POLICE this evening appealed for witnesses after a large amount of musical equipment and other items worth more than £5,000 were stolen in a burglary in Oxford over the Christmas period. Sometime between December 23 and January 7, thieves broke into
MORE than 300 people paid tribute to Martin "Nod" Morley at a football-themed funeral at Oxford Crematorium today. Mourners from all over the country donned football shirts to show their respect to Arsenal-mad Mr Morley. Mr Morley, 53, who lived
Education chiefs are investigating why 10 Oxfordshire schools dropped out of the top performing bracket across the country. Schools' results for GCSE and A-Levels were released yesterday and included curriculum value added (CVA) scores. The value
A high-level committee is set to quiz city council bosses over the felling of trees at the Westgate, Oxford, as one of the remaining protesters called off his action. This afternoon, Bruce Hegarty, who had dodged a police cordon and shinned up a tree
Landowners will be told to clear drainage ditches or have it done for them to avoid repeats of last summer's floods in west Oxfordshire. The district council is unveiling a report on the July floods and how to lessen damage in future on Monday. A
More than 300 people paid tribute to Martin "Nod" Morley at a football themed funeral at Oxford Crematorium today. Mourners from all over the country donned football shirts to show their respect to Arsenal-mad Mr Morley. Mr Morley, 53, who lived in
A NEW company has been launched to commercialise a technology that could help develop new drugs and diagnostic tests. Scientists at Oxford Brookes University and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have collaborated to launch Oxford Expression Technologies
One person still living in clover as ominous clouds loom over the economy is that demon of the road, White Van Man. As the British Retail Consortium reports the lowest growth in Christmas sales for three years, and the feel-good factor engendered by rising
On Chesil Beach Ian McEwan (Vintage, £6.99) Former Oxford writer Ian McEwan is flying high this year, with the film Atonement, based on his novel, in line for glittering prizes, and On Chesil Beach topping the paperback charts of the New Year. A writer
Anna Beer, a teacher at Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education, is the biographer of Bess, wife of Sir Walter Ralegh. Now she has taken on Milton (Bloomsbury, £20), producing a readable biography of the great poet, focusing on his relationship
After her mother's death, Rosalind Bleach inherited, with her sister, a prized rosewood bureau, which they both remembered as having been very private. In fact, it took years of painstaking research to unravel the literary secrets it contained. Rosalind
A council tax rise of 3.87 per cent will be proposed by Oxfordshire County Council's Tory-controlled cabinet next week. The council pledged to avoid an increase of more than four per cent in 2008-9, despite the prospect of three tough years of belt
THEN THERE WAS MUSIC: THE BEATLES Tim Hill (Transatlantic Press, £29.99)This fab tome takes a leaf out of The Beatles: 10 Years That Shook The World, which was published by Dorling Kindersley in conjunction with Mojo magazine. It takes a similar chronological
Community groups, schools and businesses are being urged to take part in a spring clean of Oxford. The OxClean Spring Clean 2008 will be the first volunteer effort of its kind, offering everyone a chance to take part in a city-wide clean-up. Residents
Nick Gordon, one of Britain's most successful natural history film-makers, died of a heart attack three years ago while in the Amazon, which was his life's passion. Wild Amazon (Evans Mitchell, £25) is a stunning record of his work for Anglia TV, which
An exchange project is being launched between a school in East Oxford and the holiday isle of Bali. Oxford Community School, in Glanville Road, is starting a link project with a school in the Denpasar province of the Indonesian island. Among those
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams will be in Oxford next month to help a church mark its 75th anniversary. The Archbishop, a former Professor of Theology at Oxford University, will join the celebrations at St Alban's Church, in Charles
AEA Technology 86 BMW 3181 Electrocomponents 183.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 122.5 Oxford Biomedica 22.25 Oxford Catalyst 147.5 Oxford Instruments 183.5 Reed Elsevier 646 RM 203.5 RPS Group 273.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
The mother of IVF twins born two months prematurely has thanked Abingdon School pupils for raising more than £1,000 for Oxford's special care baby unit. Film executive Laura Brewer, 44, gave birth to twins Maia and Jackson at the John Radcliffe Hospital
Oxford's first completely open art exhibition is set to open its doors to the public on Saturday. During two submission days in December, artists - some professional, some amateur - queued round the block so their work could go on display at Modern
Sixty drivers were caught speeding in a village, as police set up an operation prompted by worries from the local Neighbourhood Action Group. Between 8am and 10am on Wednesday police and road safety officers pulled over drivers exceeding the 30mph limit
An Oxfordshire theatre stands to lose £40,000 of funding in what has been described as a "bloodbath" of cuts by the Arts Council. The Theatre, in Chipping Norton, was only informed of the proposed cut to its grant days before Christmas. It has sent off
Mum Alice Gosling told of her relief after her three-year-old daughter, thought to be suffering from a heart murmur, was given the all-clear at the Oxford Children's Hospital. Mrs Gosling, director of fundraising at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable
STORM AND CONQUEST Stephen Taylor (Faber, £20)The last time we encountered Stephen Taylor was aboard the Grosvenor, an East India Company ship that foundered off the coast of South Africa, leaving passengers and crew at the mercy of the natives and
A dusty suitcase revealed itself as a historical treasure trove when an Oxford couple realised it contained a hand-written letter and a card from Benazir Bhutto. Colin and Christine Burden, from Meadow Lane, Iffley, were amazed to discover the signed
A VANDAL kicked wing mirrors off five cars in Hook Norton. At about 1.45am on Saturday, a man walked along Bell Hill and the High Street, and kicked the mirrors off the cars. The man has shaved hair and was wearing jeans and a dark black jacket.
It's that time of year again when publishing houses forget about having festive fun and start sending out review copies to promote new authors. Crusaders, the new Tyneside-based novel by Richard T. Kelly, was the juicy offering that landed on my desk
Abingdon Town are hoping their young midfielder Mark Flanagan will make a full recovery after a second operation on his eye injury last week. Flanagan suffered a freak injury at Hook Norton before Christmas when he was caught on the head in an accidental
THE NUMBER of Oxfordshire secondary schools ranked in the top 25 per cent nationally in a key performance category has fallen dramatically. Government figures released today show that the total of county schools in the top quarter for their value added
PLANS have been submitted to build a £5m food waste treatment centre on Green Belt land near Yarnton. Kitchen waste and green waste from homes across the county could be sent to the recycling plant, if the scheme is given the go-ahead by Oxfordshire
THE Oxford Times is today inviting readers and local groups to join with us in backing a spring clean for Oxford. The OxClean Spring Clean 2008 will be the first volunteer effort of its kind, offering everyone a chance to take part in a city-wide clean-up
Residents' associations and others taking part in OxClean (with contact details) Oxford Waterside RA. Contact Stuart Skyte (skyte@ukgateway.net) Tel 01865 559618 New Headington RA Mary Hope (maryhope17@btopenworld.co) 01865 766867 Granville Court Res
Alcohol-fuelled violence in Oxfordshire over the festive period fell by 11 per cent, the latest police figures have revealed. There were 211 reports of violence from December 2 and January 2, meaning there 27 fewer victims of violence over the festive
Abingdon United boss Andy Slater wants his players to put on a performance for their injured midfielder Michael Alexis when they host Burnham in British Gas Business Southern League Division 1 South & West on Saturday. Alexis, 23, was taken to hospital
Comeback tours are very much in vogue at the moment, and Shed Seven have jumped on the bandwagon. Their fans, sometimes known as Shed Heads', seem to have been simmering in the background - and when the band came to Oxford their followers were definitely
BRUCE Hegarty, the Westgate car park tree campaigner, has come down from his 20 metre-high sit-in. Wet, cold and tired, Mr Hegarty called time on his one-man show of strength for under-threat trees lining the car park after 24-hours. He climbed up
Steve Carell has endeared himself to audiences everywhere with movie hits including Little Miss Sunshine, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Evan Almighty. Not to mention the David Brent character of Michael Scott in the US version of British comedy hit The Office
The sudden break in the clouds seemed heaven sent - which, of course, it was. This allowed the sun to shine brilliantly on the tower and the upper part of the nave of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in High Street, picking out the beauty of
Plans have been submitted to build a £5m food waste treatment centre on Green Belt land near Yarnton. Kitchen and garden waste from homes in the county could be sent to the plant, if the scheme is given the go-ahead by Oxfordshire County Council. And
Although it stops short of drawing explicit links between American involvement in Afghanistan during the early '80s and the rise of Osama bin Laden and al Qaida, Mike Nichols' starry political hints at a blood trail with its references to conflict in
Single, love-starved characters in Hollywood romantic comedies should count their blessings. Despite all the misfortunes and humiliations that litter the path to enduring happiness - catching extremities in a zip, falling for their comatose fiancé's
Three years ago, a group of mates hit upon an ambitious, if slightly crazy, idea. They planned to pull together some of the best Oxford bands, rope in a clutch of national acts, and put them on stage in a city pub for an all-day indoor festival. The
Chinnor coach Jason Bowers wants his players to maintain their momentum when they host Grove in the Oxfordshire Cup first round tomorrow (2.30). With Grove lying two divisions below their opponents, Chinnor may not need to be on top form to progress
I read with interest your article and editorial about Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford (Oxford Mail, January 5). When I was on the staff at Campsfield House Removal Centre, detainees had a choice of halal or non-halal meals in deference to their human
Like Bea Bradley (Oxford Mail, January 5), I and the rest of the silent majority were led to believe that hunting with dogs had been banned. It is despicable to witness how the rich and powerful minority can control the media to make the masses believe
I was watching Aston Villa against Manchester United on television on Saturday. The camera suddenly showed Wayne Rooney on the substitute bench. He was chewing gum, then he spat it out. What sort of a role model is he, doing this? Pavements in Oxford
My husband went to Drayton recycling tip recently. One bin contained a drum kit in very good condition and an exercise bike. Two years ago, the tip was closed for some time to be changed supposedly for the better. It cost a lot of money and now is
IT was a short sharp shock for Oxfordshire's county teams as they entered the second half of the season. Oxon 1st entertained Kent 1st in Division 1C at Radley College and fell 11-4. Amanda King starred as all four victories involved the Abingdon
POLICE said a festive drive on alcohol-related violent crime saw a drop in the number of victims of violence against the person with injury, actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm offences. Thames Valley Police said there were 152 fewer offences
Gourmet Burger Kitchen, which has a restaurant in George Street, Oxford, has launched a couple of products pitched at those who like their meat on the wild side - buffalo and wild boar. To be honest, the buffalo could be described as 'delicately' flavoured
I must admit being sympathetic to the tree protester in Bonn Square in Oxford. The changes being made to the square will remove one of the cool places in the city where one could sit on summer days, although it was not so good for wheelchair users.
Once again, Oxford City Council has decided to ruin part of old Oxford - Bonn Square. It needed care to restore it to its original state - a peaceful place in the centre of the city to rest for shoppers and travellers - at a lot less cost to a council
There are some restaurants which are dreary, some which are dull, and some which are clearly dangerous... Happily, I'm able to report that Malmaison is simply dangerous. And I don't mean that its steak knives are scythe-like, its spoons razor sharp
The memory of Christmas and New Year festivities are fading fast, and so it was Tuesday night at Club Night when it was back to what passes for normal at a general meeting called to discuss the all important question of whether the group admits members
People in Bicester say they are feeling safer after a police survey, which identified the town's top crime concerns, led to a major clampdown. Figures released by the police show major reductions in key areas. Police asked 1,500 residents which crimes
Oxford United goalkeeper Billy Turley, 34, has signed a two-year extension to his exisiting contract, which takes him through to the summer of 2010. Skipper Barry Quinn has signed a one-year extension, which keeps him at the Kassam Stadium urtil 2009
Bruce Hegarty, the Westgate car park tree campaigner, has come down from his 20-metre-high sit-in. Wet, cold and tired, Mr Hegarty called time on his one-man show of strength for under-threat trees lining the car park after 24 hours. He climbed up
When Dawn French took a role in the BBC's latest period drama, last spring, she imagined an idyllic summer ahead. The show, Lark Rise To Candleford, the first episode of which airs on BBC1 on Sunday at 7.40pm, is an adaptation of Flora Thompson's memoir
An event aimed at raising money for research into cystic fibrosis will be held at Oxford Castle on Saturday, March 8. A 'Fright Night' will be held at the former jail - and organiser Catherine Upstone, whose three-year-old daughter Cerys suffers from
The smiley man from DHL has just delivered an unusually large load of wine to me this morning. By the time he'd deposited the last of the cases at my back door he was a bit puffed out and in need of a breather. It gave us enough time to catch up on the
BRACKLEY's Honda Racing F1 Team have signed Alex Wurz as their test and reserve driver. Wurz brings significant depth of experience to Honda, having competed in 69 Grands Prix from 1997 to 2007. The 33-year-old Austrian is considered to be one of
Train drivers working for Oxfordshire's main rail operator have voted three to one in favour of strike action in a dispute over industrial relations, it was announced today. Aslef, which represents about 800 drivers working for First Great Western, said
RAIL operator First Great Western says it is committed to solving a dispute with its guards and drivers, who have voted to go on strike. In a statement issued after the RMT union revealed the results of a ballot of members over what it says is a breakdown
A MAN was spotted acting suspiciously in a university building. A student raised the alarm after the man was found in Westminster College, in Harcourt Hill, which is part of Oxford Brookes University, at 8.20pm yesterday. He fled before police arrived
Rail operator First Great Western says it is committed to solving a dispute with its guards and drivers, who have voted to go on strike. In a statement issued after the RMT union revealed the results of a ballot of members over what it says is a breakdown
A 100-year-old tree came crashing down as gale-force winds swept Oxfordshire. The mature holly toppled over in Kirtlington at about 9.45pm on Tuesday Antony Debono said: "A freak tornado hit Kirtlington, uprooting a massive holly tree that had
Hundreds of guards and drivers working for Oxfordshire's main rail firm have voted to go on strike over a breakdown in industrial relations. Staff at First Great Western overwhelmingly backed industrial action, raising the threat of travel chaos later
FIXTURES. SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. BLUE SQUARE PREMIER. Salisbury City v Oxford Utd. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Cirencester Utd. Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd v Burnham, Godalming v Oxford City, Hillingdon v
AEA Technology 92 BMW 3197 Electrocomponents 185.75 Nationwide Accident Repair 123.5 Oxford Biomedica 23 Oxford Catalyst 147.5 Oxford Instruments 184.5 Reed Elsevier 644.75 RM 204 RPS Group 278 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
Arrested tree protester Deborah Glass Woodin has been released on police bail. The Oxfordshire county councillor was handcuffed and arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass yesterday after trying in vain to prevent trees being cut down in preparation
OXFORD: David Jackson has been named head of office at property agents Savills. He takes over from Alan Plumb, who has held the post for the past five years. Mr Jackson started work with Savills in 1998, when he set up the planning department in
The poor man's (ie, my) equivalent of satellite navigation, Multimap, was shown up for its main weakness - one, indeed that it shares with sat-nav - when I made use of it on Saturday. It cannot, of course, take account of who else is likely to be using
The Times's literary editor Erica Wagner admitted she was spoiling for a fight in heading a panel to select "The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945". Assuredly, she will not be disappointed. I am sure that most readers of last week's Books section
I have always believed we should all earn the same as one another, with reasonable bonuses for those who do the jobs that nobody else wants to do. The huge inequalities between people's earnings underline the injustice of the present system, and we all
An energetic bout of rock 'n' rolling at a party to see in the New Year helped stimulate a powerful appetite that demanded speedy satisfaction when I rose, not far short of noon, on January 1. Since modest quantities of alcohol had preceded - and, indeed
When my invitation to attend an Aga Cookery session arrived I was delighted. I recently acquired an Everhot range, which is run by electricity, but the design is very similar and it works on the same principles as an Aga. The invitation came from Katherine
Eight people have been arrested following an investigation into more than 100 burglaries across England, including two in Oxfordshire. Police raided four homes in London last night and one man has been charged. Detectives have linked more than 100
This recipe is taken from Lucy Young's Secrets of Aga Cakes (Ebury Press, £16.99), which contains more than a hundred cake recipes that can be cooked successfully in an Aga cooker. This is the first book published on cake baking for Aga owners, who may
The Cinnamon Trust is the only national charity that cares for elderly and terminally-ill people and their much loved pets. Founded in 1982, the aims of the Trust are to give peace of mind to pet owners, while volunteers provide love and care for their
The villages of Juniper Hill, Cottisford, and Fringford inspired Flora Thompson's trilogy, writes CHRIS KOENIG Sure there were riots and scuffles all over Oxfordshire - notably on Otmoor and in the village of Wootton, near Woodstock - but the the
There's always something of a lull in the movie market in early January, as the distributors recover from the holiday blockbusters and gear themselves up for the Oscar season. Consequently, the schedules tend to fill up with reissues and minor offerings
The original hands-on science gallery has had a £4m transformation. Take a trip to London's Science Museum and you will find a few surprises. Its most popular gallery, the Launchpad, has moved and almost doubled in size and sophistication. More than
Single, love-starved characters in Hollywood romantic comedies should count their blessings. Despite all the misfortunes and humiliations that litter the path to enduring happiness - catching extremities in a zip, falling for their comatose fiancé's brother
VAL BOURNE explores the reasons behind some popular gardening myths I am in a state of high excitement because my seeds have arrived and every now and then I go and give my colourful packets a quick rustle. I know that within ten weeks or so I
The latest British Trust for Ornithology survey shows many species suffered from a succession of dry spells and heavy rains in 2007, writes ELIZABETH EDWARDS The weather has added to the problems suffered by British birds, according to the latest
Award-winning ballerina Kristina Terentieva (pictured) can be seen on the Oxford stage next week when impresario Ellen Kent brings back a memorable production of The Nutcracker. Dance enthusiasts are advised to take this rare chance to catch the spectacular
Hedda Beeby takes over from the late Jill Fraser as artistic director of the Watermill, writes GILES WOODFORDE "A hard act to follow." Never can the phrase have been more appropriately used than to describe Jill Fraser, for 25 years artistic director
One of the country's up-and-coming vocal ensembles, Stile Antico, will be returning to the Sheldonian Theatre to celebrate the launch of their second CD, Heavenly Harmonies, at 8pm on Wednesday. Two members of this group, twins Helen and Kate Ashby,
This cameo exhibition is composed of 39 black-and-white photographs taken by Cameroonian portrait photographer Jacques Touselle during the 1970s and 1980s at his studio in the town of Mbouda. He opened his studio - Studio Photo Jacques - when electricity
Humphrey Lyttelton marks his 60th year as a band leader with a concert at the Oxford Playhouse, writesNICK UTECHIN 1948 was a good year for Humphrey Lyttelton: he formed his first jazz band, and almost immediately Louis Armstrong used the words
Protester Bruce Hegarty remained defiant this morning and was still staging a sit in - 20-metres up a London Plane tree next to Oxford's Westgate car park. Mr Hegarty, who joined a gathering of protesters demonstrating against the felling of trees surrounding
Champions Oxford will open the defence of their Sommers Home Counties Premier League crown against Slough, whom they pipped last season in the closest title race in the competition's history Jason Harrison's side finished level with the Berkshire club
The Oxford Times Cherwell League's first cup competitions are set to be held in 2009. Clubs have voted in favour of the introduction of cups. But due to the delay of the compilation of league fixtures caused by the Home Counties Premier League's lengthy
EIGHT people have been arrested following an investigation into more than 100 burglaries across England including two in Oxfordshire. Police raided four homes in London last night and one man has been charged. Detectives have linked more than 100 burglaries
Teenage prospect Holly Holden, of Cheney School, Oxford, has been selected by the Amateur Rowing Association to attend the National Talent Orientation Camp at Loughborough University. She joins other gifted youngsters who are predicted to have what
There was a short sharp shock for Oxfordshire county teams as they entered the second half of the season. Oxon's first team entertained Kent in Division 1C at Radley College and fell 11-4. All four of the hosts wins involved Abingdon's Amanda King
Oxford speedway supporters are still battling to save their club - despite the lack of any positive news. Oxford Stadium landlords, the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA), still have to commit either way as to whether they want speedway at Oxford in
A PROMINENT councillor was dragged away, handcuffed and arrested after the latest Oxford tree-felling protest. Deborah Glass Woodin had gathered in Norfolk Street with a handful of campaigners yesterday after it emerged Oxford City Council had started
A CHILDREN'S nursery which has yet to secure its future has been given a glowing report by education inspectors. Witney's Abacus Day Care Nursery is being forced to quit its premises at the town's Abingdon and Witney College campus under a £28m redevelopment
THE man in charge of the new Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies has moved to end speculation surrounding the development of the site. Work on the structure of the main building of the £75m centre in Marston Road was completed in 2005, but then it came
A MAN made a spooky discovery when his energy saving efforts caused a 'ghostly' TV mystery. When a conventional 60-watt light bulb blew, eco-conscious Justin Walden replaced it with a new energy-saving model from Tesco. The Curry's employee, who
If the recent past in Oxford has taught us anything, it is that people care passionately about the environment and like to be properly consulted about controversial plans. Yesterday, this passion was in evidence again. As if the Westgate Centre redevelopment
A FILM about adapting to a low carbon lifestyle will be shown at a discussion evening entitled Power of Community, Film and Climate Change on Tuesday, February 12. The event, organised by the Northmoor Trust, will be held at Hill Farm, Little Wittenham
AN RAF Brize Norton officer who has raised about £100,000 for cancer research since his mother died from the disease is planning his biggest fundraiser yet. Barry Jessel is organising Oxfordshire's first Relay For Life, in Witney, in June. "I am looking
THE Thames Valley Bomber Command Association has donated £500 for the upkeep of a museum. The association, which marked its 50th anniversary, donated the money to Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham. The money will go towards the
POLICE are inviting residents of Jericho, West Oxford and Abingdon Road, Oxford, to get involved in deciding what they want to see as the policing priorities for their area. The districts make up the latest Neighbourhood Action Group to go live in
ANY Dream Will Do star and former St Birinus School pupil, 18-year-old Antony Hansen will feature in a special Valentine's concert, entitled Dream On, at the London Palladium on Sunday, February 17, from 8pm. He will appear as a member of a new boy
FEARS have been raised that new car parking guidance could increase the size of the controversial Bodicote/ Bankside housing development. An action group that battled for more than seven years in a vain attempt to stop the 1,100-house estate being built
PEOPLE power has forced Oxford City Council to insist it would fill four vacant street warden posts "as soon as possible". There should be 17 wardens patrolling the city's estates. At the moment, there are 13. A dire financial situation coupled
A TREE-TOP protester in Bonn Square, Oxford, said he was in for the long-haul - after setting up a television, kettle and stove in the branches. Gabriel, who will not give his last name, said friends and supporters had been passing him items to make
Xmas and New Year celebrations over, thank goodness, few more late parties to come I am sure, overall a good year for us. What is it all about, at Xmas time people get together to celebrate the birth of Christ, but that most of the time gets swamped by
The county's education chief has said there is still room for improvement in schools, despite stronger GCSE results. New Government figures published today show that last summer, 48.1 per cent of the county's pupils achieved five or more A* to C grades
