Churchill in Canada is an unlikely destination for a weekend away, but Martin Cowell finds there is one very big reason why it s worth a visit. To the 'Polar Bear Capital of theWorld for the WEEKEND ! Even my best-travelled friends raised an eyebrow
Castle Combe Circuit is offering people the chance to find out more about becoming a marshal with a Marshal's Training Day organised by the new Castle Combe Racing Club, which will be organising all the meetings at the circuit. Marshalling at a motor
James Styring, one of the Oxford Mail's On Yer Bike columnists, takes a cycling holiday in Cyprus. More sickies are pulled on the first Monday in February than on any other day during the entire year Soif you too spent the day languishing in front of
Allan McNish will aim to become the first Briton to win the Le Mans 24 Hour race driving a diesel-powered sportscar. Dumfries-born McNish, 36, is one of six drivers entrusted to debut two diesel-powered Audi R10 sports-prototypes in the gruelling French
A campaigner who runs a website promoting violent attacks on academics as part of the protest against Oxford University's animal laboratory has been tracked to America. Nicolas Atwood, a 33-year-old who lives in Florida, is behind the website which acts
Masked robbers lay in wait for staff to open a petrol station store before tying them up and making off with thousands of pounds. Four balaclava-wearing robbers hijacked the Tesco Express and Esso garage store, near Eynsham, as staff prepared to open
The parents of Oxford Eastern Bypass crash victim Liam Hastings have patented the gold ribbons made and sold in his memory as a long-lasting tribute to their son. Sam Hastings and husband Ricky said they took the decision because more than 2,000 people
Masked robbers lay in wait for staff to open a petrol station store before tying them up and making off with thousands of pounds. Four balaclava-wearing robbers hijacked the Tesco Express and Esso garage store, near Eynsham, as staff prepared to open
COCA-COLA LEAGUE TWO Oxford Utd 1, Cheltenham 1. SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Banbury Utd 2, Mangotsfield 4. Div 1 West: Beaconsfield 1, Thame 0. FOOTBALL LEAGUE YOUTH ALLIANCE SOUTH CENTRAL CONFERENCE Under 18: Oxford Utd 5, Hereford 0. Under 16: Rushden
Nature lovers are being offered the chance to take a more active interest in Oxford's country parks and nature reserves. Volunteers are needed to work alongside the city council's rangers in return for training and experience in countryside management
Developers are going to have to start thinking green if they want to build homes in Oxford in future. Oxford City Council has announced a scheme to ask house builders to calculate the environmental impact of their buildings as part of their planning application
A campaigner who runs a website promoting violent attacks on academics as part of the protest against Oxford University's animal laboratory has been tracked to America. Nicolas Atwood, a 33-year-old who lives in Florida, is behind the website which acts
Supporters are stepping up an appeal to raise funds to help little Gulshat Kadyrova walk properly -- after discovering a second operation will cost an extra £20,000. Two weeks ago, the Oxford Mail reported that £7,000 was needed towards a life-changing
THERE was a distinct improvement in the quality of singing at Oxford United's Kassam Stadium on Saturday - and it was all thanks to Ivor's Choir. Familiar football chanting directed at the referee or opposition fans took a back seat to a bit of class
Beaconsfield SYCOB 1, Thame United 0: THAME United's tortuous season in Southern League Division 1 West continued when Beaconsfield's new signing, Matt Seedel, scored the winner on his debut. It condemned the Oxfordshire side to their 22nd defeat of the
Banbury Utd 2, Mangotsfield Utd 4: BANBURY United's hopes of reaching the Southern League Premier Division play-offs were dealt a blow by Mangotsfield at Spencer Stadium on Saturday. Kevin Brock's side fell behind with just 90 seconds on the clock when
GLS Football Hellenic League - Chinnor 0, Bicester Tn 2: BICESTER went top of Division 1 East when a goal in each half gave them a hard-fought win over resilient Chinnor. In the 40th minute, Dean Smith provided the cross for the evergreen Steve Miles
GLS Football Hellenic League - Ardley United 3, Didcot Town 5: ARDLEY gave Premier Divison leaders Didcot an almighty fright on Saturday by fighting back from 4-0 down to set up a tense finish. Already leading 3-0 at half-time with goals from Stuart Beavon
Speculation is mounting about the future of rail operator First Great Western's fleet of Adelante trains, used on most express services between Oxford and London. There are rumours within the railway industry the 14 diesel trains, which can run at 125mph
Plans for controlled parking zones in a second area of North Oxford have stirred up emotions among residents. Oxfordshire County Council is asking people living north of Summertown if they want a residents' parking scheme in their area. Under the plans
Oxford City 1, Oxhey Jets 4: Oxford City's unbeaten home record in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division was shattered in spectacular fashion by Oxheys Jets on Saturday. Jamie Arthur was the Hertfordshire side's hero, hitting a hat-trick
OXFORD United supporters are rejoicing after finding they do have a speed merchant who can get them out of trouble. Yemi Odubade came off the bench at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday and hauled the U's back from a goal down to earn a vital point in a 1
A FATHER has told of his devastation after a drink-driver walked free from an Italian court following a crash which killed his teenage son. Dale Paterson, 13, died after his mother's boyfriend, Richard Bianchini, lost control of the car they were travelling
MASKED robbers lay in wait for staff to open a petrol station store before tying them up and making off with thousands of pounds. Four balaclava-wearing robbers hijacked the Tesco Express and Esso garage store, near Eynsham, as staff prepared to open
A week after British Sea Power brought a bucolic touch of rural freshness to Oxford Brookes University, promoters Alan Day and Nick Moorbath up the ante, by bringing a hefty blast of metal to the top of Headington Hill. Swedish riff-crunchers Opeth
Not content with borrowing the name of a French monarch, Louis XIV have also acquired a taste for the finer things in life. Chief hedonist Brian Karscig shares a few of the band's secrets with Tim Hughes. Sleazy, steamy and languorous, Louis XIV sound
If you haven't heard of Alan Ayckbourn, then chances are you'll have seen one of his plays, because not only is he the nation's favourite playwright, but he's ridiculously prolific. Improbable Fiction, his 69th work, opens at the Oxford Playhouse on
Exemplifying the worst facets of modern Hollywood -- the rampant cannibalism of existing material (in this case an MTV animated series), a predilection for style over substance, the squandering of an A-list cast -- Aeon Flux is a futuristic spandex-clad
Four thousand people are now demanding that an area of open space must be retained in Witney's Marriots Close development project. Geoffrey Nutt and Glynn Phillips, of Action to Improve Marriotts (Aim), have handed a 4,000-signature petition to
Repairs to a well-used footpath in Wantage have become the centre of a political tussle in the town. Repairs are under way after complaints that housing developers allowed the path leading to Denchworth Road to become overgrown and uneven, making
A Cholsey charity project could become a blueprint for an international initiative to link villages in the UK with communities in developing countries. Choko -- the name is a combination of Cholsey and the community of Kodumela in South Africa
A wheelchair user is calling for changes to pavements and kerbs in her home town to improve safety. Yvonne Pow, 69, of Lynmouth Road, Didcot, switched from a manual wheelchair to an electric model shortly before Christmas. She said it had given
Fears that Thame could lose its community hospital if new health care plans stick to county boundaries have been voiced by local doctors. A petition is being drawn up and a public meeting called to save the hospital in East Street. Thame is
One of the country's oldest shopping precincts is on the verge of extinction, its traders have warned. More than half the shops in Wesley Lane, Bicester, now stand empty, with at least nine businesses leaving in the past two years amid continuing
A £685,000 rescue plan for Banbury's open-air swimming pool has been put forward by Cherwell District Council's Labour group. The plan sets out a series of budget amendments that include reducing the council tax rise from 4.55 per cent to 2.72
Nature lovers are being offered the chance to take a more active interest in Oxford's country parks and nature reserves. Volunteers are needed to work alongside the city council's rangers in return for training and experience in countryside management
Developers are going to have to start thinking green if they want to build homes in Oxford in future. Oxford City Council has announced a scheme to ask house builders to calculate the environmental impact of their buildings as part of their planning
A campaigner who runs a website promoting violent attacks on academics as part of the protest against Oxford University's animal laboratory has been tracked to America. Nicolas Atwood, a 33-year-old who lives in Florida, is behind the website which
Speculation is mounting about the future of rail operator First Great Western's fleet of Adelante trains, used on most express services between Oxford and London. There are rumours within the railway industry the 14 diesel trains, which can run
Plans for controlled parking zones in a second area of North Oxford have stirred up emotions among residents. Oxfordshire County Council is asking people living north of Summertown if they want a residents' parking scheme in their area. Under
Supporters are stepping up an appeal to raise funds to help little Gulshat Kadyrova walk properly -- after discovering a second operation will cost an extra £20,000. Two weeks ago, the Oxford Mail reported that £7,000 was needed towards a life-changing
The parents of Oxford Eastern Bypass crash victim Liam Hastings have patented the gold ribbons made and sold in his memory as a long-lasting tribute to their son. Sam Hastings and husband Ricky said they took the decision because more than 2,000
THERE was a distinct improvement in the quality of singing at Oxford United's Kassam Stadium on Saturday - and it was all thanks to Ivor's Choir. Familiar football chanting directed at the referee or opposition fans took a back seat to a bit of
Masked robbers lay in wait for staff to open a petrol station store before tying them up and making off with thousands of pounds. Four balaclava-wearing robbers hijacked the Tesco Express and Esso garage store, near Eynsham, as staff prepared to open
Were you a winner? Check our list of winners of previous comepetitions. First Great Western winners: S Rowe C Escott K Phillips M Osbury G Broughton Debenams Mega Days: Lorraine Freeman Rachel Young
It may be more than a decade since he was Formula 1 world champion, but Nigel Mansell proved he still has what it takes when he returned to Oxford. Mansell was at Unipart in Cowley with sons Leo, 20, and Greg, 18, who have signed a sponsorship deal
