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  • CCTV For Thame By November?

    CCTV cameras could be installed in Thame town centre by the end of November.
    South Oxfordshire District Council will be discussing its 2005/6 Budget at its meeting tonight, and is expected to approve

  • Thame Man Helps Keep London Safe

    THERE are many fields of work that require a great deal of courage. Some are more recognised than others such as the police and firemen, but have you ever stopped and thought what being a bomb disposal expert entails?

    Here in Thame we have among us a bomb disposal expert, Ian Jones. After being an army apprentice for three years Ian became a corporal in the ammunitions branch of the army, disarming a variety of explosives. He was involved in Northern Ireland where he said: “Under car booby trap bombs were the worst kind of device. Once the driver had set off, the bomb was activated and exploded killing the occupants.”
    He now works for the Metropolitan Police, dealing with incidents involving explosives in London; which you would think of as being a demanding lifestyle but according to our interviewee, thankfully there are not many bombs in London at the moment.

    His fascination with weapons and ammunition dated back to when he was a young lad, making bombs and setting them off for fun. One day things didn’t go according to plan though: “When I was 14 a bomb I had made exploded in my pocket, I had to go to Stoke Mandeville Hospital and have skin graft on my leg.”
    His dad suggested that he should join the army after that incident, and he has never looked back.

    For a hobby Ian travels around the world investigating battlefields from both world wars and was involved in the aftermath of the Kosovo conflict. He told Thame News that the most difficult thing he had to do was helping to uncover mass graves and meet the families who had been affected by the devastation of that war. He says of the experience: “It was difficult and moving.”

    It was suggested that he must have experienced some close shaves due to the danger he is exposed to, Ian disagreed and said: “There are so many rules and procedures to protect us which as long as we follow them they keep us safe. The police are in more danger because they are the first on the scene to investigate a bomb threat.”

    When asked of the risks of the job Ian immediately talked about the destruction and injured people rather than risks towards himself and others in his profession. He said that he doesn’t see what he does as risky, he has done it all his life and he and his colleagues are supplied with protective flak jackets, helmets and robotic devices to deactivate threatening objects. He said the biggest risks are devices made by amateurs, and post blast scenes where there is the danger from buildings collapsing, gas leakage’s and exposed electricity cables.

    When asked how he coped with the difficulties of the job he admitted that the team would sometimes drink and have a laugh in the evenings as a way of relieving the stress and tension. Training wise they endure a series of courses where they are assessed on how they deal with practice bombs. Ian spoke of a couple of personal tragedies within the job such as losing a friend whilst in France examining a World War One mine: “He was buried alive, I tried to dig him out,” Ian recalled.

    Regarding the future, Ian said that he is quite happy doing what he is doing right now and felt he was very lucky to be able to look forward to going to work and to do a job that he loves. He has recently published a book called ‘Malice Aforethought’ about the history of booby traps and is currently writing another book: “I like writing, I discovered it later on in life,” He concluded.

    Photo: Typical robotic vehicle used for disabling devices.

  • Calcutta Feedback Lunch

    A group of members from St. Mary?s church, Thame, are meeting for a ?Bring and Share? lunch following their recent trip to Calcutta.
    The meeting will be held at the Thame Barns Centre from 12.30-2.30pm on Sunday, March 20, to discuss their experiences. Everyone welcome.
    CLICK ‘Back’ TO READ BACKGROUND STORY DATED JANUARY 12.

  • Local Hunt Supporters Defiant Over Ban

    TRAFFIC in the centre of Thame came to a halt on Saturday, (Feb 19), when a mass of horses, people on foot and assorted vehicles, passed through the town following a ?meet of defiance? by local hunt supporters.
    On this, the first Saturday following the Government Ban on Fox Hunting with hounds, 210 horses, over 300 people on foot and a number of vehicles congregated at the Thame Show ground before hacking through the town centre and on to Moreton.
    Alan Hill of the Aylesbury Vale with Garth and South Bucks Hunt, told ThameNews.Net: ?The aim of the Meet was to ensure that the people of Thame knew that we were still going to get together and that our intensions are to keep working and fighting to get our sport back.
    ?We are not going to lie down and let this happen but will work in everyway we can to make sure that everyone realises this and that we keep their attention. ?
    Hunt supporters have mounted a legal challenge again the ban to the House of Lords and intend to take their cause to the European Court of Human Rights.
    Mr Hill said that his Hunt will not be drag or trail hunting for what is left of this season, which ends in mid-March, but will nevertheless meet regularly for exercise and from then on, carry on with their social calendar, point-to-point racing, hound shows, sponsored rides etc., in order to keep the community together and to continue their fight.
    ?We look forward to the General Election and getting a Conservative government back in which will let us get our sport back.
    ?We will need to do a lot of soul searching and make a decision about how we aught to continue,? he concluded.

  • Thame Museum Latest

    DESPITE building work hold-ups at what will become Thame’s museum, the Museum Trust, which is overseeing the transformation of the old Magistrate’s building, are confident that they will be able to stage an exhibition of sort by the summer.
    The museum has to date shown two exhibitions, a commemoration of the 60th anniversary of D-Day back in June of last year, and Toys Of Yesteryear in December.
    One of the most important landmarks for the musuem will be the return to Thame of the famous Renaissance wall paintings found at 43 High Street, Thame, and currently being looked after at the Oxford Museum. The trustees hope that their installation will take place within the next 6-9 months, once important conservation work has been done on them and the new Thame museum can provide suitable protection.
    Anyone interested in learning more about the museum’s future can go along to the town hall, between 10am and 12 mid-day, to a members meeting, where the agenda will include a discussion about the Draft Design Brief for the future museum.

    Photograph: The famour Renaissance wall paintings discovered at 43 High Street, Thame, in the 1980’s.

  • Boris All Wrapped Up

    BORIS Johnson MP, was all wrapped up this morning, when he gamely donned Thame’s Giant, 500ft scarf which went five times around a DAF truck.
    Boris was in town to open the refurbished Shaw Trust Charity shop where he spoke to staff and customers. From there he moved on down to Thame town hall to help Thame Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor, Cllr David Dodds, publicise a second attempt to auction the scarf on Ebay. (see yesterday’s story ‘Wrap Up Boris’on Main News page).
    ITN Central News sent a camera along, so look out for the programme which goes out shortly after 6pm in the early evening, and again around 10.20pm.

  • Car Park Boost For Rail Travellers

    PASSENGERS travelling with Chiltern Railways can now money with free car parking available Friday afternoon and through the weekend at a number of stations along the Chiltern Railways line.
    Beaconsfield, Bicester North, Gerrards Cross, Great Missenden, Haddenham and Thame Parkway, Princes Risborough, Stoke Mandeville and Wendover are all providing free car parking. There is CCTV at these stations and manned security from 06.00 to 23.00 each day Monday to Saturday.
    Speaking about the free car parking, Neil Micklethwaite said: ?This is great news for weekend passengers ? they can save both money and hassle by leaving their car at the station and travelling on the Chiltern Railways line. For those that live in more rural areas it presents an ideal opportunity for them to drive to their local station, park their car for free, and travel by train to do their shopping.

    ?It also offers even more flexibility for those who want to travel into central London but are keen to avoid the stress of driving and the expense of congestion charges and parking.?

    Signs on display in car parks give full information about free parking.

  • Wrap Up Boris!

    BORIS Johnson MP will be asked to wrap up tomorrow morning, when he visits Thame.
    Boris will be in Thame to launch the re-opening of the refurbished Shaw Trust charity shop in the High Street, and afterwards, members of Thame’s Chamber of Commerce and staff from DAF Trucks in Thame, will be inviting him to wrap up in the giant scarf, knitted by the people of Thame, as part of the town’s Christmas celebrations.
    Unfortunately, the Ebay auction winner of the Giant Scarf failed to follow through with his obligations and the huge muffler will now be auctioned for the second time on the world’s biggest auction web site. Tomorrow morning, around 11.30am, the 400 ft scarf will be wrapped around a DAF articulated lorry, in an effort to gain publicity and support for the charity-raising bid. Television news crews as well as local and national press have been invited to attend the event, which will take place in the cobbled area beside Thame town hall.
    Watch out for pictures of the event on ThameNews tomorrow night, and listen in to Radio Oxford around 8.45 am tomorrow morning when the ‘Great Wrap’ will feature on Radio Oxford.

    Photo: Thame’s Giant scarf is rolled up ready for its journey to Thame town hall.

  • Quiz Success For Twinning

    THAME and District Twinning Association’s Valentine’s Day quiz, proved a great success on Friday, when 128 people showed their support and helped raise money to fund a visit by the French to Thame in April.
    The quiz itself included a round on aphrodisiacs (did you know that onions are supposed to increase sexual arousal?)and another on famous great lovers. The winners were a team made up of teachers from Beaconsfield High School.
    The half-time cabaret act was the second appearance in Thame by ‘Madame Fifi’ alias Margie Barbour, who charmed the audience with her suggestive and topical humour and lead the singing of some well-known french songs.
    Madame Fifi had her hair specially coiffeured for the occassion, free of charge, by Zen Hair of Thame.

    Photo: Madame Fifi, with quiz master, Nigel Champken-Woods.

  • Swimming Pool Repairs A Step Closer

    LONG-awaited repairs to areas of Thame’s swimming pool damaged by flooding, came a step nearer this week.
    After months of discussions between Thame Town Council and the Contractor who built the pool, the Contractor has agreed to put right all the faults found to date, mainly associated with the roof, guttering and problems with blocked downpipes that allowed water to enter the building.
    During a heavy storm last summer, perspex roof panels were blown off the building during high winds and incoming water wrecked ceiling tiles and the carpeted reception area.
    The Mayor of Thame, Cllr David Dodds, explained that the delay in putting right the damage had been caused by the necessity of establishing who was responsible for rectifying the damage and looked forward to the completion of the work and getting the three-year old pool back to its former glory.