Stories for 18 January 2007

Abingdon

Update: Animal rights link in post explosion

POLICE tonight warned firms to be on their guard after a woman was injured in an explosion while opening post at a bioscience company in Abingdon.  more...

Update: Animal rights link in post explosion

POLICE tonight warned firms to be on their guard after a woman was injured in an explosion while opening post at a bioscience company in Abingdon.  more...

Architect wins award for pub restoration

AN architect has won an award after redesigning a 17th-century pub which was partially destroyed by a digger.  more...

Abingdon News

Image of flasher released

This is an e-fit image of a serial flasher who has struck at least eight times in Abingdon's Albert Park.  more...

Witness urged to call police

A Good Samaritan who saw an alleged assault on foreign students in Abingdon has been urged to contact police.  more...

Witness urged to call police

A Good Samaritan who saw an alleged attack on foreign students in Abingdon has been urged to contact police.  more...

Witness urged to call police

A Good Samaritan who saw an alleged attack on foreign students in Abingdon has been urged to contact police.  more...

Witness urgerd to call police

A Good Samaritan who saw an attack on foreign students in Abingdon has been urged to contact police.  more...

Witness urged to call police

A Good Samaritan who saw an attack on foreign students in Abingdon has been urged to contact police.  more...

Letterbombs sent to science firms

Two letterbombs have been delivered to science firms in Oxfordshire today.  more...

Activists post bombs to firms

A woman was injured when animal rights extremists sent letter bombs to two Oxfordshire science firms yesterday.  more...

Art

A master who evoked humble human activity

This weekend is the last chance to see the Velzquez exhibition at the National Gallery, writes JEANNINE ALTON There are two well-known and loved Spanish paintings to meet you just at the entrance of this exhibition: one of Melndes's homely still-lifes and Goya's Doa Isabel. But they don't prepare you for the lofty sequence of rooms where Velzquez takes over with 46 paintings, mostly of black-costumed figures, usually solitary, seen indoors, and without a smile between them.  more...

A master who evoked humble human activity

This weekend is the last chance to see the Velzquez exhibition at the National Gallery, writes JEANNINE ALTON There are two well-known and loved Spanish paintings to meet you just at the entrance of this exhibition: one of Melndes's homely still-lifes and Goya's Doa Isabel. But they don't prepare you for the lofty sequence of rooms where Velzquez takes over with 46 paintings, mostly of black-costumed figures, usually solitary, seen indoors, and without a smile between them.  more...

Visual haiku

One of the world's greatest photographers returns to Oxfordshire, writes SYLVIA VETTA Dale Johnston, the events and temporary exhibitions officer at Banbury Museum, must have been delighted when Michael Kenna accepted his offer to mount a show at Banbury. Michael is widely recognised as the foremost landscape photographer of his generation and so Banbury has landed quite a coup.  more...

Bioline

If at first you don't succeed

Serial entrepreneur Bruce Savage is a good example of someone making full use of Oxfordshire's "engine," the multiplicity of parts that coalesce to power life sciences in the region.  more...

If at first you don't succeed

Serial entrepreneur Bruce Savage is a good example of someone making full use of Oxfordshire's "engine," the multiplicity of parts that coalesce to power life sciences in the region.  more...

Books

Three generations and the Nazi legacy

In The Oxford Times late last year was a letter from Irene Gill about the nuclear convoys passing close by her Botley home on the ring road. The name stood out as I was planning to interview Irene about her family memoir, Oma, Mu and Me. Why was she so passionate about nuclear issues?  more...

Three generations and the Nazi legacy

In The Oxford Times late last year was a letter from Irene Gill about the nuclear convoys passing close by her Botley home on the ring road. The name stood out as I was planning to interview Irene about her family memoir, Oma, Mu and Me. Why was she so passionate about nuclear issues?  more...

History choice

Battle for the North Charles McKean (Granta, £20) The railway wars of the 19th century - with companies racing to build the fastest and cheapest lines - were never more intense than in the battle between two giants in Scotland. The prize was the northern route to Aberdeen. The North British Railway was in hot contest with the Caledonian and built a bridge to cross the Tay estuary, which collapsed 18 months later in a great storm, taking with it a train with 72 passengers. McKean's magnificent research reveals a tragedy waiting to happen: cheap materials, incompetent staff, company conflict. This superbly crafted book will have wide appeal, not just to railway buffs.  more...

Book events

WEDNESDAY Coffee and light reading: Oxford branch of the Romantic Novelists Association introduces Susie Vereker, who will talk on Love and War. Series to be held every Wednesday, 10.30am, Mostly Books, Stert Street, Abingdon. For details, call 01235 525880.  more...

Local author

Racehorse trainer Jenny Pitman, who lives near Wantage, now has a successful career as a writer of thrillers set in the horseracing world. Her latest, The Interitance (Pan, £6.99), continues the story of trainer Jan Hardy.  more...

Local author

Racehorse trainer Jenny Pitman, who lives near Wantage, now has a successful career as a writer of thrillers set in the horseracing world. Her latest, The Inheritance (Pan, £6.99), continues the story of trainer Jan Hardy.  more...

Breath of Italian summer

AMAZING DISGRACE James Hamilton-Paterson (Faber, £10.99) Amazing Disgrace is the sequel to Cooking with Fernet Branca, in which James Hamilton-Paterson introduced Gerald Samper, a cynical, eccentric ghostwriter. A man with literary pretensions, but doomed to spend his time mastering the vocabulary of Formula 1 racing to write the autobiographies of egocentric sports stars, he narrates Amazing Disgrace with a deep loathing of celebrity, the media, and people in general.  more...

Rebuilding Wheatley church

It doesn't take an architectural expert to see that Wheatley church, with its landmark spire, is rather different from the picture produced by J. E. Robinson in 1820.  more...

A tale of desperation

Who murdered Detective Inspector Lynley's beloved wife and why? In Elizabeth George's 11th novel published in 2006, With No One as Witness, Scotland Yard believes a 12-year-old boy could be the culprit.  more...

A tale of desperation

WHAT CAME BEFORE HE SHOT HER Elizabeth George (HarperCollins £17.99)Who murdered Detective Inspector Lynley's beloved wife and why? In Elizabeth George's 11th novel published in 2006, With No One as Witness, Scotland Yard believes a 12-year-old boy could be the culprit.  more...

Business Health-Check Competition

Win a 'health check'

There is still time to enter our special Business Health-Check competition to win business advice worth £3,000.  more...

Business Lunches

Fishing for compliments

Without naming names, many Oxford pubs in lovely riverside settings have for years apparently traded on their situations, providing bad service and disappointing food in the expectation that the punters will pile in anyway.  more...

Business News

Spoonful of sugar to help climate

When Greenpeace protestors chose Didcot Power Station as the target for their climate change campaign, they were making a point that is scientifically unarguable - burning fossil fuels pumps out carbon dioxide, one of the 'greenhouse gases' leading to climate change. But how would they feel about a power station which actually absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, rather than creating it?  more...

Spoonful of sugar to help climate

When Greenpeace protestors chose Didcot Power Station as the target for their climate change campaign, they were making a point that is scientifically unarguable. There is no doubt that burning fossil fuels pumps out carbon dioxide, one of the 'greenhouse gases' leading to climate change. But how would they feel about a power station which actually absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, rather than creating it?  more...

Spoonful of sugar to help climate

When Greenpeace protestors chose Didcot Power Station as the target for their climate change campaign, they were making a point that is scientifically unarguable. There is no doubt that burning fossil fuels pumps out carbon dioxide, one of the 'greenhouse gases' leading to climate change. But how would they feel about a power station which actually absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, rather than creating it?  more...

Forging links with schools

Businesses and secondary schools in Oxfordshire are forging successful partnerships designed to boost skills and create quality jobs in the future. A new report by the Oxfordshire Town Chambers Network (OTCN) discovered businesspeople are becoming more involved in supporting schools, teachers and students to raise standards.  more...

Express success for Vitaburst duo

A business started at Oxford railway station is on track for major expansion after opening a second outlet in Reading. Vitaburst, which specialises in fruit juices and smoothies and featured in last month's In Business, has been such a success in Oxford that owners Stuart and Kathy Hallworth (pictured) were approached by First Great Western to branch out. Now the couple are hoping their concept will spread across the country.  more...

Prize for fledgling business

A high-profile businesswoman is urging fledgling entrepreneurs to enter a competition which has transformed her company. Marneta Viegas (pictured) was the first winner of the South Oxfordshire New Business Competition which won her a free furnished office space at Hampden House on the Monument Business Park, Chalgrove.  more...

A surplus of leisure

When you have a work-out at the gym in your local leisure centre, or take the children swimming there, have you ever wondered what happens to the money you pay for admission?  more...

Cherwell Fixtures

Division 1

Div 1: Shipton v Aston Rowant, Dinton v Banbury XX, Banbury 2nd v Challow & C, Buckingham v Milton Keynes Park, Oxford Downs v Oxford 2nd.  more...

Country Matters

Showcase for conservation

After a dramatic decline, stone curlews are making a comeback on the Ridgeway, thanks to a project led by the RSPB, writes PETER BARRINGTON Stone curlews were among several species of birds that suffered from the disappearance of much of their natural habitats when chalk grass downland went under the plough. The changes began in the 1930s with the mechanisation of farming but the Second World War intensified the need to make the country self-sufficient in food. It was only reversed when set-aside strips of land, often at the edge of fields, were introduced following European Union directives to stem over-production of food.  more...

Cricket

CRICKET: Clubs to vote on overseas stars

OVERSEAS players could be outlawed in the Home Counties Premier League from 2008 if clubs back a proposal at the annual meeting at High Wycombe CC on Tuesday.  more...

CRICKET: Clubs to vote on overseas stars

OVERSEAS players could be outlawed in the Home Counties Premier League from 2008 if clubs back a proposal at the annual meeting at High Wycombe CC on Tuesday.  more...

CRICKET: Clubs to vote on overseas stars

OVERSEAS players could be outlawed in the Home Counties Premier League from 2008 if clubs back a proposal at the annual meeting at High Wycombe CC on Tuesday.  more...

CRICKET: Clubs to vote on overseas stars

OVERSEAS players could be outlawed in the Home Counties Premier League from 2008 if clubs back a proposal at the annual meeting at High Wycombe CC on Tuesday.  more...

CRICKET: Oxon Academy gets a boost

Oxfordshire Cricket Academy received a timely boost when Darbys Solicitors announced they are to continue their sponsorship.  more...

Didcot

Idea generates interest

A MAN who wants to set up a ground-breaking "supergreen" power station - which would use sugar to generate electricity - has won a £15,000 award.  more...

Eating Out

Ours to enjoy when it really should have been buzzing

MY colleague Chris was recovering from a cold and in need of a well-cooked hot meal to cheer him up, so I suggested we drove over to the Eight Bells, Eaton, to see how young chef Andy Grant was getting on since taking it over in the autumn of 2005.  more...

Editorial Comment

Now get the leaks plugged

So Thames Water has at last seen sense and lifted the hosepipe ban.  more...

Education

Fireworks sparked in the classroom

Business students take a lesson or two from the acting profession, writes LOUISE TICKLE Business and marketing management students are pretending to be fireworks - whirring, fizzing and leaping around with energetic enthusiasm. It is not a theatrical production but a drama workshop at the Wheatley campus of Oxford Brookes University.  more...

Features

Couple with clear vision

If you think an optician is someone who can test your eyesight and prescribe spectacles, the chances are you have not had your eyes checked since the early 1980s.  more...

Stile-ish enterprises

A landscape architect who created a unique memorial after her mother died is offering her services to other people who want to remember a loved one.  more...

Finance

Investor's diary

After taking £1 each from myself and two others following a superb shot at a short par three hole at our local course, one of my long-standing golf buddies announced he was buying a house in Florida where he could focus on such shots full time. Several comments referring to his recent acquisition of three quid were duly made, none of which are repeatable here.  more...

Is it time to reap the dividends?

Neil Beck, of Wellers accountants in Banbury, advises local businesses on the right time to take out dividendsFirstly, we must understand what dividends are. Companies are formed and receive money from shareholders who in turn receive shares.  more...

Gardening

The caviar of veg

VAL BOURNE offers some tips on growing the very best asparagus I've just been listening to the radio and apparently January is a key time for approaching divorce lawyers. The catalyst is a long Christmas indoors - together! Just as well I didn't know this last year because the best beloved was busy digging a large trough in our new garden. It measured 20ft in length and about 10ft in width. But it was the grave-like depth that was most worrying. He went down at least 4ft and piled the soil round the sides and passing neighbours were beginning to speculate about the possible outcome.  more...

Golf

GOLF: Evans back for international

FORMER Chipping Norton champion John Evans is to play in a seniors international match just four months after undergoing major back surgery.  more...

GOLF: Juniors go top

JUNIORS Nathan Gibbard and Jack Cooper leapt to the top of Bicester's Winter League with a stunning third-round performance.  more...

GOLF: Results round-up

FRILFORD HEATH Ladies' January Stableford - Div 1: 1 J Lees 33pts (cb), 2 J Manson 33 (cb). Div 2: 1 M Wilson 31, 2 A Aldred 30.  more...

GOLF: Results round-up

FRILFORD HEATH Ladies' January Stableford - Div 1: 1 J Lees 33pts (cb), 2 J Manson 33 (cb). Div 2: 1 M Wilson 31, 2 A Aldred 30.  more...

Headlines

School receives FA charter award

FOOTBALL'S coming home to The Blake Church of England School, in Witney, that has been the first school in the county to receive a Football Association charter award.  more...

Deer Park Medical Centre launches new phone system

A WITNEY medical centre launched a new number designed to make it easier for patients to get in touch.  more...

MBE: A very special delivery

VI MILES got a special delivery at home - her MBE for services to the community.  more...

Ice Hockey

ICE HOCKEY: Stars sunk as leaders fight back

OXFORD City Stars lost out to league leaders Invicta Dynamos for the second time in a week - this time an 11-6 home reverse.  more...

ICE HOCKEY: Morvan salutes battlers

OXFORD City Stars coach Darryl Morvan felt his side had given Invicta their toughest test in years and hailed his players' effort.  more...

Kids Week

Wildlife roadshow

There will be something to tickle the fancy of every young wildlife buff when the Ticklish Allsorts Feeders & Breeders roadshow hits Oxford next week.  more...

Letters

How to tackle the superbug

One of the reasons the so-called super-bugs are difficult to control is because some of them are endemic in the population.  more...

Wrong targets

I refer to your story, Animal rights activists rack up litany of unsolved crimes (Oxford Mail, January 8).  more...

The Insider: january 18, 2007

SOMETIMES one has to take the rough with the smooth - and there is no better example than the catering at Oxford City Council.  more...

Why don't council planners listen?

Sir, Listening by Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire district council planning officials is a truly pointless and wasteful exercise if no action is taken on the basis of what they hear.  more...

Questions asked

On January 11, 2007, residents of East Hagbourne and surrounding area attended a meeting about the proposed road that will bi-sect their village. The meeting was addressed by local councillors. The message of "comfort" they received appeared to be: The road may not be built for ten years or even 30 years The road may never be built at all The proposed road would not be a dual-carriageway, merely a perimeter road similar to that which links Didcot to the A34 If the worst happens, affected home owners will be "fully compensated" with full market price and removal costs.  more...

Campaign hope

I fully understand the anger expressed by Didcot, Hagbourne and Harwell residents at the plans for huge housing estates to the south of Didcot.  more...

Exhaust fear

Years back, the change-of-mind decision by Oxfordshire County Council to locate the massive Great Western Park development to the west of Didcot was backed by dubious argument that the original chosen site to the north-east of the town was less suitable.  more...

Mapped out

The Thames Water publicity machine is operating at full power. We are promised walks etc around the new reservoir. But what happened at Farmoor?  more...

HGV concern

Whilst the general traffic situation in Abingdon town centre does not seem to have improved overall since completion of the first phase of the works, we can only wait and hope that phase two will actually improve things.  more...

What hope?

Tears should be shed over the decision by Oxfordshire County Council to permit the destruction of Thrupp Lake at Radley. No amount of environmental pleading by RWE npower, which plans to use the lake as a trash bin for their waste from Didcot power station, can disguise the truth that this decision is a wrong one.  more...

Motors

American dream?

A little rebirth does you no end of good. Cadillac, an iconic American brand with a long and proud history, will attest to that. The very first Cadillac was imported into the UK 103 years ago, but it was just last year that saw the marque truly reborn in Britain through the BLS saloon.  more...

News

New HQ named

THE new headquarters for Charter Community Housing will be named after the association's recently-retired director Kate Hindle.  more...

Rambling dates

THE Chipping Norton Rambling Club organises walks on the first Sunday of every month.  more...

Bid to form new super council

PLANS for a new super council, which would run all local services in north Oxfordshire, have won the backing of Cherwell District Council.  more...

Getting pupils up to speed

A HIGH-TECH learning centre for local schoolchildren has been opened at Silverstone race circuit by former F1 World Champion Damon Hill.  more...

Council rejects touring arts plea

CHERWELL District Council has refused to act as the administration body for a touring rural arts programme - even though the council's officers have been involved in setting up the facility.  more...

Council wins advice accolade

A COUNCIL has won an award for the quality of advice given to people who want to work with children.  more...

Hospice lottery results

KATHARINE House Hospice lottery winners for the week ending January 5 are - £1,000 winner: J Drury, Banbury.  more...

Hospice lottery results

KATHARINE House Hospice lottery winners for the week ending January 5 are - £1,000 winner: J Drury, Banbury.  more...

Soccer club chairman's notable honour

BANBURY United chairman David Bennett has collected a top music award by hitting the right notes with a brass band championship.  more...

Rotarians hunt for gardeners' question time sponsor

ORGANISERS of a gardeners' question time are looking for businesses or individuals to sponsor the event - and raise money for charity.  more...

Restaurants win praise for hygiene

RESTAURANTS in north Oxfordshire with good hygiene standards, healthy menus and smoke-free areas have won special praise from Cherwell District Council.  more...

Kieran doubles his target

BLOXHAM schoolboy Kieran Ford, who gave up his Christmas presents to raise money for the World Vision charity, more than doubled his target of £800 by raising £1,671.  more...

Pupils make TV plea for head

PUPILS at a North Oxfordshire village primary school have made their own TV commercial to boost their search for a new headteacher.  more...

Join us, Labour MP is asked

LABOUR rebel Hazel Blears has been formally asked to join the fight to save services at Banbury's Horton Hospital.  more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

MP seeks fast change

PROMISES that problems on First Great Western routes will be eased by the introduction of refurbished High Speed Trains later this year are simply not good enough, says Henley MP Boris Johnson.  more...

Police investigate hunt assault claim

A 60-YEAR-OLD hunt monitor said she was violently knocked to the ground by a supporter as she tried to film a hunt taking place in Oxfordshire.  more...

Residents fight new mast plan

NEW plans for a phone mast near a children's playground have been criticised by residents.  more...

Teenager banned from estate

POLICE today released a picture of a teenager who has been banned from most of the Rose Hill estate, Oxford, after a string of complaints about him drinking and abusing and harassing residents.  more...

FOX presenter's departure saddens fans

FANS of FOX FM presenter Debbie Ryan are mystified at the departure of the popular breakfast show host.  more...

Taxi robbery: two men held

TWO men have been arrested in connection with the robbery of a taxi driver in Falcon Close, Blackbird Leys, on Sunday morning in which £70-80 of cash was taken, along with a car stereo.  more...

Face of park exposer revealed

POLICE today issued an e-fit of a man responsible for a spate of indecent exposures in Albert Park, Abingdon.  more...

Hosepipe ban lifted

THAMES Water today lifted its domestic hosepipe and sprinkler ban.  more...

Roadside memorial to crash victims unveiled

FOUR minutes of silence marked each life lost as friends and family gathered at the site of one of Oxford's most tragic car crashes.  more...

Five charged over match violence

FIVE men will face court over violence before an Oxford United home game.  more...

Two injured in lab blast

TWO men were taken to hospital with serious cuts to their chests, faces, heads and arms after a chemical explosion at Oxford University.  more...

Unitary report published today

OXFORD City Council will tonight publicise the findings of a report into whether it could become a unitary authority.  more...

Cyclist tackles new marathon challenge

A MAN who raised almost £27,000 for charity by cycling from London to Beijing is preparing for a second marathon bike ride.  more...

Botley death blamed on fall

A MAN found with serious head injuries at his home in Oxford is thought to have died as a result of a fall.  more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Animal rights link in post explosion

POLICE tonight warned firms to be on their guard after a woman was injured in an explosion while opening post at a bioscience company in Abingdon.  more...

Big Brother row escalates

THE heated row over alleged racism on Celebrity Big Brother arrived in Oxford today.  more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Sibley heads for London rally

A TRADE union representative from Bicester is gearing up to represent the town's interests at a public services rally in London.  more...

Staff defend school's record

STAFF at Bicester Community College have admitted their school's exam results were "disappointing" - but blamed a small group of pupils for skewing the figures.  more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Animal rights link in post explosion

POLICE tonight warned firms to be on their guard after a woman was injured in an explosion while opening post at a bioscience company in Abingdon.  more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Obituaries

Pillar of parish

Bessie Ledger, was one of the best known figures in Littlemore's community.  more...

Other News

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Other Sport

BOWLS: Long wait ends for Carpenter

BANBURY Cross's Calvin Carpenter has finally ended his Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire area final hoodoo in the English Indoor Association competitons - at the 16th attempt.  more...

HOCKEY: Stunning Rover go top

Rover Oxford recorded a stunning 8-2 win over South League Regional Division leaders Aylesbury to take over from them at the top of the table.  more...

RACING: Demon's plans take a tumble

Sometimes the best-laid plans just don't work out.  more...

BADMINTON: Unhapy New Year for Oxon

Oxfordshire failed to make any impression in their new year double-header in Division 1C of the Inter-County Championships.  more...

BOWLS: Carpenter breaks final jinx

Banbury Cross's Calvin Carpenter has finally ended his Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire area final hoodoo in the English Indoor Association competitons - at the 16th attempt.  more...

HOCKEY: SA

Rover Oxford recorded a stunning 8-2 win over South League Regional Division leaders Aylesbury to take over from them at the top of the table.  more...

Oxford News

Hosepipe ban lifted

Motorists and gardeners were given the all-clear to use their hosepipes for the first time in nine months today after Thames Water lifted its domestic hosepipe and sprinkler ban.  more...

'Patients left without care'

Frail and infirm patients across Oxfordshire are being left alone without food, unable to wash or get into bed after being discharged from hospital without proper home help.  more...

A tragic reminder

Four minutes of silence marked each life lost as friends and family gathered at the site of one of Oxford's most tragic car crashes.  more...

A tragic reminder

Four minutes of silence marked each life lost as friends and family gathered at the site of one of Oxford's most tragic car crashes.  more...

Fundraiser in saddle again

A man who raised nearly £27,000 for charity by cycling from London to Beijing is preparing for a second marathon bike ride.  more...

Book wins top award

A former Oxfordshire English teacher has won the children's category in the Costa Book Awards.  more...

Listeners foxed as host goes

Fans of Fox FM presenter Debbie Ryan have been inundating the Oxford Mail website to find out why the popular breakfast show host is no longer on air.  more...

Grant saves photographer's work

Lottery cash is set to help preserve a collection of pictures by a renowned Oxford photographer which were found in a damp garden shed.  more...

Pole position on fitness front

Every new year's the same - people make resolutions to lose weight and join gyms, both of which not many people stick to.  more...

Legacy for cystic fibrosis sufferer

More than £1,000 has been raised in memory of late cystic fibrosis sufferer Martin Compton, one of the oldest patients Oxford's Churchill Hospital treated with the condition.  more...

'Get addicts out of our garden'

Residents are calling for action to stop drug addicts gathering around bonfires and "cooking up" heroin near their flats.  more...

Champion wasters help recycling cause

If there's something strange in your wheelie bin, who you gonna call....? The Recycling Champions!  more...

Scourge gets Rose Hill ban

Sgt Graham Pink at Rose Hill where teenager Ricky Byles has been banned from parts of the estate Neighbours living in fear of yobs at Rose Hill, Oxford, last night welcomed an antisocial behaviour order banning a teenager from the estate for two years.  more...

Man with head wounds dies

Police are investigating the death of an 83-year-old man in Oxford.  more...

Fall caused pensioner death

A pensioner found with serious head injuries at his home in west Oxford is thought to have died as a result of a fall.  more...

Storms battering county

High winds and rain are lashing Oxfordshire today with damage already affecting thousands of people.  more...

Two arrested over taxi robbery

Two men were arrested today in connection with the robbery of a taxi driver at Oxford's Blackbird Leys estate.  more...

Storm update: Lorry overturns

A lorry overturned on the northbound carriageway of the M40 near Oxford today.  more...

Storm update: Lab fence topples

A security fence surrounding the building site of the Oxford University animal experiments laboratory has fallen on four people.  more...

Big Brother row comes to Oxford

All eyes turned on Oxford this afternoon as the row over alleged racism on Celebrity Big Brother escalated again.  more...

Storm Update: Four die across UK

Four people have died and travel has been severely disrupted as gales and heavy downpours hit parts of the UK.  more...

Sex attacker description issued

Police have issued a description of a taxi driver accused of sexually attacking a passenger in Oxford.  more...

Sex attacker description issued

Police have issued a description of a taxi driver accused of sexually assaulting a passenger in Oxford.  more...

Storm update: death toll rises

More people were reported dead this afternoon as gales continued to blast the country.  more...

Would-be contestant condemns Big Brother

Miss England winner Eleanor Glynn has condemned the alleged racist comments made on Celebrity Big Brother and said she was no longer keen to take part in the show.  more...

County battered by storms

Several people were injured, thousands were left without power and there was chaos on the roads when high winds wreaked havoc across the county.  more...

Pasttimes

Christmas is truly over . . . or is it?

Among the many quaint Oxford traditions is the belief that Christmas only ended this week, writes CHRIS KOENIG Funny old thing, tradition. Most of us might think of turkey or goose as the traditional food of Christmas, but the dons of The Queen's College, Oxford, know better. They have been stuffing their faces with Boar's Head at a Yuletide feast, held a week or two before Christmas Day, every year since the 14th century.  more...

Recipes

Celeriac — the ugly vegetable

IT was Kim Homewood, of Peach Croft Farm, Radley, who reminded me of the virtues of celeriac, which is considered one of the ugliest vegetables in the world.  more...

Results And Fixtures

RESULTS January 19

FOOTBALL.  more...

RESULTS January 19

FOOTBALL.  more...

FIXTURES: January 19

FIXTURES.  more...

FIXTURES: January 19

FIXTURES.  more...

FIXTURES: January 19

FIXTURES.  more...

Rowing

ROWING: No change at Abingdon School

Abingdon School go into the 2007 season with not too many changes to the system which worked for them well last year.  more...

Share Prices

Today's local share prices (PM)

AEA Technology 102.5 BMW 2976 Electrocomponents 280.5 Isoft Group 55 Oxford Biomedica 39.5 Oxford Instruments 268 Oxonica 149 Reed Elsevier 608.25 RM 204 RPS Group 274 Torex Retail 46   more...

Speedway

SPEEDWAY: Cheetahs look to Pole to boost bid

Oxford Cheetahs will bank on Polish ace Piotr 'Pepe' Protasiewicz in their bid to enjoy better fortune in the Elite League this season.  more...

Startup Companies

Oxon's first zero carbon homes

Oxfordshire could soon see its first zero carbon' homes, designed to help stop the process leading to climate change, according to a leading builder.  more...

Reclaiming the past

Businesses which win awards are commonplace but, for Lime Technology, taking the top prize in the Green Shoots competition last year has had a profound impact. The contest was open to companies dedicated to the environment and offered a top prize of accommodation on Milton Park, and a year's free mentoring from Oxford Brookes University.  more...

Why Morris Oxford is jewel in the crown

Shenoy Karun reveals how a long-forgotten Oxford classic, the Morris Oxford, has been reborn in India to become the oldest model still in production  more...

Don't ignore your feet

If you think that bunions and corns are both vegetables, Colin Martin won't be coming round to dinner. The Bicester-based pedorthist would, however, probably be delighted to be asked. Our ignorance and abuse of all things beneath our knees concerns him, fascinates him, and keeps him in work. But just why should we care about our feet?  more...

Woolly thinking

Every walker knows that even a short ramble can feel like a route march if you find yourself with a pair of badly fitting boots. Keen walkers Julia Sargent, 61, and Maureen Langston, 59, - whom generations of Oxfordshire children will remember as their primary school teachers - reckon that they have come up with an idea to help anyone, anywhere, who ever finds themselves saying: "my feet are killing me."  more...

Warm welcome to Hell

I counted four stripes on the shoulder of the pilot as he emerged from the cockpit. "As there are no cabin crew, I'm doing the safety talk myself," he said, as he gave us the lowdown. It was not surprising that there were no cabin crew, since there were only six passengers. The plane was a Twin Otter, en route from Bristol to the Scilly Isles.  more...

Warm welcome to Hell

I counted four stripes on the shoulder of the pilot as he emerged from the cockpit. "As there are no cabin crew, I'm doing the safety talk myself," he said, as he gave us the lowdown. It was not surprising that there were no cabin crew, since there were only six passengers. The plane was a Twin Otter, en route from Bristol to the Scilly Isles.  more...

Warm welcome to Hell

I counted four stripes on the shoulder of the pilot as he emerged from the cockpit. "As there are no cabin crew, I'm doing the safety talk myself," he said, as he gave us the lowdown. It was not surprising that there were no cabin crew, since there were only six passengers. The plane was a Twin Otter, en route from Bristol to the Scilly Isles.  more...

More than another fad

When a neurosurgeon advised her husband to take up pilates to help him recover from a serious back injury, Vanessa Fielding was more than a little surprised.  more...

Sunday Local Football

FOOTBALL: Deadly Gilboy fires double

Craig Gilboy bagged a brace for Northway as they fought back from a goal down to beat Oxford City Supporters 3-1 in Division 1.  more...

Theatre

Long winded

Rarely do cauliflowers and murder - or "moydah" in this setting - coincide, but Bertolt Brecht combines them in his 1941 fable about a little Chicago mobster, Arturo Ui (Robert Bristow).  more...

Travel Features

The Venice of the north

So cold was New Year's Eve that I think my hands and feet missed out somewhat on the experience.  more...

Wallingford News

Patrol red tape strands pupils

Volunteers have been told to stop helping schoolchildren cross a busy Wallingford road because they are not trained to hold a 'lollipop stick'.  more...

Witney News

From Oxford to Hollywood

Former Oxford schoolboy Toby Jones is set to hit the big time with a starring role in Truman Capote biopic Infamous.  more...

Stars flock to West End (of county)

Since the American drama Prison Break broke on to the world's screens in August 2005, critics have been falling over themselves with praise for its star Wentworth Miller.  more...

Abingdon Herald News

Architect wins award for pub restoration

AN architect has won an award after redesigning a 17th-century pub which was partially destroyed by a digger.   more...

Idea generates interest

A MAN who wants to set up a ground-breaking "supergreen" power station - which would use sugar to generate electricity - has won a £15,000 award.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Update: Animal rights link in post explosion

POLICE tonight warned firms to be on their guard after a woman was injured in an explosion while opening post at a bioscience company.   more...

Bicester Advertiser News

Staff defend school's record

STAFF at Bicester Community College have admitted their school's exam results were "disappointing" - but blamed a small group of pupils for skewing the figures.   more...

Sibley heads for London rally

A TRADE union representative from Bicester is gearing up to represent the town's interests at a public services rally in London.   more...

Bicester Advertiser Sport

RACING: Sweet smell of success!

Sweet World provided Alan Jarvis's Twyford stables, near Bicester, with a welcome winner at Wolverhampton on Monday.   more...

GOLF: Juniors soar to top

Juniors Nathan Gibbard and Jack Cooper leapt to the top of Bicester's Winter League with a stunning third-round performance.   more...

Oxford Mail News

Letterbombs sent to science firms

Two letterbombs have been delivered to science firms in Oxfordshire today.   more...

Storm Update: Four die across UK

Four people have died and travel has been severely disrupted as gales and heavy downpours hit parts of the UK.   more...

Storm update: death toll rises

More people were reported dead this afternoon as gales continued to blast the country.   more...

Would-be contestant condemns Big Brother

Miss England winner Eleanor Glynn has condemned the alleged racist comments made on Celebrity Big Brother and said she was no longer keen to take part in the show.   more...

County battered by storms

Several people were injured, thousands were left without power and there was chaos on the roads when high winds wreaked havoc across the county.   more...

Activists post bombs to firms

A woman was injured when animal rights extremists sent letter bombs to two Oxfordshire science firms yesterday.   more...

Storm update: Lab fence topples

A security fence surrounding the building site of the Oxford University animal experiments laboratory has fallen on four people.   more...

Woman hurt in explosion

A woman was injured following an explosion in Abingdon this morning.   more...

Hosepipe ban lifted

Motorists and gardeners were given the all-clear to use their hosepipes for the first time in nine months today after Thames Water lifted its domestic hosepipe and sprinkler ban.   more...

Fall caused pensioner death

A pensioner found with serious head injuries at his home in west Oxford is thought to have died as a result of a fall.   more...

From Oxford to Hollywood

Former Oxford schoolboy Toby Jones is set to hit the big time with a starring role in Truman Capote biopic Infamous.   more...

A tragic reminder

Four minutes of silence marked each life lost as friends and family gathered at the site of one of Oxford's most tragic car crashes.   more...

Fundraiser in saddle again

A man who raised nearly £27,000 for charity by cycling from London to Beijing is preparing for a second marathon bike ride.   more...

Book wins top award

A former Oxfordshire English teacher has won the children's category in the Costa Book Awards.   more...

Stars flock to West End (of county)

Since the American drama Prison Break broke on to the world's screens in August 2005, critics have been falling over themselves with praise for its star Wentworth Miller.   more...

Listeners foxed as host goes

Fans of Fox FM presenter Debbie Ryan have been inundating the Oxford Mail website to find out why the popular breakfast show host is no longer on air.   more...

Grant saves photographer's work

Lottery cash is set to help preserve a collection of pictures by a renowned Oxford photographer which were found in a damp garden shed.   more...

Two arrested over taxi robbery

Two men were arrested today in connection with the robbery of a taxi driver at Oxford's Blackbird Leys estate.   more...

Patrol red tape strands pupils

Volunteers have been told to stop helping schoolchildren cross a busy Wallingford road because they are not trained to hold a 'lollipop stick'.   more...

Storms battering county

High winds and rain are lashing Oxfordshire today with damage already affecting thousands of people.   more...

Pole position on fitness front

Every new year's the same - people make resolutions to lose weight and join gyms, both of which not many people stick to.   more...

Legacy for cystic fibrosis sufferer

More than £1,000 has been raised in memory of late cystic fibrosis sufferer Martin Compton, one of the oldest patients Oxford's Churchill Hospital treated with the condition.   more...

Storm update: Lorry overturns

A lorry overturned on the northbound carriageway of the M40 near Oxford today.   more...

'Get addicts out of our garden'

Residents are calling for action to stop drug addicts gathering around bonfires and "cooking up" heroin near their flats.   more...

Champion wasters help recycling cause

If there's something strange in your wheelie bin, who you gonna call....? The Recycling Champions!   more...

'Patients left without care'

Frail and infirm patients across Oxfordshire are being left alone without food, unable to wash or get into bed after being discharged from hospital without proper home help.   more...

Scourge gets Rose Hill ban

Sgt Graham Pink at Rose Hill where teenager Ricky Byles has been banned from parts of the estate Neighbours living in fear of yobs at Rose Hill, Oxford, last night welcomed an antisocial behaviour order banning a teenager from the estate for two years.   more...

Man with head wounds dies

Police are investigating the death of an 83-year-old man in Oxford.   more...

Image of flasher released

This is an e-fit image of a serial flasher who has struck at least eight times in Abingdon's Albert Park.   more...

Sex attacker description issued

Police have issued a description of a taxi driver accused of sexually assaulting a passenger in Oxford.   more...

Big Brother row comes to Oxford

All eyes turned on Oxford this afternoon as the row over alleged racism on Celebrity Big Brother escalated again.   more...

Witness urged to call police

A Good Samaritan who saw an attack on foreign students in Abingdon has been urged to contact police.   more...

The Oxford Times Business

Fishing for compliments

Without naming names, many Oxford pubs in lovely riverside settings have for years apparently traded on their situations, providing bad service and disappointing food in the expectation that the punters will pile in anyway.   more...

The Oxford Times News

Jones embraces infamy

FORMER Oxfordshire schoolboy Toby Jones is set to hit the big time with a starring role in Truman Capote biopic Infamous.   more...

Spoonful of sugar to help climate

When Greenpeace protestors chose Didcot Power Station as the target for their climate change campaign, they were making a point that is scientifically unarguable. There is no doubt that burning fossil fuels pumps out carbon dioxide, one of the 'greenhouse gases' leading to climate change. But how would they feel about a power station which actually absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, rather than creating it?   more...

Farmer's anger over verge visits

FARMER Brian Franklin was surprised when two police officers turned up at his door.   more...

Westgate developers to invest £4m in city

WESTGATE developers are to hand over £4m for transport improvements to mitigate the new shopping centre's impact on Oxford's congested roads.   more...

Backing for building of 'city village'

RESIDENTS are facing defeat in their battle to stop a health trust from creating a 'student village' in Headington.   more...

Update: Man dies after tree crushes car

A MAN died today after a tree fell on to a car as storm-force winds battered the county.   more...

Taxi robbery: two men held

TWO men have been arrested in connection with the robbery of a taxi driver in Falcon Close, Blackbird Leys, on Sunday morning in which £70-80 of cash was taken, along with a car stereo.   more...

Forging links with schools

Businesses and secondary schools in Oxfordshire are forging successful partnerships designed to boost skills and create quality jobs in the future. A new report by the Oxfordshire Town Chambers Network (OTCN) discovered businesspeople are becoming more involved in supporting schools, teachers and students to raise standards.   more...

Express success for Vitaburst duo

A business started at Oxford railway station is on track for major expansion after opening a second outlet in Reading. Vitaburst, which specialises in fruit juices and smoothies and featured in last month's In Business, has been such a success in Oxford that owners Stuart and Kathy Hallworth (pictured) were approached by First Great Western to branch out. Now the couple are hoping their concept will spread across the country.   more...

Prize for fledgling business

A high-profile businesswoman is urging fledgling entrepreneurs to enter a competition which has transformed her company. Marneta Viegas (pictured) was the first winner of the South Oxfordshire New Business Competition which won her a free furnished office space at Hampden House on the Monument Business Park, Chalgrove.   more...

Woman hurt in post blast

A WOMAN was injured today after an explosion opening the post at a company in Abingdon.   more...

Update: Animal rights link in post explosion

POLICE tonight warned firms to be on their guard after a woman was injured in an explosion while opening post at a bioscience company.   more...

Storm batters county

GALE force winds and torrential rainfall were pounding Oxfordshire today.   more...

Big Brother row escalates

THE heated row over alleged racism on Celebrity Big Brother arrived in Oxford today.   more...

Face of park exposer revealed

POLICE today issued an e-fit of a man responsible for a spate of indecent exposures in Albert Park, Abingdon.   more...

Hosepipe ban lifted

THAMES Water today lifted its domestic hosepipe and sprinkler ban.   more...

Super-school plan dropped

PARENT power has won the day in the fight to prevent the creation of a 'super school' for three- to 18-year-olds in Abingdon.   more...

Botley death blamed on fall

A MAN found with serious head injuries at his home in Oxford is thought to have died as a result of a fall.   more...

A surplus of leisure

When you have a work-out at the gym in your local leisure centre, or take the children swimming there, have you ever wondered what happens to the money you pay for admission?   more...

Roadside memorial to crash victims unveiled

FOUR minutes of silence marked each life lost as friends and family gathered at the site of one of Oxford's most tragic car crashes.   more...

Five charged over match violence

FIVE men will face court over violence before an Oxford United home game.   more...

New music venue opens

A NEW music venue has opened in Witney with the aim of giving new bands a chance to showcase their talent.   more...

Two injured in lab blast

TWO men were taken to hospital with serious cuts to their chests, faces, heads and arms after a chemical explosion at Oxford University.   more...

Unitary report published today

OXFORD City Council will tonight publicise the findings of a report into whether it could become a unitary authority.   more...

Elderly warned over doorstep conmen

POLICE today warned elderly residents not to let unexpected callers into their houses, following another attempted distraction burglary in Liddell Road, Cowley.   more...

Backing for new student village in Oxford

RESIDENTS are facing defeat in their battle to stop a health trust from creating a 'student village' in Headington.   more...

Book wins top award

A FORMER Oxfordshire English teacher has won the children's category in the Costa Book Awards.   more...

Cyclist tackles new marathon challenge

A MAN who raised almost £27,000 for charity by cycling from London to Beijing is preparing for a second marathon bike ride.   more...

New singing supremo has county roots

COMPOSER and broadcaster Howard Goodall, who is to head the Government's £10m package of measures to boost singing in schools, is a former head boy at Lord Williams's School in Thame.   more...

Asian market fuels rise in metal theft

POLICE say an economic boom in China and India is fuelling a rise in scrap metal thefts across Oxfordshire.   more...

The Oxford Times Sport

RACING: Demon's plans take a tumble

Sometimes the best-laid plans just don't work out.   more...

BADMINTON: Unhapy New Year for Oxon

Oxfordshire failed to make any impression in their new year double-header in Division 1C of the Inter-County Championships.   more...

BOWLS: Carpenter breaks final jinx

Banbury Cross's Calvin Carpenter has finally ended his Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire area final hoodoo in the English Indoor Association competitons - at the 16th attempt.   more...

HOCKEY: Stunning Rover go top

Rover Oxford recorded a stunning 8-2 win over South League Regional Division leaders Aylesbury to take over from them at the top of the table.   more...

Witney Gazette News

Deer Park Medical Centre launches new phone system

A WITNEY medical centre launched a new number designed to make it easier for patients to get in touch.   more...

MBE: A very special delivery

VI MILES got a special delivery at home - her MBE for services to the community.   more...

School receives FA charter award

FOOTBALL'S coming home to The Blake Church of England School, in Witney, that has been the first school in the county to receive a Football Association charter award.   more...

  
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