Archive
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MOTORSPORT: Alice Powell column
I am starting on a sad note this week. As most of you know, Maria De Villota passed away two weeks ago. It was very sad, especially following everything she had been through with losing her right eye in an accident. I, unfortunately, never
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Man was caught with cannabis worth £6k
A man has been jailed for a year after he was caught with more than £6,000 worth of cannabis near Bicester. Dean Bromage, of Edinburgh Road, Nuneaton, admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply in the car park of The Jersey Arms hotel in
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NEWS ANALYSIS: Phoenix cinema’s history brought to book
THE Phoenix Picturehouse may lack the vast auditoriums and blockbuster-filled programmes of the multiplex cinemas of today, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in cinematic soul. And that is undoubtedly what has kept patrons buying
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Museum cafe worker in court over thefts
A confiscation hearing was adjourned in the case of a cafe worker who stole more than £16,500 from the Oxfordshire Museum. Helen Seacole, of Woodstock Road, Witney, admitted four charges of theft by an employee, committed between October 2008 and
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Who was Oxford United's man of the match at Wimbledon?
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AFC Wimbledon 0 Oxford United 2 (Constable 5, Smalley pen 81)
Goals from James Constable and Deane Smalley continued Oxford United's excellent away form with a hard-earned win at AFC Wimbledon which sent Chris Wilder's men top of the table. Constable's header, his 99th goal for the club, gave the visitors
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Nursery nurse is in line to win national award for care
A CHILDREN’S nurse has been shortlisted for a national Nursery Nurse of the Year award for her work at an Abingdon nursery. Claire Brasier, 28, from Carterton, was picked as one of only five shortlisted for the prize, run by Nursery Management
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Optician sets up vision centre in Botswana
A STORE manager from a Witney opticians has helped set up the first vision centre in Botswana. Richard Goring, of Specsavers in The Woolgate Centre, was part of a team of six, including four optometrists and two dispensing opticians, who set out
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Turning tragedy to something positive
A MOTHER who lost her son to an undiagnosed heart condition has made an alliance with her local corner shop. Ulrike Rowbottom, 53, from Abingdon, lost her son Adam just over two years ago when he was 23. He had no history of heart problems,
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Updates - AFC Wimbledon v Oxford Utd
Afternoon from south London, where #oufc are an hour away from kick-off against AFC Wimbledon. How are we feeling? — @OxfordMailOUFC 26 October 2013 @OxfordMailOUFC Hopeful... — @willowsj 26 October 2013
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Put some Life into your day with our fabulous features
Oxford's Nicola Blackwood on her life in politics and why we need more women MPs Why we loved Bridget Jones . . . and what happened next Meet the friends who have started their own craft fairs How to have a happy –
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MOTORSPORT: Dynamic Dew takes third in debut season
Bampton's Alex Dew finished third in his maiden BMW Compact Cup Championship season after recording a double podium in the final round at Cadwell Park. Competing in his first full championship campaign since taking part in the Renault Clio Cup
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TABLE TENNIS: Holton on song to capture top spot
Holton A have risen to their customary position at the top of Oxford & District League Division 1 after their third big win. They swept aside Vikings A 9-1, with maximums from Andy Misseldine and Mark Scott. Geraint Lloyd beat Darren Palmer
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Design of born-again library is the ticket
A LIBRARY created at an Oxfordshire school after a four-year gap without the facility has won a national award. Carterton Community College's library won the School Library Association's Library Design Awards earlier this month. The library
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Life imitates art as amateur group stages Calendar Girls
IT’S a story of how tragedy inspired a group of friends to help others. Now life is imitating art for an amateur dramatics group set to put on their own production of the comedy Calendar Girls. The movie and West End show is about a Women’s
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Feature Editor's pick of the week
They are the champions of the world! Queen's Roger Taylor tells us why they are passing on the rock baton Celebrate the Mercury Prize countdown with a chance to win a £280 pair of Bose headphones.. and every shortlisted album!
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Top children’s doctor set to retire
A CONSULTANT who played a major role in children’s healthcare at the John Radcliffe Hospital is set to retire. Dr Anne Thomson, 60, formed a children’s respiratory department at the hospital and went on to help create the children’s hospital.
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Sepp Blatter tells Oxford Union he's a "servant of football"
Sepp Blatter the president of Fifa defended his position saying he was a “servant of football” during a speech at Oxford Union last night. The 78-year-old attacked critics and said he had been wrongly viewed as a "parasite". In the speech
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MOTORSPORT: Messenger races in for second spot
Eynsham’s Dave Messenger secured the runners-up berth in the Alfa Romeo Class E Championship in a dramatic double-header finale at Silverstone. Heading to Silverstone, Messenger, racing for Team Darnells/Solo Italia, was in fourth in the championship
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It's classics for all as free public centre is launched
HISTORIAN Mary Beard praised a new centre to bring ancient Greek and Latin to a wider audience at its opening this week. The TV celebrity said the Cheney School, Headington centre for the public would “put classics on the map”. The East Oxford
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RUGBY UNION: May back as Exiles go clear
Tom May returns to the London Welsh starting line up for tonight’s Greene King IPA Championship clash with the Cornish Pirates at the Kassam Stadium. The Exiles’ team captain forms a new centre partnership with Sonny Parker, after missing the Exiles
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YOUTH CRICKET AWARDS: Young England star Miles gets the plaudits
England and Oxfordshire ace Miles Hammond, 17, was honoured with the Phil Garner Excellence Award at the OCB’s annual presentation evening at Hawkwell House Hotel. The youngster, who came through the youth ranks with Oxfordshire, made his first
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Plane crash lands in field near Tackley
A plane crash landed in a field near Tackley after its engine failed. The two people in the plane were not hurt and were out of the aircraft when firefighters arrived at the scene on Thursday night. Five fire engines were sent to the field
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Found safe and well
A 22-year-old man who went missing on Tuesday was found safe and well yesterday. Tom Hendriks, from Church Cowley Road, Oxford, had last been seen at his home on Tuesday. He was reported missing on Wednesday when he did not show up at work,
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Hunting charges made
Three men have been charged with hunting offences in Watlington. Patrick O’Donnell, 49, of Stable Way, London, Simon O’Donnell, 25, of Westway Travellers’ Site, Kensington, and Simon O’Donnell, 26, of Ilderton Road, London, were all charged with
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Pensioner guilty of lying to protect her lover, 63
A PENSIONER has been convicted of lying to police following the murder of a millionairess whose body was buried down a garden well. Jennifer Creasey was found guilty yesterday of perverting the course of justice in relation to the death of Patricia
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Burglar sentencing put off for reports
A burglar had his sentencing adjourned yesterday at Oxford Crown Court so a report can be prepared. Aaron Carrol admitted a break-in at a house in York Place, Headington, Oxford, on June 7 this year. The 27-year-old took electrical items, jewellery
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Yummy Pink Day raises awareness for breast cancer
Tasty! Emma Watson, manager of Cafe Aloha, heralded pink cake day as “a great success”. The cafe in Botley sold pink cakes and afternoon teas yesterday as part of a breast cancer awareness weekend. Ms Watson, 30, said: “We have been planning
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SPORTING OBITUARY: Headington footballer Blake dies aged 82
Percy Blake, a winger with Headington United and Oxford City, has died aged 82 after a short illness. Blake, of Wheatley, was most proud that he played for Headington as the team turned professional and changed their name to Oxford United.
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RUGBY UNION: Scott wants more of the same against Pirates
Nick Scott is relishing the chance to show Cornish Pirates what he is capable of – again. Arriving on loan at London Welsh from Bath just prior to the club’s 2012 Championship play-off run, Scott finished the season with seven tries in 12 league
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Neighbour chased bungling burglar into stream
TWO bungling burglars who failed to escape after a Didcot break-in have been jailed. Andrew Bayliss and Alex Bayne both appeared in Oxford Crown Court yesterday to be sentenced for a burglary on February 21 this year. The pair were spotted,
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Rape charges denied
A man has appeared in court and denied two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. Jordan Gibbs, of Saxon Way, Headington, attended a plea and case management hearing yesterday at Oxford Crown Court. The 26-year-old is accused of committing
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Smoked out at Boots
A smoke device used to deter burglars was set off at a Boots store. Fire officials told the Oxford Mail that they were called about the incident at Boots in Chipping Norton on Thursday night, but said there was no fire. The device, a so-called
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PM in the frame to open college studio
Prime Minister David Cameron officially opened a new photographic studio at Abingdon and Witney College. The Witney MP was on hand to cut the ribbon at the new studio yesterday. The Isabelle Spencer Suite, named after a former teacher at Henry
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New location charges threat as Endeavour episode films
THE producers behind TV show Endeavour are staying tight-lipped over moves which could see them having to pay more money to film in the county. The proposals set a dark backdrop as the latest filming of the top detective drama took place. Wrapped
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Medieval abbey setting for best British craftsmanship
THE best of British craftsmanship will be on display inside the 12th century Medieval Abbey in Abingdon this weekend. Chairmaking, fashion, sculpture, leather items, soaps and jewellery are among the attractions – and many of the craftsmen will
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RUGBY UNION: Corker looks for fortress Kassam
London Welsh club captain Matt Corker wants to make the Kassam Stadium a fortress, starting with tonight’s eagerly-awaited rematch against Cornish Pirates, kick-off 6.30pm. The visit of the Pirates is sure to bring back some fond memories for Corker
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ANGLING: Specimen hunter Dennis Fogden dies at 78
Local angling has lost one its most successful specimen hunters with the death of Dennis Fogden at the age of 78. Dennis featured regularly in these pages, usually with pictures of huge pike and chub caught from the Thames. He worked as gardener
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ANGLING: Gary blows 'em away at Oakfield
The Angling Trust Oxford Winter League second round was held on a stillwater for a change, with seven teams leaving their usual Thames venues for a wet and windy Oakfield Fishery. As is often the case on commercials, the wind had a big influence
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FOOTBALL: Basham's hoping for bold bid from City
Striker Steve Basham is hoping lightning strikes twice when Oxford City travel to Dover Athletic in today’s FA Cup fourth qualifying round. Basham, 35, was part of the Oxford United team that won 1-0 at the Crabble Stadium in November 2002 in the
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RACING: Amulet storms in
Amulet, from Eve Johnson Houghton’s Blewbury stables, near Didcot, revelled in Newbury’s soft ground to romp home by nine lengths yesterday. Shane Kelly made all the running to land a mile handicap on the 4-1 favourite.
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Mixed views greet plans for 1,880 houses near to Didcot
A MASTERPLAN for 1,880 new homes for land to the north-east of Didcot was unveiled yesterday. And residents had mixed views on the plans on display at the Cornerstone Arts Centre, for the £250m development on the 360-acre site next to the 3,500
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Cash stolen from home
BURGLARS entered a property in the High Street, Cumnor, and stole money after opening an unlocked door on Wednesday. The burglary took place between 8.30am and 5pm. Call DC Chris Leech on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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Attempted break-in at storage shed
BURGLARS attempted to break into a storage shed in Reading Road, Wallingford. The attempted burglary took place overnight between Wednesday and Thursday and damaged a door’s keypad. On the same night, a pickaxe was stolen from a garage several
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Former boss of OUP wins award for book
HENRY Reece, chief executive of Oxford University Press from 1998 to 2009, has won the Samuel Pepys Award for a ground-breaking study on the Army and Oliver Cromwell. The Army in Cromwellian England was commissioned by Oxford University Press in
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BILLIARDS: Wheatley rolls back the years
GENTWORKS OXFORD & DISTRICT LEAGUE Chick Wheatley played his first league match for nearly 50 years in Cowley Conservative Club A’s 2-1 victory at home to Eynsham. And Wheatley (+100), nearly pulled off a victory as well, being edged out
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SNOOKER: Classy Walker shines for leaders
GENTWORKS OXFORD & DISTRICT LEAGUE Karl Walker showed his class to help Abingdon Conservative Club A march on at the top of Premier & Divison 1 with a 6-0 destruction of hosts Kidlington Green SC A. Walker produced a break of 48 in
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SWIMMING: Farmer's in the groove
Lucy Farmer produced Oxfordshire & North Bucks’ best individual result in Division 1 of the British Gas National County Team Championships at Ponds Forge, Sheffield. She came third in the girls’ 12-13 years 100m backstroke in 1min 5.86secs
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ANGLING: Best for years: Thames is returning to former glory
The Thames continues to fish its head off and local anglers are enjoying some of the best roach and bream fishing for years. It is in stark contrast to this time last year, when many clubs and disgruntled pleasure anglers were bemoaning the lack
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Crash chaos on A34
There was traffic chaos on the A34 yesterday after three collisions caused tailbacks into Berkshire. The first incident was a three-car collision on the southbound carriageway at the Milton Interchange near Didcot. Three people were taken to the
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Blatter follows Mayer to speak at the Union
US musician John Mayer, appeared at the Oxford Union yesterday to speak to Oxford University undergraduates. The singer-songwriter is known for songs such as Your Body Is a Wonderland. Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA since 1998 and one
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End of era as Hercules C130Ks make final RAF flight
AS THE sun set across Oxfordshire so did it set on the career of the RAF C130K Hercules yesterday. At RAF Brize Norton, West Oxfordshire, 47 Squadron bid farewell to the two remaining transport planes. They arrived at 5pm after a six-hour sortie
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Appeal for traffic lights at ‘crash danger’ roundabout
DEMANDS have been made for traffic lights to be put up at a busy exit on to one of the city’s most clogged up roundabouts. Motorists say the exit from Bayswater Road on to Oxford’s Green Road roundabout is dangerous and the site of near accidents
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Hugs turned to assaults, jury is told
FORMER Abingdon Chamber of Commerce boss Paul Townsend allegedly put his fingers down the waistband of a teenage girl’s trousers, a jury heard yesterday. The 28-year-old, of Hadland Road, Abingdon, also allegedly told the girl she was “almost legal
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No this is not a wind-up
FOR most of us, changing the clocks is something we do twice a year, including turning them back an hour at 2am tomorrow. But the Ashmolean Museum’s collections manager for the Western Art department, Catherine Casley, has to wind up all of the
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Oxford striker Rigg wants a repeat show
Sean Rigg is looking to get Oxford United back on the goal trail with his first strike of the season in today’s visit to AFC Wimbledon. The U’s are the joint highest scorers in Sky Bet League Two, but the finishing touch has deserted them in the
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110 Oxfam jobs to go
OXFAM has announced it is set to cut around 110 jobs at its Oxford headquarters. The charity has denied “spending beyond its means” after being accused of blowing its budget by Oxford City Council leader Bob Price. It said it wanted to reduce
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COMMENT: The love that tried to protect a killer
AS Jennifer Creasey awaits sentence for perverting the course of justice, what led her to lie to police after her lover committed murder will no doubt be playing on her mind. In a story that sounds like something out of a grisly film noir, she
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COMMENT: Oxfam is far from immune to difficulties of finances
ANOTHER day, another story about cuts. Today, we reveal that Oxfam is looking at slashing the number of staff it employs in Oxford by 110. Understandably, the revelations have caused concern. When we think of charities, perhaps many of us don’t
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Protect vulnerable
Sir – I attended the Oxford public meeting on county cuts on October 15 and left the room thoroughly unimpressed by the lack of leadership shown by the Conservative group on this issue. While the tagline for the event was ‘help us make tough decisions
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Planning choices
Sir – The survey of residents’ opinions in Drayton, near Abingdon, carried out in the preparation of a Neighbourhood Development Plan has produced some interesting results (as well as an impressive response of over 60 per cent of its 1,900 residents
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Well-deserved bonus
Sir – So, £119,243 bonus payments to be divided between eight directors at Oxford University Hospitals — a rise of 61 per cent. No doubt this is happening nationwide. My friend, a highly skilled nurse with huge responsibility, also received a bonus
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Just one panino
Sir – In his review of The Narrows, in Abingdon (Weekend, October 17), Christopher Gray refers to a “ham and cheese panini”, as regularly consumed by himself at Heathrow Airport. I think he will find that one consumes one panino, and if very hungry
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Luddite posturing
Sir – How many people now work from home? When I asked Downing Street to consider posing the question in the 2011 Census, I didn’t even receive an acknowledgement from the Prime Minister’s office. I was equally unsuccessful when I suggested my
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Alternative worship
Sir – Oxford Unitarians send their good wishes to Oxford Humanists upon the occasion of their first ‘Sunday Assembly’ in the city of Oxford on Saturday, October 26. Those supporting this event might also like to consider a long-established alternative
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Free market hammer
Sir – Abraham Kaplan’s Law of the Instrument states: “Give a small boy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding.” Sadly, Lawrence Haar (First Person, October 10) appears similarly intent on pounding renewable energy
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Draconian targets
Sir – If your correspondents are relying on Lord Stern for their views on global warming, no wonder they think it is worthwhile to go ahead with schemes like the proposed solar park at Besselsleigh, which would take 69 football pitches worth of treasured
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Science centre must find new site
Sir – You report that the previous scheme for the ‘Magnet’ (the Science Discovery Centre) has been replaced with a design for something smaller and less overpowering (Report, October 17). We have not seen the new plans, as we were not invited to
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False competition
Sir – The Talking Oxfordshire public meetings in Banbury and Oxford were filled to capacity with people desperate to voice concerns about proposed cuts to our public services by the county council. I attended to represent the 1,100+ members of
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Absence of owls
Sir – I live at the lower end of Cheney Lane and I have noticed a complete disappearance of owls from the neighbourhood. When I moved in here, 40 years ago, owls roosted in the nearby trees and did so until recently. Quite clearly there has been
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Closed doors
Sir – Chris Koening is right on the money when he decries the absurd difficulty and cost of gaining access to many university and college premises nowadays. As someone who has spent almost 60 years living in Oxford, quite a few of them working
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Medal disparity
Sir – Your readers will know that I have often written letters since 2005 on the need to persuade our British and Commonwealth Governments to award a full campaign medal to Bomber Command for their courageous efforts and very heavy sacrifice in the
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Dangers of helmets
Sir – Terence Hadler (Letters, October 17) is right that cyclists should obey the regulations about lights. But he is misinformed about helmets. There are, of course, plenty of anecdotes about crashes where a helmet supposedly helped. They prove
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Lighting-up time
Sir – With reference to Mr Hadler’s letter re his fear of killing a cyclist (October 17) There are already laws regarding the subject but the problem arises from a failure to implement them. About once a year the police will have a purge. Any offenders
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Loss to skyline
Sir – In 1970, when I arrived in Oxford to take up the post of Oxford city landscape architect, two spectacular and highly controversial landscape projects had just been completed. The Stokenchurch cut through the Chilterns on the M40, and Didcot
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Sustainable future
Sir – Those who promote renewable energy wind and solar, fail to understand how the supply of electricity works. Electrical power supply is an on-demand system, as you cannot store electricity it has to be generated and used at the same time.
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Developer plans 23 new homes on farm
A PROPERTY developer wants to build 23 new homes on an Oxfordshire farm. Gloucestershire-based Bruton Knowles wants to demolish farm buildings and convert two barns at Bow Farm in Stanford in the Vale near Wantage. The new homes would include
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Reaching out to help old and lonely in county
A CAMPAIGN to help stop Oxfordshire’s elderly feeling lonely has been launched by Oxfordshire Community Foundation. The Surviving Winter campaign for 2013 aims to raise money to fund community groups for outreach programmes to alleviate isolation
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County's hospital authority gets a 'satisfactory' rating
THE county’s hospitals authority has been rated satisfactory by the official watchdog. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUHT) was given a three out of six rating under the new regime by the Care Quality Commission. It uses more than 150
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Down where no caver has ever been
AN OXFORDSHIRE man has delved into what are believed to be unexplored caves hundreds of metres beneath Montenegro. Mark Sims, 24, from Rowstock near Didcot, was part of a team believed to be the first people ever to shine light on an underground
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£450k ‘world class toilets’ project re-opens park loos
PARK toilets in East Oxford have opened after an £85,000 revamp. The Florence Park facilities are the latest to be brought up to scratch as part of a £450,000 scheme to bring “world class” toilets to the city. Oxford City Council is improving