Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

STUDENTS at Lord Williams’s Lower School have become space biologists and embarked on a voyage of discovery by growing seeds that have been into space.

In September, 2kg of rocket seeds were flown to the International Space Station (ISS) on Soyuz 44S where they spent several months in microgravity before returning to Earth last month. The seeds were sent as part of Rocket Science, an educational project launched by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and the UK Space Agency.

Lord Williams’s School is one of the participating schools to receive a packet of 100 seeds from space, which are being grown alongside seeds that haven’t been to space and the differences measured over a period of six weeks. The students will not know which seed packet contains which seeds until all results have been collected by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and analysed by professional biostatisticians.

The out-of-this-world, nationwide science experiment will enable the students to think more about how we could preserve human life on another planet in the future, what astronauts need to survive long-term missions in space and the difficulties surrounding growing fresh food in challenging climates.

The Rocket seeds were sown after school on Tuesday, April 19, and already they are showing signs of germination. Each seedling has a letter and number code. Over the next six weeks the students will be responsible for checking and watering the seedlings as well as taking measurements such as growth, leaf count and plant height at frequent intervals.

Mr Bill Zahariadis, Joint KS3 Team Leader Science, says: “We are very excited to be taking part in Rocket Science. This experiment is a fantastic way of teaching our students to think more scientifically and share their findings with the whole school.”

Rocket Science is just one educational project from a programme developed by the UK Space Agency to celebrate British ESA astronaut Tim Peake’s Principia mission to the ISS and inspire young people to look into careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects, including horticulture.

Follow the project on Twitter: @RHSSchools #RocketScience

IN a joint initiative with the local police, Thame Town Council’s car park attendants will now include all on-street parking in the town centre, in their patrols.

In a statement the town council explained: “The Town Council is aware that on-street parking is a bugbear for many residents and visitors, particularly since the retirement of Peggy Long the traffic warden. The on-street parking is currently monitored by Thames Valley Police but, with it’s limited resources, this has not been undertaken as frequently as necessary and it is widely known that drivers regularly take advantage of the lack of enforcement.

“Thame is proud to be able to offer up to three hours of free parking to both residents and visitors and believes this is an important part of retaining the vibrancy and vitality of the town centre.”

Details of offenders will be passed on to the Local Neighbourhood Policing for them to take action. The council hopes that this additional monitoring will lead to a higher turnaround of vehicles and prevent all-day parking in spaces designed for shoppers and visitors.

MANY in Thame will always remember May 2, 2012, when Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall visited the town when RAF Halton was granted the Freedom of Entry into Thame, and the impressive spectacle of the troops parading past the Town Hall.

On Sunday, May, 8, RAF Halton will once again march into town, exercising their ‘Freedom to march through the town with swords drawn, bayonets fixed, drums beating, bands playing and Colours flying’.

From 11am, the regiment will parade through the town to the High Street where the Mayor of Thame will have the honour of inspecting the troops.

The whole of the town is invited along but be aware that there will be a road closure in force from 9am – 1pm along the High Street, Cornmarket & Butter Market and a rolling road closure on Southern Road, so best to leave the car at home.

ONE of Thame’s longest serving, ex Town Councillors has tragically died, after a fall at her home in Bell Lane, Thame.

Beatrice Dobie, 73, was found injured at her home by her cleaner, last Monday, April 18, after apparently falling down the stairs. Sadly, she passed away on Monday, this week, April 25, in hospital.

A statement from Thame Town Council, where she served as a Councillor between 2003 and 2011, and as Deputy Mayor in 2003, said: “It is with deep sadness that Thame Town Council received the news that former councillor and Thame resident, Beatrice Dobie, passed away on 25 April 2016 after a fall at her home. The Council expresses its sincere condolences to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

“She cared passionately about her community and the people in it, devoting her time and energy to local politics. She made an outstanding contribution to the civic life of Thame, recognised by the town in 2014 when she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Town Award.”

Beatrice was instrumental in fighting for a new library for Thame, helping to form The Friends of Thame Library. She was often an out-spoken member of the town council, and as an Independent Councillor, was not afraid to speak her mind. She organised Christmas Tea Parties for the elderly folk of Thame for many years, and helped run the annual Charities Fayre and Community Groups’ Lunches.

Among her other varied interests, she was also a keen supporter of Thame Community Hospital, joining the League of Friends in 1999 and a member of Girl-guiding, leading a Brownie Group and later becoming a member of the Trefoil Guild.

Beatrice was often to be seen in the town, always impeccably dressed with a fine sense of colour co-ordination, determined to do her own shopping with her trusty trolley, despite finding walking a struggle in her later months.

Mayor Cllr Nichola Dixon said, “Beatrice was wholly committed to the community she lived in. She was a commanding and passionate woman whose dedication to the town continued long after she stood down as a councillor. This is indeed sad news for the council and for all those who have come to know Beatrice over the many years she has lived in the town.”

Councillor David Dodds, added: “I am sorry to learn of the passing of Beatrice. I knew her for a very long time and she always insisted that we were related, not true, but we were often near neighbours. Outside of civic life, she was an infant teacher, holding demanding positions in High Wycombe and Blackbird Leys. Certainly she involved herself in the community, from the hospital, to Girl Guides, Women’s British Legion, the Charities Fair and campaigning for the new library and many other facets of local life. She will be missed.”

She had apparently expressed a desire to be buried in Perthshire but a Memorial service for the life of Beatrice, who converted to Catholicism in recent years, is expected to be announced at a future date.

IT’S ‘swap the girls around’ at Thame Town Council, as the town’s current Mayor, Nichola Dixon, is elected as the next Deputy Mayor, and the present deputy, Linda Emery, becomes the Mayor Designate for 2016-2017.

Linda was elected at last night’s meeting of the town council, just pipping seven-times Mayor of Thame, Cllr David Dodds to the post, and will take over from Nichola from May 10, at the town council’s Annual Meeting. She is currently a member of  the town council’s Open Spaces group,  the Community Right to Bid group, the Town Centre Working Group, and the Budget Working group.

THAME’S MP yesterday voted in Parliament against a Lords’ Amendment to the Immigration Bill, that would have opened the way for up to 3,000 unaccompanied Syrian child refugees to come into the UK. The number of votes to reject the amendment was 294, those against 276.

THAME’S new flagpole, erected recently in front of the town hall, has proved to be controversial. Sixteen complaints received about it by the council include comments such as: “Not in keeping”; “Ugly” and “Looks like it should be outside a Naval establishment!” The council also received 18 complaints about dog mess in the town, as well as 60 compliments about various of its activities. You can read the whole report, which covers the six months to the end of March, HERE.

THAME Football Partnership is to apply for Planning Permission for an additional pitch.

THAME’S Great British High Street (GBHS) Team are working on various Midsomer Murders related ideas on which to spend the 2015 prize money. One proposal is for a business workshop to encourage businesses to take maximum advantage of the town’s link with the internationally popular TV series, as in other ‘Midsomer’ towns. The cost would be £1,500, £500 which would come from the GBHS winnings and the rest from the town council’s reserves allocated for tourism.

THAME’S Citizen Advice Bureau is to have a new Manager. John Bright will start in his new post in May, 2016, replacing the last Manager, Tom Fox.

IN preparation for the junior doctors’ strike starting this morning, South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) is encouraging members of the public to carefully consider the right treatment for their illness or injury during the period of industrial action from 08:00 to 17:00 today and tomorrow, Wednesday April 27.

SCAS has stated: “SCAS recognises the right of junior doctors to take action, however the Trust needs to maintain its essential service to the public and in the light of the industrial action, SCAS is working closely with all its partners, staff and the public to help reduce demand on its service during this time.

“Whilst we continue to focus on getting to patients with life-threatening injuries or illnesses as a priority, the impact of the industrial action on our service may lead to delays in getting to some patients in non-life threatening conditions. NHS organisations have tried and tested plans to deal with a range of disruptions including industrial action, but this is an unprecedented situation for the NHS.

“SCAS is working hard to ensure there are robust plans that focus on our top priority: protecting the safety, welfare and service we provide to patients. We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and take appropriate action.”

SOURCE: Press release

NOTE: It may be more appropriate to seed medical advise from the 111 NHS non-emergency number. When should you call it?

You need medical help fast, but it’s not a 999 emergency
You don’t know who to call for medical help or you don’t have a GP to call
You think you need to go to A&E or another NHS urgent care service but are not sure which one is most appropriate; or
You require health advice or reassurance about what to do next