Category: Thame news

AS judgement day for the Great British High Street Competition draws ever closure, Thame’s campaign to win the public’s vote moved up a notch today when the Thame High Street team went out into the market gathering support by talking to people and explaining just how important it is that EVERYONE goes online ONCE every day, and votes for Thame to become the top Great British High Street of 2016.

Almost 500 leaflets were given out by a dedicated team from 21st Century Thame and Thame Town Council, throughout the day at the Tuesday market, working hard to ensure that Thame wins. The Mayor of Thame, Cllr Linda Emery was chatting to locals and visitors – some from as far away as the US, New Zealand and Iran – and practicing her new twitter skills – an essential part of how the contesting towns are being judged between now and November 18, when the campaigning stops.

The public vote is only 50% of the total reckoning to decide which of the three Small Market Towns wins, Chipping Norton, Hebden Bridge or Thame. Within the next couple of weeks, Thame will be visited by a judge from from one of the sponsors, and their verdict will account for the other 50%.

Thame’s MP, John Howell, is getting behind the campaign. He said: “It’s excellent news that Thame is one of the three finalists in the small market town category of this year’s Great British High Street Competition. Thame is a vibrant town with the community very much at its heart. Last year it was awarded Rising Star status and it has certainly risen to the challenge. Its place in the finals this year is well deserved. My congratulation and thanks to all those who work so hard, day in day out, to build the community here. I would encourage everyone who values Thame Town Centre to support them by voting for Thame.”

More opportunities to vote

During the next three weeks, there will be voting stations at the Town Hall, some shops and other venues throughout the town, so look out for ‘Vote Here’ stickers. If you can’t place a vote online, there are voting slips available at the Town Hall which you can hand to family members or friends, so that they can vote.

As a winner, Thame stands to win a share of a £100,000 prize pot plus expert training from Google’s digital taskforce for Thame’s shops, bars and restaurants and a trip to Twitter UK’s London office to further boost social media skills.

How is Thame doing in the voting and what if we win?

Helen Johns, who is co-ordinating Thame’s Great British High Street team, reiterated what winning would mean for the town: “Winning will boost town pride and have tangible economic impact with increased footfall in the town.

“Now that public voting is underway, the organisers are publishing weekly league tables so that anyone can see where the finalists in each category stand in order of first, second and third place. Every vote helps to push Thame up the voting league. Everyone – businesses, families, friends and relatives near or far, can help Thame win by making voting for Thame their number one task! EACH DAY.” When the voting league tables were published on Friday, Hebden Bridge was in front so Thame needs to get serious now and really ‘pull out all the stops’ to pull ahead of its rivals by next Friday’s league table!

To vote for Thame, go to: vote4thame.uk and to find out more about The Great British High Street Competition, read about the sponsors and learn about how you can use your pictures and social media to boost Thame’s chances, go to: thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk and FOLLOW @TheGBHighSt on Twitter.

THAME’s Mayor, Linda Emery, was out and about in Thame’s Tuesday Charter market this morning, helping to spread the word about Thame’s exciting opportunity to win The Great British High Street 2016 competition.

With support from Helen Johns and other members of 21st Century Thame and the town council, Linda was encouraging everyone who passed the market’s Community stall to take a leaflet and a ‘Vote 4 Thame’ badge, and urging them to vote for both Thame in the Small Market Town category, and for Chris Hurdman, who is shortlisted in the top three, Market Retail Champion category.

The market was buzzing with families and visitors of all ages as it is half-term, and free face-painting was available for the children who were encouraged to ‘wear your badge with pride’ by the Mayor. Felicity Walker from That’s Oxford TV, interviewed the Mayor, and Helen Johns, for broadcasting later in the week. Watch this space for details.

To find out more about The Great British High Street 2016 competition, visit: thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk and to vote for Thame, go directly the voting page at vote4Thame.uk and to vote for Chris Hurdman, go to: vote4chris.uk.

Thame is up against Hebden Bridge and Chipping Norton – tough opposition – so Thame needs all the votes it get! Anyone can vote once every day up to November 18, in any category, so spread the word and VOTE FOR THAME !

THAMES VALLEY Police officers have warned that they will be carrying out patrols in the evenings to make sure that people who are trick-or-treating are doing so in a friendly manner and not causing a nuisance.

An alert issued today advised trick-or-treaters: “Have fun during Halloween and Bonfire Night, but don’t be influenced by others into doing things that may seem minor at the time – your actions could have a massive impact on not only people inside their house, but on your life as well.”

What to do if you feel unsafe

“For some people, this time of the year can be a bother as your evenings are interrupted with people knocking on your doors for treats,” went on the statement. “Most of these children or teenagers are just getting involved in the Halloween celebrations and will be friendly. But if you feel unsafe:

* Don’t open your door if you’re unsure who is there. Use your spyhole, look out of a window and use your door chain if you do decide to open your door.
* Have a contact number of a close relative or good neighbour to hand by your telephone, just in case you need to phone them.
* If you are part of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, let your coordinator know that you will be on your own at Halloween. If you are a coordinator, please identity
people in your scheme that may be vulnerable and offer them reassurance.

“Thames Valley Police will not tolerate any anti-social behaviour at any time of the year. To report anti-social behaviour, call 101, the 24-hour Thames Valley Police non-emergency number. If you feel threatened, if it’s an emergency, or if a crime is in progress, call 999.”

Window posters

Follow this link to download ‘no trick or treats’ posters

AT 15:51 today, Friday, October 21, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were alerted to reports of a car crash on M40 between Junctions six and seven, where people were believed to be trapped in the wreckage.

Fire Engines from Thame, High Wycombe and Amersham were immediately mobilised and arrived to be faced with a car which had left the Motorway and ended up on its side down the embankment and stuck in the hedgerow.

Firefighters working with colleagues from South Central Ambulance Service Paramedics then worked together to free both the passenger and the driver who were marooned in the vehicle.

Incident Commander, Watch Manager Andy Ford from Thame Fire Station said: “I would like to thank all services who helped at this incident including the Army who had stopped when passing the incident and provided support to the casualties until our arrival. Due to the position of the car and the fact it was on its side down the embankment we had to initially stablise the vehicle to prevent further movement and then create access by use hydraulic equipment to remove the doors and center post from the side of the car.

The driver and passenger were then able to be released and subsequently taken to hospital for checks. However the incident could have resulted in even more damage had the vehicle hit others and of course the injuries could have been a lot worse had they not been wearing their seatbelts.”

Mr Ford added: “There have been a number of recent accidents in the current temporary road works in place on this section of the M40 and I would urge drivers to stay alert, reduce their speed on approach and take extra care by following the two- second rule in an attempt to maintain a suitable gap between you and vehicle in front, thus helping prevent possible further collisions.”

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for information following an attempted robbery in Chinnor last Saturday (September 15).

At about 2.20am on Saturday the victim, a 48 year-old man, was walking along Oakley Road, Chinnor, when he was approached by a man who threatened him with a metal pole and demanded money.

The victim managed to get away from the man, running down Oakley Road. Nothing was stolen during the incident and the victim was not harmed.

The offender is described as a white man, around 5ft 8ins. He is described as wearing a hooded parka coat with a star motif, blue jeans and white trainers. He was also wearing a black scarf across his face.

Investigating officer, PC Michael Goodenough from Thames Neighbourhood Policing, said: “I would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who has any information that could assist us with our investigation.

“Anyone with information can contact me via the Thames Valley Police enquiry centre on 101.

“Alternatively, if you do not want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers (opens new window) anonymously on 0800 555 111. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.”

THAME Town Council is currently fighting the local planning authority over an amendment application by developer, Bellway Homes, to build new homes in Thame that will be of a lower standard of sustainability than those laid down in Thame’s Neighbourhood Plan.

Despite government guidance that the so-called ‘Code for Sustainable Homes‘ should be adhered to (principles set down in South Oxfordshire District Council’s own Core Strategy too),  SODC had told Thame Town Council that it will not take enforcement action if Bellway Homes fails to stick to the prescribed ‘Code Level 4’ standards.

Thame’s recently appointed Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer, Graham Markland has written to SODC on behalf of TTC, stating that removing the condition to build to the higher standard from Bellway’s Planning permission, raises particular concern around the area of conservation of energy.

Why do developers not want to stick to the ‘Sustainable Homes’ standards?

By not adhering to the original higher standards, which  have actually been scrapped by the government since the Core Strategy and the TNP, developers are able to build homes more cheaply – and make more profit.

The official reasons for changes in the regulations, which were the result of a Housing Standards Review published in April 2015, was to reduce the cost and complexity of building homes in England and stop the ‘pick and mix’ approach to housing standards by different local authorities in England.

New, watered-down rules are to be incorporated into building regulations at some point in the future and Thame Town Council’s view is that its policy, because it was drawn up under the original code, should stand.

Graham Markland told councillors at a recent meeting of the town council’s Planning and Environment Committee: “You only have to Google Bellway’s annual returns – if you were a shareholder, you probably wouldn’t be sitting here in this chamber!”

On it’s website, Bellway states: “All our new homes are designed to exceed the energy efficiency criteria set out in the relevant building regulations. This helps our customers minimise their running costs and their impact on the environment once they have taken ownership of the property. Where appropriate we may use a range of renewable energy technologies on developments, such as solar panels, photo-voltaic panels, air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps. All lighting in new homes is now energy efficient, boilers either meet or exceed current building regulations, windows are double-glazed and appliances are A-rated or better for energy consumption. All these initiatives help to lower the energy bills for our customers.”

THAME Market Trader, Chris Hurdman, who has reached the final in the Retail Market Traders category of the Great British High Street Competition 2016, has turned to poetry to encourage as many people as possible to vote for him.

Chris’s nomination actually left him ‘gob-smacked‘ as he expressed it – not the usual reaction of a man known for his cheerful, witty banter with market goers! You can see Thame’s very own verse-smith in action in this Youtube video. Thame’s Deputy Mayor, Nichola Dixon, First Thursday Music Club’s Jon Littler and Thame Players Theatre’s Tony Long, have also been captured on video with their take on Thame – though none in verse like Chris – and there’s more to come as we lead up to Deadline Day.

Chris Hurdman getting into the final made it a double for Thame, our high street itself now officially in the top three Small Market Towns in Great Britain. From now until November 18, it’s all about the voting. To vote for Thame, Small Market Town, go to: http://thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk/finalist-small-market-town and for Chris Hurdman, Retail Market Champion, go to: http://thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk/finalist-retail-market-champion.

Voting is free and closes on Friday 18 November. You can vote once per day, every day up until that date so, if you need a reminder, how about every morning or maybe in the evening, after you’ve cleaned your teeth, ‘Vote for Thame’!

50% of the score for each entry will come from public votes and the other half from a team of judges who will be visiting Thame sometime in early November, an opportunity to impress them with our community spirit, our vibrant town centre, our partnership working and all the good things that between us all we have made happen to keep our town centre ‘open for business’ and somewhere worth visiting.

You can read all about the Great British High Street 2016, the purpose of the competition, meet the sponsors and find out who else has been nominated, by visiting the website: thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL – Spread the word among your relatives, friends, work colleagues, customers – everyone you meet who appreciates our very special spot in Oxfordshire, and get them to VOTE – VOTE – VOTE !