Category: More News

AS Thame gathered for a Service of Remembrance, friends of Thame from the town’s twin town of Sinaia, in Romania, sent a heart-felt message to the people of Thame.

** More images from Sunday’s Service of Remembrance in Thame, HERE

The message from Sinaia reads:

“MEMBERS of the Socio-Cultural Association, ‘Prahova Excelsior’ and of the Literary Club ‘Lucian Blaga’ have always felt connected to Thame’s cultural realities and are impressed by the way the English people commemorate Remembrance Day.

“We would like to join you to honour those who lost their lives in World War One. At the same time we are impressed how a flower – the poppy – came to symbolise the sacrifice of those who died for their country.

“Recently a delegation of ASPE members participated in the TAL Festival and gave a presentation on the most beloved Queen of Romanians, Queen Marie. This is why we thought it would be important to point out our Queen’s image as ‘The Soldier Queen’ during World War One, the Queen who visited the front line, who went on to the battlefield, who talked to the wounded officers in the grounds of hospitals and who offered gifts to soldiers; the Queen who loved Romania so much, so deeply and who had a significant role in the construction of a war Monument, The Commemorative Cross For The Romanian Heroes of the First World War, also known as the Heroes’ Cross, erected on Mount Caraiman, in the Bucegi Mountains. The monument was built between 1924-1928 at an altitude of 2,291 metres and with a height of 40 metres. It was built to honour the memory of 30,000 Romanian soldiers who died during the battles along Prahova Valley.

“In 2013, the monument was chosen by Guinness World Records as the highest cross in the world.  The legend has it that Queen Marie had a dream in which she saw the Bucegi Mountains ‘being drenched with the blood of heroes’ and she decided to have the monument built so that our heroes will always be remembered. The Cross has been standing for almost 100 years, looking straight down on to Prahova Valley where a wide panorama of cliffs or tall majestic trees unfolds before our eyes.

“We feel that nature echoes our feeling, that the Cross is a promise, a promise to pay our respects to our heroes.

“In 1919, The Cult of Heroes Society was established under the name of ‘Fallen Heroes’ in the War, and in 1927 was renamed as ‘The Cult of Heroes’. Queen Marie wanted to keep alive strong memories of all Romanian Heroes who died in World War One.

“On this commemorative day, 11.11. 2019, the ASPE board of Directors and Lucian Blaga Literary Club from Sinaia, twinned town with Thame, would like to bring a pious thought for the English and the Romanian soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their countries.

From Claudiu Istrate
translated into English by Felicia Mirza – coordinator of cultural relationship ASPE-ATS

OVER the next few weeks, all households in Thame will receive a questionnaire asking whether anybody within that household has a housing need and it will contain specific questions relating to those needs.

The Thame Town Councillor leading the Thame Community Land Trust project to help the council meet some of the unmet housing needs of local residents, Cllr Bob Austin, has emphasized why everyone affected must fill in the survey.

Cllr Austin said: “If you have a housing need it is very important that you let us know. As we are all aware, the cost of housing both for sale and rent in Thame is very high. This can make it very difficult for many households to afford local housing costs or meet their specific needs. In particular, many households will not be eligible for social housing but cannot afford market prices either to rent or buy.This can put barriers in the way of keeping families together and consequently cause the loss of vital inter-generational support.

“THAME Community Land Trust (Thame CLT) has been set up to help meet the housing needs of local residents. The aim is to provide some genuinely affordable housing for people with a strong local connection to the town. It has the support of Thame Town Council.

“Please fill in the questionnaire if you have a need. It will provide us with vital information to direct our efforts in the right areas as well as give Thame CLT a powerful platform to argue its case with local and national bodies.”

THAME’s annual Service of Remembrance will take place at Thame Memorial Gardens on Sunday, November 10, 2019. The procession, which will include Town Councillors, members of the Royal British Legion, other community groups and a lone piper, will assemble outside the Town Hall at 10.30am ready to proceed to the War Memorial. FULL DETAILS HERE

The following day, Monday, November 11, will be the 75th anniversary of the D Day landings, and at 11am, the Mayor will lead a minute’s silence outside the town. There will be a lone piper too.

Housing Needs survey

LOOK out for an envelope coming through letterboxes throughout the town in the next couple of weeks, containing a Houseing Needs Survey. The survey is being sponsored by the Thame Community Land Trust who are working towards providing lower cost housing for local people unable to purchase property through the regular channels. Vital funding to enable the Trust to carry through the project will only be available if there is a proven need for such properties and it has the support of local people. So, it is vital that everyone with someone living in their house who cannot afford their own home locally, fills in the survey form.

BT Consultation on phone boxes

THAME Town Council has been consulting on the potential decommissioning of the public payphones at Churchill Crescent, Thame, and Moreton Road, Moreton. If anyone has any objections to their decommissioning, they can email info@thametowncouncil.gov.uk by December 5, 2019. The traditional red phone box outside the town hall has previously been adopted by the town council and is now a Listed Building!

Bra Bank at Baban Boutique

BABAN Boutique at 4 Buttermarket Thame, now has a Bra Bank where bras are recycled to raise money for a charity that supports groundbreaking research to improve detection, treatment and increase survival rates of breast cancers. Throughout November, Baban are giving customers 5% off purchases when they recycle a bra in its bank.

New Smart cards to tackle school bus passes fraud

OXFORDSHIRE County Council will soon be rolling out its new ‘Smart Card’ scheme to try to claw back some of the thousands of pounds it loses every year because of freudulent use of scholar passes and other concessionary bus passes. School bus Smart Cards will be introduced first to be followed later by over-60s bus passes and other concessionary passes. OCC has said that the money saved from scholar transport fraud will pay for six new rural buses.

Crazy Golf in the High Street!

THE Mayor of Thame, Cllr Ann Midwinter and Cllr DavidBretherton, Chairman of South Oxfordshire District Council, will jointly be hosting a charity event on May 8, 2020, in the town centre, which will includea crazy golf course in the High Street Car Park. It is also hoped that the RAF Air Cadets will bring an aircraft simulator along, and the Army Cadets, an assault course. An innflatable of some form is also being sourced. The event will run throughout the day and offer something for all the family to enjoy.

VE Day celebrations

The weekend May 8-10 is coincidentally, when the VE Day, 75th anniversary celebrations will be taking place, and at 3pm on May 8, there will be a Toast by the Mayor of Thame, followed by a ‘Ringing Out For Peace’ at 7pm by the bells of St Mary’s Church, Thame. The celebrations will continue over the weekend with a 1940s Street Dance in the High Street Car Park on the Sunday, May 10, featuring a 16 piece Big Band.

Also in commemoration of the anniversary, the town council’s maintenance team will plant the raised beds at the Memorial Gardens with bespoke carpet planting, similar to those planted to commemorate the beginning and end of WW1 last year, which received many compliments.

Dying fish

FOLLOWING an investigation into the death of several fish in the ponds in the Memorial Gardens, the water has been tested twice showing no issue with the water. Only the roach fish species seem to have been affected. It is believed that overpopulation is probably the cause of the fish deaths but the town council’s maintenance team will continue to monitor the situation.

FOLLOWING the blocking of South Oxfordshire District Council’s draft Local Plan, by Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, (more…)

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council decided last year to work with Oxfordshire County Council and other districts to look into transferring the responsibility of illegal on-street parking enforecement from the police to the district councils.

Now, Oxfordshire County Council is leading on a feasibility study for the whole county to determine how it should be done.

Police cannot prioritise illegal parking

Currently, the management of illegal parking on yellow lines on or near junctions etc, is the responsibility of the police. However, they have to direct their resources based on risks which means that people often find that they don’t respond to complaints about parking as they would wish.

SODC Officers are due to bring a report to Cabinet in December with the results of a parking feasibility study, and for a decision on whether the council wishes to progress with enforcing illegal parking on-street. The feasibility study is focusing on potential operational costs to see if there is a workable business case including joint working with the Vale and Oxfordshire county council.

Civil Parking Enforecement

Councillors will attend a briefing session on Monday, November 11, which will explain what the enforcement parking legislation is about, known as CPE – civil parking enforcement. SODC cannot embark on this project unless all three councils agree, South, Vale and Cherwell because the DfT have made it clear that they will not accept a single submission.

If the project goes ahead, in addition the briefing on November 11, SODC has said that it will ‘engage with stakeholders as the project progresses’.

SOURCE: SODC Council meeting minutes – October 10, 2019

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a burglary in Oakley Road, Chinnor, on Saturday, November 2.

Unknown offenders damaged a side kitchen door to gain access to the property and conducted a messy search. Car keys were taken from the property and a black BMW M1 was stolen.

A witness believes the vehicle was driven off at approximately 11.30am on November 2, and two people were in the vehicle.

If you live in the area and have CCTV please could you review it? If you have any information about this incident, the police ask that you report it on the Thames Valley Police website, or call 101, quoting reference 43190341826.

Find out how you can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of burglary by downloading your FREE Home Security Guide from the Thames Valley Police website here

THAME Town Council has appointed a new Town Clerk, who will replace the retiring Clerk, Graham Hunt.

Jayne Cole is CiLCA (Certificate in Local Council Administration) qualified and has a strong background in the Town and Parish sector, running an independent business for the last six years providing advice, support and training to Town and Parish Councils. Prior to that Jayne was the Deputy Chief Executive at the Suffolk Association of Local Councils providing a similar service to Town and Parish Councils in Suffolk. Jayne is pleased to be moving to Thame and looking forward to serving the town and its community.

Retiring Clerk, Graham Hunt, said: “I have enjoyed my close to five years in Thame, a town with such a strong community spirit, and will be sad to leave, but retirement calls.” There will be a handover period of around a month during November, beyond which Jayne will take on the full responsibility for managing the ongoing projects, functions and services provided by Thame Council to the community.