Category: Thame news

WITH new categories already announced for Thame’s Got Talent 2013, the organisers are hoping to attract an even bigger variety of entries and have introduced ‘The Best School’ category.

The popular Thame?s Got Talent event will, once again, be coming to the Spread Eagle Hotel, on Sunday, February 10, 2013, in aid of the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity (FNHC), and promises to be the best showcase for local talent yet!

The event organisers are hoping to build on the success of the last three years by encouraging more acts from across Thame and the local area to take part, hence some new categories including ?Best School Act?.

?Thame?s Got Talent is a fantastic event for the town which really shows off the array of talent on our doorstep,? said Michele Pethers, Owner of Crash Records, Chinnor. ?We had a wonderful mix of acts taking part last year, providing first-class entertainment for the judges and crowd on the day. We really want this, our fourth event, to be the biggest and best yet!

?We?re hoping the introduction of some exciting new categories like ?Best School Act? will encourage local schools, music schools and dance schools to get involved. For example, a local school could register a choir, musicians or soloists ? the door is open to everyone,? she added.

Other categories include:

THE Mayor of Thame, Cllr Nigel Champken-Woods, is inviting all Thame under 16 years-olds, to design his official Christmas card. The design will be used on the Mayor?s Christmas card on behalf of the Town Council.

The Mayor will personally choose the winning design, and all entries will be put on display in the run-up to Christmas.

There is one simple aim: to design a traditional style Christmas card promoting some aspect of the town of Thame. The winner will be invited to be a guest of the Mayor at the town?s Christmas Lights switch-on on November 30.

All entries to the Mayor’s Christmas card competition should be sent to Thame town hall, High Street, Thame OX9 3DP by Monday, November 3, at the latest.

PHOTO: Thame’s 2011 Christmas tree – Courtesy of Peter Lambert

THIS year, 2012, is definitely the year of the ‘Hot’ romance with the rise of the multi-million best seller ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’. So-called ‘mummy porn’ fills the bookshop shelves!

Political and religious unrest can be fuelled by what seems to us, the merest, careless slight and yet again, banning books returns to the world’s political debate.

BUT, WHAT OF MORE GENTLER TIMES?

Which books did we ban in days gone by?

You would be surprised!

For the second year, The OXFAM Bookshop, in Thame is launching its promotion of ?BANNED BOOKS?

From ?Brave New World? to ?Mein Kampf?, from ‘Oliver Twist? to ?Forever?. From Orwell to Salinger and on to Steinbeck by way Darwin – all have been banned by someone somewhere sometime!

From yesterday, October 11, the Oxfam bookshop will present a window full of illicit literature to quicken the pulse and darken the soul.

“Buy it now and we will wrap it discreetly??????. “

SOURCE: Contributed

ON Tuesday (09/10) between 17:00hrs and 20:20hrs, a property in Mill Lane, Chinnor, was burgled. Offender(s) forced open the front door to gain entry then carried out an untidy search before stealing jewellery and bank cards.

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 the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Community message.

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.

SOURCE: Thames Valley Police Alert

THE Thame and District Day Centre is delighted to have learned that it is to receive a donation totalling

THE POLICE report a spate of thefts from vehicles between Saturday (06/10) and Monday (08/10) in the South Oxfordshire area, including Thame. Details as follows:

Between 06/10 and 08/10
Rectory Road, South Weston, Thame
Laptop computer stolen from insecure vehicle

Overnight 06/10 – 07/10
Mill View, Cuxham, Watlington
Ipod, Wallet and credit cards stolen

Between 06/10 and 07/10
Salt Lane, Postcombe, Thame
Two insecure vehicles entered – driving licence stolen from one

Between 06/10 and 07/10
Postcombe, Thame
A folder of 60 DVD?s and a DVD remote stolen a Mercedes vehicle

Between 06/10 and 07/10 offender(s) removed and stole catalytic convertors from vehicles parked in Ireton Court and Chalgrove Road, Thame.

Residents are advised to remove any valuable items from their vehicles, leave nothing on display and make sure vehicles are secure when not in use. Please click on the link below to obtain crime prevention advice on car security & information on security devices:

href=”http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/crprev/crprev-auto/crprev-auto-protectvehicle/crprev-auto-protectvehicle-car.htm

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 the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Community message.

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.

WITH just four days to go before the Thame Arts and Literary Festival, there are still tickets left for some of the events.

There are still tickets available for :
LARKIN? ABOUT ? this is guaranteed to be an unforgettable evening of fun – Starring Sunny Ormonde (Lilian Bellamy) and John Telfer (Rev. Alan Franks) from R4?s ‘The Archers’, join forces with the Antonius Players to explore the wit and words of Philip Larkin and his many women in a hilarious evening of fun and song.
This event is being held at the Players Theatre in Thame and there will be a paying bar.

Friday 12th at 8pm. DON?T MISS OUT BOOK YOUR TICKETS TODAY
*****************

AS CONSPIRACY THEORIES GO, THIS IS UP THERE WITH KENNEDY?s ASSASINATION!

ANDRO LINKLATER ?s brilliant deconstruction of a little known piece of British history makes for compelling reading. Did John Bellingham the assassin act alone? If not who aided him? As the evidence accumulates a darker picture involving slavery, Russian spies and wealthy merchants from the North West emerges.

Andro brings us a fresh perspective on Britain and the Western world at a critical moment in history.

Saturday 13th at 4pm Christchurch

******************

RICHARD SMITH is no stranger to TAL Festival ? he amused us last year with his anecdotes of ?Oxford Student Pranks? ? this year he has brought out another hilarious book on ?Britain?s Most Eccentric Sports?.

You probably didn?t know that Britain has provided the world year after year with true global champions in ?.shin-kicking, medieval football re-enactment, gravy wrestling and the Pantomime Horse Grand National ? the mind boggles!!

Richard?s book covers the madcap hilarious and sometimes downright dangerous sports still surviving in Britain today.

A perfect event to put you in the mood for Sunday lunch afterwards.

Sunday 14th at 11.30am in Thame Museum

*******************

For more information about TAL and available tickets, visit: http://www.talfestival.org/

PHOTO: ‘Lillian Bellamy’ alias actor, Sunny Ormonde

THAMES VALLEY POLICE ALERT: Between Friday (05/10) and Monday (08/10) offender(s) broke into a shed at the rear of Lord Williams Upper School, Oxford Road, Thame, and stole a Kubota tractor, ride on mower and gardening tools.

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 the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Community message.

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.

A local farmer has denied that a proposed wind turbine on his land would be visible from Thame.

County side lobbying group, CPRE Oxfordshire (Campaign for the Protection of Rural England), is objecting to the wind turbine proposed at Rowan Farm, Henton, near Chinnor.

The applicant, Mr John Laming, already has an ‘eco’ house with rain harvesters and a ground-source heat pump providing underfloor heating, but wants the proposed 15 kv, 20 metre high wind turbine mostly to heat units on his game farm instead of expensive propane gas.

“It’s not just the people of Henton who would be affected by the turbine’s noise,” claims CPRE. “Such a tall structure would be visible from Thame, Haddenham and Chinnor, and a wide swathe of surrounding countryside including from the Chilterns and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Our policy on wind turbines is that while we welcome renewable energy, it must not be at the expense of the countryside or its residents, and any wind turbine should be located appropriately.”

Mr Laming told ThameNews.Net today: “The nearest house from the turbine is over 600 metres away and because of all the trees around the area, only the top of it will be visible from Henton itself in the winter time. This is not one of the very big turbines that people see around the country on ‘wind farms’; it is relatively small and would only emit a low level hum.

“People who say it will be ‘unsightly’ forget that years ago, many farms had tall wind pumps for water. We drive along motorways these days, passing huge great electricity pylons and hardly notice them any more.

“People need to remember that we import much of our electricity from France which is mainly produced from nuclear power. They want us to be more self-sufficient and to have more ‘green’ energy but don’t want it in their own backyards.”

Michael Tyce, Chair of Thame District CPRE, Oxfordshire said: “Oxfordshire, being inland and undulating, lacks the constant prevailing winds to make turbines a viable energy-generating option. However, even though electricity production would not be significant, it may still be profitable to the developer through subsidies we have to pay through our electricity bills.

“If this is approved it would be likely to lead to a rash of applications to erect turbines in this part of the county, given the financial incentives involved.”

Mr Laming said: “It has cost us

Here is the latest Thame neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Lucy Rattenberry, PCSO Diane Jackson, PCSO Chris Hollis and PCSO Richard Howard.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB)

The most common way we can deal with incidents of ASB is by issuing ASB warning letters, acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs), anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), Section 27 orders ? direction to leave locality, and Section 59 orders – contracts issued for using a vehicle in an anti-social manner.

During September, we have received very few reports of ASB. We continue to conduct high visibility patrols in key areas at key times to deter/prevent ASB.

PCSO Lucy Rattenberry liaised with the town council to arrange for litter bins to be placed in and around the park area in the Queen Elizabeth Circle, as littering has been a problem. These bins have now been put in place.

In September, Thame Fair took place, which passed with no reported ASB related incidents. PCSOs worked closely with the Town Council in the lead up to the fair, ensuring that any issues such as possible hazards, parking issues and access were looked into and any problems resolved.

We have also received complaints about anti-social use of vehicles through the town centre, mainly in evening times and at night. We have developed a good rapport with the young people in the town, and combine suitable advice regarding noise levels and gathering in public areas together with enforcement where appropriate. We will continue to monitor this and should we identify vehicles and drivers causing vehicle related ASB, we will be issue Section 59 Warnings, which can lead to the seizure of vehicles constantly coming to note. These community concerns continue to be addressed through our current patrol plan.

Priorities

Our Local Priority for Thame is ASB. As stated above, we conduct high visibility patrols in and around the town, engaging with members of the public, listening to local people?s community concerns/issues. Where problems are brought to our attention, we conduct home visits with parents present, issue warning letters and work with offenders to encourage them to move forward.

Planned Activity

We have participated in the following operations during September:

Maginot – this operation continues to run, tackling travelling criminals entering and leaving our area.

Due to an increase in thefts from vehicles in the Thame area and surrounding villages, we have been deploying the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) device at dedicated times and providing a highly visible police presence aimed at deterring and preventing offences taking place, offering reassurance and assisting in the capture and prosecution of offenders.

ANPR is a powerful tool that can help prevent crime by identifying flagged vehicles.

Benefits of ANPR

ANPR identifies suspect vehicles that may not normally attract police attention.
Unlicensed or uninsured vehicles are likely to be seized on the spot by ANPR equipped officers.
It can be used to gather intelligence on known criminals, and for running pro-active operations using dedicated Roads Policing intercept teams.
ANPR cameras are not safety cameras – they are not used by Thames Valley Police to catch speeding or otherwise law abiding motorists. ANPR cameras are not used to generate money for the Government or other agencies.

Magpie – This operation involves checking parked vehicles in local car parks for valuables left on display. We also conduct these checks on our general patrols.

Mangrove – this is running as a result of fuel thefts from heavy goods vehicles in our area. This operation involves us carrying out static patrols in key areas at key times in marked vehicles.

Moonlight – this operation will be running continuously and is working to protect the night time economy of Thame Town centre by preventing and detecting ASB/violent assaults and managing licensed premises. PCSOs are working with police officers to conduct high visibility patrols in the town centre and liaising with the pubs, carrying out licence checks.

Partnership Activity

We continue to work with our partners, ensuring that we liaise on a regular basis with the schools on our sector, with who we have good rapport.

We conduct monthly walkabouts with soha housing and Highways, tackling low level neighbourhood issues.

We continue to engage regularly with the Town Council, picking up any concerns people raise and also events which are taking place over coming months in the lead up to the Christmas period.

We also conduct high visibility patrols at key times at our schools, giving us opportunity to engage with the pupils and parents, and also monitoring parking.

We have received reports from Barley Hill School regarding parking issues in Denbeigh Road, Henrietta Road and Ludston Grove at dropping off/picking up times. We will be dealing with any parking offences accordingly.

Pubwatch meetings continue to be held every two months and Country Watch meetings are held quarterly.

Crime Mapping

The Home Office national crime mapping website gives the public access to street-level crime information as well as information on their Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Neighbourhood Priorities and Events – details of Have Your Say and other neighbourhood activities. Log on to www.police.uk, type in your local postcode or neighbourhood name and then click on ?Find out more?.

Have Your Say online

You can now send non-emergency messages to us using the online form that is available on the Thames Valley Police website. A number of people have already sent their concerns using this method. For you to do that please follow the link: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh/yournh-about-nh-pol/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n153-hys. Please allow some time for us to get back to you as we do check our mail box only at certain times of the day.

There is also the opportunity to attend Have Your Say meetings in person. Upcoming Have Your Say meetings are:?

Monday 1 October, midday ? 2pm, at the Co-Op Cafe, High Street, Thame with PCSO Diane Jackson.
Thursday 11 October, 11am ? midday at the Co-Op Cafe, High Street, Thame with PCSO Lucy Rattenberry.
Wednesday 17 October, 1:30pm ? 3:30pm, at the Co-Op Cafe, High Street, Thame with PCSO Richard Howard.
Thursday 25 October, 2:30pm ? 4:30pm, at Costa Coffee, High Street, Thame with PCSO Chris Hollis.
These meetings are 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. Further meetings will be publicised locally and on the force website at www.thamesvalley.police.uk.

If you want any advice or would like to contact the neighbourhood team you can call us on the police non-emergency number 101 or email ThameNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. Please note this email address cannot be used to contact Thames Valley Police to report crimes or for any urgent matters. Alternatively you can visit the force website at www.thamesvalley.police.uk to view information on your neighbourhood.