Category: Thame news

THIS is a Ringmaster message from Thames Valley Police.
Between Friday 11th & Saturday 12th July, a property in Montrose Way, Thame, was the target of an attempted burglary. Offender(s) tried to gain entry by forcing a rear patio door, there was also damage to a rear security light.

Please ask all watch members to be extra vigilant. Check the security to the rear of your property and where possible lock any rear garden gates. If you have any information relating to this message, please call the police on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 879 of 13/07/08.

AFTER the tension and excitement of yesterday’s local by-election, Thame’s two new town councillors woke up this morning to the reality of their new responsibilities.
The turn out was 27.14%, slightly down on the last local election, and Cliff Baker, who gained most of the 1,173 votes (578), seemed particularly surprised at his victory.
After the announcement by the Assistant Returning Officer that he and his fellow Conservative, Mike Welply, had been elected, Cliff Baker said: “What’s really come through in this election is that everyone involved really cares about our special town which has a real heart to it.
“I am proud and humbled to have been elected and promise to work hard for all constituents. I promise to listen to everyone of all persuations and work to maintain and develop our special town.”

Cllr Mike Welply has been both a town and a district councillor before, as well as Mayor of Thame, losing his district council seat to Richard Walker at the last local election.

Although Richard Walker stepped down from the Town Council after his wife, Claire, became illegible to continue as a town councillor, he continues as a district councillor.

This is Cliff Baker’s first sortie into local politics.

Photo: Left: Mike Welply, Right: Clifford Baker

THAMENEWS.NET would not usually publish a letter in the main news section, but the following is so harrowing and compelling that its contents put our own, local problems into sharp perspective.
Letter from Zimbabwe sent in by John Winter.

“I reckon that these are the last days of TKM and ZPF. The darkest hour is always before dawn.

“We are all terrified at what they are going to destroy next……..I mean they are actually ploughing down brick and mortar houses and one white family with twin boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging anything when100 riot police came in with AK47’s and bulldozers and demolished their beautiful house – 5 bedrooms and pine ceilings – because it was “too close to the airport”, so we are feeling extremely insecure right now.

“You know – I am aware that this does not help you sleep at night, but if you do not know – how can you help? Even if you put us in your own mental ring of light and send your guardian angels to be with us – that is a help – but I feel so cut off from you all knowing I cannot tell you what’s going on here simply because you will feel uncomfortable. There is no ways we can leave here so that is not an option.

“I ask that you all pray for us in the way that you know how, and let me know that you are thinking of us and sending out positive vibes… that’s all. You can’t just be in denial and pretend/believe it’s not going on.

“To be frank with you, it’s genocide in the making and if you do not believe me, read the Genocide Report by Amnesty International which says we are – IN level 7 – (level 8 is after it’s happened and everyone is in denial).

“If you don’t want me to tell you these things – how bad it is – then it means you have not dealt with your own fear, but it does not help me to think you are turning your back on our situation. We need you, please, to get the news OUT that we are all in a fearfully dangerous situation here. Too many people turn their backs and say – oh well, that’s what happens in Africa. This Government has GONE MAD and you need to help us publicize our plight— or how can we be rescued? It’s a reality! The petrol queues are a reality, the pall of smoke all around our city is a reality, the thousands of homeless people sleeping outside in 0 Celsius with no food, water, shelter and bedding are a reality. Today a family approached me, brother of the gardener’s wife with two small children. Their home was trashed and they will have to sleep outside. We already support 8 adult people and a child on this property, and electricity is going up next month by 250% as is water.

“How can I take on another family of 4 —–and yet how can I turn them away to sleep out in the open?

“I am not asking you for money or a ticket out of here – I am asking you to FACE the fact that we are in deep and terrible danger and want you please to pass on our news and pictures. So PLEASE don’t just press the delete button! Help best in the way that you know how.

“Do face the reality of what is going on here and help us SEND OUT THE WORD.. The more people who know about it, the more chance we have of the United Nations coming to our aid. Please don’t ignore or deny what’s happening. Some would like to be protected from the truth BUT then, if we are eliminated, how would you feel? “If only we knew how bad it really was we could have helped in some way”.

(I know we chose to stay here and that some feel we deserve what’s coming to us.)

“For now, we ourselves have food, shelter, a little fuel and a bit of money for the next meal – but what is going to happen next? Will they start on our houses? All property is going to belong to the State now. I want to send out my Title Deeds to one of you because if they get a hold of those, I can’t fight for my rights.

Censorship!—-We no longer have SW radio (which told us everything that was happening) because the Government jammed it out of existence. We don’t have any reporters and no one is allowed to photograph. If we had reporters here, they would have an absolute field day. Even the pro-Government Herald has written that people are shocked, stunned, bewildered and blown mindless by the wanton destruction of many folks’ homes, which are supposed to be ‘illegal’ but for which a huge percentage actually do have licenses.

Please! – do have some compassion and HELP by sending out the articles and personal reports so that something can/may be done. “I am one. I cannot do everything, —but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do.” – Edward Everett Hale

THAME and Chinnor have both done well out the latest cash awards from South Oxfordshire District Council’s Community Investment Fund – including Thame Girl Guides, and Thame Town Council for the refurbishement of the Southern Road recreation ground.
The Cabinet approved the following awards at their meeting on Tuesday (08/07):

Thame Girl Guides – 59.92 per cent of the

THE day has arrived for the Thame local by-election and as voters left the town hall polling station, we asked them what they were looking for in their councillors and what influenced their choice of candidates. We also discovered a variety of issues in Thame that influenced their decisions.
A few admitted that they voted along party lines; others said it was the fact that the candidates were “good people”, and some said they voted on the issues the candidates raised. Some of these issues were to do with the Green Belt, facilities for the town’s youth and those for the elderly.

One woman spoke about how the candidate she voted for was raising good ideas about the environment. She said that this was very important because of what is happening globally.

One mother spoke about how she was very pleased with the high standard of schools in Thame, and that she was very happy with the fact that the playgrounds were being improved. But she did say that she had future concerns because, as she put it: ?the older kids don?t have much to do?. Others also mentioned the fact that teenagers did not have any place to go and that there are very few facilities in Thame for them. One man said there was nothing to keep them occupied like dancing and cinemas and that this should be thought about by the councillors that are elected as it affects quite a lot of young people in Thame.

However, one lady said that she did not have any concerns and that she was ?happy with the way things are, and they should keep on like this.? Another voter said that he thought the ?social adhesion of Thame is pretty good?. Yet, he did mention that the state of the roads in Thame should be thought about; ?there is a pothole right outside the Town Hall that could throw a cyclist of his bike,? he added.

A couple agreed that the issues their candidates raised were good but that transport for the elderly did raise concerns to them. They said that they thought: ?There should be more disabled parking because there isn?t enough and there are many people in Thame who suffer from problems that can be eased with access to spaces for them?. They also mentioned the fact that they thought the ?Pied Peddler building is very unsuitable for a new library?.

A cross section of Thame residents has expressed its views or concerns about what is going on in the town, be it the environment or people. After the polls have closed at 10 o’clock tonight, the count will begin and by around midnight tonight we shall know who has reached victory.

ThameNews.Net will have the full results by breakfast time tomorrow. So watch this space!

THE death has been announced of a well-loved character actress whose work included parts in Harry Potter, television and cinema costume dramas, as well as Midsomer Murders, and who lived in Thame until her death last Wednesday, July 2.
Elizabeth Spriggs, who lived in Thame Park Road, was a great supporter of local culture and had a memorable encounter a couple of years ago when she attended one of Thame Choral Society’s concerts in St Mary’s Church, with Thame’s current Deputy Mayor, Jeanette Matelot Green, a family friend.

Jeanette recalls: “The soloist was Lithuanian I think, and in the interval she went up to Elizabeth and said: ‘Are you Elizabeth Spriggs? You are my mother’s favourite actress. We have watched Sense and
Sensibility (Back home in Lithuania) on our DVD many, many times.’
“Elizabeth was thrilled that someone from as far away as Eastern Europe would instantly recognise her.”

Jeanette paid this tribute to Elizabeth Spriggs:

“I have always followed Elizabeth’s career since I was sent a set of videos of the Glittering Prizes whilst working in Hong Kong in the early eighties. After that, she popped up in such a kaleidoscope of parts from Shakespeare to Harry Potter via Midsomer Murders. I was delighted when she moved to Thame a few years ago and to discover she was the aunt of a very close friend of mine, Abi Williams. On the few occasions I met her I was not disappointed to find she was as warm and extravagant as many of the roles she played. I find it very sad that she has left us so suddenly but the people of Thame will not forget her memorable character in Midsomer Murders.
“Her performance was so good that despite her murder in one episode, she was persuaded to come back as her twin sister to reprise the role! Goodbye, Elizabeth. “We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”(The Tempest)

Elizabeth died at the John Radcliffe hospital, Oxford, and donations to the hospital’s Intensive Care unit and flowers can be sent to the funeral directors, Robert Surman on 01844 351323.

Elizabeth Spriggs was married three times; to Kenneth Spriggs, Marshall Jones and, since the early 1970s, to Murray Manson, a classical guitarist. He survives her, as does Wendy, her daughter from her first marriage.

FOUR members of U.K. based ERT Search and Rescue, including a Thame fire officer, have just returned from a unique mission where they spent almost a month on the Afghan border of Pakistan.
In a country heavily hit by all sorts of life threatening hazards, Thame’s Andy Ford and his three colleagues have been teaching Civil Defence Master Trainers in the North West Frontier Province how to prepare for disasters and what to do when they occur.

Andy told Thamenews.Net: “It was very rewarding, and very hot – 45 degrees C on most days, which took a bit of getting used too!. There were a few security risks in the area, but we were made very welcome – the majority of people just want to get on with their lives.
“Those on the programme were dedicated to gaining more information to help them cope with the potential risk of future disasters. They live with the understanding of not ‘if’ but ‘when’ another earthquake will occur in the region.
“There is a long way to go but hope this initative can grow with more support and funding giving the Pakistan people some resilience for the future.”

As well as working locally during the floods in Britain last year with their water rescue teams around the clock with the Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service, the team also responds to disasters abroad and recently stood down from the situation in Myanmar and the China earthquake.
Ten ERT Search & Rescue members from the Thames Valley deployed during the earthquake in Pakistan and carried out several rescue missions over two weeks after the earthquake, where the casualty count sometimes exceeded 600 a day. They travelled by foot and helicopter to reach and rescue the victims of that disaster.

The lessons of the Earthquake of October 2005 were harsh and ERT Search & Rescue were privileged to help thousands with their emergency rescue deployment during the rescue and relief phase back then. But now, amidst a different time where the monsoon season is about to start, floods are imminent, explosions and bombings are a regular occurrence and natural and manmade disasters are an ever present threat ? the team were there in a mentoring and training capacity to teach the Pakistan Civil Defence Teams how to pass this information onto others.

This programme was interspersed with consultations and meetings with UN level stakeholders such as ERRA (Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority) and the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) to help to build Pakistan?s resilience against the threats it currently faces. And there are modern challenges too with more computers in this region viruses are ubiquitous and an outbreak of Bird Flu occurred in the area the day the team left. Terrorism and firearm incidents occur almost daily. But the Pakistan people are resilient and strong. The team was greeted very kindly and treated very well by their hosts.

Pakistan has been proactive in its capacity building initiatives and have implemented many strategies and plans to mitigate the next potential disaster. It is felt by experts that another earthquake is very possible in that region and preparations for this and other hazards are underway. A specialist course was created with federal government support for school children ? but first a team of teachers and master trainers had to be developed for this programme which would initially pilot in the North West Frontier Province. 26 senior Master Trainers were hand-picked by the government and key international stake holders to participate in this course, which was written and developed by Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Response expert, Gary Foo of ERT SAR. The Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Education made their approvals, based on their own governmental resolution, so that this programme could launch. This information will be taught to school teachers who will then teach it in schools to some 40,000 school children. Another programme is expected to be start up in the coming months.

Gary Foo is the head of ERT Search and Rescue, a local charity which is based in Henley On Thames, Oxfordshire. Former Police Officer and Royal College of Surgeons recognised PHTLS Paramedic, Gary, was joined by fellow ERT SAR rescue instructors, Merv Redfearn (who spent 30 years as a Royal Marine Commando and was also with Gary during the emergency rescue phase in October 2005), as well as Oxfordshire Fire Fighter, Andy Ford, and Ropes and Water Rescue Technician, Will Selley. The team took various items with them for the mission and left them there. They are now seeking more relevant items from fire fighting kit, to first aid and rescue items to cash for their next return mission in August.

More information on the team and their national and international work can be found at:
www.ert-sar.org.uk.

The team have been asked to return again in August to complete the next phase of this capacity building programme and they are seeking financial and equipment donations for the charity.

To donate go online at: LINK
or post cheques to ERT Search & Rescue, Fawley Court, Henley On Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 3AE. Enquiries for membership should be directed to membership@ert-sar.org

Photo: Thame fire fighter, Andy Ford (2nd left) with three colleagues in Pakistan

FOLLOWING a statement made on local radio this morning that his party intended to sue the Liberal Democrats over their latest election pamphlet, David Cameron’s Conservative party has now amended its response saying that they are taking legal advice.
Boris Johnson has accused the Liberal Democrats of producing a “shameful leaflet masquerading as some sort of independent Oxfordshire magazine.”

In a letter to Lord Rennard, who is leading the Lib Dems Campaign, Boris is demanding that the View magazine leaflet be withdrawn.
“I ask that you immediately withdraw it since, on the back page, you have what purports to be a picture by-line opinion piece from me giving my assessment of the candidates in the Henley by-election.
“This is simply a shameful exercise in misrepresentation,” wrote Boris.

ON Thursday, June 19, between 16:00hrs & 19:00hrs, a property in Queens Road, Thame, was burgled. Offender(s) gained entry via an unlocked french door and stole a wallet from the aggrieveds handbag.
If you have any information relating to this message, please call the police on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 1382 19/06/08.