Category: Thame news

ONCE upon a time, Thame had a thriving ‘Thame in Bloom’ group that helped to keep the town attractive by organising annual Best Garden competitions and other activities, including planting thousands of daffodil bulbs along the by-pass and the Aylesbury Road.

Thame In Bloom was lead for many years by the late Len Webb but four years ago, the group disbanded when the long-standing committee became, in the words of one their number, Mavis Ayres: “…too old and tired to carry on.” For a while, the group was lead by the then Mayor of Thame, Adam Buckland, but he had to retire from the post because of business and family committments.

Now, the current Mayor of Thame, Peter Lambert, is hoping that Thame In Bloom can once more blossom, after Mavis Ayres raised the question of its possible rebirth at last night’s Thame Town Meeting.

So, if you or anyone you know with an interest in horticulture, gardening and/or specifically flowers, is interested in forming a Thame In Bloom group, the Mayor would would like to hear from you. You can contact him via the Town Hall on 01844 212833.

STUDENTS at Lord Williams’s School, Thame, have been chosen by the gay-rights charit Stonewall, to design campaigns to address homophobic language and bullying.

Students in Year 10, led by Amy Hunt, produced a video which told the story of a female student, played by Katie Wakeling, who felt the need to hide her sexuality because of fear of prejudice and the lack of positive images of same sex couples. Students presented this video to a Year 8 assembly, encouraging students to be good role models in the school community.

Year 12 students, led by Zac Kilroy-Silk, also filmed a video about a young man getting to grips with the term “gay” and how its meaning has changed over time. They challenged the use of the word gay to mean something “broken”, “useless” or “defective” and encouraged their Year 9 audience to embrace diversity within society. The film was made by Jonny Gardner-Cobb and the lead role was played by Hamish Riddell.

The film was followed by a balloon race so that students could spread their message far and wide. They designed a logo for the balloons with the slogan “Change the Meaning”. They made sure that everything they used was eco-friendly and bio-degradable. A prize will be awarded to the person who finds the balloon which lands furthest from Thame.

The film and photographs of the events will be available to view on the school’s website www.lordwilliams.oxon.sch.uk

School Manager, Dawn Armitage, said: “The students have worked extremely hard on their campaigns and have produced high quality resources which we can share with the rest of the school community. They have shown great commitment to promoting equality and diversity and we are very proud of them and their achievements.”

A SECOND year Pharmacy student from Thame, who holds the World Record for the number of consecutive netball passes, has volunteered to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the charity, Dig Deep, which helps communities in Kenya gain access to good sanitation, clean water and renewable energy.

Jodie Hine, 20, is currently studying at Keele University, and will tackling, what is the highest free-standing mountain in the world, at the end of August with a group of fellow students.

Jodie explained: “Dig Deep is an amazing charity, run entirely by volunteers and relies on donations to keep it running! Through working with a range of inspirational local partners, they help communities to drill wells, harvest rainwater and access renewable technologies so that they are empowered to overcome the challenges they face. These are things we take for granted here in the United Kingdom, hence why providing other countries with this basic need is so important.

“This will be the most physically challenging experience I will ever encounter and I am thrilled to be raising money and taking part, whilst also studying for my degree. I see this challenge as an opportunity to be creative and to have fun, as well as extending my outlook on third world countries and lesser-privileged human people in the world. I have done the majority of my fundraising at university, including the world record, fancy dress days and organising parties at the students union. I am hoping to do more in order to reach my target before July.”

You can find out more about the charity Dig Deep, by visiting its website: http://digdeep.org.uk/ and to donate to Jodie’s epic fund-raising efforts, here: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/jodiehineclimbskilimanjaro

Oxfordshire County Council Fire & Rescue Service were called to reports of a fire in a shop on the High Street in Thame at 8.04 am on Saturday 3 May 2014.

FOUR fire engines from Thame, Wheatley and Slade Park in Oxford, as well as Haddenham fire stations were sent to tackle a fire reported at Glynswood in the High Street, Thame, at 8.04 AM on Saturday,May 4.

Six fire-fighters wearing breathing apparatus, and with  high pressure hose-reels entered the building with thermal imaging cameras to search the shop, ready to tackle a blaze. 

Fortunately the shop was unoccupied at the time, but a fire had developed un-noticed in the basement until the manager was alerted by the fire alarm and called 999. This action enabled fire crews to respond quickly and prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent shops.

The fire damaged the basement of the shop and caused smoke damage to the ground floor.

Oxfordshire County Council Fire & Rescue Service are investigating the cause of the fire, but it is not thought to be suspicious.

Crew Manager, Kevin Morgan, said:  “Thanks to the swift actions of the shop manager, this fire was quickly reported and the fire crews were able to prevent it from damaging the shop and spreading to neighbouring shops.”

Visit www.365alive.co.uk for fire safety advice. If you have a fire safety question you can call the free phone community safety helpline on 08000 325 999 or email: community.safety@oxfordshire.gov.uk

LOCAL Community police officers have been busy this month and the following extracts are from this month’s crime update from Thame’s Community Policing team, and includes the news that two men have been arrested in connection with a series of burglaries in the Lee Park area of Thame.

There have been a number of break-ins to sheds across the area. Power tools and gardening equipment have been targeted along with domestic heating fuel.

A man was convicted at Oxford Crown Court for possession with intent to supply a controlled drug from a property in Thame. He received a two and half year custodial sentence for this offence.

Offenders were charged, reported, cautioned or received a Restorative Justice Resolution for the following offences in the Thame area:

Eight for Offences against the Person
Three for Burglary Dwelling
19 for Theft offences
Two for Public Order offences
Eight for Drugs offences
Three for Outraging Public Decency

Have Your Say meetings coming up; an ideal opportunity for local residents to speak to their local police officers and PCSOs about any local issues. No appointment is necessary; just turn up and speak to your local officers:

Tuesday 6 May, 2:30pm – 3:30pm, in the Post Office car park, Thame Road, Little Milton, with PCSO James Hopkin.
Wednesday 7 May, 11am – midday, outside the Memorial Hall, Chinnor Road, Towersey, with PCSO Jacky Madden.
Monday 12 May, midday – 1pm, at the Chinnor Village Centre, High Street, Chinnor, with PCSO Jacky Madden.
Saturday 17 May, 1pm – 2pm, outside the Old School Hall, Brookstones, Sydenham, with PCSO Jacky Madden.
Friday 30 May, 11am – 1pm, at the Co-Op Cafe, High Street, Thame with PCSO Diane Jackson.

You can read the full report HERE