Archive
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Today's closing share prices
AEA Technology 106.75 BMW 2718 Electrocomponents 251.75 Isoft Group 90.25 Oxford Bio 29 Oxford Instruments 203 Reed Elsevier 525 RM 176.5 RPS 205 Torex Retail 85.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Terence gives young people right tools
£3.3m fund works to empower children and give them more responsibility, writes MONICA SLOAN A growing trend for pupils to interview their prospective teachers is one of the signs that children are being encouraged to take on more responsibility in
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A jewel of a day
Lovers of gems are bound to enjoy Birmingham's jewellery quarter, writes SYLVIA VETTA Guys may think it is not for them but if you are interested in our industrial heritage then it will be your gem, too! In the nineteenth and early twentieth century
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A scrap over waste
Time is rapidly running out for the county to decide how best to dispose of its rubbish any delay could be costly for the environment and council-tax payers The clock has been ticking for many months now. No matter how much we in Oxfordshire cut back
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From Russia with love
Twelfth Night in Russian? Here in Oxford? GILES WOODFORDE meets a man who knows just how passionate they are about the Bard in St Petersburg McDonald's opened its first restaurant in Moscow in 1990. And what on earth has that got to do with Declan
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SEE WOOD FOR THE TREES
Project asks the public for volunteers and information to map special trees in the region, writes ELIZABETH EDWARD As newly-planted trees are generally likely to outlive those who plant them, often by several generations, the original significance
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Listening to sweet voices
GILES WOODFORDE talks to the composer Bill Ives about Magdalen College Choir's new recording What's in a name? Well, the Director of Music at Magdalen College, Bill Ives, still retains the ancient Latin title of Informator Choristarum Instructor of
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Spanish steps
Rafael Bonachela, a young choreographer with a fast-growing reputation, has founded his own company, which gives its first performance at the Everyman, Cheltenham, writes our Dance Critic DAVID BELLAN Rafael Bonachela was for many years a leading dancer
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Boatyard future
It was inevitable that the boating community would lose their battle with British Waterways to stay at the Castle Mill boatyard. It owns the site and the courts have backed its right to clear it. We should not lose sight of the most important thing
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Time to progress
The report of District Auditor Andy Burns into Oxford City Council confirmed what we all already knew. It is performing poorly and the taxpayer is not getting good value for money. In a nutshell, Mr Burns says the council is spending a lot of money
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A burning question
We are all for public consultation. Decisions are often improved for asking those they affect. Sometimes, however, decisions are so tough that consultation does not help. At that point, we expect our politicians to lead. Political leaders in Oxfordshire
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Roads chief insulated from delays
Sir You were good enough to publish my letter on this matter in your current issue. I have just read your front page piece quoting Cllr Robertson on the subject. It seems to me he is remarkably insulated from the consequences of these works. I accept
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Don was offside
Sir Michael Montgomery is very arrogant in implying that his university may claim exclusive right to the name of Oxford (Letters, May 26). For the city's major football club to revert to the title of Headington United would be ridiculous, since it is
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Visit peonie heaven
Long Wittenham garden by the Thames is full of unusual Mediterranean treasures Chisholm and Gay Ogg are opening their three-quarter acre garden, Evelegh's, on Sunday for the National Gardens Scheme. Their Thameside garden at Long Wittenham, just north-east
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We don't want new bridge
Sir I doubt whether anyone living along the A415 between Abingdon and Witney was surprised that a new bridge is necessary at Newbridge (New bridge will replace historic river crossing, May 12). The heavy goods traffic has only increased since traffic
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Drop stinking boxes
Sir How sad, if predictable, for our county council leader to dismiss European Car-Free Day as "silly tokenism", for it will of course remain ineffective for just as long as he, and motorists like him, choose to ignore it. But how wonderful if we could
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Peace at the last
Sir Tony Augarde recently remarked, rightly, on the number of common phrases that have entered the English language from Shakespeare and the Authorised Version of the Bible. However, these works were for centuries accessible to few but the gentry and
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What did Plato know
Sir Like so many victims of metaphysical thinking before him, Ken Weavers too when driven into a debating corner attempts to extricate himself by resorting to persuader words and to some imagined authority (Letters, May 26). Among his arguments we
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We'll keep you in know
Sir How right your correspondent is to say that Oxford's abysmal recycling record is not for want of trying on the part of many local residents. We know that the vast majority want to see the city's record improved, though we also know that a similar
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Poor sports
Sir I thought of an excellent spontaneous idea to occupy two energetic sons aged two and five to banish cabin fever on a wet Bank Holiday afternoon. We went to explore Blackbird Leys Sports Centre. Oddly, the place was entirely deserted, apart from
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Welfare standards high
Sir So far the most vociferous lobby in the animal research debate is that of the "animal rights" movement. However, next Saturday, June 3, those of us who support animal research will have the opportunity to join others in the second Pro Test demonstration
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Clinical excellence
Sir My father, 82, was recently admitted late on a Saturday night to the John Radcliffe following a fall at home. Not only was he well looked after by the ambulance crew, but he received excellent attention in A&E and was then transferred to the Medical
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Disqualifying remarks
Sir On May 19 you published two letters from Green Party members about planning issues. Councillor Sushila Dhall complained that she had had to exclude herself from an area committee meeting which was considering the proposed health centre on the Radcliffe
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Sensible energy mix
Sir There seems to be confusion in some people's minds over the role of Didcot A power station in meeting our electricity needs (Report, May 19). Yes, it is true that the station emits large quantities of carbon dioxide, but this gas is not a pollutant
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Ignorant tosh
Sir Your reporter Christopher Gray is generally tedious, sometimes amusing and occasionally insufferable. An example of the latter was his comment (Gray Matter, May 19): "To which Bishop Harries would reply . . . ." The bishop's contributions to the
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Condemned together
Sir Your correspondent, Tony Morris, (Letters, May 19) condemns the bishops who opposed the Joffe bill for doing so although they are unelected. Given that Lord Joffe and every other member of the House of Lords who supported his bill is also unelected
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Terrible experience
Sir Well done to Craig Simmons for highlighting the appalling pollution and congestion caused by the open-top tourist buses in the city centre (Backing for clampdown on open-top buses, May 19). Not only do they create a terrible experience for cyclists
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Rents are not highest
In the report University accused of aggressive rent rises (May 26) you incorrectly stated that the most expensive college in Oxford was Somerville and that we charge students up to £3,575 per year. The current rent for Somerville is £2,440 for the
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Let's have more leaks
Sir If I understand the situation correctly we get the majority of our water from aquifers, which are at perilously low levels because of insufficient rain. It seems to me that if Thames Water manages to repair the leaks in the water distribution network
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Don't waste your food, it can be recycled
Sir I read with interest the letter (Improve performance, May 26) from Oxford city councillor Jean Fooks, portfolio holder for a cleaner city. The Liberal Democrats have pledged to delay the introduction of a new bi-weekly collection of waste for a
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BOXING: Guntert loses out
Abingdon middleweight Jake Guntert has vowed to fight on after suffering the first defeat of his professional career. Guntert, who had won all six of his previous fights, was stopped in the second round by Gosport's unbeaten fighter Steve Ede at the
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Glamorous world of an escape artist
Nicholas Coleridge is head of a multimillion-dollar publishing empire, and had no trouble finding a publisher for the novels he writes in his spare time. What is more surprising is that his latest novel is rather entertaining, as well as being quite readable
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Thames Water's dilemma over drought
Romantic notions about returning to the old days, but standing round the standpipe instead of the village pump, lose their shine when you imagine yourself bonding with the neighbours and discussing communal washing arrangements in the rain. The Environment
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Boy hurt in collision with car
A boy was taken to hospital with head and chest injuries after a road accident yesterday. The 11-year-old pedestrian was struck by a silver Ford Fiesta at 4.30pm in Kingsey Road, Thame. He was taken to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital with what ambulance
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SPEEDWAY: Cheetahs maul Swindon
Oxford Cheetahs' fans were in raptures on Wednesday night following a thrilling 47-43 victory over Swindon Robins in one of the most hard-fought derbies seen at Oxford Stadium, writes John Gaisford. Two precious points from this Sky Sports Elite League
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Firefighters and police called to car fire
Firefighters and police were called to a car fire in Park Street, Charlbury, at about 12.30am today. The car was well alight when two fire engines from Charlbury arrived. Firefighter were also called to deal with two wheelie bins which were on fire
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Four-vehicle crash closes road
A four-vehicle pile-up near Bicester today left one man trapped in his car and closed the road for more than two hours. Police, firefighters and two ambulances were called to the scene of the crash on the B4100 near Caversfield just after 7.30am.
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Today's local share prices
AEA Technology 106.75 BMW 2722 Electrocomponents 255.5 Isoft Group 88 Oxford Bio 30 Oxford Instruments 203 Reed Elsevier 521 RM 176.5 RPS 204.5 Torex Retail 85.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Today's local share prices
AEA Technology 106.75 BMW 2722 Electrocomponents 255.5 Isoft Group 88 Oxford Bio 30 Oxford Instruments 203 Reed Elsevier 521 RM 176.5 RPS 204.5 Torex Retail 85.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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TENNIS: Henman facing battle
Oxfordshire's Tim Henman (pictured) faces an uphill task today when he resumes his French Open second-round match trailing 6-3, 6-2 to Russia's Dmitry Tursunov. Rain delays disrupted yesterday's schedule, and the 31-year-old British No 3, who lives
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BOWLS: Oxon fall in opener
Oxfordshire went down 137-106 to Surrey in their opening Home Counties League fixture at Croydon. Their only success came on rinks five and six where Mike Andrew and Gordon Roper triumphed 26-21 and 22-13 respectively. Surrey 137, Oxon 106 (Oxon skips
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BOWLS: South Oxford celebrate
South Oxford entertained an EBA team to mark the club's centenary year, going down to a strong side 144-97 in a six-rink match. Skip John Guest recorded their only success on the day with a one-shot victory. Pictured are EBA president Ian Woodcock
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BOWLS: Oxon aim to go one better
Oxfordshire open their EBA Middleton Cup campaign against the Isle of Wight at Shanklin on Saturday determined to go one better than last year when they finished national runners-up. Oxon enjoyed a tremendous run in the competition to reach the final
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CRICKET: Rowant edge home
Aston Rowant beat Thame Town by two runs in a low-scoring thriller to reach the second round of the Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup on Tuesday. In their delayed tie, Rowant seemed down and out when they werre restricted to 79-9 from their 20 overs.
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CRICKET: Super Hole hammers Henley
A spectacular display of hitting by Stuart Hole helped Oxford to beat Henley by 16 runs and reach the fourth round of the Cockspur Cup. The young Oxfordshire all-rounder slammed 40 off just 18 balls in a style that would have endangered low-flying aircraft
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CRICKET: Shipton crash out
Twice national champions Shipton-under Wychwood are out of this year's npower Village Cup. Shipton, who won the title in 2002 and 2003, crashed out when they suffered a crushing 85-run defeat to Oxford Downs at Standlake. Downs were lucky to still
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GOLF: Drayton take halfway lead
Unbeaten Drayton Park leapt to the top of Section 2 in the Shaw & Co Oxfordshire Foursomes League after defeating Magnolia Park 2-1. Drayton and Section 4's Shrivenham Park are the only sides yet to suffer defeat in the league, but their division is
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GOLF: Edwards leads the way
Oxford Ladies dominated the OLCGA Alternative Silver meeting at Burford. They provided the first four places in the 18-hole stableford competition and scooped more success in the afternoon. Maggie Edwards won the main event with 40 points, ahead of
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GOLF: O'Connor called up
Frilford Heath junior Katherine O'Connor has been selected to play for Wales in two prestigious international events in July. The 16-year-old from Bloxham, who also plays at Tadmarton Heath, will compete in the European Girls Team Championships in Denmark
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GOLF: Simpson on song
Paul Simpson showed he was a man in form by scooping two titles in the space of a week. The West Berks pro, who lives in Witney, led his club team to victory in Frilford Heath's annual Pro-Am with a 15-under-par score of 131 on the Red Course. Five
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BOXING: Guntert to fight on
Jake Guntert has vowed to fight on after suffering the first defeat of his professional career. The Abingdon middleweight, who had won all six of his previous fights, was stopped in the second round by Gosport's unbeaten fighter Steve Ede at the York
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Scandal of tax credits system must be addressed
It is scandalous that the Government has allowed the tax credit system to become such a shambles. It was launched with good intentions - to raise the income of the lower-paid and help them enjoy a decent standard of living. But the scheme has been
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Poor bus service
Why is it that some parts of Oxford, such as Littlemore, get such a dreadful third-class bus service? From next Monday, it is going to get even worse for many residents. The No 16 bus, outside the rush hours, will run to the centre of Oxford only
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Pupils' 'Sunbrella' invention wins enterprise prize
The Sunbrella - an umbrella which keeps you warm as well as dry - was the winning invention at a competition for school pupils styled on the BBC television show Dragons' Den. Gosford Hill School in Kidlington beat off competition from runners-up at
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OAP wrestled with bag snatcher
A pensioner chased a mugger down an Oxford street before passers-by came to her aid, a court heard. Have-a-go-heroine Coby Roscoe, 63, hurt her shoulder when she was thrown to the ground by mugger Peter Wilton but got up and chased him, Oxford Crown
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Woman killed as car drifted into path of lorry
A father paid tribute to his "delightful and wonderful" daughter who was killed when her car drifted into the path of an oncoming lorry. Emma Jones, who lived with her parents in Great Mead, East Hagbourne, was driving home on the A4130 near Didcot
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Strike threat deepens at universities
Oxford Brookes University is the "most belligerent university in the sector", according to union members now threatening all-out strike action in an escalating dispute over pay. Members of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) and the National
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Rain heads off tougher drought restrictions
Heavy rain which made last month the wettest May for 23 years have made it less likely that tougher curbs on the use of water will be imposed. Thames Water, which has already introduced a hosepipe ban, is continuing to review the need for a tougher
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Bailiffs evict boatyard squatters
They risked their lives and their homes. Boaters, who usually eke out a quiet and peaceful living on Oxford's waterways, put their bodies and their boats on the line during the eviction of Castle Mill boatyard in Jericho yesterday, after a long-running
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Prezzo's cheery staff keep food coming on a busy night
Prezzo was one of the first restaurants to open at the Oxford Castle development actually, I think it was the second and definitely the first to close. I arranged a rendezvous with friends there one evening and was dismayed to find the doors bolted
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GOLF Results round-up
FRILFORD HEATH The Grandmothers' Trophy Div 1: 1 G Buck 37pts, 2 B Sandys-Lumsdaine 32, 3 J Manson 30. CHIPPING NORTON Seniors Medal: 1 D Roberts 82-14=68, 2 M Painting 90-20=70, 3 P Ford 101-28=73. Seniors Match: Chiping Norton 1, Brailes 5. President's
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Hop on the wagon and add some beer
Eat more beer is the message that comes through Richard Fox's recently published Food and Beer Cook Book (Senate Books, £12.99). Actually beer buffs have been cooking with beer for years, and not just with real ale. They have been splashing everything
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Salmon Fillets Poached in beer, serves two
This recipe is inspired by Richard Fox's The Food and Beer Cook Book (Senate Books, paperback £12.99). Beer and fish sounds an unlikely combination but by selecting a Belgium fruit beer (cherry flavour kriek being the best, though raspberry works quite
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GOLF: Kitted out
LONG standing Chipping Norton member Roger Wroe has provided a complete set of new sweaters and shirts for the club's junior team. Wroe is a big supporter of Chippy's junior section, which includes promising players such Matt Johnson the club's lowest
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GOLF: Maggie bags county brace
OXFORD Ladies dominated the OLCGA Alternative Silver meeting at Burford. They provided the first four places in the 18-hole stableford competition and scooped more success in the afternoon. Maggie Edwards won the main event with 40 points, ahead of
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French polish from Depardieu
Daniel Auteuil and Grard Depardieu have a mixed track record when it comes to working together. They each excelled in Jean de Florette (1985), but were decidedly off colour in The Closet (2001). They both contribute powerhouse performances, however,
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Poseidon and United 93
From the moment (about 15 minutes in) a giant rogue wave crashes into the good ship Poseidon, capsizing the luxurious 20-storey ocean liner, Wolfgang Petersen's high-tech remake of The Poseidon Adventure barely pauses for breath. With composer Klaus Badelt
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GOLF: Drayton take halfway lead
UNBEATEN Drayton Park leapt to the top of Section 2 in the Shaw & Co Oxfordshire Foursomes League after defeating Magnolia Park 2-1. Drayton and Section 4's Shrivenham Park are the only sides yet to suffer defeat in the league, but their division is
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The Makropulos Case, English National Opera, London Coliseum
The audience is transported, in ENO's mesmerising new production of Janacek's Makropulos Case, to the 1920s Czechoslovakia in which this unsettling and deeply moving work of art was created. After the brilliance and lyricism of the overture, wherein brass
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Who's On Where in Jazz
THE highlight of the week is certainly Julian Joseph and his Electric Band at the Spin on Thursday. Julian Joseph is acclaimed internationally as a virtuoso pianist, arranger and composer who is a performer of inspiring thoughtfulness and imagination.
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MP condemns huge tax credit blunders
Families in Oxfordshire have been overpaid in tax credits by £13.1m - and many now face the prospect of having to pay the money back. Administrative blunders by The Inland Revenue, which recently merged with HM Customs & Excise, has led to families
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Oxfordshire Craft Guild, Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock
The Oxfordshire Craft Guild is celebrating its quarter century in style. There is work on show from current, founding and past members, and the majority of the work is for sale, and commissions are welcomed. All the work is individual, interesting and
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Don Giovanni, Chipping Norton Theatre, and touring
Chipping Norton Theatre's production of Don Giovanni is a considerable achievement. Scaling down an opera of this magnitude to fit small venues is no easy task, but director Caroline Sharman and her design team have managed to make it seem as though the
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Foggerty's Fairy, Oxford University Gilbert and Sullivan Society
For this term's production, the Oxford University G&S Society bravely ventured into GWOS territory that's Gilbert Without Sullivan to the uninitiated. Foggerty's Fairy, which premiered in 1881, bears all the hallmarks of Gilbert's whimsical imagination
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Buddy, New Theatre, Oxford, and touring
People were dancing in the aisles at Oxford's New Theatre on Monday night, as the hit musical Buddy opened on a week-long visit. And who can blame them? This rock 'n' roll fest complete with infectious tunes, great choreography and feel-good humour
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Anything Goes, Milton Keynes Theatre
There's no chance of the SS American taking anyone by surprise: the luxury liner's foghorn is so loud that it must be audible all over central Milton Keynes. The ship is leaving harbour, and the passengers are getting acquainted over champagne cocktails
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Cafe Reason, Pegasus Theatre
Butoh originated in Japan in the late 1950s. It's a slow-moving dance form in which white-faced performers with shaven heads go on some sort of spiritual journey. Caf Raison's five women and two men have kept their hair but, for the rest, they conform
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Robert Medley/Old Master drawings: Christ Church Picture Gallery
Robert Medley, a well-known figure in 20th-century art as painter, stage-designer and war artist, has rather dropped out of critical circulation since his death in 1994. The show at Christ Church Gallery is a chance to revisit his work and assess its
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Reem Kelani CD reviewed
I first heard Palestinian singer Reem Kelani with Israeli saxophonist Gilad Atzmon's band Orient Express. Listening to these two musicians from conflicting countries sharing the same stage was an unforgettable experience. A spine-tingling charge came
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UNINTENDED COMEDY IN ANNA'S MEMOIRS
The scene is London's Cambridge Theatre where Anna Massey is about to take the stage as The Reluctant Debutante in William Douglas-Home's play of that name. Things are looking good for Anna, as we learn from her autobiography Telling Some Tales (Hutchinson
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120 drivers fined in seat-belt check
Police took just five hours to catch 120 drivers not wearing seat-belts during an operation held after the first anniversary of one of Oxford's worst road accidents. The seat-belt check was held on Tuesday and Wednesday, following the anniversary of
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Family pay tribute to tragic 20-year-old
The family of a man found hanging from a tree in a nature reserve have said the reasons why he apparently chose to take his own life are a mystery. Sam Bowles, of Pochard Place in Greater Leys, was found in Spindleberry Nature Park in Blackbird Leys
