Archive
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High street could be named Britain's best
THE market town of Thame is steeped in history and is now in the running to win Britain’s best high street competition. With an 800-year-old high street, Thame, is bidding to win an award in the market towns category of the Great British High Street
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Cool continents lands in Asia. . . next stop Europe
FAMILIES enjoyed an Asian-inspired day at the University of Oxford’s Harcourt Arboretum earlier this week. Tegan Bennett, who works at the arboretum, organised a family activity day with the theme of Asia, as part of the the third week of the ‘
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Youngsters make a splash on the rapids
TEENAGERS from Abingdon took on the white water rapids of the Slovenian Alps for their summer holidays. Fifteeen Fifteen members of Abingdon’s Pathfinders Youth Canoe Club spent a week in the Julian alps, navigating the Soca and Kortinica rivers
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Experts needed for operatic punt stunt
EXPERT punters are needed to help with a large opera event which will see a group of people entertained by professional singers on Oxford’s River Cherwell. Touring singing company Opera Anywhere, based in the city, needs at least three trained
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Olivia, 2, a picture of health after beating ovarian cancer
SMILING and running, this two-year-old looks a picture of health, writes Michael Race. But Olivia Steele-Smith has already battled through surgery and draining chemotherapy in her short life after being one of the youngest people to get ovarian
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Star-studded video hopes for a Swift response
MEMBERS of the Oxford Union have produced a star-studded video aiming to catch the eye of pop sensation Taylor Swift. After poring over hours of footage from past celebrity visits, members of the debating society edited their speeches together
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Festival marks famed novelist’s 125th anniversary
THE programme for a festival to celebrate Wallingford and Cholsey’s connections with crime writer Agatha Christie has now been finalised. The novelist lived in Winterbrook House, Cholsey, from 1934 until her death in 1976 and there is now a commemorative
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Bone-scanning lasers may help earlier diagnosis
A NEW method of taking X-rays using powerful lasers is being tested at a laboratory near Didcot. Teams from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have been working in conjunction with Imperial College London on the new technology
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Runners' first anniversary celebrations
A RUNNING group set up to boost community cohesion and improve health in Rose Hill has celebrated its first anniversary. Rose Hill Runners was founded by music tutor Trev Williams last summer and now has 10 regular runners. Some of the group
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Jake Wright eyes first Oxford United goal - after 250 games
JAKE Wright reaches a milestone for Oxford United tomorrow and a change in tactics have boosted his chances of finally opening his goalscoring account. The U’s skipper is set to make his 250th appearance for the club when they visit Mansfield Town
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Surveillance of swifts takes flight
VISITORS to an Oxford museum are monitoring nesting swifts thanks to a live webcam showing their activities. For the second year running, curators at the Museum of Natural History, in Parks Road, are live-streaming the movements of the swifts that
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WEATHER: Thunderstorms forecast as Oxfordshire prepares for 'Spanish plume' this weekend
Oxfordshire is bracing itself for a “Spanish plume” this weekend, with hot weather and the possibility of some heavy rain and thunderstorms. Met Office spokeswoman, Nicola Maxey said: "Saturday should be mainly dry and hot with some prolonged sunny
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Hall needs your help for a £70,000 makeover
RESIDENTS in Headington could soon see a £70,000 extension at their 82-year-old village hall. Trustees of the Headington Quarry Village Hall have had plans to redecorate and extend the hall to include disabled toilet facilities approved by Oxford
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Field Mill memories show Oxford United's progress under Michael Appleton
IF Michael Appleton needed a reminder of how far both he and Oxford United have come in 12 months, then tomorrow’s visit to Field Mill should do the trick. It is almost exactly a year since the U’s got dragged into an awful long ball battle away
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Grants of up to £10,000 available to charities
GRANTS worth thousands of pounds handed out by the Oxford Mail’s parent company each year have totally “transformed” the lives of people across the county. And now, for 2015, charities of all shapes and sizes in Oxfordshire are invited to apply
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County must think again on plan to close this tip
I HAVE, this week, had cause to make three visits to Stanford in the Vale recycling centre. On each occasion there were six to eight cars queuing, in addition to the four in the bays. It is sufficiently close to Wantage to make a visit a manageable
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Positive discussions on Headington transport
I HAD a very positive meeting with both Stewart Wilson and Martin Kraftl at Oxfordshire County Council offices at Speedwell House regarding the Headington Access Transport Plan. I put forward the main concerns for Marston and Headley Way residents
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I was in the dark about proposals for the school
YOUR Remember When “Fear over future of schools” (August 19) shows a picture of Olive Gibbs, Sue Matthews and me. The actual position was that Olive was a member of the confidential working party planning the future of Peers School, Littlemore
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Sorry sirs, I don't think your monorail will work
IT WAS a delight to read the letter from my newly-found near neighbours, John Harrop and Charles Dodsworth, concerning monorails in Oxford, especially as they both endured me in their classes in the 1960s at Magdalen College School, where they were
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Keep control of your pet dog and stop them chasing deer
MANY dog walkers use St Mary’s Fields, Kidlington, to walk their pets. A large number let their dogs off the lead, to run and enjoy the space. However, this also means that some of the dogs chase the few deer that still live in the area. St
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Off-patent drugs Bill is a vital piece of legislation
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY endorse your correspondent Jane Armitage (Oxford Mail, yesterday) in urging Oxfordshire’s MPs to support the Off-patent Drugs Bill which will be voted on in Parliament in November. I hope they will lend their support to this vital
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We need inspiring ideas on future development
WHAT is this obsession with growth and you must get on the property ladder when you’re young and free? How can we agree on the unmet housing need? Are we building houses that people will want to live in in 50 years’ time? Why is our Green Belt
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Work under way to repair weir on Thames
WORK to fix a newly-fitted gate at an Oxford weir is taking place. Workmen were called in to investigate why a tipping gate at the weir next to the Osney Lock Hydro on theRiver Thames was vibrating. The Environment Agency staff figured out the
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Should we all be paying to look around our museums?
WE ALL pay for museums, whether through national tax, council tax or door admission. But should entrance to museums be free at the point of entry, like the NHS? Is access to our cultural heritage on a par with access to personal health care? The
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Mum hits out at parking fine as baby is rushed to hospital
A MUM has criticised health centre staff after she was told to pay £25 for accidentally parking in the wrong car park after her baby broke her leg. Danielle Chopping took her nine-month-old daughter Scarlett to Abingdon Community Hospital for an
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Marathon bike ride in memory of boyfriend
A GRIEVING student has completed a gruelling 850-mile cycle ride in memory of his boyfriend who died last year. Ross Biddle, from Didcot, took on the epic challenge after his partner James Trickey died at the age of 22, when his bike collided with
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Worse ways to spend time than speeding course
ALL right, I’m a sinner. I broke the speed limit driving at 60mph in a 50s zone somewhere in deepest Derbyshire. Ignoring sarcastic comments from my elder son who was astonished my car could reach such dizzy heights of 60, I prepared to accept
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Kemar Roofe banned from extra training by Oxford United boss
KEMAR Roofe’s appetite for improvement has landed the Oxford United forward with an unusual punishment – he has been banned from doing extra work after training. The 22-year-old has scored in the last three games, despite not being 100 per cent
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Gallery unveils plans for a £5.5m revamp
AN AMBITIOUS £5.5m plan to revamp a city gallery has been unveiled. Modern Art Oxford has put forward proposals to extensively remodel its Pembroke Street premises, as part of a plan to double visitor numbers to more than 200,000 a year. The
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Student makes grades despite ups and downs s
RUCHIKA Ganesh moved to India halfway through her GCSEs to be closer to her sick grandparents. The Cowley student, pictured, only started at Cheney School in January but managed to pick up 4A*s yesterday. The 16-year-old’s family moved to be
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Rose and Sercombe enjoy finding the right wavelength in Oxford United's engine room
WHILE Oxford United’s forwards have caught the eye this season, the team’s promising start owes much to a blossoming partnership in midfield. Danny Rose and Liam Sercombe have teamed up in the engine room to provide a very useful pairing. After
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FOOTBALL: Nicholls backing Oxford City to maintain winning away run
CONGOLESE striker Vinny Mukendi is set to feature for the first time as unbeaten Oxford City travel to Havant & Waterlooville in Vanarama National League South tomorrow. The former Macclesfield Town forward signed for the club following a successful
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Shoppers lift car off trapped cyclist victim in rescue drama
A MAN who helped lift a car to rescue a trapped female cyclist said he was not a hero for his quick-thinking actions. But emergency services praised members of the public who rushed to haul up the blue Ford B-Max to free the woman, who was left
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City schools celebrate GCSE success
STUDENTS at Oxford’s schools celebrated another set of strong exam results when they received their GCSE grades yesterday. The Oxford Academy was one of a number of state schools to record better results than last year. There was a huge increase
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FIXTURES: August 22-23
SATURDAY FOOTBALL SKY BET LEAGUE TWO Mansfield Tn v Oxford Utd. VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH Havant & Waterlooville v Oxford City. EVO-STIK SOUTHERN LEAGUE Div 1 South & West: AFC Totton v Didcot Tn, Cinderford
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Mansfield boss Murray: Oxford United should be aiming for top three
ADAM Murray is not surprised with the strong start Oxford United have made to the season. The 33-year-old played 92 games for the U’s after joining in 2008, but comes up against them tomorrow as Mansfield Town manager. Michael Appleton’s men
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Conservative Carol Reynolds wins Witney North ward district council by-election
Conservative Carol Reynolds has been elected the new district councillor for Witney North Ward following yesterday's by-election. Ms Reynolds received 264 votes, edging out closest rival Liberal Democrat Diane West, who got 201 votes. Brigitte
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Athletic teens find right balance
MOST 16-year-olds find revising for GCSEs enough of a challenge. But this year, a handful of Oxfordshire teenagers fitted revision in between winning international sporting awards. At King Alfred’s Academy in Wantage, David Murphy made a splash
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Watch Oxford Union's celebrity Shake It Off video designed to get Taylor Swift to the city
MEMBERS of Oxford Union have produced a star-studded video aiming to catch the eye of pop sensation Taylor Swift. After poring over hours of footage from past celebrity visits, members of the debating society edited their speeches together to form
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CRICKET: Luke Ryan targets three wins to be in with a chance of title
CAPTAIN Luke Ryan believes Banbury will need to win all three of their remaining matches to stand a chance of winning the Division 1 title. Ryan’s team are three points behind leaders Henley – the only team to beat them this season. While the
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Friday, August 21
8:44am Over in Witney, Conservative Carol Reynolds is the new district councillor for Witney North after winning
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Adaptable Oxford United goalkeeper explains reason behind ball skills
SAM Slocombe has revealed the reason behind his ability to comfortably deal with back-passes on either foot – he used to play up front. The goalkeeper’s skills with his feet were a key reason why Oxford United wanted to sign him this summer.
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Fighting fit children practise kung fu
CHILDREN were fighting fit swung punches after at a weekly self-defence session in South Oxford. Youngsters aged four and above regularly gathered at South Oxford Comunity Centre in Lake Street to learn Wing Chun Kung Fu, a close-range Chinese
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Two arrested at Rose Hill house on suspicion of sexual assault and false imprisonment
TWO men in their 20s have been arrested after police received reports of false imprisonment and sexual assault in Rose Hill. Police were called at about 9.50am yesterday to a house in Thames View Road. According to eyewitnesses, three police
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Plans for gym with 24-hour work-outs
FITNESS fanatics could work out around the clock thanks to plans to build a 24-hour gym in Cowley. Pure Gym wants to turn two empty retail spaces at Templars Shopping Park into a health and fitness club, creating 20 jobs. The plan comes three
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Danny Hylton delighted to share his big moment with Oxford United fans
DANNY Hylton came up with a novel way to thank Oxford United’s fans for their backing after scoring in midweek. The forward scored to seal a 3-1 win against Notts County and ended up hugging a jubilant supporter behind the goal. Hylton, who
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Hard work adds up to excellent grades at MCS
A FIFTH of all GCSE students at Magdalen College School celebrated 10 A*s or more, while over half of the year gained more than 8 A*s. Joshua Campbell, 16, from Oxford was one of the students who achieved 10 A*s. He said: “I’m overwhelmed and
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FOOTBALL: Merriman hopeful North Leigh can make it five from five
NORTH Leigh will need to be at their very best when they host in-form Taunton Town in the Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West tomorrow, according to assistant boss Terry Merriman. The Millers made it four wins from four with a
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From worst to wonderful for city's rising academy
THE headteacher of an Oxford secondary school once named the worst in the country praised his students and staff for the best ever GCSE results. Niall McWilliams, who took over Oxford Academy in March 2014, vowed he would “get it right” and yesterday
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Dyslexic student is ‘thrilled’ at results
WHEN Blythe Heakin woke up yesterday morning, she was expecting to get three GCSEs at most. Suffering from dyslexia all her life, school has never been easy. But King Alfred’s Academy in Wantage did everything it could to help her take in her exams
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Record-breaking pupils prove a class apart
HIGH-ACHIEVING students in South Oxfordshire have helped at least two secondary school achieve “record-breaking” GCSE results. Staff at Wallingford School have said it could be the highest achieving school in the county with 84 per cent of exams
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IGCSE English results lower than predicted
EXAM celebrations in Witney and Abingdon were somewhat muted after the results of an international GCSE in English (IGCSE) were lower than predicted. Wood Green School in Witney refused to publicly release statistics for all its GCSE results for