Category: Thame news

LORD Williams’s School in Thame has been awarded the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its outstanding work with partner schools in Europe and in The Gambia.

On hearing the news, Headteacher, David Wybron, commented: “We have long established links with the Friedrich-Ebert Gymnasium in Bonn and the Lycée-collège Marcel Gambier in Lisieux. Student exchanges have been successful over many years. The School’s work with the Brikama Upper Basic School in The Gambia has led to some very innovative and creative curriculum links. On a broad front, and across many subject areas, students at Lord Williams’s School have many opportunities to engage in dynamic curriculum activities which promote global awareness and citizenship. This is vital work and I am delighted that our commitment to it has been recognised. I would like to thank Sherry Richardson, our Gambia Link Co-ordinator, for her drive and wonderful enthusiasm which led to us securing the award.”

He added: “Through a varied programme of activities designed to engage students in all year groups, Lord Williams’s international work enriches education by infusing global themes such as citizenship and collaboration across the whole curriculum.”

Much of Lord Williams’s international work stems from its link with Brikama Upper Basic School in The Gambia, a partnership which has developed since its inception in 2006. Teachers from The Gambia visit Lord Williams’s School annually to engage with staff and students and to participate in ‘Gambia Week’ activities. The Thame school has funded the building of an assembly hall and a perimeter wall at Brikama Upper Basic School, and computers and a broadband connection help maintain communication between the two schools.

In recent years teacher training workshops, led by Lord Williams’s staff, have been held at Brikama Upper Basic School and Lord Williams’s School is currently raising funds for the refurbishment and restocking of the library at Brikama Upper Basic School.

Next year, 2016 will mark the 10th anniversary of the partnership and both schools will be undertaking ceremonial activities to commemorate the occasion.

The British Council’s award is designed to foster in young people the cultural understanding and skills they need to live and work as global citizens.

THE horrific emergency unfolding in Paris tonight, has touched some of us in Thame when it was learned that Anne Gillet, the President of Thame’s Twinning Association’s counterpart, the Montesson Twinning Committee, was at the Paris Stadium when the explosions and attacks happened.

Fortunately, Anne has reported that her and her husband are safe, and that although their two young children were secure at home in Montesson, Anne and her husband found a young boy who had become separated from his father. Fortunately they were able to discover that the father is safe and two were eventually reunited.

Although some of the transport system is not running at the moment, fortunately, Ann and her husband had their car in the area and are hoping to be able to drive home to Montesson tonight.

ALICE Grapes from Chearsley, near Thame, who is aged just nine, has reached the final stage of a national competition to invent a new game.

Alice’s has been shortlisted for her game called ‘Get off your sofa!’. The game invites you to do sport challenges as you move around the board to win pretend medals.

“I got the idea of doing two of my favourite things at the same time, ” explained Alice, “playing a game and doing sport!”

The next stage of the competition involves members of the public voting for their favourite game. To support Alice, vote for her game at http://www.brainbox.co.uk/home/vote-for-young-games-inventor-2015

A woman had to be cut out of s vehicle this afternoon, following a two-vehicle collision in Kingsey Road, Thame, the A4129.

One appliance and crew from Haddenham , one from Aylesbury  and one from Thame attended, along with an officer. Firefighters released a woman, injured, using hydraulic rescue equipment, and gave first aid.  A man was released, injured, before they arrived.

PUPILS at Barley Hill school in Thame, didn’t just wear Remembrance poppies, they planted them!

After taking part in a special Remembrance assembly on Wednesday, November 11, and observing the two minute silence, ceramic poppies were ‘planted’ by children who had attended Mrs Harvey’s poppy making workshop, making a wonderful display by the school’s Office Reception.

THE man who has overseen a massive growth in the popularity and sales figures of the Oxfam Bookshop in Thame, is moving on to pastures new, and will, for sure, be missed by customers and volunteers alike.

Recognisable from his distinguished, sartorial individuality (more of that later!), Dick Jennens has been manager of the Oxfam Bookshop for most of the fifteen years since it opened in 2000. The shop’s sales figures over the 15 year period, are stunning, making it one of the top performing Oxfam Bookshops in the country:

Sales of over £2million of donated stock – books and music; over three quarters of a million items that have generated almost £1.7m of income for Oxfam; around 2.5 million items donated by the people of Thame – with about half a million passed on to other Oxfam shops; Single most expensive sold item – Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier, signed first edition in its dust jacket £1800.

Most interesting (Dick’s own choice), War In Iraq, published in 1918; book of photographs compiled by the father of the spy, Kim Philby, sold via the Oxfam Online shop to a customer in France for £1500. Oldest – ‘Art of Distillation’ published in 1653, a book on distilling Whisky and making Gin, sold for over £750.

Biggest single donation – £5,750 made by a donor following the sale of a family autograph book.

Marianne Parslow (pictured right), Deputy Shop Manger, spoke on behalf of Dick’s army of Volunteers: “It’s hard to say what the volunteers will miss most about Dick when he moves up north to Matlock in the New Year. It’s not just his always-interesting ties and his stripy jacket, his cheeriness and good temper, nor even the photographs of his grandchildren on his desk, but we will miss his interest in every person, whether volunteer, community service person, or driver of a delivery van. He can sense what people are good at, and values us for it, whether it is doing up parcels, washing the tea-towels, skills with the till, the pricing gun or the computer, or doing the window displays.

“He listens to us, and then usually does his own thing, but that thing is always the right thing in the context of a busy charity bookshop. He is a truly professional retailer. He has also been a friend, mentor and an example for all the young people doing their Duke of Edinburgh Award or Work Experience with us, as well as to his nearly ninety volunteers, and it is as a friend that we will miss him most.”

“But don’t worry the shop will remain the same as always, so keep your donations coming in. Yes, we will miss him and we wish him lots of success.”

Up until he moves on to the next chapter in his career in the new year, Dick will still be managing the Thame Shop for two days a week, and driving up to Matlock for two days a week until a new manager is appointed for Thame – a manager who will find he or she has a very hard act to follow, but a bunch of wonderful volunteers and loyal customers to help him on his way.

THAME Town Council’s Transport Representative, Cllr Mary Stiles, has said that she is ‘shocked’ to learn that subsidised bus routes to and from Thame are likely to be scrapped, leaving elderly people and students isolated and stranded.

Oxfordshire County County’s Cabinet yesterday voted to remove the subsidies that the council pays to commercial bus companies to operate low use routes. The council has said though that it is continuing to talk to these companies to see if they can take on any of the services commercially.

The Thame routes under threat are Carousel Buses Service 40, that runs between Thame and High Wycombe, the Vale Travel Service 124, that runs between Watlington and Thame, the Vale Travel Service 120, that runs between Thame and Princes Risborough and the Service 123, Thame local service bus.Also, the first and last 280 journeys on Sundays and Bank Holidays would be affected.

Cllr Stiles said: ” I am shocked at this news. It makes a mockery of public consultation and I think that Parish Transport reps will be very angry at our next meeting with OCC, which I will be attending soon on behalf of Thame Town Council.

“Local people need these services which are subsidised by OCC, but as part of the consultation suggestions were made whereby some bus services could be changed to save money e.g. not duplicating the 40 and 123 through Towersey. When I travelled on the 123 to meet passengers and discuss with them OCC’s proposals, we followed the 40 bus from Chinnor to Thame via Towersey!

“The people I met all need the subsidised buses to get to and from work or college or, if elderly or disabled, to get from the eastern end of Thame into the centre. This is vitally important in order to prevent isolation and the health problems that can result from it. I shall be doing all I can to lobby for these services to be retained. OCC’s cabinet say that they may be able to avoid cutting bus subsidies, if Government provide more money. Therefore I urge Cllr Nimmo-Smith and the Leader of the Council to be like Oliver Twist and ask for more!”

The cuts are aimed at saving the council around £million 3.5. It is hoping that voluntary groups will take up some of the slack by providing similar schemes to the Dial-A-Ride service, which it also wants to scrap, and says that some funding may be available for such schemes where a proven need is identified in an area.

‘Difficult choices’

Cllr David Nimmo Smith, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “As a county council we are faced with very difficult choices. We are now in our sixth year of cuts since 2010. We’ve stopped using more than 100 properties, reduced our staffing by 30 per cent and our senior management by 40 per cent since 2010. We’re sharing services with other councils.

“We have a legal and moral duty to support the most vulnerable in society – that means adults who are in our care because they need help washing, dressing, eating and other personal care, and children at risk of abuse and neglect. Almost 50 per cent of our budget goes on care services for adults and children. We need to make savings in other areas to fund those vital services.

“We have already successfully made big savings by running and funding supported transport services more efficiently and have plans to do much more. To make the remaining savings we have consulted on options to either reduce or end the subsidies we pay to bus companies while discussing with them the prospects for them continuing to run services. It is really important to understand that more than 90 per cent of bus services in Oxfordshire would be unaffected by these proposals.

“We’re in the process of saving £290m from 2010 to 2018 and may have to save as much as £50m on top of this.”

What next?

This recommendation will now be fed in to the council’s overall budget process, with a final decision being taken in early 2016.

Under the cabinet’s approved option, bus services would cease at different times throughout the Summer and Autumn 2016 depending on contract termination times.