Category: Thame news

THIEVES stole more than

Thames Valley Police has charged a man in connection with two drugs warrants executed in Tiddington last week.

The warrants were executed on Thursday 17 February at addresses in Fernhill Close, Tiddington, and Green Hitchings, Great Milton.

John Cheshire, aged 47, from Fernhill Close, has been charged with possession of a class B drug; cannabis. He has been bailed to appear at Oxford Magistrates Court on 3 March.

A WOMAN who has been missing since last Tuesday (15/02), when she was seen getting off a bus in Loudwater, near High Wycombe, has contacts in Oxford.

Police are renewing their appeal for help in tracing 41 year-old Petra Sinclair, who was dropped off near the High Wycombe bus station by her partner at around 11.25am on Tuesday and later seen getting off a bus in Loudwater.

Ch Insp Colin Seaton, Deputy Area Commander, said: ?I would like to make a direct appeal to Petra and urge anyone who might see her to contact us immediately.

?It is possible that Miss Sinclair could still be in the Thames Valley area as she has friends in both Oxford and Reading. She also has a friend in Telford and she might be travelling to go and see her.

?She also has connections to Lockerbie in Scotland and the Newton Abbott, Paignton and Torquay areas in Devon as she previously lived there in her married name of Petra Collins between 2005 and 2007.

?It is out of character for Petra not to return home and the police are her family are growing increasingly concerned for her welfare.?

Petra is white, 5ft 8ins, slim, with long, straight dark hair and was wearing a grey and blue jacket, black jumper, black leggings and knee high boots when she was last seen.

Anyone with any information or who has seen anyone matching Miss Sinclair?s description is asked to contact Thames Valley Police on 0845 8 505 505. If you do not want to speak to police or leave your name, call the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555

THAME Community Hospital?s inpatient area has reopened ahead of schedule, following refurbishments to improve and upgrade facilities for patients.

In a statement today, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust said: “Improvement works started in January to ensure the environment of the hospital meets modern infection control requirements, allowing us to care for patients in clean and safe facilities. The works included refurbishing the inpatient area with new sinks, ceilings and lighting.”

The statement continued: “Following the successful integration between acute and community healthcare services last year, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust has been working hard to improve and develop services in the community, providing high quality care closer to patient?s homes wherever possible. The refurbishment works at Thame Community Hospital put the hospital in a better position to support services as we look to develop them further in the future.”

Rachael Corser, lead nurse for the community hospital, said: ?We?re really pleased with the improvements and that we?ve been able to reopen the inpatient area ahead of schedule. The hospital has a more welcoming feel and we can continue to deliver care to our patients whilst preventing infection in the newly improved inpatient ward. Thank you to all the hospital staff for their continued support throughout the works and for ensuring we continued to maintain excellent care for our patients.”

OXFORDSHIRE County Council has launched its Big Society Fund, and is inviting local community groups to take advantage and make a claim.

The authority has set up a

THREE people were injured after a car was driven into a crowd of people outside a village pub near Thame.

Police say that the incident stemmed from a disagreement between groups of people at the Rising Sun pub in Ickford at about 12.45am on February 5.

Following the disagreement, one of the men involved got into a car and drove it into a crowd of up to 20 people who were standing outside the pub, driving backwards and forwards at speed, before leaving the scene.

Three men were subsequently injured. The most seriously hurt was a 19-year-old man who was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with leg injuries. After spending several days in hospital the man has been discharged but will still need further operations on his legs.

During the incident, damage was also caused to parked vehicles and a nearby property.

The man driving the car is described as white, of slim build, about 6ft to 6ft 2ins tall, with dark hair. The vehicle is described as an orange/gold Peugeot hatchback with dark wheels and possibly a modified scoop on its bonnet.

PC Charlie Etheridge, of the Roads Policing Unit based at Bicester, said: ?The actions of this driver could have had very serious consequences. We could easily have been dealing with a fatal collision.

?The car involved would almost certainly have some visible damage following this incident, but it may have now been fixed.

?I am appealing for anyone who has information about the car or the driver to contact me as soon as possible.?

If you have information, please call PC Etheridge via the Thames Valley Police 24-hour Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to speak to police or leave your name, call the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

SOURCE: Press release
PHOTO: Courtesy of www.geograph.org.uk

DREAMING in school is usually not encouraged but at one Thame primary school this week, its exactly what the teachers want.

For the theme for John Hampden primary school’s Arts Week this year is Dream Time and the whole school and the nursery have been encouraged to make dream catchers, fairies, dream jars, prints, junk models and all sorts of creative responses centred around the idea of dreaming.

The centre piece of the culmination of this weeks work will be a truly massive model of the BFG that reaches to the hall ceiling.

The work is being co-ordinated by teacher Jackie Nichols with the help of an enthusiastic band of enthusiastic volunteers including ex teaching staff who have returned to John Hampden School specially to help out in what has become one of the highlights of the school’s curriculum. Real artists, including Julie Long from Cheshire, the aunt of a JHS pupil, and local print maker, Christine Tacq have been working with the children during Arts Week.

Jackie Nichols said: “This year?s Artsweek has been dominated, literally, by the GIANT BFG that has invaded our school hall, blowing ?fizzwizard? dreams to fill our Dreamtime Artsweek World!

“Artsweek has involved everyone in our school community, from artists, grandparents and parents, with over 60 volunteers, to the whole school body of teachers and students, from Nursery to Year 6.

“It has enabled every child to shine through artistic activities ranging from Dream Junk Worlds to Wild Aboriginal Snakes! The Dream Bedroom project has really taken off, with children, families and teachers alike making their dream or childhood bedrooms, which have taken over the corridors and classes of the school. We have even had a competition to guess which bedroom belongs to which teachers for an arty prize.

“The whole week culminates tomorrow (Friday) in a Fairtrade Arts Caf

ACCORDING to Thame’s MP, up to 1,500 pensioners in the constituency, many in and around Thame, could be missing out on a vital benefit which could mean an addition of, on average, over

Reference: M 15/02/042] – This is a Community message from Thames Valley Police. INFORMATION

Please be aware of a white Volvo Lorry Tanker partial registration number PN08 seen in your area. This vehicle maybe involved in the offence of stealing of fuel. If you see this vehicle please contact the Police on 999 for an immediate response to URN 432 of the 15th February. Thank you, message ends.

AN OXFORDSHIRE campagne group has responded angrily to SODC’s decision on Monday (Feb 14) to continue with advertising on roundabouts – apparently in contravention of its own policies.

Michael Tyce, Chairman of the Thame District of CPRE Oxfordshire, said in a statement: ?In a St Valentine?s Day Massacre the District Council has blown away its own policies to protect the environment, the concept of Localism, road safety, and the interest of taxpayers in getting the best deal. This at a time when other Councils are acting to remove unlawful roundabout advertising which blights the environment, and responding to Government requests that they crack down on advertising clutter.”

He continued: “South Oxfordshire District Council decided to sign up for another five years of its contentious roundabout advertising scheme, despite strong objections from Thame Town Council (1) and almost all the other towns and parishes where roundabouts with advertising are situated (2). The District Council accepts that the scheme is also contrary to its own policies to protect the environment and a distraction to motorists and therefore a safety risk.(3).

“At the same meeting the District Council decided to renew the contract , which is worth