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1 month ago | 
yahoo.com | Galya Dimitrova |Ethan Gudge
Two men have been arrested after a Paddington Bear statue was damaged and stolen from a bench, police have said. The sculpture was taken from his seat in Northbrook Street, Newbury, at about 02:00 GMT Sunday morning, according to Thames Valley Police. The force said on Sunday evening it had recovered the statue, adding that Paddington was "heading to Newbury police station for a much-needed marmalade sandwich".
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2 months ago | 
yahoo.com | Galya Dimitrova |Eleanor Busby
William Hague has been formally inaugurated as Oxford University chancellor. Lord Hague became the 160th recorded chancellor in the University's history and succeeds Lord Patten of Barnes, who announced his retirement from the post in February 2024. The ceremony took place in front of hundreds of attendees in the Sheldonian theatre in Oxford. During the admission ceremony, Lord Hague vowed to champion free speech and warned against "comfort blankets of cancellation".
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Jan 12, 2025 | 
yahoo.com | Galya Dimitrova
An Oxfordshire wildlife group has started a campaign to raise awareness of red kites and encourage people to stop feeding them. Mike Acreman, trustee of Wild About Wallingford, said there had been "a change in the behaviour" of some of the birds which were now associating people with food. He said there had been reports of kites sweeping closer to people and even affecting pets. Mr Acreman said the campaign aimed to promote "how wonderful kites are" but also to "manage interactions with wildlife".
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Nov 19, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Galya Dimitrova
Farmers across the south of England are calling for change after it was announced in the Autumn Budget that some farms will be charged inheritance tax. It is thought between 10,000 and 40,000 people will attend a protest in London later - the biggest yet over the government's domestic policy agenda. Karl Franklin, a farmer in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, said it had taken "food production and food security for granted".
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Galya Dimitrova
A train operator has warned passengers there will be no trains between Reading and London Paddington on Sunday. Great Western Railway (GWR) said it was to allow for works on the new HS2 station at Old Oak Common in London, as well as Network Rail improvements to track, signals and overhead wires between Reading and Paddington. Customers have been advised to travel on Saturday or Monday instead if possible.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Galya Dimitrova
When a farmer came across human remains while digging in his garden in a village in France in 2013, little did he know that he had discovered the body of a World War One soldier and descendant of poet William Wordsworth. Artefacts such as a scrap of uniform, a pocket watch and a whistle were found with the body and used to help identify the soldier. They led historians to the discovery that he was in fact Lt Osmond Bartle Wordsworth from the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.
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Nov 7, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Galya Dimitrova
The sparrowhawk, believed to be male due to its "great yellow eyes" and colouring, flew in through an open window [Helen Dodd]A couple have shared memories of their "rare and unlikely" journey with a sparrowhawk after it flew into their car. Richard and Helen Dodd, from Oxford, were driving past Bury Knowle Park in July when they heard "a sudden bang". A few minutes later they realised there was "a young male sparrowhawk hopping around" at the back of the vehicle, they told BBC Radio Oxford.
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Nov 5, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Galya Dimitrova
The picture shows an armed nomad bee holding on to a plant [Luke Chambers]A shot that captures a rare bee has been crowned the winner of a wildlife photography contest. The extreme close-up of an armed nomad bee won first prize in the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) 2024 Photography Competition. It was taken by Luke Chambers at BBOWT’s Dry Sandford Pit reserve near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Mr Chambers said he had taken about 10 frames to achieve the desired detail.
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Nov 1, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Galya Dimitrova
Two train operators are warning commuters of disruption due to engineering work over the weekend. Great Western Railway (GWR) has advised services between London Paddington, Bristol and South Wales will not stop at Didcot Parkway on Sunday. As a result Chiltern Railways said its services between London Marylebone and Oxford "are likely to be busier than usual". The operator said operational challenges also meant customers should check before they travel from Friday until Sunday.
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Oct 30, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Galya Dimitrova
The Autumnwatch team may have observed "the highest population of badgers anywhere ever recorded", presenter Chris Packham has said. The animals were tracked in the dark during last night's episode broadcast from Wytham Great Wood near Oxford. The team relied on thermal cameras that see the creatures' body heat. Mr Packham said there were about 250 adult animals in about 20 social groups, with 1,000 holes to emerge on the wood's grounds.
