THE OXFORD PAPER Your guide for your
Thursday, February 15, 2018 No.79
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Out& About leisure time in & arou
nd Oxfordshire
Weekly leisure Join Rita Ora guide & Grace Jones for in & at Henley around Oxford
Bags of help to be given Special gift for Helen & 80s star gives support to Page 12 Douglas House Page 16 hospice walk Page 20 to homeless
Elvis Costello brings his army of fans to Blenheim
Gecko present the wedding with a twist at the Playhouse
Passengers could travel on Cowley line early next year Toby and Becky Eyre have some unique wedding photos after police sped through the photo shoot in pursuit of drug dealers
Here comes the bride... followed by the police WHEN it comes to gatecrashing, there can’t be many more unwanted guests than the police and drug dealers. But that’s exactly what newlyweds Toby and Becky Eyre had to contend with as they posed for pictures in Hinksey Park.
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“AMBITIOUS” plans to reopen the railway line in Cowley next year have moved a step closer. Oxford’s Cowley Branch Line is currently open to freight traffic serving the BMW plant, but plans to reopen the rail line to passenger services at two new stations could happen as early as 2019. Deputy Lord Mayor of Oxford Christine Simm said “people would welcome” the opening of the railway in Cowley and that “it’s a really good move”. She said: “Anything that improves connectivity in the city is excellent, so I’m very much in favour of it and think that it’s very exciting. “Maybe lots of people don’t realise that the line is still there, but it is and it can be brought into use.” Councillor Simm added that she did not know for certain what the impact on commuter traffic would be, but said “it could well help to ease congestion”. “It could take 10 minutes to get into the centre of town, which would be good because it takes longer than that now obviously and it’s good for people working on the business park as they can get in and out of town quicker.” Stations could be opened at Oxford Business Park and Oxford Science Park. Dan Williams, development director
for Oxford Business Park, said: “We have worked with Chiltern Railways since this project’s inception. “In our view, receiving the investment required would be a game changer for Oxford and deliver really powerful returns by creating a truly multi-modal travel framework for the city.” Piers Scrimshaw-Wright, managing director at Oxford Science Park, said he was “pleased” with the increased support for the line which he believes “will have a major impact on job creation and inward investment”. A government report published in November 2017 proposed opening the service to Cowley by next year before completion of the East-West Rail line connecting Oxford and Cambridge. The National Infrastructure Commission report said completion of the new rail service by 2030 was central to plans for creating vibrant new towns to ease the housing shortage. A spokesperson for Chiltern Railways said: “We welcome the proposals set out in the NIC report. “The timescales are ambitious, but we would be happy to work with the NIC, Network Rail and other relevant stakeholders to support delivery of passenger services on the Cowley line.” The station at Watlington Road, Cowley, closed to passenger services in 1969.
A high-speed chase cut through the middle of the wedding shoot on Saturday February 3 as police officers photobombed the otherwise traditional mementoes. Bystanders urged the couple and their photographers to get out of the way as officers pursued
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two men suspected of dealing Class A drugs. The good-natured coppers could be heard shouting “congratulations” to the happy couple from their car window as they sped past. Continued on page 3 Picture: Annie Crossman Photography
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