THAME Town Council is starting work on setting its budget for 2016-17, and it wants residents to tell them where they think more money, less money or the same amount of money should be spent on the council’s various projects, functions and services.
Currently the average household contributes £2.40 per week towards the funding TTC’s various areas of responsibility. The council states on its website: ” Under the current drive for Localism, there is much discussion about devolution of services from County / District to parishes and we must consider whether to take on certain services that Oxfordshire County Council can no longer fund.
“There are other pressures on the budget through National Insurance changes and the removal of a Government grant. The cost of monitoring and ensuring continuity of the Neighbourhood Plan is also significant and there are also suggestions that Thame would benefit from a Market Town Co-Ordinator.”
The town council will agree its budget at a meeting scheduled for January, 19, 2016. Contact the council via the website: http://tiny.cc/oq9c5x
WITH Halloween fast approaching, on Saturday, October 31, Thames Valley Police is reminding people to make sure they spend their time trick-or-treating responsibly and have issued advise for householders.
Many residents enjoy Halloween and view it as harmless fun, but for others it can be distressing receiving visits from unexpected callers, particularly for the elderly and those who live alone.
Neighbourhood police teams in the Thames Valley will be undertaking high-visibility patrols over the Halloween period to deal with any anti-social behaviour. They also work with schools and parents to reduce the incidents of nuisance and criminal damage that can happen at this time of year.
Those who do not want to be visited by trick-or-treaters can download and print a ‘No trick-or-treat’ flyer from the Thames Valley Police website and display it in a window or visit their local station to pick up a copy.
Parents should be reminded that if they or their children see this flyer displayed, they should move on to the next house. Most people will have a pumpkin or Halloween decorations on display to welcome callers.
TVP is also encouraging people to watch the ‘Click Your Trick’ film which highlights the consequences of anti-social behaviour. The film features a teenager who was convicted of arson after he and his friend put a firework through a family home as a prank. The prank went horribly wrong with the firework setting the house on fire. Luckily nobody was seriously injured.
Supt Richard James from Thames Valley Police Neighbourhood Policing said: “This is not about stopping responsible Halloween fun but preventing anti-social behaviour linked to trick or treating. One person’s ‘trick’ can be a disturbing experience to the person on the receiving end. Not only that but one reckless trick and you could end up with a criminal record.”
Keith Williams from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service community safety team, said: “We don’t want to stop people enjoying Halloween, but we do want them to celebrate safely. There is nothing more terrifying than having a fire at home or seeing your clothes catch fire.
“Just follow this safety advice for a safer Halloween: never make costumes from flammable materials, always check costumes and masks are labelled as flame resistant, keep candles away from children and ensure they are extinguished at night, and do not overload electricity sockets with lights. Better still, use LED candles. ”
If you are trick-or-treating this year:
Don’t knock where you see a ‘No Trick-or-Treat’ poster.
Be visible and stick to well-lit streets.
Although Halloween is meant to be spooky, be careful not to frighten people.
Plan your trick-or-treat route before you go and let an adult know where you’ll be going and what time you will be back.
Go with an adult when possible.
If at any point you do feel nervous or unsafe:
Don’t open your door if you’re unsure who is there. Use your spy-hole, look out of a window, and use your door chain if you do decide to open your door.
Have a contact number of a close relative or good neighbour by your telephone, just in case you need to phone them.
If you are part of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, let your coordinator know that you will be on your own at Halloween. If you are a coordinator, please identify people in your scheme that may be vulnerable and offer them reassurance.
Thames Valley Police will not tolerate any anti-social behaviour at any time of the year.
To report anti-social behaviour please call the 24 hour non-emergency number 101. If it is a crime in progress, call 999 immediately.
DID you know McCormick a Global Flavour Leader is based in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire? McCormick owns the brand Schwartz herbs, spices and seasoning in UK as well as other well known brands.
McCormick has an exclusive consumer testing panel and is looking for local people to join. Members will be one of the first to try newly created and innovative products and flavours, as well as family favourites. For herb & spice lovers it would be food heaven!
There will be the opportunity to take part in tests at McCormick’s site in Haddenham, try products at home and/or complete internet surveys. Prize draws and incentives are offered.
If you want to excite your taste buds and experience new taste sensations, sign up by completing the application form,
AS promised, a revised date for the 21st Century Thame Partnership’s Annual General Meeting has now been published.
Unveiling of one of Thame’s Blue Plaques (a 21st CT project) at The James Figg
Anyone who lives or works in Thame, who would like to help this group ensure the vitality of Thame as a thriving market town, particularly if you have an interest in a specific area such as business, community, transport or the environment, would be welcome. Also, anyone who just wants to discover more about the achievements and future projects of 21st Century Thame, is invited to go along to Thame Town Hall on December 8, 2015, at 7.30pm.
The AGM will be followed by a reception for all the helpers of all the projects that 21st Century Thame has achieved this year. Invitations will be sent out later this week though anyone who would like to put themselves forward to help next year may attend the AGM and then stay for the reception.
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after thieves rammed the Swan Antiques Centre at Tetsworth, near Thame, with a stolen forklift truck.
The police have reported that at around 3am on Saturday morning, (24/10) offenders drove on to farmland in Clare Hill, Pyrton, and stole a Caterpillar forklift truck from a shed. They also stole a green Land Rover Discovery from the yard.
They then drove to High Street, Tetsworth, where they rammed the forklift truck into the Swan Antiques Centre, damagomg the structure of the building, removing the door and gaining entry to the centre and stealing antiques. The offenders then drove away in a convoy of vehicles travelling in the direction of Postcombe. Enquiries are ongoing to establish what exactly was stolen.
The three offenders were men and were wearing dark clothing.
Investigating officer PC Jason Walsh, from Didcot Local CID, said: “Officers are working to establish the circumstances of this burglary and the theft of the motor vehicles. Unfortunately the owner of the shop has been a victim in other burglaries previously in which high value antiques and jewellery were stolen.
“The offenders knew what they were doing and went to extreme lengths to enter the building at all costs. At the moment it is unknown what property was stolen in this incident due to the amount of damage caused and debris left behind.
“We are working to identify and locate the offenders. Reassurance patrols have been taking place in the area and any business owners or residents with any concerns can call 101 to speak to their local neighbourhood team.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the 24-hour Thames Valley Police enquiry centre on 101.
If you don’t want to speak directly to the police, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers (LINK HERE) anonymously on 0800 555 111 No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
Join us on Thames Valley Alert (opens new window) to receive local crime and safety messages.
THAME Town Council has launched a new committee to monitor the ongoing implementation of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, which was adopted in 2013.
The Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee will be made up of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and seven town councillors, and within it will be several Working Groups of both Councillors and representatives of the local community which will focus on specific elements of the Plan such as housing developments, transport and town centre vibrancy.
The Committee met for the first time on Tuesday, October 20. Cllr Bob Austin, who is also a member of the East Thame Residents Association, was appointed as Chairman with Cllr David Bretherton as Vice Chairman.
You can read the entire Thame Neighbourhood Plan here : LINK and all previous posts referring to the Plan HERE
A ‘diffusion tube’ – one of the methods used to gather air quality data
Oxfordshire residents are now able to see real-time information about the air quality across the county thanks to a new website.
The website, www.oxfordshire.air-quality.info, launches this week and provides hourly updates about the level of harmful pollutants in the air and historic data, allowing residents to see trends. The website also provides information about the health impact of poor air quality and advice about how residents can reduce their own impact on air quality.
As well as being easy to use, the website has also been designed to make it as easy as possible to share the data. There are buttons to share the information on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and email.
The website has been developed by the Oxfordshire Air Quality Group, which consists of Oxford City Council and South Oxfordshire, Vale of the White Horse, West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils.
It has been funded through a £20,000 grant from Defra’s Air Quality Grant Scheme after a successful bid by South Oxfordshire District Council.
THE company behind The Thatch and The James Figg in Thame, has again been recognised as one of the leading people businesses in its industry by winning a Best Employers in Hospitality Award for the fifth year running.
Frazer Sutherland
Peach Pubs was named the winner in the Pubs & Bars Category 2015 at the Best Employers in Hospitality Awards 2015, held in London on Monday last week, October 12, marking five consecutive years of taking the trophy home.
Organised by the Caterer.com, the annual awards single out the businesses in the UK hospitality industry that do the most to train, motivate and develop their people. What is special about the awards is that the winners are selected solely on the views of the people who work there, showing which businesses really go the extra mile to put their people first.
“We have been named one of the best places to work in our business, for the fifth year running,” said Frazer Sutherland from Peach, the company which runs The Thatch and The James Figg. “This is a really big thing to win in our industry and winning once is fantastic but to be singled out for praise five years on the trot is a truly amazing achievement. We run wonderful pubs and they’re full of brilliant people. We know that people are central to our success and set great store by looking after them and giving everyone great training so they stay and grow with us. I’m really proud of what we’ve all worked so hard to create, and being recognised as one of the leading people businesses is the highest praise we could wish for,” he added.
One of the areas covered by the awards is how effectively businesses train their people to give them the skills they need to do their job really well and progress in their careers, and this is an area where Peach scored particularly highly in, as Frazer explained.
“A contributing factor to our continued success in the awards is undoubtedly the great training we give our teams, and how dedicated we are to our training programmes,” he says. “We develop a lot of our own training, for instance with Peach Pathway programmes which help the people who work behind our bars or cook in our kitchens develop from when they first start out, to becoming a partner in our business. We now have six partners who have done just this, using our training to become stake-holders in the company and win awards of their own.
“Our people also learn great skills when they work with us. We believe great food and service comes from having great hosts in our pubs and great cooks in our kitchens, so we invest a lot of time and resources into making our people skilled. If that appeals to you, and you want to be part of an award-winning team, come and talk to us today as we’re looking for more great people to help us expand,” he added.
To find out more about working at Peach and benefiting from the training and career opportunities available, contact nat.cash@peachpubs.com. More information about Peach can be found on www.peachpubs.com.
The Thatch is at 29-30 Lower High Street, Thame, Oxon, OX9 2AA. Tel: 01844
214340. thatch@peachpubs.com www.thethatchthame.co.uk
The James Figg is at 21 Cornmarket, Thame, Oxon, OX9 2BL. Tel: 01844 260
166. info@thejamesfiggthame.co.uk www.thejamesfiggthame.co.uk
A Thame rugby player has been hailed as a hero, after his girl friend spotted a woman about to jump from a motorway bridge.
Hero, Michael Owen
Chinnor Rugby Club ‘s First Team player, Michael Owen’s girlfriend Jemma Zuleika Richards, described on social media what happened as they were driving home after visiting his parents in Wales: “Just spotted a girl about to throw herself off a bridge on the M4 into the oncoming traffic so told Michael to pull over. We ran through all the cars to get to her and he spent an hour holding onto her until the fire engines could lift her down! Such an unbelievably proud girlfriend right now ❤ He literally saved her life, and she was so grateful, she gave us massive hugs saying thank you and she is in good hands now.. ”
Talking to the South Wales Evening Post about the ordeal, Michael said: “”I got to her and started talking to her. She was clearly very upset, so I just talked about anything I could think of with her. She seemed to like my accent, so we talked about Wales a lot. It seemed to calm her down.
“I had to hold onto her to make sure she didn’t slip while we waited for a fire engine with a ladder to come and help her down. We waited a good hour, because she was too frightened to go down a ladder, so they needed to bring out a second engine.
Broken hand
“The police closed off the road and parked a lorry underneath the bridge, just in case she fell off. All the while, I kept holding on to her and reassuring her. I’ve got a broken hand from playing rugby at the moment, so it really hurt. But it was worth it in the end, because she was very grateful to us that we stayed with her and helped her through it.”
Today, a proud Michael has said that he and Jemma are focusing on the future, as Gemma began climbing her personal ladder towards her goal of becoming a solicitor, with Lightfoots in Thame
A planning application for 20 retirement homes to build on what is currently Thame Service Station, at 67-68 Park Street, has been recommended for approval by Thame Town Council.
However, the council’s approval was subject to the following conditions:
a) Satisfactory assurance regarding the viability of affordable housing.
b) Satisfactory assurance that the existing business will relocate to a new site in Thame, as the loss of employment land with no firm assurance that the business would remain in the Town was a concern.
