A FOOTBALL match in memory of a young Thame life guard killed in a car crash, has raised valuable funds towards the proposed Thame Youth Memorial.
Yesterday, Wednesday 16.12.09, Jamie Surman organised a Charity Match at the Thame Leisure Centre in rememberance of his friend Greg Stiles. It was played during the annual Thame Primary Schools Boys Tournament, by the Thame Leisure Centre vs Teachers, with the Teachers winning 10-5.
The event raised
THIS is a Ringmaster message from Thames Valley Police. Overnight between 15th to 16th December, 2009, two tractors were stolen from Rycote Lane Farm, in Milton Common.
Description as follows:
1 X John Deere 6230 Premium 40kph Registration Number HY08 DZZ S/N L06230G569313
1 X John Deere 7530 Premium 50kph Registration Number OU09 DWZ S/N L07530N599218
For country watch members: If you are offered these tractors or have any information please call the police on 08458 505 505.
For all other watch members: If you have any information relating to this message, please call the police on 08458 505 505 and state you are responding to a Ringmaster message.
Message Ends.
THAME Town Council is to confer on a local man, who worked behind enemy lines during WW2, the title of Honourary Citizen.
Arthur Staggs, now aged 97, has lived in Thame since the late 1940s and is now a resident of Meadowcroft Residential Home for the elderly in Thame.
After doing his wireless operator training at Thame Park in the early years of the war, Arthur worked with the Special Operations.
His story is a facinating one as this biography put together by Jeannette Matelot Green, illustrates.
Lt. Arthur Albert George STAGGS
Arthur?s mother died when he was two years old. His Father joined the Royal Engineers in 1914 and fought in France where he met and married a French lady who spoke no English. Arthur spent a year in France and attended an Ecole Maternelle – becoming bilingual. Afterwards he returned to England and attended a Catholic School at Grays in Essex until 1925. The family then moved to Roubaix near Lille where Mr Staggs Snr worked as an engineer for a British company. Arthur served his apprenticeship here before moving to another company at Croix-Wasquehal, in Nord, where the family was living by this time.
Arthur started as a labourer but attended the firm?s night-school classes for three years studying algebra,
draughtsmanship etc. He qualified as a Quality Inspector for the forge – malleable, soft, hard iron. This was the time of the Depression and the French Government introduced a new law to reduce the foreign labour force by 35%.
Arthur?s work permit was withdrawn. His father knew the head of Perrott & Perrott and this man followed Arthur?s progress with interest finding a loop-hole to enable Arthur to continue working in France. The firm was entitled to have a full-time interpreter, which gave Arthur some valuable experience.
In September 1939, Arthur became a linguist at the Corps of Military Police (Field Security) at Sheerness in Kent. Here he was put in charge of interviewing about 300 French troops who were evacuated with the British at Dunkirk in June 1940. The purpose here was to identify Fifth Columnists; about five or six were found.
Arthur was then moved to the Intelligence Corps at Winchester where he was placed in charge of stores. He had interviews with MI5 and MI6 and was later transferred to Pembroke College, Oxford where he was frequently consulted for verification concerning French roads, towns, etc. He was then told to report to the War Office in Whitehall where he was
asked to join the SOE. After Parachute training at Manchester and Commando and Morse Code training in Scotland, he underwent Wireless training at Thame Park Radio School. This included making transmissions from North Berwick in Scotland, and involved three two-week trials to ascertain accuracy and were made back to base. Arthur’s third visit was made
on 2nd November 1942; on the 18th he was in France.
SOE Mission
Position : Wireless Operator
Nom de guerre : Albert FOULON (B
THIS is a Ringmaster message from Thames Valley Police, following three burglaries in Thame.
Between 26th November & 11th December, a property in Lashlake Road, Thame, was burgled. Entry was gained via a side gate, then forcing back patio doors. Jewellery was stolen. URN 271 of 11/12/09.
Overnight between 13th & 14th December, (2009) a property in Overton Drive, Thame, was burgled. A Laptop computer, mobile and handbag were stolen.
URN 391 of 14/12/09.
During the same time span, overnight between 13th & 14th December, a property in Vane Road, Thame, was burgled. Entry was gained via conservatory doors and a handbag, laptop and mobile phone were stolen. URN 200 of 14/12/09.
Please be extra vigilant and report any suspicious looking people or vehicles to the police. If you have any information relating to this message, please call the police on 08458 505 505 and quote the relevant URN number.
IT has emerged that the review panel’s decision to support controversial changes to GP cover at Thame Community Hospital, was accepted by the Primary Care Trust only after the casting vote of the committee’s Chair.
The vote would have gone the way of over 4,000 petition signatories and Thame GPs, by 6 votes to 5, but County Councillor Nick Carter, who has supported the Thame community’s opposition to an outside private company replacing local GPs at Thame hospital, was not allowed to vote as he was deemed to be only “an observer.”
NOTE: Put ‘Thame Community hospital’ in the SEARCH box on the Home page of ThameNews.Net to read background news items.
PHOTO: County Cllr Nick Carter
OXFORDSHIRE youth workers have decided to strike following the news that the county council is to make cuts to local youth services.
The vote to strike was agreed last week in response to discussions within Oxfordshire County Council to reduce the funding for youth support from
TODAY NHS Buckinghamshire presented the findings of a review panel into changes to medical cover at Thame Community hospital and others within its remit, and the panels recommendations.
The PHOSC (Buckinghamshire Local Authorities Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Public Health services)considered the findings of the panel and agreed by way of vote that the change in contract for GP cover from local GPs to a private company, did not detrimentally effect patient care, nor was it substantial enough to have warranted public consultation.
These conclusions are directly opposed to the views of the Thame public, local GPs and The Friends of Thame Community Hospital, who collected around 4,000 signatures to have medical cover returned to the local GPs and for the new contract to be reviewed.
The PHOSC also asked that NHS Buckinghamshire return at a future date to present progress reports on eight recommendations to the committee.
NHS Buckinghamshire Chairman, Stewart George, said: “NHS Buckinghamshire will continue to carefully monitor the quality of care under the new GP contract now that the Buckinghamshire Public Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee has upheld the findings of the independent panel.
“I look forward to receiving the formal requests from the Buckinghamshire PHOSC on how we will proceed with the recommendations outlined in the independent review.
“I also recognise that we didn?t do a good enough job in communicating with our patients, public and GPs and that we must improve the way get information to and from all stakeholders in the future.”
THE RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendation 1 – Substantial variation (Ed. Hospital supporters claimed that the Bucks PCT’s proposed reduction in medical cover hours constituted ‘a substantial’ change and such should have gone to public consultation)
“There are different perceptions as to what constitutes substantial variation. A tool is needed to help identify what constitutes substantial variation, which could be applied in the future. Other areas use such tools and NHS Buckinghamshire should discuss these with Buckinghamshire Overview and Scrutiny Committee with the aim of agreeing such a tool.”
Recommendation 2 ? Number of hours of medical cover
“The tender was offered on a lower and higher hour basis dependent on the size of the ward (4/5/8 and 8/10/16 hours a week). The contract was agreed on the basis of the lower level. While this might be sufficient once the nurse-led model is fully developed, it was felt the hours needed to be re-negotiated for a temporary period on an individual hospital basis while this development occurred. It is proposed that the contract for medical cover has flexibility based on learning from experience. The starting point could be that the medical cover is provided between 4/5/8 and 8/10/16 hours a week while the nurse development programme is completed in order that the units can become mature enough to be fully nurse-led units. A timescale should be agreed for this transition period and the service continually reviewed to ensure the contract meets service requirements. As The Practice plc would have been awarded the contract on the basis of either the lower or higher number of hours, there is no reason to re-tender the medical cover.”
Recommendation 3 ? Multidisciplinary team working
“The doctors providing medical cover should discuss with the nurses how best to enhance their team working, including the points in 5.6.”
Recommendation 4 ? Future role of community hospitals
“There is an urgent need for NHS Buckinghamshire to define the role for its community hospitals within its commissioning strategy. If this results in a significant change in the level of community beds this would need to be taken account of in the hours of cover provided in the future.”
Recommendation 5 ? Links with local GPs and League of Friends
“NHS Buckinghamshire and Community Health Buckinghamshire should explore ways of creating closer links with each community hospital?s League of Friends and local GPs.”
Recommendation 6 ? Provision of information
“NHS Buckinghamshire should immediately carry out an awareness raising campaign aimed at both the public and health professionals to publicise and explain the services provided at each community hospital.”
Recommendation 7 ? Patient and public involvement
“CHB should have involved patients or carers in the drawing up of the service specification. The PCT should re-double its efforts to ensure patient and public involvement informs its commissioning of services.”
Recommendation 8 ? Accountability to the Board
“Community Health Buckinghamshire should report back to the Board of NHS Buckinghamshire after three months to confirm that all identified issues have been addressed.”
BACKGROUND – Enter the words “Thame Community Hospital” in the search box – right hand side of Home page of ThameNews.Net, to bring up all previous news items about this subject
AN exhibition currently running at Thame Museum shows just how the Victorians celebrated Christmas.
The exhibition runs until December 22, 2009, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays between 10am and 4pm, and on Sundays between 12 noon and 4pm.
The exhibition includes displays, children’s activities and dressing up. Admission is free.
Image: Courtesy of www.victoriana.com
TWO men and a girl have been charged with being in possession of a class B drug.
John Cheshire, aged 46, of Fernhill Close in Tiddington and Liam Strachan, aged 19, of Fernhill Close in Tiddington, have been charged and released on bail to appear at Oxford Magistrates? Court on 17 December, 2009.
A 17-year-old girl from Fernhill Close in Tiddington has been charged and released on bail to appear at Oxford Youth Court on 23 December.
The charges are in connection with a drugs warrant at a property in Fernhill Close on 16 September.
NEXT year, BBC TWO is launching a new series which will travel the country in a hunt for the nation?s home movie archive.
This is the nation?s story through the eyes of its most important historians: the British people.
They are looking for any amateur-filmed footage that reflects the events of the last seventy years. It might be footage of the summer of 1976, or the great storm of 1987. It might be street parties celebrating the Coronation, Jubilee or the Royal Weddings. They?re interested in footage of people?s hobbies or the big events in their life ? perhaps an important wedding or birthday party. They would love to see any footage of local festivals, or people who perhaps went on to be famous – a local who went on to be a sports or pop star for instance.
They are interested in finding any footage you may have of Royalty, or the building or opening of important buildings in the area. It might be Beatlemania for instance, or political demonstrations. It could be that the footage is very particular to the area ? the local industry ? from ship building to cider-making.
The BBC is throwing the net very wide, and would be really interested to hear from individuals or organisations about what they think is of importance and what deserves to be seen on the small screen.
If you have old cine, video or film footage the BBC would love to hear from you. They are happy to take it on any format and guarantee its safe return.
At this point, the project is still at the research stage ? so the producers are keen to hear about what people have. If any clips are used in the series, then a fee will be paid.
Please contact the production team at:
samia.murphy@diverse.tv or on 0203 189 3228.
Or you can post your footage to: Home Movie Roadshow,
1 Ariel Way, London W12 7SL
IMAGE: Courtesy of www.familyvideos.co.uk