Category: More News

WHY not make the most of the snowy conditions by getting out into the beautiful wintry Chilterns countryside this Christmas? An invigorating walk is one of the best ways to work off the calories, shake away the cobwebs and give you a good appetite for the next meal! The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is right on the doorstep and offers miles of footpaths through rolling valleys and winter woodlands. You could even leave the car at home and walk from the front door to avoid those icy roads.

This December it is 45 years since the Chilterns was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It is one of 46 AONBs in the UK and together with National Parks they make up the finest countryside we have.

A walk in your local bit of our beautiful countryside represents a great way to beat the Christmas travel blues and look after your wallet! Find out about lots of great walks at www.chilternsaonb.org/activities.asp where you can search by town or postcode.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Stuart King – Snow time at Holmer Greetn http://tiny.cc/ernka

THE Chilterns Conservation Board, based in Chinnor, near Thame, is strongly critical of the Government?s plans for a high speed rail line that will pass through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

In a statement, the Board said: ?There is simply no case for High Speed 2, especially through a nationally-protected landscape loved by millions,? said Steve Rodrick, Chief Officer of the Conservation Board. ?Our opposition is based on solid facts. The Government claims it will be a green form of transport but the report produced by HS2 Ltd indicates it will be carbon neutral at best, it will not reduce national carbon emissions. And who will use it? Our personal demand to travel has been static since 1995. High Speed 2 is looking more and more like a white elephant.

“The high speed rail route will bulldoze through fields, woods and properties in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Hedgerows, woodlands and ancient country lanes will be destroyed and tunnelling through the chalk aquifer may have serious implications for local rivers like the River Misbourne. The visual impact of the line, with its overhead gantries, security fencing, cuttings, embankments and maintenance depots will be a severe blot on the Chilterns countryside. And its rural tranquillity will be ruined by the noise of up to 28 trains an hour travelling at 250mph.”

?This is not just about protecting one of the finest areas of countryside in the UK,” said Mike Fox, Chairman of the Chilterns Conservation Board. “No clear case has been put forward yet that High Speed 2 will benefit the country. Even the political consensus on it has vanished now that Labour is questioning the economic case for the line. It would be far better to spend money on the existing rail network, improving services which are actually needed and wanted.?

THE Government?s High Speed Rail route announced yesterday (Monday) will rip through ancient woodland and devastate sensitive wildlife areas, says Philippa Lyons, Chief Executive of the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust.

?The new route for HS2 will be devastating for wildlife especially protected species such as bats, nationally-rare butterflies, water voles and otters in our most sensitive habitats such as ancient woodland and meadows,? she said.

?The route announced yesterday will irreparably damage several important wildlife sites including Calvert Jubilee Nature Reserve in north Buckinghamshire and the Colne Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest in south Buckinghamshire.?

Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, adds: ?Whilst some consideration may have been given to noise and visual impacts for those people who live along the proposed route, Rt. Hon Philip Hammond MP made no reference at all to the impact on the natural environment.

?The proposed route will destroy or irrevocably damage a large number of important sites, dissect the landscape and fragment isolated patches of habitat. In the context of the recent Making Space for Nature report, the very last thing we should be doing is damaging existing wildlife sites and creating new linear barriers to the movement of wildlife.”

Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust is one of seven Wildlife Trusts affected by the High Speed Rail route between London and Birmingham. All of them will be campaigning through their memberships to stop the High Speed Rail project as it is currently proposed.

?We?re here to stand up for wildlife,? says Philippa Lyons. ?I know that thousands of Wildlife Trusts members and members of the public will be writing to their MPs, lobbying Government, and collaborating with the many community Stop HS2 action groups to prevent such devastating effects on the UK?s wildlife.?

The government has said that it believes that the construction of a high-speed network will support economic growth, as well as rebalance the economy. However, they realize, that say, that the proposed link will have big local impacts in the areas it passes through, and that it is their duty to do what they can to lessen those impacts.

Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, has said that changes to the proposed HS2 rail link route will significantly lessen the impact of its trains on the communities they will pass through between London and Birmingham. He has insisted that the scheme will help tackle the north-south divide by cutting travel times to and from the capital. However, he acknowledges that some along the line will see the value of their property fall and has announced that officials have worked on a compensation package.

SOURCE: Press release

THERE are two opportunities to give blood in Thame, throughout January and February, 2011.

The first session of the year will be at the Spread Eagle Hotel, Cornmarket, on Tuesday, January 11, between 13.30-15.30 hrs & 16.15-19.30 hrs.

The next session will also be at the Spread Eagle, on Monday, February 14, between 13.30-15.30 & 16.15-19.30 hrs.

To book an appointment visit www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. Please encourage your friends to come along. New donors are welcome.

PLANNING Applications Considered by Thame Town Council?s Planning Committee on Tuesday, December 7.

8819
P10/E1687 1 BROOKSIDE
Two storey side extension and rebuild garage.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

8819
P10/E1687 1 BROOKSIDE
Two storey side extension to incorporate granny flat and rebuild garage
Amendment No 1
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

8820
P10/E1692/EX UNIT 6, DORMER ROAD
Extension of time to implement planning permission P08/E0567.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

8821
P10/E1660 14 QUEENS CLOSE
Loft conversion and rear single-storey extension.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

8822
P10/E1723 46b NORTH STREET
Construction of new pitched roof to replace flat felt roof, construction of front porch to form lobby and erection of metal railings and entrance gate. Change
of use from caf

MEMBERS of Barley Hill Church in Thame met local MP, John Howell on Saturday (11/12) to show their support and commitment to helping tackle global poverty.

As part of their participation in the Micah Challenge, the group presented a set of handprints made by members of the church with their own pledges written on them. The meeting with John Howell was arranged by Barley Hill Church member, Rosie Pearce, whose own pledge was to lobby her local MP for continued support to tackle world poverty.

The Micah Challenge is a group of people who want to speak out against the injustice of global poverty. See www.micahchallenge.org.uk

John Howell said afterwards: “It was a pleasure to meet the members of Barley Hill Church. I am encouraged by their support and commitment. Even in these difficult economic times the UK has a moral responsibility to help the poorest people in the world. It is also in our own interest to do what we can to help tackle global poverty. I will make sure my colleagues in Government are aware of the support provided by Barley Hill Church.?

PICTURE: Handing over the hands to John Howell MP are Rebecca Wainwright, Sarah Gaultney and Rosie Pearce

TWO gardening projects launched by Thrive will help older people in rural communities feel less isolated.
Thrive, a charity that helps people with disabilities harness the benefits of gardening, will use the therapeutic powers of gardening to help older people with a history of mental health problems and other disabilities, regain confidence, build self esteem and motivation, feel better physically and mentally and create new social networks.

The Commission for Rural Communities highlights a trend towards an ageing population that is particularly vulnerable to isolation and loneliness, and for whom it can be costly to deliver vital services.

This is especially true for those older people in scattered and remote communities who have little or no family support. Evidence shows that appropriate, well designed services which are accessible even for those older people living in very rural locations, can have significant benefits for both user and provider.

Research shows that older people are frequently let down when they really need help: one in ten older people may experience depression ? rising to about 40 per cent for those living in care homes. With funding cuts set to hit some day centres across the UK, it is even more important to ensure older people are not forgotton.

Working across Berkshire, Hampshire and South Oxfordshire, Thrive wants to help people create community gardening and horticultural therapy projects in the areas where they live, which will improve their mental and physical health, reduce isolation and bring people together.

Thrive works with vulnerable older people to tackle the causes of disabilities such as mental illness, including isolation and loneliness and help them become more active citizens through rural based community gardening projects.

The charity has received funding from the Big Lottery for two projects: Community Rural Gardening is being funded through the Reaching Communities programme and Growing 4 Life is being funded by Ecominds.

Both are free to older people with mental health needs and Community Rural Gardening is also for older people with disabilities who live within two miles of the garden locations.

Project manager Wendy Chamberlain, said: ?Gardening is the tool we use to help some of the more isolated members of our community.

?Green exercise has been proven to improve mental well-being, lifting mood and boosting self-esteem. These projects present a wonderful opportunity to help improve local green spaces whilst at the same time forging community links and working with people who may be socially isolated.

?We hope people will benefit from the social inclusion and interaction of this project and develop a sense of purpose and achievement.

?Thrive will help them develop gardening skills and build up their knowledge and experience of garden-related activities. We hope that at least three quarters of them will adapt a healthier lifestyle as a result, and that the same amount will find improvements in their mental health.

?Once new gardening groups have been established, we will encourage people to stay together, remain active and Thrive will be on hand to give additional support when required.?

During the projects Thrive will record, monitor and evaluate what?s happened and the findings will be published to assist professionals working with older people who wish to use gardening as a therapy.

If you know an individual or an organisation in Berkshire, Hampshire or South Oxfordshire that may benefit from being part of Community Rural Gardening or Growing-4-Life, please contact Wendy Chamberlain on 0118 988 5688 or email wendy.chamberlain@thrive.org.uk

A group representing the Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association, which included three ex Mayors of Thame, recently paid a visit to Romania as guests of the Sinaia Town Hall. The trip included visits to two local primary schools and the Prince Cantacuzino College (the secondary school), as well as a visit to the Pelisor Castle, the former home of Queen Marie of Romania, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England.

Ex Thame Mayor, David Bretherton, Chairman of the Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association, said: ?On this, our second visit to Sinaia, we were able to stay a little longer and were treated to visits to the local schools and ventured onto the Transylvanian Plain to Bran Castle (Dracula?s Castle). “Once more the hospitality was superb and the scenery fantastic, and thanks to the exchange rate, the shopping and booze inexpensive. I am now looking forward to taking a larger party to see what the town is like in the Spring time.?

Vlad Oprea, the Mayor of Sinaia, said: “It was a pleasure seeing our friends from the Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association and I want to continue our friendship, which started exactly a year ago here in Sinaia. I want to thank all members of the Friendship Association for the initiative to start-up this collaboration. There is great potential to work on many joint projects and I hope that the twinning protocol could be signed soon.”

Jeannette Matelot Green, also a former Mayor of Thame, said: ?Once again, a memorable trip. We visited three schools, the two primary schools entertained us with local music and dance and the secondary school sixth formers gave a wonderful presentation of their impressions of Britain which they had visited on school trips. Marius Ciortan and I met members of the Sinaia Rotary Club. We were impressed with their fundraising projects which included the restoration of the architectural heritage of the town and awards to high achieving students from the secondary school.?

Irina Avramescu, Internal Relations Officer at Sinaia Town Hall, added: “For me every twinning project that grows is a new accomplishment, as our town is already twinned with eight other towns in the world. This is the feeling I have about the relationship of cooperation between Sinaia and Thame. It is a beautiful idea that I hope will materialize into common projects. It was a pleasure to see again this group of wonderful people from Thame. You’re welcome whenever you can visit us.”

Former Thame Mayor, David Laver, said: ?I can say that I found the town and the country very interesting; the surrounding countryside is very picturesque. The itinerary was very well organised by the town council of Sinaia and we were very well looked after. I particularly enjoyed visiting the schools and the chance to meet some of the staff and some of the pupils there. The opportunity to explore further into Transylvania and to visit the Bran Castle was a bonus and I would certainly visit again to find out more about the country.?

Marius Ciortan, himself originating from Romania, is the Secretary of the Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association. He said: ?We identified a lot of new potential projects especially with the Prince Cantacuzino College. On that day some of the sixth-formers were rehearsing for their graduation ball. They have got a very busy youth theatre group there with performances in French, English and Romanian and regular exchanges with youth from Sinaia?s twin town in France.

“I envisage a good potential link and exchange opportunities with our Thame Youth Theatre and Lord Williams?s School. I also feel there are also great opportunities for teachers? exchanges among the two towns’ primary schools.?

He added: ?For the future, we are looking forward to welcoming new members to our friendship association and also to ‘kicking off’ some of the potential projects with various groups in Thame. We will be organising a fundraising quiz night with fish and chips at Barley Hill School on Friday, January 28, 2011, from 7 pm.” Tickets will be available at

THE Environment Agency has changed the codes it uses to warn people about the risk of floods. These are available to view at CLICK LINK HERE

To check if you are at risk from flooding or to register for the Environment Agency’s free Floodline Warnings Direct service, please call Floodline on 0845 988 1188, or visit the Environment Agency’s website via the above link.

THAME’s MP, John Howell, took time out from his Westiminster duties last weekend to visit the town.

Saturday lunchtime saw him opening the extension to the Day Nursery at Lord Williams School. The extension, which was built with a grant from the County Council, adds considerable space to the Nursery and provides additional and modern facilities for the children. John said: ?I was very pleased to be invited to open this extension. We have a very healthy mixed economy of early years provision in this constituency giving parents a lot of choice. I am keen to ensure that it stays that way. That?s why it is a great pleasure to be invited to perform this opening ceremony at a nursery which is clearly going from strength to strength.?

From there, John went on to visit the French Market outside the Town Hall before cutting a birthday cake at Thame?s Oxfam Book Shop to mark its 10th anniversary. He commented: ?This bookshop is one of the town?s great success stories. It has over 60 loyal volunteers who help out at the till and in the back room receiving, marking up and classifying the many books which are generously given to the shop. It has now raised over