cheddar and cheese slices for toasted sandwiches. The unconventional dairy produce – branded as “Alex James presents...” – is now on sale
-
Date
Going potty for Lotte
Those who have already watched cook and television personality Lotte Duncan demonstrating some of her scrumptious recipes will know just what a mouth-watering experience it can be. Lotte is a quintessential English cook, whose ability to inspire would-be
-
Date
Free school will fit in with parents' schedules
IT sounds the stuff of many working parents’ dreams. Just imagine being able to drop your youngster off at school at 8.15am and head straight off to work. And what about doing the school pick-up at any time up to 5.45pm instead of rushing to the school
-
Date
Lotte Duncan’s soft eggs with lemon butter and sorrel (Serves 4 as a starter)
One of the joys of Lotte Duncan’s recipes is the ease with which they can be prepared and cooked. This starter will take just 15 minutes from start to finish. YOU WILL NEED 4 free range eggs 1 level tspn of dry English mustard 3 tspns lemon
