Category: Thame news

A WINDOW in the weather that has dogged much of the country for almost a month, revealed itself just in time yesterday, for the launch of what will this year be the fifth Thame Food Festival.

The rain stayed away just long enough for the guests of the Coffee Morning and Garden Tour at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat?Saisons, at Milton Common, near Thame.

Raymond Blanc himself delighted guests when he made a personal appearance to welcome them, oozing his unique passion, verve and expertise for food and for Le Manoir itself, which he has personally steered and influenced in every detail since 1982. As Ambassador of Thame Food Festival 2012, which he will be attending on September 29, Raymond was keen to support the event, providing the refreshments and garden tour at no cost to the festival, and to share his passion with the guests who had each paid for the privilege.

The visit had begun with a warm welcome speech from Director and General Manager, Philip Newman-Hall in the fabulous La Belle Epoque private dining room, during coffee, tea and biscuits, before an hour-long, inspiring tour of the gardens in the capable and informative hands of the gardening team. The visitors saw a variety of garden settings, all inspired by Raymond’s travels, including a Malayan garden, a foraging garden where wild garlic and a variety of edible fungi were being encouraged to grow, a Japanese garden – including a beautiful full size Tea House – and Raymond’s current pride and joy, a newly planted orchard.

At the end of the tour everyone was given a goodie bag as a souvenir of their visit, full of gifts from Le Manoir aux Quat?Saisons and other sponsors and supporters including McCormick Schwarz TM, Aga and What?s Cooking of Thame.

With 50 guests (including the winner of the Bucks Herald and Thame Gazette competition for two tickets) able to enjoy this idyllic morning, the proceeds from ticket sales will go towards this year?s Thame Food Festival.

Sally Dorling, one of the festival organisers, said: “This was the perfect setting in which to launch Thame?s annual celebration of fine food and drink from the region, and we were so lucky that the rain even managed to stay away so that the visitors weren?t drenched!”

www.thamefoodfestival.co.uk

PHOTO: By Imaging Essence – the beautiful lemon cake, made from a recipe used by Raymond Blanc for 20 years, served to the guests.

PEOPLE in Oxfordshire are being asked to take any scam letters or emails they receive to their local library during May, as part of a new initiative to help put a stop to scammers.

The initiative is part of a Scams Awareness campaign being run by Oxfordshire County Council?s Trading Standards Services. They explained: “The scams consist of misleading emails and letters making false promises of huge bogus lottery wins or other high value prizes, and always insist on payment to the sender before any winnings can be claimed.”

Turn them in and turn the tide

Richard Webb, Acting Head of Oxfordshire County Council?s Trading Standards Service, said: ?Scammers often target the elderly or the vulnerable, who can find themselves on the receiving end of wave after wave of letters. In some cases, people are being sent up to 600 misleading letters a month from across the world. Those that fall victim to the mailings can send off hundreds of pounds a month over many years and despite the riches promised in each letter, they never win a penny.

?These scam mailings are an absolute menace and the message is, ?turn them in and turn the tide.? The mailings received in this year?s ?scamnesty? will be analysed and the information shared with partner enforcement agencies in the UK and abroad. This will help to build a picture of what is going on and crackdown on the senders and their networks.?

Hand in scam mail

If you want to hand in any suspicious letters or emails you can do so at Thame library until Thursday, May 31.

Councillor Judith Heathcoat, Oxfordshire County Council?s Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: ?I urge anyone who has received scam mail to visit your local library and report it. This kind of information can really help the team at Trading Standards to put a stop to these people who try to con the residents of Oxfordshire out of their hard earned money, and help to protect everyone in our community, particularly the elderly and the vulnerable. If you, or anyone else you know, has fallen victim to these letters and are sending these people money, please call the Citizens Advice Consumer Service.?

This initiative is part of a national campaign. For further information or advice please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 04 05 06 in the first instance.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Devon County Council

TWO Thame primary school teachers have described how they had their ‘breath taken away’ by the beauty of the Alpine town of Sinaia in Romanian, from where they have just returned.

Sue Boyle of Barley Hill School, and Rachel Butler of John Hampden School, visited Sinaia last week (April 30 ? May 5) as part of an exchange initiated by the Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association (TSFA) with the support of the Sinaia Town Hall.

Rachel Butler recalled their first impressions: ?Sue and I enjoyed six wonderful days in the beautiful Romanian town of Sinaia. We were made to feel welcome and the beauty of the alpine town was breath-taking.

?While there we discussed with our English-teacher hosts ways of linking our schools, Barley Hill and John Hampden, with George Enescu, the larger primary school in the town of Sinaia. Such links will provide opportunities for all the children to make contact with, and learn about, a school in a different country and to get an insight into the life the children there lead.”

Rachel added: ?We met the Mayor of Sinaia, Vlad Oprea, and discussed the future of the link between Sinaia and Thame. We hope our work with the school in Sinaia will continue for many years. In July we expect our hosts to come to Thame, and look forward to proudly showing them our beautiful town and returning the generous hospitality we received on our trip to Romania.?

Marius Ciortan, TSFA?s Secretary added: ?We are delighted that one of our first twinning projects with Sinaia is now a reality and it opens opportunities for the youngest citizens of Thame to forge friendships with pupils in Sinaia. We are looking forward to hearing from other individuals who wish to join TSFA and bring their own ideas of people exchanges between the two towns.?

For more information about TSFA (Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association) please contact Marius Ciortan on 07764 85 49 49 or e?mail: marius.ciortan@btinternet.com

THIS is a Community Message from Thames Valley Police. Subject: Burglary ? Oakley Road, Chinnor

ON Monday 7th May, between 02:00hrs and 04:15hrs, a property in Oakley Road, Chinnor was burgled. Offender(s) gained entry via an insecure side door whilst the aggrieved were in the garden summer house. Three handbags were stolen from a kitchen table.

Residents are advised to secure their property and not leave any valuables in view of doors or windows when going out or when leaving their property unattended for short periods of time. Secure any access points to the side or rear of your property to stop any unexpected visitors gaining entry.

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.

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a serious injury collision in Shirburn, Oxfordshire.

At about 9.30pm on Saturday (5/5), a green Peugeot 806 was in collision with a pedestrian on the B4009 Watlington Road.

The pedestrian, a woman in her early forties, was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital with serious injuries. She is currently in a critical condition.

Investigating officer PC Matthew Hunt, based at the Joint Roads Policing Unit in Abingdon, is appealing for witnesses to the collision to come forward, as well as anyone who saw a woman walking along the B4009 during the evening.

If you can help, please call PC Hunt via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 101.

If you don’t want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

SOURCE: Press release

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for information after a fatal road traffic collision on the M40, early on Saturday morning (5/5).

Officers were called to the scene of the collision on the soundbound carriageway between junctions 8 and 9 shortly before 5am this morning after reports that white Mercedes people carrier-style taxi had crashed through the central reservation into the northbound carriageway.

The vehicle, which is believed to have travelled from the High Wycombe area, was carrying six passengers and a driver. All the occupants of the vehicle were men.

One of the passengers was pronounced dead at the scene and three other passengers have been taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital with serious injuries. One of these is believed to be life threatening.

Sgt Bryan Smith from the Roads Policing Team based at Bicester said: ?Because of the nature of the accident, the M40 has been closed in both directions between junction 8 at Thame and junction 9 at Bicester.

?We anticipate that the road will be closed for a number of hours to allow for an investigation of the collision to take place and full clear-up operation to happen.

?I would advise all motorists to avoid the road and find alternative routes as the road closure is expected to be in place for several hours.

?I would also appeal for anyone who was travelling along the M40 around the time the collision was reported to us, who may have witnessed this incident, to come forward and speak with us about what they saw.?

Anyone with information should contact Sgt Smith via the 24-hour Thames Valley Police Enquiry Line on 101. Alternatively, you can contact the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.

STATUS; Press release

POLICE ALERT: Between 22.40hrs and 22.45hrs on Wednesday, May 2, 2012, offenders have attempted to force entry to a door at a home on Thame Road, Longwick. A suspicious incident, suspected to be an earlier attempt to gain entry, was made on Thursday, April 26.

If you saw or heard anything please contact us on our new non emergency number 101 quoting crime reference number GJ/4042440/12.

If you want to provide information anonymously please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

BUSINESSES, community groups and other local organisations in Thame are being encouraged to apply for a share of funding which could help boost the town?s vitality.

South Oxfordshire District Council is asking local organisations to come up with proposals which will boost the town?s vitality, vibrancy and economy. The most suitable proposals will then win a share of

THAME’S market traders want to show their support for the community that supports them! And their now, annual Market Fun Day, will be extra special this Jubilee year.

Following the success of Thame Markets annual Community Day traders have this year chosen the Jubilee Bank Holiday to hold the event.

Like last year, there will be the Town Crier, street entertainers, face painters, slides also flags balloons for the children, and lots of local groups and charities holding stalls to promote their cause. Also hidden on the market five lucky children will find a specially minted Queens Jubilee

MORE pictures available of yesterday’s Freedom ceremony and royl visit: LINK HERE

FOR the people of Thame, two new bonds of friendship have been forged today, after HRH Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, accepted the Freedom of Entry to the town on behalf of RAF Halton.

In a spectacular ceremony which brought hundreds of local people of all ages to the town centre, a military band and body of airmen and women marched firstly in silence from the Southern Road recreation area, into the town centre. The Duchess, dressed in an ?air force’ blue outfit and matching hat, was then presented with a framed scroll by the Mayor of Thame, looking splendid in a red robe.

Once the Freedom of the Town had been accepted, the parade lined up in ranks and drew their bayonets from sheaths behinds their back with a syncronised and audible ?swish? that cut through the silent, grey air.

Now they were free to bear arms through the town and they exercised their ceremonial rights by marching, bearing arms at the ready, along the Upper High Street to the War Memorial and back again to the town hall, with George the Mascot goat, taking up the rear.

As the Duchess spoke to local forces veterans proudly sporting their medals, in the crowd on-lookers were wondering whether the Duchess would come over and speak to them. To the delight of all, she strolled, smiling, firstly over to the groups of very excited but well-behaved primary school children where she leaned over and chatted casually to several of them, before moving on to talk to the delighted crowds lining the High Street.

After meeting Thame Town Councillors and dignitaries from both the county and the district councils in the council chamber, the Duchess, by now wearing a warm, black cape, walked over to the Spread Eagle Hotel for a reception and refreshments with invited special guests from among Thame?s citizenry.

Among the officers from RAF Halton, was Chief Technician Martin Glenn, who grew up in Thame, and went to Lord Williams?s school. Martin still lives in the town with his young family, and manages to juggle the military and family life by commuting to RAF Halton. He has been deployed both in the Falkland Islands and Bahrain and as well as regularly helping out on field weeks at both John Hampden School and Lord Williams?s, is the Adjutant of Thame Air Cadets.

He told Thamenews.net: ?I volunteered to join the parade today because of my close connection with the town, and I must admit, as we turned the corner out of Southern Road, and I saw all the school children waving their flags and cheering, it brought a lump to my throat. It is such an honour to be able to parade in my home town ? and particularly in front of Royalty, which makes it an even more special occasion.?

May 2, 2012, is a day that Thame will never forget, and an event that will be treasured, particularly by those 800 school children, whose memory of a two hour wait in the cold, will soon be replaced by their encounter with a ?warm and friendly lady ? as one of the mums described Camilla.

As Honorary Air Commodore, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall herself said, the whole town looks forward to ?a close and enduring relationship? between Thame and the 2,000 personnel from all three services at RAF Halton. But it is clear that a special relationship between the people of Thame and the duchess herself has also been formed from today.