Category: Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Those of us who date from Before Computers have to learn fast, for unseen watchers know what we have bought on line and what our interests may be. For instance, on Facebook I am frequently offered various aids to living at my stage in life. Arthritis treatments or catheters for example. On the plus side, however, sometimes an advertisement appears for a dating service. And equity release features often.

On the phone I have always tried to be considerate to cold callers. They are only trying to earn a living. But they seem very persistent at the moment. It?s not fun for anyone to be rejected and I try to resist these callers? approaches courteously rather than angrily. However for the caller it is a rebuff however it is expressed.

Some callers may not be so innocent, for instance those who claim to have spotted a fault in my computer and, if I will give him all my details they will put it right for me. Beware. I have an old ‘Before Computers’ friend who was conned for a lot of money by one of these people.

My wife has turned the tables on these folk by saying: ?Oh thank you for ringing. I can see you on my screen as you speak?. Phoney caller retreats?

This morning my patience was tempted when a young woman rang to ask me point blank: ?Do you find it more difficult to get in or to get out of the bath??

I told her, patiently, that I did not wish to take part in the questioning. Then I put the phone down.

Then I thought of the perfect answer: ?Depends how big the bath is and who else is in it.? Luckily for me I had put the phone down.

Norman Brand
Thame

Dear Editor, My wife and I are very grateful to the staff and customers of Soundbyte Response of Wellington Street (Thame) who rallied to push my battery-dead car back into life last Friday night.

This after they had restored order and sense to my zany computer. We’d have been stuck without their help and that of some their customers. The car park was dark and deserted and we are old, and it would have been a difficult place for a rescue service to find.

Guardian angels indeed.

Norman Brand
Thame

DEAR Editor, on 25/09/2012, I sent the following letter to Thame Town Councillors. To date I have not received any replies:

Dear Councillor,

I?m writing about a matter that gives me real concern.
On Wednesday 19/09/2012, I attended an open meeting at the Town Hall where it was established that a vital part of the consultation process for the Thame Town Plan (the Plan) was not an open and democratic process. Decisions were made at closed, unpublicised meetings where only a few selected groups were invited and all other groups who also had an interest in the Plan were excluded from this crucial process. Not even the minutes of these meetings could be found openly on the Thame Town Council website.

This was to me a shocking revelation.

Part of the excuse for spending thousands of pounds of Thame rate payers? money on consultant?s fees was that the SODC?s plan for our area was not arrived at via a democratic process. Ironically we now have a plan presented to us as ?Thame?s preferred option? which has been devised under even less democratic circumstances than SODC?s plan.

What I found even more disappointing was that of the six or seven councillors and representatives of the council present, not one could defend this underhand and undemocratic process nor offer an apology to the citizens of Thame, or to those present at the meeting, for TTC?s shortcomings.

I now call on you and your fellow councillors to find a way to put this injustice to rights.

I await your response.

Yours sincerely
Oliver Dyroff

PS The above text was sent to each individual councillor via the TTC website?s Contact Form. However this method of contacting our Councillors seems to have failed on a grand scale.

Dear Editor, I’ve been trying to catch up on the situation relating to the Thame Neighbourhod Plan and was perplexed for some time with an alphabet soup of proposed sites – A… F.. D… B…C etc. Have I left one out? I remember the original proposals and attended two meetings but I found today that I had to hunt for the key to these areas, as I had forgotten the details.

This is not a criticism of the Thame Council’s information service. There’s a welter of stuff to deal with. Anyway, here’s a reference if anyone else has the problem I did: /www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk See pages 18 -21 . I’m not entirely sure now that I’ve found the latest version of the proposed sites. I’m happy to be corrected, even to be regarded as a bit dim. I gather people’s views have to be submitted by October 3.

I hope to send in mine but for the purpose of this letter, I would venture to say that if the natural boundary of the by-pass is breached by building housing on its eastern side, that could be the thin end of a very large wedge, extending towards Towersey and Princes Risborough. I should perhaps declare an interest because of where I live, but I think that concern would be with me wherever I lived in Thame.

Norman Brand
Thame resident

Dear Editor, Following last Wednesday’s Thame Neighbourhood Plan, public Topic group meeting at the town hall, I would like to make the following comments:

My main concern was about the secret meetings about the various site options for new housing. It is my belief that the Residents Associations who WERE invited to the meetings, were not a true balance of the community to make observations as to where the housing was best suited, and also that housing isn?t the full issue as it also involves footpaths, parking, employment, shopping etc. I felt the Residents Associations were purely ensuring NIMBYism.

I am also bothered by the planned presentations of possible developers as I fear ‘Jo Public’ will think they have already got Planning Permissions and that their proposals are a fait accompli.

My one other concern about the Draft Neighbourhood Plan, which I have already raised, is the last-minute thought that the Town Council has to provide burial space somewhere in the town, and that it is suggesting that it goes somewhere up near Thame Park Road or in that area of the Town. This is nonsense as, unless they also build a Chapel which is unlikely, funerals will take place in the Parish Church, St Josephs or Christ Church and then have to either go through the town or around the ring road for burial. This is just not on as regardless of whether people have any sense of ?religion? of any sort they still usually feel a need to go into the Church, both at the time and for some time afterwards.

We often find people come in to St Mary?s Church just to sit and be quite and reflect. I think they get a real comfort from that. The Council really needs to identify somewhere at the Parish Church end of the Town. It?s no good once they have started to put houses on a site because they won?t be able to pull them down again.

Rosalie Gibson
Thame Resident

CRITICISM has been levelled at the company which runs Thame Leisure Centre, after an elderly audience member had to be treated by paramedics during a concert there.

The following Letter to the Editor, from a Committee Member of the the concert organisers, Lord Williams’s Festival Chorus, was received today:

Dear Editor,

I am writing to complain about the recently applied policy which forbids the staff of NEXUS Leisure Centre in Thame from opening the back doors of their large Sports Hall.

Yesterday Thame played host to what should have been a hugely entertaining, proud and enjoyable event. Lord Williams’s Festival Chorus, a local choir with over one hundred members had been very excited to be one of the first amateur choirs to be permitted to sing the latest Karl Jenkins’ piece, The Peacemakers. Led in our performance by John Gibbons, the chair of the British Music Society, weeks of practice had gone into our preparation. Supporting us in the performance were Russian soprano, Anna Gorbachyova and Ealing Symphony Orchestra.

Our day of rehearsal and evening was almost completely ruined by the sweltering temperatures and stifling heat (on a mild July day) because of some ridiculous rule about the rear doors being left closed at all times. Refunds had to be given at the interval, five members of the audience left early and a paramedic had to be called to assist an elderly member of the audience at the end of the evening.

After years of being able to open these doors with no detrimental effect from taking such sensible action, we are absolutely stunned that it is considered wise ‘Health and Safety’ action to insist on fresh air being restricted into the building. The staff in the centre are adamant that the ruling has come from South Oxfordshire District Council. I would urge you to look into this – we were at a musical event on a mild evening; what on earth would have happened at a sporting event on a hot night?

This event should have made our choir and town truly proud of its achievements and ability to attract such renowned talent. Instead I was embarrassed at our complete inability to be reasonable and decent hosts.

I am not alone in feeling this way and look forward to understanding the view taken by Thame News and its readers, some of whom may also have had recent experience of this latest example of common sense gone mad.

Yours sincerely

Julia Greenhough

Committee Member
Lord Williams’s Festival Chorus

Dear Editor

I?ve lost a silver bracelet. It may or may not have been lost in Thame. I?ve called the places I visited on the day that I think I lost it, but to no avail.

If anyone thinks they may have found my bracelet, please could they contact me via: editor@thamenews.net

Kind regards
Helen.

Dear Editor

I?ve lost a silver bracelet. It may or may not have been lost in Thame. I?ve called the places I visited on the day that I think I lost it, but to no avail.

If anyone thinks they may have found my bracelet, please could they contact me via: editor@thamenews.net

Kind regards
Helen.

Dear Editor, I would of thought by now we would have seen at least one resignation and a public apology to the people of Thame from the Town Council. Their appalling and unacceptable excuse for not organising any sort of official Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in the Town is nothing short of scandalous, it is their job. Heavens knows the Town Hall has more paid staff than your average size small business. Was it totally beyond the minds of our civic leaders to think of combining the annual Thame Carnival with the Jubilee weekend?

A few months ago we learned that the Town Council refused to fly the English flag of St George outside our civic building and now this. Why don’t they just hang a large portrait of Che Guevara outside the Town Hall and be done with it, and also re-brand the building “Shame Town Hall” whilst their at it!

Yours, a thoroughly disgusted Thame resident.

T. West.
Wellington Street
Thame

Dear Editor, I would of thought by now we would have seen at least one resignation and a public apology to the people of Thame from the Town Council. Their appalling and unacceptable excuse for not organising any sort of official Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in the Town is nothing short of scandalous, it is their job. Heavens knows the Town Hall has more paid staff than your average size small business. Was it totally beyond the minds of our civic leaders to think of combining the annual Thame Carnival with the Jubilee weekend?

A few months ago we learned that the Town Council refused to fly the English flag of St George outside our civic building and now this. Why don’t they just hang a large portrait of Che Guevara outside the Town Hall and be done with it, and also re-brand the building “Shame Town Hall” whilst their at it!

Yours, a thoroughly disgusted Thame resident.

T. West.
Wellington Street
Thame