Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

THAME will be one of 1,000 beacons to be lit across the United Kingdom to celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty The Queeen, on April 21, 2016.

The beacon will be lit in front of the Town Hall and everyone is invited to gather together from 7pm to share the Queen’s lifetime of service to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. The evening’s celebration will include performances from Thame Concert Band and Thame Pop Choir, who will accompany the crowd in singing ‘Happy Birthday’. There will also be an inspection of 594 (Thame) Squadron Air Training Corps and Thame Army Cadet Force.

Following the performances, the Town Mayor, Cllr Nichola Dixon, will light the Thame beacon, joining the hundreds of others that will be ignited across the country.

Beacons will be lit at churches, on farms, country parks, village greens and on country estates. Lighthouses, National Trust and English Heritage properties are also taking part. The Army Cadet Force are taking special gas fuelled Beacons to the top of the Four Highest Peaks in the UK:

• Ben Nevis – Scotland (1st Battalion Highlanders Army Cadet Force)
• Mount Snowdon – Wales (Clwyd and Gwynedd Army Cadet Force)
• Scafell Pike – England (Cumbria Army Cadet Force)
• Slieve Donard – Northern Ireland (2nd NI Battalion Army Cadet Force)

Mayor, Nichola Dixon said: “Many different organisations are taking part from all areas of the local community including Town, Parish and Community Councils and Youth Organisations. Thame is delighted to be one of over 1,000 beacons to be lit and we invite you all to take part in the celebrations!”

THE group of friends, who through a variety of sponsored events and fund-raising, are aiming to provide a special bench in memory of their friend, Megan Biddle, will be there at Music in the Park on Sunday, May 1.

They are appealing for donations of prizes from alcohol to sweets, for a tombola for both adults and children. If you can help, donations can be dropped of at 15 Upper High Street, Thame, any time up to Wednesday, April 27.

To find out more about this project or to donate, visit the Justgiving page at https://mydonate.bt.com/events/thatbidkid

IN a bid to conquer stroke, residents in the Thame area are being offered free blood pressure testing by the Stroke Association and the Rotary Clubs of Thame and Haddenham, at the Co-Op in Thame on Saturday, April 23, between 10am and 2pm.

Over half of all strokes are caused by high blood pressure. As well as having a blood pressure check, local residents in Thame, Haddenham, Chinnor, Long Crendon and neighbouring villages will also receive advice on steps to keep blood pressure under control and reduce their stroke risk.

Rotary representative, Sandy Davison, said: “Having a stroke can be devastating but people can reduce their risk significantly by paying attention to their blood pressure. Rotary is proud to support the Stroke Association’s Know Your Blood Pressure campaign because it is both simple and effective. The test takes a moment to do and potentially, it could save your life. Last year we held 1,680 events around the country and this year we are keen to reach even more people.”

Alexis Wieroniey, Deputy Director of Policy and Influencing at the Stroke Association, said: “Having a regular blood pressure check is so important. Estimates suggest there could be almost seven million people with high blood pressure who are undiagnosed and at risk of having a stroke. Many people have high blood pressure without realising it because it often has no symptoms. High blood pressure is far more common than you would think and it can be deadly, but it is treatable. With events like this, together we can conquer stroke.”

In addition to the events taking place on April 23, there will be other blood pressure check events organised by the Stroke Association throughout the year.

To find out more about the Rotary Club of Thame and Rotary Club of Haddenham and District, visit their websites: www.thame.rotary1090.org and www.haddenham-rotary.org.uk

MOVING Thame’s Cattlemarket, cycle routes, dog fouling and supporting rural bus routes will all be on the agenda for South Oxfordshire District Council’s next Council meeting on Thursday, April 14.

The following policies relevant to Thame will come up for discussion as part of the agenda item on the council’s Corporate Plan 2016 – 2020:

Support the Thame Farmers Auction Mart to relocate to an alternative site within the district thereby freeing up the Thame cattle market site for redevelopment.

Work with Sustrans to improve provision of cycle routes in the district & Piloting the introduction of a cycle hire scheme in one of our market towns.

Support rural communities with maintaining their transport links by working with bus operators to look at options to continue some of the bus services previously supported directly by Oxfordshire County Council.

Create two parish and town forums a year so that parishes can be a part of the District’s work.

Implement the issuing of Fixed Penalty Noticess for dog fouling and litter by the council’s environmental wardens in Henley, Wallingford, Watlington, Thame and Didcot town centres.

The Council meeting will be held on Thursday, April 14, 2016, at 6pm, at The Fountain Conference Centre, Howbery Park, Crowmarsh Gifford. Full details of agenda: LINK

AS one of the ‘Rising Star High Streets’ in The Great British High Street of the Year Awards 2015, the team behind Thame’s entry was asked to contribute to the recently published  Good Practice Guide for future contestants, councils, businesses, town teams, community groups and interested volunteers who want their high streets to be ‘the best that they can be.’

Thame’s Top Tips are included in the chapter on Partnership Promotion. They are mostly based on comments contributed by the district council at the time when Thame’s Neighbourhood Plan, the first in the UK to be adopted following community consultation, was passed.

Thame’s Top Tips

1. Set aside past differences. Communities are more prepared to enter into positive dialogue with local authorities if on an equal footing.

2. Trust communities and build bridges early. This way plans can fulfill their potential and planning officers have a framework for determining planning applications.

3. Always stay involved in the process. Even if everything appears under control, this helps to ensure the plan doesn’t go off course.

4. Keep people informed. Get them to understand the power granted to communities. This helps ensure good advice is provided when communities interested in neighbourhood planning approach their councils.

5. Ensure enough volunteers to carry out consultations. Seek professional advice on the technical aspects of preparing a plan.

The Great British High Street Awards 2015 sought to recognise that the high street is ‘the life and soul of cities, towns and villages across the country supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and offering a much valued social space.’

Last year, 230 high streets battled it out to be crowned Britain’s best. Of these, there were 21 finalists with seven winners in seven categories. Although Thame wasn’t one of the seven winners, our High Street was named as one of 10 Rising Stars across the UK.

Helen Johns, who coordinated Thame’s 2015 entry, said: “We intend to improve on this in 2016 by being recognised as a finalist and hopefully a winner in the market town category. The 2016 competition details are yet to be announced – so watch this space!”

THAME Town Council is not happy that planning officers at South Oxfordshire District Council, are not, in all cases, giving enough weight to Thame’s Neighbourhood Plan when recommending decisions on planning applications affecting the town.

Town Councillors mentioned as an example a recent application to demolish Windrush, a cottage in Bridge Terrace, in Thame, and build three dwellings on the site, which the town council recommended should be refused. Planning Officers at SODC recommended approving the plans, contrary to Thame’s view, though in this instance, District Councillors on the Planning Committee went against their officer’s recommendation and agreed with Thame Town Council.

Cllr David Bretherton, a former District Councillor, told Thame’s Planning Committee meeting last night (Tuesday, April 5), that it was his impression that SODC Planners tended to concentrate on their ‘Local Plan’ while Thame Town Council concentrated on policies in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan.

Referring to several planning applications where a decision contrary to Thame Town Council’s recommendation had been made by SODC’s Planning Committee, the town council has decided to analyse all planning decisions over the past year, and garner ‘facts and figures’ in order to decide whether or not to take the matter further with the District Council.

A group of friends of Megan Biddle, who died tragically last year, have been fund-raising for a special bench in her memory, and two girls, Emily Lyne and Amber Lowe last week had 14″ of hair cut off to raise funds towards a target of £10,000. The hair stylist who did the deed at Brothers Hair Salon in Thame, was Charlotte Smith.

Whereas the money raised through sponsorship will be going towards Megan’s bench, the actual hair that was cut off, will be go to a charity that makes wigs for children with cancer.

The friends got together with local artist and designer Michael Gibbs, the designer of the Thame Youth Memorial sculpture, and have designed a very special and unique memorial bench. The bench is based on a long-board design – Megan was a keen skateboarder – and includes, among ether things, her legendary woollen hat. It will be sited at Southern Road recreation ground in Thame.

At the same time as the epic hair-cutting, another friend of Megan’s, Kieran Blanco, held an Easter Chocolate raffle at Rumsey’s in Thame, where they were made. The first prize was a large egg in a basket with a blue bunny bear, the second prize was a large Easter egg with chocolate Coated honeycombe in the inside, and the third prize, won by the landlord of The Swan, was a chocolate mother duck with three little ducklings.

Emily and Amber’s hair cuts raised £ 374.60, and Kieran’s Easter raffle raised £223.00, which includes a generous donation.
Raffle ticket sales, including a donation, are expected to have raised around £500.00. So far, Megan’s friends have raised £4,571.22 towards their £10,000 for Megan’s bench.

Anyone who would like to contribute can do so by visiting the Justgiving page: https://mydonate.bt.com/events/thatbidkid