CARNIVAL weather has been predicted for this Saturday, June 14, and the anticipation among Thame’s sports and many of the various activitity groups the town is blessed with, is growing as the town prepares to comes together to celebrate ‘The World of Sports and Recreation’.
“Our main idea for this year,” explained Carnival Committee Member, Tom Mackriell, “is to bring together as many of our local community groups together in one place and to celebrate the diversity and talent we have in our town and of course we cannot ignore the impending World Cup celebrations. So we are hoping to see lots of people making as much noise as possible and generally having a real good time!
“The Weather is set to be fantastic on Saturday so we want everyone to bring the whole family down to the town centre, and Southern Road Rec afterwards, and join in the celebrations with us. There’ll be entertainment from Thame Youth Theatre, Thame Stagecoach, Kaso Studios and a local Zumba group, a fabulous steel band, Pet Care’s annual dog show and a fly over by a Lancaster Bomber!
As usual there will be an array of marvellous stalls, a BBQ and tea and coffee (and cake) provided by Thame Scouts ,and new this year a BEER TENT!
Tom’s final, clarion call is: “This year is set to be the best carnival yet, and to make sure that it is a great success we need as many people as possible to attend. Through YOUR support this event will survive for generations to come and continue to be the focal point of our community that it has always been.”
Overnight between 30th and 31st May, a vehicle in Thame was broken into.
Offender(s) broke a window to gain entry to a white Ford transit van parked in Ormond Road and stole power tools.
If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message please call the police on 101 and state you are responding to a Thames Valley Alert message.
Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
UPDATE: 07:45 hrs : London results in – Labour four seats, Conservatives two seats, UKIP and Green Party, one seat each. The one Lib Dem seat was lost. Therefore, our region, the South East, has the only Lib Dem seat for the UK in the European Parliament.
MEP Catherine Bearder – the only Lib Dem MEP left in the UK
RESULTS in for the South East region Euro elections 2014 are in. Four seats for UKIP, Conservatives have three seats, Labour has one, Green Party has one and the Lib Dems retain their one seat – the only Lib Dem seat in the whole of the UK (London results not included at this time 01.55 hrs due to a hold up in the count in Tower Hamlets).
Here, the council says it had a big turnout of more than 50%, as well as having to deal with the knock-on effects of counting the votes in a close mayoral battle on Thursday night, as well as a recount of a local elections ward . The BBC has reported that the counters may be sent home for a rest and resume counting tomorrow.
A NEW date for the installation of a replacement lift at a residence for the elderly in Thame, has given new hope to elderly and infirm people who have been virtual prisoners in their own flats for seven months.(See previous posting)
Mrs Jean Edwards who lives on the first floor of Sharman Beer Court – Image Copyright Thame.Net
Otis Lifts, who told Thame.Net that they recently took over the contract for the work which was originally commissioned in November 2013, have now said that the work to install a new lift will begin on June 2. Two previous dates had been and gone, one in March this year, and another on May 19. No explanation as to the cause of the delays was given to the residents and none has been given so far, adding to the distress of those, particularly in wheelchairs, who have been unable to leave their flats unless relatives have carried them downstairs in their wheelchairs.
Veronica Edwards, whose Mother-in-law, Jean Edwards, lives at Sharman Beer Court, and who wrote to the local media about her plight, said this afternoon: “I would like to thank Thame.Net and the people of Thame for all their help in trying to help us and for spreading the word about this. I am so relieved to hear the news; it will make such a difference to the lives of Jean and the others.”
Earlier in the day, before a new date was finally established , a spokesperson for Sanctuary Housing had said: “The residents of Sharman Beer Court own their homes and this means that the law requires they’re consulted in a prescribed way before works can begin. This is to ensure they have an opportunity to influence any works carried out along with the choice of contractor. Through this process, residents chose to replace, rather than repair the lift. Under current legislation if they wish to change supplier or repair the lift instead, we would need to consult once again which would create further delays.
“We were informed late last week that the residents’ chosen contractor was unable to begin work on Monday, May 19, as agreed, but are keeping residents informed and doing everything possible to ensure the works take place as quickly as possible.
“We are seeking clarification as to the reasons behind the delay and pushing for a firm start date. In the meantime stair lifts have been installed at the scheme to help residents get out and about while the lift is being replaced.”
The many people of Thame, including the town’s ex Mayor, Peter Lambert, who have expressed their concern via social media over the past 24 hours, will no doubt be crossing their fingers and watching the situation closely to see if indeed, some of the town’s most vunerable residents, will get their lives back shortly after June 2.
THERE’S still time to nominate and vote in this year’s Thame Town Awards. There are six categories to choose from:Young Achiever – someone up to the age of 18 who excels in a particular skill or discipline, Sporting Achievement – someone of any age who has shown great dedication to their sport, Voluntary Individual or Organisation – an individual or group that has worked tirelessly for the good of our community, Lifetime Achievement (can be awarded posthumously) – someone of any age who has made a significant contribution to our community over an extended period of time, Person of Courage – someone of any age who has overcome adversity or is facing everyday life challenge, and Service with a Smile – a business or individual that consistently provides a faultless and friendly service.
The scheme was launched in 2009 and since then, has acknowledged 29 local people with a Town Award for their services to our community. Previous winners include a disabled horse-rider, a street cleaner, a budding gymnast and a resident who has lived in Thame for half a century! Each year is special as it is another opportunity to honour more people in Thame who are working ‘under the radar’ to make the town a more vibrant, caring and kinder place to live. Your winner could be in your classroom, at home, down the allotment or working away on other projects for your community. Whoever they are, if you think they deserve a Town Award, nominate them now!
Either fill in the online form at http://www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/images/Online_Form.doc, or go into one of the following locations and fill in a voting slip and pop it in the ballot box: Thame Information Centre, Cross Keys, Racquets, Thame Leisure Centre, Thame Community Hospital, the Library, Time Out and Rumsey’s.
THAME Town Council is asking for views on a potential, new scheme for the community – a Good Neighbour Scheme.
Image courtesy of www.ageuk.org.uk
Good Neighbour Schemes are local, voluntary groups which offer a service to those in their local community who may be in need of help or support. Those people who may need the support of GNS volunteers may be older people, people with disabilities, single parents, young mothers, those temporarily in need through illness or anyone who may be isolated in the community.
Help could include occasional transport, prescription collection, dog walking, and even little jobs like changing a light bulb.
If you think you could benefit from a little bit of extra help or if you would be willing to spare an hour or two to help someone in Thame, you can contact the town council either via the website: www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk and take the online survey, or either pop into the Information Centre at the town hall and pick one up, or call 01844 212833.
THE relative of an resident of a block of flats for the elderly in Thame, has been speaking about her ‘suicidal’ Mother-in-law who, with other infirm residents, has been more-or-less trapped in her home because of a broken lift.
Jean Edwards in happier times before her illness and tribulations at Sharman Beer Court
Veronica Edwards, whose Mother-in-law, Jean Edwards, has had to be carried down the stairs by relatives, has castigated Sanctuary Homes, the company that manages the flats, Sharman Beer Court, in Southern Road, Thame, for its failure to get the lift mended, after seven months.
Veronica has even asked MP, John Howell, to help, but despite a visit he made to Sharman Beer, nothing has been done and residents in wheelchairs particularly remain unable to leave their flats unless they have relatives fit enough to carry them down stairs, She has now sent out a desperate letter to any organisations, media or officials about the plight of her 82 year-old Mother-in-law. She writes:
“I am looking for help and advise. My mother in law lives at Sharman Beer Court in Thame, which is managed by Sanctuary Housing. On October 6, last year, the lift broke. Sanctuary house said that they had to follow the leasing law agreement. My mother-in-law lives on the first floor. She needs the lift because she cannot use the stairs – the lift was one of the good factors when she first came to Sharman Beer Court hence why she bought the flat in the first place.
“Unfortunately this is a very long issue regarding the lift. At first Sanctuary said they had to follow the leasing held law. Waiting to go through the protocol of the law, the lift wouldn’t get sort before Christmas, so all the residents, their families and friends tried to get help by speaking out about the problem and getting publicity to get the lift sorted sooner. The local papers and ITV local news have all reported on this issue. We even managed to get the Thame MP to come to the Sharman Court but that didn’t result into any thing.
“For months residents’ families helping them down the stairs has been their only way of seeing the outside world. In our case the only way we could do this was by having two members of our family carrying her down the stairs in her wheelchair. A chair lift was fitted but this was only ‘a bandage on a very bloody wound’ as my mother-in-law, Jean Edwards, can’t leave the confinement of the building without the aid of one of us helping. Jean is now in a wheelchair and on her own, unable to get up and down the stairs on her own.
“I am sure that many of the other residents are in the same place, having to rely on neighbours to help take the shopping upstairs for them while the use they lift. They were finally given March as the date for the lift to be worked on. March has came and gone and no work was done. So we all tried again to get the support and help of the media again, to which Sanctuary House is still hiding behind the lease hold law. Another date was given for the lift to be fixed – May 19. I had a very distressed mother-in-law in tears on the phone at the weekend as the residents had received a letter saying that the lift will not be fixed, with no new date given.
“So after seven months without being able to leave their flats on their own, Jean and the other residents have become very depressed having no quality of life. It’s heart breaking having to hear Jean say that she would rather be dead then be confined to the same four walls all the time.
“Jean will be 86 tomorrow (21.5.14) and says she has nothing to live for. She has always said that prisoners get treated better than she does; as least prisoners have at least a hour of fresh air a day. Jean’s health has deteriorated, and I don’t know what else I can do to help. So I am getting in touch with as many companies and organisations as I can think of. So please could you help me in this battle to find out why Sanctuary Housing can take seven months to fix a lift. We all know that they have the money as Sanctuary have what they call ‘a sinking fund’ which is meant to used at times like this. They have fobbed off anyone who has asked about when it will be sorted. Everyone has now stopped trying.
“The May 21, is Jean’s 86th birthday. PLEASE help me to make it be the best ever by having a date that is real and will actually happen!”
DESPITE a delayed arrival because of a mechanical fault with their coach, a party of visitors from France brought friendship and sunshine to Thame this weekend.
The 24-strong group of all ages came from Thame’s twin town of Montesson, near Paris. They stayed with host families in the town, sharing two days of fun, food and cultural activities, including the current exhibition at Thame Museum themed around the experiences of people with a Thame connection who lived or served during the First World War.
On Saturday, a trip to the Cotswolds included a visit to the old Roman town of Cirencester, taking in its Corinium Museum, a stroll through its many squares and arcades for shopping and of course, for just sitting and chatting over a cup of coffee or tea and cake, outside the towns many cafes in the sunshine. In Cirencester, there are more decorated, giant hares around the place than there are plastic cows in Thame, the hare, we learned, representing romantic love, lust, and abundance in Roman mythology. (The hare was were associated with the Artemis, the goddess of wild places and the hunt, and newborn hares were not to be killed under any circumstances but left to her protection).
The ‘twinners’ from Thame & Montesson stroll around the village of Bibury
Back in the bus after a picnic on the grass in the tranquility of the old Monastery gardens, the group broke the journey back to Thame with a short visit to the ‘Chocolate box’ beauty of the Cotswold village of Bibury, with its gently flowing, clear chalk streams of tiny minnows – and in some of the larger streams, jumping trout could be seen – and heard!
After a circular walk past the old, traditional cottages of Cotswold stone, passing pairs of swans with their signets, across neat little wooden bridges under dappled trees, it was time for an ice-cream before boarding the coach for the journey back to Thame.
A meal with host families and a welcome good night’s sleep later, Thame awoke to a sunny, warm Sunday morning. Some of the visitors were taken to see the stunning displays of flower arranging as part of the St Mary’s Flower festival, whilst others visited the museum or just explored the town centre before meeting together at the Three Horse Shoes pub in Towersey for a superlative mid-day meal in the barn, with a variety of English desserts provided by members of Thame’s Twinning Association.
L to R: Michel Cojean (Montesson twinning official photographer, Anne Gillet, Don Butler, Jeannette Matelot Green & Jean Francois Bel
Thame’s newly elected Mayor, Cllr Jeannette Matelot Green, welcomed the Mayor of Montesson, Monsieur Jean Francois Bel; the President of Montesson’s Twinning committee, Anne Gillet and the Deputy Chair of Thame and District Twinning Association, Don Butler, who all expressed their thanks and appreciation to everyone who had made the weekend such a success, and their pleasure at the continued strength of the union between the two towns.
After many hugs and ‘au revoirs’, a group photograph and a few tears, the coach of Montessonaise was waved off by the English hosts, with ‘fingers crossed’ that the journey back to France would be less eventful than the in-coming!
THERE has been quite a bit of bad press and TV programmes recently about badly behaved bailiffs. Thame’s Citizens Advice Bureau has there come up with some useful information about your rights if you are visited by bailiffs and what to do is you think they are not treating you fairly or correctly.
Image courtesy of empireclaims.co.uk
Question: I’ve received a letter from a bailiff firm saying that they are going to come and collect an unpaid parking fine. I’ve seen stories in the news about how bailiffs have been treating people badly, and I’m worried that they will come to my house before I can sort out a repayment plan. Is there anything I can do to protect myself?
The advice from Thame’s CAB:
Citizens Advice Bureaux have helped thousands of people who have fallen foul of bullying bailiffs. We see evidence of bailiffs breaking the rules, so it’s important that you know your rights if a bailiff turns up on your doorstep. At the beginning of April this year, the government introduced new regulations to give people better protection and make bailiffs clean up their act.
The new rules should reign in some bad behaviour by bailiffs. They have to write to you to tell you that they have been told to collect the debt so that you have the chance to arrange payment. Bailiffs are no longer allowed to enter your home between 9pm and 6am, when there are only children under 16 or vulnerable people present, or through an open window.
Vulnerable debtors are also given more protection, as they must now be given an opportunity to get advice and assistance from an organisation like Citizens Advice. Bailiffs do have the right to charge fees, although there are now set fees that they can charge you at different stages of the process. Your debt could just get bigger if you ignore them. An advisor can help you to check what the bailiff is allowed to take and how much they can charge you in fees.
If a bailiff is behaving badly, you can complain to the bailiff firm or the company you owe the original debt to. You might also be able to complain to an Ombudsman.
If you believe a bailiff has broken the law or you think they should be struck off, you can complain to the police or the County Court. The bailiff’s certification may then be withdrawn or they could be ordered to give you compensation. If you are in a situation where you are dealing with bailiffs then you should go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau in Market Square, Thame. Citizens Advice can then help explain what your rights are, what a bailiff is and isn’t allowed to do, as well as guiding you through the process of making a complaint, should you need to. For more information visit the Citizens Advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk. Adviceline: 08444 111 444 03 00 33 00 650 (Mobile)
THAME Town Council has recommended that a proposal to build an additional 28, one and two bed apartments in three blocks on the site of Angus House, Wenman Road, be turned down by the local planning authority. Rectory Homes want to build the additional blocks on the site of the old Angus building car park, where they already have permission to convert the old office building into 44 apartments.
The proposals include 40% affordable homes, a central community garden, parking for 158 cycles and car parking. The town council considered that the car parking provision is inadequate for the number of homes and for visitors, and that the proposal was too large for the site, and of poor design.
Rectory Homes’ representative, Henry Venners, had told the council during its meeting on Tuesday that the proposal would be ‘an improvement to the Southern approach into Thame’, and that it would meet the need for smaller housing units.
“Our main idea for this year,” explained Carnival Committee Member, Tom Mackriell, “is to bring together as many of our local community groups together in one place and to celebrate the diversity and talent we have in our town and of course we cannot ignore the impending World Cup celebrations. So we are hoping to see lots of people making as much noise as possible and generally having a real good time!
