Category: More News

THAME Town Council is to consider taking on the management of the old Windmill Suite, Thame, at its meeting tomorrow evening.
Councillors will discuss a draft, short-term lease drawn up between the Town Clerk, and the owners of the old Thame United site (which includes the building), namely Coleman Properties Ltd.
The loss of the suite, when Coleman foreclosed on the football club a year ago, because of alleged breaking of the terms of the lease, has been felt keenly by local groups and other hirers who have been unable to find an alternative venue locally with a large enough capacity.
Preliminary figures indicate that the council will run, what it intends to call the Phoenix Suite, at a loss although some hirers have indicated that they would definitely return as regular hirers.

The full council meeting will be at 7.30pm tomorrow, Tuesday, in the council chamber.

A LADY from Yorkshire recently contacted ThameNews.Net to see if we could help her trace her ancesters who, she believed lived in Thame.
Mrs Joan Woodward would like to hear from anyone locally who may have any information about her grandfather, George Henry Sharpe who left Leeds for Thame in the 1030s, when he married Lilly Howard. He was born in Leeds in 1901.
Somewhere along the line, there is a link to Ickford, and the family name, Honour.
Mrs Woodward’s grandmother was Martha Sharpe.

If you can help throw any light on Mrs Woodward’s family tree, please contact her by email: joan.woody@virgin.net

SILKEN-VOICED, Radio Two DJ, Ken Bruce, visited John Hampden School in Thame, on Monday, during an Open Day to show-case both the primary school and the nursery.
The culmination of a day of activities, including dance, drama, singing, Netball and kite making, was Ken’s presentation of certificates and prizes for the school’s very own version of the famous and sometimes controversial, Turner Prize for art.
However, there was no controversy about the overall winner, Bridget Harrington, who won

WEST Bucks Villages WEA (Workers Education Assoication) branch have new courses running in Thame, haddenham and Long Crendon this autumn. Details and application forms are available from the library or phone Sue Oswell on 01844 290568.

In Thame, Diana Perry Aldrich will be lecturing on ‘The Birth of the Renaissance.’ This course is organised jointly with OUDCE and is held on Thursdays, 10.30am – 12.30pm, from September 28th at the Thame Community Education Centre, Towersey Road.

JULY 17, John Hampden Primary School & Nursery Open Day – An opportunity to visit the school from 2.00pm to 7.30pm.
Also the 2006 Tiny Turner Prize, from 3pm – for children under 5 years on 31st August 2006 who enjoy colour, collage, crayons, pens, pencils or paint! Create a masterpiece based on the theme: “Up in the Air!”. 1stprize

THE hot weather currently being experienced over much of the country, can pose serious health risks for everyone, but especially for the very young and elderly.
Visit the National Health Service’s website for advice: Link

AS a month-long knife amnesty across the Thame Valley Police Force area comes to and, over 100 weapons were handed in to Thame Police station.
The national campaign aimed to take knives and offensive weapons out of circulation, in an effort to make communities safer.
Carrying knives is illegal and can result in up to four years in prison.

The following shows Thame’s figures in relation to other Oxfordshire police stations:
Banbury 97
Bicester 64
Kidlington 43
Chipping Norton 47
Witney 81
Carterton 12
Woodstock 5
Oxford 91
Cowley 173
Wantage 758 * *
Abingdon 128
Faringdon 4
Didcot 44
Wallingford 22
Henley 132
Sonning Common 9
Thame 101
Chinor 27

* 724 of these were brand new pen knives still in their boxes

THAME’S fire officers have been kept very busy during the recent spell of hot, dry weather.
Several grass fires near the motorway, possibly caused by the careless disposal of cigarette ends from vehicle windows, and a garden fence fire in the town have quickly been extinguished and prevented from spreading by the service’s prompt action.
The potentially most serious incident, on Wednesday, at arount 6.45pm, involved two pumps from Thame and one from Wheatley, when a light fitting above an office desk at Purite, in Bandit Way, Thame, melted and set fire to an office desk and computer.
Although the fire was quickly extinguished, thick, toxic smoke from burning plastics filled the building, which needed to be ventilated for several hours using power pumps.
Smoke damage to the property was considerable but the one office worker in the building vacated it very quickly and was unharmed.

NB The following advice about the use of Barbecues, was issued by Chris Wilson, Station Officer at Oxford City Fire Station, following a couple of incidents last weekend:

Oxford Station Manager Chris Wilson said ‘It is extremely important at
this time of year to make sure all barbecue equipment is working properly before it is used and that all residents are aware of the dangers of using gas and charcoal barbecues especially after long periods of non-use over winter and spring.

* Check all equipment for signs of perishing or damage

* Keep barbecues away from flammable areas such as fences,
awnings and the house

* only use just enough lighting fluid/firelighters for getting
started

* NEVER add flammable fluid to a lit barbecue

* Keep a hose or water supply handy for dousing hot spots

* NEVER allow children to use the barbecue

* Avoid drinking alcohol whilst using your barbecue

Always dial 999 for the Fire Service immediately, if anything goes
wrong.

Keep away from fire & enjoy your Summer safely.

ROUNDABOUTS and advertising planning permission in South Oxfordshire is to come under the scrutiny of the district council on July 4.
Chair of SODC’s Corporate Improvement Scrutiny Committee, Cllr David Turner, has strong views on the subject and has issued the following invitation:
“Whether you prefer roundabouts to be tidily cultivated or not it is clearly wrong for South Oxfordshire District Council to enter into a contract to allow advertising on them without going through its own planning procedures.
“How can they expect the general public to cooperate and comply with planning law when it flouts its own planning regulations? All these questions, including the safety aspect of these signs, will be put to the Council’s Scrutiny Committee in Crowmarsh at 6PM on Tuesday, July 4.
“If you wish to address the committee, please call SODC on 01491 823000 before 12 noon on Monday, July 3, to register to speak at the committee.”

OXFORDSHIRE County Council?s cabinet is to streamline the way it makes decisions with only one meeting a month rather than the current two.
The following statement from the county council sums up the changes:

Individual cabinet portfolio holders will now take decisions relevant to their areas on many of the issues that have traditionally gone to the full cabinet.
The decisions of the individual cabinet members will be taken in public, in the same way as the cabinet, with opposition and local members, the public and the media able to attend.

Decisions that will still be taken to full cabinet will include:
? Budget deliberations and decisions.
? Departures from established policies/budgets.
? Decisions with major implications for more than one portfolio
? Any matter which the portfolio holder wishes to remit to the full cabinet.
? Any matters in which a portfolio holder has a prejudicial interest.
? Any other matters at the request of any other member of the cabinet.
? Financial and performance monitoring reports.
? Reports from scrutiny committees and reviews.
? Recommendations from scrutiny committees following call ins of earlier decisions.

All papers/agendas for cabinet portfolio holder meetings will be circulated to the public and media, in exactly the same way as cabinet papers are currently sent out.

Councillors and members of the public will have the right to speak at portfolio holder meetings in the same way as they have at cabinet.

Cllr Keith Mitchell, the county council?s leader, said: ?Our aim is to retain complete democratic transparency while rationalising the time required of councillors and officers so that they can focus on their jobs for the benefit of everyone in Oxfordshire.
?I am confident that this new system will achieve those two aims and the decision making process will be as democratic as ever while also being streamlined. I look forward to the new system beginning in September.?