OXFORD Inspires, the organiser of this year's county millennium celebrations, has welcomed a £70,000 boost which will help fund a wintery festival of light. The year-long festivities are closing with a series of colourful finale events, called Winter
DETECTIVES in Oxford have issued a series of CCTV images as they continue to hunt for suspects in several fraud and theft cases. The footage released on Friday shows a man in a purple shirt going into the Oxford University Press in Jericho, Oxford,
A gang of hoodies mugged a teenager as he was walking his dog. The 15-year-old boy was in Community Park, Lewknor, last Sunday at about 6.15pm. A gang of six youths, all wearing hooded tops, demanded he emptied his pockets than stole his keys. Pc
Burglars broke in to a house in Banbury and stole about £1,700 worth of electrical equipment and jewellery this evening. The owners returned to their home in Queensway and discovered the break-in. Burglars stole a palmtop computer, a Playstation,
Ron Atkinson, Lennie Lawrence and Steve Coppell are just three of the managers Darren Patterson has learned a great deal from - and so too is Jim Smith. At his unveiling as the new U's boss, Patterson revealed there had been many influences on him.
Oxford United have made the change the fans were clamouring for with Jim Smith moving "upstairs" to become a full-time director, and Darren Patterson (pictured) taking over as manager. And for Patto, who has twice before briefly been in charge only
All eyes will be on Bob Gillings Reading raider Brickfield Class in the final of the Blanchfords Oxfordshire Trophy final over 450 metres at Oxford tonight. The black dog pulverised his field in the opening heat on Tuesday after showing smart early
Pensioners in North Oxford are stepping up their campaign for a bus route to be extended so they can reduce the stress of getting to hospital appointments. At present, the number 14 bus run by Stagecoach only goes to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington
Family and friends of an Oxford schoolgirl who died of meningitis a year ago will gather tomorrow to remember her life. Kyomie Williams, who was 12 and a pupil at Cheney School, Headington, died on November 10, 2006, at the John Radcliffe Hospital in
Detectives in Oxford have issued a series of CCTV images as they continue to hunt for suspects in several fraud and theft cases. The footage released on Friday shows a man in a purple shirt going into the Oxford University Press in Jericho, Oxford,
The GRA have appointed Maureen Ridley (pictured) as their new general manager at Oxford Stadium. She is believed to be only the second female to take charge of a track in the UK. Ridley succeeds Stephen Rawle who left the Stadium in August. A native
Rutherford stormed to the top of Oxford & DTTA Division 1 with convincing wins over Lord Nuffield A and Vikings A. Chris Rowlatt and Neil Hurford both hit maximums in the 8-2 successs against Lord Nuffield, while Glen Freeman took on the leading role
New Club stretched their lead at the top of Division 1 after they recorded their third successive victory in the Oxford & District League. Their 2-1 success over Oracle made it seven wins in eight outings, and they have opened up a three-point gap at
Witney A completed the double over leaders Fieldside A with a 4-2 success to close to gap in the Premier Division of the Gentworks Oxford & District Snooker League. The result means that Witney remain unbeaten and are now only five points behind Fieldside
Night buses will be running this New Year's Eve after an appeal from Oxford's licensees. Members of the city's Pubwatch organisation held several meetings with Stagecoach bosses after a disastrous celebration on December 31 last year. Revellers stayed
Oxford City Stars will look to bounce back from last weekend's defeat to Peterborough when they host struggling Telford Tigers in the English National League South Division A clash at Oxpens Road tomorrow. After a week licking their wounds after a physical
Berinsfield claimed four wins at the opening dinner show of the campaign before a sell-out crowd at the BMW Club in Cowley. Switch-hitter John Collins delivered their first win by getting behind the jab to outscore Cheshunt's Pat O'Donnell. Richard
Oxford Inspires, the organiser of this year's county millennium celebrations, has welcomed a £70,000 boost which will help fund a wintery festival of light. The year-long festivities are closing with a series of colourful finale events, called Winter
Tiddington held their nerve to see off Charlbury by 16 runs in the latest round of Oxfordshire Indoor League matches at Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre. Batting first, Tiddington got off to a flying start as they raced to 29 in the first three overs.
A plea for ideas about fundraising events to support Wantage's Vale and Downland Museum met with a huge response. Several events at Lains Barn had to be cancelled for lack of interest, but the response to a subsequent plea for help from museum commercial
Claire Maden, from Botley, collected £200 worth of prizes for winning the South West Karate Open at Weston-super-Mare. The 19-year-old coach at Oxford School of Martial Arts, competing for the first time in two years, won 8-6 in a hard-fought final
Members of all East Oxford's diverse communities are being called on to share their hopes for the future of the area. A two-hour meeting, which will be held at Oxford Community School, Glanville Road, on Sunday, from 3pm to 5pm has been organised by
Thousands of pounds left over from Oxford City Council funds are to be spent upgrading playgrounds - but some projects will miss out on the cash. One of the projects to get funding from the Cowley area committee is Cholsey Close play area - which was
Two businessmen are set to become multi-millionaires when their company floats on the Stock Exchange. Peter Lammer and Jan Hruska, who met when they were engineering research students at Oxford University in the 1970s, have built Sophos into a global
Women taking the combined oral contraceptive pill are at an increased risk of cervical cancer, according to the latest Oxford-based research. But the risk starts falling soon after the pill is stopped, according to the Cancer Research UK study, which
Children visiting a science centre in East Oxford saw the world's first hydrogen-powered racing car - and met Mr Molecule. The ground-breaking car, and the life-size carbon dioxide character, pictured, were two of the main attractions at Science Oxford
Brett Bicknell, from Abingdon GC, finished first overall in the under 18 age group at the South Region Full Apparatus Competition in Southampton. He picked up a selection of gold, silver and bronze medals on all six of the apparatus. In the under
A health awareness day has been held for inmates at Bullingdon Prison. Topics covered included dentistry, diabetes, asthma, blood pressure, drug and alcohol misuse, sexual health and smoking. Prisoner health care is now provided in conjunction with
Proposals to put First Great Western's Adelante trains into store from next month should be shelved, according to an industry commentator. Christian Wolmar, of Rail magazine, said the five-year-old trains, currently used on Oxford-London routes
City of Oxford's 14-year-old Sam van de Schootbrugge (pictured) returned from his first South East Region Winter Championships with eight medals and two qualifying times for the 2008 Olympic trials. The 14-year-old's top performance was a personal best
A new £10,000 swimming pool cover has been unveiled at an Oxford swimming pool in a bid to cut energy bills. And Oxford City Council hopes the move will help shed the city's 'un-green' image. The pool, in Waynefleet Road, Barton, is the first city
Work is set to start on redeveloping Rose Hill, Oxford, by the end of the year. The project, agreed by Oxford City Council last month, will see the demolition of 97 Orlit homes, which will be replaced by 254 new houses. The council's head of community
An airbase has come up with 45 new recruits to the Anthony Nolan Trust bone marrow tissue bank. The trust is trying to get everyone in the RAF aged between 18 and 40 to join the tissue register on which people needing bone marrow transplants can be
Banbury hospital broadcasting station Radio Horton has given £500 to the Katharine House Hospice, in Adderbury, in memory of co-founder Graham Wilton, who died at the hospice in September. The cheque was presented live on-air to Elizabeth Wheeldon,
Landlord Tim Haworth is tasting more success - his pub has scooped another top award. The Bear at Home in North Moreton, near Didcot, has been voted the Best Pub in Oxfordshire by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra). The accolade comes just months after
A 64-year-old former pilot will be making an extra effort to mark Remembrance Sunday - by visiting more than 100 war memorials and gravesr. Norman Smith, from Bicester, starts his 20-mile walk from the town's St Edburg's churchyard at 8am. He will then
It has been a busy couple of weeks here at the Playhouse and sometimes it is a good idea to just take a step back, and reflect. I think that is why writing a blog, such as this, can be so helpful, however, sometimes it does make you think that maybe you
The weekend marks Remembrance Sunday, when Britain commemorates its war dead. The key moment of the ceremonies is at 11am, marking the moment on November 11, 1918, when the guns fell silent as the Armistice ending the First World War took effect.
The cream of Oxford's musical talent will be on display on Sunday following a poll to find the best song by an unsigned local act. Thousands of music lovers voted in the TopoftheOx poll - which pitted 250 bands and musicians against each other. And
GRANDPARENTS went back to school as part of a new initiative at an Oxfordshire primary school. Pupils at Appleton CofE Primary School, in Appleton, had their grandparents in class with them as part of a scheme to get them more involved with their education
A WOMAN who died after being hit by a car on the A34 earlier this week has been identified. Today Oxford Coroner's office identified the woman as Bibi Richardson, 66, of Fair Close, Bicester. Police accident investigators are trying to establish why
AEA Technology 113.5 BMW 2877 Electrocomponents 228.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 146.5 Oxford Biomedica 29.75 Oxford Catalyst 155 Oxford Instruments 222.25 Reed Elsevier 592.5 RM 195.5 RPS Group 360.25 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
BURGLARS stole property worth £1,700 from a house in Queensway, Banbury. Thieves stole a palmtop computer, a PlayStation, a camera and number of items of jewellery. PC Mike Welch, of Banbury police, said: "This burglary happened while the occupiers
Jim Smith 1982-85 Maurice Evans 1985-88 Mark Lawrenson 1988 Brian Horton 1988-93 Denis Smith 1993-97 Malcolm Crosby 1997 Malcolm Shotton 1998-99 Denis Smith 2000 David Kemp 2000-01 Mark Wright 2001 Ian Atkins 2001-2004 Graham Rix 2004 Ramon
The latest round of the Angling Times Winter League Oxford Division attracted a big field of 56 to the Thames at Radley, but with a low and clear river, there were 14 dry nets recorded, writes Andy Webber. Apart from chub, nothing else seemed to want
After last week's announcement that Richworth Linear had closed their Oxlease Lake at Stanton Harcourt until the Spring 2008, it was encouraging to hear that their other waters are fishing well, writes Andy Webber. Oxlease is closed while it recovers
HUNDREDS of homes in Banbury are being targeted by Thames Valley Police in a bid to prevent a seasonal surge in burglaries. As nights draw in there are concerns that opportunist burglars will strike under cover of darkness during the evening. Police
Chairman Nick Merry today hailed outgoing boss Jim Smith as the reason Oxford United still exists and said the pair would remain "true friends". Merry said: "It was a professional decision coming in to take over and a professional decision that we have
New U's manager Darren Patterson has his own plans for United but admitted tomorrow's FA Cup tie will all be about getting his first win. Patterson has just been unveiled as Jim Smith's successor and said: "I have grown to get very close to Jim. "There
Chairman Nick Merry today hailed outgoing boss Jim Smith as the reason Oxford United still exists and said the pair would remain "true friends". Mr Merry told the Oxford Mail: "It was a professional decision coming in to take over and a professional
Oxford United chairman Nick Merry said Jim Smith had stepped down as manager and had recommended Darren Patterson as his successor. Mr Merry said: "We have always maintained that Jim Smith would put the interests of the Club before his own and decide
Fans' spokesman Trevor Lambert said today he was "relieved" that a decision had been taken for Jim Smith to stand down as Oxford United manager. Mr Lambert, a spokesman for fans' group OxVox, also welcomed the appointment of Darren Patterson as manager
Victim of a scam, Last month I kept getting texts on my mobile for an auction of ipods, each one I received I deleted, thinking I do not know who they are, so I did not answer. However when I received my bill I noticed that it was higher then normal,
They say you should never go back - we all know that - but in Jim Smith's case it was surely an exception. Here was a true legend of a manager, one who had brought Oxford United their greatest years, who had managed the biggest clubs - like Newcastle
A 15-year-old boy was robbed by a group of six youths in Lewknor. The youngster was walking his dog in the Community Park when the group approached him and demanded that he emptied pockets. They then stole his keys. The youths were all white and wearing
Oxford United's new manager Darren Patterson had been Smith's No 2 this season after promotion from youth-team coach in March. He was briefly manager 20 months ago for just three matches but had to move aside following the club's takeover by Nick Merry
They say you should never go back - we all know that - but in Jim Smith's case it was surely an exception. Here was a true legend of a manager, one who had brought Oxford United their greatest years, who had managed the biggest clubs - like Newcastle
Oxford United's official statement read: "Having had time to consider the Oxford United situation during a period away in Spain, Jim Smith has recommended to the Board that the time is right - before this season's promotion opportunity disappears
Jim Smith has stepped down as Oxford United manager. The 67-year-old U's boss, who has been in charge since March 2006, has moved aside following the team's poor run of results, which have seen them slip to 11th in the Blue Square Premier after failing
Jim Smith has stepped down as Oxford United manager. The 67-year-old U's boss, who has been in charge since March 2006, has moved aside following the team's poor run of results, which has seen them slip to 11th in the Blue Square Premier after failing
TWO Oxfordshire businessmen are set to become millionaires when their company floats on the London Stock Exchange Peter Lammer and Jan Hruska, who met when they were engineering research students at Oxford University in the 1970s, have built Abingdon-based
A 17-year-old Oxford boy has gone missing from his home in Headington and police are trying to trace him. Ben Tait was last seen at his home in Stile Road on Sunday, October 28, and reported missing by his family last Friday. He is slim, 6ft 2in tall
POLICE today appealed for help in tracing a 17-year-old boy who has gone missing from his home in Stile Road, Headington. Ben Tait was last seen on October 28 and reported missing by his family on November 2. He is slim, 6ft 2in tall and has cropped
AEA Technology 114 BMW 2926 Electrocomponents 238.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 146.5 Oxford Biomedica 31.75 Oxford Catalyst 154 Oxford Instruments 222.25 Reed Elsevier 595.25 RM 195.5 RPS Group 363.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Oxford United have signed defender Patrick Collins on a month's loan from Darlington. The 22-year-old from Newcastle, who began his career as a trainee to Sunderland, is set to make his Oxford debut against Northwich Victoria in the FA Cup first round
FIREFIGHTERS dealt with a washing machine fire in a first-floor flat in Fairlie Road, Littlemore. No one was hurt in the incident, which happened at about 7pm last night.
After finally finishing Valerie Grove's superb biography of John Mortimer, I embarked on a trawl of some of my favourite book depositories in Oxford to see if I could buy up second-hand copies of the writer's most amusing work — tales of barrister Horace
FALLEN trees caused chaos on roads across the county yesterday afternoon after toppling over during driving wind and rain. Both lanes of the A420 Buckland Road junction, near Buckland, were gridlocked, while the A361 junction with the B4026 at Chipping
WITH Christmas still 47 days away it might seem far too early to deck the halls with boughs of holly. But former homeless man Peter Bonney hopes that by being the first person in Oxford to put up Christmas decorations he can bring some seasonal cheer
THOUSANDS of people are being denied low-cost dental care because NHS managers are failing to plough enough money into the service. Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust spends £20m a year on NHS dentists, which covers enough care for 718,000 appointments
AN announcement on the future of manager Jim Smith was put back 24 hours by Oxford United yesterday. The club's future plans will now be revealed in a press conference this afternoon, ahead of their FA Cup first-round tie against Northwich Victoria.
COMMUNITY groups are being offered free training to help them start up projects designed to save energy and tackle climate change. The Energy Saving Trust is running a one-day training session in Oxford on November 21 as part of its Community Action
THE Age of the Magic Lantern is being revived at a historic manor house. The animated slide shows were all the rage in Victorian times before cinema took over. One of the leading modern exponents of the lanterns, "Professor" Mervyn Heard, is putting
Many of the thousands evacuated as children to Oxfordshire during the Second World War will forever hold affectionate memories of the villages and rural hamlets where they were cared for. Some evacuees can still readily describe how their wartime years
Sir - I read the letter of Maurice Holt (Letters, November 2) with concern and agreement. Mr Holt mentions and decries targets. He is right to do so where health and justice suffer. Does anyone know whether Thames Valley Police operates a target system
Sir - Could I thank the 80-strong Oxfordshire contingent who visited Bonn recently to celebrate 60 years of twinning with that German city? Sixty years of friendship is an enormous achievement. I'd especially like to thank Oxford Community School,
Sir - I was pleased to read councillor Goddard's commitment (Letters, October 26) to make sure that checks are in place on all future property deals to ensure that the council gets value for money. I hope that he will extend these checks to all deals
Sir - At last. It's taken a long time to get us here but finally we're there. We can start on the ground and prove we're serious about rebuilding our estates. When I came into this portfolio it had dragged on so long that some people doubted it would
Sir - Hugh Jaeger suggests (Letters, October 26) that improvements to the Mount Place Bridge would be an adequate substitute for a lifting bridge at the end of Great Clarendon Street. Certainly such improvements would allow cyclists travelling from
Sir - It is unfortunate that Mr Tyce in his letter (November 2) does not have a sense of humour which would enable him to enjoy the fun illustration of underwear on a washing line. It is surprising that he himself has failed to notice the abnormally
Sir - So we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Nothing that we can do will have a perceptible impact on the climate. I hope that Michael Tyce's informative letter can be made available to the millions of people living in the world's in coastal regions
Sir - Re Michael Tyce's letter (November 2), in which he attacked the organisation Climate XChange and the 'climate change brigade', it takes only a moment to look up the Climate XChange website and see that this is a bona fide organisation run by reputable
Sir - It is hard to imagine what is the basis of Michael Tyce's confident assertion that climate change impacts "will be virtually imperceptible", (Letters, November 2), or whence the generous room for doubt offered by "CO2 emission may have some insignificant
Sir - I agree with Daniel Scharf of For Climate in Business (Letters, October 26) that businesses have a long way to go before they can be said to be taking the reduction of their carbon footprint seriously. The big stores, especially supermarkets
Sir - Mr Bond (Letters, November 2) calls the bus service west of Oxford 'minimal'. On weekdays all except the smallest villages have a regular service. Carterton has over 30 daily buses to Oxford on weekdays, Witney has over 60. Those who whinge about
Sir - I am sad to hear of Jeannine Alton's death. Whenever I met her, whether at the gallery or sometimes on her bicycle, she was unfailingly friendly. But you certainly needed to be on your toes in conversation given her wonderfully strong opinions
Sir - As we approach the time of Remembrance, it is with the knowledge that more than 150 servicemen and women have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan since these operations began. The names of these people will go down in history with millions
Sir - I have just read - back to back - the articles City danger zones for cyclists and Crackdown on cycles (November 2). What an interesting juxtaposition of articles. I both cycle and drive in Oxford, and can say with absolutely certainty based
Sir - Despite assurances from Control Plus that they do not target primary school drop-offs, it is sadly becoming increasingly common to see parking wardens in the immediate vicinity of the gates of primary schools at peak drop-off times in the morning
CARING for people is far more than a full-time job for Anne Brownson. Mrs Brownson, who is one of three people across the UK nominated as Carer of the Year in the Headway Annual Awards, spends her life dedicated to looking after others. Her husband
Sir - At this time of the year it has become the custom to play tricks and jokes on people and institutions. St Antony's, an ever-progressive college, has indulged in this sport by pretending to put forward, as a serious suggestion, a new addition to
Sir - Dr Frances Kennett is to be congratulated on her resolve to put an end to a most unsatisfactory state of affairs. It cannot be right that the population of any urban area in a civilised society, is subjected to infestations of disease-carrying
COUPLES who share their 60th wedding anniversary this month with The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are being sought by the Bishop of Oxford. The Royal couple will celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary on Tuesday, November 20. To mark the occasion
THE Stonesfield Silver Band will play at the annual band concert of Charlbury's branch of the Royal British Legion today, at 7.30pm, in the Memorial Hall. Tomorrow, the Old Three Horseshoes pub is hosting the annual British Legion darts cup in aid
A VILLAGE pre-school has been described by inspectors as a "warm, welcoming environment". The report, by the education watchdog Ofsted, praised Benson Community Pre-school, singling out its "positive" and "enthusiastic" staff. It gave the the 40
THE organiser of a charity music festival being held in Oxford tomorrow is calling on people to put their hands in their pockets and support the cause. The seventh Audioscope Festival takes place at the Oxford Carling Academy, in Cowley Road, and organiser
SCRAWLING on the walls of your school is something that would usually land you in detention. But at Oxford Community School, in Glanville Road, East Oxford, a whole series of dramatic and diverse wall paintings are emerging as part of a special project
MOST people downloading the new album by Oxford band Radiohead, did so free. A survey has shown that almost two thirds of downloaders paid nothing for the album, In Rainbows, which was released as a download-only last month. Radiohead, who met while
ONE of Abingdon's oldest pubs - the 16th-century Kings Head and Bell - has closed for a revamp. Barry Ladhar, of owners Ladhar Leisure, said: "We plan to invest a substantial amount of money for a major internal refurbishment. In the meantime, we have
A small part of Oxfordshire is making the sausage world its own, with a clutch of gold banger awards. Three butchers, based within a few miles of each other in west Oxfordshire, came away with top prizes for their tasty sizzlers this week. Top of
A SEARCH to establish the whereabouts of the remaining 13th-century manuscripts of Magna Carta has confirmed that almost a quarter of them are in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. The survey was conducted in advance of Sotheby's sale of a rare copy of Magna
Thousands of people are being denied low-cost dental care because NHS managers are failing to plough enough money into the service. Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust spends £20m a year on NHS dentists, which covers enough care for 718,000 appointments
The major changes to waste collection in Oxfordshire are ones we have had to undertake, but their introduction could in no way be described as smooth or co-ordinated. The trouble is, most of our councils have been playing catch-up or having to introduce
The switch to cabinet-style government in our local councils a number of years ago was a welcome one. It was accompanied by a new scrutiny system under which committees of councillors are meant to hold the decision-makers to account. In our experience
COUNTY councillors are to hold their own investigation into the summer floods, amid mounting anger at the lack of measures to reduce the risk of further devastation. The Environment Agency, Thames Water and landowners will be invited to take part in
With Christmas still 47 days away it my seem far too early to deck the halls with bells and holly. But former homeless man Peter Bonney hopes that by being the first person in Oxford to put up Christmas decorations he can bring some seasonal cheer to
Thames Water has been hit with a £260,000 bill from authorities who responded to Oxford's Normandy Crescent flooding crisis. Oxfordshire county and Oxford city councils have billed the utility company for huge costs incurred during the Cowley incident
