TV Antiques experts Eric Knowles, Tom Keane and Paul Hayes will be donating their time to value items and to pass on their expert knowledge at a Charity valuation day in aid of Sobell House Hospice, at Thame Barns Centre, on April 29, between 11am – 3pm
The event is in aid of Sobell House Hospice, Oxford, who have a shop in Greyhound Walk, Thame.
For just £5 for up to three items and £1 per extra item, you can find out everything you want and need to know about your family heirlooms and antiques!
You’re never to young to learn! Image courtesy of Vicki Nesbitt
A Junior doctor who works at the JR hospital in Oxford, along with some of her colleagues, have decided to do something positive to benefit the local community in Thame, during the junior doctors’ industrial action planned for April 6 and 7.
Next Thursday, April 7, Katharine Francis and a group of colleagues will be teaching basic adult, child and baby life support skills at the Thame Barns Centre, between 2 – 4 pm.
Katharine explained: “We try to make this positive and of benefit to the local community, and on the last strike at the beginning of March we ran a littlelifesavers basic life support course for adults and children in Cowley. We had 40 mums, dads and grandparents (along with children) turn up!”
No need to book but if too many people turn up, some may be turned away and contact details taken for further sessions.
MAY 5, 2016, is the date for the election of the Thame’s Valley Police area’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
The current PCC for Thames Valley is Anthony Stansfeld, and as he has done for the past four years, the newly elected PCC will hold the chief constable of Thames Valley Police to account for how their force performs for the next four years.
David Buckle, Police Authority Returning Officer for the Thames Valley area, said: “It’s important that you register to vote and then turn out on May 5, for this election. Ten per cent of your council tax goes towards the police force’s budget – the commissioner manages this budget, so it’s your best chance to have a say in how your money is used.”
For more information on the election of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner please visit thamesvalleypccelection.co.uk. Details of the people you will be able to vote will be available on this site from Friday, April 8.
Register to vote
To vote in the PCC election you must register by April 18. – if you haven’t done this yet, visit www.gov.uk/registerto-vote.
Once you’ve registered you need to choose how you are going to cast your vote. You can vote in person at the polling station on election day, vote by post, or by allowing someone else to vote on your behalf if you’re going to be away. For more on voting visit aboutmyvote.co.uk.
Staff at Thame Community Hospital (Library picture)
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Healthcare NHS Trust which runs Thame Community Hospital and associated services, is to hold a series of public sessions to explore with patients, carers and local communities how the NHS can develop healthcare hubs that will better meet and support people’s needs.
The sessions, which will include a presentation from a clinician and small round table discussions, aim to look at how the Trust can develop care services provided in the community. It also hopes to look at how the Trust can work more closely with other health and care providers, as well as voluntary organisations, to support care closer to people’s own homes.
This is a great opportunity to help shape plans for community care in the future. Anyone with an interest in their local NHS can get involved. The Thame sessions will take place on April 7, in the evening.
THAME’S Carnival is one of the biggest and most popular events in the town’s calendar and as such, it takes a band of willing, resourceful volunteers to make it a success. Such a big event needs lots of people to help with a variety of tasks – some small and some large.
If you would like to help the community on this family fun day, contact the Carnival team at thamecarnival@gmail.com. If you have any questions about the roles – how much time involved, what skills are required etc, the team is there to talk to you.
1. Road closure marshalls (needed from 11am through to 1pm on 11th June).
2. Parade organiser (small amount of work before the day and then ensure the floats leave Station Yard and Elms Park in the right order)
3. Street Party street table manager (we need someone from your street to arrange for the residents of your street to congregate and socialise on your street’s Street Party table ! ) work required for this : put your hand up that you want a table / area for your street – then leaflet drop (we can provide the leaflets) your street to invite them to the Carnival Street Party.
If anyone would like to meet to discuss any of these or any aspects of the event, contact suedownhill@gmail.com or call her on 07860 328880
A THAME man has been sent to prison for 16 months, after going on the rampage in a Thame pub, during which he punched a woman in the head and assaulted several other people who attempted to protect the woman.
Peter Butler
Peter William Butler, aged 61, of Glenham Road, Thame, pleaded guilty to three charges of Actual Bodily Harm (ABH), and two counts of common assault. A count of Witness Intimidation was dropped at court.
Butler pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court on February 22, and was sentenced yesterday, Wednesday (23/3). He was also ordered to pay over £1,500 in damages
At around 12.45am on January 24, Butler walked into the Swan Hotel, Thame, and walked up to a woman in her forties who was known to him, and punched her in the head multiple times. He also punched a 51-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, who are both staff at the pub.
Butler then attempted to hit the man with a bottle. He then pursued the woman in her forties, pushing her into the men’s toilet, where CCTV footage captured him assaulting her. During the attack, he also assaulted another 25 year-old man, and another 51-year-old man, who were also staff at the pub, as they tried to protect the woman and eject Butler from the premises.
The woman in her forties received bruising, to her face neck and arms and a head injury.
Butler was arrested on January 24, and charged the next day.
Investigating Officer, PC Aaron Walker based at Thame police station, said: “This was a terrifying incident in which the woman was viciously assaulted by Butler.
“Butler was completely out of control attacking anyone who tried to stop his assault on this defenceless woman.”
“I would hope that the victim is able to move on from this assault which has left her deeply affected.”
“I would also like to thank the others who were assaulted for their bravery in trying to protect the victim from the sustained attack by Butler.”
Peter Butler, who was born in South London, and has lived in the Thame area for over 30 years, described himself as ‘a serial entrepreneur’ and is well known in the town with his mobile coffee franchise van, often seen at local festivals and events. Last May, he stood for election as both a town and a district councillor for UKIP but was not elected.
SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council is updating its Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) and is inviting landowners to submit potential development sites for them to consider for its emerging Local Plan 2031. The new plan will also allocate employment land and land for gypsy and traveller pitches.
The timetable for the emerging Local Plan 2031 is to consult on preferred options in June 2016, and have a submission version published by the end of 2016. As the updated SHLAA will also include land for employment uses it will be referred to as a Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (HELAA).
Anyone who knows of a new site within South Oxfordshire’s boundary that they think could be developed for housing, employment uses or for gypsy or traveller use in the period up to 2031, and which is not currently included within previous land availability assessments, is invited to contact the council.
Sites that are included in the existing SHLAA, last updated in 2013, and sites that have been submitted since then do not need to be resubmitted as they will be included in the updated assessment. But any additional or new information about a site that has already been submitted can be notified to the council.
If you would like to submit a new site for consideration it must be:
• Located in South Oxfordshire District Council’s administrative boundary (see map)
• Able to accommodate five or more dwellings; one gypsy or traveller pitch; or 0.25ha (500sqm) of land for employment use
• Submitted using the Call for Sites Form
• Accompanied with an appropriately scaled OS map showing the boundaries of the site
Anyone with a site to be considered should email planning.policy@southoxon.gov.uk or post to Planning Policy, South Oxfordshire District Council, 135 Eastern Avenue, Milton Park, OX14 4SB
This call for sites will close at 5pm on 29 April 2016 so make sure your submission reaches SODC by this deadline to be considered in the updated HELAA.
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a second burglary at businesses premises in Thame, last week. SEE LINK
Between 5.30pm on Thursday (17/3) and 8.30am on Friday (18/3), The Print Shop in Swan Walk was broken into. Offenders forced open the front door to gain entry and stole a cash register and laptop computer were stolen.
Between 6pm the previous evening, Wednesday (16/3) and 8.37am on Thursday (17/3), an Estate Agents in Upper High Street was broken into. Offenders smashed a rear window to gain entry.
Anyone with any information relating to these incidents, please call PC Dale Rogers at Thame police station via the 24 hour non-emergency telephone number 101.
FOLLOWING Thame’s ‘Rising Star’ accolade in the ‘Great British High Street’ Awards recently, the Thame4Business working group met recently to decide where to use the £1,000 prize money to benefit the town centre.
Neil Dudgeon, who plays Insp Barnaby in Midsomer Murders, with the ‘Causton’ locations map that includes Thame
The favourite suggestions up for discussion were:
1. An interactive AV touch screen ‘What’s happening in Thame’ device outside Town Hall
Although something that would cost more than £1k, it was thought worth progressing, especially as it could be a project that the district council might look favourably on as it would contribute to helping visitors and tourists to find information 24/7, particularly when the TIC was closed in the evenings and at the weekend. Team member, Helen Johns explained: “Because it will take time to get this moving, we didn’t choose this as our recipient. I am, however, investigating the technology / software with Box Technologies (at the suggestion of Sylo Associates who put forward this suggestion) to arrive at a ball park estimate, and then submit the idea to SODC for grant funding.”
2. Pop-up wine bar or restaurant
This is also being explored, looking at empty premises or ‘shared use’ of café space which could become a wine bar at night time. Because the finance on this looked complicated and possibly long drawn-out to achieve the objective, this project wasn’t chosen either for this particular spend.
3. Midsomer red plaques and a workshop to kickstart Midsomer promotion in Thame
The team felt that the Midsomer Murders plaques was the choice that would be least complex to put into action, most visible in terms of red plaques, and would generate PR and news coverage too, and at the same time generate footfall and income for the town. It was proposed that £500 go into red plaques (about £50 per each of 11 identified venues, to incentivise them to make up the balance to £125, and £500 to go towards the Thame workshop.
An excited Helen added: “We’d like to progress this ASAP. The timing is good as we are just coming into the main tourist season. To get this moving will hopefully achieve interest as well as spend in Thame over the summer months.”
Any businesses interested in sponsoring a red plaque, can contact Helen via helen.johns39@gmail.com for more information.
AS District Councils in the area jointly begin to commission a study into the future of local government, Councillor Matthew Barber, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, has called on Oxfordshire County Council to: “…co-operate with the work being undertaken and not to waste the public’s money duplicating the study.”
Cllr Matthew Barber
The District Councils are currently selecting a leading company of experts to look at all the options for change, including creating four unitary councils representing people from the Cotswolds to South Northants, including Oxford City. Seven different councils have come together to commission the study jointly. They are South Oxfordshire DC, Cherwell DC, Vale of the White Horse, Oxford City Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.
In a statement today, Councillor Barber, who said he was speaking on behalf of all the District Councils, said: “Everyone knows that the County Council is having extreme budget difficulties, leading to cuts in services that people value. Two tier local government is broken in our view and we want to look at all the options for unitary councils.”
The study will look at the likely impact of four different alternatives – four, three, two or a single Oxfordshire unitary council covering Oxfordshire, the Cotswolds and South Northants. The proposed unitary authorities are:
Southern Oxfordshire Unitary Authority, replacing Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils Oxford City Unitary Authority, replacing Oxford City Council West Oxfordshire (Cotswold) Unitary Authority, replacing West Oxfordshire District Council and Cotswold District Council Cherwell (South Northants) Unitary Authority, replacing Cherwell District Council and South Northamptonshire Council
which, it is proposed, would work in partnership with the NHS and Local Enterprise Group. (See previous news story)
Councillor Barber added: “We have included the options that the County Council have publically stated they want to look at. It’s time for them to co-operate with the work being undertaken on the future of local government. The public will not forgive them if they duplicate the work at this late stage.
“The train is moving out of the station and it’s time to stop shouting from the side-lines and get on board,” he added.
Oxfordshire County Council would prefer one, large unitary authority claiming it would be more efficient and less costly. It has published its own ‘Vision for Oxfordshire‘ It has been reported elsewhere (BBC News) that Oxfordshire County Council leader, Ian Hudspeth, has said: “Once again the districts are putting headlines ahead of joint working.
“We have written to the districts twice asking them to discuss terms of reference for a joint study, with the public also given a chance to comment.
“They made it clear they weren’t prepared to do that.”
The Government will make the final decision about any devolution plan after public consultation.
South Oxfordshire District Council, which includes elected councillors for Thame, and Vale of White Horse DC, already share some back-office services to save money.
For just £5 for up to three items and £1 per extra item, you can find out everything you want and need to know about your family heirlooms and antiques!
