Category: More News

WOULD you like to improve your French and have fun at the same time? If this sounds like you, the Thame and District Twinning Association would love to hear from you.

BON ANNIVERSAIRE!

TDTA, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is an independent and self financing organisation with active members in Thame and the surrounding villages. It aims to facilitate and co-ordinate visits and exchanges between the people and associations of Thame and Montesson, a french town just outside Paris.

ANNUAL VISITS

Annual visits take place in September to Montesson and in May to Thame. This year our French friends will be coming over to celebrate the twinning 10th anniversary between Thame and Montesson, over the weekend of Friday, May 13, until Sunday, May 15,2011. The visit to Montesson will take place over the weekend of September 23/25, 2011.

A RIGHT ROYAL QUIZ

To help raise funds to entertain our French friends and to commemorate the forthcoming Royal wedding, the Twinning Association will be holding The Royal Wedding Quiz, at the town hall, on April 30, at 7.30pm, Quizmaster, Sue Boyle.

Tickets are

A FREE fact-finding event for families of children with special needs or disabilities and learning difficulties takes place next month. There’s still a few days left for parents to sign-up for workshops and register their children for activities taking place on the day.

The Facts For Families conference is the first of its kind to take place in the county. It’s a joint venture by Oxfordshire County Council’s Parent Partnership and Oxfordshire Family Voice – a group of parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities who work with the council in developing services for disabled children.

The event takes place on Saturday March 5 from 9:45am until 1pm at The Marlborough School and Enterprise Centre in Woodstock.

Some of the 15 workshops taking place include

Getting ready for “big” school
Brain Gym
Developing speech and language
Help with behaviour
Helping children with physical disabilities at
school

There’ll also be representatives from many local voluntary organisations as well as parent to parent support groups from across the county with more information for parents.

While parents are busy taking part in workshops, there’s a creche for under 5s and games and activities for older children including drumming, football skills, messy fun and arts and crafts.

Councillor Louise Chapman, Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, said: “This event is a great example of partnership working between the county council and Oxfordshire Family Voice and also an opportunity for parents to get new ideas and strategies for dealing with what can be challenging situations.”

Book in advance

Parents need to book in advance for workshops and children’s activities – the closing date for bookings is February 18. Please contact Parent Partnership on 01865 810516 or e-mail parentpartnership@oxfordshire.gov.uk to book and for more information.

A new Oxfordshire voluntary group controlled by people with physical and sensory disabilities is looking for members to help change communities across the county.

Oxfordshire UNLIMITED wants to make sure community life becomes more inclusive for people with physical and sensory difficulties, particularly in areas such as access to buildings, transport, education, employment and public amenities. With the support of Oxfordshire County Council and development advice from OCVA, the group plans to ensure everyone has equality of opportunity in the county.

Peter Hindshaw, Oxfordshire UNLIMITED Chair, said: ?It?s not what?s wrong with you, it?s about what you can?t do and how might the community change so that you can do it. Going for a wander in the park, taking a bus trip, following a sign, going shopping – day to day activities like these are difficult or impossible for some people with physical difficulties. We don?t expect miracles but we should be able to make many more of these activities possible.?

The group has big plans for future events, training, advice, changing attitudes, consultation, research and monitoring. But it needs local people with skills and enthusiasm to get heard in the right places.

Anyone can be a member and show their support, but people who experience physical and sensory difficulties are particularly encouraged to join, irrespective of how much time, if any, that they can offer. Telephone 0845 121 4112 for further details.

SOURCE: Press release

THE waste collection service in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse has scooped a national award for environmental innovation.

The service, which the two district councils run jointly, was named winner of the Environmental Innovation Award at the Government Business Awards last Thursday (17 February).

The award is designed to recognise a local authority scheme that demonstrates innovation in environmental practice and increases the awareness of environmental issues to residents.

The collection service, which is provided by waste contractors Verdant, was launched in South Oxfordshire in June 2009 and in the Vale last October.

In both districts the recycling rate has soared since the introduction of the service, which features a weekly collection of food waste and fortnightly collections of rubbish and recycling on alternate weeks. As well as collecting food waste separately for the first time in both districts – which alone helps to divert tonnes of waste from landfill – the new service has also enabled residents to recycle more items at the kerbside.

During the first 12 months of the new service in South Oxfordshire the council?s recycling rate rose from around 42 per cent to 70 per cent on average. During the first three months of the service in the Vale an average around 70 per cent of waste collected was recycled compared with 38 per cent the three months before.

As well as leading to an improved recycling rate, the service is also helping both councils to make significant financial savings through reduced running costs and additional recycling income. The service is also designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible with crews making fewer journeys and using fuel-efficient waste trucks to help reduce carbon emissions from vehicles.

Cllr David Dodds, Cabinet Member responsible for waste services in South Oxfordshire, said: ?We are so proud of the way this service is working in South Oxfordshire and the consistently high recycling rate that is being achieved. It is a real success story for all involved, from our residents for their commitment to recycling to the hard work of our contractors and council staff.?

SOURCE: Press release

LAST night, Tuesday, saw well over 180 keen prospective purchasers turn up to the sales launch of Windmill Place, Thame, the former site of Thame United.

Paul Moran, Sales Director for David Wilson Homes Southern, said: ?The response to the launch of Windmill Place was quite phenomenal. We had queues forming up the stairs and into the town hall as soon as we opened the doors and were rushed off our feet all night. As well as families looking for bigger homes, we had a large number of older purchasers who are looking to downsize from an older property, attracted by the convenience of a new build home.?

The site developer, David Wilson Homes, is offering 59 homes and released the first properties for sale last night. Paul Stachura, Branch Manager at Connells, Thame, who are marketing the new homes, said: “Windmill Place has certainly created a bit of a buzz around Thame. A development of this nature, so close to the town centre is such a rarity and we were inundated with interest even before the launch. As well as securing sales on the new homes, we are also working with some local purchasers who are looking to sell their existing property now in order to secure one of the 59 homes available.?

Windmill Place will be made up of a range of two, three and four bedroom homes with prices starting from

OXFORDSHIRE Trading Standards have issued warning about two scams currently affecting the county’s residents, one to do with high pressure security alarm salesmen and the other warns against scam Olympics ticket sales.

Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service is warning residents to be vigilant when opening their doors to companies offering burglar alarms for as little as 99p.

Many people have complained to Trading Standards, with victims reporting a cold call by a salesperson who insists on visiting to discuss the installation of a free or cheap alarm. Companies may also use high-pressure tactics to scaremonger residents.

Based on previous complaints, Trading Standards found that the companies failed to mention hidden fees for the monitoring, upkeep and rapid response facilities. Some residents have found themselves tied into a long contract agreement costing thousands of pounds.

Richard Webb, Acting Head of Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards, said: “Some companies are claiming to be directly linked to the police, which is simply not true.

“Our advice is not to buy anything based on a cold call. If you intend to make a major purchase always research the market and get at least three quotes from reputable companies.

“If you do not wish to receive unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls, you can register for free via the Telephone Preference Service on 0845 070 0707 or www.tpsonline.org.uk. Alternatively if you need any advice, you can contact Trading Standards on 08450 510845.”

People conned by Olympic ticket scam

Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service is warning people not to buy tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games from bogus websites.

Nearly nine million tickets will be going on sale for the Olympic Games and another two million for the Paralympic Games. But a number of organisations are beginning to operate, selling fake tickets to con people out of their money.

Genuine tickets can only be applied for through the official London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games website: http://www.tickets.london2012.com

Oxfordshire’s Trading Standards has set up a webpage with questions and answers to help people wanting to apply for tickets and stop them from becoming a victim of a scam.

Richard Webb, Acting Head of Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards, said: “Bogus websites often look very professional, but it is only when the event draws near and the tickets haven’t arrived by the promised date that it becomes clear that the website never had the tickets to sell. Anybody who thinks they have used or come across a bogus website should contact Trading Standards on 08450 510845.”

How to apply for tickets

People can apply for genuine tickets on the official London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games website: www.tickets.london2012.com Customers can register their interest now to receive all the latest news and information before tickets go on sale.

There are 26 sports to choose from and everyone has an equal chance to buy a ticket. It is not first come, first served. Once people have applied for tickers, London 2012 will use an automated and random selection process to ensure the fairest possible allocation of tickets for those sessions.

The application phase for tickets opens on Tuesday, March 15 and closes on Tuesday, April 26 2011. Successful customers will be notified by the end of June via email or letter. Applications for tickets for the Paralympic Games tickets will begin on Friday, September 9th 2011. Tickets for the London 2012 Festival, part of the Cultural Olympiad, will go on sale in October.

Visa debit, credit or pre-pard card will be the only payment card accepted when applying for tickets on the official website. Cheque or postal order will be accepted through the paper application form contained in the official ticketing guide, and available in Lloyds TSB branches. Tickets start from

THE next in a the series of 2011 TALKS AT THAME MUSEUM, will be on Thursday, March 10, at 7.30pm, entitled ‘Being a Boy in the Blitz’ – some personal reminiscences.

Len Chapman tells us what life was like growing up in the East End of London during the war. There will also be a few WW2 artefacts on display to accompany the talk.

Tickets:

STAFF and friends of the Oxford Belfry Hotel took part in a Rowathon on Thursday, February 17, to raise money for Asthma Uk.

The event was the first of what will be a series of events every month this year to try and raise a total of

THAMES Valley Police is seeking the public?s help in finding a missing woman last seen in Wycombe yesterday (Feb 15).

Petra Sinclair, aged 41, of West Wycombe Road, High Wycombe was last seen at about 11.25am yesterday (15/2) by her partner when she was dropped off in High Wycombe town centre, near the bus station, on her way to meet a friend.

Police are growing concerned for Miss Sinclair?s welfare as it out of character for her not to return home.

She is slim, 5ft 8ins, with long, straight dark hair and was wearing a grey and blue jacket, black jumper, black leggings and knee high boots when she was last seen.

If you have any information about Miss Sinclair?s whereabouts, contact Thames Valley Police via the 24-hour police enquiry centre on 0845 8 505 505 and quote URN 1192 of 15 February 2011.

DO you have a 15/16 year-old studying French, who would like to be a pen-pal to a young French student?

Hello,
My name is Nicolas and I am 16. I am French and I live in Bezon, near to Paris. I?d like to find an English pen-pal from my age to chat and perhaps meet her/him and invite him/her to my home and go to her/his home. I want to improve and enrich my English and I can help her/him in French. I love cinema, music, aquatic sports and trips. I am very interested in English, American and Australian cultures. If you want to meet me you can email me at: nico95870@live.fr