A notorious road where a driver came within inches of death when his van smashed into a tree could have its speed limit lowered. Geoff Brewer, 61, from Swindon, was seriously injured when his Peugeot van left the road and smashed into a tree on the
The woman found dead at her Oxford home on Tuesday has been named as 87-year-old Freda Timms. A teenager was still being questioned by police over the death of the elderly woman at her home in Edgeway Road, Marston. The 17-year-old boy from Oxford
The parents of a baby who died after falling into a pond at the family home were told his death had been a tragic but not suspicious accident. Coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict of accidental death at an inquest into the death of 20-month-old
This year there's been a bumper crop of walnuts and they taste terrific. Walnuts are one of those super foods that help control cholesterol and keep the heart healthy because of the significant amounts of Omega-3 they contain. If you get a chance to purchase
We are all invited to walk, talk and nibble our way through Shotover's woodlands as we explore the culinary contributions that trees make to both food and drink. Ivan Wright, the chairman of Shotover Wildlife, and Andy Heaver, who works on the Shotover
There is about Smollensky's something of the look of an Angus Steak House. These, in case you don't know them, are a chain of London restaurants dating back to the days when a prawn cocktail was the acme of chic and a rare steak the height of culinary
When the Northridge earthquake shook Los Angeles to its foundations in 1994, few could have anticipated that beneath the rubble and devastation, a seed of hope was beginning to take root. Actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass channelled their love of music
Isabelle Huppert is one of the finest actresses in cinema history. With her freckles and red hair, she's too distinctive to be chameleonic. Yet, such is her courageous approach to selecting roles that she manages to surprise us with each new performance
Saturday's concert, The Glories of Venice, focused on the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, when Venice still had - or thought it had - sufficient mastery of the sources of wealth to demand and supply opulent elegance in every artistic sphere. The
'It was all right," a woman behind me remarked, rather dubiously. And that, unfortunately, just about sums up ENO's new production of The Gondoliers, which opened at London's Coliseum last Saturday. Despite its bright, fresh look, its vividly colourful
'Write to us every day," implore Dorabella and Fiordiligi. They are betrothed to Ferrando and Guglielmo, army officers who have been called away to serve overseas. In this Glyndebourne production (directors Nicholas Hytner and Samantha Potter), Dorabella
The final production on a Glyndebourne tour which unfortunately is not reaching Oxford this year was a gripping account of Benjamin Britten's masterpiece The Turn of the Screw (with its libretto, after Henry James's short story, by Oxfordshire's Myfanwy
The RSC offers us two of Shakespeare's last plays, The Winter's Tale and Pericles, playing in repertory at the Swan Theatre till January 2007. It's easy to understand their pairing. Both have been called roomy' plays, ranging freely over time and place
This was a double bill of jazz from Scandinavia which showed there are artists in the fjords of Norway and the forests of Finland with the talent to rumble the older pillars of European jazz. There is a word in Finnish, sisu', translating as courage mixed
Anyone who remembers the childish thrill of being scared witless will love The Wolves in the Walls. Adapted from the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman, this production,by Improbable and the National Theatre of Scotland, tells the story of Lucy, who
On their third visit to Oxford, Tavaziva Dance showed that they have lost none of the freshness and originality we saw on previous visits. We started with a wonderful duet, Chivezwa, which means sculptured' in the Shona language. It is the first of two
It's my belief that all Chippy pantos should be called Pollyanna. You arrive very conscious that it's mid-November and the dreaded C-word is only a few weeks away. You leave relaxed, smiling, it's not raining and people are really rather nice. This
The full repertoire of Okeanos contains the names of composers who would be unknown to many of us, thus making it clear how faithful this group is to its intention of "creating opportunities for young composers and initiating pioneering performance events
If you want to be entertained as well as enlightened by some excellently quirky pieces of art then make your way along to the Mary Ogilvie Gallery at St Anne's College. From now until December 19 works by the talented young illustrator and graphic artist
During his time as artistic director, Derek Deane did a lot for English National Ballet and its finances, staging huge productions like Swan Lake, seen in the round at the Royal Albert Hall. But re-staging an existing work is a far cry from creating your
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Oxford Philomusica's Mozart anniversary concerts during the summer, so it was a great pleasure to catch up with their complete Mozart Piano Concerto series last Saturday. As usual the orchestra, rightly scaled
While others sat around me in rapt silence during Heroes on Monday, I found myself sneaking an occasional look at my watch and wondering how much longer the show would last. Ninety minutes, without interval, is the running time for this popular piece,
AEA Technology 98.75 BMW 2971 Electrocomponents 285 Isoft Group 41.25 Oxford Biomedica 31 Oxford Instruments 202.5 Oxonica 148.5 Reed Elsevier 564.25 RM 174.75 RPS 253 Torex Retail 54.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
THE parents of a baby who died after falling into a pond at the family home were told his death had been a tragic but not suspicious accident. Coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict of accidental death at an inquest into the death of 20-month-old
BORIS Johnson has ruled out abandoning Henley for a chance to become the next Mayor of London. Mr Johnson told The Daily Telegraph he was enjoying his job as Tory higher education spokesman too much to consider leaving Parliament to fight Ken Livingstone
RESIDENTS and drivers will be able to find out more about plans for a £30m replacement for the Wolvercote Viaduct at a special exhibition. The Highways Agency exhibition is taking place tomorrow, and Saturday. Plans will be on display at the Wolvercote
The Old World Christmas Case includes the following wines at £99.00. 2 bottles Autreau-Roualet NV Champagne, France 2 bottles 2004 Tour de Roy Chablis, Domaine des Malandes, France 2 bottles 2001 Chateau Haut-Gaudin, Bordeaux 2 bottles 2005 Navajas
OXFORD'S Clarendon Centre was shut this morning for a fire evacuation practice drill. The drill took place at about 9.30am, when staff and customers at the city centre shopping centre were evacuated.
New World Christmas Case includes the following wines at £89.00. 2 bottles Green Point NV Sparkling Wine, Australia 2 bottles 2005 Southbank Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand 2 bottles 2003 Vergelegen Chardonnay, South Africa 2 bottles 2003 Eagle's Cliff
Whether we are ready or not for Santa's imminent arrival, we are now firmly in countdown to Christmas mode with just one short month to go. So to make life a little easier in this hectic period, I've put together three very special Oxford Times Wine Club
We're already getting in the Christmas spirit at the New Theatre & OFS. Look out for a reindeers, elves and Cats in town for the switching on of the Oxford Christmas lights! If you've been in the bars in Oxford over the past week and seen strange
THEY are recruiting them young at Wallingford. Grace Devlin, six, and her brother Oliver, eight, try their hands with a hydraulic cutting tool under the supervision of firefighter Mick Brown at a recruiting drive in Market Place. The retained firefighters
I'm not the sort of person who jumps on any passing bandwagon. No way. That's just not me. I'm not that astute. If there's a bandwagon I want to get aboard, it's usually long gone and I have to belt after it at some pace to try to catch up. Take holiday
West Ham are the fifth football team in the Premiership to be majority owned by a foreign investor. The others? Chelsea, Manchester United, Portsmouth and Aston Villa. Does this matter? Many Manchester United fans were unhappy with the Glazer family
FORMULA Renault driver Will Bratt is aiming to improve on this year's eighth place in the championship, if he continues in the series in 2007. The 18-year-old from Adderbury, who is reading history at Lincoln College, Oxford, finished his second season
ANGRY parents delivered a stinging attack on proposals for the future of two schools in Abingdon. They demanded the education authority go back to the drawing board and think again over its ideas for Dunmore Junior and Infants Schools. It was standing
CONTROVERSIAL plans for a major shake-up of community hospitals in Abingdon, Wantage, Didcot, Wallingford and Henley have been dropped. But some changes to health services are inevitable, according to health officials, drawing concern from the critics
A PUBLIC debate on the issues surrounding animal research is being held in Oxford Town Hall on Tuesday. The meeting has been organised by a new animal rights pressure group called Voice For Ethical Research at Oxford (VERO) founded by Sharon Howe, who
A WOMAN driver was punched in the face by a man who jumped in front of her car in a road near Witney, pretending his car had broken down. The 38-year-old woman was assaulted at 7.30am on Monday on an unclassified road between Crawley and Whiteoak Green
Out goes the booze, crisps and chocolate and in comes the 6am swim sessions, 50-mile bike rides and weights sessions in the gym. This week heralds the start of my winter training proper ahead of the 2007 season. And it all began with a run. Running has
I refer to the article, Sergeants take on lawyers' duties (Oxford Mail, November 9). It stated that Oxfordshire is short of nine sergeants. This shortage probably means that nine constables have been required to perform acting sergeants' duties to
I am writing on behalf of the several hundred people who attended the fireworks display on November 5 outside the Plough public house in Upper Wolvercote, Oxford. I had heard that the Wolvercote Commoners Committee had objected, as it has done for the
Summer activities on Oxford estates have produced some excellent results. In three areas - Wood Farm, Blackbird Leys and Barton - there was a significant reduction in the number of incidents of criminal damage and antisocial behaviour. We echo the
A woman will soon embark on one of the biggest challenges of her life. At the age of 61, Averil Coleman will fly to Africa next February to take part in the Kilimanjaro Trek for Scope, the charity which helps people with cerebral palsy. She will join
The former RAF Bicester airbase could be used to detain failed asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, the Government has said. The scheme, which is still under consideration, would see up to 650 people kept under lock and key until they are deported
A 17-year-old has been arrested this morning following the death of an elderly woman in Oxford. Police announced the arrest but have refused to say what the youth has been arrested on suspicion of. The body of the woman was found in her home in Edgeway
Sir - You couldn't make it up - could you? The council wants to be a unitary authority - against all advice and common sense - so let's get the money they need to launch this (and to employ an 'expert' to tell them how to do it) by closing a few playgrounds
Sir - You have published several letters and comments in your newspaper claiming that some of the willows in East Street, Osney Island, which the city council recently had to remove, could have been retained if they had been re-pollarded. The condition
Sir - Christopher Gray is notorious for having made his career in journalism by getting hold of the wrong end of the stick and flogging dead donkeys with it. His tirade on the Osney willows (Gray Matter, November 17) is just another example. A local
Sir - "Asylum seekers generally get a raw deal....Yet, there are some compelling and inspiring stories of courage and determination in the face of unimaginable violence and terror." So began Nicola Lisle's fine review of the play Crocodile Seeking Refuge
Sir - Paul Medley's review of Gilad Atzman at The Spin (Weekend, November 10) was the sort of stuff we want. It seemed as though he had drifted away from the jazz fan to become a journalist, but this was him at his best, with lots to say and plenty of
Sir - The Oxford Green Belt Network welcomes the publicity given by The Oxford Times (November 10) to threats to the Green Belt. It is evident that these come both from central government, in the form of the Government Office for the South East, and
Sir - Once again the Government has seen fit to attack rural Oxfordshire (Report, November 10). In its submission to the public inquiry into the South East Plan, the Government Office for the South East calls both for building in Oxford's Green Belt and
Sir - Your correspondents Messrs Robertson and Stevens (Letters, November 10), should recall that we live in a so-called democracy, and that Professor Dawkins is perfectly entitled to voice his views, however conflicting with their own. As for Mr Stevens
Sir - Further to your article Women lose out in smear lottery (November 3), I would like to highlight that the NHS Cervical Screening Programme is on track to ensure that all cervical screening tests use Liquid Based Cytology (LBC) by 2008 - in line with
Sir - I took a photograph at around midday today, Monday, November 13, a stone's throw from my house. It shows a nuclear convoy - three large military lorries carrying nuclear weapons from Aldermaston and Burghfield to the Trident nuclear submarine base
Sir - I refer to your article Pontoon fight goes to the top (November 17). The High Court Action (first in five years) may waste £20,000 to £100,000 of taxpayers' money. The public inquiry decision being appealed cost £7,000 in legal bills, excluding
Sir - I am extremely upset by the planned extension and development of the Westgate centre in Oxford and the building of a new multi-storey car park. This will be on council land and is totally inappropriate for Oxford for the following reasons: 1:
Sir - Mr Vaizey is to be congratulated on his appointment as Shadow Arts Minister and he is also to be congratulated on the libraries in his constituency, for Oxfordshire libraries still believe that books should be their priority, unlike many other counties
Sir - Absolutely brilliant. Christopher Gray in your Weekend supplement (November 10) has confirmed what has nagged me for years. The realisation that traffic lights cause congestion in certain circumstances. I would be happy to stand as his witness in
Sir - I was doubly astonished by your report (November 10) that from the end of next year there will no longer be direct trains from Oxford to Cumbria or Scotland. First, because having to change at Birmingham adds time (to allow for connections), anxiety
Sir - The council will probably expect its citizens to share their enthusiasm and show gratitude for each house being provided with a big green plastic wheelie bin. I am afraid we are far from happy that the council purchased for our money (from some
Sir - Your coverage of the University's debate in Congregation on November 14 was way off the mark. You said "dons have voted in favour of a string of radical reforms" (Report, November 17). We did nothing of the kind. All we did was debate a rather confusing
AEA Technology 99.25 BMW 2968 Electrocomponents 289 Isoft Group 39.5 Oxford Biomedica 30.75 Oxford Instruments 202.25 Oxonica 150 Reed Elsevier 567.75 RM 175 RPS 255 Torex Retail 53.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
A woman driver was treated by paramedics after her car hit a tree this morning near Abingdon. The accident happened on a road off the A415 between Marcham and Abingdon, at 6.40am. She had to be cut free by firefighters. The woman's injuries were
The technical and dress rehearsals are now over, the tickets are selling the words are there and the lighting and sound effects are all in place. Yes tomorrow (Thursday 23rd) is the big one. The opening night of our Autumn production of Pretzels for Dinner
A WOMAN driver was treated by paramedics after her car hit a tree this morning near Abingdon. The accident happened on a road off the A415 between Marcham and Abingdon, at 6.40am. She had to be cut free by firefighters. The woman's injuries were
One of the country's leading assessors has jumped to the defence of under-fire Premier League referees. It seems now that virtually every week in the Premiership, bosses launch into attacks on match officials for decisions they say they have got wrong
East Oxford CC set aside being booted out of the OCA to collect a hatful of trophies at the league's annual presentation dinner at Abingdon's Guildhall. The club are in the process of appealing against the OCA's decision not to accept their 2007 registration
Frances Briscoe, of White Horse Harriers, continued her good start to the cross country season by winning the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Cross Country Championships at Burchetts Green. Briscoe completed the undulating and muddy 6km course in 22mins 12secs,
North Berks League: Chris Allum's missed penalty proved crucial for Wallingford Athletic as they fell to a 4-3 defeat at the hands of last season's Division 1 champions Lambourn Sports. Wallingford looked to be cruising to victory when a Sam Elkins
North Berks Charity Shield Benson AFC threw away the lead as they crashed out at the second-round stage following a 4-2 extra-time defeat against Coleshill United . Damian Rigozzy and Jo Flower put Benson two goals to the good at half-time, but penalities
Leodis Williams fired a double as Shelley Arms won 5-4 at Fairview in their Premier Cup group-stage clash. Barry Gray, Mark Baxter and Tynan Nelson were their other marksmen. In reply, Kevin Cox hammered a hat-trick and Mark Oliver ensured a frantic
THE Lions Club has announced details of its annual Father Christmas rounds in Abingdon starting on Tuesday, December 5, in the Kennet Road area. On Saturday and Sunday, December 9 and 10, Santa and his team will be outside the Waitrose store. The last
Riley, bottom of Oxford & District League Division 2, sprang a huge shock with a 2-1 win at Division 1 leaders Thame A. Paul Evans (+40) stretched his unbeaten run to eight games by taking the first game for Thame with a 200-127 victory over Allan Copelin
MORE houses and retail floor space in a "less blocklike" building have been proposed by the firm behind Witney's Marriotts Close redevelopment. Simons Developments has submitted revised plans after listening to the concerns of councillors and residents
Willy Waite's 14 dolls - including a six - proved in vain for Exiles as they went down 4-2 to Garsington Sports in the Gladiator Beer Seller Friday League. Ken Maunder led Garsington to victory with 13 dolls. Adrian Shepherd racked up 14 dolls for
Simon Hall, the Oxfordshire man shot dead in Iraq last Friday while working for a private security firm, served in the British Army during the first Gulf War against Saddam Hussein. Mr Hall, 39, who lived with his wife Sarah and two children in Dean
A WOMAN will soon embark on one of the biggest challenges of her life. At the age of 61, Averil Coleman will fly to Africa next February to take part in the Kilimanjaro Trek for Scope, the charity which helps people with cerebral palsy. She will join
A driver was just inches from death after his van crashed into a tree and the trunk ended up wedged between him and the passenger seat. Just a couple more inches to the left and the 61-year-old man would have died in the smash outside Charlbury yesterday
Vandalism on three Oxford estates fell dramatically when activity schemes were put on for youngsters during the summer holidays. In Blackbird Leys there was a fall of almost 60 per cent in incidents of criminal damage - from 44 in 2005 to 18 this year
SUFFERERS of chronic fatigue syndrome were forced to drop out of a demonstration calling for more funding for carers because their condition made them too tired to attend. Chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers and their supporters met outside the Oxfordshire
From an appearance by Arsenal footballer Theo Walcott to fire eaters and live bands, Oxfordshire towns are pulling out all the stops to attract people to their Christmas lights switch-on events. From tomorrow to Thursday, December 7, towns across the
A shop assistant had his nose broken when a gang of youths robbed the Costcutter supermarket in Oxford's Rose Hill estate. The incident happened at about 8.30pm on Monday, November 20. The man was punched and cigarettes and alcohol stolen from the shelves
An Oxfordshire father's 13-year battle to claim £30,000 compensation from a doctor he alleged was responsible for his son's death has ended with him facing a £100,000 bill for costs. Wilfred Toth, five, who suffered from a rare glycogen deficiency,
OXFORD and Abingdon charity Christmas card shops are reminding people they are open because they cannot display a promotional banner on two historic buildings. The charity card organisation, Cards for Good Causes (CFGC), has been prevented from hanging
AN OXFORD church is to hold an open day to welcome those who have never been to a church or have stopped attending. Tomorrow's Sunday service at St Nicholas' Church, in Elsfield Road, will be a communion with well-known hymns and explanations of what
AN EXTENSION to Banbury's Tesco superstore has created 60 jobs. The new 20,000 sq ft extension - mostly to expand the non-food ranges - will be officially opened to shoppers on Monday, December 4. Store manager Richard Kennedy-Head said: "We will
Sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome were forced to drop out of a demonstration calling for more funding for carers because their condition made them too tired to attend. About 10 chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers and their supporters met on Monday
A SHOP assistant had his nose broken when a gang of youths robbed the Costcutter supermarket in Rose Hill, Oxford. The incident happened at about 8.30pm on Monday. The man was punched and cigarettes and alcohol stolen from the shelves, before the youths
SIMON Hall, the Oxfordshire man shot dead in Iraq last Friday while working for a private security firm, served in the British Army during the first Gulf War against Saddam Hussein. Mr Hall, 39, who lived with his wife Sarah and two children in Dean
A DRIVER was just inches from death after his van crashed into a tree and the trunk ended up wedged between him and the passenger seat. Just a couple more inches to the left and the 61-year-old man might have died in the smash outside Charlbury yesterday
More houses and retail floor space in a "less blocklike" building have been proposed by the firm behind Witney's Marriotts Close redevelopment. Simons Developments has submitted revised plans after listening to the concerns of councillors and residents
A LORRY driver suffered minor injuries after the truck he was driving overturned on the A420 near Kingston Bagpuize yesterday. The incident happened at about 12.30pm, near the junction with the A415, and involved a lorry which was carrying scrap metal
The founder of the world's first children's hospice said she was honoured to accept an OBE at Buckingham Palace. Sister Frances Dominica travelled to London to receive her award after she was named in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June. She founded
A WOMAN accused of killing Oxford man Guy Thomas told a jury she thought he had cut his head when falling over a table. Sara Kingston, 33, of Forester's Tower, Wood Farm, and Peter Rous, 32, of Pegasus Road, Blackbird Leys, deny murdering Mr Thomas
POLICE today arrested a 17-year-old boy in Oxford in connection with an unexplained death in Edgeway Road in Marston. Officers were searching a house in Botley Road this morning, extending the search which began with the woman's property in Edgeway
Sixth-former Kieran Ford is asking friends and family for money this Christmas - but not for himself. Kieran, 16, of Bloxham, has said instead of presents he would like the equivalent in cash or cheques so that he can help improve life for less well
TALENTED all-rounder Hannah Burr (pictured) has taken a massive step towards fulfilling her dream of playing for England. The 21-year-old, from Wheatley, is one of 18 players who have been selected for the England and Wales Cricket Board Women's Academy
Hailey took full advantage of leaders Charlbury being in cup action to cut the gap at the top with a 3-2 victory over West Witney in their Premier Division encounter, writes JOHN SMYTH. Joel King led the way with a brace, making it seven goals in his
Adam Berry hammered a double as Marston Saints stormed to a 5-2 win at Middleton Cheney in Oxfordshire Senior League Division 1. Berry's first and a Jason Hallett strike saw Marston take a 2-0 lead. After the break, Berry added No 3, before Wayne
OXFORD University captain Kevin Brennan will be making up for lost time when he leads his side against Major Stanley's tonight (7). The scrum half, who has not played since fracturing a hand against London Welsh on October 16, makes his comeback alongside
