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Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

  • An Audience with Nigel Farage

    ON the day that the  UK Independence Party has won its first seat in the UK House of Commons, Thame Players Theatre has today revealed that the party’s leader, Nigel Farage, will be coming to the town to present his own story, in An Audience with Nigel Farage at the Players Theatre in Nelson Street, Thame, on Sunday, November 2.

    Nigel Farage
    Nigel Farage

    The show has been described as “sometimes hilarious and often terrifying encounters with a stellar supporting cast, including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Robert Kilroy-Silk, told with Farage’s customary wit.”

    Tickets are £18 each, and are going fast – including apparently a block of 20 already sold to a, so far unnamed, Thame Town Councillor.

    Visit: http://thameplayers.co.uk/an-audience-with-nigel-farage/ for more information.

  • ‘Think before you dial 999 during ambulance strike’

    SOUTH Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust’s (SCAS) unions, Unison, Unite and GMB are to strike for four hours on Monday, October 13, between 7am – 11am.

    ambulance (400x226)A spokesperson for SCAS said: “We recognise the right of our employees to strike but we need to maintain an essential service to the public, and in light of this action we are working closely with all our staff, partners and the public to help us reduce demand on our services. This will help us to continue to protect our patients and achieve an adequate and safe level of 999, 111 and PTS cover.

    “Contingency plans are being put in place to mitigate any adverse effects of the strike action and ensure the safety of our patients. We are working closely with our unions to
    deliver patient care that is not compromised across our emergency and non-emergency services. We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and take appropriate action.

    “We would like to remind the public to use our services appropriately and only call 999 if absolutely essential. If you are suffering an injury or illness which is non-life threatening, there are other avenues of care available to you, you could:

     Visit your local pharmacy
     Contact your GP or out of hours GP
     NHS111
     Walk in centres and Minor Injuries Units
     Access NHS Choices online to check your symptoms and find your nearest service.

    Watch ‘999 South Central’ at http://www.southcentralambulance.nhs.uk/campaigns/wearealifeline.ashx think before you dial, Misuse Costs Lives.

  • Moped stolen from Thame property

    THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a theft of vehicle in Thame.

    Thames Valley Police Alert
    Thames Valley Police Alert

    Between 8.30am and 5.20pm Thursday (09/10) offender(s) stole a moped from the front of a property in Grenville Way, Thame.

    If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message please call the police on 101.

    Alternatively if you have any information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

  • Appeal for witnesses to attempt to endanger safety of an aircraft

    THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses to an attempt to endanger the safety of an aircraft flying over the Chinnor area.

    Image Courtesy of Federal Aviation Administration - for illustrative purposes only
    Image Courtesy of Federal Aviation Administration – for illustrative purposes only

    Just after 10.30pm on Monday (6/10) someone shone a continuous green light from a point in Henton, Oxfordshire at a Boeing 747 flying at 15,000ft.

    Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Constable George Atkinson via the Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 101.

    If you don’t want to speak directly to the police,n you can contact the independent charity, Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

    Join here on www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk/ (opens new window) to receive local crime and safety messages.

    WHY is shining even a thin laser type pen light into the sky dangerous?  http://www.laserpointersafety.com/laser-hazards_aircraft/laser-hazards_aircraft.html

  • Under 15s squash champ inspires others

    RACQUETS Fitness Centre in Thame, has a habit of producing young, quality squash players and coaches and one of their younger proteges, Nick Harbour, the new, Under 15s Oxfordshire Junior Closed squash champion, is helping pass on his experience and skills to younger players.  

    15 year-old Nick Harbour
    15 year-old Nick Harbour

    Nick,  who won the event on  September 27/28,  at Abingdon Squash Club winning above 14 other boys from our county,  helps Coaches, Roger Ridler and Sue Martin-Downhill on Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays to teach the younger children of Thame and surrounding villages. Sue said: “Nick’s passion for the game is evident every time he is seen on court,  especially when practicing on his own.

    “With the help of Nick we have plenty of new keen players who are learning the craft of squash ready to join the tournament trail in the hope of one day following in the Englishman Nick Matthews footsteps of becoming World Champion. Ollie Coulcher-Porter is just one of these who made great progress in the County Championships Under 11s this year.”

    Nick, along with Ben Hedger who won the Under 17s age group, plays for the adult men’s teams at Racquets Fitness Centre, playing in the Oxfordshire Inter-club leagues and plays  for the Oxfordshire county in the Inter-county junior championships.

    Simon Martin, one of Nick’s coaches, added: “‘Nick is a very natural squash player who stays very calm when playing competitively but is a determined competitor. It is fantastic that he is happy to help the other children learn the game and that he is giving back to the sport so early in his career.”

    Racquets has plenty of opportunities for adults and children alike to begin playing the game,  including half term squash camps during the October half term.

  • Validity of Neighbourhood Plan questioned

    Dear Editor, The (Town) Council says that a reason is required to justify making any change to the Town (Ed. Neighbourhood) Plan but several reasons already exist.

    To start with, there is a conflict in the adopted plan, which gives an undertaking to protect existing open space, but then allocates housing development to Elms Field, an existing open space within the conservation area.

    Then also the validity of the adopted plan is in doubt since it was passed to referendum by Councillors who were give three pieces of incorrect information before they were invited to vote the plan through. This false information is a matter of record, via the minutes of the Council meeting held on the November 20, 2012. The only question is who made the incorrect statements recorded in those minutes?

    Also, in the final circular by the plan’s working group to all residents, there was an absence of essential information on where the Plan proposed housing was to go. Location was , after all, the main purpose of the plan in the first place. The same circular instructed residents to vote “Yes” and said that that there was no point in voting “No” because we were going to get 775 houses anyway. The number was not the issue. Where to build was the issue so people were misdirected.

    Finally, In the final Neighbourhood Plan, the Regulation 14 statement includes a list of the statutory Consultees but absolutely no details of any responses gained from them. This is in direct contradiction to the guidelines set out to create a neighbourhood plan.

    Constituents might be reminded that Cllr Dyer, who lead the working group which produced the Plan, continues to repeat his mantra to the effect that, had Elms Field not been allocated housing in the plan, it could have come forward as a windfall site. Cllr. Dyer and his cohorts refuse to see the obvious nonsense of this. The fact is that, being in the plan severely restricts the SODC Planning Authority to examine the site for suitability; which is the normal first step on any planning application. They cannot refuse development on the site, only deal with matters of scale, design and possibly numbers.

    On the other hand , if The Elms was to come up as a windfall site,  SODC Planning’s powers are restored and they can find against development on the basis of the sites unsuitability, as an important open space within the conservation area.

    It is a fact also that there is plenty of room on the other designated sites and the Council has already decided where these 45 houses can go, if they are taken off Elms Field.

    Why does the town council refuse to act on a matter where a substantial number of residents have clearly expressed an opinion against development on Elms field to their Councillors, who are supposed to be acting on behalf of their constituents?

    Peter Webb
    Upper High Street
    THAME

  • M40 crash appeal after ‘road rage’

    THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a road traffic collision on the M40 motorway in Oxfordshire, on Friday.

    police-large (400x267)At 10.20pm on Friday (3/10), a woman aged in her twenties, was driving a silver Vauxhall Astra near junction 7 seven of the northbound carriageway, when she was involved in a collision following a road rage incident.

    The Vauxhall Astra left the carriageway and the woman sustained minor injuries. She was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital and was released the following day.

    The other vehicle involved in the collision, a blue Nissan Micra, failed to stop following the incident. The driver has been traced by police however officers are keen to speak to another motorist who was overtaken by both vehicles immediately prior to the incident. No further details of this motorist or the vehicle are currently available.

    Investigating officer PC Andrew Mott, from the Joint Operaitons Unit for Roads Policing, said: “I would like to speak to a motorist who was overtaken by a blue Nissan Micra and a silver Vauxhall Astra at this time on Friday. I am keen to trace this driver as they may have information which would assist the investigation.

    “If you believe this may be you, please call the 24-hour Thames Valley Police enquiry centre on 101.”

    If you don’t want to speak directly to the police, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers (opens new window) anonymously on 0800 555 111 No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

  • Crime update from Neighbourhood Policing team

    THE latest neighbourhood update from PCSO Isobel Hignell, the newest member of the local Neighbourhood Policing team, is now available, covering incidents of note and operations in the Thame Sector. It includes advice about Halloween and reporting Anti Social Behaviour, and actions to take to prevent your shed from being broken into. Here’s an extract:

    PCSO Isobel Hignell
    PCSO Isobel Hignell

    Local events

    During the last month there have been lots of exciting events in the area including Thame Show, Thame Fair and the Food Festival. These events have brought thousands of new and local visitors to the town, all of who helped make the events a success. No significant crimes or issues were reported during the events. The local police officers and PCSOs used the mobile police station as a focus point and signed people up to the Thames Valley Alert scheme which notifies members of the public of crimes which have, or are being committed in their local town.

    Halloween

    With Halloween approaching fast, we would encourage you to report any incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) to us by calling the police non-emergency number 101. We will be conducting high visibility patrols on the night, and the days leading up to Halloween, and will ensure that we deal with any incidents of ASB robustly.

    Burglaries

    Please secure your sheds, outbuildings and equipment as burglaries have continued. We recommend that you fit a strong pad-bar or hasp and staple with a close shackle padlock. Also consider fitting an alarm. Inexpensive battery powered shed alarms are available and easy to fit. Please secure property inside your shed/outbuilding by chaining bicycles and machinery to an anchor point.

    Property marking

    We encourage property marking, both as a deterrent to thieves, and a means for us to return goods if they are recovered or handed in to us. Discovering marked property and identifying the owners can play a major part in a successful prosecution. One property marking option we advocate is SmartWater.

    You can see the whole of PCSO Hignell’s report here: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh/yournh-tvp-pol-area/yournh-tvp-pol-area-soxon-vowh/pub-pg-nh-upds-N380?id=292151 and don’t forget, she’s new to Thame and would love you stop and stay ‘hello’ and talk to her about any concerns you may have.

  • A Night at the Cinema – part of the TAL Festival

    AS part of the Thame Arts and Literature Festival, Thame Cinema 4 All will be showing several films, and tickets are still available for three of them.

    From the film: In Secret
    From the film: In Secret

    In Secret,  an adaptation of the Emile Zola classic Thérèse Raquin, directed by Charlie Stratton, will be shown on Saturday, October 18, at 8pm;  A Night at the Cinema in 1914,  – a new archival compilation of film from the British Film Institute, on Sunday, October 19, at 10.30am and The Grand Budapest Hotel will be shown on Sunday, October 19, at 7pm.

    Full details of these and other events in and around Thame came be found here: https://www.thame.net/events

     

     

  • Make a splash for charity

    MORE and more teams from organisations, clubs and groups are signing up for the third Thame Rotary Swimathon at Thame Leisure Centre, but there’s still time for more swimmers to get involved and help raise funds for their own causes and for other charities.

    Thame Swimathon volunteers from Rotary Club of Thame and Inner Wheel - Photo: Nick White
    Thame Swimathon volunteers from Rotary Club of Thame and Inner Wheel – Photo: Nick White

    The Thame Swimathon is organised by the Rotary Club of Thame which this year takes place on Sunday, October 12, between 10am and 2pm, and is being made possible by the support of local companies: Better (Thame Leisure Centre), Park Street Dental Clinic, Abbotts Office Solutions, Vale Life Magazine, Booker Tate, Haddenham Beer Festival, Silent View Windows and , Ignite Sport. The Rotary Club of Thame’s charity beneficiaries this year will be Thame SAFARI, TCC2 (Thame Children’s Choir) and the Thame Skatepark Project.

    Thame Rotary’s spokesman, Marius Ciortan, explained how the Swimathon will be organised: “Teams of six swim for 55 minutes. The numbers of lengths are counted by Rotarians, Inner Wheel – and their families’ volunteers. The number of lengths swum by the teams are then written in the certificates. But everyone has fun and raises funds for charity. Teams can now raise 50% for their preferred charity, the other half being allocated to local charities supported by the Rotary Club of Thame. In the past two years, this annual Thame event has raised almost £4,500 for local charities.”

    He added: “We are expecting 100 people over the age 8, to swim and have fun. Teams from Thame Town Council, Booker Tate, TCC2, Thame Swimming Club, Barley Hill School, Thame Players, Thame New Babies and other groups will participate. Each participant will receive a medal and certificate from Nichola Dixon, Deputy Mayor of Thame, and Linda Emery, President of the Rotary Club of Thame.”

    To support the teams with their fundraising, visit https://mydonate.bt.com/events/thameswimathon2014
    To find out more: visit www.thame.rotaryweb.org or get in touch on www.facebook.com/thamerotary where there’s lots of information about the teams and their causes.
    or ring/text: 07764 85 49 49