News Blog
Welcome to the Heart Oxfordshire News Blog.
This is where we the journalists get to talk about what we've been up to and some of the experiences we've had chasing stories for Heart in Oxfordshire.
John Stratford - Friday 28 May
This time last year I had never had the chance to go to a film premiere but in a matter of months I seem to have been caught up in two!
I had to go to London yesterday for a meeting at Heart's head office and came out to find thousands of people crammed into Leicester Square for the premiere of Sex And The City 2. I would like to have said I stayed around to do some celeb-spotting but I'm afraid I was tired and could do little more than head for the train station.
Back in December, I was also lucky enough to go and see the premiere of the movie shot last year in Kingston Bagpuize near Abingdon. 'Tortoise In Love' is due to hit cinemas at some point over the next few months, and we will of course let you know when on Heart.
Alas, that wasn't a Leicester Square premiere (although one is planned when it comes out properly) - instead the premiere was at the Vue cinema near Oxford United's Kassam Stadium.
When it comes out, watch out for the Heart Angels, who were at the village fete when filming took place last summer!
Tortoise In Love on the Internet Movie Database
John Stratford - Monday 17 May
Oh my God - I can't believe they've done it!
All the way through the time I've worked in Oxford, the city's football team have languished in a division they feel they haven't belonged in. All this is about to change. Oxford United are going up!
Even if you're not into football, this is, I think, a real moment to celebrate. A moment for the whole of Oxfordshire to say well done lads and hope for big things in League Two!
I joined this radio station just a couple of weeks after Oxford were relegated into the Conference in 2006 and over the last four years we've seen so many oh-so-nearly seasons where the Us have come very close but not quite done it!
It's great to know the Yellows are moving on up!
Lindsay Brown - Saturday 24 April
With the marathon taking place in London tomorrow, I'm feeling more inspired to put my own trainers on and go for a run. Especially when I read about this new craze of 'Flunning'. It's taking the words 'running' and 'flirting', and puts them together. It's a bit like what they did when smokers were sent outside pubs for their bad habit and they called it 'smirting'... but the healthier version. As a non-smoker I have to admit I was a bit jealous I couldn't take part in 'smirting', but now I can do a bit of 'flunning'. Although I can't imagine meeting the love of my life when running around Christchurch Meadows looking red faced, puffed out and sweating profusley.
But next week, we'll be reporting on new running groups set up for ladies like me, who don't enjoy running much, especially on my own. Listen on Monday to find out how a new group will make sure running is actually fun, sociable and safe for us girls.
In the meantime, I'll be at the marathon tomorrow cheering on various friends running in it with a pint of cider in hand.
John Stratford - Wednesday 21 April
Over the last few days, I've been counting my chickens that the volcanic ash cloud problems didn't happen two months earlier.
That was the last time I flew, and for a week I was 2,000 miles away from Blighty on one of the Canary Islands. I'm sure getting home from there by sea and land would have probably taken me until now!
It's been strange how the whole volcanic ash cloud story blew up (if you'll pardon the pun) from a small mention in our bulletin at 5am last Thursday morning, to a massive one with far-reaching consequences! I think we'll still be talking about the crisis for months to come!
All the candidates standing in the General Election have now been declared, so on this website you can check out the full list of who's standing near you.
John Stratford - Wednesday 14 April
Well, it's very nearly here. I got my polling card in the post the other day, which must surely mean the Election is just around the corner.
This will be the third General Election at which I've been entitled to vote, and strangely enough I've lived in a different place for all three - I was a resident of the Cities of London and Westminster constituency in 2001, and then in Newbury in 2005. This time round, I have the chance to have my say in the Banbury constituency.
In other news, I'm really excited about going to see Ricky Gervais' new film 'Cemetery Junction' which features scenes shot in Woodstock. I've already spotted the High Street in the trailer! Thanks to 'The Office', 'Extras', 'Fame', 'Animals' and 'Science', Ricky is becoming a bit of an icon for me.
Watch the Cemetery Junction trailer
Lindsay Brown - Saturday 10 April
After the election was announced on Tuesday, I decided to find out where I was registered to vote. I've moved quite a bit in the last few years so wasn't quite sure - Cardiff, London, Leeds or Brighton? But I'm not moving into my new place til the 7th May, so can't register here. One day after the election - how annoying!
The electoral office in Oxford didn't have a clue, neither did any of the others I rang. One even suggested I was homeless! Although not having a permanent abode til May, I guess I am kind of homeless. So in the end I registered at my parents house, which is in Sussex. It seems a little bit silly to be voting where I no longer live, but I guess it's better to vote somewhere than to not vote at all!
We've been busy compliling an 2010 election guide for our listeners, with all the info you need to find out how to register, how and where to vote, and some info on previous elections across Oxfordshire. Look out for it on the newspages next week!
Also Happy 50th Birthday to Chipping Norton resident Jeremy Clarkson. Apparently he's got a big do planned at his home this weekend. I'm guessing my invite got lost in the post, or maybe even burnt in the arson attack on the Banbury post box?!
Lindsay Brown - Monday 4 April
It's only been two weeks since I started here at Heart and I'm already feeling a strong affiliation to Oxford. I went to watch the boat race in Putney at the weekend but in rivals Cambridge's enclosure. I felt a bit like a traitor but made sure my Oxford cries were heard, much to the disgust of the Cambridge old boys! My friend's band were playing which is why I was in Cambridge section, but it was a good thing they were there to entertain us throughout the afternoon - dancing kept us warm in the cool April sunshine! We had a really good view from the starting line but it only lasted about 6 seconds as both teams whizzed past!
My housemate went to the goat race where Oxford also lost! I think it was even quicker than the boat race!
And after weeks of searching, we've finally got a house to move into! There aren't many houses in Oxford to rent, so we were really lucky to find such a nice one near the centre of town. We'll be doing a report on the lack of housing this week in Oxfordshire, so make sure you listen in! It's shocking the amount of people looking for homes, compared to the number available.
John Stratford - Sunday 28 March
Our congratulations and best wishes go to Samantha and David Cameron, after they announced they're expecting their fourth child in September.
Camerons expecting fourth child
I have to say, I am now wishing I had put money on Samantha getting pregnant before the General Election - something I predicted in December, and something I made a point of telling people through the media of Twitter and Facebook!
It's because Tory leader and Witney MP, Mr D.C., had made several comments on how he would probably like to have more children. On meeting a nine-hour old baby in December, he said it made him want another!
If David is elected Prime Minister at the General Election though, we don't envy him the task of the early morning feeds at the same time as having to run the country!
My latest prediction is the date of the General Election will be announced on 6 April on which I have a £10 bet with Heart Oxfordshire Programme Controller Mark Sadler! I'm certain he's the one who'll be coughing up for our charity Have A Heart!
John Stratford - Thursday 11 March
I have to admit to have been cyberslacking a bit this morning. The reason is the new and expanded Google StreetView.
It means a year after 360-degree images of all of Oxford's streets went online, you can now walk down all the UK's public roads without leaving your PC.
I have had fun looking up my house in Bicester, but the funniest thing is that my parents were clearly doing the gardening when the StreetView camera car came round because the front door is open and there's a lawn mower, a rake and a garden waste bin on the front lawn!
Find out more about the expanded StreetView
I've also had another one of those moments where I've suddenly been affected by something we've reported on weeks earlier, a bit like my food waste recycling moment, below.
I've had my new council tax bill through, and lo and behold - after we told you Oxfordshire County Council would be putting up average annual bills by £30, my own charges are most certainly going up!!
John Stratford - Wednesday 3 March
I really shouldn't be this excited about the fact I got home yesterday afternoon to find a brown plastic box sitting on my doorstep.
It's my new food waste kitchen caddy, so I'm now all set for the start of food waste collections in Bicester.
Why am I so excited? I think it's just because we've been talking about these leftover-recycling schemes for so many months now as they've been rolled out across Oxfordshire - it's nice to actually feel as if I'm now personally part of all that!
In case you don't know, the idea is you put your leftovers in the caddy and then when it's full, empty it into your garden waste bin to be taken away for composting. That way, the leftover food doesn't end up in landfill sites, producing the powerful greenhouse gas methane.
That's the system in Cherwell - similar schemes are already running in Oxford and South Oxfordshire, and other parts of the county are due to start their own projects in the coming months.
You may have noticed the blog has had a bit of an overhaul - we've also been a bit quiet lately but we promise we'll be writing more in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back soon!