Archive
-
Date
RMT to decide on future train strike dates after rejecting First Great Western offer
THE RMT will decide on future train strike dates after rejecting a revised offer from First Great Western. The rail operator tabled an improved offer on Tuesday but the union representing rail workers said it fell “well short” of what is required
-
Date
GOLF: Late bogey sees Eddie Pepperell drop back to level par
EDDIE Pepperell dropped a late shot to card a level-par 72 on his Open Championship debut at St Andrews. The 24-year-old, from Abingdon, is seven strokes behind leader Dustin Johnson. He looked likely to post a below par round until a bogey
-
Date
Mum’s Blue Skye Thinking to make charity cash from cars
THE mother of Skye Hall has urged people to turn their cars into cash to raise funds for the charity that the family started after their son was diagnosed with cancer. Parents Sally and Andrew Hall, from Abingdon, founded Blue Skye Thinking in
-
Date
From zeros to heroes as pub cleans up its act for watchdog
A PUB landlord has said a zero food hygiene rating was just the wake-up call his pub needed after getting back on its feet. The Eight Bells in Eaton, near Cumnor, scored zero – the worst possible rating – in August last year but has improved so
-
Date
Obituary: Dr Ed Morris - Long-serving doctor treated generations of local families
A GP who worked in Witney for almost three decades has died in an aircraft crash. Dr Connor Edward Morris, known as Ed Morris, was at the Nuffield Health Centre in Welch Way from 1984 to 2012. The 62-year-old treated thousands of patients during
-
Date
Obituary: Dr Martin West - Classical scholar ‘in a class of his own’
DR MARTIN West, who has died aged 77, was described as the most brilliant classical scholar of his generation. The honorary fellow of All Souls College in Oxford was a world-renowned expert on ancient Greek literature and a prolific researcher.
-
Date
Funeral plans for twin held up by delayed phone line repairs
A GRIEVING pensioner says she has had to arrange her twin brother’s funeral by letter, because a phone line fault has kept her cut off for a month. Retired Tower Hill Primary School teacher Irene Tutton, 82, is one of a group of residents of sheltered
-
Date
Update: A34 northbound clear after crash involving lorry near the M40 junction
ONE lane of the A34 was closed northbound after an earlier crash involving a lorry just before junction 9 of the M40. Lane one of three was closed shortly before the roundabout but it has now cleared. For automatic updates see our Live Traffic
-
Date
Times Tech: Big Brother can’t see as much as he wants to
David McManus reveals the limitations on government snooping One of the greatest challenges for governments in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations, ultimately even greater than being found out for routinely monitoring everything we all do
-
Date
How Stefan aims to clean up
Ben Holgate meets a businessman who first valeted cars – but turned his focus to jets Serendipity is as important to business success as cash flow. So it proved for 24-year-old corporate jet cleaning entrepreneur Stefan Murphy when he was setting
-
Date
Profile: Tony Long - ‘Compilers can be devious’
Maggie Hartford talks to an Oxfordshire pantomime dame and crossword enthusiast Pantomime dames have a long and noble tradition, but would you expect them to solve the Daily Telegraph crossword in half an hour? Tony Long, who has trod the boards
-
Date
Voluntary Voice: New company set on helping autistic people keeps growing
A new community interest company – Into the Garden – is finding that its work giving people with autism the skills and knowledge to work in horticulture, is growing. The company was formed by Andrea Leen and Floortje van der Ven to meet the needs
-
Date
Upgrade rail track
Sir – While the proposed upgrading to Long Hanborough station is very welcome news, an even better boost to this station, to accompany this improvement, would be to reinstate the double track from Charlbury through Hanborough to Oxford Richard
-
Date
Delays around palace
Sir – It is a good thing that Blenheim Palace now enjoys such good patronage of its events (including last weekend’s proms concert) which helps in bringing visitors and jobs to the local area. However what is not so good is the inadequate traffic
-
Date
Legacy of Rhodes
Sir – I wonder if the “Rhodes must fall” group will also be canvassing for all students who have benefitted from a Rhodes scholarship to return the money and also demonstrate against further scholarships being awarded. Colonialism is part of our
-
Date
Floral tribute is a fitting tribute to servicemen
Sir – I’d like to praise the folks responsible for the excellent 75-year Battle of Britain floral display in Witney, near the Welch Way roundabout, adjacent to the Catholic church. We must never forget the sacrifice our RAF pilots paid during the
-
Date
Change on buses
Sir – If you had a bus timetable dated May 7, 2015, would it not be reasonable to expect that it would still be valid on July 6, 2015? Apparently not if the service is the X1/X2 and the operator is Thames Travel. I have just discovered that
-
Date
Questions on city flood relief channel remain unanswered
Sir – I am concerned that anyone should place great faith in the proposed Western Conveyance Channel as a panacea approach to flooding in Oxfordshire. A recent meeting with the Environment Agency on this subject left me with a number of major questions
-
Date
Casting codswallop
Sir – Chris Gray (Gray Matter, June 25) should be informed that his comments about casting Othello are four centuries out of date. Richard Burbage, Shakespeare’s original Othello, was a white man in blackface. Besides, why is it that people
-
Date
Little princesses
Sir – The 18-year-old daughter of a dear friend of mine is donating her very long hair to a UK charity which makes wigs for children who suffer hair loss through cancer treatment and I would like to make this charity further known. It is The Little
-
Date
Trees given low priority
Sir – The Forest of Oxford is concerned about the low priority given to trees in the city centre. Recently trees in Castle Street, and a Tree of Heaven adjacent to Bonn Square have been felled. Two Gingkos at the junction of New Inn Hall Street
-
Date
Oxford United to abolish booking fees and matchday ticket prices for next season
Oxford United are removing all booking fees and matchday ticket price increases for next season. The club have also announced that under 13s can watch the U's for just £5, with under 7s still free when accompanied by a paying adult Supporters
-
Date
Hunt for a baker
Sir – I am researching my maternal grandfather’s family tree and write to request the assistance of readers in tracing the descendants of my great great aunt Sarah Jane Page. Born in 1857 at South Newington, she married Thomas Franklin in 1883
-
Date
Interesting people
Sir – I am writing regarding the letter from Pat Ross, who expresses gratitude to psychiatric staff in Oxford, for the work that they do. I’m sure that staff are appreciative of her letter. Earlier this year I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
-
Date
Creeping sites
Sir – I was rather alarmed to see your headline last week Outer ring of park-and-rides moves closer. It sounds like the kind of thing that might happen in a Stephen King novel. If they continue to move closer, how long will it be before they
-
Date
Siting of park-and-rides
Sir – Before the county council proceeds with locating park-and-ride sites remote from Oxford they would do well to consult the extensive research carried out on park-and-ride, which stressed the importance of driver psychology in locating such sites
-
Date
Pressure on roads
Sir – It seems remarkable how much Headington has changed in my lifetime, with the building of the John Radcliffe Hospital, the establishment of Oxford Brookes University and the setting up, by Oxford University, of medical research facilities – due
-
Date
Expensive toy
Sir – The proposed HS2 train will become another Tory white elephant just like Concorde became. The estimated cost of building the high speed rail line is £58 billion where as experts say the true costs are likely to reach £100 billion. Only
-
Date
Displaced smokers
Sir – Some years ago you were kind enough to do a feature on the menace of smokers from the Churchill Hospital using the adjacent Massey Close to smoke, with the attendant issues of litter, smoke and the sight of staff indulging in their habit for
-
Date
Fiendish plan
Sir – Next week, both Banbury Road and Woodstock Road roundabouts become traffic gridlock sites due to the start of the roadworks. This work is estimated to take up to 18 months, which means gridlock will be in full swing by next summer. Many local
-
Date
Resist bus service cuts
Sir – The county council, district councils and those responding to the current consultation on the removal of some and possibly all of the subsidised bus services should bear in mind that the proposed cuts are occurring at the same time as the various
-
Date
Lovely day out
Sir – Having made Oxford my family home for many years, you tend to forget many of its attributes. On Saturday, July 4, my daughter Abigail and I decided to take part in Alice’s Day, to celebrate 150th anniversary of the famous novel Alice in Wonderland
-
Date
What’s in a name?
Sir – What are names for? I thought it was to help us to differentiate between people and places. So why is Oxford Business Park not located in Oxford? (It’s in Yarnton). London-Oxford Airport is in Kidlington (or more precisely, Lower Campsfield
-
Date
BRADLEY SMITH COLUMN: It’s incredible how my fortunes have changed
What a difference a year makes. I sat on the same sofa in the Monster Tech 3 hospitality unit at the Sachsenring in Germany last year under no illusions that the end was near. The truth was it did not look good. I’d crashed five times during
-
Date
St Thomas Street awash with dire architecture
Sir – It was with disbelief that I read your piece (Report, July 9) regarding the proposals for the redundant Cooper Callas site. The artist’s impression of what the proposed hotel may look like could be in “Anytown”, and that Bob Price calls it
-
Date
Quad Talk: ‘I love it all, except for the lack of bookshops’
Alexander Ewing is reminded of a shameful secret Readers will know that as a proponent of positive thinking, I always hesitate to dwell on the negativities. But a recent chat with a prospective student forced me out of my comfort zone. He asked
-
Date
First Person: Remarkable displays of generosity
Colin Harrison is senior curator of European art at the Ashmolean Long before Nikolaus Pevsner wrote that “The High Street is one of the world’s great streets”, visitors to Oxford had been seduced by its charms. I remember when I was an undergraduate
-
Date
Gray Matter: Bard bringing a whole new meaning to chilling out...
From the “store till winter” section of my wardrobe – in truth, a carrier bag under the eaves – have been extracted over the past week or so one thick cashmere scarf, a pair of fur-lined leather gloves and a peaked cap in heavy wool tweed. Am I
-
Date
Gray Matter: How history was altered to suit composers’ work
That the German dramatist Friedrich Schiller played fast and loose with historical facts will be understood by anyone familiar with his Maria Stuart (the source of an opera by Gaetano Donizetti) in which is invented a highly charged meeting that never
-
Date
Everyone can be a winner
Reg Little on a scheme which is aiming to match elderly residents with younger renters For Paul Cann it is the solution that Oxford has simply been waiting to happen. After all the agonising over expanding Oxford, building on the Green Belt and
-
Date
Thursday’s letters: What are your fellow readers writing in about today?
Want to give your opinion? Email letters@oxfordmail.co.uk
-
Date
Bicester Magistrates' Court flagged up for closure in Ministry of Justice overhaul
THE future of Bicester Magistrates' Court is in jeopardy after it was flagged up for closure today for running at 11 per cent of capacity. The Ministry of Justice launched a consultation to close underused and poor quality court and tribunal buildings
-
Date
Cricket legend has locals in a spin on visit to pub
CRICKETING legend Sachin Tendulkar has bamboozled some of the world’s greatest bowlers and clocked up more runs than any other batsman in history. But the man known as ‘God’ by his most passionate fans seemed to want to get away from it all when
-
Date
Sisters do it for themselves as they launch a gallery of gems
SISTERS Bronwen Jameson and Sian Perry-Smith are hoping their close relationship will give them a head start as they launch a business together. Their gallery, Woldstone Jewellery in Woodstock, will display handmade gems and silverware from 20
-
Date
Almost 1,000 sexual offences reported in Oxfordshire last year
The number of sexual offences reported in the county rose by 43 per cent last year with nearly 1,000 in total. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics today showed 991 sexual offences were reported in Oxfordshire between April 2014
-
Date
Mentally ill man dragged girl, 10, into toilet in supermarket
A MENTALLY ill man who dragged a 10-year-old girl into a supermarket toilet and told her to undress has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Joshua Smith, formerly of Church Road, Long Hanborough, but now detained indefinitely at Littlemore
-
Date
My cancer fight and why you must not ignore the symptoms
AFTER receiving a diagnosis of oesophageal cancer in January following some difficulties swallowing food, my life was suddenly turned upside down. It was difficult to find much comfort from the Internet and with a five-year survival rate in the
-
Date
Closing tips will cost more and cause more flytipping
SO, OUR county council is considering closing the recycling points including Ardley. What do our councillors think they will gain from this? I can tell them: Nothing. What it will do is increase refuse to be collected by lorries on bin
-
Date
Jamie Oliver should have seen this hospital food
I CARE for two disabled parents and my mother has just had an operation at the Churchill Hospital. As a nurse in Oxford for many years, I remember the Churchill was renowned for its excellent restaurant Even the off duty policemen used to dine
-
Date
Rhodes legacy benefitted all creeds and colours
I REFER to the article which appeared in the Oxford Mail on July 14 and wonder if the ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ group will also be canvassing for all students who have benefitted from a Rhodes scholarship to return the money and also demonstrate against further
-
Date
Scales of Justice: 16 cases heard at Oxford and Banbury Magistrates Court
OXFORD MAGISTRATES Samuel Blake, 21, of Spindleside, Bicester, was convicted of assaulting two men and a woman by beating in St Thomas’ Street, Oxford, on October 19. Also convicted of failing to surrender to custody at Oxford Magistrates’ Court
-
Date
Save money on Iraq War probe: My summary is free
THEY say that ‘all good things come to he who waits’. However, this truism seems not to apply to the long awaited Chilcot report into the Iraq War. So far this clandestine smoke and mirrors endeavour has cost the taxpayer a mere £10 million
-
Date
Not all pyschiatric patients are difficult to look after
I AM writing regarding Monday’s letter from Pat Ross, who expresses gratitude to psychiatric staff in Oxford, for the work that they do. I’m sure that staff are appreciative of her letter. Earlier this year I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
-
Date
Come on guys... it’s time to roll up and try a new sport
FRESH faces are needed to join a new male Oxford Roller Derby team and try out a new sport that is not for the faint-hearted. Founded in 2011, the women’s team now has 55 members and a new B-team, and has battered and bruised its way through British
-
Date
FOOTBALL: Banbury are at home to Swindon Supermarine in league opener
Newly-relegated Banbury United start their Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West campaign at home to Swindon Supermarine on Saturday, August 8. Mike Ford's team are away to Evesham United on Boxing Day and at home to Wantage Town
-
Date
The Guide: What is happening on the entertainment scene
-
Date
Love at first sight that’s lasted 60 years
IT WAS love at first sight when John and Betty Berry met on a summer afternoon in 1950. Mr Berry, then 20, pulled up on his motorbike while a 17-year-old Mrs Berry – then Miss Cox – sat with a friend in a garden in what is now Bonn Square.
-
Date
Messing about by the river at the Royal Regatta
Marc West dons his boater and blazer and joins Oxfordshire’s high society by the Thames for Henley’s Royal Regatta From flowers to flat racing, art to opera, the Season defined the British summer. Initially focused on 17th century London, it
-
Date
Stage Bites @ Brasserie Blanc
There's no question of nipping home after work before an evening at the theatre, so I was delighted to discover Brasserie Blanc’s prix fixe menu. Time and price-wise it’s the perfect answer to pre theatre dining – just £9.95 for two courses or
-
Date
Review: The Hollybush, Witney
Katherine MacAlister is relieved to discover great food in a relaxed atmosphere is still the order of the day at a popular hostelry I love The Hollybush. I’ve only been once, just after it re-opened under the new ownership of Luke Champion in April
-
Date
There’s nowhere to hide in outside performances from The Globe Theatre
Actor Robert Pickavance tells Katherine MacAlister why Much Ado has its darker side It's always been about Oxford for Robert Pickavance, because this is where it all started, where the scales fell from his eyes, where he decided to be an actor
-
Date
Review: Brasserie Blanc, Oxford
Katherine MacAlister is impressed with Brasserie Blanc’s new look – and she liked it before It was an evening of celebrations, new beginnings, and re-evaluation. My oldest friends were moving on with their lives; new jobs, new relationships, children
-
Date
We’re nearly all set for Fish-stock
General manager Owain Llwyd Jones tells of The Fishes festival in the making Several years ago, when I was still at uni and propping up a different bar, one of the leading lights Nat – now working at The Fishes– was charged with the task of organising
-
Date
A relaxing trip to the Thames Valley
Tim Hughes treads in a king’s footsteps for a stay in a surprisingly serene corner of the Thames Valley With its neatly clipped lawns, weeping willows and profusion of honking geese, Runnymede is the embodiment of rural England at its most gentle
-
Date
West End hit The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night finally arrives in Oxford
Katherine Macalister watches local author’s murder mystery classic starring an autistic 15-year-old There was a standing ovation when The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time came to its ambiguous conclusion. And I was there, on my feet
-
Date
Opera debuting for the first time in the UK
Nicola Lisle looks at Bampton Classical Opera’s summer productions It’s a swelteringly hot Saturday in late June and in a small studio in west London, not far from St John’s Smith Square, a comedy is unfolding. It’s the first week of rehearsals
-
Date
Live review: Hip new acts turn Cornbury cool
One of the curious things about Oxfordshire’s first big festival of the summer, is that it has always prided itself on its lack of ‘cool’. Cornbury, or ‘Poshstock’ as it has come to be known by those who love this rarefied three-day gathering on
-
Date
Highlights - Chronixx, Jake Quickenden, Della Mae and more
Reggae Chronixx O2 Academy Oxford Tonight Tickets £25.31 from ticketweb.co.uk Jamaican reggae superstar makes a surprise stop on Cowley Road in a show destined to keep that carnival spirit alive for just a little bit longer. The Here Comes
-
Date
Soundbites: The Inflatables + a solution to festival toilet dilemmas
The Inflatables are an Oxford institution. In fact many of us won’t be able to recall a time when they weren’t around, doing their ska-rock thing in any number of dingy backrooms and raucous outdoor shows. This Saturday, they celebrate their 35th
-
Date
Basement Jaxx get on the Truck Fest bandwagon
Basement Jaxx’ Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe tell Tim Hughes why they can’t wait to bring their cosmic vibes to the Oxfordshire countryside Dance music act Basement Jaxx know what it takes to get a field full of people on their feet and dancing
-
Date
Desmond Morris dances with surreal imagination
Theresa Thompson explores the mind of polymath Desmond Morris Surrealism – the term may bring to mind images of Dalí’s melting clocks, Magritte’s clouds, or Miró’s joyful paintings and sculptures bursting with Catalan colour – but in Oxford right
-
Date
Oxford City Council names LGA boss as assistant chief executive
A LOCAL government housing expert has been hired for a new role at Oxford City Council which was advertised as having a salary of £90,000. Caroline Green, who formerly worked in a senior position at the Local Government Association (LGA) for 10
-
Date
Politics: Shortage of cash means parents must pick up bill
The relatively low amount of money given to schools in Oxfordshire compared to elsewhere in the UK is deeply unfair, says Lib Dem county councillor John Howson Funding for schools in Oxfordshire has been among the lowest in the country for many
-
Date
Nibbles: Casa, The Thatch, Raymond Blanc and more
* There is so much food news this week it’s hard to know where to start. Perhaps with news that North Oxford restaurant Casa in North Parade, has closed down following a zero food hygiene rating. Run by Michael von Hruschka, Casa voluntarily closed
-
Date
Starting Up: How we achieved ice cream dream
Starting Up with Graham MacDonald @ Iscream We opened Iscream, the coolest (and only) gelateria in the Covered Market last week on the hottest day of the year so far – but the story started 10 years ago on a family holiday in Italy when I had that
-
Date
Chef's Special with Andrew Hill at the Red Lion in Britwell Salome
Andrew Hill shares his recipe for beetroot-cured salmon I suppose I never realised I loved food as a child, but when I look back I clearly did! From an early age I made my own sandwiches for my packed lunch. I had a little fan club after school
-
Date
Nothing But Thieves under closer inspection ahead of festival
With a smorgasbord of talent laid out for ‘Truckers’ at this weekend’s gathering in Steventon, it’s hard to single out potential highlights - but one band which deserves close inspection is Nothing But Thieves. Born in Britain, but inspired by
-
Date
Bands head down to the farm for the biggest and best Truck festival yet
Tim Hughes gets the Truck festival lowdown from organiser Ralph Broadbent For 51 weeks of the year, Hill Farm is a typical corner of Oxfordshire, remarkable only for its well-fed cattle and rolling acres of wheat and barley. But for one weekend
-
Date
Film review: Script misses the mark in Self/Less
Damon Smith thinks a trick has been missed in a film which could have been thoughtful but where actions speak louder than words The legend of a fountain of youth, which restores the vitality of those who drink from its cascading waters, has been
-
Date
Fundraising will be murder at the mansion
Katherine MacAlister on the murder mystery’s new theatrical stage If screams ring out at Ditchley Park tomorrow night, fear not. Because while murder is afoot, it’s all been carefully master minded by The Theatre Chipping Norton. A year in
-
Date
Review: Mrs Warren's Profession @ Oxford Playhouse
Mrs Warren's Profession is among the best of Bernard Shaw's plays - wise, witty, not for once wordy and always revealing of its writer's intimate understanding of the way the world works. The 'profession' is that described by Shelley as "the oldest
-
Date
Review: Battle Proms @ Blenheim Palace
Explosions from almost 200 cannon, and £10,000 of fireworks provided a spectacular finale to the biggest Blenheim Palace Battle Proms. More than 8,500 people – many waving Union Jacks and tucking into extravagant picnics – packed the south lawns
-
Date
For Art's Sake with Michael Speight
Michael Speight, co-founder and director of Oxford Shakespeare Festival, on the plays coming to the Castle Quarter this summer Over the last ten years of being involved with theatre in Oxford, Shakespeare has been an ever present force. The city
-
Date
Arts gathered in a lovely setting at the Art in Action festival
Sarah Mayhew Craddock on the launch of the prestigious Art in Action festival It’s one of the most prestigious arts events in the country – an annual celebration of the arts, in all their forms, that takes place at the height of summer in scenic
-
Date
GOLF: Eddie Pepperell ready to make a bold bid at Open
EDDIE Pepperell tees off at St Andrews this morning confident he will not be overawed by the occasion and believing he has the game to finish in the top five. The Abingdon golfer qualified for his first Open Championship thanks to his career-best
-
Date
Cyclist in critical condition following M40 crash
A cyclist who was injured in a crash on the M40 remained in a critical but stable condition yesterday. The 23-year-old man was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital following a collision with a Mercedes HGV between junctions eight for Wheatley and
-
Date
Cash seized in East Oxford raid
Police officers raided a house yesterday morning in connection with the misuse of drugs. Thames Valley Police spokeswoman Charlotte Redman said officers executed a warrant at the house in Hurst Street, East Oxford, at about 7.30am. She added
-
Date
A34 hole repaired in overnight closure
Highways England engineers filled in a hole in the road on the A34 before yesterday’s morning rush-hour. The half-a-metre deep hole closed one lane of the southbound carriageway, between junction nine of the M40 and the B430 at Weston-on-the-Green
-
Date
Wood you believe it? Jenga inventor from Oxford is in world’s top 10
OXFORD may be famous for its dreaming spires but towers from the city of a very different kind have proven equally enduring. First shown in public at the Randolph Hotel in 1983, the long-lasting attraction of Jenga has won inventor Leslie Scott
-
Date
New study will see thousands of schoolchildren take part in trial to test mindfulness
A MAJOR new study will see nearly 6,000 schoolchildren take part in a trial to test whether mindfulness training can improve their mental health. Mindfulness - described by the NHS as paying more attention to the present moment and to your thoughts
-
Date
Major developments spurring on economy as jobseekers find work
THE number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance in the county has dropped by almost a third since last year. According to figures released by the Office of National Statistics, 2,360 people were claiming across Oxfordshire on June 11 this year
-
Date
Three-hundred people hunt vacancies at Barton job fair
QUEUES were out the door and along the street as hundreds of people gathered to attend a job fair in Barton yesterday. The Barton Neighbourhood Centre, in Underhill Circus, hosted the event and attracted employers and job seekers from across the
-
Date
Oxford United fans are certainly in high spirits
OXFORD United organised this trip to help prepare the players for the new season, but the biggest benefit could turn out to be what has happened off the pitch. The 200 supporters who have made the journey to Austria have, quite simply, become the
-
Date
Appeal for info on Faringdon hit-and-run
An elderly man was treated in hospital after being injured in a hit-and-run. Police said the man, who is from the area and in his 80s, was in Marlborough Street near Budgens when a vehicle reversed into him between 10am and midday on Saturday.
-
Date
Cuts see Oxford youth charities fight each other for cash
YOUTH charities in Oxford are having to scale back their activities and use their reserves to pay basic costs after the axing of funding sources. According to Oxford City Council, the demand for its youth ambition fund has more than doubled and
-
Date
Oxford author’s book comes to life at New Theatre
NEVER work with children and animals, as the saying goes. But actor Joshua Jenkins, 27, is happy teaming up with white rat Toby, his co-star in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. The play, at the New Theatre in George Street
-
Date
New offer to union in rail jobs dispute
A new offer has been made to the RMT union in an attempt to avert strike action. First Great Western said it made the “substantially revised offer” after talks on Tuesday. The union fears the planned introduction of new Hitachi Inter-City trains
-
Date
Thursday, July 16
3:49pm One lane of the A34 is closed northbound near the junction with the M40 after a crash involving a lorry
-
Date
Substantial amount of cash stolen in Launton Post Office robbery
A SUBSTANTIAL amount of cash has been stolen from a Post Office in Launton, near Bicester. Police said as the shop in Sherwood Close was being locked up on Monday at 1pm a man forced his way in pushing a female employee back into the building.
-
Date
Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 16/7/2015)
On 8 November 1939, Adolf Hitler came to the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich to mark the 16th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch. Among the high-ranking Nazi officials in attendance were Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, Julius Streicher, Rudolf Hess
-
Date
Supporters’ votes are serving up expansion for cafe project
PEOPLE who have learning disabilities are to benefit from a new community hub for the county, created thanks to £35,000 of funding. Charity Yellow Submarine was awarded the money from NatWest’s Skills and Opportunities fund, which supports good
-
Date
Parky at the Pictures (DVD 16/7/2015)
Richard Glatzer employed a text-to-speech app on his iPad to help overcome the effects of the degenerative disease Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis to co-direct Still Alice with Wash Westmoreland, the husband with whom he also collaborated on Quinceañera
-
Date
Man arrested for burglary in Abingdon
A man has been arrested after jewellery, a digital camera, an iPad Air and cigarettes were stolen in a burglary. Police said the 22-year-old of no fixed address was arrested on suspicion of burglary and theft on Monday. He has been bailed until
-
Date
Council summit for state of health care
Doctors, councillors and managers of the Oxfordshire’s health services will meet today at County Hall to discuss to state of care in Oxfordshire. The Health and Wellbeing Board, is being hosted by Oxfordshire County Council and will be chaired
-
Date
Senior officers in council reshuffle
County leaders approved plans to fill the void left by exiting chief executive Joanna Simons at the end of September. The county council agreed to make chief legal officer Paul Clark head of paid services and returning officers — roles previously
-
Date
BOWLS: Ace Watts has treble chance wrecked by namesake Sam
Howard Watts’ hopes of representing Oxfordshire in three National Championships at Royal Leamington Spa next month were dashed when he lost in the Oxfordshire BA singles semi-finals. The Headington ace was beaten 21-15 by Watlington’s Sam Watts
-
Date
Designs revealed for an imposing new landscape at Barton
DESIGNS of the first homes to be built in the city’s largest housing development in a generation have been revealed. Barton Park will see more than 880 homes – 343 council-owned –built west of Barton put forward to planners next month. The
-
Date
ATHLETICS: Christian von Eitzen ready for European Junior Championships
CHRISTIAN von Eitzen will compete for Germany at the European Junior Championships at Eskilstuna, Sweden, tomorrow. The 18-year-old Vale of Aylesbury runner, from Abingdon, will line up in the first round of the 800m. Von Eitzen, who attends
-
Date
Covered Market goes outdoors
THE Covered Market in Oxford will go outdoors tomorrow for the second time this year. The city council said last year’s event was popular and planned more dates for the rest of the year. Covered market champion for the council Cllr Mary Clarkson
-
Date
RUGBY UNION: Witney eye fresh talent as pre-season training gets underway
HEAD coach Tug Wilson hopes Witney can build on last year’s showing in South West 1 East after beginning their pre-season preparations. The west Oxfordshire club finished fifth in English rugby’s sixth tier last season. After the first training
-
Date
Demolition plans for blaze murders house
AN OXFORD house left derelict after two people were murdered in an arson eight years ago could finally be demolished. Red Cottage, in Old Abingdon Road, was already vacant and being used by squatters when it was the site of the murders in January
-
Date
New park set to make splash for start of summer holidays
A SPLASH park that will transform The Leys in Witney is set to open on the first day of the summer holidays after three years of planning and community fundraising. The £250,000 park – which includes pools, water jets, slides, climbing towers and