Category: Thame news

POLICE, crime reduction officers, and police Community Support Officers are working with schools and local shops to reduce nuisance and vandalism associated with Halloween.
Trick or treating can raise the fear of crime, especially among the elderly and can lead to anti-social behaviour and damage to property when eggs and other things are thrown at cars and buildings. If damage is caused this is a criminal offence and the person responsible could be arrested.

Shops are being contacted to ask them not to sell children flour, eggs, and other items which can sometimes be thrown at cars and buildings during Halloween. Shops will be given posters to display which say they reserve the right not to serve children with such items.

Letters are being sent to parents of primary school children to explain the problem associated with trick or treating, with safety guidelines to ensure children stay safe if they do go trick or treating.

The advice is as follows:
Always take an adult with you.
Never knock on a stranger?s door.
Never go out on your own.
If someone says ‘no’ or doesn?t open the door, they could be frightened. Walk away; don?t be a nuisance to them.
Don?t disturb someone if they display a notice that says ?no trick or treat?.
Never accept an invitation into someone?s house.
Avoid dark and quiet places.

Parents are advised to agree with neighbours in advance if they mind trick or treaters and to only let children knock on those doors. Parents are also asked to discourage older children to go trick or treating. As a rule if they are old enough to go on their own then they are too old for trick or treating.

Officers will also be visiting schools in the area to explain this advice in more detail to children.

Residents who do not want to be disturbed by trick or treaters can get a specially designed flyer free from police stations, or download it from the website at www.thamesvalley.police.uk
Crime reduction adviser Lesley Nesbitt said: ?We want children to have fun at Halloween, but we also want to make sure they understand that some members of the community do not look forward to this time of year. Elderly residents, vulnerable members of the community and people who live alone can be intimidated by unexpected knocks on the door or loud noises outside.?

Officers will be making extra patrols during Halloween evening to respond to calls from the public. Members of the public are advised to call the non emergency police number 0845 8 505 505. If it is an emergency dial 999.

MR Michael James Alan Kaye, 66, who went missing from his home at Glimbers Grove, Chinnor, has been found.
Mr Kaye, went missing on Saturday, November 11, has been found safe and well.
Paul Garbett, Missing Persons Coordinator for Thames Valley Police, said: “Media appeals are very effective in helping to find missing people and I would like to thank the media for their help in locating Michael.”

THE widow of a murdered television War Correspondant who lived near Thame, has accused American soldiers of acting like ‘trigger-happy cowboys’.
Mrs Lynne Lloyd, whose husband Terry Lloyd was killed in Iraq three years ago during the early days of the Iraq war, made her accusation in a statement read out at the inquest into the death of her husband.
The Assistant Coroner for Oxfordshire, Andrew Walker, found that Terry Lloyd was unlawfully killed by American forces when he was fatally shot in the head.

Read the full story from CNN Link

A multi-faith commemorative service is being held in Thame, for people who have lost members of their family in collisions on the roads in the Thames Valley.

The service will be held at St Mary the Virgin church in Thame at 4pm on Sunday, November 19. It will mark a national memorial day for all those who have lost their lives in road collisions.

Members of the emergency services, including police officers, fire and rescue workers, paramedics and ambulance technicians and hospital staff will lead readings and prayers from different religions during the service.

Faith leaders from different traditions will be at the service, which will be led by the Bishop of Dorchester, the Rt Revd Colin Fletcher.

Family members will be invited to take part in an act of commemoration during the service.

Superintendent Mick Doyle, head of Roads Policing, said: ?We recognise that the pain of loss lasts for years beyond the time that our roads policing officers, together with other emergency service workers are in contact with families. We are keen to offer this opportunity for families to remember their loss in an appropriate setting.?

Anyone who has lost a loved one in a road collision in Thames Valley is welcome to attend the service. Space is limited and people are asked to contact Elizabeth Richardson by email at elizabeth.richardson@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk to reserve a place. If you do not have access to email, call 01628 601521.

Fore more information about the service and directions to the church, visit the roads policing website at www.thamesvalley.police.uk/roads/multi-faith

Not many people realise that John Betjeman is known to have visited Thame in the company of Sir Harold Acton, and to have written some lines in the garden of the Spread Eagle Hotel(the garden is now the hotel’s car park).
As a tribute to John Betjeman in his centenary year, Thame Players are planning to put on a special evening entertainment at the Players Theatre, in Nelson Street, on November 17.
In conjunction with the event, pre theatre suppers will be available at The Spread Eagle’s Fothergills Braserie. Reservations can be made by calling 01844 213661.

The lines of poem read:

COUNTRY noises do not shake
The surface of the silent lake,
The silent lake through which I see
Is life and death at one in me.

Country noises have no power
In this diversitv of flower.
Drop by drop the footsteps fall
Outside the sunny garden wall;
The swooping of the chapel choir,
The crackle of the garden fire
And barking dogs where children play
And windows flung across the way.
These sounds are very much the same
Each Sunday afternoon in Thame.

THAME residents were given the opportunity to have their say about where future housing development in the town should take place, at an exhibition on Tuesday in the council chamber.
South Oxfordshire District Council is currently preparing a Site Allocation Plan to meet the target of 700 new homes in the district by 2016, and an additional 1,250 by 2026.
As part of a consultation excercise, the exhibition, and others like it elsewhere in south oxfordshire, suggested various options that visitors to the exhibition could add red stickers to their preference.

Some of the homes could be built, it was suggested, as infil to existing sites, filling in gaps or by change of use of existing buildings, but for the remainder houses required, the main options given were:

Development option 1a
Growth of Henley,Thame and Wallingford
“All new development would be located in or adjoining Henley,Thame and Wallingford which have a wide variety of shops,employment opportunities,education and health provision,community facilities,and good public transport provision.The amount of development in each place will depend on suitable sites being available.”

Development option 1b
Growth of Henley,Thame and Wallingford with some modest growth of the larger villages.
“The larger villages include Benson, Berinsfield, Chalgrove, Chinnor, Cholsey, Crowmarsh Gifford, Goring, Horspath, Sonning Common, Watlington, Wheatley and Woodcote. The amount of development in each place will depend on suitable sites being available.
New development would be spread more widely across the district and would include the provision for growth of larger villages as well as the towns. This may help meet the needs of rural communities by providing some affordable housing in villages as
well as towns,and by helping support local shops and services.”

Anyone who was unable to get to the exhibitiion, can take part in the consultation interactively, by visiting the district council’s website. See Link

NOW is an exciting time for Thame and district. A developer has submitted an application to South Oxfordshire District Council to relocate the Cattle Market from the North Street site.
Did you know that the North Street Cattle Market site is owned by South Oxfordshire District Council(SODC)?

NOW is the time for us to tell SODC what Thame needs and how we want the space used. If we don?t it will be decided for us.

The Council?s local plan for Thame stated that we do NOT need another supermarket???But there are things we DO need that could be purpose built on the cattle market site Such as:

? A purpose built library, that is near to parking, has good access for wheelchairs and pushchairs and space for computers and innovative activities.
? A community and arts centre where the groups in Thame could meet in the town in a comfortable and well equipped venue.
? A space that could be multipurpose but convertible into a 350-seat auditorium for amateur dramatics and music, and professional touring music and arts.
? A diverse and exciting place that would enhance Thame?s shopping centre.
? A meeting place with a caf

THAME police have reported an upsurge in car crime in the Thame area over the last week, including criminal damage to cars and thefts from cars.
The following is a list of incidents:
10/10/2006 beteween 11.20 ? 11.35 hrs, Cotmore Gardens Thame – Vehicle interfered with.

09/10/2006 ? 10/10/2006 Coombe Hill Crescent – Damaged vehicle – smashed windows.

10/10/2006 00.00 ? 00.32 hrs, Astley Road – vehicle interfered with.

07/10/2006 ? 08/10/2006 19.30 ? 2200 hrs, Moorend Lane – Wing mirror damaged.

09/10/2006 – 10/10/2006 between 22.00-0800 hrs, Ludsden Grove, Vehicle broken into and a satellite navigation system stolen.

09/10/2006 ? 10/10/2006 ? Clarendon Drive, Vehicle Broken into and Satilllite Navigation system stolen.

Anyone who has any information about this recent increase in car crime, is asked to call Thames Valley Police on 08458 505 505, or crime stoppers on 0800 555 111.

The advice from Lesley Nesbitt, Thame’s Crime Prevention Officer, is: “Please take care where you park your vehicle- use your garage or driveway if you have one.
“Fold your wing mirrors into the body of the car so that they are less of a target for damage.
“The theft of Satillite Navigation systems is on the increase and I would strongly advice people who have these items to remove them from their cars, remove the cradle that they sit in and use a duster to wipe away the suction mark from your car windscreen.

“Consider security marking your property with an ultra violet marker pen and record all the serial numbers of property that you keep in your car; this helps to identify your property if it is stolen or lost and if it comes into police possession we can get it back to you.

“Car mirror hangers stating that your vehicle is secure and you have no valuables in them are available from Thame police Station. The front office is open from 10am until 6pm Monday to Friday.”

If you require any further security advice please contact your local crime reduction advisor Lesley Nesbitt on 08458 505 505

HAVE you discovered anything archaeological or of possible historical interest recently that you would like explaining?
Following the success of the last meeting with the county council’s Kate Sutton, all archaeological enthusiasts and all aspiring treasure hunters of all ages are invited to come to Thame Museum on Saturday October 14, from 10am to 12noon.
Admission will be free (all donations gratefully accepted).
Thame Museum, The Old Magistrates Court, 79 Lower High Street, Thame.

A well-known local man, who was found dead on a Thame bus yesterday afternoon, has been named.
71 year-old Ronald Fuller, of Church Way, Haddenham, was found dead on a 280 bus outside the Co-op in Thame High Street.
Mr Fuller’s widow, Sophie, said that it is thought that her husband died whilst on his way back home from a shopping trip to Argos in Aylesbury, somewhere before his usual bus stop in Haddenham.
A young female passenger on the bus and a police officer attemped to resusitate Mr Fuller.
Known as Ronnie, he was very well known in Thame, where he was born and raised in Wellington Street, into a family of eleven children. He was a very keen fisherman and, up to a few years ago, came to Thame regularly for Country and Western dances. Many of Mr Fuller’s brothers and sisters still live in Thame.

An inquest into Mr Fuller’s death will open next Monday.