Category: Thame news

THE Friends of Thame Library have responded to the news that Thame’s town hall is being considered for conversion to a new library.
In a statement today, the ‘Friends’ say: “We are pleased to hear that at long last there are further developments on the site for the town library.

“In principle, the Town Hall would appear to be a site with promise. But it should be considered in the light of reasonable alternatives, such as the Pied Pedaller site.
“However, it is not reasonable to give any further comment on the Town Hall option without further details being made available.

“As the Friends of Thame Library have been urging for many months, the County, and more specifically the County Librarian, should ? just as her predecessors did ? be prepared to come and present sufficient details to the Friends of Thame Library and members of the public in Thame as well as to the Town Council.
“In such ways members of the public will be able to give their voice. Further delay to this process of information and discussion is unacceptable for this key project for Thame.”

Dr Hussein Mirza (Chairman)
John Ansell (Vice-Chairman)

Photo: The Friends of Thame Library, pictured when the group was formed around three years ago.

THE County Council has approved the budget put forward by its Cabinet that confirmed the increase in the County Council?s element of Oxfordshire?s council tax at 4.375%.
This is expected to be the lowest rise of any county council in the South East, most of which are predicted to be within the 4.7%-5% range.

Councillor Keith Mitchell, Leader of the County Council, said: ?This is good news for the people of Oxfordshire and a good example of the cautious financial management we have brought to bear on the council and its budget process. This is a budget that delivers on the council?s objectives of low taxes, real choice and value for money and, in addition, it is a no cuts budget.

?There is to be real growth in expenditure ? targeted at front-line services. For example, we have sorted out the pressures in Learning Disability and Children?s Services and provided two additional matched funds of

AT a time when so-called “conscience buying” is bucking the retail trend and moving upwards, Fair Trade fashion is becoming more and more popular.
Sapphire Moon, in the High Street, Thame, is one of the newest retail outlets to move into the town and is hosting a Fair Trade Fashion Show to be held in the town hall.
The event will coincide with Fair Trade Fortnight, and will take place on Saturday, March 11, beginning at 8pm.
Hand-crafted Spring and Summer clothes, made in Rajastan will be on display, and cotton pieces made in Zimbabwe, will be on show by Flame Lilly, of North Street, Thame.
Tickets are

POLICE are appealing for witnesses following thefts from three vehicles in the Thame area recently.
A fog light was removed from the first car, which was parked on Griffin Road, between 8am – 5.15pm on Tuesday, January 31.
A second vehicle was targeted in The Black Horse car park, Rooks Lane, between 5.45pm – 7pm on Friday, February 10. The offender stole a laptop briefcase from the boot of the car and damaged the driver?s door.
The third incident occurred outside the Belfry Hotel, Milton Common, between 10.10am – 11am, on Thursday, February 9, when offenders smashed the front passenger window and stole a laptop computer and a satellite navigation system.
Anyone with information should contact Thame Police Station via: 08458 505 505 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, via: 0800 555 111.

THAME Players? very own Holly Jones will take her first steps as a professional actress on the very stage where she learnt her acting skills.
As a member of Thame Players youth group, TYPs, and more recently in various senior productions, Holly has acted on the stage at The Players Theatre for many years. Her most notable performance, received with great acclaim, was the title role in Daisy Pulls It Off by Denise Deegan, in 2004. Holly now performs in the Abingdon Touring Theatre Company?s production of Talking Heads by the master playwright, Alan Bennett.
The production is made up of three of Bennett?s much heralded monologues, originally written for television, but ideally suited to live stage performance. Holly performs the monologue called Her Big Chance about an aspiring actress seeking stardom. How prophetic is that?

Talking Heads is being performed at The Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame at 7.45pm on Friday 24th February. Tickets are

THAME’s town hall could be converted into a long-awaited new and bigger library for the town.
A statement by Thame Town Council published on its website today, says:
“Town Councillors have been debating the pros and cons of turning the Town Hall into a new library for Thame.
“The Town Council has received a bid from Oxfordshire County Council to purchase a lease for the building. The County Library Service has carried out a survey of the Town Hall and wants to convert it to meet the needs of Thame residents.
“Town Councillors decided to keep an open mind on the proposal when they met recently to discuss it. They have agreed to enter into initial negotiations with the County Council on the detail of any arrangement that may be considered acceptable by the Town Council.
“If an acceptable proposal were made, councillors want the residents of Thame to be consulted before taking it further.
“The County Council has three potential sites in mind for a new library but favours the Town Hall because of its prominent central location and parking facilities. The Town Council offices and One Stop Shop are currently housed in the building but these could be relocated to the Market House in the Upper High Street.
“A venue for Town Council meetings would need to be secured and the use of the Town Hall?s Upper Chamber by a few organisations would not be able to continue. However, the facilities in the Town Hall have limited use for community groups because of space restrictions and the amount of work needed to bring the building into a good state of repair.
“Whilst offering some meeting space for the community, the premises do not answer Thame?s need for a more extensive community centre which is one of the priorities of the Council and other groups in the town.
“The Town Council is now canvassing residents? views on the merits of turning the Town Hall into a library. Comments can be sent to the Town Clerk at the Town Hall, Thame or by emailing clerk@thametowncouncil.gov.uk

THE inquest into the death of an 11-year-old boy who was pulled from the shallow end of Thame Leisure Centre’s swimming, has been further delayed.
Nathan Matthews, of Stockenchurch, died after being dragged from the water by a swimming teacher when he failed to surface during a school swimming lesson in July, 2004.
The Oxford Coroner, Nicholas Gardiner is reported to have sent back all the information about the tragedy, to the Crown Prosecution Service and the Health and Safety Executive to look again at the circumstances that lead to Nathan’s death.
Nathan’s mother is reported to have consulted a drowning expert from America and since then, the CPS has called in its own expert.
According to the Coroner’s office, an inquest is not expected to be held for some time.

UNCERTAINTY about the future of The Market House, in Upper High Street, Thame, continues following information that the Citizens Advice Bureau have been issued with a notice to vacate the building by next September.
The TIC (Thame Information Centre),which also operates from the Market House, is already set to close at the end of March, and some of its functions taken over by the One Stop Shop in the town hall.

It is known that South Oxfordshire District Council, which owns the Market House, has ear-marked it for disposal following a review of its properties and that Thame Town Council is looking into the feasibility of acquiring it.

No one from SODC, the Town Council or Thame CAB was available for comment at time of going to press.

THAME police station is to extend its opening hours as from April 10.
The front office at the Police Station, in Greyhound Lane, will be open from 8.30am to 8.00pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (so long as two members of staff are available,) otherwise its core hours will be 10am to 6pm.
On Fridays and Saturdays, it will be open from 10am to 6pm and closed on Sundays.
Outside these hours, the public can use the yellow phone outside the station, or dial 0845 8 505 505.

Thame Police would like to emphasise that, even when the front office is closed, police officers work out of Thame police station 24 hours a day, seven days a week and that these changes are being implemented to improve the front office facility for the public.

TWO local organisations have been awarded funds by the district council Cabinet’s system of community revenue grants.
Out of a total of