Blog

THE Chairman of beleaguered Thame United is to step down at tonight’s AGM.
Jim Tite will tell his committee of his intensions at the meeting which will be held at Thame town hall at 7.30pm.

Full report of the AGM on ThameNews.Net tomorrow (Friday).

DESPITE a further reduction in the number of units proposed, a third plan to demolish a Priest End house and replace it with a modern development, has not met with the approval of Thame Town Council.
Two previous proposals, one for eight units and another for even, were both rejected by the town council and the district council, on the grounds that they were Un-neighbourly, out of keeping in a Conservation Area and would have meant overdevelopment of the site.
Speaking on behalf of the Developer, Rectory Homes, Jake Collinge told the town council?s planning committee last night that he was of the opinion that the increased landscaping, reduction in car parking space and a reduction to five proposed units, now meant that the proposed houses would now :?Sit comfortably in the plot and would help meet local housing needs.?
However, two neighbours spoke against the proposal, being of the opinion that the three, 2 bedroomed houses, one, 1 bed and 1, three bed house, were unsuitable in design and constituted over-development of the site.
Brigit Hill, whose lives in Priest End, told the committee that she feared that, if permission was given for this proposed development, any other property in the High Street could get planning permission for a modern development, which would result in: ??an irreversible change in the nature of this historic part of Thame.?
Mr David Clifton, another close neighbour, called the proposals: ??a great, monolithic lump,? and was concerned about an increase in traffic out of what he called: ?a very dangerous corner.? Mr Clifton was also concerned that the view from the church, and from his own home would be ruined by the proposed houses.
?This whole plan is just a profit-making exercise,? he concluded.
Cllr David Laver said that he thought the new proposals were: ?A step in the right direction,? but that he was not happy with the design of the houses which, he said, needed to be more in keeping with the area.
Cllr Beatrice Dobie was concerned about the possible increase in traffic that might be generated in and out of Priest Lane, adding: ?..especially since we do not know what development there will be on the Rycote site.?
The committee voted unanimously to recommend refusal of the plan on the grounds that it was over development of the site, was unsuitable in a Conservation Area and did not include sufficient car parking .

The family of a young Haddenham man, who died on Sunday when the motorcycle he was riding left the road, have today paid tribute to him.
Jamie Wardell, of Townside, died after the Yamaha DT motorbike he was riding left the road and was in collision with a hedge off Woodway, Loosley Row at 12.05pm on Sunday, August 21.
His family have issued the following tribute:
?Jamie came from a large and loving family and will be missed terribly.
?He leaves behind his mum and dad, one brother, two half-sisters, a step-father, four grandparents and two step-grandparents as well as uncles, aunts and cousins, one niece and his beloved dog Rarn.
?At 18-years-old, Jamie was happy and content with his life. He had a job he enjoyed and loved spending time with his friends who were very important to him.

?Jamie was born in High Wycombe and spent most of his life in Walters Ash, before moving to Haddenham. He attended Walters Ash School and then Princes Risborough Upper. He loved football, snooker, computer games and reading, particularly Harry Potter and most recently the Da Vinci Code.
?He was funny and loveable. He was a good friend to many and very noisy. It is going to be incredibly quiet without him.

?Jamie will be sadly missed and loved forever by all his family and friends.?

The Police are still appealing for witnesses and would like anyone with information who hasn?t yet spoken to an officer to contact the investigating officer, PC Ken Johnson, at Amersham Roads Policing department via 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to speak to police and don?t want to leave your name, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Jamie?s funeral will take place at 2pm on Thursday, September 1, at Amersham Crematorium.
His family have requested donations for Stokenchurch Dog Rescue or Chiltern Dog Rescue instead of flowers.

Police are appealing for witnesses following a sexual offence in Thame, last Wednesday, August 17.

At around 4.45pm, two 14-year-old girls were walking through Cuttlebrook Nature Reserve when a man exposed himself to them.

PC Abi Derbyshire, based at Thame police station, said: ?The girls walked past the man who was sat on a bench wearing a pair of dark boxer shorts, trainers and white socks. They continued to walk on and the man followed them asking them what was wrong. The man then jogged past them and appeared from behind a small area of bushes with no clothes on.

?The girls ran away and later saw the man next to a dark coloured car wearing a pair of jeans. He then drove off in the direction of Lord Williams Upper School in Oxford Road.

?The man is white, around 45 years old, between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 10ins and of medium build. He has short greying hair and spoke with a local accent.

?I appeal to anyone who has seen a man of this description in Thame or has been a victim of this crime to contact police 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″

FEATS of ‘Daring Do’ and spectacular demonstrations of Knightly skills will be on display at this year’s Thame Show.
The Knights of Arkley, who are based at Llanelli, South Wales, will be the star attraction at the show, which takes place on Thursday, September 15.

A typical Tournament begins with a parade of Knights who then demonstrate the Skills at Arms and the training exercises for the Knights and their horses. Each will then ride at a large, rotating target called the Quintain and strike it at a gallop. They will then pick up small targets with pointed spears and lance the rings.
The Knights will then challenge each other to a Joust riding with a sheild and a lance and try to strike their opponent and knock him off his horse. Challenges not settled on horseback can continue in foot combat with swords and axes.

To find out more about this year’s Thame Show and how to get tickets, visit their website.