Category: More News

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following the burglary of a business in Thame.

At around 5.50am on Saturday (7/11) the front door of a shop on the High Street was smashed. Offenders entered the shop and stole a number of perfume and aftershave items.

The offenders then ran off down the alleyway next to the Co-op store that leads to a car park.

The offenders are described as three men wearing black hooded tops and black face masks. They were carrying black bin bags.

Investigating officer PC Rebekah Kent, based at Thame police, station, said: “I am appealing for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the early hours of Saturday morning to contact us.

“We believe that a black 4×4 vehicle may be involved in this offence so if you believe that you have any information that could assist with this investigation then please get in touch.

“You can contact us using the online form on our website or by calling 101, quoting reference number 43200364054. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously via their website or on 0800 555 111.”

CHINNOR and Thame Friends of the Earth will be hosting a presentation by the Oxford Low Carbon Hub and Ethex at a Zoom Meeting on Thursday, November 19,  at 7.30pm.

The Low Carbon Hub will talk about how they are pioneering the development of community-owned renewable energy across Oxfordshire, and how they have raised more than £5 million from over 1,000 people investing via their community share offers, to support the development of a portfolio of 44 renewable energy projects, including solar panels on schools and village halls, Sandford Hydro and other energy efficiency projects. This may be of particular interest to school govenors.

If you are passionate about fighting Climate Change and have money you wish to invest, The Oxford Low Carbon Hub can provide help and advice.

They can also provide help and support to assist you in improving energy efficiency in your home, through Cosy Homes Oxfordshire. Cosy Homes is a home eco-retrofit project aiming to make homes across Oxfordshire more energy efficient – reducing their energy use and at the same time improving the comfort and health of residents. For more information, visit their website.

We welcome you all to join the meeting and hear about these exciting projects, and how we can gain ideas and support for our own community’s renewable energy as well as energy efficiency aspirations.

SOURCE: Contributed – Chinnor and Thame Friends of The Earth (FOE)
Zoom details:
Topic: Friends of the Earth Zoom Meeting 
Thursday, November 19, 2020 Low Carbon Hub and Ethex
Time: Nov 19, 2020 07:00 PM London (meeting starts 7.30 pm)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5191402424
Meeting ID: 519 140 2424

VOLUNTEERS from one of the newest volunteer groups, Phoenix Community Club, an offspring of the Thame & District Rotary Club, will be supporting Thomley, the local children charitVOy, for their toy appeal.

The public is asked to buy one toy as a Christmas present and to donate it to Thomley at one of the collection points indicated below. The charity will use these gifts for their raffles, events and the children visiting Thomley.

Volunteers from the Phoenix Community Club will be helping with the collection of the presents at the following locations and dates:

• Citizens Advice Bureau, Market House, North Street, Montesson Square, Thame OX9 3HH on 14 and 21 November 2020 – 10:00-14:00.
• Thomley, Menmarsh Road, Worminghall, Bucks HP18 9JZ on 23 November and 2 December 2020 – 10:00-14:00.

During the time of the pandemic, Rotary Club of Thame & District and Phoenix Community Club members have been meeting safely online and have welcomed five new members since March 2020. The club’s virtual rooms are largely open to welcome new volunteer members.

To find out more about the Rotary Club of Thame & District or Phoenix Community Club or how to join, please visit www.thame.rotary1090.org or www.facebook.com/thamerotary or www.facebook.com/phoenixcommunityclubthame  

DESPITE the rain, members  of the Thame Green Living group were at Thame market last Tuesday, October 27, to talk to interested people about the community solar scheme that has recently been launched with the support of Thame Town Council.

Visitors to the stall included the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, Amanda Ponsonby, and the Mayor of Thame, Cllr Ann Midwinder, who has herself expressed an interest in having solar panels installed on the roof of her home. 

For anyone not able to make it to the market, there is an opportunity to talk to IDEAA – the company leading the solar scheme – who will be hosting an online Q&A session, next Wednesday, November 4, at 7.30pm. For more information and to register for the event go to solarstreets.co.uk/thame

What is Solar Streets?

Thame Solar Streets is a community solar project that gives individual home-owners and businesses in Thame the chance to install and own solar PV roof panels at around 20% discount, by taking advantage of bulk purchasing and coordinated installations.

Individual households benefit from free, low carbon energy and the community benefits from cleaner air. In addition, IDDEA will donate £50 towards PV panels for a local community building for each domestic solar installation, and a minimum of £100 for every commercial installation.

Thame Green Living works in support of this initiative, while IDDEA contract directly with property owners.

Who are IDDEA?

IDDEA was established in 2008 and has installed over 800 solar projects across the South. It’s committed to supporting communities to take action against climate change and has run similar projects in Frome and Henley, and another is going ahead in St Albans.

To register your interest and find out more, go to www.solarstreets.co.uk/Thame and join the live Q&A session via Zoom on Wednesday, November 4, between 19:30 and 21:00, hosted by the technical and installation team at IDDEA.

UPDATE: Benjamin Eyles, 19,  of Monks Hollow, Marlow Bottom, has since been charged  with murdering 19-year-old accountant Joshua Harling, from Oxford, on July 22 this year in Thame.

Eyles, was also charged with ‘conspiring to cause grievous bodily harm with intent’ alongside Nathan Braim in Elms Park in Thame on July 18.

At Oxford Magistrates Court last Wednesday, Eyles, of Monks Hollow, Marlow Bottom, spoke only to confirm his name, age and address, and was ramanded in custody until he next appears at court with Braim, of Broadwaters Avenue, Thame on January 4, next year. 

THAMES Valley Police have today (29/9) re-arrested a man in connection with a murder investigation in Thame.

The 19-year-old man, from Buckinghamshire, was arrested this morning on suspicion of murder, conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and perverting the course of justice.

The arrest is in relation to an incident in Chinnor Road, Thame, on Wednesday, July 22, this year which resulted in the death of 19-year-old Josh Harling.

The man arrested remains in police custody at this time.

Nathan Braim, aged 20, of Broadwaters Avenue, Thame, has previously been charged with one count of murder. He has been remanded in custody to appear for trial at Oxford Crown Court on January, 4, 2021.

COUNTRYSIDE campaigners CPRE Oxfordshire, have said that they believe that government planning reforms would significantly undermine local democracy and put the countryside at risk.

The government’s Planning for the Future White Paper is out for consultation until  October 29, and a  further consultation on changes to the way housing numbers are calculated closes on October 1.

Helen Marshall, Director, CPRE Oxfordshire, said: “We think planning is best done at a local level, allowing people to have a say over both the quantity and quality of development and to hold their locally elected representatives to account. That’s the best way to develop real communities, with the right housing in the right place. By contrast, these reforms would centralise the system to the point that we might not even be able to decide the colour of the doors, although we do know there will be an awful lot of them!”

Key changes include:

• A top-down imposition of housing numbers – a national Government target would be allocated to local authorities on the basis of an algorithim committing Oxfordshire to exponential growth.
• Community engagement would be largely restricted to the Local Plan making stage (as it stands, just one six-week consultation), with the public thereafter losing their ability to scrutinise most individual planning applications.
• The introduction of a zonal planning system also raises questions. Would the zoning have to take more account of the number of houses to be built than it would of the need to protect the environment? How could broad brush zoning work in a crowded island where environmental assets are mingled with development? How will it impact on broader plans such as Oxfordshire 2050?  How will our Neighbourhood Plans be affected? None of these matters are addressed, CPRE states.
• Development management policies, which cover issues such as noise, air and light pollution, rights of way and heritage, would all be set centrally with no apparent scope for local place-based planning.
• New settlements, such as garden towns and villages, would be taken out of the Local Plan system and be considered under national infrastructure rules – this would mean limited local say on any future projects like the settlements proposed at Eynsham or Chalgrove in Oxforshire.

CPRE Oxfordshire is urging people to respond to the consultation and share concerns with local MPs.  

Full details are available on the website:  www.cpreoxon.org.uk

There is also a National CPRE petition:  Don’t de-regulate planning

TV presenter and Naturalist, Chris Packham OBE is to be the keynote speaker for the brand-new Chilterns Champions Conference, taking place as part of the Chilterns Celebration this October. 

The aim of the conference is to showcase the work of citizen scientists, discuss key issues and inspire new volunteers to get involved.

The keynote speech from Chris Packham, who also finds time to be a nature photographer and an  author, will not only thank volunteers for all of their work in making Citizen Science in the UK the envy of projects around the world, but also showcase the ways in which data gathered by citizen scientists can make a real difference.

This full-day, online celebration of citizen science welcomes everyone – from those with a limited knowledge of heritage or to existing citizen scientists – and offers participants the chance to hear from expert speakers in heritage, water and wildlife, from the Chilterns and across the UK. The event will explore why citizen science matters, national recording schemes and looking out for wildlife, with a specific focus on citizen science and water and citizen science and heritage. 

The Conference will also discuss how best to inspire the next generation, and will hear from a youth panel of young citizen scientists who are working hard to engage new audiences in the world of conservation and volunteering. 

“I never cease to be amazed when I hear about the efforts many thousands of volunteers go to in supporting conservation projects in the UK. Citizen Science is hugely powerful in helping us not only better understand our wildlife and heritage but also informing decisions made by Government and decision makers. I can’t wait to join you on tOctober 24, to celebrate all of the work taking place across the Chilterns.” – Chris Packham 

Other expert speakers at the conference will include Gavin Siriwardena from the British Trust for Ornithology, Michael Pocock from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Mick Jones from Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Environmental Records Centre, Allen Beechey from the Chilterns Chalk Streams project, Wendy Morrison of the Beacons of the Past project, John Shaw from Chiltern Rangers and many more. 

The conference is presently jointly by the Chalk Cherries and Chairs Landscape Partnership and the Beacons of the Past project, both projects of the Chilterns Conservation Board and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

To read more about the expert speakers, the topics to be discussed and panel members, visit the Eventbrite page here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/117674927877 

Book your free place at the conference using the above link. 

Find the full schedule of events organised as part of the Chilterns Celebration and details on how to book your place at www.chilternsaonb.org/ccc-fest.html. 

HEALTHIER  lifestyles, more green spaces and more connected communities – these are just some of the outcomes that the Thame Green Living Plan, launched today, is aiming to achieve for the community of Thame.

 Many individuals and local groups have played a part in the formulation of the GLP which was adopted unanimously by Thame Town Council in July 2020. The Green Living Plan is a ten-year plan  “.. to protect and enhance quality of life for everyone locally in the things that really matter – our air, our water, our overall well-being and the natural world that surrounds us.” 

Actions and projects

The plan recommends a series of actions and projects across five focus areas – green spaces and biodiversity, clean air, water, energy and waste, and includes actions that can be taken by individuals, businesses and community groups, plus longer-term infrastructure changes,  with the support of a new community organisation, proposed to be called Thame Green Living (TGL). 

Walking and cycling

One of the projects that is already getting off the ground is working with Thame Town Council to improve signage and information boards on existing – and new – walking and cycling routes around the town and extending this more widely. The aim is also to establish ‘walking buses’ to schools to help reduce air pollution and boost children’s health. 

Energy efiiciency

Another project being explored is how to help households improve their energy efficiency. TGL will be encouraging Thame homeowners to make use of the just launched Green Home Grants Scheme to help reduce household energy bills by for instance, improving insulation which can have a huge benefit for both the pocket and the environment. TGL are also looking to support a ‘Solar Streets’ project initiative in Thame very soon, working with a renewable energy supplier and installer, to offer residents solar PV panels at bulk buy prices.   

Get involved!

Charles Boundy, who led the development of the plan through RSA Thame Group, explained:  “This plan is just the start. Without everyone in Thame getting involved, it will remain simply a set of ideas on paper. But by working together we can make the changes we need. Whether you’re a resident, business, part of the council or community group, we’ve set out three easy steps that everyone can take straight away.”  

To discover more about the Green Living Plan, the Green Living Group behind it, and how to get involved, visit the website: http://www.thamegreenliving.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThameGreenLiving/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thamegreenliving/
Contact: info@thamegreenliving.org.uk