Archive

  • Schools’ hard work rewarded

    A number of Oxfordshire primary schools achieved 100 per cent in English, maths and science at level four, the standard the Government expects pupils to reach. Ranked first was Sacred Heart RC School in Henley. It was followed by South Moreton School

  • Bike crash brings traffic to halt

    RUSH-HOUR traffic came to a halt causing chaos in Abingdon when a motorcyclist was trapped underneath a car after a crash in Ock Street near the Brewery Tap pub. Police closed the road for an hour from 6pm on Tuesday while firefighters worked to release

  • Cigarettes set to kill 10 million by 2025

    This dramatic headline in The Independent in 1997 does, of course, apply to the whole world, not just Britain. Richard Peto, Professor of Medical Statistics at Oxford University, was quoted as saying that over the next 20 years there will be about 100

  • Today's local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 92.5 BMW 2819 Electrocomponents 291.5 Isoft Group 38.75 Oxford Biomedica 31.75 Oxford Instruments 258 Oxonica 153.5 Reed Elsevier 562.25 RM 186.5 RPS 267.5 Torex Retail 54.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • Upsetting the apple cart

    We all perceive the apple as a quintessentially English fruit growing in orchards grazed by sheep. But recent research by Dr Barrie Juniper, Reader Emeritus in Plant Sciences and Fellow Emeritus of St Catherine's College in Oxford, has, quite literally

  • Stress-free Christmas

    Here we are again, Christmas is looming and for many of us that means stress, hard work and worry. We're busy for weeks before the actual holiday, drive ourselves into the ground, and then wonder what happened to the fun! Why do we put ourselves under

  • Just add fizz!

    I love Christmas. When the first of December comes, I'm like a labrador puppy that knows it is about to be taken for its weekly romp in the Chilterns. I just can't wait to get into the whole entertaining, mince-pie making, scene. For every friend

  • Elegant indulgence

    Looking back on my visit to Hartwell House, it is pointless even trying to pass off our eating extravaganza asanything other than pure, unadulterated greed. I could try to explain it away as a reflection of my overwhelming commitment to my job - but

  • Banbury miss big chance

    Banbury Utd 1, Yate Tn 2 BANBURY missed a chance to go third in the British Gas Business Southern League Premier Division as they went down to Yate last night. They went behind after only two minutes from a corner when Adam Simms found the net, and

  • Cleaner and greener

    The second generation Mini from the BMW Group went on sale in the UK on November 18 - the centenary of the birth of Sir Alec Issigonis, who created the original Mini in 1959. So what is new about the new Mini? Every exterior body panel is new and the

  • Impossible dreams

    Philip Brown (right) is in charge of the rare books department at Blackwells, Oxford. For Philip, there is one book he'd love as a gift, the Golden Cockerel Press edition of The Four Gospels. It is a masterpiece, issued in an edition of only 500 copies

  • Students of speed

    Until last year, Professor Adrian Reynard, a graduate of what used to be called Oxford Polytech, was a major shareholder in BAR (British American Racing), the Formula One team, backed by Honda, whose drivers included Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button

  • Totally kippered!

    Christmas is coming, and so is the Norfolk phenomenon Sid Kipper, who appears at the Holywell Music Room in Oxford on Sunday, December 10. Sid will be revealing initmate details of the seasonal customs practised in his own part of the country. When

  • Christmas on a plate

    When is the right time to start hosting your own family Christmas dinner and not rely on the parents to supply the festive cheer? This is the question I've been pondering recently as the season to be jolly looms large. Personally, I'd much prefer to

  • The French connection

    Friends, and now business partners, Rosemary Fennel and Margaret Anderson have just published the third book in a series devoted to finding the very best French markets. Rosemary, a retired Oxford academic said: "We have been travelling together to

  • Natural wonders

    The effigy of a man aflame, blazing torrents of brown and gold leaves, looks towards a young tree whose leaves are beginning to turn too - Brien O'Rourke's Autumn is a striking evocation of seasonal change. His Winter depicts a snowy landscape with the

  • Give us a clue

    The best setters of cryptic crosswords are born, not made. So says Jonathan Crowther, Azed' of The Observer, and author of an exploration of the lives and works of 80 of his fellow setters, called (inevitably) A-Z of Crosswords. "They love the ambiguities

  • The history man

    I f you are a fan of BBC TV's Antiques Roadshow you are likely to recognise Philip Mould. An authority on paintings, he has appeared in nine recent programmes. "They are coming out as we speak, and have been great fun. I've encountered a dozen varieties

  • A true scholar

    The inner sanctum of Bodley's Librarian is a room on the second floor of the Clarendon Building on Broad Street, behind which lies the quadrangle that forms the Old Bodleian Library. In the large room leading to the Librarian's inner office sits his

  • Wings in the wild

    The brilliant sunshine flashes off the light brown feathers mottled with darker hues, highlighting the ear tufts as the Indian Eagle Owl swoops, staying close to the ground. But the Indian sub-continent is over 4,000 miles distant; this is Newent in Gloucestershire

  • Missing man sparks police plea

    POLICE this afternoon appealed for help to trace a 39-year-old man who has gone missing from the Warneford Hospital, Oxford. Simon Christopher Reid was last seen at 4.45pm last Wednesday at the hospital, where he is an informal patient. Paul Garbett

  • Funeral causes traffic chaos

    MOURNERS attending a funeral at Wolvercote Cemetery yesterday caused chaos for residents as more than 100 cars were parked in neighbouring streets. Police helped manage the traffic flow after locals reported problems getting into their streets and on

  • Youths deny conspiracy charge

    FOUR youths charged with conspiracy to burgle after a pensioner was found dead in her Oxford home have entered not guilty pleas. The teenagers denied the charges during a hearing at Oxford Magistrates Court yesterday. They were charged after Freda

  • Cameron marks busy year at top

    EXACTLY a year ago today, Witney MP David Cameron became leader of the Conservative Party. It has been a busy year for the Witney MP. He also turned 40, was voted the world's sexiest politician by readers of New Woman magazine, became a father for the

  • Carluccio's serves up appetising figures

    The boss of the Carluccio's restaurant chain which has outlets in Oxford and Bicester has said he is delighted with the group's debut performance on the stockmarket. Welcoming a pre-tax profit of £3.4m for the year to September 24, managing director

  • Today's local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 92.25 BMW 2844 Electrocomponents 287 Isoft Group 39.5 Oxford Biomedica 30.75 Oxford Instruments 245.5 Oxonica 154 Reed Elsevier 570.25 RM 178.5 RPS 266.25 Torex Retail 54.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • ATHLETICS: Strong team for London

    OXFORDSHIRE look set to boast a strong team as they take part in the Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill Fields, Hampstead Heath, on Saturday. For the first time in many years, the county is sending a full- strength junior

  • ATHLETICS: Deadly duo at it again

    MELISSA Hawtin and Beth Swords once again starred for Oxford City as they took part in the Chiltern League meeting held at Culham Park. First off on Saturday was Swords in the under 13 girls' race. She got away to a good start on the treacherous course

  • ATHLETICS: Kimber makes light work of quagmire

    STEVE Kimber overcame some of the toughest race conditions ever encountered as he won the second round of the Oxford Mail Cross Country League to establish a lead at the top of the standings. Headington Roadrunners' new venue of Culham Park provided

  • AUNT SALLY: Goulding just misses out

    PIP Goulding came agonisingly close to a maximum with 17 dolls for Jelly Tots in the Railway Inn Culham, Invitation League at the Cowley Conservative Club. Goulding missed with his 12th stick, but even his heroics weren't enough to save Jelly Tots from

  • Thousands mourn stabbed baker

    The funeral of bakery worker Imran Shah took place at Banbury Mosque yesterday, just hours before his body was due to be flown to Kashmir for burial in a family grave. Mr Shah, 23, died from multiple stab wounds on November 27, after an incident in

  • FOOTBALL: Hole sparkles

    STUART Hole smashed a hat-trick as Freeland romped to a crushing 9-0 victory at home to Heyford United in the third round of the John Fathers Oxon Junior Shield. Simon Stapleton, Jefferson Harriott and Richard Trigg were also on form for the Witney

  • American's ban Santa's Butt

    Santa's Butt is being kicked in the United States after an Oxfordshire brewery fell foul of concerns about mixing Father Christmas and alcohol. Generations of British children know that Santa likes a tipple of sherry with his mince pie, but in the state

  • No sign, no fine, find motorists

    Motorists parking on a pavement are avoiding fines because a warning sign has vanished. Oxfordshire County Council said that if the sign, by the BMW Mini plant, in Watlington Road, Cowley, Oxford, had been stolen, than drivers were 'devious'. Where

  • FOOTBALL: Botley's shoot-out triumph

    BOTLEY United caused a big upset in the North Berks Cup by knocking out Division 2 leaders Wootton & Dry Sandford 8-7 on penalties after their second-round tie finished 4-4, writes ANDY WELLS. Despite having Andy Humphreys sent off for a bad tackle

  • Flood victims face huge bills

    Residents in a village hit by repeated flooding are having to pay thousands of pounds from their own pockets to pay for the damage. Householders in Nuneham Courtenay are finding insurance companies are slapping huge excesses on their policies before

  • Recycling ain't so bad

    Just what has been the reaction of Oxford's residents to the Liberal Democrat city council's recycling revolution? That was the question I asked myself - with a certain amount of nervousness - before spending a Saturday afternoon knocking on doors in

  • Stop moaning and recycle

    Oxfordshire has to reduce what goes to landfill, both to avoid being fined and to reduce greenhouse gas emission from landfill sites. This means thinking more about what we throw away. Schemes which require us to sort material collected for recycling

  • Lotto funding backs groups

    A dance group, primary sch ool and football club are among the groups celebrating after being given Lottery cash. Gelede Dance, based at the Pegasus Theatre in East Oxford, was given more than £8,000 to work with students at Wood Green School in Witney

  • Xmas cancelled

    An events company has cancelled all its Christmas parties booked for December. The Venue Experience, a Banbury-based entertainment company, was to host Christmas parties in a marquee in the grounds of Eynsham Hall, North Leigh. The marquee, which

  • 'Don't remove our 7.25 train'

    Commuter Susan Westlake is collecting names for a petition against the axeing of First Great Western's 7.25am service from Oxford to London Paddington. Ms Westlake, 23, who lives off Lake Street in West Oxford, is complaining that the service has been

  • FOOTBALL: Thomas stuns Easington

    LEE Thomas hit a hat-trick as Launton Sports sprang a surprise with a 5-2 home win over Easington Sports in the second round of the Oxfordshire Senior Cup. Thomas fired the Oxfordshire Senior League outfit into a 25th-minute lead only for Ricky Johnson

  • Bullying 'led to overdose'

    A teenage girl was seriously ill in hospital yesterday after her family said she took an overdose of painkillers because she was being bullied at an Oxford school. The 14-year-old girl, from Blackbird Leys, is a pupil at Peers School in Littlemore.

  • Man exposed himself

    A MAN exposed himself to a woman walking her dogs in Albert Park, Abingdon. The man was hiding in the bushes before the incident on Monday, between 8.40am and 9am. Det Con Will Downy, from Abingdon CID, said: "We are keen to talk to anyone who has

  • FOOTBALL: West Witney march on

    WEST Witney continued their rapid progress up the Witney & District FA Premier Division table with a 2-1 victory over Millpark in the day's only top-flight fixture, writes ANTHONY BARLOW. Matt Townsend and Russ Collier did the damage, with Paul Neale

  • One year in the spotlight

    It has been a busy year for David Cameron, hasn't it? He turned 40, was voted the world's sexiest politician by readers of New Woman magazine, became a father for the third time and, oh yes, took over as opposition leader. The honeymoon is over, that's

  • BILLIARDS: Fieldside close gap

    FIELDSIDE closed the gap on leaders Thame A to one point at the top of Division 1 of the Oxford & District League by beating Eynsham 3-0. Mike Chapman (+100) nearly took the highest break for Section 3 players when he ran out with a 24 unfinished run

  • Chairman votes for homes plan

    The casting vote of a committee chairman signalled the go-ahead to plans for nine new flats in Botley, despite fears of parking problems and flooding. As part of a "car-free" scheme, developers Saxonville can knock down a house at 29 West Way and put

  • 'Tortured for her bank pin'

    A talented academic was stabbed repeatedly, beaten, strangled and suffocated in her North Oxford home by a man torturing her for her bank details, a jury heard. Michael Humphries, of Ferndale Street, Faringdon, is accused of murdering 55-year-old Barbara

  • Imperial Barton!

    The Romans may have a left Barton a while ago, but they are about to make a spectacular comeback. The Oxford estate is believed to be the scene of the first Roman settlement in the area two millennia ago. Residents now have the chance to celebrate

  • Lollies prevent booze violence

    Thousands of lollipops are to be given out to drinkers in Witney, Carterton and Chipping Norton in a bid to stop fights. A total of 5,000 lollies will be handed out to revellers by door staff of 60 premises on the Friday and Saturday nights before Christmas

  • RUGBY UNION: Lambden happy at progress

    HENLEY Hawks director of rugby Jon Lambden believes they are well-placed for a promotion push despite losing to Esher. Saturday's 20-5 defeat in National 2 was only Hawks' third reverse of the season and they remain just six points off second place.

  • RUGBY UNION: Akinluyi is controversial pick

    CAMBRIDGE have stretched the Varsity Match's amateur tradition to the limit by including Northampton winger David Akinluyi in their side. Akinluyi, a try-scorer in 2005, joined the Premiership club on a two-year deal in the summer and has not played

  • RUGBY UNION: Big match memories

    FORMER England stars Rob Andrew and Simon Halliday reflected on their Varsity Match experiences as the teams were announced for the 125th clash. Andrew, now the RFU's elite rugby director, won three matches for Cambridge from 1982 to 1984. Wearing

  • RUGBY UNION: Locks pick went to wire

    OXFORD University captain Kevin Brennan revealed the decision to leave lock Richard Graham on the bench was a very late call. Graham started in 2005, but will be a replacement next Tuesday behind John Chance and Dylan Alexander. Brennan said: "We

  • Man injured in flyover smash

    A MAN needed hospital treatment for minor injuries after a three-car crash near the Marston flyover at about 6.40pm last night. Emergency crews were also called to Ock Street, Abingdon, at 6pm last night following a collision between a motorbike and

  • FOOTBALL: Didcot barrage in vain

    DESPITE a second-half onslaught, Didcot had to settle for a point after drawing 1-1 with Chesham in Southern League Division 1 South & West at the Loop Meadow last night. The visitors took the lead a minute before the break with a powerful header from

  • FOOTBALL: Banbury miss big chance

    BANBURY United missed a chance to go third in the British Gas Business Southern League Premier Division as they went down 2-1 to Yate last night. They went behind after only two minutes from a corner when Adam Simms found the net, and six minutes later

  • 'Bullied' teenager seriously ill

    A TEENAGE girl is seriously ill in hospital after her family said she took an overdose of painkillers because she was being bullied at an Oxford school. The 14-year-old girl, from Blackbird Leys, is a pupil at Peers School in Littlemore. She tried

  • Woman 'had 49 stab wounds'

    A TALENTED academic was stabbed repeatedly, beaten, strangled and suffocated in her North Oxford home by a man trying to obtain her bank details, a jury heard. Michael Humphries, of Ferndale Street, Faringdon, is accused of murdering 55-year-old Barbara

  • Firm fined £175,000 after two lose hands

    A FIRM that supplied dangerous machinery which resulted in two men having their hands amputated has been fined £175,000. Oxford Crown Court heard that Thame-based Kubota UK, a subsidiary of a multinational Japanese corporation, had supplied grass cutters

  • FOOTBALL: Ronaldson hits a treble for Old Boys

    KEVIN Ronaldson hit a hat-trick as Kidlington Old Boys were held to a 4-4 draw at home to ten-man Worcester & Bletchingdon in a Division 1 thriller. The visitors had Darren Rouse sent off for handball in the penalty area, but each time Kidlington got

  • Thousands mourn victim

    THE funeral of bakery worker Imran Shah took place at Banbury Mosque yesterday, just hours before the body was flown to Kashmir for burial in a family grave. Mr Shah, 23, died from multiple wounds on Monday, November 27, after an incident in the car

  • Estate in line for Roman makeover

    PEOPLE in Barton, Oxford, will next week decide whether they want a bronze Roman arch, a giant spiralling column or a series of illuminated multi-coloured glass panels on their estate. Residents will choose which one of these striking designs they want

  • HORSE RACING: Impek to miss King George

    IMPEK, one of the leading lights of Henrietta Knight's West Lockinge stables, near Wantage, has been ruled out of the Stan James King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day after going lame. The ten-year-old (pictured), a creditable third to Kicking

  • RUGBY: Catling's shock at rapid rise

    TIM Catling admitted his progression into Oxford's Varsity Match squad had come as a shock. The versatile 19-year-old forced his way on to the bench and was unlucky not to get a starting place after some fine displays at centre. Catling said: "Having

  • Firm for sale

    ENGINEERING firm BGM Cryogenic Engineering has been put up for sale after going into administration. A total of 39 workers at the Witney firm were made redundant last week after being told to pick up their tools and leave. Dawn Chapman, a spokesman

  • Unseen images of star shown

    SHE was one of the most photographed women of the 20th century, but there are still some images of screen goddess Marilyn Monroe that have never been published. A series of these photographs of the Some Like It Hot actress are to be displayed at a Witney

  • Action demanded to halt rat run

    A FATHER-of-two has criticised road improvements which he says will do nothing to prevent rat-runners driving through his village. Barry Marsh believes chicanes on Oxford Road and Elsfield Road in the village of Old Marston, on the edge of Oxford, will

  • Cheney head

    A HEADTEACHER has been appointed to take over at Cheney School after long serving head Alan Lane retires in the new year. Jolie Kirby, currently associate head at Deacon's School in Peterborough, will start in April. Cheney's deputy head, Janet Minot

  • Man wins £200,000 for crash injuries

    A YOUNG Oxford man, who says he was robbed of a glittering legal career by horrific injuries suffered in a school minibus crash, this week won £200,000 in compensation. James Gorman, 22, was a 15-year-old pupil at Oakham School, Rutland, when, on March

  • Town 'in urgent need of more jobs'

    BICESTER is in urgent need of employment opportunities, a inquiry into plans to build offices on former allotments heard yesterday. The inquiry, into the refusal by Cherwell District Council to allow 5,000 sq metres of office space to be built on former

  • Santa's Butt leaves sour taste in US

    SANTA'S Butt is being kicked in the United States as an Oxfordshire brewery falls foul of concerns about mixing Father Christmas and alcohol. Generations of British children know that Santa likes a tipple of sherry with his mince pie, but in the state

  • Lolly bid to lick late-night trouble

    THOUSANDS of lollipops are to be given out to drinkers in Witney, Carterton and Chipping Norton in a bid to stop fights. A total of 5,000 lollies will be handed out to revellers by door staff of 60 premises on the Friday and Saturday nights before Christmas

  • More violent offence suspects avoid court

    THERE has been a huge rise in the number of violent offenders in Oxfordshire being let off with cautions, according to new figures. The number of cautions dished out for violent offences in the county went up by two thirds (from 664 to 1,060) between

  • Protesting parents move 40 pupils

    MORE than 40 children have been removed by their parents from Dunmore Junior and Infants Schools in Abingdon following the controversy surrounding plans to reorganise the schools next year. Oxfordshire County Council education officials say they are

  • Plan needed to manage trees

    Sir - Many readers are familiar with the recent felling of 11 willows on Osney Island, on the grounds of public safety. This seems like common sense, so why are the residents of Osney so upset with the city council? The Osney towpath falls within a

  • Butcher meets his turkeys

    A BUTCHER got up close and personal with customers' Christmas dinners to show them the range of birds they can have during the festive season. Rob Babij, of Taste Buds Fine Foods, in Adderbury, posed in front of some of the firm's free range turkeys

  • Fears over social services

    FIGURES showing the number of people waiting for social services in Oxfordshire have fuelled concerns about the ability of the department to cope in the New Year. There are now 67 people waiting in hospital for county council services and another 145

  • Countdown to the big stub-out

    SMOKING in pubs and clubs will be banned when a new law comes into effect in seven months. From 6am on July 1 lighting up will be outlawed in all enclosed public spaces and workplaces. This will include offices, factories, shops, pubs, bars, restaurants