Category: More News

TIME is running out for community groups and parish councils in South Oxfordshire to apply for the last round of funding from the district council for 2017/18.

There’s £107,000 available to help fund a variety of community facilities and improvements like building new skate parks or play areas, upgrading sports pavilions, or purchasing life-saving defibrillators.

South Oxfordshire District Council has already awarded £423,000 to lots of worthy causes this year, including to support improvements at five play areas, a replacement pavilion in Ewelme, and a much-needed roof replacement at Wallingford Corn Exchange.

The deadline for this round of funding is 4pm on Wednesday, September 6, meaning that applications need to be submitted as soon as possible.

Cllr Elizabeth Gillespie, Cabinet Member for Grants at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “If you have a community project costing more than £2,000 and need some funding to see it take place, make sure you submit your application before the deadline.

“We can help fund a wide variety of projects to benefit the whole community, such as revamping a village hall, buying new equipment, or even building a brand new sports pavilion.”

To find out more about the grants on offer and to apply visit www.southoxon.gov.uk/grants. For further information contact the grants team at grants@southandvale.gov.uk or on 01235 422405.

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a fatal collision in Thame. The incident took place on the A4129 Tythrop Way in Thame yesterday (28/8) near the skate park at about 4.35pm.

A black Kawasaki ZX series motorcycle, ridden by an 18-year-old man, is believed to have collided with a lamppost.

He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.

Investigating officer Sergeant Julie Caulfield, of the Joint Operations Unit for Roads Policing, based at Bicester Howes Lane, said: “If anyone saw this incident, or has any information relating to it, I would ask them to get in touch.

“I am particularly keen to speak to anyone who was at the skate park at the time as they could have vital information.

“Anyone with any details should call the Thames Valley Police non-emergency number on 101.”

If you have any information relating to this case, please call 101 quoting reference ‘977 (28/8)’, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.

A young motor cyclist is reported to have lost his life in a road traffic collision in Thame.

The tragedy occurred in the early evening of yesterday, Monday, August 28, close to Thame Skate Park.

Members of the public were quickly on the scene and did all they could for the casualty, including CPR, before the emergency services, including the Air Ambulance, arrived very soon afterwards.

The name of the victim is being with held out of respect for the family involved.

EVEN though there have been huge changes to examination courses and assessment, students at Lord Williams’s School in Thame, have again achieved highly in their GCSE examinations with 73% of students achieving five or more higher grades (A*-C/9-4) including English and Mathematics.

These results are slightly down on last year, 2016, when 76% of students achieved five or more A-C grades – the best ever results for Lord Williams’s school. This year’s results reflect the national picture with Teachers’ leaders stating that because of the changes, the results for this year cannot fairly be compared. SEE LINK

Headteacher, David Wybron paid tribute to this year’s cohort: “Following on from last year’s record breaking results, these results are again outstanding. The examinations are now harder and the changes imposed on schools have been introduced very hastily. These are new examinations and there aren’t any benchmarks. However, what we can say is, that the overall results are very impressive and so many of our students have achieved outstanding results. I would like to pay tribute to our students for their hard work on securing such impressive results and to their teachers and support staff, who have prepared them so well.”

The following students gained at least seven passes at grade A* or A (new levels 9, 8 and 7):

Elizabeth Archer, Emily Baillie, Adam Barlow-Heal, Helena Bernstein, Lucy Biswell, Olivia Black, Sam Black, Niamh Bourke, Peter Brightling, Ben Caiger, Ben Cross, Jonathan Dadson, Rachel Dickinson, Frances Dixon, Oliver Dudley-Heidkamp, Connor Fitzgerald, Catherine Fotherby, Josephine Golds, Remy Goodwin, Jazzy Green, Emma Gutteridge, Anna Harper, Evie Hughes, Thomas Ingell, Megan Keen, Stefania Lee, Harvey Lord, Ellen Ludlow, Katie McRobert, Rhys Minchin, Lucy Nicholls, Jasmine O’Reilly, Charlotte Porat, Charlie Porter, Rory Pridmore, Alfie Richards, Tommy Richards, Heidi Scholey, Bobby Sluka, Max Spokes, Hattie Ward, Charlotte Watson, Violet Weston and Josh Wright.

How do the 2017 grades compare to previous grading?

Grades 9, 8 and 7 are broadly equivalent to an A* and an A.

Grades 6, 5 and 4 are in line with B and C grades.

A grade 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade.

A 3 would be broadly similar to a D grade, with 2 and 1 taking in grades E, F and G.

There is still a U – ungraded – mark.

Fewer grade 9s will be awarded than A*s, meaning it’ll be harder to get top marks.

TERRY Hankins! At Thame Market’s Community Day yesterday, Terry was presented with a silver plate to celebrate over 35 years as a trader at Thame Market, making him the longest serving trader at Thame’s weekly Tuesday charter market. Terry was presented with the award next to his fruit and vegetable stall by Mike Broun, the Chairman of the Thame Market Traders Co-Operative, and the Mayor of Thame, Cllr Tom Wyse.

The annual, Community Market Day once again proved very popular with local families and visitors, with several local organisations and charities manning stalls and selling everything from plant pots and rainbow merchandise to knitted clothing and toys, all in aid of great causes.

There was plenty for the younger visitors to the market to enjoy, including face painting, balloon modelling, tombolas, live music and a massive bouncy slide! Local MP John Howell attended and chatted to some of the local organisations. Thame Market Trader and secretary of the Market Trader’s Co-Operative, Chris Hurdman, said: “Tuesday’s was the most successful market day ever and Thame was buzzing! He also thanked the Town Council for their support with the event.

To view more images, go to www.facebook.com/ThameMarketTraders where you can also stay up to date with Thame’s weekly charter market.

THE Forget Me Knot Café which provides information, peer support and fun activities aimed at helping those with various mental health, isolation and age-related health issues, has published its Autumn programme.

The Forget Me Knot Café meets twice monthly on a Monday at the Chinnor Village Centre between 10.30-12.30pm, and provides activities to help with co-ordination, brain stimulation, and general health and wellbeing, for people suffering with dementia, mental health issues, old age or isolation. All are welcome to go go along, either alone or with a carer.

Café Co-ordinator, Michele Pether, said: “You will be welcomed with a cup of tea and a biscuit. We start with fun seated exercises, followed by our visiting expert. At the end of the session, we play parachute games, juggling, throwing balls, flat football, floor netball, finishing the session with a poem, lyrical or a reading.”

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS 2017
04 Sept— Music and Song – Chiltern Music Therapy, Eleanor
18 Sept – Music and Singing – Heidi from Kiddledivy
02 Oct – Music and Singing –Julia Hollander
16 Oct – Music and sining – Andrea Yates
30 Oct – Music and Singing – Julia Hollander
13 Nov – Winter Tea Dance – Ian English and Co
27 Nov – Warming to Christmas – Heidi from Kiddledivy
11 Dec – Christmas Carol – Mill Lane School Junior Choir

For further information contact 01844 353733 or email: info@holisticmassageuk.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/forgetmeknotcafe

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a burglary in Thame, Oxfordshire.

Overnight on August 20, a property in Arnold Way was burgled. Entry was gained through a rear door.

If you have seen any suspicious looking vehicles or people in the area or have any information relating to this message, please call the police via the 24 hour non- emergency telephone number 101.

Alternatively, if you have any information but wish to remain anonymous, please call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

THE proposal for an Oxford to Cambridge Express Way, could be ‘a nightmare for Thame’ an Oxfordshire County Councillor has warned.

Reporting to a recent meeting of Thame Town Council, Cllr Nick Carter said that the route currently being mapped out ‘is at a sensitive stage’ and that he was ‘increasingly concerned’ about its significance for the Thame area.

If the route chosen goes to the North and North-east of Thame, he warned: “The movements of construction vehicles could be a nightmare for Thame.”

Around £3.5 million is to be spent upgrading roads including the A34 and building new ones, as well as extending the east-west rail line to form the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway. The Expressway would be a motorway-standard road between Oxford and Cambridge, via Bedford and Milton Keynes. There are three route options currently being considered (see below) and recently a company was awarded a £15m contract to examine these options.

The aim is to improve east-west connectivity between the two cities forming a ‘brain belt’ to boost the economy.

Substantial job and housing growth to support the continued economic development of the region is also being planned by local authorities along the route.

Other local roads are also set to receive more investment after Oxfordshire County Council was given a share from a national roads fund.

The government’s Oxford to Cambridge expressway strategic study: stage 3 report can be read in full HERE

A well-known, senior resident of Thame has donated funds to the Thames Valley Air Ambulance charity from the sale of her book.

Hazel Bleay, aged 86, has made many friends in Thame since she moved to the town from Oxford in 2005, to be nearer her daughter. Hazel was born and bred in Oxford and was encouraged to write her book Memories of Bygone Oxford Shops, by Malcolm Graham at the Oxford Achives. He quickly became aware of Hazel’s interest and deep personal knowledge of the history of the ever-changing face of retail in the city whenever she visited the archives.

Since it was published by Robert Boyd Publications of Witney, in 2010, 2,000 copies of Hazel’s book have been sold, including one of the most recent, to a couple from Australia who were visiting Thame Farmers Market after taking part in a Midsomer Murders tour of Thame.

Hazel told Thame.net how she happened to notice a man sketching one of Thame’s old cottages in Upper High Street, where she knew the owner. She began chatting to the man about the building, and about her enthusiasm for the history of Oxford’s shops, when the man called his wife over from the Farmers Market and they explained how they intended to visit Oxford the next day, and would love to buy Hazel’s book to help them identify the various old shops of Oxford.

Earlier this week, Hazel presented a cheque for £225 to Thames Valley Air Ambulance charity representative, Tony Coote, at her home in Swan Walk, Thame.

Not a bad achievment for someone who left school at 14 years-old, and has worked as a hairdresser, a telephonist, and for the Ministry of Agriculture, when as a youg woman, she used to travel to Thame to write out the Animal Movement licences on Thame Cattlemarket days.

These days Hazel is an active member of Thame U3A, though her health has stopped her joining in for the last couple of weeks after a fall outside a Thame beauty parlour. But Hazel is determined to get better and continue with her hobby of building model houses and shops, and discovering her family history.

Towersey Festival chosen charity

Ruth Dunkin from Thames Valley AirAmbulance, told Thame.net: “We were delighted to hear that Hazel had raised £225 for the charity from the sale of her book, and were particularly thrilled to also receive a signed copy from her. We are most grateful for the ongoing support from the community in Thame and hope to see many of you at Towersey Festival over the bank holiday weekend where we are the chosen charity for Towersey Festival.

“Do come along please and say hello – we’ll be doing face painting and have a Giant Life Size Operation game too!”

NB ** Anyone who would like to purchase Hazel’s book, can contact her via editor@thame.net.

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following an assault in Haddenham last month. At around 9pm on Saturday, July 1, a 40 year-old-man and a 46-year-old man were assaulted outside Haddenham Sports and Social Club on Chewells Lane.

One of the victims sustained a lump and a cut to the side of his head and the other required surgery for a head injury. He also sustained a broken nose and a fractured skull. He has since been discharged from hospital.

Due to the injuries sustained, neither victim can remember the assault. The incident was reported to Thames Valley Police on August 9.

No arrests have been made.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Hannah Davison from Aylesbury Force CID, said: “These are two serious assaults, which left one of the victims requiring surgery.

“We have now launched a thorough investigation and as part of our enquiries, I would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the incidents or any suspicious behaviour in the area on this date.”