Archive

  • Fun event marks lottery milestone

    The Sobell Lottery celebrates its fifth birthday on July 17 with a entertainment extravaganza at Oxford's Westgate Centre -- and the chance to win £1,000. The lottery raises cash for Sir Michael Sobell House, at Oxford's Churchill Hospital, which provides

  • 85-year-old starves to make her point

    A pensioner will starve herself for 48 hours in protest against the building of an animal experimentation laboratory at Oxford University. Joan Court at an earlier protest Animal rights campaigner Joan Court, 85, will begin her hunger strike tomorrow

  • Anniversary tributes to brave airmen

    Three commemorative plates have been made to mark the 60th anniversary of the deaths of two airmen who saved Wallingford by crashing their plane away from the town. They will be handed to the three surviving sisters of one of the airmen at the annual

  • Rugby: Quins get set for cup opener

    Oxfordshire Cup winners Oxford Harlequins have been drawn away to Worthing, from Sussex, in the qualifying round of next season's Powergen Cup on Saturday, August 28. Meanwhile, Chinnor beaten by Quins in the final, have been drawn at home to Gloucestershire

  • Blind pilot finishes first leg of mission

    A blind pilot has completed the first leg of his bid to become the first visually impaired person to fly around the UK. Steve Cunningham, 41, of Winchester Close, Banbury, left Biggin Hill airfield south of London on July 12 on a five-day trip which will

  • Travellers prepare to leave retail park site

    Travellers who moved on to the Oxford Retail Park at Cowley over the weekend promised to leave last night (July 12) -- following complaints from traders. A group of families in three caravans -- some from southern Ireland and others from the Bristol area

  • Funeral met Green's ideals

    More than 200 cyclists and pedestrians formed the funeral procession for Oxford City Council's Green group leader, Dr Mike Woodin, who died last week. Cllr Mike Woodin's funeral cortege passes along Broad Street In keeping with Dr Woodin's dying wish,

  • Measures give some the hump

    A controversial traffic calming scheme in Wheatley has provoked a mixed reaction from villagers. Speed humps and give way points designed to slow traffic down, and cut the number of cars that take a short-cut through the village, were installed in Ladder

  • Travellers say they will move

    Travellers who moved on to the Oxford Retail Park at Cowley over the weekend promised to leave last night following complaints from traders. A group of families in three caravans -- some from southern Ireland and others from the Bristol area -- took over

  • Fish oil pills improve pupils' concentration

    A school taking part in a national study to establish whether a daily dose of fish oil improves concentration in the classroom has reported positive results. A group of 25 pupils aged between six and 11 at Appleton Primary School, Appleton, near Abingdon

  • Boy of 11 dies after swimming accident

    A boy of 11 has died after apparently drowning during a school swimming lesson at Thame Leisure Centre. Nathan Matthews was pronounced dead yesterday morning (July 11) at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, after attempts to resuscitate him failed. His

  • 'Spam' firm wins award

    SOPHOS, an Abingdon company which protects businesses against e-mail 'spam' and viruses, has received the Queen's Award for International Trade. Vice Lord Lieutenant for Oxfordshire Malcolm Cochrane presented Dr Jan Hruska and Dr Peter Lammer, Sophos's

  • Cricket: Struggling Oxon in need of a miracle

    Oxfordshire go into the final day of their Western Division encounter against Herefordshire at Bicester & North Oxford today needing a miracle to avoid a fourth successive defeat. Oxon ended yesterday on 126-5 in their second innings - a lead of just

  • Lions king

    A new president of Witney Lions Club, John Cook, has been appointed. He replaces Tony Waddington as head of Witney's branch of the worldwide organisation, which works to help the local community. The Lions Club has had a branch in the town for 35 years

  • Barn repaired

    Lains Barn near Wantage, converted in the 1970s for use as a community building, is undergoing a £50,000 refurbishment. The classic timber-framed barn dating from the 18th century, now used for weddings and by community groups, is extending and updating

  • School is taken off special measures

    A school for pupils with social emotional and behavioural difficulties has been taken off special measures after two years. Government inspectors declared Bessels Leigh School, near Abingdon, is no longer failing. Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools praised

  • Swimming: Double joy for deadly Hawtin

    Melissa Hawtin cruised to a double victory as City of Oxford finished second in the second round of the Milton Keynes Junior League at Temple Cowley on Saturday. Hawtin won the 11-year-old breaststroke by six seconds, before taking the 50m freestyle.

  • A trim too far

    A pensioner was upset to discover two huge willow trees near her home had been cut back to their trunks. Eunice Turbayne had admired the trees since moving into Saxon Court old people's flats in Wessex Way, Bicester, three years ago. Miss Turbayne, 89

  • Darts: Promoter pulls plug on Phil 'The Power'

    Oxfordshire's darts community have suffered a blow after Friday night's invitation tournament at the Kassam Stadium involving 11-times world darts champion Phil "The Power" Taylor was cancelled due to poor tickets sales. Bobby Campbell, Stuart Dutton,

  • Athletics: Nathan's in dreamland!

    Athens-bound Oxford City triple jumper Nathan Douglas is still on cloud nine after the leap of his life earned him the Olympic qualifying standard of 16.95m at the AAA Championships final in Manchester. The 21-year-old, who smashed his personal best by

  • Challenge cast sing out

    Performers took to the city's streets to drum up support for a show that will staged in just 48 hours next weekend to raise money for Oxford Children's Hospital. Seventeen cast members gearing up for the Showtime Challenge were out in force on July 10

  • Review: Cornbury Festival

    When organiser Hugh Phillimore told the Oxford Mail he was hoping Cornbury would resemble a "microcosm of Glastonbury", the heavens promptly opened, Wet Wet Wet re-formed and I began to fear the worst. KingB took to the stage with a plaintive rendition

  • Gifts collected

    A Didcot teacher is collecting pencils and paper for children in one of the world's poorest countries. Kathryn Millar, a science teacher at St Birinus School -- pictured with pupils Tom Blizard, Phil Simm, Charlie Rodgers, Nathan Jones and Andrew Hawkins

  • Blind pilot finishes first leg of mission

    A blind pilot has completed the first leg of his bid to become the first visually impaired person to fly around the UK. Steve Cunningham, 41, of Winchester Close, Banbury, left Biggin Hill airfield south of London yesterday on a five-day trip which will

  • Hospital welcomes clean-up campaign

    Managers at Oxfordshire's largest NHS trust have backed Government plans to clean up dirty hospitals to stamp out killer superbugs. Health Secretary John Reid has called on patients to complain about hygiene, as part of the fight against MRSA infections