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Oxfordshire | Archive | 2003 | April

Stories for 05 April 2003

Oxfordshire Local Info

Jim Howard

Pioneering Oxfam aid worker Jim Howard, who helped to tackle major international emergencies since the 1960s, has died aged 77. more...

William Earl

William Earl MBE, former stalwart of the Oxford bowls scene, has died aged 90. more...

Winnie Tomlinson

A woman who spent more than 30 years working for an old folk's club has been described as a "real servant of the community." more...

Oxfordshire News

Police chief calls for transfer fees

A transfer scheme for police officers, similar to that operated in professional football, has been suggested by Thames Valley's chief constable. more...

Fresh move to save Ridgeway

County councillors from the three main political groups have united to try to prevent four-wheel-drive vehicles from damaging Oxfordshire's Ridgeway. more...

New High Sheriff looks to the past

The man who holds the Royal Warrant as medallist to the Queen has become the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire. more...

Force looks for special citizens

Motivated and community-spirited people are being sought by Thames Valley Police to become Special Constables. more...

Private care plan unveiled

NHS managers at an Oxford hospital want to increase private funding for a new development so they can install services that will not be used by NHS patients. more...

Islamic academic attacks 'witch-hunt'

The Oxfordshire academic accused by America of heading an Islamic terror group said he was confident no action would be taken against him. more...

Campaign aims to halt bus vandalism

Crimestoppers has teamed up with an Oxford bus company to catch vandals who throw stones at buses. more...

CCTV images aid hunt for gang over stabbing

Video images have been released of a gang wanted in connection with a stabbing outside an Oxford nightclub. more...

Grants boost quality of life

Blackbird Leys Parish Council has helped fund 25 schemes to boost people's quality of life in the area in the past year. more...

Heartfelt plea to help teenage cancer victim

A woman saved by a heart transplant is pleading for people to help a young leukaemia sufferer. more...

Staff may leave if wages are cut

A group of 50 administrative staff at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital claim they could be forced to leave their jobs if pay cuts are introduced across the NHS. more...

Grant could help transform city

Part of a £174,000 Government performance grant could be used by city councillors to help transform part of Oxford's city centre. more...

£60,000 for epilepsy charity

A charity started by an Oxford tutor, whose boyfriend died from epilepsy, is to receive a £60,000 award from the Lottery community fund. more...

Talk to focus on drugs

A drugs charity will be educating parents on how to talk to children about drugs problems. more...

Pledge to fill gap after shop closure

North Oxford residents will not lose out on council services following the closure of a one stop shop in Summertown, Oxford City Council has pledged. more...

Residents turn down housing

Residents in Woodstock turned out in force at a town poll to vote against major hosuing development. more...

Friend blamed for fatal injection

A man who died from a heroin overdose may have been injected with the drug by a friend, an inquest heard. more...

Pullman prepares delight for fans

Children's author Philip Pullman has written a novella to accompany the award-winning trilogy His Dark Materials. more...

Man admits knife attack

A man has admitted a knife attack at Marsh Baldon, near Oxford. more...

Going wild in garden

Didcot went wild about gardening as visitors to the Gardeners Wildlife Challenge leaned how to design conservation-friendly gardens. more...

Hospitals beat casualty waiting times target

Patients are getting quicker casualty treatment in Oxfordshire than in neighbouring counties, according to new figures. more...

Leisure mapped

A huge project to map amenity land, trees and footpaths is under way in north Oxfordshire. more...

Co-op profits benefit communities

Community projects in the county have benefited thanks to bigger profits at the Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-op. more...

Tattoos offer clue on jogger

Distinctive tattoos may prove vital clues to the identity of a jogger found dead in Cowley on Saturday. more...

Crash in lay-by a mystery

The cause of a crash which killed a motorist on the A34 remains unexplained after a coroner recorded an open verdict. more...

Patients get gift of cake

Patients' eyes lit up in the children's ward at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital when a birthday cake to mark the first anniversary of a leisure centre was wheeled in. more...

Fly the flag for culture bid

Oxford will have a last chance to impress Capital of Culture judges on April 9 when members of the all-important judging panel take a final look around the city. more...

Safe and secure at the door

A registration scheme for nightclub security staff in Oxford has trained its 1,000th door supervisor. more...

Sounding her out

The Lord Mayor of Oxford Gill Sanders is preparing to be demobbed from her term of office in military style. more...

Car firm sponsors horse trials

Mercedes-Benz returns as a major sponsor for a fifth year of the Blenheim Petplan International Horse Trials in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, at Woodstock, from September 11 to 14. Other sponsors include wine makers Bouvet Ladubay, digital document specialist Oci and the Oxford Mail's sister paper The Oxford Times. more...

Beads spill causes delay

Half a ton of glass beads scattered on busy roundabout in north Oxford caused congestion around the city on April 3. more...

Parade salutes birthday

Soldiers based in Bicester took part in a parade to mark the 10th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Logistic Corps. more...

Give a dog a home

New owners are desperately needed to give these abandoned and unwanted dogs a happy home. more...

Community plans area for socials

Plans to create a wildlife-rich area of community open space in Great Coxwell, near Faringdon, have moved a step forward thanks to a £3,500 grant. more...

Fight over sewerage continues

A man who took the Vale of White Horse District Council to the High Court to get his backdated bill for sewerage charges scrapped has asked the local ombudsman and district auditor to investigate. more...

Chance to get on a bike and learn

Children and adults in Thame will be encouraged to get on their bikes at a community education centre. more...

Man faces fraud charges

A Lewknor man is one of six business people accused of conspiring to defraud the Prudential Assurance Company. more...

African trek aids school

Pensioner Tony Morrish put on his climbing boots to trek up Africa's highest mountain and raised £1,000 for Springfield School in Witney, which looks after children with physical and learning difficulties. more...

Gas alert at factory

The entire workforce of nearly 300 people were evacuated from a Witney factory because of a major gas leak. more...

Fears for rural post offices

West Oxfordshire district councillors fear many rural post offices face closure because of changes to the way benefits are paid. more...

Masterpieces on display

A number of English drawings and watercolours collected by a Wallingford man are now on show. more...

Workers put their oar in for movie

An Oxfordshire company is making the sea battles of Homer's Iliad come alive for a new film about Helen of Troy. more...

Show hits the road

Benson Village Hall will host the start of a four-venue Easter holiday roadshow put together by the Oxfordshire Association for Young People. more...

Church gets own dog collar

A "dog collar" has appeared around the 16th century spire of St Helen's church in Abingdon -- but it has nothing at all to do with the vicar, the Rev Michael Goode. more...

Alcoholic died during swim

An alcoholic drowned while swimming in the River Thames at Abingdon after a drinking binge, an inquest heard. more...

Cause of baby's death unknown

Specialists were unable to find out why a five-week-old baby boy died, an inquest heard. more...

Pupils thread the boards

A patchwork quilt formed the centrepiece for an Abingdon primary school's annual production. more...

Teenager hit by BMW

A teenager died from severe head injuries after walking in front of a car on the A34 near Oxford following a day of drinking in the city centre, an inquest heard. more...

Children see double killing

A man blasted a woman to death with a sawn-off shotgun in front of her two young children, before turning the gun on himself. more...

Sighs does matter

A magazine promoting Virgin Trains, owned by Kidlington-based tycoon Sir Richard Branson, went off the rails when it profiled Oxford -- confusing the city with arch-rival Cambridge. more...

Caribbean family rejects air fare

A Jamaican mother has taken Oxfordshire County Council to court for refusing to give her long-term housing and financial support, and instead offering her family a ticket back to the Caribbean. more...

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Stories for 05 April 2003

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