Archive
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Cyclists turn to Lord’s for church cash
CYCLING cricketers will join hundreds of Oxfordshire residents taking part in a day of fundraising for church buildings. Four members of Wytham Village Cricket Club will cycle from Lord’s cricket ground in London, to the village ground via 11 churches
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All aboard as miniature railway plans to grow
OXFORD’S train station is due to expand in a £75m redevelopment and the new line to London Marylebone is well under way but this year could mark yet another railway expansion in the city. That’s because it’s full steam ahead for the mini-railway
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Update: One lane of the A34 closed at Peartree Interchange as drivers face major delays
COMMUTERS are facing severe congestion through Oxford this evening. Cars are queueing on Botley Road, Banbury Road, Woodstock Road, and Abingdon Road. There have been two separate collisions on the A34 at Weston-on-the-Green and one at the
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Police say driver was attacked in road rage incident at Burford
A MAN stopped and attacked another driver in broad daylight in a road rage attack, police have said. Thames Valley Police said the 49-year-old victim was pushed and shouted at by the driver of a silver Land Rover Discovery at the mini-roundabout
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No bye for Oxford United in JPT
OXFORD United will be in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy first round draw next month after missing out on a bye. Michael Appleton's men were not among the 16 sides who will enter at the second round stage. They are in the south west section and
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North Leigh residents celebrate as housing is vetoed
NORTH Leigh residents breathed a sigh of relief after proposals for a 20-home development on the edge of the village were thrown out. West Oxfordshire District Council’s lowlands planning sub-committee voted against the plans for the site behind
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Developers to submit plans for link road to new Barton estate
PLANS are to be submitted for controversial road changes as part of a major housing development for Barton. Grosvenor is to submit a planning application for the road infrastructure for the scheme later this summer. Oxford City Council approved
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Calculating legacy of the Olympics in London
ACCESS to sport in the county is much improved because of the London Olympics, according to Oxfordshire Sports Partnership (OSP) managing director Chris Freeman. He said London 2012 has helped to inject more funding and create more projects aimed
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Father's tribute to his little girl who loved ballet
Late afternoon of February 14, around the time that perhaps you were setting down to tea, a small hole appeared in a small blood vessel in the middle of a little four-year-old girl’s head. Little more than a drip-drip. But it kept dripping and slowly
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Lane closed on A34 after collision near Peartree Interchange
THE A34 has one lane closed after a car and a van collided at 4.20pm. The accident took place southbound on the A34 Western By Pass Road just after the Peartree Interchange. Police and ambulance are on the scene. Do you want alerts delivered
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Kennington and Hinksey Hill roundabout work continue to cause traffic misery
TRAFFIC queues are stretching along the Eastern and Southern By-Pass Roads, as well as up Abingdon Road. Drivers going eastbound along the Southern By-Pass towards Abingdon Road and westbound towards Hinksey Hill are facing delays. It is a
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'Shake-up threatens fraud investigations'
HOUSING benefit fraud investigations could suffer when they are handed to the Government, Oxford City Council’s deputy leader has warned. The council will lose the powers to a Government body from February under national reforms. Ed Turner,
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Two-car collision in Banbury Road causing delays
A TWO-car collision in Banbury Road, Oxford, is causing delays this afternoon. A black VW Polo and a green Citroen Berlingo collided shortly before 2pm. No one was injured. Police have now left the scene and a recovery operation has begun.
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Getting up close to the distant past at natural history museum
YOUNG Fin Bridges came face-to-face with the past at the Museum of Natural History’s fossil hunt. The four-year-old got hands-on with a giant ammonite – a marine invertebrate – which is 140 million years old, at the Parks Road museum. He said
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Witney pub closes after landlords move on
LANDLORDS have left a Witney town centre pub at the centre of complaints from neighbours over noise. The Red Lion, in Corn Street, closed last Wednesday after landlord Tom Pauling left the premises with his business partners. Owner Greene King
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Underlying issues not being taken into account
The Strategic Housing Market Assessment threatens us with a massive increase in housing. South Oxfordshire District Council’s consultation paper (Local Plan 2031 – Issues and Scope) swallows this with hardly a murmur and consults us on where all the
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Confusion is preventing any proper participation
The latest consultation on the Northern Gateway Area Action Plan in North Oxford has started badly, with local politicians making statements which show they are unaware that the size for the proposed development is now significant larger than the Local
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Wednesday’s letters: What are your fellow readers writing in about today?
Want to give your opinion? Email letters@oxfordmail.co.uk
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Check your insurance policy very carefully
Sadly, I had to put my dog to sleep at my vet in Kidlington on May 13, aged 13 and a half, with arthritis. They were excellent and sent me a lovely card a few days later expressing their condolences. When I came to claim for the cost of euthanasia
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Why are there are no women priests yet?
Now the fuss over women bishops is over, can someone tell me why there are no women priests in the Catholic church? It seems odd as so many things start: “Holy Mary, Mother of God.” In the Methodist Church, we have deaconesses – just curious
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Some serious gaps in responses to questions
YOUR recent report of the ‘Connecting Oxfordshire’ workshop held at County Hall missed out a few things of importance. First, the possible use of the Cowley rail line which currently only has about two trains a day serving BMW is an exciting prospect
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I am fed up with this system that motorists just have to put up with
What has the Oxford motorist done to deserve the shambolic and chaotic system that we have at the moment? Everyone of us who tries to earn a living in our beautiful city and surrounding localities is faced with road humps as large as small mountains
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Oxfam back in the black as donations rise
COWLEY-based charity Oxfam is back in the black after the public donated £98.6m to help the victims of humanitarian crises during 2013/14. Almost 6m people across the world benefited from the money, including one million in Syria and neighbouring
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Secretary enjoys the sweet taste of contest success
A LEGAL secretary became a hit with her colleagues after winning chocolate for her whole office. Adrienne McGurn won the treats for her co-workers at Bower and Bailey solicitors after entering an Oxford Mail competition. The bars were donated
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Church extension aims to cross community divide
A NEW church extension could help bridge the gap between Summertown and Cutteslowe residents, a vicar believes. St Michael and All Angels’ Church, in Lonsdale Road, is planning to extend its west side for toilets, a kitchen, offices, storage and
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Bookshop's success becomes a real-life saga
HE’S been around longer than some of his books stacked up on the shelves. And now Brian Pattinson is celebrating running one of the oldest independent bookshops in the county, which has been open for 35 years. The Book House, in South Parade
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Rail firm can replace bridge without ramps
WHEELCHAIR users, cyclists and parents with pushchairs are no closer to getting ramps on a South Oxford railway footbridge. Network Rail (NR) has won a battle against Oxford City Council which means it can replace Grandpont Bridge with a like-for-like
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A journey into the humming termites nest...
I am now having my second week of training with my new guide dog Ritchie following the retirement of my first guide dog Peter. Guide Dogs have been absolutely fantastic to me and the new partnership is building well thanks to my great guide dog trainer
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What is causing a bit of a stink - Nasty whiff hangs over city and county
ITS VILE smell has nauseated residents and baffled officials. But nobody has claimed responsibility for the foul stench that swept across Oxford, said to be like cheesy Wotsits, feet, mouldy milk, manure and raw sewage. It came as the warm
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COMMENT: A powerful pong no-one nose anything about
Yesterday’s pong appears to be as baffling as it was smelly. Foul odours were detected across various locations in the county but so far the cause has remained a mystery. Residents have kicked up a stink about it but Thames Water, which deals with
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COMMONWEALTH GAMES: It's Rivers of gold for Dan
Shooter Dan Rivers said it was an amazing feeling to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal at Glasgow 2014. The 23-year-old, from Didcot, secured a dominant victory in the 50m rifle three positions contest at Carnoustie, shooting consistently in
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COMMENT: Balancing a huge bill with local worries over housing
FOOTING an unexpected bill is not an easy task. For most of us, it means scrimping and saving or getting some financial help from somewhere. For Blenheim Palace, the bill is a whopping £40m over the next 20 years. This World Heritage status
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Appleton's closing in on striker for Oxford United
Michael Appleton says Oxford United are “super close” to signing a striker to boost a side which lacked a cutting edge in a 1-0 home defeat to Wolves last night. The U’s matched their Championship opponents in most departments, but rarely carried
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Tweet from Shakira is Out of the Blue
Student group Out of the Blue, who filmed a music video of Shakira songs to raise money for charity, has gained praise from the pop star herself. The Colombian singer tweeted: “Hey [Out of the Blue], we LOVE your a capella Shak medley!” The
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Molly’s the face of our city’s fight to find cure for cancer
CANCER survivor Molly Crawford is today launching a new campaign to fund more scientific research in the city. The 12-year-old Matthew Arnold School pupil was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia just before her third birthday in 2005.
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FOOTBALL: City beaten at Ardley
Oxford City slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Ardley United in their penultimate friendly before the new season gets under way. Callum Convey’s penalty in the 51st minute, following a foul by Mark Preece, divided the two teams.
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Rebail over knife raid
A 23-year-old man arrested over a knifepoint robbery at a newsagent has been rebailed again by detectives. The man was arrested on suspicion of robbery following the raid at Littlemore News in Cowley Road in February. He answered bail yesterday
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Film aims to make Banbury the town of the living dead
A VIRUS raising the dead and triggering a worldwide apocalypse is to be unleashed in Banbury. Zombies are expected to start staggering around the town this weekend. But luckily it’s all just part of a new film being shot by filmmaker Tony Jopia
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RACING: Longsdon's double bid
Chipping Norton trainer Charlie Longsdon is double-handed in the thetote.com Galway Plate (5.30) at the Irish track today with Vulcanite and Grandads Horse. HOOK Norton trainer Peter Hiatt sent out Mazij to spring a 14-1 surprise in a selling handicap
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RACING: Charlie in action again
Charlie Wells, the horse trained by Eve Johnson Houghton at Blewbury, near Didcot, who tested positive for morphine, runs in the 7.15 at Ffos Las tomorrow. The three-year-old has already been placed twice since failing a drugs test following his
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Church theft charges
A man and a teenager have been charged with stealing lead from St John The Baptist Church. Mark Hendron, 26, of Twyford Close in Swindon, and an unnamed 17-year-old from the town, were arrested on Wednesday, June 18, and charged with theft on Wednesday
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Bail changes for man accused of child sex
A man accused of engaging in sexual activity with a child had his bail conditions varied by a judge at Oxford Crown Court. Joseph Tsang, of Sandy Lane, Oxford, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of the offence, as well as two counts of causing
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Driver and biker face bans for 100+mph speeds
A CAR driver was clocked doing 109mph and a motorcyclist caught doing 108mph on a busy road south of Oxford. Officers set up a new video speed camera check on the A4074 near the H Cafe, Berinsfield, between 6pm and 8pm on Monday and recorded 32
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Residents report bad smell for a third day
THERE are reports that the smell which plagued Oxford residents on Monday and Tuesday, is still around today. Lisa Lawrence, who lives in Sandhills, said she had called the environmental health telephone helpline but the operators had not been
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Wednesday, July 30
6:36pm There are major delays in and around Oxford this evening after two collisions 4:39pm Kennington and Hinksey Hill roundabout work continue to cause
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CPS to decide on Jake Blakeley prosecution
The Crown Prosecution Service will say on Friday whether it will prosecute Jake Blakeley again over his role in helping his brother dispose of Jayden Parkinson’s body. Jurors were discharged last week after failing to reach a verdict for the 17
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Woman facing attempted murder charge after Leys collision
A woman has been charged with attempted murder after a man was injured in a collision with a car in Blackbird Leys on Sunday morning. A spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police said Monica Thomas, 25, of Salesian Gardens in Oxford would appear at Banbury
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Drivers facing queues on the A34 due to roundabout works
DRIVERS this morning will face queues again on the A34, with traffic starting to stack back south of Kennington. Southbound traffic approaching Hinksey Hill also face delays, with vehicles being slowed from Botley. It is a result of the ongoing
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Youngsters go wild in homage to a classic tale
APHRA Hiscock, 15, is going wild at Oxford’s Story Museum this week. She is helping the Pembroke Street museum bring to life one of her favourite children’s books – Where the Wild Things Are by American writer Maurice Sendak. The museum is
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AUNT SALLY: Title race thrown open as Six Bells falter
THE battle for the Premier Section crown is alive after leaders Six Bells C lost for the second match in succession, writes ANDY BEAL. A week after their unbeaten run came to an end, the front-runners went down 2-1 at home to Red Lion A Eynsham
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Update: Missing man David Goodwin found
MISSING man David Goodwin has been found, police have said this morning. Last night police appealed for help to find the 49-year-old man after he went missing following a visit to the John Radcliffe Hospital. Police had warned the public not to
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CRICKET: Ayaz's nine-wicket blitz crushes Minster
Cowley Internationals’ bowler Ayaz Khan nearly took all ten for a second time when he bagged a nine-wicket haul in their 65 win at Minster Lovell in OCA League Division 1. In 2012, Ayez took 10-35 for Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts agai-nst
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Commonwealth Games: Watson aiming to lift crown
BEN Watson will look to convert his English title into a Commonwealth Games medal tonight. The 24-year-old weightlifter, from Didcot, is in action in the 105kg category at 7.30pm. Watson, who is a member of the St Birinus club, will hope to
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Commonwealth Games: Fox frustrated as hockey team lose
DAN Fox was left frustrated as England’s men’s hockey team lost 2-1 to New Zealand. The Oxford University graduate ended the match as a ‘kicking back’ after England sacrificed their goalkeeper to push for a late equaliser. But Fox’s side have
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Commonwealth Games: England pays price for lack of finishing power
HANNAH England admitted she did not have enough finishing speed after fading to seventh place in the 1500m final last night. The 27-year-old Oxford athlete attacked with 200m to go at Hampden Park, but never really challenged for victory. Instead
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Blenheim may sell off housing land to fund £40m conservation bill
THE owner of Blenheim Palace is considering selling land to cover a £40m maintenance bill. Bosses are reviewing the estate’s 10,000-acre portfolio – the equivalent of 5,668 football pitches – surrounding the 300-year-old World Heritage Site to
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Child seat saves baby in M40 crash
A BABY survived a crash on the M40 yesterday thanks to his car seat being correctly fitted, the fire service has said. The one-year-old boy escaped the crash, between Banbury and Bicester, without injury. His mother and father were also in
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Oxford Tube sorry for deaf passenger's 'humiliation'
A BUS company is investigating one of its drivers after a deaf woman claimed she was “humiliated” on a journey to Oxford. Sarah Chapman, of Witney, complained to Stagecoach after the incident on its Oxford Tube service on Monday. Mrs Chapman
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Man faces jail for seeking sex with 14-year-old
A FORK-LIFT truck driver has been convicted of trying to meet and have sex with a 14-year-old girl. Kacper Belzek, of Burwell Drive, Witney, was found guilty after a trial of one count of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex
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With no running water, £328,000 cottage is a real fixer-upper
WITH the housing market booming, it’s not surprising a pretty cottage sparked a fierce bidding war and sold for thousands of pounds over guide price at auction. But the new owners of Church Green Cottage in Kencot, near Brize Norton, which went
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Sheldonian lifts curtain on centuries of history
THE Sheldonian Theatre is the start and finish of an Oxford University student’s journey through academia but there is a good chance most Oxford residents haven’t been inside the historic building. Now a series of tours running until October allow
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CRICKET: Cumnor push Downs closer towards drop
Former Oxfordshire opener Andew Sabin compiled a match-winning innings of 92 not out as Banbury 2nd eased to a convincing eight-wicket win at Thame Town in Cherwell League Division 1 on Saturday. Thame’s decision to bat first looked sensible enough
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Bakers rise to challenge for hospice funds
YOUNG bakers raised vital funds for a hospice at a cake sale they organised for a youth project. They sold the treats at Witney’s Windrush Leisure Centre in aid of Helen & Douglas House, hospice in Oxford. The youngsters, members of the
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Pledge to meet deadlines to finish major road upgrades
MAJOR road improvements on Oxford’s ring road and in Frideswide Square will finish on time, a council boss has said, after an opposition member raised concerns. Oxfordshire County Council’s David Nimmo Smith gave the assurance in response to concerns
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Commonwealth Games: Clarke trails in last
Lawrence Clarke had a final to forget as he finished last in the 110m hurdles. The 24-year-old, from Christmas Common, near Watlington, was never in the race and hit two hurdles hard as he tried to push towards the end. Clarke clocked 13.84secs
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Jewish heritage was inspiration for novel
FOR José Patterson, literary success has come a little later in life. The 84-year-old’s children’s book No Buts, Becky! has been chosen as a finalist in two competitions. It was shortlisted at the People’s Book Prize awards and at the Wishing
