Category: Thame news

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a young woman died in a road collision in South Oxfordshire today.
At approximately 8.45am this morning (05/12), a blue Renault Laguna was travelling on the B4012 between Tetsworth and Postcombe, towards Thame, when it appears that the car left the road and collided with a tree.
The driver, who was the only person in the vehicle, died later at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
She has been formally identified as 30-year-old Shazia Ghafoor from Hayes in Middlesex.

Pc Peter Billingham of Abingdon Roads Police base said: “We would like to hear from anyone saw this collision.
?We are particularly keen to speak to the driver of an L-reg black Rover who was in the area at the time and may have witnessed the incident.”

Anyone with information that could assist police inquiries is urged to contact Pc Peter Billingham via 0845 8 505 505.

If you don?t want to speak to police and don?t want to leave your name, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

DESPITE a down pour at the climax of the turning on of the Christmas lights, thousands of local people turned out for the event to launch Christmas in Thame last Friday (01/12/06).
The lights were turned on by BBC Radio two’s Ken Bruce, as fireworks above the stage were set off in celebration.
There was plenty of cheer in the form of mulled wine, mince pies, a hog roast and real French crepes from a stall manned by guests from Thame’s twin town of Montesson.

Throughout the weekend, street entertainers, including a juggler, an Elizabethan musician/entertainer, The Haddenham Hoofers, Crendon Morris, Thame Town Concert Band and the Thame Chamber Singers, provided seasonal cheer for shoppers. Unfortunately, due the high winds, Mix96 were unable to erect their giant slide but hope to come to Thame later in the year.

A special party for the parish’s elderly was a huge success. All the food and drink was provided by the small independent shops in the Thame, co-ordinated by Thame Trading.
Cllr Breatrice Dobie and all involved were congratulated by the President of Montesson’s Twinning Committee, Didier Bruzet, who with the other Stall-holders from Thame’s twin town, took refreshment with the other guests and organisers.

Initial indications are that most of the independent shops that opened on a Sunday for the first time, experienced brisk trade but a fuller picture will emerge once the organisers have had a chance to review the event and talk to retailers.

THAME company, Kabota UK, has been fined

THAME First, (formerly the Chamber of Commerce) and the town council, have joined forces to organise a weekend of Christmas fun for all the family, beginning on Friday afternoon, December 1, at 5pm.

During the afternoon, 90 elderly residents from Thame and Moreton, will be treated to a Christmas tea party in the council Chamber, being organised by Di Bone of Thame Trading (despite still hobbling around with a broken leg) and Cllr Beatrice Dobie.
The funding for the party will partly be provided by Thame businesses and partly by the town council. All the cakes will be homemade by Thame Trading customers again this year, and there will be musical entertainment throughout the afternoon. Pupils from Lord Williams’s school will wait at table and generally help look after the guests. The event has proved to be so popular that there is a waiting list.
This year coincides with the Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations and 79 of the the guests are themselves 80 years-old.

Later in the afternoon, the lower High Street car park area will be transformed with stalls, a Farmers? Market, a French Market from Thame’s twin town of Montesson, children’s Fair Rides and a Hog Roast. The Mayor, Cllr Nigel Champken-Woods, will open the proceedings at around 6pm and BBC Radio 2 DJ, Ken Bruce will, who lives in Towersey, will officially turn on the lights at around 7.10pm.

On the stage area in front of the town hall, there will be carols from Thame primary schools, accompanied by the Thame Concert Band, members of the cast of Thame Players’ Jack and The Beanstalk, Panto guests from the Aylesbury Civic Centre, Christmas Card competition winner presentation, live music from Thame band, ‘Tamarind Sun’, a surprise visiter at around 7.15pm, Community singing accompanied by the Thame Concert Band and finally the Christmas Blessing.

Among the local businesses who have made this year’s event possible are Pentangle Internet, who sponsored the Christmas tree, DAF Trucks, Woolworths, Booker Tate, J G Land Estates and Mi Casa.

Throughout Saturday, December 2, the Thame shopping experience will be enhanced by performances by the Crendon Morris Men and a visit from Santa in his Sleigh. Free Advent activities, including stories, crafts and games, for children aged 5-10 years-old, will be available in St Mary’s Church, between 10am and 12 noon, to give busy parents the chance to do some Christmas shopping. To book for these events, which will also be run on December 16, contact Janet on 01844 213491, or office @stmarys.psa-online.com

For the very time, Thame First has organised continual street entertainment to compliment Christmas shopping in Thame on Sunday, December 3, when many of the smaller, independant shops will open on a Sunday for the first time, joining the multi-nationals like Woolworths and Cargo who open every Sunday as a matter of course.
Entertainment in all the main shopping areas will include Medieval-style musician and entertainer, ‘Wynndebagge’, Jester/juggler ‘Jesterical’, Christmas music from the Thame Concert Band, Thame Chamber Choir and Appellation dancing from the Haddenham Hoofers.

Because shopping can really give one an appetite, as well as a hog roast, there will be hot roasted chestnuts, mince pies, Mulled wine (provided by Thame Lions Club) and fruit juices, all generously donated by Waitrose.
Local Radio station Mix 96 will be behind the Market House in the Upper High Street, with their giant, inflatable slide, providing 25% of the day’s takings to a local charity.

One of the main Thame First event organisers, Adrian Mills who runs the gift shop, Mi Casa, explained the main thrust of the organisation’s contribution towards the event: “This event is part of our on-going campaign to highlight the good things about shopping in Thame, to encourage local people and those further afield, to make the town their main shopping destination. This is particularly important at Christmas when people can take advantage of our high percentage of independently owned shops where you can buy more unusual things that are not available in supermarkets and big shopping centres.
“This is our effort to help stimulate local spending and at the same time create some fun to enhance Christmas shopping.”

So, “Try Thame First” for your Christmas shopping – you may be surprised at the variety of gift-buying opportunities in our lovely Market town, and help keep our town centre economically vibrant and healthy.

Look out for Christmas shopping ideas on www.thame.net in the next couple of weeks.

THAME POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a possible assault that may have occurred in Thame in the early hours of Saturday, November 25.
Police say that a man left a pub in Cornmarket, Thame, at 2am and headed for an address in Pym Walk. This is a distance of less than a mile, but he did not arrive until around 3am. He could not remember anything of his journey or what had happened, but was bleeding from the inside of his mouth.

The man later went to hospital where his jaw was found to be broken in three places and required surgery for the implantation of four titanium plates.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Carron Chesterman is concerned that the man may have been the victim of an assault: “We did wonder whether he had just had a fall, but the medical evidence is that his injuries were caused by an assault, probably by being kicked,” she said.
“The man believes he would have walked down North Street and then turned right into Moorend Lane on his way home, so we would like to talk to anyone who saw an incident along that route or anywhere else in the Thame area on Friday night/Saturday morning.”

If anyone has any information, Det Con Chesterman can be contacted via the Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505.

Alternatively, if you don?t want to speak to police or leave your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

THAME Town Council has agreed to support the building of a new, 50 bedroom hotel.
The application includes ground and first floor extensions to the existing Oxfordshire Golf Club building and was an amendment to a previous application that was described by a town councillor as looking like a Marbella sea front hotel.
At a meeting of the town council’s planning committee, Cllr David Dodds said:”To be successful, the Club needs the ability to house people. If they do not get this, they are unlikely to get major tournements. I am sure we would all like the Thame area to benefit from these major events.”

THE leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Cllr Keith Mitchell, has joined his fellow leaders from across the region to launch ‘The Battle for the South East’.
Today, Tuesday, November 28, a Government appointed panel begins its examination of the South East Plan before making recommendations to Government about exactly how many new homes should be built in the South East over the next 20 years.

Councillor Mitchell joined leaders from West and East Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Hampshire and Surrey at a flagship development in Basingstoke, Hampshire where roads and a new school will be put in place before 950 new homes are built.
The Battle for the South East apparently aims to ensure that:
More affordable homes are built for young people and essential workers.
No new homes are built without adequate and timely investment in infrastructure, such as water and sewerage systems, road and rail networks.
No more than 28,900 new homes a year (578,000 in total) are built.

Oxfordshire County Council has stated that: “Those in Whitehall appreciate the strength of feeling in the South East and understand that any increase in house building, above the the amount outlined in the Draft South East Plan, will not be tolerated.”

Councillor Mitchell said: “This event was aimed at displaying the unanimity there is in the South East over this critically important issue.
“We will not roll over and let the Government take decisions that will destroy our environment. The South East is the economic engine room of the country. Oxfordshire is an important part of that. We are a largely rural county but, at the same time, economically dynamic. It is acknowledged that more houses are needed, that is why it has been agreed that the figure should be 28,900 per year. Any more than that and we risk ruining Oxfordshire’s character and harming our economic success.”

THIS is a ringmaster message from Thames Valley Police.
There have been a number of offences of distraction burglaries involving the elderely in the Thame area.

All NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH members are being asked to keep an extra look out for any elderley, vulnerable neighbours, or members of their community.

If you see any suspicious vehicles or people in the area, please call the police straight away on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 332 of 09/11/06.