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THREE young people from the Thame area are to receive awards from South Oxfordshire District Council, to help them achieve their sporting and artistic aspirations.
The three are among 11 young people from the district who have shown great potential in their area of expertise.
The Chairman of the Council, Patrick Greene, will present the awards at a ceremony at the Council?s offices on Friday, September 30, at 3pm.

In a statement today, Patrick Greene said: “These awards acknowledge the young people?s commendable commitment and determination to succeed in their field. We hope the awards will encourage them to continue achieving such brilliant results.”

Jack Brooks, a 20 year old from Tiddington, has played County Cricket for Oxfordshire at all age groups, including the Full Senior Team and last year made his debut in the Minor Counties Championship against Wales. He recently visited Australia to enhance his knowledge of cricket and Jack?s coach was very pleased to support this application on behalf of the Oxfordshire Cricket Board. Jack was awarded

THAME Kart racer, Alun Rowe, lead the winning team in a close-run special memorial endurance race last week.
The Darren James Trophy race was the first to celebrate the memory of one of Klub Kart Racing, Aylesbury’s members who died earlier this year from cancer.

Darren James was a regular racer at Klub Kart Racing in Aylesbury, taking part in many race events and winning a host of medals and an army of friends.

Darren (37,) had bravely fought cancer for five months before he finally passed away on May 3, 2005. He left behind his partner of 14 years, Karen and three children, Gemma (18), Alex (18) and Anthony (11).

In honour of Darren?s memory, his friend Dave O?Connell organised The Darren James Trophy which he hopes to run annually. The event is an opportunity for family and friends to remember Darren through a sport that he was so passionate about.

“He was a great driver but karting events for Darren weren?t just the about racing but also for the social side, chatting with old friends or making new ones over a coffee,” recalls Dave.

The two- hour endurance race covered around 250 laps and turned out, as expected, to be a fiercely contested battle between nine competing teams.
The following is a race report from Dave himself:

It was the closest racing over 2hrs that klub kart and I have seen for a long time.
Team two took pole position with a time just 2 tenths in front of team one.
As the flag dropped to start the race, teams 2,1 and 10 roared away with what looked like three rockets taking off into the distance.

Team 1 were the first to pit after only 10 min with a strategy in mind which would turn out for the best later on.
Roy Craig of team 10 drove a stunning lap of 26.91 sec on lap 16 to which would became a bench mark.

With the first changeovers completed, the leaders were dropping down the places with great drives by the 2nd team members of teams 7, 5, 4 and my team, 3.

When I joined at the 20 min mark, we were fighting for 3rd place; some fantastic driving by Greg Bird for getting us to there.

I was staying out for 30 mins to try and keep us up with the lead pack and with other teams changing drivers we kept a good position until I got tangled up with an accident which lost us a lap.

Over the first hour the lead was changing hands with fantastic overtaking manoeuvres by all; there was nothing to separate the teams.

It was great to watch most teams at some stage of the race in the top three.

All teams were consistently driving laps in the 27 seconds which kept the racing close.

During the latter stages of the race most of the teams’ quickest drivers were on track and the battles for places were incredible; with nearly 200 laps done, the gap covering first to sixth place was only four laps.

The kart centre was amazed and excited with the racing.

Dave Larner of team 2 and Alun Rowe of team 1 were constantly trying to better the fastest lap of the race set earlier on by Roy. They were both so close when on lap 200, Dave produced his most stunning lap of the race. With a clear track in front of him and the bit between his teeth he drove 26.75.

Alun driving for team 1 was quietly going thru the field; his strategy had paid off and he was now leading the race but being hunted down by team 7.
With that in mind, on lap 221 Alun drove his fastest lap of the race with a 26.90. He held on the lead to win on lap 245.

Congratulations to Team 1 consisting of Alun Rowe, Gerald Ringsell and Thomas Lavita for winning the first Darren James Trophy.

I would like to thank all the drivers for a fantastic race and hope that you all come back next year.
I would also like to thank Klub Kart racing for holding this event and for their generous donation of

THAME POLICE are urging parents and school children in the town to be vigilant after a 15-year-old girl was approached by a man this morning (26/9).

At around 8.20am, a white man tried to grab the girl as she walked to school along a pathway between Brook Lane and Beech Road.
The man is aged in his late twenties, around 5ft 8ins with dark short hair and stubble. He was wearing blue jeans, a black hooded top and dark trainers with a white stripe.

PC Colin James said: “Anyone who has seen a man of this description acting suspiciously is urged to contact police via 0845 8 505 505. I advise all school children who are approached by anyone they do not know not to speak to them and tell a parent or an adult they know.”

Anyone with information that could assist police inquiries is urged to contact PC James, 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.

A SIX-MONTH crackdown on violent crime, code-named Safer Streets, gets underway today to tackle a surge in violent crime across Thames Valley.

In a statement today, Thames Valley Police say: “The Safer Streets drive is about making it safer to live in Thames Valley and enjoy the nightlife. Violent crime accounts for 21 per cent of total crime across the Force. The campaign will be aimed at 15 to 35 year-olds and focus on alcohol-related violent crime, robbery of young people and replica guns.

“Safer Streets will have a three-pronged attack. There will be an operation code-named ?Hangover?, which will tackle an 18 per cent increase in violence against the person.

“The focus will be on persistent offenders with high-visibility patrols in concentrated areas of violent activity. Officers will work closely with local authorities, related organisations and licensees to ensure appropriate crime reduction tips are getting through to potential victims and warnings through to potential offenders.

“The second strand of Safer Streets will tackle robberies of young people. This is a renewal of the campaign that targeted street robbers in 2002, and although personal robberies are continuing to drop across the Force (8 per cent decrease since April 2005), Thames Valley Police is determined to keep the pressure on persistent offenders. Information from crime reports and intelligence will be used to direct officer activity on a daily basis.”

Assistant Chief Constable Katherine Govier, said: ?We are committed to tackling the increase in alcohol-related violent crime and will be working closely with our partner organisations.

?Safer Streets will focus on making it safer and more enjoyable to go out in our towns and cities at night. We will put pressure on people who get drunk and violent and robbers who prey on young people, students and those who wish to enjoy a peaceful evening out?.

The statement goes on to say: “The third part of Safer Streets will tackle the rise in the number of young people with replica firearms, as well as raise awareness of new legislation which makes it illegal to carry imitation or air weapons in public, and the danger people put themselves in by carrying these weapons.

“Armed officers are attending an increasing number of incidents where replica guns are involved, and, because it is difficult to tell the difference between imitation and real firearms, there are concerns a young person will end up being shot by police.”

Full details of the Safer Streets campaign can be found at www.thamesvalley.police.uk/saferstreets

THE flourishing relationship between Thame and its twin town in France was strengthened when a group from Thame spent a most convivial weekend as guests of their friends in Montesson.
Despite the coach they travelled in running out of fuel on the French side of the ?Chunnel? on the way home, the weekend has been hailed a huge success by all those who rose early on Friday morning for the excursion, including the Mayor of Thame, Cllr David Laver, and his deputy, Cllr David Dodds.

The weekend was a very special one for Montesson?s relationship with its German twin, Baeswiler, with whom they were celebrating 15 years of twinning. During a special reception on the Friday evening, the Mayor of Montesson, Jean-Fran

THAME Police are asking for help after a Lee Court resident had her purse stolen earlier today, as she sat in her sitting room.
The woman was reading a book when she suddenly became aware of a man standing beside her. Whe she challenged the man he told her not to worry, that his mate was using her toilet.
He then grabbed her purse containing her pension money and ran out of the door.
Witnesses reported seeing two shortish men, in their late teens to early twenties, smartly dressed in suits with check shirts, running out of Lee Court, along Wellington Street and into Kings Road.
The incident happened between 12 midday and 12.15pm.
Anyone with any information can contact either the police enquiry line on 0845 8505505 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

A THAME Town Councillor has told fellow councillors that the loss of Thame United as a community venue, emphasises the need for something similar on the Cattle Market site.
A local lobbying group, CMAG, has for some time been researching possibilities for a community-type facility to be included in any future development on the Cattle Market site, should it become available as a result of the cattle market moving to another site.
Cllr Peter Cockayne made his comments during a recent meeting of the town council’s Policy and Resources Committee, during which a report on meeting facilities in the town, by the Clerk, was discussed.
The Clerk, Helen Stewart, told councillors that she was continuing to try to encourage Coleman Developments, who own the Thame United site, to allow local groups to continue using the facility and that there was a need for local groups to keep re-itterating their need.
Cllr David Bretherton pointed out that some groups had been forced to find meeting places outside the town because there is no where else suitable within Thame now.
Councillor feared that they would be powerless if Coleman were to allow the site to fall into ruins.
When the Mayor, Cllr David Laver, asked if the district council could do more, District Cllr, David Dodds, said that it was: “working strenuosly with clerk.”