Archive

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County park is in the pipeline

Plans have been unveiled for a new country park in Banbury in the wake of measures to protect the town from floods. The 27-hectare park – the size of 25 football pitches – would be constructed on farmland next to the Wildmere Industrial Estate to the

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University on tour in science festival

Oxford University scientists are going back to school this week. They are touring the county’s schools as part of the Oxfordshire Science Festival. Yesterday, pupils at Woodstock’s Marlborough School had a science lesson like no other

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Student flat bid in West Oxford rejected

City councillors have refused planning permission for a block of student flats in West Oxford. Plans for 100 student flats in Innovation House in Mill Street were thrown out by the West Area Planning Committee tonight. The conversion

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Fresh drive for safe crossing

A RENEWED effort is being made to get a pedestrian crossing outside a Banbury school, amid safety fears. Oxfordshire county councillor Keith Strangwood has earmarked money for a crossing outside William Morris Primary School, in Bretch Hill

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Blooming shame if help isn’t found

ENTRIES have withered, volunteers have not been forthcoming and a hose-pipe ban has just been announced. But one man is determined that Oxford will have its day in the sun and re-enter the prestigious Britain in Bloom competition. Mark

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Crackin' Craic

If laughter is your drug, the new craic dealer in town delivers. Dara O’Briain’s wit and charm suggest that this man has not merely kissed the Blarney Stone, but possibly sniffed it a few times too. As with most stand-ups, those in front row seats should

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Gravel plan stepped up despite protests

CAMPAIGNERS against gravel extraction at Cholsey said they would fight on after county council leaders approved the minerals and waste plan for Oxfordshire. The plan, agreed by cabinet yesterday, includes digging five million tonnes of gravel from fields

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Undercover team ‘made city safer’

POLICE have praised the undercover team that brought an Oxfordshire drugs gang to justice. A gang of six men, including two brothers, was sentenced to a total of 22 years in prison after an undercover officer infiltrated a £1.5m drugs enterprise while

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A band to bring out your inner teen

As I was 16 when McFly first leapt into the charts in 2004 with Five Colours in her Hair, they were a little too late for my obsessive boy band stage. But queueing outside New Theatre on Sunday night, you couldn’t help getting swept up with

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Do you back Thames Water's decision to introduce a hosepipe ban?

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Estate's newest arrival

PROUD mum Katie Haskins is claiming a first for Didcot’s new Great Western Park estate – her baby son George. Katie, 24, lives on the estate with husband Paul Haskins, 26, a window fitter, two-year-old daughter Holly, and son George.

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New bus station is needed for growth

A NEW bus station and multi-storey car park should be built on land opposite Didcot Parkway, according to a lobby group. Last month district council leaders launched a consultation to ask the public what should be done with key sites. And Didcot First

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Privileged life of St John's favoured set

The three-word, one-sentence final paragraph of The Times’s obituary on Lord St John of Fawsley, the former Norman St John Stevas, was exactly as one might have expected: “He was unmarried.” Of the preceding 1,000 words or so, only one — ‘flamboyant’

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Stylish train trip for fun in the sun

What a glorious weekend it was! And as the sun shone, Rosemarie and I headed off with two friends for a day and a half in Great Malvern. While it was good to be away, we found the city we had left behind could not be forgotten long. We travelled

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Gee's jazz concert dinner

I can’t pretend to be the world’s greatest enthusiast for jazz. Indeed, I once managed, to some readers’ disgust, to write 2,000 words on a visit to New Orleans without mentioning the subject once — a deliberate tease, I don’t deny. But jazz, like

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Anne Menzies' recipe for Jabberocky Jinger (serves 4)

Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! The Jabberwocky is the creature that features in a nonsense poem from Through the Looking Glass. Anne has ingeniously adapted a sabayon sauce to create a parfait ice cream flavoured

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Alice theme for Oxford literary festival's lavish dinner

During a fantasy game of chess in Through the Looking Glass, Alice was told that when she became a queen she would have to give a banquet. One hundred and fifty years on, Chris Simms, the executive head chef and the brigade who work with him in

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The unusual life of the writer John Aubrey

What an adorable old dilettante was John Aubrey (1626-1697); and how wonderful that he has managed to achieve lasting fame despite having only published one short (bad) book in his life. He was ‘a successful failure’; born into a prosperous Wiltshire

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We Bought a Zoo and 21 Jump Street

Glossy Hollywood fiction slathers on the emotional syrup in We Bought A Zoo, a shamelessly sentimental tale of a father’s struggle to revitalise an ailing animal sanctuary in the aftermath of his wife’s death. Based on the inspirational memoir by Benjamin

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Calls for police to tackle late-night drinking

A RESTAURANT owner has called for police to do more to tackle late-night drunken crime after his shop window was smashed for the fifth time. Salvatore Cacace, who owns Italian restaurant Limoncello in Ock Street, Abingdon, said it cost him £500 every

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Emerson Mayes: Sarah Wiseman Gallery

Mayes is probably best known for his landscapes. But in 2011 his work took a different turn when he engrossed himself in the whole spectrum of wildlife and the changing seasons in and around Fountains Abbey, West Yorkshire, which has inspired a number

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New beer launched for base

A BREWERY run by a Benson couple has launched a limited edition beer to support injured airforce staff at RAF Benson and their families. Chris and Vanessa Hearn run Loddon Brewery from a converted barn at Dunsden near Sonning Common. They visited the

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RAF Benson provides key 100-strong support team

FIVE hundred Army troops prepared for combat in Afghanistan with a month-long training exercise on Salisbury Plain. But they were not alone – up to 100 staff from RAF Benson offered vital support for Exercise Pashtun Jaguar, which finished on Sunday.

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UPDATE: Trains running again between Oxford and Didcot

TRAIN services between Oxford, Didcot and London are running again after being suspended this morning due to a lineside fire at Hinskey. Firefighters were called at 10.15am to Hinksey Yard, off Abingdon Road. They asked for trains to be halted and

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Neighbourhood Watch: Oxford Playhouse

Unpleasant individuals who boss other people about while convinced they are acting in the best interests of society are neatly skewered by Alan Ayckbourn in Neighbourhood Watch. The master dramatist’s 75th full-length play — which he is also directing

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MoD could ease homes pressure in West Oxfordshire

UP TO 900 homes could be built on Ministry of Defence land in the centre of Carterton, ending the need for greenfield development close to Witney. Last week, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, a branch of the MoD, announced it had cut its new build

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Preview of No Man's land from the Sinodun Players at the Corn Exchange, Wallingford

When director Ellen Phelips (right) read No Man’s Land it made her laugh out loud — that’s why she’s putting it on at the Wallingford Corn Exchange next week. The Harold Pinter classic, from Sinodun Players, is a four-hander which tackles serious themes

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Choros: Exeter College Chapel

Go to a Choros concert and you can be certain of one thing: it will not be dull or routine. Ever since conductor Janet Lincé founded the choir in 1996, it has ranged across a wide repertoire, not all of it by well-known composers. Choros’s latest outing

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Moving With the Times: Pegasus Theatre

Moving With the Times is a showcase for Oxford talent, presenting new work specially commissioned for Dancin’ Oxford 2012. This year’s performers were an interestingly varied bunch. In I am on 80 Aya Kobayashi explores the idea of time ticking away equally

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You Are What You Wear: Christ Church Picture Gallery

I had wondered if You are what you wear: Dress and Costume in Renaissance and Baroque Drawings from Christ Church, the new exhibition at the Picture Gallery (until June 4) was going to be similar to their drapery exhibition of a few years ago,

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Richard Smith: Said Business School

The documentary photographer Richard Smith has become increasingly concerned about how human activity is affecting and changing the landscape. The Upper Heyford air base, on 1,200 acres of Oxfordshire, is a case in point. So in 2008/09 he negotiated access

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Oxford Bach Choir: Sheldonian Theatre

Haydn’s Theresienmesse lags behind the Nelson in frequency of performance, which is a shame, because its rich texturing, delicious harmonies, infectious melodies and unerring ability to surprise amke it a delightful and stirring work, frequently dramatic

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Capturing the moment: West Ox Arts

This life-affirming exhibition in The Gallery in Bampton is well named. Each artist evokes the spirit of place, whether it be Venice, the Lake District, the Cotswolds, France or Greece, a tribute to a life-time travelling and painting scenes that

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Westward Ho! - Edward's Boys: Simpkins Lee Theatre, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

Westward Ho! must not be confused, save for the coincidence of its title, with the 1855 novel by Charles Kingsley that later inspired the naming of a new-build seaside resort in Devon. This Westward Ho! is a rarely seen Jacobean play by Thomas Dekker

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Long Day's Journey into Night: Milton Keynes Theatre

David Suchet’s portrait of the richly talented but fatally flawed James Tyrone in Eugene O’Neill’s dark autobiographical drama Long Day’s Journey into Night proves to be another triumph for this popular and charismatic actor. In Milton Keynes this

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Jewellery that won't hang around long

LADIES may change their earrings more than their hair-dos, but at least they now don’t have to worry about chucking them into landfill. Two eco-minded designers have created biodegradable jewellery which has gone on sale at Oxford Castle’s O3 Gallery

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Ex-homeless people to run OFS cafe

A £3.5M centre for homeless people in Oxford has been changing lives since it opened in November. And it is now preparing to hand over its cafe operation to people on its training courses. More than 150 people have taken part in classes since the Old

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A day of many tears in prospect

A FORMER welder-turned soldier, a father-of-two and a man who was expecting the birth of his first child are among the six young fallen soldiers whose bodies will be repatriated to RAF Brize Norton next week. Oxfordshire is preparing for a “day of many

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Firefighters tackle blaze by train track

TRAIN services have been suspended between Oxford and Didcot because of a lineside fire. Firefighters are tackling a fire in Hinksey yard and the line is closed because of concerns about acetylene gas bottles. Replacement bus services

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Shoplifter jailed

A thief who stole more than £1,500 worth of goods from Oxford shops has been jailed. Trevor Francis, 33, of Blay Close, Blackbird Leys, was sentenced to 28 weeks in jail at Oxford Crown Court on Monday. He had earlier admitted six charges of shoplifting

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Rape victim checked bag, court told

A young woman who claims she was raped while heading home from a pub in Witney admitted checking her handbag during the incident, a court heard. Giving evidence at Oxford Crown Court yesterday, the woman told a jury that she had been forced

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FOOTBALL: Hunt and Lee bag trebles

GILES SPORTS WITNEY YOUTH LEAGUE JOSH Hunt and Joey Lee netted hat-tricks as Enstone Sports won 10-1 at home to Moreton Rangers in the Under 14 B League. Neil Spendlove hit a brace and there were also goals for Josh Allen and Shaun Kemp. Harry Hawtin

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Revenge attack

A 19-year-old woman was found guilty of taking revenge on a witness. Chelsea French, of Howard Road, Banbury, was convicted on Monday of harming Gabrielle Haire on September 1 last year. She will be sentenced on April 2. Jenna French, 26, and Jason

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Flasher strikes at multi-storey

A man exposed himself to three women at the Westgate car park in Oxford late on Monday. The white, middle-aged man coughed to get the attention of the women before touching himself in the stairwell of the car park off Oxpens Road. The women, all in

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Libraries aren't in crisis, says Vaizey

CULTURE Minister Ed Vaizey yesterday told MPs there was no libraries crisis. The Wantage MP spoke out as campaigners celebrated the 40th anniversary of a library in his constituency. Grove Library marked the milestone after surviving the threat of

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Tax loophole is coming

When the Budget is announced next Wednesday, we will all be asked to make sacrifices in order to deal with our economic problems. At the same time many multinational companies continue to avoid billions in taxes every year. In spite of tough talk on

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An imperfect education

Regardless of how “counter-productive” it was of the Abingdon headteacher to name and shame those pupils who failed to reach a certain grade in their mock GCSEs, is it not still the case that the usual reason for poor results is the fact the individuals

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Local share prices (AM)

AEA Technology 0.265 BMW 5945 Electrocomponents 254.95 Nationwide Accident Repair 62.5 Oxford Biomedica 3 Oxford Catalysts 55.5 Oxford Instruments 1213.5 Reed Elsevier 553.75 RM 91.6 RPS Group 236 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

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Crash victim ID

A 36-year-old motorcyclist who died in a crash on the A417 has been named as soldier James Hassell. Mr Hassell, of Middle Wallop, Hants, was killed on Saturday when his black Honda motorcycle was in collision with an Isuzu truck.

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Drugs raid

A 33-year-old man was one of 24 arrested on suspicion of the supply of class A drugs following raids across Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. A home in Drayton Road, Abingdon, was one of the 23 searched by police officers yesterday.

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Health Bill will 'damage care'

DOCTORS from 24 Oxford GP surgeries last night warned a controversial shake-up of the NHS will harm patient care. In a letter to the Oxford Mail, the medical professionals confirmed their opposition to the Health and Social Care Bill. In what is being

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FOOTBALL: Vale run ends in last four

SCHOOLS’ FOOTBALL VALE of White Horse’s terrific run in the ESFA Under 15 Trophy came to an end with a 1-0 defeat by Bromley in the semi-final at Beckenham FC. Despite a heroic defensive display, Vale’s inability to create chances from open play proved

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Police on hunt for bike thieves

Three motorbikes have been stolen in Oxford in less than a fortnight. A black Yamaha was stolen from Aston Street on Sunday between 9.15pm and 9.45pm, a black Senke was stolen from Nuffield Road, Headington, between midnight on Tuesday, March 6, and

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FOOTBALL: Hanborough turn up the heat

WITNEY & DISTRICT FA REIGNING champions Hanborough stepped up the pressure on Premier Division leaders Hailey with a 4-0 win at bottom club Kingham All Blacks, writes Anthony Barlow. Dan Haggie, Mark Stich-combe, Tom Weedon and an own goal made up

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Bus service is needed

In response to the article, (Oxford Mail, March 5, p.8) I have a great deal of sympathy with the people of Blackbird Leys when they request a direct bus service to the JR. While the more affluent areas of the city and beyond have direct links, large

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Disturbed rats head for town's gardens

HUNDREDS of rats have “infested” gardens in Witney after land for a new 185-home estate was cleared, residents have said. Ever since workers at the former Buttercross Works, off Station Lane, cleared the site’s perimeter of six-foot high brambles

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An alternative history

Reading the article by Debbie Waite about the new Discover Oxford’s Architecture leaflet made me think about what might have been. I notice that Christ Church Cathedral is mentioned but not the college. What if Henry VIII hadn’t taken umbrage at Cardinal

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No Oxford United return for Holmes

LEE Holmes will not return to Oxford United on loan this season, with the midfielder joining Swindon Town instead. The 24-year-old scored two goals in seven appearances during a month on loan with the U's from parent club Southampton.

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County jobless figure jumps

The number of people out of work and claiming jobseekers’ allowance in Oxfordshire last month rose to its highest level since April 2010. A total of 8,188 or 2.6 per cent of the working age population are signed on the dole in February, 334 more than

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Garden centre launches apprenticeship scheme

Green-fingered youngsters looking to kick-start a career in horticulture are being urged to sign up to a groundbreaking new apprenticeship scheme. The Bicester Avenue Garden Centre on Oxford Road, near Bicester, is offering two apprenticeships to people

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FOOTBALL: Mortimer double books final slot

BLACK Swan pulled off a shock as they booked a place in the Ridgeway Cup final with a 3-1 win at home to Sutton Wanderers, writes TIM SIRET. Michael Quinan put the Division 3B hosts in front from an acute angle, but Wanderers, of Division 2

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LIFE LESSONS: Maggie Thorne

WHAT I’M CALLED: Maggie Thorne. MY AGE IN YEARS: 54. WHAT I DO: Vicar of St. Mary’s, serving the communities of Barton and Sandhills. WHERE I LIVE: Next to the church on the Headington roundabout. WHO

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Do not demolish pools

I am truly astonished at the arrogance of Councillor Van Coulter – to say that no matter what the citizens of Oxford want, he will demolish Temple Cowley swimming pools anyway. I was under the misguided impression that these councillors were voted into

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FOOTBALL: O'Hanlon double wins semi for The Tree

THE Tree came from behind to win 4-2 at Britwell and clinch a place in the Berks and Bucks Sunday Junior Trophy final. Chris Whitworth got the visitors off to an excellent start with the opening goal, but the Slough club hit back and led 2-1 at half-time

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Leaders approve Frideswide redesign

A BOULEVARD design for one of Oxford city centre’s worst traffic bottlenecks was yesterday backed by county council leaders. Members of the cabinet agreed to go forward with plans to redesign Frideswide Square outside the railway station. The boulevard

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FOOTBALL: City hit back in top-two clash

OXFORD MAIL GIRLS LEAGUE IT was honours even in the Under 16 League title showdown as Oxford City drew 1-1 at home to Carterton. Carterton stay three points clear, but City have a game in hand and a better goal difference. An own goal from a corner

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FOOTBALL: Dup book cup final berths

NORTH BERKS LEAGUE BERINSFIELD and Sutton Courtenay will contest the War Memorial Cup next month following home victories in the semi-finals, writes Phil Annets. Luke Saunders scored twice as Berinsfield, last season’s runners-up, made light work

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THE DISABLED SPACE: It can be holiday hell for disabled

CHRISTMAS, with it’s excitement, was quickly followed by the television tempting us to book a holiday. The dark cold days of January were brightened by the images of stunning beaches with glorious sunshine, blue seas and skies that leapt at us

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Poor maintenance of river causes shortage

Many of the recent news reports, mainly via Thames Water, say that a shortage of rain has left natural ground water and reservoir levels low, such that rivers are not as full as they usually are at this time of year – so water rationing is a possibility

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Stricter smoking policy at hospital

PATIENTS clad in dressing gowns and drawing heavily on a cigarette outside the entrance of the John Radcliffe hospital will be a familiar sight to many. But it will soon be a thing of the past if hospital bosses get their way. The Oxford University

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The issue of coming out

I felt the need to respond to John Pritchard, Bishop of Oxford, if you excuse the pun, “coming out” against ‘gay marriage’. His predecessor Lord Richard Harries, in comparison, had a rather ‘liberal’ and compassionate take on homosexuality; his interview

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Stranglers drummer taken ill before gig

DRUMMER Jet Black spent a night in Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital after suffering breathing problems before a gig with his band The Stranglers. The 74-year-old, right, was taken to hospital by ambulance from the O2 Academy in Cowley Road at about 5.30pm

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Hospitals act on hip op concerns

DOCTORS are writing to more than 1,500 patients who have received hip replacements in Oxfordshire as far back as 1999. Over the next month, patients who have received metal-on-metal hip im-plants or replacements at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (NOC

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Passed away

Former town councillor and Cattle Market Action Group volunteer Peter Cockayne, 67, has lost his battle with cancer. Mr Cockayne died at home in Holliers Close, Thame, on Thursday. He leaves behind wife Val and children Phil and Sophie. * For a full

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COMMENT: Black back to form

WE wish Jet Black, drummer with legendary band The Stranglers, a quick and full recovery from a severe chest infection. Black, real name Brian Duffy, was taken to hospital after becoming unwell before the band’s show at Oxford’s O2 on Monday

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Man arrested over alleged Help for Heroes fraud

A 25-year-old man from Witney has been arrested over accusations of fraud involving Help for Heroes charity money. He was arrested on Sunday morning in Witney on suspicion of fraud in connection with alleged theft of charity money which was

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The gang's all here

SCOUTS and Guides are ganging together this week for an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza. Oxford’s New Theatre in George Street will once again be playing host to the county’s annual Gang Show put on by hundreds of youngsters. Nearly 200 children

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In court over street stabbing

A man was remanded in custody accused of stabbing a man twice and spraying him with pepper spray. Daniel Norris, 24, of Virginia Way, Abingdon, is charged with grievous bodily harm, possession of a knife and possessing a weapon for the discharge of a

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Leak leaves homes without water

A BURST water main in Witney left up to 800 homes without water yesterday – a day after Thames Water announced a hosepipe ban. The pipe, at the junction of Ducklington Lane and Station Lane, burst at about 3am, but Thames Water had rerouted water into

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Hospitals act on hip implant concerns

DOCTORS are writing to more than 1,500 patients who have received hip replacements in Oxfordshire as far back as 1999. Over the next month, patients who have received metal-on-metal hip im-plants or replacements at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (NOC

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UPDATE: Stranglers drummer diagnosed with chest infection

DRUMMER Jet Black spent a night in Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital after suffering breathing problems before a gig with his band The Stranglers. The 74-year-old was taken to hospital by ambulance from the O2 Academy in Cowley Road at about

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Oxford United defender Capaldi unscathed after return to action

Tony Capaldi’s hopes of making his Oxford United debut this season have been boosted after a successful run-out for the reserves. The full back came through 45 minutes unscathed in Tuesday’s 1-0 Combination defeat against Southend United at Roots Hall

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Up to 6,659 pupils taught in temporary buildings

UP to 6,659 Oxfordshire children are being taught in ‘temporary’ classrooms – some of which date back to the 1960s and 1970s. For the first time the Oxford Mail can reveal how many such classrooms are being used in schools across the county

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COMMENT: Temporary fix that can last a lifetime

HANDS up those of you who were taught in temporary classrooms at some stage of your education? There will be plenty of arms in the air, no doubt, as such structures have become a common sight in schools around Oxfordshire and beyond. Now new figures

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Traffic light failure at busy Oxford junction

THE traffic lights at Hinksey Hill Interchange are currently not working. The lights on the A34 junction are out both ways. It is not known what caused the fault.

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Air show season is all ready to fly

THE air show season is set to take off in Abingdon. The 13th annual Abingdon Air & Country Show will take place on Sunday, May 6, at the Dalton Barracks airfield. The charity event is one of the first big airshows of the year. Flying displays will

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'Our street is being turned into a student campus'

A decision will be made tonight on a scheme to build 101 student rooms in a residential street in West Oxford. Oxford City Council’s west oxford planning committee will decide the proposals for the Innovation House Business Centre in Mill Street. And