Category: Thame news

NIGEL has been found safe and well and is no longer on the Missing Persons’ Register.

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for the public?s help in tracing a man missing from Haddenham. Nigel Adams, aged 52, was last seen at his home address in The Gables, Haddenham, just before 12pm today (13/5). He is believed to be in a silver VW Polo, registration AP54 SDU.

Nigel is white, 6ft, stocky build, with short blond hair. He was wearing dark jeans and a black shirt when last seen.

Insp Scott Messenger, from Aylesbury police station, said: ?We are very concerned for Nigel?s welfare and need to trace him as soon as possible. We believe he is still in the Buckinghamshire area, so I would urge residents to reports any sightings of Nigel, or the silver VW Polo he is driving, to contact police.?

Anyone who sees Nigel or has any information about his whereabouts should contact Thames Valley Police via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505, quoting URN 649 13/5. If you don?t want to speak to police or leave your name, call the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

UPDATED: 17:55 See Letter to editor from Thame Cllr Mary Stiles on this subject: LINK

FOLLOWING criticism and a vote of No Confidence in South Oxfordshire’s Returning Officer, he has announced that an outside authority’s RO will be brought in to conduct a review into what went wrong.

SODC’s Chief Executive and Returning Officer, David Buckle, was criticised from several quarters for errors, omissions and the mishandling of May 5’s local elections and AV referendum, including a Vote of No Confidence by Thame Town Council.

Some residents were turned away from the polling booths on May 5, and there were problems with postal votes being sent out late and to the wrong addresses. Other errors included sending out inadequately sized, pre-paid envolopes for the return of postal and proxy votes.

Chief Executive of South Oxfordshire District Council and Returning Officer David Buckle says a thorough review will be carried out.

He has been reported (by Mix ’96) as having written to the political leaders at both SODC and Thame Town Council to tell them of a review into the way the referendum was conducted and the 96 separate elections that took place on Thursday, May 5, across South and Vale: “.. to see what improvements we could have made.”

He has promised to bring in an experienced returning officer from elsewhere to carry out it out, which is likely to take a number of weeks.

David Buckle then says that he intends to publish the results and present them to each council’s scrutiny committee, and that until that is complete he does not intend to make any further statement.

He has however, thanked all the people involved in the election this year, the election team, the polling staff and vote counters for all the effort they put in on May 5 and 6.

Photo: David Buckle

THAME’S newly elected Mayor, Cllr Dave Bretherton, joined the Meet the Mayors challenge for Foster Care Fortnight today, when he met PACT, Parents and Children Together.

Mayors across the Thames Valley are being invited to show their support for fostering by family charity, Parents And Children Together as part of Foster Care Fortnight, which runs from May 16. PACT has set itself a challenge to meet all the mayors across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

Each mayor will be presented with a ‘I support PACT fostering’ medal.

PACT Family recruitment officer, Philip Cook, met the Mayor of Thame, Cllr David Bretherton, today at the town hall.

PACT is an independent adoption and fostering agency in London and the Thames Valley and is celebrating its 100th birthday throughout 2011.

Philip Cook said: ?There is a need for more carers in this area. PACT is a specialist in permanent fostering and would like to hear from families who would consider providing a home to a child in care.

?Anyone who is thinking about it but not sure if it is for them should at least enquire as they might be surprised what they discover.?

Foster Care Fortnight is a national awareness campaign run by the Fostering Network. Find out more at www.fostering.net

As well as its work in fostering and adoption, PACT also supports vulnerable families in the area through its 23 community projects. Its centenary celebrations include a ball at Blenheim Palace on June 13, a celebrity cricket match at Sonning on July 10 and a Carnival in Abingdon on August 22.

See LINK for these and other events.

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council?s Core Strategy will be examined for the first time tomorrow, Tuesday May 17, when the Inspector holds the first public meeting at 10am in the Council Chamber, South Council Offices at Crowmarsh.

The meeting is the start of a process that will take place over this summer. An independent planning inspector will examine the council?s long term plans for development in the district. This meeting will provide an opportunity for the inspector to discuss some initial points on which he wants further clarification, before proceeding to the hearing sessions in July. This is a normal part of the process.

The council submitted its draft core strategy to the Secretary of State on Friday, March 18, and he appointed independent Planning Inspector Roy Foster to scrutinise the document. During the hearings in July, the inspector will examine evidence from the council and other interested parties about how the district should develop over the next 15 years. He will then produce a report, which the council expect to receive before the end of the year. If the final decision is that the strategy is sound, then the council can go on to adopt it in early 2012.

Adrian Duffield, Head of Planning, said: ?The meeting represents an important first step in the draft core strategy examination process as it will lay the foundations for the public hearings taking place in July. Residents can find out more by visiting our website at www.southoxon.gov.uk/corestrategy

NB To find out more about the strategy and information on the public examination session, please visit www.southoxon.gov.uk/corestrategyexamination

The core strategy is a 15 year plan setting out how the council will help deliver housing, opportunities for high quality jobs and thriving town centres across the district.

The core strategy recommendations for Thame the site to the north west of the town as the site for around 530 new homes (Site F, the old pig farm opposite Lord Williams’s Upper school).

In the larger villages, some development would be allowed: “..to help limit decline and make them strong enough to sustain day-to-day services.” At present 750 new homes have been identified split across larger villages. The strategy also contains details of the necessary infrastructure needed to support all housing development that takes place.

SEE: for back stories on the Core Strategy (in date order, oldest at the top): LINK

AS Thame continues to bask in the total success of the town’s first Music In The Park event last Sunday (09/05/11), Headliners, Skasouls UK to seem to have had ‘a riotous’ time. This is what they had to say about the event:

“Skasouls UK were delighted to headline such a worthwhile event; fundraising to develop Elms Park for local families. We were unprepared for the reaction from a large and very vocal crowd. The view from the stage was riotous, every song concluding with massive noise from the mosh. When the curfew kicked in, and we were asked to finish up, it was a real pleasure to play one last number to prevent the crowd from lynching the compere! A great day, great organisation, great bands and performers, great crowd, and just a total buzz.”

Steve Gunn, a leading member of popular local band, Bootlegger, told ThameNews.Net about their ‘absolute joy’ at playing for Music in the Park.

He went on: “A large part of the credit for that must go to the fantastic crowd. They were in a real party mood and it always gives you a great buzz as a performer to see the audience singing and dancing along to your music! Everything was well organised, taking pressure off the performers. The main stages and PA system were very professional, giving it a real festival feel. On top of that, there was a great selection of music throughout the day on the “Critical Stage”, adjoining the real ale tent, as well as a whole host of other great activities. We’d certainly love to play again next time!”

One of the lead team of organisers, Michele Pethers, of Crash Records said: “We would like to thank everyone who came and thoroughly enjoyed themselves; all the volunteers and voluntary groups who came along on the day to help out, Paddy the MC who did a brilliant job, and of course all the artists who performed throughout the day over the three stages.”

If you didn’t make Music In The Park, or want some more reminders of a brilliant event, take a look at this great collection of shots taken by Thame photographer, Frank Millar:
http://www.frankmillar.com/FrankMillarThame/Music_in_the_park.html

THAME Town Council has lodged a Vote of No Confidence in the Presiding Officer of last Thursday’s local elections and AV referendum.

The emergency Notice of Motion was brought forward by Thame Town Cllr Mike Dyer at the first meeting of Thame’s new town council on Tuesday (10/05).

The vote follows a string of complaints from District Councillors, Poll station staff, counters and others about the way the poll was run, resulting in postal vote applications being sent out late, inadequately sized envelopes being provided to send them back in and various others delays and inadequacies.

According to the Henley Standard, some residents were unable to vote in the local elections because postal ballot papers arrived late or were sent to the wrong address.

“The mix-up affected people in Goring, Watlington and Benson entitled to vote in the parish and district council elections yesterday (Thursday). Unless they had contacted South Oxfordshire District Council in advance, they were not allowed to vote at polling stations because they were already registered as postal voters.” said the Standard’s report.

“People with transport or mobility problems or prior commitments and those on holiday couldn?t vote at all.

The council, which is responsible for distributing the ballot papers, blamed a printing firm for the series of errors.

Benson?s postal ballots were sent to Ewelme, which didn?t have enough candidates to hold a parish election.”

In Thame, Cllr Dyer called the Poll ‘shambolic’ while Thame’s District Cllr, Anne Midwinter defended the officers, some who worked, she said until 2am the morning before and then returned at 8am for the count which lasted 15 hours.

The town council voted unanimously for the Vote, except Cllr Don Butler, who was not around on the day.

According to the BBC, Returning Officer David Buckle said a “thorough review” would be carried out but rejected claims there were problems on election day itself.

Mr Buckle, who is also chief executive of the council, said: “As far as I’m concerned it wasn’t a disaster and nothing went wrong.”

However, he accepted the 15 hour count was longer than expected, but that it was because of the Alternative Vote referendum and a larger number of parish council elections than other districts in Oxfordshire.

He also conceded there were problems in the lead up to the election day.

“This time we appear to be getting more phone calls saying poll cards and postal votes hadn’t arrived and I need to understand why that was the case,” he said.

Ann Ducker, Conservative leader, said the way it was conducted was “horrendous.”

PHOTO: David Buckle pictured in Thame recently when he attended the official opening of Meadow View Park.

THE outgoing Mayor of Thame, Hair salon owner, Adam Buckland, swapped cutting for couplets last night, when he delivered his Mayor’s Annual Report to the new town council in rhyme. (Prepare yourselves….)

The new Mayor of Thame is Cllr David Bretherton and his Deputy is Cllr Nigel Champken-Woods who recalled the last time he supported David Bretherton. It was in 1967 at David’s RAF Passing Out Parade at RAF Hemswell when Nigel, who joined up two weeks after David, took part in David’s support flight. The coincidence only came to light recently when the two were chatting about their days in the RAF.

He may not be a great poet, by Cllr Adam Buckland’s rhyming report brilliantly sums up the flavour of his year in office. Here it is in full:

ANNUAL REPORT 2011
Here?s my Annual report
And if you give me the time,
I will break with tradition
And do it through rhyme

I?ve written some speeches
Talked till blue in the face
Of my love of Thame Town,
Such a beautiful place

This year has been great
With some great things achieved
From libraries to football
And things in between

The new Meadow View Park
Home of the beautiful game
Built through a partnership
Who love football in Thame

Our library?s been built
But not without fight
All state of the art
A beautiful sight

Street pastors have arrived
To keep us safe out at night
It?s run through the churches
So we all ?see the light?

After the iThame app
Was the turn of Thame TV
To drag us to the future
That includes you, and of course me

More partnership working
Is our aim all along
With 21st century Thame
Still going along strong

From football to allotments
To the scouts and the guides
Working together
Let?s reach for the skies

We have festivals galore
From food to the Arts
And a new music day
Down in elms park

This year?s Carnival
Has a Mardi gras theme
With feathers and Boas
A sight to be seen

The Christmas lights switch on
Went well in the main
With rock bands and tinsel
And an absence of rain

A market from Italy
Is promised this year
To go with the French
Makes Europe feel near

We?ve seen historic blue plaques
Appear in our streets
From Boddington to Figg
And W B Yeats

We’re working in Cuttlebrook
To alleviate the flood
Dredging the stream
And moving the mud

My Mayors Ball was amazing
Up at Meadow View Park
With hundreds attending
And partying till Dark

The band were the Commitments
With some great soulful sounds
We held a charity auction
That raised 6000 big pounds

My two charities will benefit
From the cash from the Ball
It will go straight to the Wombles
And of course Thomley Hall

Sadly this year
Saw the loss of great men
Honourary Citizen, Len Webb
And from the allotments, ?our Ken?

Both worked so hard
To make our town great
Through Community Spirit
Through love and not hate

Our Civic Pride night
Was a resounding success
With me in a suit
And my wife?. A new dress

It honours the people
Who?ve got civic pride
From the postman to student
With friends by their side

Ask not what your town
Can do for you
Is a phrase I?ve used lots
To rally the troops

Our first Tidy Thame Day
Saw our town at its best
With the community together
To clean up the mess

We painted and cleaned
We repaired and we weeded
With the maintenance guys
On call if we needed

The phoenix trail sorted
And blitzed of its litter
We all came away
From the day feeling fitter

Yes our maintence team
Work their magic in parks
Jessie and Aidee
And of course the two Marks

Planting their flowers
And cutting the grass
Picking up litter
Making smiles that will last

So it?s onwards and upwards
We will sure leave our mark
With a long list of wishes
More jobs for the Clerk

A new play area we want
In Lea Park it?s our goal
At Queen Elizabeth Circle
To rival South Pole

An updated Skate park
Is high on our list
With the Mayor on a skateboard
A sight not to miss

The Youth Memorial is so close
To being complete
A place to reflect
If friends wish to meet

More Links to the rugby
Chinnor or Thame if you wish
And a nice new angling lake
In which we can fish

Our budget is small
So we?ll have to think smart
Get our ducks in a row
And the horse and the cart

Small council small budget
But with big, big ideas
A lot to achieve
In a few more short years

This all won?t be easy
There?ll be hard decisions
On housing and supermarkets
Free your minds and your visions

The Core strategy next
Is a place we will go
Locations and numbers
We still do not know

And the Sainsbury development
On the Cattle market site
Will exercise brains
Is it wrong? Is it right?

We have lost 6 good Councilors
But we have gained some 6 more
The old through the exit
The new through that door

We had Stone World Rob
Who would say what he liked
And our accountant Owen
Who?d arrive on a bike

And Peter and Cliff
Who were quiete but true
And don?t forget Lionel
Who was obsessed with the loos

Who can forget Beatrice
Our library friend
Her mission accomplished
Resolute till the end

So welcome new Councillors
Along for the ride
4 years to go
No place which to hide

Let?s roll up our sleeves
There is lots to be done
To make this town better
United as one

We have Liberals and Labour
Conservatives too
And one independent
I will let you guess who

Marius, Peter and Helena
Also Vaughan makes four
Returning Mary and Andy
Who have been here before

Nigel, Jeanette and Nicola
The 3 David?s and 2 Mikes
And of course Donald Butler
Who turns up when he likes

I have to say thank you
To my ?Deputy Don?
I?ll say something flattering
No alas?.it has gone

He?s joined me at functions
And given lifts in his car
I?ve followed his direction
Mostly straight to the Bar

He taught me all he knew
Which didn?t take to long
He understood my rules
I?m right and he is wrong

We?ve been to lots of dos
In some Oxfordshire towns
And the city of Oxford
Of the cap and of the gown

We?ve eaten lots of dinners
And drank some dodgy wine
His waist line has expanded
Thank god it?s not mine

So, it?s thanks to the clerk
And Cassie and Dee
We?ve all got to know them
As the terrible three

If you dare cross their path
I?m sure you will wince
A councilor once did
He?s not been seen since

Downstairs you?ll find Rosie
And Pauline and Jane
With Morag and Rob
All busy but sane

When I put this gold chain on
Almost a year to this day
I didn?t realize how quick
To get to this May

I could not understand
What the fuss was all for
To be the Mayor of Thame
When I walked out that door

But now I know at last
And what an honour it has been
To meet the fantastic people
And the council to be seen

It?s been a lot of hard work
And it takes over all your life
But it has also been lots of fun
With the support from my gorgeous wife

My boys have been great
Giving up on their weekends
It?s now time for their daddy
To now fully make amends

I?ve been gunged and I?ve glided
In my role as the Mayor
I?ve judged funny carrots and fairy cakes
And opened the annual fair

I judged floats and parades
At the carnival in June
I beat our MP
With an egg and a spoon

I was delighted to beat him
And give him a kickin
But alas I did not win
I came last to chicken

I?ve been called many things
The worst a lumberjack
Also a litter womble
But I will not fight back

As long as it is done
You can call me what you like
Except a blue conservative
Before you say ? Mike

So I will give this chain back
And wish it a good grace
And the next person who wears it
Puts a smile upon your face

So I?m signing off now
Putting the chain back in its sack
But in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger
I warn you, ?I?LL BE BACK!!!!?
Thank You

Photo: Thame’s out-going Mayor, Adam Buckland wishes his successor, Cllr David Bretherton, the best of luck for his Mayoral year.

THERE’S great excitement in the village of Sydenham near Thame, this week as filming for the popular TV programme, Midsomer Murders, begins for episode six of the fourteenth series!

Filming began yesterday (10/05) inside St Mary’s church in the village, and today the production company, Bentley will be filming until 7pm at the front of the church by the Crown pub which becomes ‘The Stag’ in the episode. The opening scene features a lorry being driven through the village, observed by the series’ two heroes, who then discuss a suspicious flat tyre on the vehicle before heading off at a run!

On Monday, they’ll be filming night-time scenes based mainly around the Crown, beginning with a brief scene of a girl arriving at the pub on a bicycle, and then moving inside once more. At about 10pm, they’ll be back outside to film three segments with the village scene lit by a cherry picker and a lighting crane that will double as a moon! The first scene will involve a girl escaping from a window of the pub, the second a man walking up the middle of the street and a third involves a police car driving through the village. The day’s shooting should all be over by 12.30am.

To finish the day’s work, the crew will move further up the street to film in a cottage at the endof Sewell’s Lane, working there until 02.30am.

On Wednesday, May 25, the crew will start the day in Pyrton but hope to be back at St Mary’s by lunch time, to film two scenes inside the church. At around 3.30pm they hope to move back outside to fim at the front of the Old School Room.

The crew will be back in Sydenam at the Crown again on Thursday (26/05. More about the plans for that day’s filming to come.

PHOTO: Flash back to the last time The Crown at Sydenham saw a film crew, when Boris Johnson, who was then the local MP, officially opened the pub in June, 2008, when it was bought by a group of villages to run as an village enterprise.

OXFORDSHIRE’S Fire and Rescue Service is supporting a global campaign to make our roads safer. In Oxfordshire last year, over 40 people lost their lives and over 2,000 people were injured on roads throughout the county. And every day around the world, 3,500 people are violently killed in a road crash.

The statistics have prompted the United Nations General Assembly to declare the first-ever ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’, providing an opportunity for global action.

The campaign is urging governments, business leaders and the public to support it’s goals to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on the world’s roads by 2020, potentially saving up to five million lives.

To promote the official launch of the ‘Make Roads Safe’ campaign, the Chief Fire Officers Association is urging all Fire and Rescue Services in the UK to attend Motorway Services on the Wednesday, May 11.

Firefighters from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service will be at Pear Tree Services on the A34 between 11am and 2pm and at Cherwell Valley Services on the M40 between 10am and 2pm, to talk to motorists about road safety, hand out leaflets and provide vital tips.

Pete Cleary, Area Manager Safety for Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service said: “The Decade of Action is an opportunity for everyone to make their communities and streets safe, whether they are a driver, passenger, motorcyclist, cyclist, or pedestrian. Making Oxfordshire?s roads safer is the responsibility of all of us as road users. Everyone can help by raising awareness and campaigning for safer roads in their community, school and workplace.”

How to help save lives

By working together we can all play an important role in achieving the decade goals.

Raise awareness with a yellow road safety tag – they can be purchased from the ‘Decade of Action’ website in the form of a badge, necklace, mini tag or reflective tag for pedestrians and bikes.

Campaign for safer roads in your community, school and workplace. Leaflets, posters and booklets are available from the ‘Decade of Action’ website: http://www.decadeofaction.org/index.html

Follow these simple tips to be safe on the roads:

Tips for motorists and motorcyclists

Always wear a seatbelt
Don?t drink or take drugs and drive, or don’t accept a lift from someone who has
Don?t use a mobile phone even if it is handsfree
Always drive for the road conditions, don?t speed and give yourself time to react
Take a break on long journeys, tiredness can kill
Never encourage the driver to speed or drive recklessly even if you are running late
If you feel unsafe in a car, talk to the driver – if they are going too fast ask them to slow down
Motorcyclists – be aware that drivers may not see you, their vision can be blocked by lampposts or signs, and take extra care when filtering through traffic

Tips for pedestrians and cyclists

Wear bright or light coloured clothing and reflective materials
Always walk on the pavement, if there isn?t a path walk facing the traffic on the right has side of the road
Find a safe place to cross ? do not cross near a bend or parked vehicles
Don?t use Ipods, MP3 players or mobile phones when crossing the road or cycling
Always stop, look and listen before you cross a road
Cyclists – wear the right gear and a cycle helmet to protect your head
Make sure your bike is road worthy and has working lights and reflectors
Don?t expect a driver or pedestrian to know what you are going to do – give a signal before you start, stop or turn

Councillor Judith Heathcoat, Oxfordshire County Council?s Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “It is awful to think that nearly 1.3 million people die every year on the world’s roads and it is so important to raise awareness to help to reduce these figures worldwide. We should all follow the simple and effective advice from our fire and rescue service to avoid these unnecessary deaths and help keep everyone safe on the roads in Oxfordshire and throughout the UK.”

For further road safety advice please visit www.365alive.co.uk or call the Community Safety Helpline 08000 325999

For further information on the ‘Make Roads Safe’ campaign visit: www.makeroadssafe.org

NOTE:
Nearly 1.3 million people die every year on the world’s roads, and up to 50 million are injured.
90% of casualties from road deaths occur in developing countries
Annual road traffic deaths are forecast to rise to 1.9 million people by 2020
Road traffic injuries are the number one cause of death for young people worldwide

PHOTOR: The late Ellie Bongers and Greg Stiles, two of Thame’s more recent road casualties

SOURCE: Press release