Category: More News

SAM Juthani, the Labour Party’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Henley Constituency that includes Thame, is inviting the people of Thame to join him in turning their lights out on August 4, marking 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War.
 

The Lights Out campaign invites people across the country to switch off their lights between 10pm and 11pm on August 4, and light a single candle in a shared moment of national reflection.
 
The moment will mark precisely a century since Britain declared war on Germany and formally entered the First World War at 11pm on August 4, 1914.
 
The campaign is inspired by the words of the then Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, who famously remarked on the outbreak of the war: “The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”
 
Millions of people across the UK are expected to take part in Lights Out, which will see hundreds of public buildings and iconic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and Blackpool Illuminations also turning out their lights.
 
The project is being organised by 14-18 NOW, the official cultural programme for the First World War Centenary Commemorations, with particular support from the Royal British Legion.
 
Sam said: “The First World War was a conflict that changed Britain forever. It touched every family, affected every community and fundamentally altered our country’s place in the world.
 
“The centenary anniversary is a unique opportunity for us to commemorate those who served and sacrificed for us on the frontline and the home front, and to think about the profound impact the war had on our society. 
 
“I hope people across Thame will join me in taking part in the Lights Out campaign and turn out their lights between 10pm and 11pm on August 4. With the busy lives we lead today, the simple act of pausing, switching off the lights and lighting a candle will be a very powerful tribute.”
 
NB More information about the Lights Out campaign can be found here: http://www.1418now.org.uk/lights-out/
Those using social media should use #LightsOut
 
Official Lights Out candles can be purchased in Marks and Spencer stores or online: http://www.marksandspencer.com/world-war-1-centenary-candle/p/p22340844, with all profits going to the Royal British Legion.

THAME Town Council has once again rejected a developer’s detailed plans for a site designated for new housing in Thame’s Neighbourhood Plan.

The main reasons for not recommending Croudace Homes Ltd’s detailed designs for the remaining 18 houses on the old Memec site, part of site D in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, are vertually the same as the reasons for rejection of plans for site C, a month ago. (see report https://www.thame.net/archives/15470)

These are that there are not enough one and two bedroomed properties in the proposal – a need identified and included in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, that the lay-out of this group of 18 homes does not co-ordinate with the overall lay-out of site D in that as a block, they would appear to ‘turn their backs’ on the rest of the development and leave the gardens that would back onto a roadway, vunerable to trespass.

Councillors also agreed that the overall design, choice of materials and scale of the some of the proposed houses, were not of a suitably high standard to reflect the character of the best parts of Thame, again another requirement of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan for any new homes.

Other concerns regarding amenities, storage, Open-space and landscaping, can be gleaned in full by reading the report and recommendations put to the council at yesterday’s (Tuesday’s) full council meeting, by its Planning Consultant, Jake Collinge. http://www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/images/10._Report_-_P14-S2001-RM.pdf

NB  The full planning application, reserved matters discussed can be seen HERE on South Oxfordshire District Council’s web site: http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/ccm/support/Main.jsp?MODULE=ApplicationDetails&REF=P14/S2001/RM

THAME Neighbourhood police officers will be holding two HAVE YOUR SAY MEETINGS in the coming weeks. They are

Saturday, August 9, at the Co-Op Cafe, High Street, Thame, between 11am and midday.

Thursday, August 28, at the Co-Op Cafe, High Street, Thame, between 3pm and 5pm.

These meetings are  your opportunity to speak with your neighbourhood officers to discuss any local issues of concern you may have. If you are unable to attend but wish to speak with your neighbourhood officers, you can call 101.

At 5 o’clock this morning, three of the landmark cooling towers of  Didcot Power Station came tumbling to Earth.

Despite the antisocial time, many spectators came to Wittenham Clumps, just outside Didcot to witness the moment. From the top of the Clumps, an unrivalled view of the towers was visible across the countryside and hundreds of  people had come out to view the spectacle. The diversity of the crowd – groups of young people, families and amateur photographers – gave the feel of a real community event. Some had pitched tents; others were armed with picnic hampers or long lensed cameras on tripods. A few even enjoyed glasses of champagne after the towers came down. 

The demolition was given the scheduled time of between 3 and 5am. People began to arrive at around midnight, and kept coming into the early hours of the morning.
Despite rumours of an air raid siren and a countdown to alert people to the imminent explosion, it occurred without warning to those on the Clumps, as the sun was rising over Oxfordshire. The controlled explosions brought down the structures in a matter of seconds. The towers first collapsed in on themselves, and were then reduced to a large dust cloud. It was followed by a rumbling explosion, heard a couple of moments after the explosion itself. Within a minute, it was all over.

The Oxfordshire sky-line, of which the silhouette of the Didcot power station chimneys had been so much a recognisable part, is now changed forever. 

Video link: http://vimeo.com/101831928 – Courtesy of Newbury Astro Society @newburyastro

FIRECREWS, including some from Thame are still dealing with aftermath of a barn fire at North Weston, just outside Thame, which brought the A418 to a stand-still yesterday because of the smoke, and caused the road to be closed for several hours so that hoses could be laid across the road.

The Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called at 17:21 to the fire at Abbey Farm, North Weston, close to the London Mayor, Boris Johnson’s rural pied-à-terre, after an off-duty Firefighter from Slade Fire Station in Oxford, spotted the smoke. Four fire appliances and a water carrier attended and although the fire is now under control, fire crews are still at the scene damping down the fire which involved hay, farm machinery and plant, as well as 20 tonnes of manure to the rear of the building. One fire crew will remain on the scene overnight.

Station Manager, Marcus Reay, said: ”The owners of the building were very quick in removing a mechanical digger from the barn, evacuating horses and leading them to safety from the nearby stables.”

He added: “Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service have been busy over the past week with countryside fires including other barn fires, a combine harvester and a field fire. The sunny weather over the past few weeks has made the grass and edges of fields very dry so I would ask the public and those who work on farms or in the countryside to take extra care. Of course if you see a fire in the countryside, report it to the Fire and Rescue Service immediately by calling 999. More information is available on our 365alive website.”

Fire Safety in the countryside – follow these tips to reduce the chance of a wildfire in the countryside:

· Extinguish cigarettes properly and don’t throw the cigarette end on the ground never throw cigarette ends out of car windows.

· Avoid using open fires in the countryside or having bonfires near buildings or crops.

· Don’t leave bottles or glass in woodland – sunlight shining through glass can start fires – take them home and or put them in a waste or recycling bin.

· Only use barbecues in a suitable and safe area, never leave them unattended and make sure it is fully extinguished and cold before disposing of the contents

· Don’t attempt to tackle fires that can’t be put out with a bucket of water or an extinguisher – leave the area as quickly as possible.

DESPITE the planned 3 – 5am demolition of the three south cooling towers at Didcot power station on Sunday (27/7), many people across Oxfordshire are making plans on where to get the best view, and today the district council has published safety warnings.

In its statement, SODC says: “The demolition contractors are recommending that people stay inside and watch the blow down, which is being streamed live on the internet at tinyurl.com/didcotpowerstation, from the warmth and safety of their homes. It’s clear though that many people view this as a historic occasion and intend to be there whatever the time.

“There are safety issues to be considered if people do intend to go to Didcot and the district councils are asking people to plan their arrangements to take account of road closures and the likely direction of dust clouds. A local organisation has realised their locations are likely to get a lot of visitors during the demolition, so they’re arranging for people to view it safely from organised viewing areas.

Earth Trust, the charity that looks after Wittenham Clumps, anticipating a lot of people will want to look for a lofty, panoramic view of the power station, is opening its car park to visitors from midnight on Saturday/Sunday 26-27, to prevent people from parking on the narrow country lanes. A local food vendor will be selling hot food and drinks. Earth Trust is asking people using its car park to make a charitable donation. South Oxfordshire District Council has made a financial contribution to Earth Trust to help them manage the situation.”

SODC is asking people to be sensible and not to take risks and to look after friends and family and are offering several pieces of advice to residents. See: http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/news/2014/2014-07/didcot-power-station-demolition

SOURCE: SODC statement

THE resident of a house in Cromwell Avenue, Thame, has been turned down by the town council after asking to purchase a piece of public land at the rear of their property to extend their garden.

The town council has decided that if the purchase of the land, behind 54 Cromwell Avenue, were to go ahead the pathway would become long and narrow leaving only a small triangle of amenity land on which trees had been planted in memory of Princess Diana.

The council says that it has plans to use the revenue from the sale of a separate piece of amenity land close by at the rear of 10 Chalgrove Road, to improve the area behind 54 Cromwell Avenue, ‘for the benefit of all the residents.’

A second, similar request, from residents at 28 Youens Drive to purchase a triangle shaped piece of amenity land at the rear of the property in order to ‘square off’ the garden, received a more favourable reply. As a shrubbery completely fills this area and is not used by the public, the town council has agreed to consider the request.

Satellite image courtesy of: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/

THE orange, blue and white Christmas lights that have lit up the town centre for the past three years are to be replaced for this year, 2014. The town council has agreed a new leasing arrangement for new ‘ Champagne and white’ lights at a cost of £100,000 spread over the period.

The Town Clerk, Helen Stewart, told the Community, Leisure and Recreation committee at its meeting on July 8, that it is hoped that the Christmas lighting could be extended into North Street from this year.

THAME’S Christmas ‘Switch On’ event this year will be on Friday, December 5, and it is hoped by the town council that it will include an even bigger Lantern Parade, real-live Siberian Huskies and a steam railway.

The Christmas celebrations will be extended this year into the Sunday when a ‘Santa Dash’ is planned by the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity.

THAME Football Club’s financial losses are looking likely to be less than the £20,000 it had budgeted for this year, reported Cllr Mike Dyer to the town council’s Community, Leisure and Recreation committee recently. The club expects its loses to amount to around just £5,000, following an increase in revenue from tournements and private hire of the facilities for dance groups, weddings etc.

Cllr Dyer is Thame Town Council’s representative on the management board of Thame Football Partnership, which has received interest free loans from the town council as well as backing in the form of a Partnership agreement for £50,000 for revenue contingency and £150,000 for capital contingency, during the early stages of the club’s new build on its current site.

Cllr Dyer reported that the club hopes to break even next year, in 2015, four years after it was officially opened by the then Mayor of Thame, Adam Buckland.

AS the 50th Towersey music festival, held every year in the village over the August Bank Holiday, is gearing up, a new book has been published tracing five decades of the popular festival’s history.

The book includes 300 photographs, stories from festival-goers and interviews with many of the individuals who have shaped the much-loved annual event. Towersey Festival: 50 Years In The Making traces the festival’s history from its small-scale beginnings as a one day event in 1965, to its current position as one of the most significant and popular events in the annual folk festival diary.

Derek Schofield’s Towersey Festival: 50 Years In The Making is published on July 23, by Mrs Casey Music Ltd, and is available priced £30 (plus £5 P&P) from: http://www.towerseyfestival.com. Copies can also be purchased at the 50th festival, which runs from Thursday, August 21, to Monday, August 25, and includes performances from Richard Thompson, The Bootleg Beatles and Seth Lakeman, plus a celebration of 75 Years of Topic Records with Eliza Carthy and special guests.

THAME Barns Centre is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and is planning for a special concert, and an open day later in the autumn for anyone to visit and see for themselves the facilities available in the centre and the work that goes on by the various groups and organisations that use it.

BBC journalist Naga Munchetty has achieved a new low single-digit handicap of nine, and celebrated by competing in a charity golf day in aid of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People at The Oxfordshire Golf Club near Thame, last Friday, July 11.

Naga is a huge dog lover and both her parents use hearing aids, so she was thrilled to be asked to help raise funds for the charity and show off her impressive golfing skills. Naga said; “I’m very conscious of hearing loss since I spend so much time wearing an earpiece. I was delighted to be asked to support the charity golf day and completely fell in love with the gorgeous Cocker Spaniel who helped me tee off!

The charity golf day organised by Vice Captain, Steve Smirthwaite for Club Captain Rob Daniels was very well supported by members, their friends and Hearing Dogs supporters and raised over £24,000.