THAME residents in the Cromwell Road area particularly, are being asked to keep a watch out for suspicious people or vehicles following a burglary on Saturday, October 26, between 4.15 pm and 11 pm at a property in Cromwell Avenue, Thame.
It is not known at this time how entry was gained to the property, the offender(s) havimg stolen jewellery and watches.
Please be extra vigilant. If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message please call the police on 101.
Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
FIVE young men from Thame, all pupils of Lord Williams’s school, arrived back in town today, after a road-trip of a very different kind.
Olly Ross, Aiden North, Will Green, Harry King and Zak Rostami (Not necessarily in that order!)
The group reached the town hall at around midday, to be welcomed by the Mayor of Thame, Peter Lambert, after a three day trip from Trafalgar Square to Thame, on skateboards and BMX bikes to raise funds towards the renovation of the local Skatepark.
Though wet and tired from their epic trip of over 50 miles in three days, the lads took the time to pose for pictures and to chat with well-wishers, before pedalling and scooting off home for a well-earned shower. They recalled how yesterday, they had passed the night trying to sleep through the biggest storm the country has seen for over a decade, in a hay barn in Princes Risborough.
The evening before had been the lowest point of the whole trip, when the lads had picked their way in the closing dusk, along badly surfaced lanes, near Denham, in order to get across to the other side of the M40 motorway. But the highlight of the whole trip, they all agreed, was the amazing, adrenalin-fuelled ride down the long hill in Princes Risborough.
There was hardly time though for one of the lads, Olly Ross, to rest because he was due to be interviewed by BBC Radio Oxford about their achievement, later this afternoon. Well-wishers on social media have showered the lads with congratulations all day, and Thame Round Table even issued an invitation on twitter for the lads to join ‘Santa’ on the Round Table’s annual Sleigh ride around Thame, to help with the fund-raising for the Skatepark.
The Thame Skatepark is well-used by hundreds of local young people of all ages, and this half-term week will see many of them gathering together to support and teach each other to skateboard, a facility that will no longer be safe soon for them to do so, unless enough money is raised to compliment a grant promised by Thame Town Council for a replacement.
DESPTE Thame avoiding the worst of the high wind speeds forecast for the Southern half of England overnight, gusting winds early this morning were sufficient to bring down trees in the area and disrupt travel during the Monday morning commute.
Traffic reduced to one lane early this morning when this tree came down on the A418 outside Thame. Picture courtesy of Ben Stock
All Chiltern Railways ground to a halt at one point as a total of 18 trees came down across the network. Trains are running again but delays and disruptions are still likely as the system struggles to get back to normal. More information HERE
Road transport in and out of Thame was severely affected as trees and large boughs came down in several places, including at Scotsgrove and near the Service Station by the Aylesbury roundabout out of Thame.
Arriva bus services were disrupted, including the 280 service between Aylesbury and Oxford.
Residents of Moreton, Chinnor and Risborough all had power cuts, though Moreton came back on by around 9 am.
THE star of this year’s Thame Arts and Literature Festival, attracting an audience of around 280 people, was undoubtedly the BBC’s Political Editor, Nick Robinson, who, with gentle satire and an obvious talent for story-telling, intrigued and entertained the audience with his stories of the centuries-old battle between those who govern and those who seek to report what the governing classes do.
From the 17th century Parliamentarian, Richard Onslow (He whose name is but one from the English civil war whose name is attached to a road name in Thame), through the 14-day rule, whereby the BBC agreed not to broadcast discussions on subjects due to be debated in Parliament within the next fortnight (suspended only after the famous Panorama programme that covered the Suez crisis), through to the present debacle between journalists and the government as a result of the Levenson Report; so we were steered. (A continuing tension even today between local news reporters and local councils!)
The sometimes uneasy relationship between politicians and broadcasters was illustrated by Nick’s anecdotes of late night phone calls to the BBC from the likes of Peter Mandelson, and the sometimes fiery reaction to Nick’s political reporting from Gordon Brown. All told with a wicked twinkle in those familiar, magnified eyes behind the dark-rimmed spectacles, and a combination of obvious pride in the great institution he represents and an appreciation nevertheless of the humanity of most politicians.
The queue to buy Nick Robinson’s newly published paperback, ‘Live from Downing Street’, and to have it signed by the man himself, stretched around the room at the Spread Eagle Hotel, but even so, he signed each one with patience and care, taking time to chat at the same time.
No doubt Nick’s visits to Thame, where his Mother-In-Law lives, will be less private than previously as he will increasingly be recognised after his memorable performance at the Arts & Literature Festival. But, for most of us there, from now on when we see him standing infront of that famous door in Downing Street on our TV screens, we will perhaps appreciate a little more than before, the incredible tightrope that his like bravely walk, to bring balanced and relevant political analysis into our living rooms.
A plan to build 175 residential dwellings on land to the West of Thame Park Road in Thame, know as ‘site D’ in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, has finally been approved by Thame Town Council, following several amendments made to the plans at the council’s request.
Master plan of the proposed development at Site D (Thame Neighbourhood Plan)
Councillors agreed to withdraw a holding objection which followed concerns about aspects of the plans including the designs of the proposed houses, an insufficient ‘buffer’ or ‘green edge’ at the Western and the northern boundaries of the development and various public accessibility issues to other recreation areas in the town, particularly the Cuttlebrook and the Phoenix Trail. (Read the full Consultant’s report HERE)
The council agreed to approve the outline planning application subject to four requirements being met (see page 14 of the report), and the application will now be considered by the Planning Committee at South Oxfordshire District Council in November. FULL APPLICATION HERE
IT seems that those of us lucky enough to live in Thame, are probably among the happiest and most satisfied with out lot, of any townsfolk in the nation. According to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) living in large, rural or market towns is linked to the highest levels of “personal well-being” and life satisfaction.
The data, published as part of the ONS Measuring National Well-being Programme, revealed that “personal well-being’ improved in the UK between 2011/12 and 2012/13. Ratings for life satisfaction and feeling that the things we do in life are worthwhile increased on average, whilst anxiety levels fell.”
Analysis of the data reveals that large market towns possess all the factors leading to the highest levels of well-being and happiness.
The BBC’s Home Editor, Mark Easton, commented in a Radio 4 news bulletin “the secret of market towns’ high well-being levels is their sense of distinct identity, community spirit, and perfect size: small enough for people to feel included, and large enough to remain private.”
Chris Wade, chief executive of AMT Towns Alive ( a National charity, Action for Market Towns) has worked with and supported market towns for 15 years and has recently been called upon to support towns of all sizes and even some cities. He commented today: “Market towns’ community spirit has been born out of doing things for themselves and decades of self reliance. Many have faced the challenging economic climate with community-led ideas that involve and engage their residents, helping them to thrive, and to be great places to live and to work.
“We’re now seeing the lessons that AMT has shared from working with market towns for 15 years benefiting other communities and high streets.
“In fact, this year the entrants to our Towns Alive Awards – the UK’s most prestigious Awards for town community improvement projects – demonstrate this perfectly, with real community spirit, creativity and the drive to make projects happen in their towns that increase economic and social vitality. We’ve rewarded projects created by communities from all sorts of towns – and we can’t wait to announce our national winners next month at Towns Alive ’13, where market towns will share their happiness secrets with small and large towns, and even cities from all over the UK.”
THAME residents finding it hard to make ends meet economically, will soon be able to borrow money from the town’s own Community Bank, enabling them to avoid the possible pitfalls of ‘loan sharks’ and so called ‘payday loans’ companies, who often charge extremely high interest rates that only serve to trap people into more debt.
Image courtesy of findyourcreditunion.co.uk
Launching on November 11, in Thame Town Hall, Thame Community Bank is a collaboration between the local charity, Sharing Life Trust (which already runs the Thame Food Bank), the Citizens Advice Bureau and Thame Town Council, with support from local Housing Associations, caring agencies and the high street banks.
In a statement, The Sharing Life Trust said: “With the aggressive marketing and astronomical interest rates of the payday loans companies, there has never been a greater need in our community for a fair and affordable option for borrowers who aren’t a good fit for the high street banks.
“This is an enterprise from the community for the community.
“With loans at 2% per month, instead of 1% per day, borrowers will be able to manage their accounts online or, if needed, get help from the staff at the Information Centre in the Town Hall. With savings covered by the Government’s guarantee scheme, Thame Community Bank will provide a safe, fair and affordable banking service to the people of Thame and the surrounding villages.”
Thame Community Bank is a local branch of Swan Credit Union, a recent merger of two neighbouring Credit Unions in Milton Keynes and Aylesbury. Credit Unions are mutual societies – not-for-profit companies owned and run by their members to promote regular saving and to offer loans at reasonable rates.
THE Chair of the Oxfordshire County and Thame Show has warned that 2014 could be the very last show if local people fail to turn out and support the event.
Cattle being lead around the ring Thame Show July 2011
His comments came this morning after he revealed on local radio that, after a public consultation, the show will revert back to its traditional date of the third Thursday in September for 2014.
Andrew Duffy told BBC Oxford’s Phil Gayle: “It costs £200,000 to put on the Thame Show and we cannot afford to make the losses that the show has incurred in recent years. If the people do not come, 2014 will be the last show we hold.”
The show’s date was moved to a weekend date in July, in 2010, but failed to attract the numbers needed to make the show financially viable. The very hot weather and conflicting events on the same date were blamed for people keeping away in July this year.
A 31 year-old man was taken to Stoke Mandeville hospital by ambulance on Tuesday, following a road crash near The Bottle and Glass pub, near Dinton, on Tuesday (15/10/13).
A driver who was waved past the incident by a police officer on his way home to Thame, at around 4.15 pm, said: “A white van, possibly a Mercedes Sprinter type, appeared to have collided with a moped. So much so, that the back end of the moped was stuck inside the grill of the van, leaving the back end of the bike off the ground. There were a number of police at the scene.”
A police accident investigation team are currently looking into the cause of the collision. The condition of the driver is not known at this time.
TWO baby charities are set to benefit from a charity Zumbathon, currently being planned by local Zumba Instructors, Sandra Brooks and Rachel Swift. What has become their Annual Charity Zumbathon, will this year be on Saturday, November 9, 12.30 – 3.30pm, at the Thame Leisure Centre.
Join the Thame Charity Zumbathon!
This year the girls are raising money for SSNAP (Support for the Sick Newborn & their parents) Neonatal Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital, and BURPS (Baby Unit Relatives & Parent Support) at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Sandra Brooks, who is helping organise the event for the third year on the trot, said: “In 2011 we had 120 participants and raised £2500 for Breast Cancer. Last year we had 190 participants and raised £3500 for a local cause ‘Making Waves for Alex’. We are sincerely hoping to achieve the same support we have had in the past years and it would be great to raise a significant amount of money for such worthwhile causes.”
The event is being supported by Waitrose, Co-op, Sainsbury and Ugg Foods. There will also be other stalls on the day to help you get your Christmas shopping underway. Everyone is welcome to go along and join the event. For tickets or further information, contact Sandra Brooks on 07771 800913.
