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  • ‘Peoples’ Vote’ campaigners to take the train to lobby MP

    ON Sunday, September 30, a group of normal people from Thame will gather at Haddenham and take a train. They won’t be going to their day jobs.

    Robin Storey

    Instead, cross party and no party Peoples Vote supporters will be heading to Birmingham on the 0900 to call on John Howell MP to join the campaign for a Peoples Vote at the Conservative Party Conference.

    Robin Storey, Founder member of the Open Britain Thame group, and campaigner for a Peoples’ Vote on the Government’s final Brexit deal, explained: “A botched no-deal or bad deal Brexit will leave the Constituency in a mess. We’re asking John Howell MP to take a lead and help find a way out from party infighting, along with other like-minded moderate Conservative MPs. It’s no longer good enough to say things are fine with Brexit, as we know so much more about the adverse effects on real people.”

    Nobody voted to be poorer

    “These national issues are also local issues – nobody in Oxfordshire voted to be poorer and all voters feel increasingly deceived, with livelihoods threatened by a Brexit that isn’t going well,” he added.

    “We’re conducting a survey of local business to add local data and views to the national picture. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/EU_Business_Survey

    “Every Saturday, Peoples Vote stalls are being held in Thame at 2pm to sign up supporters, and a national march will take place in London on October 20, calling for a Peoples Vote on the terms of the final Brexit deal. Over 100,000 attended the last march, including many from Thame.

    “We’d like to talk again with John Howell MP at one of these constituency events or in Birmingham. Specifically, we’d like to talk about jobs and weakening investment. BMW Mini in Cowley have warned publicly of the threat to their supply chain. Jaguar LandRover have also warned that many thousands of jobs are at risk by a no deal Brexit.

    “High tech business around Oxford wonder why they are losing qualified EU staff, who no longer feel welcome. Commuters who live in Thame are worried. JP Morgan and many other firms have recently announced jobs moving out of the City, taking with them key parts of our tax base and capability.

    In the Retail sector,John Lewis have blamed Brexit as one reason for poor recent results.”

    NHS and public services

    Robin continued: “We’d like to talk about how this affects the NHS and funding for all our public services if the economy and tax base does less well, outside of the EU single market and customs union, with much less comprehensive and efficient trade arrangements than we currently have.

    “Staff shortages at the John Radcliffe are a problem already, as EU staff return home, leading to ward closures.

    “In future, the Treasury’s own figures show 7% less cumulative economic growth through to 2030 with no deal. How will these services be funded?

    “These are the sorts of issues we’re asking our MP to engage with at a time like this. That’s why we’ve been calling on John Howell MP to support the Peoples Vote on the terms of the final Brexit deal and why we’ll be in Birmingham.

    “See you on the 0900 from Haddenham on Sunday, September 30!” Robin concluded.

  • Thame offenders brought to justice

    THE Thames Valley Police Neighbourhood Team for Thame, has issued its monthly news update, which included the information that a 26 year-old male from Thame has been sentenced to prison for twelve weeks for possession of cocaine, failing to stop at a road traffic collision, having no insurance and driving without due care and attention. He was also disqualified from driving.

     

    A thirty eight year-old male, also from Thame, was arrested on 07/04/18 by the Thame neighbourhood team on suspicion of drug driving. The male was then arrested on 23/07/18 for driving with excess alcohol and no insurance. He was suspended from driving for four years and fined £150.

    What the neighbourhood team have been doing

    PCSOs Diane Jackson and Maya Brien gave a talk to the Thame day centre on 08/08/18 regarding door stop crime – how to avoid this crime and stay vigilant.

    Have Your Say meetings

    The Thame neighbourhood team will be having a number of Have Your Say meetings in and around Thame. Anyone is welcome to go along and discuss any local concerns:
    • Wheatley Merry Bells – 13/09/18 at 11am & 04/10/18 at 11am
    • Waitrose Thame – 24/09/18 at 3pm & 19/10/18 at 11am
    • Coop Thame – 14/09/18 at 3pm & 15/10/18 at 1.30pm

    More PCSOs for Thame

    This month the Neighbourhood team welcomed a brand new PCSO to Thame, PCSO Maciej Stempniowski. Also, PCSO Natalie White is now back from maternity leave and will be working from 9am – 6pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. From the 01/10/18,  PCSO Graham Davey will be back in Chinnor.

     

     

  • District council wants ‘more clarity’ on Expressway route

    FOLLOWING the government’s announcement that ‘Corridor B’ is its preferred option for the proposed Oxford Cambridge Expressway, South Oxfordshire District Council has issued its response.

    The A34 during a rare quiet period. Image courtesy of geograph.org.uk/

    The government has stated that this route would see a road pass either to the north-west or south-east of Oxford, then north to Bicester and beyond which would be designed to take up to 40 minutes off the journey between the A34 and the M1.

    Cllr Jane Murphy, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “It’s important that progress is now being made on the Oxford to Cambridge Corridor. Our residents have been waiting for an update on this issue, which will have a significant impact on life in Oxfordshire. We are disappointed the announcement doesn’t bring the clarity or certainty our residents need about the route around Oxford. We are now calling on the government to confirm their intentions as soon as possible, and we stand by our position that the route to the west of the city is the best outcome for our residents.”

  • All ‘Thame Remembers’ crosses delivered!

    THAME Remembers, set up in 2014 to commemorate every named person on the town’s War Memorials, with a special cross, has achieved its aim of remembering all 212 men from Thame who fell in World War One by placing a Thame Remembers Cross on their grave or memorial wherever in the world that may be, by the centenary of the end of WW1 in November this year.

    Troops leaving Thame railway station to fight in WW1

    To achieve this, Thame Remembers has calculated that over 300 volunteers have travelled more than 150,000 miles and visited; four continents, 23 countries, 31 memorials and 102 cemeteries, and the team behind the project have expressed their gratitude to the people of Thame for this fantastic achievement.

    For more information about Thame Remembers, go to www.thameremembers.org, where you can also find information about their upcoming Ten Tommies from Thame production on November 9 & 10 . Tickets are for sale from Spear Travels, in Greyhound Walk, Thame.

  • ‘Stranger Danger’ warning after incident in Thame

    THE police are advising Thame school children, parents and guardians to be extra vigilant to and from school, following a report of a stranger approaching a pupil on her way to school yesterday morning (12/09).

    According to a letter sent out today by the Headteacher of John Hampden Primary School, a year six pupil was walking on her own but within sight of an adult responsible for her, when a male, wearing a dark ‘hoody spoke directly to the child. The Police were apparently alerted immediately.

    The children have been spoken to about ‘Stranger Danger’ and have been advised not to walk to school alone for the time being but to walk in groups or with an adult. The other primary schools in the town have been advised about the incident.

    Anyone who sees anyone or anything suspicious on their journey to or from school, is advised to phone the Police immediately.

  • Expressway preferred route announced

    THAME seems to have escaped major impact from the proposed Oxford to Cambridge Expressway, after the Government today announced its preferred route out of the three alternatives it has looked at.

    The Government’s chosen route, Corridor B, will follow the East-West Rail Corridor, (See more in depth explanation of the alternatives in our previous report HERE)  not the favoured route of South Oxfordshire District Council.

    The Government said that Corridor B was: “… judged to offer greater benefits to the region – outperforming the other options by providing better links to jobs, education, leisure and health services.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The expressway, with options to pass either west or east of Oxford, is expected to take up to 40 minutes off the journey between the A34 south of Oxford and the M1.

    Despite the Government’s statement today saying that ‘The choice of this corridor means that the government has ruled out construction in the area of the Otmoor nature reserve, underlining its desire to protect the natural environment’, Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) is ‘profoundly concerned’ following today’s announcement.

    Estelle Bailey, Chief Executive BBOWT, said: “In our opinion Corridor B is the worst of the three options. We told Highways England that the potential impact on biodiversity of Corridor B is so serious that the route should have been discounted entirely. The only way to avoid exceptionally serious impacts on biodiversity would be to develop a road route that is so convoluted that it would fail to qualify as an expressway.

    “Our most serious concerns are for the designated sites and nature reserves in Cothill Fen, Oxford Meadows, the Otmoor Basin, Upper Ray Valley and Bernwood Forest.”

    BBOWT has publicly voiced its concerns about Highways England’s failure to commission a Strategic Environmental Assessment as part of the process of selecting a Corridor. This is required under European Law for plans or programmes of this size. “This means the public has been denied the opportunity to fully scrutinise the comparative economic, societal and environmental impacts of the options. Several local MPs, councillors and pressure groups share our concern about the lack of consultation,” claims BBOWT.

    You can read the full statement from the Department for Transport, Highways England HERE and HERE

    Thame’s MP John Howell, has been communicating with wildlife groups about the possible affect on sensitive sites and you can read his response HERE

  • Is there culture in Thame? Complete the survey and find out!

    WHERE can you go locally A) Watch an animated film about an 11-year old girl’s courage on the streets of Kabul? B) Spend an evening with John Challis, star of Benidorm and Only Fools and Horses? C) Hear about the canal that Thame might have had?

    You’ll be Thame’s top culture vulture if you can answer these questions! But if you couldn’t, maybe it’s because you didn’t realise that Thame has its very own theatre and museum?

    You’d be excused for not having noticed them; the theatre is inside a 100-year-old church hall just off Upper High Street, and the museum is inside the former magistrates court building at the lower end of the High Street.

    The Players Theatre puts on a wide range of entertainment throughout the year – from plays and pantomime to music and comedy. It also has celebrity appearances – such as one by John Challis later this year. It also hosts film screenings organised by Thame Cinema For All, including recent releases such as The Breadwinner, an animated film about an 11-year old girl living in Afghanistan.

    The Thame Museum exhibits include fascinating glimpses of life 400 years ago that can be viewed with 21st century technology. It also has a regular programme of talks such as one coming later this autumn on ‘The Canal That Thame Never Had’.

    Thame Town Council would like to help the Players Theatre and Thame Museum by introducing them to a wider audience and letting people know what wonderful cultural and historical resources we have on our doorstep. So they’ve put together a survey that they would like as many people as possible to complete. Can you help by taking part? It doesn’t matter whether you’re aware of either the theatre or the museum or whether you’ve visited either in the past three years – all feedback is welcome. It takes less than five minutes to complete the survey, which is right HERE

    Who knows? You might find something you didn’t know you could get in Thame, whether it’s the chance to experience great stand-up comedy every month, see brilliant films from Ladybird to On Chesil Beach, look at original Elizabethan wall paintings or hear about the history of plastic!

    The survey is open until the end of October, so let’s find out how many people in and around Thame are aware of just how much culture we have here!

  • Recycle unwanted reading glasses, mobile phones & more at the Green Fayre

    CHINNOR and Thame Friends of the Earth will be holding their annual, Autumn Green Fayre on Saturday, October 6, at Thame Town Hall, between 10am – 2pm, with lots to do, see and buy.

    Autumn Green Fayre – 2018

    There will be local and Fair-Trade stalls selling a variety of gifts, crafts, jewelry, clothes, produce and cakes. Free children’s activities will be provided using recycled or natural materials, as well as a chance to make your own Autumn decoration.

    An inexpensive lunch of homemade soup and a roll will be available as well as cakes and refreshments. Anyone with surplus produce grown in the garden or allotment can be donated to Friends of the Earth at the Green Fayre, to be sold on to others for a small contribution, so avoiding waste and helping to support Friends of the Earth. Alternatively, you can do a ‘produce swap’.

    Friends of the Earth are earnestly campaigning for cleaner air in our towns and cities and have been monitoring air quality in Chinnor and Thame, and raising awareness of what can be done to improve our air quality. The group is also campaigning on Climate Change, the protection of bees and reducing plastic pollution. There will be displays of their work at the Green Fayre.

    There will be a collection point for the recycling of items such as unwanted stamps, foreign coins, old reading glasses, mobile phones, used batteries and empty printer cartridges.

    Entrance to the Green Fayre is free, with free lucky dip prizes for younger children.

  • Get set to move from ‘Couch to Challenge’ fitness

    NOW that the lazy days of summer are beginning to fade, some of us are beginning to think about putting all that ice-cream, wine in the garden and’ pigging out’ on all that ‘free’ Package holiday food, behind us, and thinking ‘Am I ever going to be fit again?”

    Well, Racquets Fitness in Thame may just have the answer – and at the end of it, you’ll be ready for a challenge – and an adventure.

    Sue Martin Downhill of Racquets explained: “We’re offering a new Couch to Challenge programme where people who are unfit can join the programme and we’ll take them from unfit through to doing a challenge in May/June 2019.

    “The challenge will be climbing Scafell Pike in the Lake District via the scenic route. To take part in Couch to Challenge, from September 2018 to May 2019, participants will need to take on a Group PT membership at £99 per month (with a £50 joining fee) or privately train with one of our PTs weekly. They will pay £40 per month towards the challenge itself with nothing to pay during the trip.”

    For more details of Racquets’ Couch to Challenge programme, visit the Racquets website HERE

  • Thame’s MP challenged over local concern about Brexit

    A THAME anti-Brexit group member has challenged the town’s constituency Member of Parliament, John Howell, over an article he wrote for a local paper, in which the MP said that ‘Brexit isn’t high on his constituents’ list of issues,’ and his lack of engagement over the issue. In an open letter Robin Storey of People’s Vote Thame, writes:

    Robin Storey of ‘Peoples Vote Thame’ and ‘Open Britain Thame’

    Dear Editor, Sadly, John Howell MP couldn’t be more wrong to conclude that Brexit isn’t high on his constituents’ list of issues.

    A policy of denial and a few ‘conversations in the street’ with a twitter message to tell us its happened, isn’t really what the constituency deserves.

    Here are a few examples of issues Peoples Vote / Open Britain Thame has raised with John Howell MP, to set the record straight. These are real conversations around the constituency and at our many Peoples Vote street stalls – none of which he has attended.

    JOBS. BMW Mini have warned publicly of the threat to their supply chain. In fact, they have hundreds of people in Munich working out what they will now do and where future production facilities may be located. That’s from a local conversation with constituents who work in Cowley.

    Or a conversation on the platform at Haddenham; where commuters discuss each week’s financial job moves to Frankfurt, Switzerland or Luxembourg, taking with them key parts of our tax base and capability.

    NHS. Thame has seen several leaflet campaigns for the Peoples Vote group, seeking a vote on the terms of the final Brexit deal, including one raising the issue of long-term NHS funding issues, if the economy and tax base does less well, as projected by the Treasury, outside of the EU single market and customs union, with less efficient trade arrangements than we currently have.

    Already, constituents wonder why there is a cancer ward shut in the John Radcliffe Hospital – due to a lack of nurses. That’s a local conversation.

    High tech business around Oxford wonders why they are losing highly qualified EU staff, who no longer feel welcome and why business has been advised to ‘seek advice from a customs agent’, as the Government seems unable to answer what will actually happen if they wish to export.

    The local academic community is currently struggling with the loss of EU Horizon funding and a brain drain to other European destinations.

    It’s going to be a bad deal, incompetently executed. Constituents wonder why the former Governor of the Bank of England has called preparations “incompetent” this week.

    These are the sorts of issues we expect an MP to be engaging in.

    John Howell MP

    That’s why we’ve been calling on John Howell MP to support the Peoples Vote on the terms of the final Brexit deal. Then we might see concern for constituency, not party survival.

    Robin Storey
    People’s Vote Campaign
    The Open Britain campaign Thame

    twitter: @OpenBritThame
    Website: https://www.peoples-vote.uk

    NB You can read John Howell MP’s views on Brexit on his website: http://www.johnhowellmp.com/john’s-blog/