Olivia Christie

Oxford Mail: Digital Reporter

News Associates, Twickenham: Gold Standard NCTJ qualification

Oxford Mail •

Preschool evicted from premises leaving families without childcare

Rosehill Preschool was served an eviction notice in October last year, giving the nursery six months to leave the room they rented.

The preschool used a purpose-built room in the Little Pioneers building in Rosehill.

READ MORE: Botley Road delays caused by repairs for single customer

Little Pioneers is a childcare group that operates nurseries across the UK.

Rosehill Preschool was charity run and provided childcare for up to 16 children.

Rebecca Jedynowicz, manager of the nursery said: “The
Oxford Mail •

Commuters face days of misery with delays on Botley Road

Thames Water are currently carrying out repairs to a pipe on Botley Road near to St Frideswides Church.

The work, that is causing delays of up to 40 minutes, is being carried out for a single customer, the Oxford Mail can reveal.

READ MORE: Woman 'touched inappropriately' after stranger emerges from bushes

Traffic has been queuing back to the A34 and simultaneously causing lengthy delays for those trying to leave the city.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We responded to a report of no wat
Oxford Mail •

'Too harsh': Celebrity chef posh pub hits back at hygiene rating

The Greyhound in Peppard Common, near Henley, was given the score after an assessment on February 1, the Food Standards Agency's website shows.

The restaurant is owned by English restaurateur Antony Worrall Thompson.

READ MORE: Lorry driver death on A34 caused by 'loss of attention', inquest hears

He has appeared on TV's shows such as Ready Steady Cook and Saturday Kitchen, as well as the second series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

The restaurant has since hit back at the rating, sa
Oxford Mail •

Lorry driver death on A34 caused by 'loss of attention', inquest hears

Garry Chadwick, 56, from Dartford in Kent, was driving a scaffolding truck when the crash occurred at the Milton Interchange near Abingdon on August 30 last year.

His wife, Michelle, has described him as a loving husband, father grandfather, son and brother.

READ MORE: Council calls for LTN enforcement by automatic number plate recognition

The medical cause of death was stated as multiple injuries during the inquest.

The inquest heard that at around 8.40am, the lorry drifted towards the near
Oxford Mail •

Council responds to Clarkson's Farm coverage of planning meeting

The statement comes following scenes in season two of the Prime Video programme that show clashes between Jeremy Clarkson and the council.

The council rejected applications for a restaurant and new farm track at Diddly Squat Farm.

Read More: I watched Clarkson's Farm as a vegetarian and this is what I thought

You can read the full statement below:

A council spokesperson said: “The planning meeting shown in Clarkson’s Farm ran for well over an hour but was covered in a matter of minutes in th
Oxford Mail •

I watched Clarkson's Farm as a vegetarian and this is what I thought

And I’ve never really looked back.

Coincidentally, 2023 is also the year that the second season of Clarkson’s Farm came out and I won’t lie but I have always been a bit of a fan.

READ MORE: Thames Water apologies to Oxford residents for continued disruption

I think it probably comes from watching Top Gear as a kid but there’s something about Jeremy Clarkson that makes me laugh.

Unfortunately for me, Amazon’s hit show by no means shies away from the brutality of animal slaughter and it certai
Oxford Mail •

Triple death of young men in crash caused by fatigue, inquest hears

Lawrence Bruce, 20, Joseph Shape, 18, and Calum Leighton, 18, were in a black Ford Fiesta heading towards Swindon, when the car collided with a coach and a white Alfa Romeo near Faringdon on August 21, 2022.

All three men were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 10.20am.

READ MORE: Meet the football club transformed by Jeremy Clarkson

Mr Leighton, the driver of the vehicle, was found to have cocaine, ketamine, and cannabis in his system in a post-mortem toxicology report.

But it was i
Oxford Mail •

Elderly residents left without heating and hot water at Oxford park home site

Calor Gas has since apologised saying high demand and staff sickness were to blame.

Bayswater Mill in Headington is supplied by the company who are contracted to come and refill the tanks when they reach 10 per cent capacity.

READ MORE: Plans submitted for nearly 300 new homes in Oxford

But from February 17 to February 22, residents were left with either no gas or were forced to ration it, despite calls to the company to fix the problem.

Park homes do not have a permanent gas supply and are
Oxford Mail •

'Rivers are not public toilets': Wild swimmers hit out at Thames Water

There have been repeated sewage discharges in recent weeks, polluting the Thames in Oxford.

This has prevented people from swimming in the river and has raised concerns about the impact sewage is having on wildlife.

The Oxford Mail spoke to wild swimmers and councillors in Port Meadow to find out why the campaign is so important to them.

Kate Sheridan and Aeran Blood, wild swimmers from Oxford University, are disappointed that the current situation has been allowed to continue.

Oxford reside
Oxford Mail •

'Village is already full': Residents object to plans to build 80 homes

Spitfire Homes propose to build the properties in the village of Freeland on the Chapel Meadow site which is currently open countryside.

The development will also include a community shop and an allotment patch.

One concerned commenter, Jane Tomlinson, wrote on West Oxfordshire District Council’s public planning portal: “Freeland's population is 1,500.

READ MORE: Mourners gather in memory of murdered trans teenager

“A new estate of 80 houses plonked in a field would increase the size of the
Oxford Mail •

Parents in uproar as school installs cameras in student toilets

Matthew Arnold School in Oxford recently implemented the policy without consulting parents on the matter.

It is not illegal for schools to install cameras in the bathrooms, as long as they are not directed towards the cubicles.

But the issue has still sparked concerns among parents at the school.

One dad, who did not wish to be named, said: “My daughter is 14, and she is mortified at the thought that the school is monitoring her behaviour in the bathrooms.

READ MORE: 'Village is already full
Oxford Mail •

'Absolute waffle': Reaction to council statement on Diddly Squat Farm

West Oxfordshire District Council said on Tuesday that "Diddly Squat Farm must be treated like any other" after their clashes with Mr Clarkson appeared on season two of Clarkson’s Farm - a show currently being aired on Amazon Prime.

The council rejected several of Mr Clarkson’s planning applications to expand his Oxfordshire farm including a proposal for a car park.

Users on Twitter were particularly concerned that West Oxfordshire District Council were not supporting local farmers.

READ MORE
Oxford Mail •

Hop-on-Hop-off bus tour review: An alternative way to explore the city

Of course, it’s hard not to notice the big red buses touring the historic city, but as a way of visiting Oxford, this was not something I had considered.

Instead of trying to cram all the key sites in at once, the City Sightseeing Tour means you can see Oxford from above, and at your own pace.

So, when in my first week at the Oxford Mail we had the opportunity to give it a go, this seemed like a no-brainer.

And of course, it was a good excuse to get out the office and get to grips with the ci
South West Londoner •

Baby banks supporting families through cost-of-living crisis

Baby banks in south west London are facing unprecedented demand this winter as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

A baby bank operates just like a food bank but instead of food, they offer baby essentials such as nappies, clothes and buggies to families that need them.

There are currently 1.3 million children living in poverty in the UK and this figure is expected to rise to 5.2 million within the next two years.

Kate Moon, deputy head of operations for Little Village, a charity that mana
South West Londoner •

Clothes swapping event promotes sustainable fashion in Sutton

Over 100 people attended A Stitch to Wear’s latest clothes swapping event in Sutton on Saturday 14 January.

The events are based on the principle of ‘swapping not shopping’ and attendees are invited to bring up to 10 items of clothing that they can exchange for other pieces.

Each item is awarded points with higher points being given for items of better quality and value.

A Stitch to Wear has recently expanded their events to include homeware, handbags, books and children’s wear.

The events p
womenscompetitions.thefa.com •

From Hawaii to Hampshire for Moneyfields' Kau'inohea Taylor

From Hawaii to Hampshire for Moneyfields' Kau'inohea Taylor

The Division One South West side's new striker has travelled the world to find her place

Kau’inohea Taylor has swapped the golden beaches of Hawaii for the English coastline but the move has done wonders for her football career.



Taylor joined Division One South West side Moneyfields this summer from fellow Hampshire club Eastleigh.



Before then, the 24-year-old went from a town with a population of 10,000 who had little inte

Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands

We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands.

By clicking ‘Accept all’ you agree that Yahoo and our partners will process your personal information, and use technologies such as cookies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights, and product development.

The personal information that may be used
• Information about your device and internet connection, like your IP address
• Browsing and search activity while using Yahoo websites and apps

C

Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands

We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands.

By clicking ‘Accept all’ you agree that Yahoo and our partners will process your personal information, and use technologies such as cookies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights, and product development.

The personal information that may be used
• Information about your device and internet connection, like your IP address
• Browsing and search activity while using Yahoo websites and apps

C

PADEL

Padel is one of the UK’s fastest growing sports.

It is often described as a mix between tennis and squash and is played on an enclosed court roughly 25 percent smaller than a normal tennis court.

Padel is fast-paced and the ball can be played off the walls like in squash.

This leads to long, exciting rallies and even in some professional competitions the possibility of running outside of the court to get the ball back in play!

The speed of the game makes singles play difficult and hence most
Netball Super League •

Loughborough Lightning add Nicholls and Johnson as training partners

Nicholls left Lightning last year for Wasps Netball but will now re-join the club following the departure of the Coventry-based side from the league.

Head coach Vic Burgess has welcomed the return of the 31-year-old who has made over 75 appearances for Lightning and was also part of their title-winning side in 2021.

“Lauren has been part of the Lightning family for a long time,” she said.

“It was an easy decision to include her as a training partner for the 2023 season as she is a great team
Ealing Times •

Critchley relishing first match in charge of QPR

Neil Critchley has promised QPR fans they will have an attacking side to watch ahead of the first game of his tenure at Preston on Saturday.

Critchley took over as head coach last Sunday, giving him less than a week to get his team in shape for the game.

QPR are looking for their first win in four Championship games and were well beaten 3-0 by Burnley last time out.

“We may not be in a great moment now but there is no doubting the quality of the squad,” said Critchley.

“You have to remind th
South West Londoner •

WSL attendance rates soar after Euros boost

Attendance rates at Women’s Super League (WSL) games have soared this season following England’s Euros triumph in July.

WSL average attendance is currently at 7,230 which is more than double the previous record of 3,016 set in 2019/20, and in seasons prior to that, crowd averages rarely topped 1,000.

The spike two years ago was a result of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, but WSL attendance rates dropped in 2020/21 after the coronavirus pandemic forced games behind closed doors.

Chester Bates, a m
Sports Journalists' Association •

#SJA2022: Hewett honoured with Bill McGowran Trophy after rollercoaster year

Alfie Hewett said he is honoured to be able to put disability sport on the map as he collected his SJA award for male para-athlete of the year at the 2022 British Sports Awards.

It has been a remarkable year for the Bill McGowran Trophy winner, who walks away from 2022 with two Grand Slam doubles titles and the US Open singles crown.

Hewett also helped propel wheelchair tennis into the media spotlight when he reached the singles final of Wimbledon in July.

He said: “I’m very excited to be her
Ealing Times •

Kilkeel sailing star McIlwaine has sights set on European competition

Kilkeel sailing star Erin McIlwaine is hoping to know the Portuguese coastline like the back of her hand as she sets her sights on the European Championships.

The 18-year-old races for Ireland in the 49er class with Ellie Cunnane and is set to embark on a busy spell of winter training in Vilamoura, the venue which will host October’s competition, from St Stephen’s Day.

With World Championships at senior and junior level also on the horizon in a busy 2023, McIlwaine wants to enter the new year
Load More