Author: Sonja Francis

FOLLOWING the closue of Thame’s Tourist Information Centre next March, the town hall’s One Stop Shop will be taking over some of its services.
The One Stop Shop (OSS) will become a TIP (Tourist Information Point), providing local information for visitors to Thame, but will not offer accommodation bookings or sell tickets on behalf of local theatre groups, etc. This is because it would not be cost effective since currently, the TIC staff spend the majority of their time selling tickets at very low commission rates and administrating and reconciling tickets sold with commission earned.
According to a report written and presented to the Town Council’s Policy and Resources Committee last night, because of staffing and work-space pressures, the TIP should be kept a simple as possible displaying local information that supports local business and should not include selling ‘knick-knacks’ or maps.
Anyone wishing to book accommodation will be able to do so via the two public access computers in the OSS but the council may need to purchase a third computer devoted to booking accommodation.
Three members of the OSS staff are to be trained by Tourism South East, at a cost of

FOLLOWING the loss of Thame Football Club as a popular venue in the town, more and more local groups are having to meet outside the town – and taking their business with them.
A 298 member, local fine arts group have been forced out of the town and now meet in Westcott, near Waddesdon.

Jenny Richardson, Chair of the Vale of Aylesbury Decorative Fine Arts Society, told ThameNews.Net that her group used to meet once a month in Thame United’s Social Club as well as holding three training days a year there.
“It is quite a hike for us from Thame but although our members from north Bucks find Westcott more convenient, we have lost members from Princes Risborough and the East for whom it is too far to travel.
“The point is, because our members come from such a wide area, they would make a day of it in Thame, and have lunch in a local restaurant and incorporate some shopping. All that business is now lost to Thame.
“The Thame club house was a very pleasant and flexible venue where we could keep all our equipment. As a venue for local groups it is a great loss the the town.”

A local Developer is currently finalising the details of a Planning Application to build a new cattle market and agricultural centre on Thame Show ground.

Bob Williams, Director of R G Williams Ltd, based at Wootten-Under-Wood, told ThameNews.Net today that his company is currently..”crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s’of what is called a ‘screening opinion’ with South Oxfordshire District Council, prior to submitting a full Planning Application after Christmas.

If approved, the plan could see the present cattlemarket moving to the Thame Show Ground, leaving the cattlemarket site vacant for new development – a site with 16 more years left on a lease held by Thame Farmers Mart.
Such a move, it is estimated, would cost over

OVER 80 senior citizens of Thame were entertained by town councillors on Friday, during a special Christmas tea party at the town hall. (Photo: Cllr Nigel Champken-Woods sings ‘No one wants a fairy when she’s forty’)
Cllr Beatrice Dobie, who oversaw the organisation of the event, told ThameNews.Net: ?It was a lovely party; the hall looked wonderful and many of our guests were able to meet friends and acquaintances that they hadn?t seen for years. I would like to thank Cllr Don Butler who, with Cllr Champken-Woods (who looked delightful in a gold dress!), greatly amused our guests with their song and dance act, Norma Laver for making the very special Christmas cake, Tessa Volders and others who drove many of the more infirm guests to the party, to the Masons for providing the Sherry, to the Youth Councillors who cleared tables and chatted to the guests, to the councillors who washed up, to all the businesses who rallied to provide all the food and refreshments and to everyone who contributed in any way.?
Len Webb gave a Vote of Thanks and Cllr Dobie concluded that she was sure the event would become a regular part of Thame?s future Christmas celebrations.

POLICE are appealing for witnesses following a robbery in Thame on Friday, December 2, just as the town was preparing for its Big Christmas Event.

At around 2.30pm, a man was queuing up to withdraw cash from a cashier in a bank in the High Street when another man asked him for directions to Oxford.

Just after the man had withdrawn his money and was still outside the bank, the same man came up to shake his hand, shoved a rucksack into his stomach and stole his cash.

The offender is described as white, 6ft, around 40 years old, stocky, broad and slightly overweight. He has very short grey hair, a round face with a pale complexion, was unshaven and was wearing a light coloured jacket and trousers. He spoke with a distinctive Irish accent.

PC Elaine Durham, of Thame CID, said: ?The offender ran off in the direction of Oxford Road and got into a white Rover where a white man was sitting in the driving seat.

?I appeal to anyone who was in the High street on Friday afternoon and saw a man of this description, to contact police.

?I am also keen to speak to another white man, aged in his mid twenties who was seen running in the opposite direction, so that he can be eliminated from our inquiries.?

He is around 5ft 10ins, thin, with a spotty complexion and had dark hair sticking out of a grey baseball cap. He was wearing a jacket with blue jeans that kept falling down with bright red boxer shorts underneath.

Anyone with information that could assist police inquiries is urged to contact Thame CID, via 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to speak to police and don?t want to leave your name contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.