Category: Thame news

BETWEEN 21st and 22nd August, there were several thefts from vehicles in Berkeley Road and Roundhead Drive in Thame. Offender(s) broke into the vehicles and stole items including an Ipod and games console, which had been left on display.

Please remind family, friends and neighbours NOT to leave anything of value in their vehicles. It is not just the loss of valuables, but the inconvenience and costly repair to your vehicle, having to replace broken windows and door locks.

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 08458 505 505 and state you are responding to a Ringmaster message. Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Message Ends.

A cat owner from Longwick, near Thame, described herself as ‘tearfully happy’ today after her missing moggie turned up after six days.

Terri Holloway told ThameNews.Net via twitter earlier today: “A very skinny bedraggled Boo arrived at 4.10 am today, tips of ears damaged but fine and hungry!!”

18 month-old Boo went missing last Friday, August 12, after being last seen by Toll Bar, behind Claydons Place in Longwick, where she lives.

THAMES Valley police has released an image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the theft of fuel in Thame in July.

The image shows a man wearing a white shirt, dark trousers and white shoes.

On Saturday 30 July, the man allegedly stole fuel, a crime known as bilking, from the BP Garage, Park Street, Thame, while driving a black Peugeot.

It was later established that the black Peugeot was being driven on stolen number plates.

PC Emma Thompson, investigating the incident, said: ?I would like to hear from anyone who can identify this man or if they saw a suspicious vehicle fitting the above description in the Thame area.?

PC Thompson can be contacted via the 24-hour non-emergency number, 0845 8 505 505.

If you don?t want to talk to police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

SOURCE: Press release

A Have Your Say meeting is being held on Friday, August 26, at Thame Town Hall, High Street, Thame, between 11am and 1pm.

This is your opportunity to speak with your Neighbourhood Officers to discuss any local issues of concern you may have.

If you are unable to attend but wish to speak with your Neighbourhood Officers, please call 08458 505 505.

AFTER all the recent attention on the country’s young people for all the wrong reasons, a reminder that most teenagers are hardworking and ambitious comes today with the announcement of Lord Williams’s school’s A level results.

From 574 examination entries, the pass rate this year increased slightly to 97.4%, the numbers of A*-C grades increased to 77% from 2010’s 73%, and the numbers of A*, A and B grades increased to 48%.

Headteacher, David Wybron paid tribute to the achievements of so many students: ?The results are a very good reflection of the hard work students have put into their studies and sometimes remarkable determination to overcome difficulties. A certain anxiety has given way, for the majority of students, to relief and happiness with the achievement of excellent results. Those students are also grateful, I know, for the quality of teaching and support they have received during their time in the Sixth Form.?

The following students achieved A* or A grades in three or more subjects: Alexandra Ballantine, Michael Beard, Ross Calvert, Kieran Calvert, Ben Carrington, Helena Byrne Stevens, Emily Garner, Jack Keen, Meghan Lowe, Olivia Massie, Alice Sacco, Amy Sandys, Charlotte Smith, Daniel Taylor-Abreu, Isaac Williams, Jake Wilson and Amelia Worley.

This year four students, Antonia Cundy, Robert Jackson, Amelia Worley and Jonas Walters became the first students at Lord Williams?s to achieve the AQA Baccalaureate, which recognises a range of qualifications, including A Levels, an extended project and enrichment activities. Kieran Calvert also becomes Lord Williams’s second student to receive the Rycote Bursary from New College, Oxford to support his studies there next year.

Kate Sheehan, Head of Sixth Form, was equally impressed with what students had achieved: ?Our students deserve to feel very proud of their results; the Sixth Form has equipped them with the necessary qualifications and skills to progress to university or to the world of work. We wish them all the very best of luck for the future.?

A CAT owner in Longwick, near Thame, is desperate to find the whereabouts of her pet cat, who went missing on August 12.

Boo the grey and white fluffy moggie is 18 months old, and her owner, Terri Holloway, has had sleepless nights worrying about her.

“To rub salt in the wounds,” said Terri, our other cat, Mia, is sleeping in Boo’s bed. We need to find her as her jabs and worm tablets are due.”

If anyone spots Boo, last seen by Toll Bar, behind Claydons Place in Longwick, contact editor@thame.net who will pass on your details.

PHOTO: Boo, the missing Longwick cat

THAME’S market traders repaid local people for their support today, with its now annual community fun day, giving local groups the opportunity to promote themselves with their own stalls, and providing non-stop fun the kids from street entertainers, face painters, giant slides and balloons.

Among the community groups promoting their causes were The Thame Wombles,led by Michelle Diffey in Womble costume, the Thame Museum in the person of two supporters in 17th Century bonnets, and 21st Century Thame, promoting the Thame Loyalty Card scheme.

Thame’s Town Crier, Anthony Church wandered around the town in his splendid regalia encouraging local shoppers to visit the market and the Mayor of Thame, David Bretherton, presented a pocket watch to Peter Hart on the card stall. Peter is retiring in a couple of months due health issues.

Peter told Thamenews.net: “I am really chuffed, really ‘made up’ over this presentation. I have been coming to Thame market for 14 years. It will leave a bit of a whole in my life but I leave with some nice memories.”

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council has been named the top recycling authority in England in an independent annual survey.

According to research by letsrecycle.com, the council recycled or composted 70.56 per cent of its waste in 2010/11 – five per cent higher than the second best performing authority, Rochford District Council.

This is the first time an authority has recorded an annual rate of more than 70 per cent since letsrecycle.com started its annual survey at least five years ago, which is based on figures supplied by councils.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is due to publish its official league table of how councils are performing later this year.

South Oxfordshire?s recycling rate has soared since it introduced a new waste collection service, provided by waste contractors Biffa, in June 2009. The service features a weekly collection of food waste and fortnightly collections of rubbish and recycling on alternate weeks.

Last November the council won the Best Improved Recycling Rate at the LARAC awards for increasing its recycling rate from 44 per cent to 64 per cent between April 2009 and 2010 ? the first ten months of the new collection service.

The same service was launched in the Vale of White Horse in October 2010 where the recycling rate has also increased to approximately 70 per cent on average.

Thame Town cllr, David Dodds, who is also cabinet member for waste at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: ?We have been so pleased with the success of our waste collection service and the consistently high recycling rates the district has achieved, and to be named the top recycling council in the country is the icing on the cake. I look forward to the Government figures coming out later this year and hope we are also top of that table. No doubt our colleagues at the Vale will be celebrating next year when our joint contract may place first and second!?

Biffa?s municipal director Roger Edwards said South Oxfordshire?s performance sets ?the gold standard? for local authority recycling, adding: ?This is awesome news, and everyone involved with the contract is chuffed to bits.?

Caelia Quinault from letsrecycle.com said: ?Achieving a recycling and composting rate of over 70 per cent is a great achievement for South Oxfordshire and sets an excellent example for other local authorities across England.?

THAME’s MP, John Howell, has enthusiastically backed a Government review intended to help local pubs. On August 2, the Government launched a review of restrictive covenants, a legal clause that can be used to prevent community pubs reopening as public houses following a sale.

John recently met some of the town?s publicans in the Cross Keys to discuss the problems faced by pubs and how these might be addressed. He said: “Pubs are hubs of community life, as important to the local social scene as they are to the local economy. That I think has been a very clear message from the Standard?s Drink Local campaign. But ‘time’ is being called at too many of our local pubs, depriving people of treasured places to get together in the community.

“By reviewing this restrictive red tape we will enable people to use their collective powers to ensure that their locals remain local and continue to thrive at the heart of every community.”

He added: “In just five years between 2004 and 2009 some 572 pubs are believed to have been permanently lost following a sale with a restrictive covenant, potentially depriving thousands of regulars of an important community asset.”

FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED CHANGED

PARTNERSHIP working is the key theme behind South Oxfordshire District Council?s plans to boost its three market towns of Thame, Henley and Wallingford into 2012 and beyond.

The South Oxfordshire market towns action plan has been updated for 2011/12, bringing new ideas together with ongoing projects, as the council continues to work with 21st Century Thame, Henley Partnership, and the Wallingford Partnership, as well as the three respective town councils and various local groups, to help strengthen the local economy and bring more people to the towns.

The action plan is designed to support the council?s objectives of supporting economic growth, creating vibrant market towns, and promoting business growth and job creation. It endorses the vision for the three towns outlined in the 2009 distinctiveness reports.

Actions in the plan are divided between generic projects that will benefit all three market towns and those tailored for individual towns, and are seperated in terms of the contribution they will make to the area through retail and tourism, culture and events, infrastructure, or marketing.

Among the actions identified to boost all towns in the district are: organising events to encourage business involvement and joint tourism work in the towns, producing information sheets to encourage inward investment, and supporting locally-led initiatives to help promote towns in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.

In Thame the town centre will see a number of shops improve their appearance thanks to the introduction of the shop front grant scheme, while the town?s annual food festival is set to become a commercial venture. Thame?s partnership, 21st Century Thame, will also continue to improve the town?s online offering as well as working to bring more facilities and equipment to the town to support events and promotion.

21st Century Thame’s completed projects, supported by SODC and SEEDA funding, include the town’s recently launched Loyalty card scheme, a Welcome Pack for prospective new residents and businesses, Cycling and Walking maps, Blue Plaques scheme, Historic Town Trails, planters at the town’s entry points, expansion of the town’s Christmas lights and support for the recently launched business partnership, Thame4Business.

Future Thame projects include the use of more plastic cows around the town, strategically placed to advertise events in and promotions of the town, and consolidation of the town’s web presence.

In Henley local groups will work together to help promote the George Orwell Centre and support next year?s Olympic and jubilee celebrations. A project to update signage in the town and produce travel itineries to help encourage visitors to stay longer in Henley, will also take place.

Wallingford has already seen the introduction of new signage, cycling routes and banners in the town, and the council will continue to work with the award-winning Wallingford Partnership and Wallingford Town Council to ensure this good work carries on. A programme to recruit new members to join Wallingford in Business will take place to assist the group in organising regular events in the town, and businesses will also be encouraged to use official town branding and continue to work together on events such as Wallingford Weddings.

To see the complete list of actions for South Oxfordshire?s market towns go to: http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/services-and-advice/business/economic-development/towns

Cllr Judith Nimmo-Smith, cabinet member for Economic Development in South Oxfordshire, said: ?We pride ourselves on our vibrant market towns and have enjoyed some fantastic success in recent years to help bring more people in and boost the local economy. We will continue to work with the partnerships and groups in Thame, Henley, and Wallingford to ensure they continue to be places that people want to visit and live in.”