Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

PLANS for this year’s Thame Tidy Day, which in past years has seen the town centre phone box painted, bus stops spruced up, the Phoenix Trail cleared of litter, shopping trolleys and other discarded junk, benches repaired, weeds from gutters removed, hedges trimmed and pathways cleared, as well as the whole town being blitzed of litter, are underway.

The event was started in 2011 by the then Mayor, Adam Buckland, who also organsied the event in 2012. Then last year, Town Cllrs Mary Stiles and Andy Gunn took over leading the event. Thame’s top Womble for the big tidy up of 2014, is Thame Squash Coach and business woman, Sue Martin Downhill who has issued a plea for local people, organisations, schools, churches etc to join her for a meeting at Racquets Fitness Centre on Friday, March 21, at 6.30pm.

If you or your organisation can help in any way, Sue would love to hear from you via email: suedownhill@gmail.com She would like local people to suggest places around Thame that need tidying up. 

AMENDMENT: I would like to point out that the town council will still be represented on the Carnival Committee, and that the omission of this fact in the report below, was in NO WAY a deliberate act to put the council in a negative light. (See Reponses 2 Comments above)

THAME Carnival looked in danger of having to be cancelled this year, after the town council announced that it no longer had the resources to take the lead in organising the event. But thankfully, this week, Thame resident and business woman, Sue Martin-Downhill, has stepped forward and volunteered to lead the Carnival committee.

The 2014 Carnival will now go ahead on Saturday, June 14, 2014, and appropriately enough as Sue is a qualified Squash coach, the theme will be World of Sport. So, if you or your organisation or club would like to enter a float in the parade or have a stall at the event, you can contact Sue on: suedownhill@gmail.com

AS the sun begins to shine, and thoughts turn to warm, balmy days ahead, it’s good to be reminded of some of the highlights to come in Thame’s events calender. One of these has to be the Oxfordshire & Thame Agricultural Show, which returns to its traditional third Thursday in September, the 18th, after a short dalliance with July in 2013, following a two-year sabbatical to take stock after a financially crippling few years.

Thame Show was primarily an agricultural and produce show which took place to coincide with the farming calendar and by returning to September, after public consultation, it will be going back to its roots. However, most people agree that the show needs some sort of injection of new thinking and a Thame Town Councillor has put forward a proposal to bring Thame’s High Street into the Show Ground. Cllr Vaughan Humphries’ clarion call to Thame’s town centre shops and businesses is to go out in the form of a letter in the next few days. In it he writes:

“I have been in discussion with the Show Director, along with 21st Century Thame and other interested parties about a proposal that I hope will breathe some life back into the Show and foster better links with the independent retailers of Thame. 

“What I propose is that we reproduce what is good about Thame town centre and create a ‘Little High Street’ that will form a section on its own.

“What I hope this will achieve is to take advantage of the thousands of people, both local and from further afield to get a taste of what Thame has to offer when the Show is not on. If there were a large number of High Street businesses represented and if we gather momentum now, we can benefit from SODC’s Town and Village Infrastructure Fund, which could potentially pay for capital equipment. There is also a small amount of revenue funding via the Thame Action Plan that could help with other non-capital items of expenditure.

“We can only achieve support from the local authorities if we can show that we have strong support from local retailers, who intend on paying for a stall at the show. If we can get 15-30 businesses to confirm their attendance, this would provide enough evidence of strong support. Thame Town Council also has the capacity to allocate some funding, based on the evidence that there would be significant and sustained benefit for the town centre.

“The Association have offered to extend their 20% discount offer that ends on the 28th March, suffice to say, I am doing my utmost to mitigate any expense you would incur by having a stall, but I really need your support to make it happen!

“Trade stands are from as little as £140 + VAT (less 20% = £134.40) for a 4m wide x 6m deep pitch and electricity connections from £60 + VAT for a double-socket @ 1kW. If you would like an application pack, please do not hesitate to contact the Show Office, who are located at: Suite 3, 55 North Street, Thame, OX9 3BH. Alternatively, you can email them at info@thameshow.co.uk – please put ‘Little High Street’ in the subject header.

“If you are interested in participating in this initiative, please contact me via vhumphries@gmail.com or collect a form from the Town Hall marked for the attention of ‘Councillor Humphries’. If there are any points on which you would like further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me, or if you have any further comments or ideas, please do not hesitate to add it to your reply.” Cllr Vaughan Humphries

ATTRACTIONS for 2014, include a Fun Dog Show, Food And Drink Village, Home & Garden Marquee (Formerly Domestic), Food Hall, a Bakery Display, Shopping & Craft Marquee, Trade stalls, Livestock Classes Sheep / Cattle, Showjumping, Showing Classes, Alpaca Display, Bird Display, Rabbit Display, Vintage Machinery, Lorries & Tractors, Steam Fair, Classic Cars, Morris Dancers, Sheepdogs Display, Falconry Display, Pig Agility, Mules R Us and LOADS more!

Tickets will be available from July. Adult tickets £12 in advance or £15 on the day, Senior Citizen Tickets £8 & £10 on the day, Junior Tickets: 5-15 Years (when accompanied by a paying adult) FREE, Junior Tickets 5-15 Years £4 in advance or £5 on the day, Under 5s Entrance FREE

FOLLOWING the report (SHMAR) on new, increased figures for future housing need in South Oxfordshire, Thame Town Council has responded to the question of whether Thame’s Neighbourhood Plan could be impacted.

The Town Clerk, Helen Stewart, said: “Until SODC (South Oxfordshire District Council) decide on how they are to allocate the additional numbers across the district, we cannot offer much of a response apart from obviously working with SODC to seek and secure a distribution strategy that minimises any effect on Thame.”

Cllr Mike Dyer, who was involved in developing the TNP, responded: “There is clearly no need for SODC or Thame Town Council to panic over this report. It is also worth bearing in mind that SODC, having an adopted Core Strategy, is in a stronger position than some other districts and, within that context, the Thame Neighbourhood Plan provides us with a solid foundation.”

READ yesterday’s report here: https://www.thame.net/archives/13474

THAME’S Neighbourhood Policing team have been as busy as ever throughout the past month and a summary of their monthly report includes incidence of Affray, Criminal Damage and Drugs Possession: 

Offenders brought to justice
THERE have been 22 solved cases on the Thame Sector, for a variety of offences including the following: Affray, Drug possession, Theft, Public Order offences, Criminal Damage, Making off without payment, Shoplifting, Assault, Dangerous dog.

PCSO Lucy Rattenberry and PCSO Diane Jackson assisted soha with an eviction in Thame. 

PCSO Michelle Jacques has worked with partner agencies in trying to get a resident, who is persistent in causing ASB, evicted from Chinnor. 

Rural crime 
PCSO Jacky Madden has been working with the South Oxfordshire/Vale Crime Prevention Officer and has marked farm machinery using the new CRE MARKING Instant Theft Protection kit. The farmer was impressed with the marking equipment, and in total eight items of farm machinery are now marked. If valuable items are marked, it puts thieves off stealing them, and also assists in recovery of the items if this does happen. 

PCSO Lucy Rattenberry was able to identify an offender from CCTV for a shoplifting offence at the Co-Op.

PCSO Lucy Rattenberry and PCSO Diane Jackson detained a man in the High Street after identifying him from still images, for an attempted shoplifting at Waitrose. This man’s vehicle was searched at the time of  him being stop, checked and stolen items were found in the vehicle. They did some extensive enquiries and were able to track down where the stolen items were from, which was a store outside of Thame. As a result of their work the man was arrested.

PCSO Chris Hollis and PCSO Jacky Madden stopped three men as they suspected they had cannabis on them. Their suspicions turned out to be correct and all three were dealt with appropriately by police officers.

The full report can be read here (includes information on reporting crime, receiving alerts and crime mapping: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/pub-pg-nh-upds-N380?id=276267