Category: Thame news

LOCAL resident and DJ, Ken Bruce, has accepted an invitation to turn on Thame’s Christmas lights and launch a whole weekend of exciting festive activities.
Ken, who lives in Towersey, is a long-standing and popular radio presenter, currently hosting his own show on BBC’s Radio two.

Initial plans for the town’s Big Christmas event, being organised jointly by Thame Town Council, 21st Century Thame’s Economic Group and local church groups, are well under way and will include a Christmas shopping event on the Sunday (December 3) with street entertainment and the French market from Thame’s twin town, Montesson, who will be selling french galettes, wine and other local produce throughout the weekend.

The lights will be turned on this year on Friday evening, December 1, but the weekend’s celebrations will begin at lunch time with a special carol service for office workers. The emphasis this year is on involving the whole community so the very popular tea party for the elderly of the town will be repeated between 2-4pm in the town hall chamber.

The Crendon Morris Men and Haddenham Hoofers will be performing in the town centre over the weekend and it is hoped that the donkey-led nativity pageant that was so popular last year, will be repeated.

The final programme for what promises to be an event to attract both locals and visitors to the town, will be published once the Christmas Working Group has finalised its plans.

A 22 year-old man who was stabbed during an altercation at the Three Pigeons, Milton Common, over the weekend, is expected to recover.
A spokesman for the Oxfordshire Ambulance Service said today:”The man suffered multiple injuries to his neck, chest and abdomen. His injuries are thought to be serious, but not life-threatening.”

Police are still appealing for witnesses to the incident.

See yesterday’s (11/09) report on the incident.

A quiz night, hosted by Thame’s Citizens Advice Bureau, has raised much-needed funds for the charity -and gained the group’s new organisation, the Friends of Thame CAB, a new Trustee.
The winning team of the quiz, which raised

THE Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was stabbed after an altercation in a pub in Milton Common, near Thame.
The incident took place in the Three Pigeons Pub in London Road, Milton Common at 12.50am, on Sunday morning (10/9).
The 22-year-old victim was stabbed several times in the neck and stomach. He was taken to the John Radcliffe hospital but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
There is no description of the offender beyond that he was wearing a dark coloured t-shirt.

Police are particularly keen to trace a white man with short cut dark hair, wearing jeans and a white shirt, who was in the pub at the time. It is believed he left the pub in the company of a white female. She had long blond hair and was wearing a dark dress.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact Det Sgt Alan Clements, of Thame CID, on 0845 8 505 505 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

DOG owners, especially those with Springer Spaniels, Lurchers and other gun dogs or Staffordshire Bull Terriers, are being warned to keep a good eye on their dogs as dog-nappers have been operating in the area recently.
It is feared that the thieves may well return in the next few weeks.

Owners are being advised to register their dogs’ DNA or to microchip them, or to have their pets’ ears tattooed. It is also recommended that dog owners lock outside kennels and/or protect them with CCTV.

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THE amount of recorded crime incidents in Thame has dropped dramatically over the past six months.
The news that crime in Thame was down by 50% since February, came at a meeting of the Thame Community Safety Group yesterday.
Crime Prevention Officer, Lesley Nesbitt, confirmed that, in particular, car crime in the town was down considerably following a recent campaign in conjunction with Crime Stoppers, locally businesses and pubs who were provided with special beer mats warning drivers not to leave valuable objects on show in their vehicles and reminding them how to secure those vehicle.

The decrease in criminal offences being carried out in the town centre, coincides with the installation of CCTV during March this year. Though full figures will not be available until around the middle of October, there have been several arrests each month where CCTV has played its part in securing information about crimes being committed and contributing to evidence to enable arrests and prosecutions to be made.

Thame’s two PCSOs, Police Community Support Offices, have provided extra presence in the town over the last few months which it is felt has played a significant part in contributing to the fall in the incidence of crime in the town.

Future Thames Valley Police campaigns will include Operation Rebound, aimed at cutting criminal damage in the force’s area, and Operator Monster which will target young people in the lead up to Halloween.

Thame’s two PCSOs will be on hand with Thame Town Councillors, at the council’s stand at the Thame Show on September 21.

FIREFIGHTERS in the east and south of the county are appealing for both men and women in the area to join them in a bid to ease the strain at Thame and other stations across the area.
More retained (part-time) firefighters are needed to reduce the burden on existing staff at the stations.

Although retained firefighters between the ages of 18 and 55 years are still needed in all areas of Oxfordshire, these stations are desperate to boost crew numbers to support existing firefighters and to help safeguard the local community.

County Councillor Ray Jelf, Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: “Recent recruitment drives have resulted in some new retained firefighters being appointed across Oxfordshire.
“However, there are still around another 40 vacancies so I would urge anyone living or working within 1.5 miles of their local fire station to consider becoming a retained firefighter so as to help with the safety education and protection of their local community.”

Retained firefighters are professionals who respond to emergencies and are on call some parts of the week. They can work the hours that suit them and that fit around their home and working lives.
They are trained by the Fire and Rescue Service to do the same job as their whole-time counterparts, but on a part-time basis ? they are the backbone of the fire service. They are ordinary people doing an extraordinary job.

The message from the Fire and Rescue Service is clear – if you?re reasonably fit and healthy, aged between 18 and 55 and want to earn extra money ? mums going back to work or shift workers – or just want to make a difference to the local community, then please call the recruitment hotline on: 0800 587 0870.

If you have any doubts about your ability to do the job but would like to try, just ring the hotline and talk it through with the professionals. You might be surprised!

NB Oxfordshire County Council?s fire crews are now trained and ready to launch their new, high volume pumping vehicle as it goes into operation across the county.

The Fire and Rescue Service received the new equipment, which will be based at Banbury fire station, as part of the Department of Communities and Local Government?s New Dimension programme.

Capable of pumping 7,000 litres of water per minute over a distance of 3km, the new vehicle can be used to reduce the effects of flooding or to provide water for firefighting. It is similar to the pumps that were used so successfully in the Carlisle floods and the major fire at the Buncefield oil depot.

The council?s fire crews have been trained over many weeks. One of the training days took place at Blenheim Palace, where water was pumped from the Queen?s Pool through 500m of hose and then recycled back again by a 3,000 litres per minute jet, so that no water was lost.

POLICE are appealing for witnesses following two separate thefts in Thame.
The front registration plate was removed from a vehicle in Wellington Street sometime between August 24/25.
Police are also keen to speak to anyone who saw anything suspicious following the theft of three garden pots from an address in Overton Drive, between August 21/22.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Thame Police via: 08458 505 505, or Crimestoppers anonymously, on: 0800 555 111.

THE Oxfordshire Waste Partnership, which an Audit Commission report recently rated only as ‘fair’, has come up with a new strategy for improving the way it handles waste management in the county.
The OWP, which brings together Officers and Councillors from Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire District Councils plus Oxford City and Oxford County Councils, has just developed a new Waste Strategy which sets out how it plans to meet targets on recycling and reducing the amount of rubbish sent to landfill.

The Strategy identifies that:-
? Oxfordshire is in the top 25 of recycling counties nationwide.
? The amount of waste collected from homes per head of population is the lowest of any County in England.
? Cherwell District Council has the highest recycling rate of any district in the South East.
However, the Strategy also identifies that there is a need to do more, particularly in relation to increasing recycling and diverting waste from landfill and includes targets to recycle or compost at least 45% of all Oxfordshire?s Waste by 2015.
This view is echoed in an Audit Commission Report released today which despite Oxfordshire?s achievements to date has given the work of the partnership a ?fair? rating.

Responding to the Audit Commission Report, the Partnership?s new Chairman, Councillor Kieron Mallon, says:”The Audit Commission has recognised the impressive achievements in Oxfordshire so far and the greatly improved focus of the Partnership?s work. It also commends the Partnership on the significant momentum we have built up in terms of developing a joint future Waste Strategy, which is being presented to the ruling executive of each of the Councils during September.
“The Commission is right to note that there is much more to do and that effective partnership working between Councils is the key. A great deal of work has gone into drawing up the future Waste Strategy, and we are determined and confident that Oxfordshire Waste Partnership will play a strong and leading role in further boosting the County?s success in managing its waste effectively. We have a very solid foundation to build on and we want to reach all our targets, and avoid government fines for landfilling which could be as much as

POLICE in Oxfordshire are getting tough on vandals as part of the Force-wide Safer Streets campaign.
Vandalism currently makes up nearly 20 per cent of all crime in the County.
Chief Supt. Dave McWhirter said: ?Vandalism affects thousands of people in Oxfordshire every year. We are committed to tackling this crime and are putting strategies into action across the five local police areas in the county.
?The ethos of this campaign is about making people feel safer where they live and work because vandalism significantly contributes to the fear of crime as well as being expensive and unsightly.?

Officers are targeting persistent offenders and carrying out high-visibility patrols in vandalism hotspots. Work is also being carried out with partner organisations and licensees. Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) and ASBOs are also sought against persistent offenders.

Ch Supt McWhirter said: ?A mindless act of vandalism after a night?s drinking can have serious consequences. A moment?s stupid behavior could affect the rest of your life.?

The consequences:
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