We normally watch the Boat Race but this year I`m not going to. My big fear is that when both boats surge towards the finish line an Iranian gun boat will seize both crews and take them as hostages. Call me paranoid but the Thames is tidal and strange
We normally watch the Boat Race but this year I`m not going to. My big fear is that when both boats surge towards the finish line an Iranian gun boat will seize both crews and take them as hostages. Call me paranoid but the Thames is tidal and strange
We normally watch the Boat Race but this year I`m not going to. My big fear is that when both boats surge towards the finish line an Iranian gun boat will seize both crews and take them as hostages. Call me paranoid but the Thames is tidal and strange
One of Oxford's most popular live music venues is appealing for customers to put their hands in their pockets or it may be forced to close. The Exeter Hall, in Oxford Road, now known as The X, is involved in a long-running dispute with the Performing
Park and ride users have been warned to expect disruption as bus drivers join in security guards' strike action later this month. Security staff are set to strike on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for two weeks starting on Monday, April 16, at the Oxford
A former police officer is amongst a group of ex-prisoners playing football to help victims of violence. Simon House Football Club, which is named after the Oxford homeless hostel where most of them live, includes an ex-policeman remanded for violent
Hello Playmates. I`ve been keeping a low profile lately because I think the Steward`s wife at my Club has rumbled who I am. The Masters. Most folk think its a cuckoo the announces the start of spring ( or summer if you live up North). The start of spring
Hello Playmates. I`ve been keeping a low profile lately because I think the Steward`s wife at my Club has rumbled who I am. The Masters. Most folk think its a cuckoo the announces the start of spring ( or summer if you live up North). The start of spring
Hello Playmates. I`ve been keeping a low profile lately because I think the Steward`s wife at my Club has rumbled who I am. The Masters. Most folk think its a cuckoo the announces the start of spring ( or summer if you live up North). The start of spring
Well blogees, you'll no doubt be dreadfully disappointed to learn that I am going on holiday next week, so I will not be bringing you up to date for a little while. But hopefully, upon my return, I can tell you of how wonderful my first game of the season
Well blogees, you'll no doubt be dreadfully disappointed to learn that I am going on holiday next week, so I will not be bringing you up to date for a little while. But hopefully, upon my return, I can tell you of how wonderful my first game of the season
Well blogees, you'll no doubt be dreadfully disappointed to learn that I am going on holiday next week, so I will not be bringing you up to date for a little while. But hopefully, upon my return, I can tell you of how wonderful my first game of the season
Other than playing a couple of gigs, things have been a little quiet for Foxes! recently. It's going to be a huge summer though, so do not fear things will soon be hotting up. We’re getting plug happy promoting our gig at *ahem* The Cellar on 19th April
Oxford United head to Northwich with one of their weakest teams this season, on paper at least, because of injuries. But there is a significant change on the bench - the backroom team - and some Oxford United followers are convinced it may in the long
Paddy Conlon will look to avoid a three-card trick when Chinnor host Lydney in National 3 South tomorrow. The prop has been sin-binned in each of his last two matches, so drops to the bench and is replaced by Joe Iosefo. Skipper Matt Hutchings is
Oxford Cheetahs will be looking to make Reading Bulldogs suffer in today's double-header after Monday's woeful performance against Coventry. Cheetahs host Reading at noon before travelling to Smallmead for the return clash at 8pm. It's the first big
Feathers have become the newly-crowned Division 1 champions of the Oxfordshire Five Disciplines League. The Banbury-based quartet of Emma Cramond, Mary Le Druilienec, Jonny Bougourd and Stuart Quick had a near perfect round, overcoming Windrush 249-
James Mortimer-Jones is in line for his first start in weeks as North Leigh look to boost their push for the Premier Division title against Abingdon Town at Eynsham Park tomorrow. Mortimer-Jones has been out with a knee injury, but returned to action
SATURDAY FOOTBALL NATIONWIDE CONFERENCE Northwich Victoria v Oxford Utd. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE Premier Div: Banbury Utd v Stamford. Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd v Burnham, Newport IOW v Didcot Tn, Oxford C v Chesham Utd.
People with mental ill health are not only being denied emergency care (Oxford Mail, March 29), but have difficulty in accessing the appropriate care in the community they need. This, I believe, is due to the millions of pounds cut from the budget of
In the private sector, many firms have seen a reduction in staff, reflecting the need to cut costs and economise in the highly competitive global market. Yet in some parts of the public sector, staff levels and wage bills are going through the roof.
A DRUNKEN youth was captured on camera savagely punching and kicking a teenager in a graphic display of youth street violence. Ryan Roberts, 18, sobbed as a judge said imprisonment was the only punishment for his violent behaviour. The images played
An acquaintance recently likened our dwindling green spaces to an attack on the lungs of the city, lungs which create breathing spaces amid the pollution and concrete of modern cosmopolitan life. Whereas no smoking laws are aimed at protecting our lungs
Doctors have won a seven-year campaign to replace Didcot health centre, which will be knocked down next month. Plans for a new £4m health centre, serving 16,500 residents in the town and surrounding villages, were unveiled at a meeting for patients
A drunken yob was captured on camera savagely punching and kicking a teenager in a graphic display of youth street violence. Ryan Roberts, 18, sobbed as a judge said imprisonment was the only punishment for his violent behaviour. The images played
A former Cub leader told an inspector yesterday how the threatened Radley Lakes had helped hundreds of children. Karen Hughes, of Lee Avenue, Abingdon, has been visiting Thrupp Lake and Bullfield Lake for more than 20 years. Yesterday, Mrs Hughes
Road and rail users were given a boost last night when the Government approved an £88m transport package for Oxfordshire. The Access to Oxford scheme includes a package of improvement schemes to ease the city's chronic road congestion. One key element
The firm behind plans to redevelop Bicester town centre will be asked to foot the bill for extra parking during building work. Last week, traders voiced concern after hearing three main car parks could be closed for up to two years. It means 388 spaces
A £75m Islamic centre being built on the banks of the Cherwell is unlikely to be finished for at least another two years. The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies was originally scheduled to open in 2004 on a 325-acre site in Marston Road. But the project
Music lovers in Oxfordshire are being given first chance to snap up tickets for the county's best-loved music festival. Truck Festival, a showcase of local, national and international rock, folk, dance, country and alternative musical talent, takes
THE family of the North Oxford teenager killed in Peru are planning a memorial fund to help others fulfil the gap year dream she was denied. Nineteen-year-old Georgia French, a former Oxford High School pupil, died in a bus crash on a remote mountain
HUNDREDS of motorists continue to ignore the new speed limit at the site of the Oxford Eastern Bypass crash, just days before police cameras are set to be used. About two cars every minute break the 50mph limit on the A4142 bypass, a check by The Oxford
APPLICATIONS for Continental-style street cafes are to be looked at "sympathetically" in a bid to give Oxford a more relaxed feel. Oxford City Council is expecting a flood of requests for outside seating at cafes, pubs and restaurants when the ban
Sharp, young and intellectual, Birds of Wales have risen out of Canadian obscurity to become a surprise folk-rock sensation. Their uplifting lyrics and carefully crafted songs are pricking up ears everywhere from British Columbia to the Thames Valley
A seven-year legal battle to prevent an Oxford restaurant using a riverside pontoon has been lost. The High Court in London has ruled that Aziz Pandesia - formerly Aqua Vitae - at Folly Bridge can use the pontoon, overruling Oxford City Council and
Little Sicily is a new trattoria in Chipping Norton with a simple ethos. "It's meant to be a home-from-home, like popping round to mine for dinner. "I mean, you wouldn't have menus if you came to my house for supper, would you?" Sebastian Genovese
Applications for Continental-style street cafes are to be looked at "sympathetically" in a bid to give Oxford a more relaxed feel. Oxford City Council is expecting a flood of requests for outside seating at cafes, pubs and restaurants when the ban on
Isolated and vulnerable people across Oxfordshire will be able to get access to free legal advice following the launch of a pioneering hi-tech service. The Internet-based scheme will allow people to get advice at local neighbourhood and family centres
What started out as a funny home video made by a group of students is now being watched by thousands of people around the world. Will Hunter, 21, Greg Barnes and Nick Wilkinson, both 20, needed to find a new housemate and, as a joke, decided to make
Cowley Community Centre is begging for a rescue package after being plunged into financial chaos by the collapse of its social club. The club at the centre in Barns Road, Oxford, closed on March 27. On Wednesday, it was revealed it had debts of almost
Hundreds of motorists continue to ignore the new speed limit at the site of the Oxford Eastern Bypass crash, just days before police cameras are set to be used. About two cars every minute break the 50mph limit on the A4142 bypass, an Oxford Mail check
The number of staff employed by Oxfordshire County Council has jumped by almost a third over the past decade. In March 1997, County Hall - the biggest employer in Oxfordshire - had 15,947 on its payroll. But by March last year, the latest figures available
THE man who could eventually replace Jim Smith as Oxford United manager stepped up to the plate yesterday after a dramatic backroom reshuffle. Darren Patterson was appointed Smith's first-team coach as the club dispensed with the services of Andy Awford
TO The Top, trained by Alan Hill at Aston Rowant, goes for a second successive victory in the men's open at the Vale of Aylesbury with Garth and South Berks Hunt meeting at Kimble, near Aylesbury, tomorrow. His rivals could include Irilut, trained by
Abingdon United coach Mickey Lewis says they must win at least four of their last five games, if they are to have a chance of making the Division 1 South & West play-offs. Although the Northcourt Road outfit hopes are slim - they are seven points behind
Tessa Good and Boyne Banks are on course to bid for a repeat success at the Old Berkshire Hunt meeting at Lockinge, near Wantage, on Monday. Good, who lives at nearby Ginge, ended a six-year wait for her first winner with a runaway success aboard the
The family of the North Oxford teenager killed in Peru are planning a memorial fund to help others fulfil the gap year dream she was tragically denied. Nineteen-year-old Georgia French, a former Oxford High School pupil, died in a bus crash on a remote
THE Opel GTC's low-slung profile has already led to it being dubbed the "new Calibra". But according to GM insiders, it is a lot more radical than that. The car's coupe profile is what you will get with next year's new Vectra. "Imagine the GTC with
It is good news that the Government has approved the £88m package of transport improvements for Oxfordshire. It appears to be a large sum of money but, when you consider the scale of housebuilding proposed for the county over the next two decades, one
A £75m Islamic centre being built on the banks of the River Cherwell is unlikely to be finished for at least two years. The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies was originally scheduled to open in 2004 on a 325-acre site, off Marston Road. But the project
A MAJOR scheme to ease congestion on the clogged-up A34 has been shelved by the Highways Agency. But there is some good news for road and rail users today, as Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander gave the green light to an £88m transport package that
IVOR the Engine will feel at home when he visits Wallingford over the Easter weekend, starting today. The newly-refurbished children's favourite will be met by a Welsh male voice choir, Wallingford and Cholsey stations will be decorated with Welsh bunting
Sir - The Cowley Road has been splendidly refurbished and improved, culminating in the opening of the new health centre, with the local pharmacy moving into the health centre. Further east, the temporary health centre at Cowley has closed, and Boots
Sir - As the three monitors who were described in such derogatory terms by Anne Atkins (The thrill of the hunt, Country Times, March 30), we would like to put the record straight. On the day in question, Ms Atkins approached not four, as she says, but
Sir - Although I am not very keen on his style of classic adaptation, I must defend Andrew Davies against Tony Augarde's accusation (Weekend, March 30) of modernising Jane Austen's text by inserting "and baseball" into a passage from Northanger Abbey.
Sir - Tony Augarde swung and missed in claiming, in his short piece on ITV's Northanger Abbey (Weekend, March 30), that "the only jarring modernisation by Andrew Davies that I noticed was his inserting 'and baseball' after 'cricket' in Jane Austen's statement
Sir - A regrettable consequence of the imposition of parking restriction in several areas of the city is that residents are now forced to convert green front gardens into parking bays. Faced with the prospect of double yellow lines on one side of our
Sir - I was most dismayed to read of city council plans to include housing on the site of Southfield Golf Course for the 2016 Local Plan. I must first confess an interest as a member of Oxford City Golf Club. However, I also have an interest as a
Sir - For those who like a quiet life I would not recommend living in Oxford in the coming years, as it will resemble a vast building site. When one thinks of the schemes which are in hand it is truly astonishing; the Westgate expansion, the redevelopment
Sir - The jewel of All Souls College is undoubtedly the Codrington Library. It is named after Christopher Codrington who died in 1710 and bequeathed money and books worth a small fortune both then and now (£16,000 almost 300 years ago) for the foundation
Sir - The "brazen" element in Mr Hall's letter (Brazen claims on library services being shoe-horned into a reduced space, Letters, March 23) is his blatant distortion of the facts that have been presented to him verbally and by letter. If I may quote
THE WAY speed cameras are set up to catch drivers varies "massively" around the country, Oxford researchers have found. Motorists can drive up to 15mph over the speed limit before they are flashed by a camera in some areas, and in others, they will
THERE is no doubt about it, Exeter College Chapel, one of Oxford's great glories, is scrubbing up well. In recent weeks, workmen have taken to using toothbrushes to remove black soot off the vast walls and ceilings, in what must be one of the most painstaking
ON July 4, this year, 50 years after Fiat first introduced the 500, then called the Nuova Fiat 500, Fiat will launch its new Fiat 500 in Turin. It goes on sale there immediately, but will not arrive in Britain until early 2008. The new three-door
TOYOTA has added a new SR 1.8-litre flagship to the Yaris supermini range, which is powered by a new 131bhp engine. Suspension and steering have been re-tuned for sportier performance, and the £12,995 three-door motor gets 17-inch alloy wheels, a body-styling
CADILLAC is breaking a 104-year-old tradition with its plans to launch an estate version of its BLS saloon in Europe later this year. The front-wheel-drive BLS Wagon will be available with a choice of turbo-diesel and three turbocharged petrol engines
ANIMAL Rights campaigners will gather outside the medical research laboratory in South Parks Road tomorrow for a demonstration. Demonstrators are expected to gather outside the research lab from noon. The protest is in the name of a monkey called Felix
TWO colleagues at a south Oxfordshire nature trust will race each other around London later this month to raise money for charity. The Northmoor Trust's Wild Waste Show manager Annie Cousins and nature reserve manager Chris Parker are running in the
COMMUNITY groups across Oxford remain hopeful of securing cash from the city council - even if they are empty-handed at the moment. More than £1.6m is to be given to community groups and voluntary organisations in 2007/08. The money will support 74
WHILE thousands of visitors will arrive by car for this year's Fly To The Past festival, one of Blenheim Palace's residents will be dropping in - from 10,000ft. The Marquess of Blandford, the Duke of Marlborough's heir, will make a grand entrance while
HEALTH workers in Oxfordshire have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action for the first time in 20 years. Ninety-three per cent of local health workers balloted by Unison voted to reject a pay rise of 1.9 per cent. But more worrying for local
THE trial of Terry McMaster, Tracey Fathers, Karen Fathers, and Edward Doyle - all from Alice Smith Square, Littlemore - who all deny murdering Sean Miles, has been put on hold until Wednesday. It was due to continue yesterdaybut was suspended because
Sir - I hesitate to cross swords with so distinguished a contributor to your columns as Mr Hugh Jaeger, but his suggestion of an Oxford Parkway station at Wolvercote (Letters, March 23) really will not do. Most rail passengers need to reach the centre
Sir - I often wonder how Oxford City Council could get it all wrong. Cherwell District Council (CDC) supplies three bins of three different colours. They are all the same size and are adequate. Brown = garden waste and straw. Green = household waste,
Sir - I won't comment on Anne Atkins' enthusiasm for hunting (Country Times, March 30), as people who boast about their repulsive tastes enjoy hearing of the anguish they cause to others, and I would rather not give Anne Atkins any pleasure. However,
Sir - Rachel Newton (Letters, March 30) doesn't like my approval of the TV programme The Great Global Warming Swindle and tells me to look at various websites. As she suggests, I always try to check the facts about any programme I review, and the research
Sir - The Health Minister, Andy Burnham, is reported in your newspaper (March 23) as saying that the payment by results' system does not fully reflect the full cost of some of the more specialist work carried out by specialist hospitals. Last September
Sir - My wife and I drove into Oxford last Sunday. We enjoyed a delightful lunch in St Clements and then had a stimulating visit to the Oxford Literary Festival. Having read that some parking was now free in Oxford on arrival I asked if St Clements
Sir - The proposal to create a 20mph zone on the Banbury Road between Lonsdale Road and Diamond Place is a welcome move to improve safety in this busy area. The decision to include three minor roads on the east side is a sensible extension of the zone
SKODA is a car maker with a smile on its face. One look at its sales performance is enough to see why. Last year, the firm celebrated building a record half-million cars in a year - a 140 per cent rise in production in a little over a decade. The range
CITROËN has been at pains to point out the virtues of its five-seater Picasso, in the wake of acclaim for the car's big brother, the seven-seater Grand C4 Picasso. The five-seater C4 Picasso is packed full of five-seater firsts, with a parking space
BIG off-road vehicles may not be flavour of the moment in climate-conscious Britain right now, but there is no denying they often fulfil vital roles across a wide spectrum of society. Many people - from police and other emergency services, to farmers
A BOUNCY slide, giant chess and face painting will be among attractions at a family fun day at St Aldate's Church, St Aldate's, Oxford, tomorrow. The event runs from noon to 4pm and everyone is welcome.
A RANGE of activities to keep youngsters occupied over Easter has been launched by South Oxfordshire District Council. They include netball, golf, athletics, football and tennis. And there is also a chance for people aged 16 or under to take part
REFUGEES living in poverty in Oxfordshire could force an overhaul of the UK's asylum system. The Joint Committee on Human Rights published a report, labelling the support system for asylum seekers a "confusing mess". Its research included evidence
MEDICAL student Kate Stein will have a few familiar faces cheering her on when she crosses the line to complete the London Marathon. While Miss Stein's father, Magdalen College don Professor John Stein, will be out of the country, her uncle, celebrity
