Category: More News

OXFORDSHIRE County Council has just set its school admission arrangements for 2007/08 which have been published online at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions.

Following wide-ranging consultation, no significant changes will be made to the admissions policy set up last year whereby parents list their three preferred schools in order and are offered one place.
Under this system, the council and not individual schools co-ordinates all applications.
The county council says that over 95 per cent of Oxfordshire pupils were allocated to their parents? first choice of secondary school in 2005.

Given widespread support for the existing arrangements, the council has also decided that no changes will be made to catchment areas for Lord William?s in Thame, or Wheatley Park School.

AT a time when Thame is in the middle of an anti-car crime campaign, Police in South Oxfordshire are warning car owners to take satellite navigation systems with them when they leave their cars, after a spate of thefts across the area.

Cars have even been broken into when just the holder for the system has been on display so motorists are advised to remove any evidence of their navigation systems while the car is unattended.

In recent weeks there have been several incidents, including one at the Welcome Break Services and one in Chinnor.

Alison Smith, Crime Reduction Advisor for the Didcot and Wallingford, said: ?Please remove all valuables from your car before leaving it and leave your glove box open so that criminals can see there is nothing to steal.

?Ultraviolet pens are available from police stations so you can mark your property. Stolen property recovered by police can then be identified and returned.
?Satellite navigation equipment is becoming more popular with motorists, and it is also becoming more popular with criminals. Where possible keep it safe by taking it, together with the support cradle and suction pads, with you when you leave the car.
?Also remember to wipe away any suction pad marks left on the windscreen or dashboard as thieves will look out for these. Don’t leave the equipment in the glove compartment ? thieves will usually check there first.?
You can also help by following these tips:
? Mark your satellite navigation equipment system with your postcode and house number or your vehicle registration number or another unique number, using special security markers.
? Make a note of the make, model and serial number of the equipment and keep the note somewhere safe ? not in the car. Consider recording this information on one of the commercially available asset registers.
? Don’t leave anything on view in your car. Thieves are opportunists and it takes them seconds to break into your car.
? Lock all doors and windows, not forgetting the sunroof, when leaving your car.
? Never leave the keys in the ignition when the car is unattended, even while you’re paying for petrol.
? Use car parks that are part of the police-approved Safer Parking Scheme. Approved car parks display the official ‘Park Mark’TM sign. For details, visit: www.saferparking.com

CHILDREN from Lewknor, Tetsworth and Aston Rowant Primary Schools recently visited Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve for an art lesson with a difference.
Inspired by the work of land artists, the children created their own trees using materials that nature provided.
Children from each of the three schools co-operated to make representations of the different trees found at the reserve using twigs and branches that they had collected. They then voted for their favourite (excluding their own!). Team Four won the honours for the day as their tree looked most like the drawing provided to them. All of the schools were winners however as each took back with them a nest box as a souvenir of the day.

The event was organised by Anne Barr and Cat Villarreal of English Nature, with the aim of promoting the enjoyment and understanding of nature. Cat said: “we certainly achieved this, judging by the excitement on the children?s faces.” Anne added that:”it was great to work with local schools and we?re really grateful for the co-operation of teachers and parents.”
The work of the children will remain on site to inspire others, until nature takes back its materials.

THAME Town Council has recently revised its methods of considering and awarding grants.
The council states that the aim of its Grants scheme is:”.. to promote a vibrant and active community in Thame. The scheme recognises and supports the valuable contribution made by the voluntary sector to the well-being of the community. It provides financial support for community organisations working for the benefit of residents, with the intention of improving the range of services and activities in the town.”
There is a limited budget each year for grant allocations and the amount requested usually exceeds the amount available and it is difficult for the council to gauge the priority of applications when considered on an ad hoc basis.
“For example,” the council states, “it is difficult to assess an application received at the beginning of the year because the Council does not know if other organisations may need assistance towards the end of the year.”
The council has therefore decided to try a new system in 2006-2007, whereby all Grant Applications for this financial year must be received by September 2006. All applications will then be considered at one sitting, with awards being made in November 2006.

Guidance notes and applications for grant funding in 2006-2007 are available from the Information Point in the Town Hall, or can be downloaded from the Town Council?s website: www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk.

BEE GEE, Robin Gubb, who lives in Thame, is apparently sharing his home with spooky guest.
Read the full story in the the scottish newspaper, The Daily Record. Link

AN Art sale and exhibition is to be held in Thame on Easter Saturday, to raise funds for a Year 10 student from Lord Williams’s school, to travel to Romania.

15 year-old Poppy Norris, who has organised the event, is among a group of students going to Romania next year to help set up a school in an isolated area in the Transalvanian mountains.

The show will be held in Jordans Courtyard, next to Pickles, Upper High Street, Thame, on Saturday, April 15, from 10am to 6pm. Soft drinks and cakes will be available.

All the exhibits are by members and friends of Poppy’s family who have donated their works to this very worthy cause.

THAME Town Council is to instal a special, touch-screen terminal that will bring prosective volunteers and volunteer vacancies together.
The machine, known as a Volunteer Point, is a web-enabled touch screen unit that allows the user to access volunteering opportunities on line. The idea behind the scheme, which was proposed by Thame Cllr Owen Davies, is to encourage more volunteering in Thame.
As well as enabling the user to browse information easily, questions can be directly emailed to a local Volunteer Centre and interest registered with a particular organisation, via the national Volunteering England website www.do-it.org.uk.
The Volunteer Point is expected to be installed in the One Stop Shop at Thame town hall before the end of April.

THE future of Oxfordshire?s woodland was the subject for debate at a special conference held in the county last week.
Representatives from Oxfordshire County Council, the Government, farming, the building and furniture industries, the energy sector, nature conservation organisations, education and others attended.

Oxfordshire has several well established woodland initiatives, all supported by local authorities including the County Council, that support owners’ efforts to manage their woodland.
Some of the county?s woodland is more than 400 years old.
Key issues identified at the conference included:
? Promoting better use of local wood.
? Promoting the use of low value wood for fuel.
? Directing the development of new fuelwood
coppice in ways to minimise environmental
damage and provide new public benefits.
? The value and importance of woodland in
education.
? Creating new woodland resources and managing
existing woodland in the Oxford green belt
for public benefit.
? Funding to deliver outcomes desired.

County Forester, Eric Dougliss said: ?If woodlands are to continue providing public benefits, they have to be sustainable. Realistically, this means that owners must be able to sell what their woodlands produce, at a profit.
?Using local, rather than imported wood, for building and furniture manufacture is one possibility. Using the large quantities of low value wood for energy production is another.
?The increasing demand for wood energy is likely to produce a demand for increased areas, maybe several thousand hectares, of new fuelwood coppice.
?Finding suitable sites for this, minimising environmental damage and maximising public benefit are going to be big challenges.?

FOLLOWING the announcement that Community skips for green waste and ECO Sacks are to be axed by the district council, the leader of the council’s Lib Dems, has issued the following statement:
“At the scrutiny meeting at SODC on Monday, March 27, the ruling Tory Group rejected the Liberal Democrats policy to retain the Green Community Waste Skips for at least a year whilst the success or otherwise of the new green wheelie bin scheme is assessed.
“The green skips are very popular where they are provided and only 4,000 wheelie bins would be available in the first year which would mean SODC sending much of the waste currently put into the green skips to landfill at great expense.
“What are the other 52,000 households in South Oxfordshire who will not get a wheelie bin supposed to do with their green waste? Taking it to the main recycling centre would involve a much longer journey by car, which is very environmentally unfriendly.
“The Liberal Democrats also argued without success to keep the eco sack system that many people had purchased in good faith from SODC and collect them at the same time as the wheelie bin system. Many people do not have a place to put a wheelie bin, or are physically unable to manage pushing one about, or even do not have enough green waste to fill a bin once a fortnight. Liberal Democrats argued that we should put more effort into getting people to do more composting at home, which where it is practical is the best solution.”

David Turner
Liberal Democrat Group Leader
South Oxfordshire District Council

Planning Applications to be considered by Thame Town Council?s Planning Committee on Tuesday, April 3. All plans can be viewed at the town hall.

8238
P07/E0201 46 CEDAR CRESCENT
Alterations to existing loft conversion including insertion of three
velux rooflights to front elevation and dormer to rear. Erection of
carport to side elevation and enlarge vehicular access.

8239
P07/E0202 46 CEDAR CRESCENT
Demolition part of existing rear extension and garage. Erect single
storey extension to incorporate garage to side elevation and extend
to rear elevation. Infill side entrance door and reinstate front door.

8240
P07/E0296 THE WHITE HOUSE, MORETON ROAD, MORETON
Proposed stable and garage blocks.

8241
P07/E0247/A W LUCY & CO LTD., HOWLAND ROAD
Erection of an internally illuminated lightbox sign.

8242
P07/E0310 14 COTMORE GARDENS
Single storey rear extension and new garage.

8243
P07/E0331 16 GRENVILLE WAY
Garage conversion to form dining room.