Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

THAMES Valley Police has released images of stolen jewellery after a burglary in Lower Icknield Way, Chinnor, sometime between Tuesday, January 14, and Sunday,  January 26, when offenders gained entry through the rear conservatory door.

Offenders conducted an untidy search of the property and stole a television, Bose music system and items of jewellery. A man wearing a fluorescent jacket was seen in the area on  January 21, walking along the victim’s driveway and near neighbouring properties carrying a 15ft pole.

Anyone who saw any suspicious vehicles or activity in the area, or saw the man in the hi-vis jacket is asked to contact Det. Con. Chaz Boshell from Marlow police station via the 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 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.

THAME’S ambitious plans for this year’s centenary of World War One have been revealed by the town council, from where the event will be co-ordinated, and they include researching the lives of every name on the town’s memorials, locating each grave throughout the world and placing a special cross on each resting place.

There are at least seven memorials in the town with around 180 individual names on them and it is hoped that everyone in the town, from its school children to those descendants of relatives directly involved in WW1, will take part in the research to produce a lasting record for the town. The big challenge will then be the ‘cross delivery programme’ to places including France, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Egypt, India, Iraq, Singapore and Tanzania, as well as ocean graves where navy crews went down with their ships. How this will be achieved will depend on the ingenuity and imagination of the people of Thame – already offers have come from people taking holidays in some of these places or others making business trips to a region where a grave is sited.

It is hoped that the main funding for the project, initial estimated cost currently being £22,000, will come from the Heritage Lottery Fund but more help will be needed through grants, and donations from townspeople and local businesses.

An exhibition of material from the project is planned for Thame Museum and a big launch event on August 3 (the eve of the centenary of the start of WW1) to start the cross delivery programme.

More information about the project will be available via leaflets and posters, a website, a video and presentations at schools and town events.

Anyone can get involved by registering their interest with either David Bretherton or Mike Dyer at Thame Museum: 01844 212801.

A little girl who lives in Wellington Street, Thame, is feeling very sad because her beloved cat, Mabel, who usually goes up stairs to wake her in the mornings, is missing.

The cat’s name is Mabel and she went missing from home on February 1. The little girl’s mum, Alice Wakling, told Thame.Net: “It was raining so possible she could be in a shed or a garage somewhere. Mabel is approximately 1.5 years- old, is mainly black with white paws and bib, and a black splodge to the left side of her nose. She was wearing a pink collar with a diamonte heart name tag, with our address and phone number on. She is fairly long haired. She belongs to our eight year old daughter who is really missing her.”

Please search gardens, sheds and garages if you live in the area. Anyone with any information about Mabel’s whereabouts can phone Alice on 07800 502 149.

THE  Business Crime Reduction Centre (BCRC) is warning people about a new email scam that threatens victims with court action.

Fraudsters have been sending out legitimate looking spoof emails designed to trick recipients into installing malware. The emails say you have been notified and scheduled to appear for a court hearing, and contains specific dates, times, locations and reference numbers.

It asks you to download a copy of the “court notice” attached. The downloadable.zip file actually contains an .exe file (a file that executes when clicked) containing a virus.
The email has no connection to the Criminal Justice System and anyone receiving the email should not download any attachments or click any links and report it to us by using our online fraud reporting tool.

Subject headers change frequently

You are likely to see some variations of this email, as it is easy for fraudsters to amend the details and continue targeting people. BCRC’s cyber security specialist said:  “The email is difficult to block as the subject headers change frequently.” He added: “Provoking a panicked, impulse reaction has become a very common scam technique for cyber criminals. Opening the attachment allows the criminal to spy on the victim, use their computer to commit crime, or steal personal and financial information.”

For further information visit the BCRC website.

Please note that Action Fraud is not responsible for the content of external websites.
To report a fraud and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use the online fraud reporting tool

AFTER overcoming the depths of Domestic abuse, award winning mumpreneur and founder of WISH Women, Lottie Moore, will be leading a group of eight women 4160m up Jbel Toubkal in Morocco, the highest point in North Africa and, fittingly, will be summiting on International Women’s Day, on March 8.  Lottie is hoping to raise £1500 for the charities, Giving Africa and Limb Power.

In October 1999 Lottie was expecting her first child and with only four more months to go, she was looking forward to the day that her daughter would be born. Instead she received 17 months of physical, emotional and psychological abuse from her partner at the time, living in fear of what might happen to her and her new-born child.

“When my ex-partner was finally arrested in 2001, I thought it marked the end of an horrific journey, but in fact it was the beginning of a new, and just as debilitating time of my life, which went on for over six years,” recalled Lottie.

By 2008, after years in and out of court fighting over her ex-partner’s relationship with their daughter, Lottie decided it was time to change her life and she and her daughter moved to Burkina Faso in West Africa for most of 2010. “When I left for Africa I had nothing in my mind more than escaping the life I was living, but it resulted in an experience beyond all expectations that nourished my soul, fueled my self-belief and filled me with a renewed desire to live a life of purpose and passion,” added Lottie.

“The six-night women’s trip climbing Toubkal will be a huge challenge but it will encourage us to look beyond our believed limitations, step out of our comfort zone and shine, and it is no coincidence that we will be summiting on International Women’s Day.”

Although she has previously project-managed a climb on Mount Kilimanjaro for Giving Africa in 2011, Lottie feels that the main challenge has been the organisational side of the trek . But she expects that the group as a whole will be mostly challenged by fatigue, with the last day comprising of a gruelling 13 hours of walking. “The altitude slows you down and makes your head groggy,” explained Lottie, “and the temperature at the moment is -12c with a chill factor of -24c at the summit. Emotionally it’s a huge challenge to keep pushing yourself beyond your boundaries. None of us has a huge amount of experience as walkers and we are all of regular fitness. I predict we will be getting through a lot of Kleenex with all the tears at the summit!”

As an abuse survivor Lottie hoped that her story would help inspire women to start living their lives with renewed positivity, passion and purpose and so she set up WISH Women which provides a space where all women can come together to recognise their unique qualities and strengths, to encourage, equip, support and inspire.

Formerly a social worker and then a healthcare assistant, Lottie is now a much-in-demand women’s coach and professional speaker.  Having previously run the marathon and Lived Below the Line for five days, Lottie continues to challenge herself and to inspire others by taking on learning to be a fire walking instructor during the summer. Every year she gives 10% of her income to charity and she has just written a book –  Why Not You? Why Not Now? She plans to organise a different trek every year.

You can find out more about WISH Women by visiting the website:  www.wishwomen.org.uk