Archive
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West Papua's fight for freedom gets city base
AN INDEPENDENCE fighter who hit the headlines after being banned from the New Zealand Parliament has set up his campaign base in Oxford. Benny Wenda, 37, who lives in Marston Road and has been in Oxford for more than 10 years, on Sunday officially
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Volunteer call for litter blitz
Volunteers are needed for a Didcot Town Council litter pick on Saturday, May 11, from 9am to noon. Volunteers are invited to meet at the Civic Hall car park in Britwell Road where high-visibility vests, gloves and rubbish sacks will be provided
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Appeal aims to boost Arts Council grant
DANCERS and actors at Oxford’s Pegasus Theatre are launching a £100,000 ‘Double our Money’ fund-raising campaign. Money raised through the campaign will attract funding from Arts Council England, up to a possible total of £80,000. The Oxford
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DARTS: Oxon all set for relegation crunch clash
Oxfordshire's fight to avoid relegation from the Premier Division of the British Inter-Counties Championship continues this weekend when they entertain Surrey at Bicester Ex-Servicemen’s Club. This is Oxfordshire’s game in hand, the match having
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Taking up the Helen House challenge for charity
TWO Oxford businesses took over the running of a charity shop on Thursday to help increase sales and raise awareness. Staff from Carter Jonas estate agents in Banbury Road and Withy King solicitors in New Inn Hall Street took over the Helen and
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College ordered to tell all over pay-offs
A FURTHER education college which branded questions about “cash for silence” agreements with departing staff as “harassment” has been ordered to disclose the payments. The UK’s data watchdog said Oxford & Cherwell Valley College (OCVC) was
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Costa wants to serve al fresco
Coffee chain Costa has applied to put tables and chairs outside its new cafe in Welch Way, Witney. The company is asking West Oxfordshire District Council to allow change of use of part of the pavement. Costa wants to install two tables and four
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Looking cute
CHILDREN have been getting to grips with nature. Five-year-olds Paddy Harris and Hiroko Lodge helped look after little chicks hatched out at their school in Littlemore. The pair, members of the foundation class at the John Henry Newman Academy,
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Town meeting
CARTERTON Town Council’s annual town meeting will be at St John’s Church, Burford Road, on Wednesday, May 8. The event will run from 7pm.
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Meet your PC
Meet Pc Jan Warner at St Barnabas School, Oxford, on Thursday. The Have Your Say meeting will run from 2.45pm to 3.30pm at the school in Hart Street, Jericho. Residents can raise any neighbourhood policing issues.
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Free compost for residents
Free bags of compost are being offered to Cherwell residents as a thanks for recycling efforts. Between May 4 and May 11 Cherwell District Council is holding three compost giveaways – in Kidlington, Bicester and Banbury. It coincides with national
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Signs discussed
Plans to update signs at the Lloyds TSB Bank in Market Place, Didcot, are being considered by South Oxfordshire District Council.
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Homes allowed
Great Tew Estate has won permission to build affordable homes at Court Farm, Butchers Hill. The estate applied to convert agricultural buildings into three homes and build seven affordable homes on the site. West Oxfordshire District Council granted
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Offices grow
Amworld Developments Ltd has won permission to extend planned office buildings in Station Road, Kingham. The company got the go-ahead for a 1,144 sqm extension with 46 car park spaces 10 years ago. West Oxfordshire District Council has now
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Group celebrates 10 years of therapeutic strolls
IT began as a modest attempt to help people who are sick get back on their feet. And now 10 years on Abingdon Health Walks is assisting about 200 people to get moving. The walkers can be spotted every Monday and Wednesday near Audlett Drive
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Teenager in sex abuse trial "took enough drugs to floor a grown man"
A YOUNG teenage girl who regularly took enough drugs to "floor a grown man" cannot be relied upon, a jury was told at the Old Bailey this afternoon. A defence barrister told the Oxford child sex exploitation trial the alleged victim known as Girl
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Alleged underage sex abuse victim "was not exploited", Old Bailey hears
AN UNDERAGE girl was not "exploited" by a man who had sex with her because she lied about her age and consented, the Old Bailey heard this morning. A defence barrister told the jury the complainant had only ever done what she wanted to do.
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Power cut hits hundreds of homes
Hundreds of homes and businesses lost power after a fault in Oxford today. About 600 properties in Worcester Street, Hart Street and Magdalen Street lost their power supply at around 11.45am, but most were re-connected by noon. The remaining
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House prices fall
House prices in Oxfordshire fell by 0.8 per cent last month, latest official statistics have revealed. Data from the Government’s Land Registry shows the average price of a property in the county now stands at £242,035, compared to £243,985 in
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Restaurant plan on menu for listed shopping gallery
A Grade-II listed shopping gallery in Wantage could be closed off, with a new restaurant or shop opening up in what is now a walkway. The owner of the Victoria Cross Gallery in the Market Place has been given planning permission to convert it into
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Gardeners to dig for victory
OXFORD in Bloom judges are hoping for better weather this year as the annual contest is launched. Entries were down last year, because of the hosepipe ban followed by prolonged heavy rain. But come rain or shine this year, gardeners are being
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MOTHERING SUNDAE: A life spent on subs' bench
AT THE risk of alienating a large chunk of the Oxfordshire population, I’m admitting that this week I went to see a Swindon Town football match – and that takes balls. As we live west of Oxford, Kingston Colts, the local junior football club, were
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Half a century on in Cornmarket
WHAT a difference 50 years makes! This was the scene in Cornmarket Street, Oxford, on May 23, 1961. It was busier than usual because it was the Saturday of the Whitsun holiday weekend. Cornmarket was then a major route for local as well
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Bat's not the way to win cricket match
WHOEVER was batting in this match wasn’t doing very well. The scoreboard made grim reading, with three wickets down and just 11 runs on the board. The last player had been out for two. The picture shows spectators watching the action in a match
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College halted May Morning
SOME of Oxford’s traditional May Day celebrations were cancelled 100 years ago because May 1 fell on Ascension Day. Magdalen College decided it would be inappropriate to hold the usual festivities when Christians were marking the day Jesus left
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Vicar denied brolly attack
A CLERGYMAN was outraged after being accused of hitting a council official with an umbrella. The alleged assault occurred when tempers flared at Wolvercote during a tour of Oxford’s boundaries led by the mayor, Frederick Anson, in 1892. But
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May Day crush
THIS was the scene on May morning in Oxford in 1979. As usual, thousands of people flocked to Magdalen Bridge at 6am on May 1 to hear the choir singing from the top of the college tower. The Oxford Mail reported: “A Maypole lurched drunkenly
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FOOTBALL: Langford seals last-gasp draw
Ellis Langford scored a last-gasp equaliser as Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division runners-up Wantage Town fought back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at Thame United on Saturday. Although it was the last Saturday of the league programme, there
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Chris aims to protect Britain's swifts
DURING a career working in Africa and Ethiopia Chris Mason has seen some of the world’s most incredible birds. Now he has retired, the 71-year-old is hoping to protect one of Britain’s fastest – the swift. He is calling on would-be ornithologists
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The changing face of Wallingford
CELLIST Rebecca White, 11, seen in the picture immediately below, was among those who took part in a series of concerts given by the Wallingford Area Primary Music Festival Group in 1990. Nearly 100 singers and musicians from various schools entertained
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The scales of justice: people convicted of offences at Oxford Magistrate's Court
Zainab Khalaf, 28, of Coleridge Close, Cowley, Oxford, admitted failing to report a road accident and driving without due care and attention on November 30 in Iffley Road, Oxford. Fined £80 and told to pay victims’ surcharge of £20 and £85 costs. Given
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FOOTBALL: Woodley penalty miss costly for Abingdon
Abingdon United ended their Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West campaign with a home defeat that saw Richie Bourne’s side end the season in 20th position. However, the outcome of this game could have been very different had a number
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FOOTBALL: North Leigh sign off with dominant win
North Leigh ended their Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West season on a positive note with a 3-1 victory over Bridgwater Town on Saturday. It gave Mark Gee’s side back-to-back wins and a ninth-place finish. The Millers dominated
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Car flips in M40 drama
A car flipped on its roof on Sunday after an accident on the M40. The accident happened at about 3.30pm half a mile from Junction 9, at Wendlebury. Firefighters were called but no-one was trapped. A man and a woman, who were in the car, were
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Union plans protest over pub costs
THE plight of a Witney pub landlord who is facing eviction will be highlighted by a union demonstration. The GMB union has pledged its support for Simon Moore, landlord of the Chequers Inn, Witney, and will hold the demonstration on Wednesday,
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Purses snatched at charity event
THIEVES snatched two purses containing about £140 from a charity event in Kidlington. Volunteers were running a “colossal cake sale” in aid of forces charity Help for Heroes at the St John’s Ambulance Hall, off Kidlington High Street on Saturday
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Music to their ears at Witney festival
SINGERS entertained a crowd of thousands as Witney Music Festival spilled into The Leys recreation ground for the first time. Two outdoor stages brought about 2,500 people to the town on Saturday. In its seventh year, the Witney Music Festival
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Annual meeting
The AGM of Blackbird Leys Parish Council will take place tomorrow. The meeting will start at 7pm in the Jack Argent Rooms, in the community centre in Blackbird Leys Road, Oxford.
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Lives of heroes named on war memorials revealed
TODAY all that remains of their sacrifice is a list of names on three Oxfordshire war memorials. But the painstaking efforts of one amateur historian have now unveiled the human tragedies behind the stone etchings. Four years ago Jeff Clements
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FOOTBALL: Banbury fall short in Bashley defeat
A depleted Banbury United side lost 2-0 at Bashley in their last Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division game of the season. Without a host of first-team regulars due to injury and suspension, the Puritans handed debuts to reserve team regulars
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FOOTBALL: City end with top-ten finish
Oxford City came from behind to avoid defeat and claim an impressive top-ten place in their first season in Blue Square Bet North. Former Oxford United striker Ricky Sappleton struck spectacularly in the second half to give the visitors the lead
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Jewellery theft
Thieves used a garden chair to reach in through a window and undo a lock to get into a house in Marines Drive, Faringdon, on Wednesday. They got away with jewellery. Anyone with information should call the Thames Valley Police inquiry line on 101.
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MP in debate on economy
MP Nicola Blackwood will join leading economists for a debate next week. The Conservative MP for Oxford West and Abingdon will chair the Economic Question Time event at the Said Business School, in Park End Street, Oxford, on Thursday, May 9, at
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FOOTBALL: Didcot beaten by lowly Cleeve
Didcot Town's disappointing Division 1 South & West campaign ended with a whimper against second bottom Bishops Cleeve in a 1-0 defeat. Town can have no complaints, with strugglers Cleeve deserving victory in a game virtually devoid of goalmouth
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FOOTBALL: Ford hails efforts of his squad
Oxford City manager Mike Ford paid tribute to his players after finishing tenth in their debut season in the Blue Square Bet North. City drew 1-1 at home to Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday to end their campaign with just one defeat in the final
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Thursday, May 2: 20 ATG Theatre Cards to win to use at the New Theatre
TO celebrate the New Theatre's summer season we have a competition for 20 readers to win a one year ATG Theatre Card. Membership of the card offers a range of benefits to use at the New Thaetre and also 38 other ATG venues. These benefits include
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Sport heroines
Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson and Olympian Kelly Sotherton will address the Oxford Union on Wednesday. Baroness Grey-Thompson, former wheelchair racer now television presenter, has won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Paralympic Games. Ms Sotherton
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Hundreds join animal rights march in city
CHANTS and jeers were heard across Oxford when hundreds of animal rights protesters took to the streets. Campaigners marched on Oxford University’s Biomedical Sciences Building on Saturday after a rally in Oxpens Meadow, to protest against animals
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Drugs sentence
A man avoided jail for Class-A drug offences. Oran Johnson, 20, of Wembley, London, admitted having crack cocaine with intent to supply and having heroin. He was arrested in Northampton Road, South Oxford, last July and given a 12-month suspended
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Thieves return to steal more
Expensive items were stolen from the same home in Botley Road twice in two days. Thieves forced a rear window and broke in last Monday between 9am and 5pm, taking three laptops and a camera. Burglar also went to the home on Tuesday morning, smashed
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New head’s delight as Ofsted score improves
STAFF and students at a primary school are celebrating a turnaround after being plunged into special measures last year. Cumnor Primary School jumped to “good” yesterday, following an Ofsted inspection last month. Staff were shocked when inspectors
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Oxford United fans' discussion
Good morning everyone and welcome to our final Oxford United chat of the season. We're here for the next hour to look over Saturday's 3-0 win at Accrington, Chris Wilder's new contract, who should stay or go this week and a recap of the season
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Questars tackle a trinity of fitness challenges
SCORES of go-getters ran, paddled and cycled their way to fitness at the weekend. The Questars Adventure Race was held in the county for the first time, featuring a triathlon-style mix of mountain biking, running and kayaking. Valerie Berryman
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COMMENT: County patients deserve access to quality care
ANOTHER week, another story about an apparent postcode lottery for patients. This time it is multiple sclerosis sufferers in Oxfordshire who appear to be missing out on medication they need. It is worrying to hear such a high proportion of
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County's MS patients 'do not get proper support', says report
MULTIPLE sclerosis patients in Oxfordshire are missing out on life-changing drugs. A survey by the MS Society found 79 per cent of Oxfordshire MS patients are not getting proper help.It is one of the poorest rates in the UK according to the charity
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Sun worship in private
So the sun is here at last. I head to town to enjoy the St George’s celebrations – lovely. But my day is ruined by the copious amounts of exposed flesh. Now I am not a prude: exposed flesh is a good thing on occasion. But not when it
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Have dogs spayed
I READ with interest your article on the man who said his dog producing puppies had helped him to stop drinking alcohol bcause of his responsibility towards his dog and the puppies. He also thanked the Dogs’ Trust for helping him financially.
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Village hall mystery
WITH reference to the letters of Keith Brooks, (ViewPoints, April 23, March 4) concerning the heating system of Horspath village hall, I had in fact addressed the problems of the cold waiting room by putting in my own oil-filled heater as an interim
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Let battle commence
The Insider (April 18) has commented on UKIP’s organisational abilities. His thoughts, thankfully, are just a matter of opinion, borne out by the Oxford Mail (April 23) which shows that the Cherwell region of the county is indeed, fielding a full
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Reunion report good
THE recent report on the Wheatley Secondary School reunion while very good has spelled our school’s former music teacher’s name wrong – it is Mr Jeffery Babb not Bubb. The reunion was a very good event, brilliantly organised by Sandra Clements
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On the spot: Where's the real Labour party?
AS an election is soon to be looming, I am surprised that a real Labour party has not formed as opposed to the pretend Labour party headed by Mr ‘Millibland-‘never done a day’s work in his life’. This pretence that his party is different to the
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Cash set aside for rainy day needed, it’s raining
OXFORD City Council is heading for an underspend of about £1.5m for the year 2012/13. Some of this was a windfall in the shape of increased rents from commercial property owned by the council – some was due to budgets being higher than needed to
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Day 50: Monday, April 29
Crime reporter Ben Wilkinson is at the Old Bailey this morning. The trial is due to start at 12pm. Day 50 of the #Oxford grooming trial. James Mulholland, defending Zeeshan Ahmed, now making his closing speech to the jury. — @Ben_Wilkinson
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Rigg praises unselfish Marsh
SEAN Rigg heaped praise on Tyrone Marsh after the Oxford United youngster unselfishly laid on a goal for the winger to score against Accrington Stanley. The teenage striker came off the bench for only his second Football League appearance and he went
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COMMENT: Unlocking history
AFTER all this time, it is hard to prove Geoffrey of Monmouth was based at Oxford Castle in the 12th century. But there is enough evidence to suggest this was very likely, and marketing staff at the tourist attraction have spotted an excellent
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Driver attacked with machete by pedestrian
A DRIVER suffered cuts to his hands after a pedestrian attacked him with a machete in Oxford. Police were called to Crowell Road, Cowley, on Friday afternoon following reports that a man had been attacked. The 27-year-old man was driving along
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Legend of Arthur was born in Oxford Castle
OXFORD was the birthplace of the popular myth of King Arthur, new research has shown. The first recorded version of the life of King Arthur was by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Brittaniae – the History of the Kings of Britain.
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Oxford United boss facing tough decisions
OXFORD United finished the season on a positive note as several out of contract players pushed their case for a new deal with a 3-0 win at Accrington Stanley. Sean Rigg, one of just three players in the starting line-up whose deal extends to next season
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RUGBY UNION: Kulemin leaving London Welsh for Sale Sharks
KIRILL Kulemin has become the second London Welsh player to sign for Sale Sharks. The Russian international lock joins full back Tom Arscott in making the switch from Oxford-based Welsh at the end of the season.
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Elderly wife dies within days of husband’s death after car park accident
A DEVOTED couple passed away within a week of each other after the husband died following a collision in a Chipping Norton car park. David Mond said his mother Phyllis “gave up” after losing husband of 65 years Nathaniel, known as Peter. She
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Young reader is keen to start his journey with Mail campaign
IT takes a lot to persuade a seven-year-old to leave PE on a sunny afternoon to go and sit in a corner with a book and a stranger. But whether it was the chance to be photographed for the Oxford Mail, the fact that the PE lesson in question appeared
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Road closed and buses diverted due to urgent road repairs in Queen Street
QUEEN Street, Oxford, will close overnight while the road is repaired. Urgent repairs will be carried out at Carfax and to allow them to be carried out, Queen Street will close between 8pm tonight and 6am tomorrow. Buses will be diverted during