As an aside, I picked up a few handy tips while in Spain which might save another mum or dad some time and effort: 1- Don't take many clothes - she wore hardly anything I took because it was so hot and even if you need to wash something, it will dry overnight
After a few weeks away, and a few technical problems, we're back, and a lot has changed. Spain was brilliant - Littl'un loved flying and came on leaps and bounds, literally, during a week with her three older cousins. She's now chomping a sandwich easily
Millions of items of post will be left undelivered for days as 500 Royal Mail workers in Oxford continue with an unofficial strike. The employees at the sorting depot in Cowley are involved in a dispute which began on Monday afternoon when post worker
Ambulance patrol motorbikes mothballed due to crash fears have been declared safe and are back on the road. But an entire fleet of police motorbikes remains locked away awaiting further investigations into why they wobble and flip the rider at high
Oxford rock band The Young Knives have been nominated for Britain's most prestigious pop music prize after seeing off competition from thousands of other acts. The funk-rock three-piece are following in the footsteps of bands such as Arctic Monkeys,
A teenage girl who fell to her death from a tower block in Cowley was about three times the drink-drive limit and had been arguing with her father. An open verdict was recorded in Oxford yesterday on Natasha Saxton, 16, of Hockmore Tower. Deputy coroner
MP Ed Vaizey has hailed a meeting with Didcot's top police officer as useful. Mr Vaizey said after talks with Insp Nick Cain, who is in charge of policing Didcot and Wallingford: "Insp Cain seemed very happy with the progress made. He is very well
CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans to build on Warneford Meadow in Oxford, will put their case for town green status in October. The application for the area, owned by the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, has been lodged by
Campaigners fighting plans to build on Warneford Meadow in Oxford, will put their case for town green status in October. The application for the area, owned by the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, has been lodged by
Barton residents could soon become the most pampered people in Oxford as the estate could play host to regular free therapy sessions. About 120 residents got pedicures, manicures and all manner of massages at Barton Neighbourhood Centre last week.
PUPILS at an Oxfordshire school have been involved in an education event involving ex-prisoners aimed at reducing knife crime. The event was held at Northfield School in Blackbird Leys, Oxford, which is one of a number of schools in the region who
A THAMES Valley Police and DVLA operation saw 24 drivers stopped in Oxfordshire for having false registration plates. Following concern over the growing trend to alter registration marks, Roads Policing officers mounted a crackdown on the practice
AEA Technology 116.75 BMW 3352.5 Electrocomponents 264 Isoft Group 53.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 145.5 Oxford Biomedica 41.5 Oxford Instruments 280.75 Reed Elsevier 657.75 RM 206.25 RPS Group 354.5
A group of swimmers who have been using Peers Sports Centre for nearly 30 years have urged Oxford City Council not to pull the plug on their pool. For decades, members of the Sunday Larks have been enjoying early-morning sessions at the centre in Littlemore
Eight bulky bins for recycling Yellow Pages directories are to be set up in west Oxfordshire during August and September. And to encourage householders to make use of them the district council is running a lucky draw worth £50 - people simply put their
Campaigners bidding to have criminals locked out of their neighbourhood have been hit by further delays. Four alleyways in Oxford, that are magnets for crime and antisocial behaviour, could be closed off. But despite being handed the powers nine months
One small click for man could be one giant leap for Mankind, according to a group of astrophysicists in Oxford. Scientists in Oxford University's physics department want members of the public to log on to the Internet to help them identify one million
MP Ed Vaizey has hailed a meeting with Didcot's top police officer as useful. Mr Vaizey said after talks with Insp Nick Cain, who is in charge of policing Didcot and Wallingford: "Insp Cain seemed very happy with the progress made. He is very well aware
Tom Ward attempts to ridicule me about smoking-related health problems (Oxford Mail, July 9). Roy Castle was a lovely fellow and a great entertainer and his untimely death is always attributed to the effects of passive smoking, despite absolutely no
Before people get too excited about the prospect of removing buses from Queen Street, Oxford, they should look at the details of the West End Area Action Plan. The proposals involve creating a loop from Castle Street along New Road towards the railway
Here we go again. Another potential racial harmony upset as a result of the stupidity of a PC propagandist who wrongly thinks she is digging up another case of racial intolerance, Poem race row splits council (Oxford Mail, July 12). Former Didcot Town
The Americans come in for too much criticism - even their food is complained about. I have heard people say that American food is bland, boring and too sweet. I have just one thing to say to people who criticise Americans and American cuisine : "boloney
Oxford's police chief is set to go cap in hand to ask councillors to get behind plans to bring CCTV to the Cowley Road. Supt Jim Trotman says putting up cameras in the road, which has more than 60 pubs, clubs and restaurants, is "vital" to policing
Memories of a teacher are inspiring hundreds of young dancers to show off their skills. All 300 students at the Jill Stew School of Dance will have a part to play in special performances at Witney's Corn Exchange on three evenings this week. The show
Children enjoyed a visit from a television presenter and former skiing champion as part of a drive to get more men into teaching. BBC winter sports presenter Graham Bell, pictured, one of the country's most successful skiers, spent the morning with
A push has found nearly 250 temporary spaces, easing a car parking problem in Witney - and potential loss of trade during work on a major town centre development. West Oxfordshire District Council's quest was to fill a hole in the town's free public
Thousands of people had an enlightening experience at a super-micro- scope laboratory - with scientists describing it as an "overwhelming success". The sell-out event at the Government/Wellcome Trust-funded Diamond Light Source, in Chilton, near Didcot
An Oxford rock band have been nominated for Britain's most prestigious music prize after seeing off competition from thousands of other acts. Funk-rock three-piece The Young Knives, all of who live in east Oxford, are following in the footsteps of bands
POLICE said today the believed teenagers were behind a burglary at a village shop. Thieves forced their way into Drayton Post Office, Drayton, near Abingdon, during the night on Saturday and stole cases of lager and alcohol from storage areas. Det
Teenage boozers are believed to be behind a burglary from a village shop. Thieves forced their way into Drayton Post Office, Drayton, during the night on Saturday and stole cases of lager and alcohol from storage areas. Det Con Rob Underhill said:
Royal Mail workers at the Cowley depot have decided to continue with wildcat strike action at a meeting today. Around 160 staff decided to ignore the recommendation from their union leader to return to work. The walk out started yesterday afternoon
FIRE crews from Oxfordshire helped contain a barn fire after more than 200 tonnes of straw caught alight. The barn, on Weston Farm in Buscot Wick, caught alight at about 11.15pm last night. A team from the Environment Agency was also sent out to the
SAMPLES of DNA obtained from a woman found murdered in an Oxfordshire field are being run through a national database. Police fear it could take weeks to identify the woman, who was murdered and dumped in a suitcase in a field at Milton Common then
Samples of DNA obtained from an unknown woman found murdered in a Oxfordshire field are being run through a national database. Police fear it could take weeks to identify the woman, who was murdered and dumped in a suitcase in a field at Milton Common
THIS is a picture of a woman police want to trace in connection with the theft of £200 worth of spirits and groceries. The woman, believed to be in her early 20s, was caught on CCTV before dashing from the Co-op store in the High Street, Eynsham,
A MULTI- MILLION- POUND business centre named after a university dean has been hailed as an educational environment for the future. The Simon Williams Undergraduate Centre was unveiled at the Oxford Brookes University Wheatley campus by the univerity's
An elderly couple were robbed in their home by a pair of "cowardly" men, police have said. The couple in their 80s, of White Oak Green, in Hailey near Witney, were sitting in their living room on Saturday at about 7.30pm. Two men walked through the
A 4,000-NAME petition demanding that public access be maintained to the Old Gaol, Abingdon, has been handed to the Vale of White Horse District Council. Members of the group, Community in the Old Gaol (Cog), met local schoolchildren to deliver a model
A COUPLE in their 80s were robbed in their home near Witney. The couple, who live in White Oak Green, Hailey, were sitting in their living room when two men entered the house through the rear kitchen door, which had been left open. They demanded
City of Oxford's Max Williamson struck quadruple gold at the Bletchley and District Open Meet. The 14-year-old roared to victory in the 200m and 50m freestyle, 200m individual medley and the 50m breaststroke, before winning silver in the 100m breaststroke
WORRIED parents are campaigning for better security to protect children after a man with a knife was spotted outside a Didcot school. A group of parents gathered with banners at Greenmere Primary School, in Mereland Road, yesterday. They want a
ONE of the world's most endangered crocodiles laid dozens of eggs at the Cotswold Wildlife Park yesterday, to the delight of her keepers. Morticia, a Morelet's crocodile, a species listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of
CAMPAIGNERS who want to stop Radley Lakes, near Abingdon, being used as a dump for fuel ash from Didcot Power Station have failed in their latest bid. Members of the Save Radley Lakes campaign, including their water vole mascot, picketed County Hall
A DISABLED man has lost the latest round in a legal battle to save his council home, which stands in the way of the planned redevelopment of Oxford's Westgate Shopping Centre. Vincent McKeown, 52, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and can only communicate
FIREFIGHTERS were called to tackle a car fire at Cherwell Valley Services on the M40 yesterday. The blaze, which is believed to have started by accident, took 30 minutes to extinguish.
A PET owner fears her cat has been stolen - after he became the fourth pet to go missing in Noke over the past few months. The three-year-old Birman Perry, which looks like a long-haired Siamese, disappeared on June 29. Owner Sarah Spencer, 48, said
A MAN broke both his legs after falling 25ft from a car park. The man had just left Sainsburys in Limborough Road, Wantage, when he fell from the car park into a brook near the store at about 2.30pm. Firefighters had to retrieve the man from the brook
COWLEY Road's future is under threat because of rent increases and the spectre of big brand names, according to the street's independent traders. Three independent retailers - Uniiki, Coopers Newsagents and Bead Games - have crumbled under the pressure
OXFORD'S controversial fortnightly bin collection will be reviewed in October - but the councillor heading the scheme insists it is here to stay. The news came as findings of a Commons Select Committee, chaired by former Oxford City councillor Dr Phyllis
Oxfordshire teenager Bradley Smith battled through the pain barrier to finish eighth in the 125cc race at the Alice Grand Prix of Germany. Earlier this month, the 16-year-old, who lives at Forest Hill, near Oxford, cracked a bone in his left tibia and
Jim Smith has warned that the TV deal struck between Setanta and the Blue Square Premier could make non-League football a 24/7 sport. And the Oxford United manager has reacted angrily after the list of live televised games was released, and features
Chris Pollard scored a maximum 180 for strugglers Quarry Gate as they turned the formbook upside down with a shock 5-4 win against high-flying Red Lion in Section 3 of the Greene King ODDA. And they did it the hard way after battling back from 3-2 down
Matt Jones hit 24 fours and three sixes in his mammoth 144 for Didcot, hitting exactly half his side's runs as they piled on 288-5 at home to Bicester & North Oxford 2nd. His score was a league record for the South Oxfordshire side - but although he
Jonno Evans hammered an unbeaten 135 to take Oxford 2nd to victory in their needle match with Horspath. Evans's 100 came up from 77 balls as he added 127 in an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership with Alex Morgan (32no). Earlier Ben Thompson had hit
Tiddington 2nd caused the shock of the season to beat Great & Little Tew 2nd, who had won every previous match. Tiddington, who had lost all bar one of theirs and were yet to taste victory, were 15-3 after ten overs, but Matthew Johnston's solid 49
Banbury 2nd opener Ed Phillips suffered the double disappointment of being out for 99 and then seeing his side lose and be knocked off top spot by Buckingham Town. Phillips added 137 with Chris Board (62) as the morning leaders compiled 227-7 at White
Mike Wedderburn is best known for reading the headlines on Sky Sports News. But he made the headlines by taking a hat-trick in Banbury Twenty 2nd's 100-run win over Leighton Buzzard Town 2nd. Assif Hussain was stranded on 99 not out when Twenty's
RESIDENTS closed their North Oxford street so they could create their own traffic-calming measures. Artist Ted Dewan, 46, lives in Beech Croft Road, Summertown, and he has been leading efforts to cut traffic speeds for the past five years. Some
A PLAY area has been locked up indefinitely after vandals ripped up safety mats under the play equipment. Oxford City Council's parks department padlocked the playground in Kersington Crescent, Cowley, after the attack last week. Because it has
MORE than 20 drivers were fined for not wearing a seatbelt during stop-checks. Police issued 21 fixed penalty notices to drivers without belts during the operation in Botley Road, Oxford, on Friday. Six were fined for using their mobile phones and
ELEVEN of the most wanted burglary suspects in Oxford have been taken off the streets, according to police. And break-ins around the city have fallen by more than 30 per cent between April and June. Oxford police figures show there were only nine
VISITORS to the tenth annual Charlbury beer festival on Saturday raised £8,000 for local charities - and drank the bar dry! The organisers laid on a selection of 36 real ales for more than 1,000 visitors. Rob Stepney, of the organising committee
TESS Pearl and Michelle Rumsey are making a spectacle of themselves as they ride their horses the full length of the Ridgeway - they are doing it in ball gowns. The ride is to raise money for Riding for the Disabled, based at New Yatt, and they say
WEEDS are taking over a communal garden in Jericho - because Oxford City Council failed to realise no one was looking after the patch. For years the gardens at Venables Close were kept in good order by a council tenant. But when he moved away the
THE Blades, one of Britain's hottest formation aerobatics display teams, is the latest attraction added to the bill at this weekend's Fly To the Past Festival at Blenheim Palace. Last-minute preparations are under way for the spectacular 12-hour flight
NURSES from the National Blood Service will be holding a donor session on Wednesday at the Methodist Church, Marlborough Road, Banbury, from 1.30pm to 3.25pm and 4.15pm to 6.45pm.
AN INVESTIGATION into why an RAF Harrier jump jet crashed on a road near Kidlington last year has been concluded. The £20m GR9 fighter jet came down in July, with debris from the crash hitting the car of an off-duty Thames Valley policeman driving on
A GROUP of swimmers who have been using the Peers Sports Centre for almost 30 years have urged Oxford City Council not to pull the plug on their pool. For decades members of the Sunday Larks have been holding their early morning sessions at the centre
THE controversial Bodicote/Bankside housing development, in Banbury, seems certain to go ahead after a judgement in the High Court in London failed to win a fresh look at plans which will see 1,070 houses built south of Banbury. The homes will be
DRUG addicts, prostitutes and rough sleepers are still using dens under an Oxford bridge - ten months after residents called for them to be closed. The two areas under Blackbird Leys Road bridge are scattered with used condoms, drug paraphernalia
A CAR that achieved worldwide fame in Pink Panther TV cartoons was sold in Oxfordshire at the weekend. It was top of the bill at the third annual auction run by Coys, dealers in historic and expensive cars and memorabilia, at Blenheim Palace on Saturday
The future of Cowley Road in Oxford is under threat because of rent increases and the spectre of big brand names, according to the street's independent traders. Three independent retailers - Uniiki, Coopers Newsagents and Bead Games - have crumbled under
A beggar has become the quickest person in Oxford to breach his Antisocial Behaviour Order, according to police. On Thursday, a court ordered homeless Gareth Turp to stop begging in the city or face being locked up. But within 10 hours of being released
Oxford's controversial fortnightly bin collection will be reviewed in October - but the councillor heading the scheme insists it is here to stay. The news came as findings of a Commons Select Committee, chaired by former Oxford City councillor Dr Phyllis
