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Category: Thame news

  • Site For New Care Home Much Closer

    PLANNING permission for a replacement residential care home for Thame’s elderly, should be granted within the next couple of months, according to the Care Trust that owns Meadowcroft.
    Dawn Matthews-Smith, spokesperson for The Order of St John Care Trust, which owns the Meadowcroft Care Home for the elderly, told ThameNews today that final negotiations for the strongest of two possible development sites within Thame, are almost complete.
    The new home, which will provide nursing care, as well as residential care, is expected to be built and fully operational by October, 2006, according to Ms Matthews-Smith.
    Meadowcroft itself, currently in Towersey Road, Thame, will have to close by 2007, because it does not meet new regulations for such homes with regard to room size, en suite facilities and other requirements.
    The Care Trust say that the money for the muli-million pound new home is in place.
    It is known that one of the sites considered for a new care home, was the old Rycotewood College site.

  • CORRECTION

    THAME Tourist Information Centre will close in April 2006, and not 2005 as reported on Friday, February 25.

  • Fears For Thame Hospital

    STAKEHOLDERS in Thame?s Community hospital are fearful about its future.
    The Chair of the hospital?s Day Centre Trust, Brenda Prosser, says that she and other users of the hospital have been ?kept in the dark? and not consulted about the hospital?s future, since work to build an extension to increase the number of beds did not materialise as planned last March.
    Two years ago, the Vale of Aylesbury Primary Care Trust, which runs the hospital, decided to close its top floor for fire and safety reasons which reduced the number of beds from 24 to 11.
    Ms Prosser told ThameNews.Net that at a meeting last May, the PCT said that they were looking at other options for the site, including building a new health centre and a replacement for Meadowcroft, Thame?s residential home for the elderly in Towersey Road.
    ?That proposal has apparently now gone by the board,? said Ms Prosser.
    Since then, the Day Centre Trust has received a letter from the Director of Finance for the PCT, which stated: ??there is a high level of commitment from the PCT Board to developing Thame Hospital. The PCT believes the expansion to 24 beds in Thame is in line with strategy as set out in ?Shaping Health Services? and capacity requirements arising from the Stoke Mandeville PFI (Private Finance Initiative). ?HOWEVER (Ed.?s emphasis), this development is still subject to approval by Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority and affordability of plans will be a key consideration.?
    ?In other words,? said Ms Prosser, ?the money may not be there.
    ?If the Health Authority doesn?t approve, it?s hard to see how economically viable the hospital will be with only 11 beds!
    ?If the hospital is closed, where will the Day Centre Go? Where will the respite team go, and the Physiotherapy service, the mental health service and the Speech Thereapy?
    ?The Day Centre and hospital mean so much to this town; it really is invaluable for the respite care it offers and whilst everything is up in the air and nothing assured, we will feel insecure and anxious until we know exactly what is happening. The answers we have been given to our letters and questions are not good enough. This work should have started 12 months ago and I would like to know where that money has gone. This is a very valuable site, including the extension which was built in 1983 after a big drive, by public contributions.?
    Neither Colin Foster nor Shaun Brogan was available for comment today.

  • Thame To Lose Its Tourist Information Centre

    THAME’S Tourist Information Centre is to lose its funding from South Oxfordshire District Council from April 2006.
    The almost certain closure of the centre will be part of the council’s plans to invest an extra

  • Thame Stores Remove Contaminated Products

    FOLLOWING the disruption in the food industry due to the discovery in some prepared foods of a dangerous food additive, stores in Thame have removed over 400 items, including frozen pizzas and the popular student dish, pot noodle.
    The culprit, Sudan 1, is a dye used in waxes, solvents, petrol, oils and polishes and has been banned for use in edible products since it was linked to causing cancer. Today, the Food Standards Agency announced that shops, restaurants and food companies had until noon today to identify all products containing Sudan and to begin removing them. Companies that did not meet the deadline could face prosecution. Schools and hospitals have also been affected.
    When Thame Co-op was approached and asked how the crisis was effecting them, they issued the following statement:”Co-op own braqnd products are affected and product recalls have taken place and are publicised in stores. We are also inviting customers to bring back any affected products they may have at home for a full refund.”
    A spokesperson for Waitrose said: “Although the FSA has confirmed that there is no immediate risk to health, as a precautionary measure we have removed some products from sale. In the interests of customer safety we are working very closely with the FSA, our suppliers and trade associations.”
    The alert was sparked when a consignment of a well-known brand of Worcester Sauce, made by Premier Foods, was found to contain chilli powder contaminated with the banned dye.
    A full list of all the products affected is available on the Waitrose website:
    link

  • Thame Man Helps Keep London Safe

    THERE are many fields of work that require a great deal of courage. Some are more recognised than others such as the police and firemen, but have you ever stopped and thought what being a bomb disposal expert entails?

    Here in Thame we have among us a bomb disposal expert, Ian Jones. After being an army apprentice for three years Ian became a corporal in the ammunitions branch of the army, disarming a variety of explosives. He was involved in Northern Ireland where he said: “Under car booby trap bombs were the worst kind of device. Once the driver had set off, the bomb was activated and exploded killing the occupants.”
    He now works for the Metropolitan Police, dealing with incidents involving explosives in London; which you would think of as being a demanding lifestyle but according to our interviewee, thankfully there are not many bombs in London at the moment.

    His fascination with weapons and ammunition dated back to when he was a young lad, making bombs and setting them off for fun. One day things didn’t go according to plan though: “When I was 14 a bomb I had made exploded in my pocket, I had to go to Stoke Mandeville Hospital and have skin graft on my leg.”
    His dad suggested that he should join the army after that incident, and he has never looked back.

    For a hobby Ian travels around the world investigating battlefields from both world wars and was involved in the aftermath of the Kosovo conflict. He told Thame News that the most difficult thing he had to do was helping to uncover mass graves and meet the families who had been affected by the devastation of that war. He says of the experience: “It was difficult and moving.”

    It was suggested that he must have experienced some close shaves due to the danger he is exposed to, Ian disagreed and said: “There are so many rules and procedures to protect us which as long as we follow them they keep us safe. The police are in more danger because they are the first on the scene to investigate a bomb threat.”

    When asked of the risks of the job Ian immediately talked about the destruction and injured people rather than risks towards himself and others in his profession. He said that he doesn’t see what he does as risky, he has done it all his life and he and his colleagues are supplied with protective flak jackets, helmets and robotic devices to deactivate threatening objects. He said the biggest risks are devices made by amateurs, and post blast scenes where there is the danger from buildings collapsing, gas leakage’s and exposed electricity cables.

    When asked how he coped with the difficulties of the job he admitted that the team would sometimes drink and have a laugh in the evenings as a way of relieving the stress and tension. Training wise they endure a series of courses where they are assessed on how they deal with practice bombs. Ian spoke of a couple of personal tragedies within the job such as losing a friend whilst in France examining a World War One mine: “He was buried alive, I tried to dig him out,” Ian recalled.

    Regarding the future, Ian said that he is quite happy doing what he is doing right now and felt he was very lucky to be able to look forward to going to work and to do a job that he loves. He has recently published a book called ‘Malice Aforethought’ about the history of booby traps and is currently writing another book: “I like writing, I discovered it later on in life,” He concluded.

    Photo: Typical robotic vehicle used for disabling devices.

  • Local Hunt Supporters Defiant Over Ban

    TRAFFIC in the centre of Thame came to a halt on Saturday, (Feb 19), when a mass of horses, people on foot and assorted vehicles, passed through the town following a ?meet of defiance? by local hunt supporters.
    On this, the first Saturday following the Government Ban on Fox Hunting with hounds, 210 horses, over 300 people on foot and a number of vehicles congregated at the Thame Show ground before hacking through the town centre and on to Moreton.
    Alan Hill of the Aylesbury Vale with Garth and South Bucks Hunt, told ThameNews.Net: ?The aim of the Meet was to ensure that the people of Thame knew that we were still going to get together and that our intensions are to keep working and fighting to get our sport back.
    ?We are not going to lie down and let this happen but will work in everyway we can to make sure that everyone realises this and that we keep their attention. ?
    Hunt supporters have mounted a legal challenge again the ban to the House of Lords and intend to take their cause to the European Court of Human Rights.
    Mr Hill said that his Hunt will not be drag or trail hunting for what is left of this season, which ends in mid-March, but will nevertheless meet regularly for exercise and from then on, carry on with their social calendar, point-to-point racing, hound shows, sponsored rides etc., in order to keep the community together and to continue their fight.
    ?We look forward to the General Election and getting a Conservative government back in which will let us get our sport back.
    ?We will need to do a lot of soul searching and make a decision about how we aught to continue,? he concluded.

  • Boris All Wrapped Up

    BORIS Johnson MP, was all wrapped up this morning, when he gamely donned Thame’s Giant, 500ft scarf which went five times around a DAF truck.
    Boris was in town to open the refurbished Shaw Trust Charity shop where he spoke to staff and customers. From there he moved on down to Thame town hall to help Thame Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor, Cllr David Dodds, publicise a second attempt to auction the scarf on Ebay. (see yesterday’s story ‘Wrap Up Boris’on Main News page).
    ITN Central News sent a camera along, so look out for the programme which goes out shortly after 6pm in the early evening, and again around 10.20pm.

  • Wrap Up Boris!

    BORIS Johnson MP will be asked to wrap up tomorrow morning, when he visits Thame.
    Boris will be in Thame to launch the re-opening of the refurbished Shaw Trust charity shop in the High Street, and afterwards, members of Thame’s Chamber of Commerce and staff from DAF Trucks in Thame, will be inviting him to wrap up in the giant scarf, knitted by the people of Thame, as part of the town’s Christmas celebrations.
    Unfortunately, the Ebay auction winner of the Giant Scarf failed to follow through with his obligations and the huge muffler will now be auctioned for the second time on the world’s biggest auction web site. Tomorrow morning, around 11.30am, the 400 ft scarf will be wrapped around a DAF articulated lorry, in an effort to gain publicity and support for the charity-raising bid. Television news crews as well as local and national press have been invited to attend the event, which will take place in the cobbled area beside Thame town hall.
    Watch out for pictures of the event on ThameNews tomorrow night, and listen in to Radio Oxford around 8.45 am tomorrow morning when the ‘Great Wrap’ will feature on Radio Oxford.

    Photo: Thame’s Giant scarf is rolled up ready for its journey to Thame town hall.

  • Swimming Pool Repairs A Step Closer

    LONG-awaited repairs to areas of Thame’s swimming pool damaged by flooding, came a step nearer this week.
    After months of discussions between Thame Town Council and the Contractor who built the pool, the Contractor has agreed to put right all the faults found to date, mainly associated with the roof, guttering and problems with blocked downpipes that allowed water to enter the building.
    During a heavy storm last summer, perspex roof panels were blown off the building during high winds and incoming water wrecked ceiling tiles and the carpeted reception area.
    The Mayor of Thame, Cllr David Dodds, explained that the delay in putting right the damage had been caused by the necessity of establishing who was responsible for rectifying the damage and looked forward to the completion of the work and getting the three-year old pool back to its former glory.