Category: Thame news

THAME councillors have agreed to form a working party to bring together all the organisations interested in advancing a new library for Thame.
The suggestion came from Councillor Beatrice Dobie, a founder member of the Friends of Thame Library, who suggested that there is a need to keep the new library in the forefront of the public’s mind. “It is,” she said, “the responsibility of the town council to ensure that the town’s views are heard about the formation of a new library, and for instance to ask the schools what they want from a new library.”

No plan has yet been drawn up for a new library, which the county council have said will be built some time next year on the site of the current Pied Pedaller toy shop, in North Street, Thame.
The store was given an extension to January 2008, after its owners had originally asked to terminate the lease last February.

The site is not, however, a popular choice of site for everyone in the town, with some, including CMAG, the Cattlemarket Action Group, preferring to suspend the decision to build in North Street, until the future of the Cattlemarket site is decided, believing that a library could form part of a larger community facility on the cattlemarket site.

BORIS JOHNSON MP visited Chinnor on Friday, to official opened the new Chilterns Conservation Board office and launch the Chilterns Country Chinnor Circular Walk.

The opening of the CCB’s new headquarters, at The Lodge in Station Road, Chinnor, was also attended by the Chairman of the Conservation Board, Sir John Johnson, local councillors, Chinnor residents and representatives of the Chiltern Society.

In opening the Board?s new office, Boris said “I?m delighted to officially open the new office of the Chilterns Conservation Board and wish them all the best in their efforts to look after this lovely area. There are many threats to our countryside including the invasion of alien species such as Japanese Knotweed and problems caused by traffic congestion. With its new facilities the Board is in a better position than ever to tackle them.”

At the same event the new Chilterns Country ?Chinnor Circular Walk? was also launched by Boris. The latest in this popular series of walks promotes a scenic walk around the rich industrial and natural heritage in the vicinity of Chinnor. The walk is described in a new leaflet which is available from local tourist information centres and libraries. It can also be downloaded from the Chilterns AONB website www.chilternsaonb.org. The Chilterns Country Walks series encourages people to get out and make the most of the lovely countryside on their doorstep and get some healthy exercise at the same time.

The Chilterns Conservation Board was established in December 2004 as the statutory body responsible for protecting and enhancing the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

PUPILS at John Hampden School in Thame, have been taking part in a series of sponsored outdoor activities this morning, to raise money towards two new ‘Trim Trails’ in their school grounds.
The morning was organised by the Year 6 pupils, who over-saw teams of the younger children in rotating physical challenges and drinks stations.
The school’s PTA are trying to raise around

A FIRE ENGINE was called by a car driver this afternoon, when he notice fuel leaking from the tank of a vehicle he had just bought via ebay.
Roy Betteridge, who lives in Chinnor, said: “I couldn’t believe my luck. I had driven all the way up to Glasgow to get the car and was so pleased to have a car that I wouldn’t have to work on for once!”
Fortunately fire officers were able to quickly cover the spilled fuel with a special chemical and prevent the fuel from igniting.

THE Police are appealing for a woman to contact them as they believe she may have information about a sexual assault in Thame.

Between 9.30am and 10am, on Tuesday, April 26, a 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a man on the corner of Southern Road leading into Mitchell Close.

PC Rachel Carter, based at Thame police station, said: ?The man grabbed the girl but she managed to run away as a woman walked passed.

?I appeal to this woman who went into an address in Mitchell Close on that Tuesday morning to get in touch as she may have seen the man responsible for the incident.?

Anyone with information that could assist police inquiries is urged to contact PC Rachel Carter at Thame police station, via 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to speak to police and don?t want to leave your name contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

? A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault. He has been bailed until Tuesday 21 June.

VOLUNTEER helpers and drivers at the Thame and District Day Centre, have been nominated for the Nationwide Awards for Voluntary Endeavour.
They were recommended by the Centre’s manager, Jane Everist, who with her deputy, Wanda Pilgrim, held a party to celebrate their nomination.
“Wanda and I could not run this Centre without you,” Jane told them.
Copies of the certificate celebrating their nomination were handed out by the chairman of the trustees, Brenda Prosser, who said: “What we give is that precious thing, time. We just say thank you.”

FIRE officers from Thame and an ambulance crew helped deliver a baby after a woman went into the final stages of labour whilst out shopping.
The baby, a girl, was born on Monday, in the car park behind the Co-op store in Thame High Street, from where mother and baby were then taken to the JR hospital in Oxford.
Fire crew are becoming more and more involved in first response calls since the Joint Responder scheme began two months ago. Under the pilot scheme, fire crew trained in First Aid and with specialist resuscitation equipment, respond to emergency calls if they are nearer than an ambulance to an incident.

Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Hospital Trust were unable to give anymore information today (Wednesday) because, they said, they did not have permission from the patient herself to do so.

THAMES Valley Police are once again running a competition to find the best Community Police Office, and we at ThameNews.Net think that the town’s very own, PC Russell Hounslow, deserves to be nominated.
All officers who have made a significant contribution to the communities which they police are eligible and the overall winner will go forward to a national competition.

Residents, community organisations and businesses can all put nominations forward but they must be in by Friday 17 June.

Being the modest chap that he is, Russell is slightly embarrassed at all the fuss but we think he deserves your vote and so does his boss, Inspector Stuart Dunbar, who described Russell as “my eyes and ears around Thame” and an invaluable member of the team.”

PC Hounslow has lived in Thame since 1988 and worked at Thame Police station since 1995, becoming the community officer in 2000.

As well as his duties as Community Officer, he is currently one of Thames Valley Police?s wildlife crime officers, having completed the National Police Wildlife Crime Officers course with the Ministry of Defence Police, during September 2004. He has also completed Birds of Prey awareness and handling courses over the last couple of months and will be participating in a further animal handling course to at Heathrow Airport in July. In this role, Russell undertakes wildlife crime enquiries for Thame and Southern Oxfordshire and has taken part in a joint operation with RSPCA, vets and Customs and Excise officers with regards to the illegal importation of endangered species. He has also undertaken several enquiries together with officials from DEFRA (Dept for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs).

Russell is currently working together with PC Paul Gregory (community officer for Wheatley) and Lesley Nesbitt (Crime Prevention Officer at Thame) to put on a ?Bogus Caller? production aimed at vulnerable members of the community. The event will bring together different sections of Thame?s community to draw attention to distraction burglaries. Drama students from year eight at Lord Williams?s School, Thame, will act out different scenarios and it is hoped that children from Barley Hill School will provide musical entertainment, and that local companies will provide transport to and from the venue (Thame Leisure Centre) and refreshments. The event takes place during the morning of Wednesday, June 22. This is a similar event to that staged two years ago.

Russell recently took part in the recent fun day at Barley Hill School, taking fingerprints of the children, and has previously visited to give talks to the pupils on citizenship and honesty. He also occasionally has a school lunch there, sitting and talking to the children. I have also given talks to pupils at St. Joseph?s School and the nursery in Windmill Road.

He regularly attends the senior citizen coffee mornings held at Thame Masonic Hall on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and tries to do as much town centre foot patrol as possible. He is also in the process of tutoring a new recruit after successfully tutoring a trainee police officer last summer/autumn.

Part of Russell’s duties include taking part in Thame Community Safety Group meetings and he was instrumental in helping to set up the Thame town centre ?drinking ban? together with contributing to the setting up and re-vmping of the Thame pub watch sceme.

The Thames Valley Community Beat Officer of the Year competition, sponsored by West Oxfordshire Motor Auctions, is now in its fourth year and aims to highlight the important role of community officers. Nominees will be judged on initiatives they have introduced to reduce crime and disorder and the relationships that they have built with local communities. The more public nominations they receive, the more likely they are to succeed.

Five officers ? one from each of the Force?s basic command units ? will be short-listed and the overall winner will be put forward for a national community officer of the year award offering a prize of a

A sponsored walk, organised by the Thame Smoking Cessation Clinic, based at Thame Community Hospital, took place on Sunday, April 24, and the princely sum of