A Safe Places scheme, aimed at offering places of refuge for vulnerable or threatened people while out and about in Thame and Wheatley, will be launched on May 15, at 10-30 am in the Market Place in Thame.
South Oxfordshire District Council’s Community Safety team is working with Thames Valley Police, Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service, Oxfordshire Family Support Network and local communities to launch the nationally recognised ‘Safe Places’ scheme across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse.
What is a Safe Place?
The Safe Places Scheme aims to help vulnerable people feel confident and safe whilst out and about. If someone is feeling lost, anxious, confused, bullied, abused or harassed they can go to a Safe Place. Safe Places offer support to elderly people, people with dementia, those who may have a physical or learning disability, people with mental health needs or someone who feels unwell.
How does it work?
Safe Places are identified by a nationally recognised logo that will be visible on a sticker in the window of participating shops, community centres and cafes. Cards can be carried by the individual with contact numbers on for family members, adult social care and the police. A ‘Safe Place’ card can be picked up from a Safe Place location or by emailing: communitysafety@southandvale.gov.uk.
What help can be provided?
If you have a Safe Places card, a member of staff can phone your nominated person, whether it be a carer or family member. But, whether you have a Safe Places card or not, you can go into a participating location and ask for assistance and a trained member of staff will be able to help you.
Safe Places in South Oxfordshire
Current local locations signed up in Thame are; Waitrose, Boots, Thame Town Hall, Esso Garage, BP Garage, AutoParts, Sainsburys, Co-op, Costa, Library. In Wheatley the Safe Places are; Asda, Post Office Wheatley and Moorland Rd Surgery Wheatley.
To find out where the other Safe Places are in South Oxfordshire please see the interactive map on the national Safe Places website HERE
If you are interested in becoming a Safe Place, please email communitysafety@southandvale.gov.uk. Premises will receive a resource pack and free training on how to help vulnerable people.
HAVING recently gone into Administration, the owners of H & C Pearce & Sons Ltd, in Aylesbury Road, Thame, one of the largest agricultural farm supply businesses in central and southern England. has been acquired by the agricultural supplies group, Wynnstay.
H & C Pearce was a family run company which could trace its history back nearly two hundred years when it began as a wool grading business. Wool stapling (or trading) having been part of Thame’s heritage since medieval times.
Powys-based Wynnstay has agreed with the administrators to pay £800,000 in cash for the Countrywide Farmers plc (“Countrywide”) stores, including Thame. At completion, the total number of Wynnstay Country Stores will increase from 52 to 60 outlets.
Ken Greetham, Chief Executive Officer of Wynnstay, commented: “We are very pleased to have acquired eight country stores previously operated by Countrywide Famers. Their addition increases our footprint in both our existing trading heartland, and in the South West of England, in particular giving us an increased profile in Cornwall and Devon.
“Farmers and the rural community are at the heart of Wynnstay’s offering and we look forward to welcoming new customers to the Group, as we introduce our products and services across these new stores.”
SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL has published its latest figures showing that it can demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, which it claims should deter speculative planning applications from developers.
If a local planning authority cannot show that it has a five-year housing land supply, its policies with regards to residential development will be regarded as out-of-date. Where this happens, the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) sets out a ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’.
Cllr Felix Bloomfield, South Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, said: “It is good news for South Oxfordshire that we can currently demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. This will help us to fight speculative development on sites which are not the most suitable or preferred, whilst continuing to deliver on housing growth.”
Under government planning rules set out in the (NPPF), all local planning authorities should have an up-to-date deliverable five-year housing land supply. The council’s Housing Land Supply Statement for 2017-18, published today, shows that it has a 5.4-year supply.
To determine this figure, the council monitors planning permissions, carries out site surveys to check progress on house-building and works with housebuilders to understand how many houses have been built and how many are likely to be built in the next five years.
Its latest housing completion survey shows that in South Oxfordshire 967 homes were built and finished in 2017/18, a third more than the previous year’s figure of 722, when the council was unable to demonstrate a five-year supply.
Cllr Felix Bloomfield continued: “While this is not a significant over-supply and there are outside forces that can affect supply, we are working hard to ensure that this can be sustained moving forward. We are in the final stages of preparing our Local Plan for independent examination and this sets out how South Oxfordshire will grow over the coming decades in a planned, phased way.”
The Housing Land Supply Statement can be viewed HERE
THE Mayor, Cllr Tom Wyse’s charity Golf Day on Friday, April 20, raised over £4,500 for the his chosen charities – the Red Kite Family Centre and the Thame & District Day Centre, with team ‘The Shankers’ successfully defending their title from 2017.
The Shankers team members L to R – Simon Martin, Gareth Davies, Gary Bunney and Simon Copley
The event, hosted by Studley Wood Golf Club, was sponsored by many local companies with 68 players taking part.
The Mayor commented: “The course was in great condition and everyone enjoyed the lovely weather. One comment summed up the day; ‘great golf, great food and a wonderful atmosphere’.”
IN early April an elderly lady shopping in a store in Thame had £1000 in cash taken from her handbag which she had just withdrawn from the bank to buy new carpets for her home.
Sympathetic to the elderly victim’s plight, a Thame resident created a Just Giving page on Facebook to raise money for her. Through the generosity of Thame residents and businesses, £1000 was very quickly raised.
The kind man who created the page transferred the funds into the victims account last night, witnessed by neighbourhood PCSO’S at Thame police station.
The victim has publicly thanked everybody who donated for their generosity.
PCSO Graham Davey from the Thame neighbourhood team, looked after the victim after the incident to make certain that she was reassured and well looked after by friends and family.
Thames Valley Police are still investigating the theft by following up all CCTV in the area.
TO celebrate ‘Love your Local Market’, a national initiative to promote markets, the traders at Thame’s Tuesday Market, Thame Town Council, and Thame Farmers Market which joins the main market on the second Tuesday of each month, have a host of fun activities for Thame shoppers to get involved.
These are:
May 1: Live music from Simon Markland at 11am, and the chance to win a free family ticket to Music in the Park
May 8: Free tasters throughout both the weekly Charter and Farmers’ markets.
May 15: Warming you up for the Royal Wedding – come and take a selfie with Prince Harry, and look out for the sweet treats being handed out.
May 22: An exhibition featuring photos from the market as it used to be circa 1900
May 29: Family fun for children hosted by Creation Station
IT’S a busy time in Thame – so much to report to day, so here goes with one of Thame.net’s ‘News in Brief’ digests to bring you up to date with what’s been happening:
NEW Mayor Elect – Cllr Ann Midwinter was elected unanimously this evening by fellow town councillors. Ann was the Mayor of Thame both in 1990 and in 1991. Her Deputy will be Cllr Linda Emery, who was Mayor in 2016 -2017. She will take office from the current Mayor, Cllr Tom Wyse, on May 8, 2018.
Cllr Ann Midwinter – Photo courtesy of Thame Town Council
POLICE report of illegal scrap metal collections from homes in our area. They have received reports of a white transit van. TVP ask that residents remain vigilant and report any suspicious looking people or vehicles, taking down detailed descriptions of the people, the vehicle and registration plates. Call 101 and quote reference 43180116539 with any information or 999 if a crime is occurring at that time.
THAME IS TO GET NEW CCTV CAMERAS but some town councillors are unhappy that that they will not be the very latest, state-of-the-art cameras available, that they feel will serve Thame better than those proposed by South Oxfordshire District Council. The Town Clerk, Graham Hunt, is to write to SODC at the request of town councillors, expressing their concerns and asking if it’s a matter of budget constraints. It was also suggested that a leasing arrangement might be better so that cameras could be updated more frequently.
The statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square
AS THE STATUE OF Millicent Fawcett was unveiled today, TAL Festival has announced that it will be celebrating the centenary of Suffragism with two great speakers, Jane Robinson author of Hearts and Minds, and viv Newman, who has written Suffragism and the Great War. The TAL Festival takes place October 18th-21, 2018.
SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE Charitable Lottery will be drawn for the first time on Saturday, April 28, online via the SO Charitable Lottery website. The community lottery was launched last month by South Oxfordshire District Council to raise funds for local charities and voluntary groups. So far, 53 good causes have successfully applied to become beneficiaries of the lottery. From each £1 ticket bought, 60p goes to good causes and the local community. The rest of the money goes to the prize fund and running costs – the council does not receive any of the proceeds. MORE INFORMATION – HERE
WANT SOME FREE TICKETS TO TOWERSEY FESTIVAL? The festival organisers have a pair of Adult Weekend tickets with camping up for grabs in their latest competition. Enter before the end of April, and you could be in with a chance of seeing The Shires, The Proclaimers, Richard Thompson and loads more for free! ENTER HERE
WANT TO CLIMB TO THE BELL TOWER OF THAME CHURCH? The Friends of St Mary’s Church, Thame, are holding an open evening on June 15, 2018. As well as trips up to the Bell Tower and interesting and informative talks, Bell-ringing demonstrations and organ demonstrations, there’ll be a treasure hunt through the church, highlighting various aspects of the history of St Mary’s Church. The evening is free, refreshments shall be available with a retiring collection for the upkeep of this 13th Century building.
Catherine Jones with her latest novel, outside The Book House in Thame
THE SECRETS OF A SMALL TOWN are the subjects of the latest book by prolific, local author, Catherine Jones. And although LITTLE WOODFORD, the town which is the subject of her latest book, isn’t Thame, it does have a sleepy high street, a weekly market, a weathered old stone church and lovingly tended allotments. “A peaceful, unexciting place, the very heart of middle England.” Catherine was at The Book House, Thame, on Saturday (21/04) signing copies of her book. Catherine happens to be an independent town councillor when she’s not writing books but anyone thinking that local, Thame characters may have crept there way into the book, will probably be disappointed. But this cracking read (yes, I’ve read it, and yes, there is a local journalist in it) is available in hardback from The Book House in Thame, or as an ebook from Amazon.
Pat Shepherd, Chairman, Thame Players, and Simon Vickers, CEO of Rectory Homes
THAME THEATRE’S SPONSORSHIP by Rectory Homes, has been renewed for a further year, with a review in 2019. This follows Rectory’s previous three-year sponsorship of Thame Players which ended in March. Rectory Homes’ sponsorship of Thame Players has two strands. One relates to creative development, enhancing productions through the addition of special effects such as musical accompaniment and lighting, as well as the hire of authentic costumes and props. The other strand relates to improvements to the theatre, such as the installation of a new internal acoustic door (co-funded by South Oxfordshire District Council), a redesign of the theatre frontage (with additional sponsorship from other sources), and improvements to the side access. On the creative side, Rectory’s contribution will help Thame Players host celebrity appearances, often requiring sizeable fees, and build in special effects for forthcoming productions such as Oh, What a Lovely War! (September).
ONE WEEK left to apply for a Town Council grant. If you are a community or non-for-profit group working for the benefit of the people of Thame you can apply for a grant up to £2,400 from Thame Town Council. If your project addresses the needs, aspirations and issues of the people in our community, then you are eligible to apply. Applications must be received by 5pm on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. You can download an application form from www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/grant-aid
DIANE Louise Smith of Rooks Lane, Thame, admitted before Oxford Magistrates this week to drink-drinking in North Street, Thame on March 8.
Magistrates heard that she had 68mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, exceeding the limit of 35mcg. She was fined £250, ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge and £85 court costs, and was disqualified for 18 months.
Banbury Magistrates fined Jamie Eadle of Fleetwood Way, Thame, £267 after he admitted driving without third party insurance on September 5, in Thame. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30, court costs of £85 and was disqualified from driving for six months.
WITH less than two weeks to go before the Lord Williams’s School (LWS) 5k run and obstacle challenge, organisers are hoping for a last-minute dash to sign up for the event which takes place on Saturday, April 28, from 1pm, at the Upper School in Oxford Road in Thame.
Last year’s Fun Run
“Dig those trainers out and get yourself registered now – there’s still time,” explained PTA Chair,Karen Shardlow. “This year’s event is going to be even better than last year, with not just running, jogging or walking involved, but also an obstacle course and brand-new colour station, so prepare to finish looking like a rainbow!”
She added: “As a member of the LWS PTA we’re aiming to raise funds which will buy some of our school ‘wish-list’ items this year, including new whiteboards for classrooms, football kits, iPads and more, so you can see your support will really help to enhance the experience of pupils attending Lord Williams’s School.”
The 5K route offers a mixed terrain – perfect for runners and joggers looking for a challenge or families and supporters looking to soak up some springtime ‘fun in the sun’. With music on the day as well as a raffle and refreshments, it promises to be a fun-packed afternoon for all.
Local business supporters are also lending a hand including Lucy Electric, who are sponsoring all the runner numbers, and Stuart Barr Furniture, which is entering a team to take part on the day!
Karen conclued: “If you’ve got what it takes for a business v business team challenge, then get signed up alongside Stuart Barr Furniture now!”
Entry is £10 per person and you can register online at www.lws5k.eventbrite.co.uk. Sponsorship forms can be downloaded via http://www.lordwilliams.oxon.sch.uk/ or can be picked up via the LWS Upper School reception.
