THE cost of the renovation work currently underway to Thame Town Hall is soaring, after it was discovered that the building is in a worse state than was previously thought before the scaffolding went up and a closer examination could be made.
Structural archwork above a window at the front of the building needs urgent attention at an estimated cost of £12,000, as well as rotten window frames at the top floor level needing repair – and a crumbling stone ball on the clock tower was found not to be attached! Also, old street lighting fixed to the building, which will be completely removed, has created water damage.
In total, the work will cost an extra £28,373 which, unless the town council can get from South Oxfordshire District Council, it will have to fund itself out of general reserves.
Speaking at Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, Cllr Nigel Champken Woods remarked: “We don’t have a lot of choice but to have the work done. It’s a shame we didn’t let Oxfordshire County Council have it as a library a few ago, then we wouldn’t have this problem.”
AN organisation that helps combat loneliness among the elderly by offering tea parties, is well on the way to setting up a group of volunteer hosts and drivers in Thame, but desperately needs a Coordinator.
The group, Contact the Elderly, operates nationally by setting up groups that offer tea parties for 6-8 elderly people once a month to make friends and combat loneliness. They do this by having 12 volunteers who offer their house, two or three drivers who pick up and take people home, and one coordinator who helps oversee the group with lots of support from Contact the Elderly.
If you would like to make a real difference to the lives of lonely, older people and have organisational skills, why not join Contact the Elderly in the important and very rewarding role of group coordinator? The coordinator arranges the monthly outings, rebooking the annual host schedule and is the main contact for the group’s volunteer drivers and hosts. The coordinator welcomes new volunteers into the group, ensuring they understand their roles and responsibilities, and meets and assesses new older members prior to them joining the group.
THAME’S new Mayor is Cllr Jeannette Matelot Green, and her deputy is Cllr Nicola Dixon – the second time that these two councillors had been appointed to lead the town council. It was back in 2009 that the same two councillors were elected by fellow town councillors.
Thame’s new Mayor, Jeannette Matelot Green (Right) & her Deputy, Nichola Dixon
Cllr Matelot Green Green has been particularly involved with the team leading the plans and fund raising for a new Skate Park in the past year, and has announced that the Skate Park will be her chosen charity for her mayoral year.
A team of medics from Thame Community Hospital have raised over £1,000K for the breast cancer Scannappeal – and won the Trophy for the annual Stretcher Race along the Phoenix Trail.
The Angels Medic team from Thame Community Hospital, Gill Norris, Helen Facey, Pam Bristow, Anita Clayton, Charlene Hennessey & Mary Dix, and their ‘patient’, who they name ‘Victor Vinyl’
The Angel Medics team, made up of staff who work at the Thame hospital, took on the stretcher challenge on Saturday (May 10) competing against eight other teams, taking first place with 92 points. The Scannappeal Stretcher race raises awareness of, and money towards the Digital Breast Screening Appeal based within Community Services and Wycombe Hospital.
The Angels’ spokesperson, Helen Facey, explained: “This appeal is close to our hearts as many of our friends, family and colleagues’ lives have been touched by breast cancer with differing results. With early screening and ever changing treatments available, in the future, maybe the outlook for those diagnosed with breast cancer may have more of a positive outcome.
“So please support our challenge in donating any amount you feel able as every penny received will be put to good use within our chosen appeal. “
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the Scannappeal. The Angels’ JustGiving page will be open for another month. LINK HERE
PUPILS of John Hampden School, Thame, were very excited to meet an albino python, a tarantula, chameleons and a skunk, when they welcomed Amate Animalia, the Oxfordshire based exotic pet rescue charity, to a special assembly as part of the school’s Science Week.
Pupils from John Hampden School, Thame, pond- dipping
The focus of the school’s Science Week this year was Habitats, and other special-themed assemblies included a Scientist parent’s talk about the variation of habitats across the globe, and a volunteer from Thame’s Cuttlebrook Nature Reserve who told the children about which animals live in our own, special Thame habitat.
Pairs of children from each class made a model shoebox habitat based on a detailed habitat each pair had researched. These were all on display when John Hampden Primary School, the first Fairtrade School in Thame, held a Fairtrade Café on the Friday afternoon of Science Week.
Rachel Butler, Science Co-ordinator at John Hampden Primary School, said: “The perfect end to a fun week was to welcome our school community to share in the successes of another fun, engaging and inspiring Science Week.”
AS part of this year’s commemorations of the one hundredth anniversary of the beginning of the First World war, Thame’s Oxfam Book Shop is this week featuring a window display of donated books on the history of the First World war.
The shop’s manager, Dick Jennens said: “By marking this anniversary early we hope to generate additional income that will help Oxfam with its work in Syria and South Sudan, and to generate more donations of books to enable us to feature another display in July and August. We have a remarkable collection of books & DVDs on the history and poetry of the war, such as 1914 and other poems, by Rupert Brooke, Oct 1941 edition, £9.99.”
Some of the other books on desplay include: British War Dogs – their training and psychology, E.H.Richardson; Published in 1920, a rare account of the use of dogs in war. £75.00
Hushed up a German Headquarters, Le Queuex, 1917, £50.00. The startling disclosures made by a German officer, Otto von Heynitz, who was in the Military Attache with the Serbian army in the Balkan war.
Tannhauser Calendar for 1914, 8 illustrated plates by Willy Ponany, published by Liberty & Co, £50.00
Dick concluded: “We hope to raise additional income from the sale of these books to enable Oxfam to increase its work with the victims of poverty, injustice and suffering; particularly, to help ease the plight of the victims of today’s wars.
“One hundred years after the start of WW1 and 72 years after the birth of Oxfam in the middle of WW2, we are working to bring relief to the victims of the civil war in Syria.”
THE well-oiled machine that is Thame Tidy Day will be ‘kick started’ tomorrow morning (Saturday), when the team, lead by Sue Martin Downhill, will be out and about in the town putting up signs where the collection points for rubbish will be.
Volunteers and the pile of assorted rubbish collected on the first Thame Tidy Day in 2011
Volunteer numbers are growing but anyone who would like to help in anyway (suggestions coming up) can just turn up at Raquets in North Street (at the back of the Cattle Market carpark) any time after 9am Sunday, and you’ll be allocated a team or somewhere to work.
Lea Park residents will be working on both Saturday and Sunday on Lea Park, so call if you want to join them. They are graffiti cleaning along a public footpath from Overton Drive to Vane Road on Saturday, and cleaning up around a car park in Ormond Road on Sunday morning.
The local fire fighters and others will be in a Thame Service Station van driving around to pick up heavier objects on Sunday. Also on the Sunday, if you like DIY, then you can help the Cornerstone church group paint the old Long Crendon bridge. There will be a team clearing the weeds and dog dirt from the bridge too.
The fire service will start to clear large items of rubbish from the Phoenix Trail, along with the van from Thame Service Station, from 10am on Sunday.
ASM recycling vans will arrive for duty from 9am Sunday. They will be particularly looking to pick up metal that can be recycled.
Sue and the team would really like some people to turn up with gardening equipment, especially hedge trimmers and strimmers. Hoes too would be good for clearing weeds from path edges.
If you want to join in but don’t already know where to start, then please just turn up any time after 9am at Racquets.The following equipment can be loaned – you can call to organize a pick up on any day other than Sunday, otherwise on Sunday just turn up and we can supply :
· litter picker equipment
· hi-vis jackets
· trash, recycling and compost bags
· surgical gloves and more robust gloves
· Men at work signs
Tea and coffee will be provided free to all workers, all day at Raquets.
Sue had this message for all the local businesses and organisations who are contributing people and muscle to Thame Tidy Day: “I’d like to thank MP printers and Block 9 for their help in producing some signs and the leaflets, and for Paddy of Cornerstone church for designing the leaflet. Also Thame Town Council for sorting out the gloves, ‘men at work’ signs and Biffa for the equipment and hopefully for the collection of the rubbish.
Finally, please take plenty of photos of the piles of litter and other trash, and send them back to me. See you there!”
Follow Thame Tidy Day 2014 on Facebook: HERE You can contact Sue and team via Facebook too.
* MORE stringent enforcement of parking restrictions in Thame’s Streets, rarely inforced since the retirement of Traffic Warden, Peggy Long, is likely to happen within about 18 months, when Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) will be introduced into the town.
This car was parked on zig zag lines, illegally, while its driver went shopping – Photo Frank Millar
CPE permits local authorities to take over the enforcement of on-street, as well as off-street car parking regulations from the police. In return they are allowed to keep the proceeds and parking offences cease to be criminal offences. Local authorities adopting CPE usually employ contractors to run their scheme. see: LINK to previous news report
Mani Abreu with his bag of cans collected around Thame during 2013’s Thame Tidy Day
* GET kitted up with gloves, sturdy shoes and a roll of bin bags and prepare to take to the streets of Thame on Sunday as part of the annual Tidy Thame Day. Sue Martin-Downhill, who has taken over the reigns of Thame4Business is organising the event this year, and is recruiting everyone to get out and do their bit. There’s still time to register your interest, and to suggest areas in the town that are in need of a tidy. Email tidythame@gmail.com
* THE allotments site next to the graveyard at St Mary’s Church, Thame, is looking unlikely to be suitable as an over-spill for the almost-full graveyard, as there are concerns that the depth necessary for graves may interfer with the site’s archaeology. In answer to a question raised at the Thame Town Meeting, the Clerk explained that negotiations were on-going with developers to try to find an alternative site. She said that finding a suitable site was proving to be challenging but that the council was continuing to look.
* THAME’S Christmas lights may be replaced, according to the Mayor, Peter Lambert. Speaking at the Thame Town Meeting on Tuesday (May 6) he reported that a contract to replace them, including what he called ‘the blue and orange kebab lights’, is going out to tender.
* THE newly made raised flower beds near the entrance to Elms Park are being raided by plant thieves. They’ve even used wire cutters to cut through security wiring.
* THE work to repair Thame’s town hall is likely to take longer than planned after the discovery that the clock tower requires more work than envisaged. The £195,000 rennovation work, being carried out by local company, Stoneworld, includes window frames, gutters and stonework. The work is being paid for with a Public Works loan to Thame Town Council, repayable over 15 years.
* THIS year’s Town Awards are officially open.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.
Either fill in the online form at http://www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/images/Online_Form.doc, or pop 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.
* THE town council is planning to lauch a ‘Good Neighbours’ scheme, in conjunction with Toogle, the website to access caring services local to Thame.
* A NEW Community notice board is to be installed soon in Lea Park, near the new, tarmac path in Parliament Road.
* THAME’S grassed areas may not be cut quite so often, once South Oxfordshire District Council reduces it funding to Thame Town Council next year, to maintain those areas belonging to SODC.
* THE Community Charge for Thame residents is to increase by 6p per week, for a typical Band D home, from April.
* THE town council wants to hear from local residents about their ideas for helping the council save public money. Contact the Clerk on 01844 212833.
* THE Developer, Birmingham-based Stoford, have had to relocate badgers and bats before it can submit a planning application to build 100,000 sq ft and 49,000 sq ft respectively of warehouse and production facilities, on Site B, in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan. SEE LINK
* IN answer to a question raised at the Thame Town Meeting, it was stated that Thame’s recently launched Credit Union has 37 members so far and that the council was trying to encourage more people to take membership, particularly Community Groups who could use it for their finances. The council is also encouraging local businesses to take out Corporate Membership so that their employees could join and have contributions taken from their payrolls.
THE retiring Mayor of Thame, Cllr Peter Lambert, in delivering a report of his year in office, has spoken of the joys and the difficulties of being a town councillor, and issued a challenge to the council’s critics.
The Mayor with Pat Shepherd, Chair of Thame Players – Photo by Nick White
Speaking at the annual Thame Town Meeting on Tuesday (May 6), he told the packed hall: “It has been suggested that in the world of politics brown envelopes change hands. I don’t do politics and I must admit I thought the same thing before becoming a member of this council. I have since learned that all the councillors give up their free time to make a difference. We come from all walks of life, are only human and cannot please everyone all of the time. We try to do the right thing but it’s not always easy when, for instance, the Government keeps changing the legislation! If you feel we are not doing what you want think we should be doing, then step up to the plate yourselves. “
He concluded: For my part, it’s been an absolute honour to be Mayor of this town with its incredible community spirit. Thank you everyone for what has been such an amazing, rewarding and unforgettable year.”
After summing up with the highlights of his year – including getting ‘gunked’ by hundreds of children at Thame Show, of being dubbed ‘the Singing Mayor’ after so memorably leading the singing at the Senior Citizens’ Christmas party, of opening the new Health Centre in April, extended to accommodate Thame’s growing population, and of meeting musical legend, Tony Hadley at last weekend’s phenomenally successful Music In The Park, the Mayor revealed that he had raised a total of £7,000 for his chosen two charities.
The Mayor with Dean from Safari – Photo by Nick White
He presented a cheque for £3,500 each to Pat Shepherd, the Chair of Thame Players, who are raising funds to extend and improve the theatre in Nelson Street, and to Michelle Diffey, Founder of Safari, a charity which supports young adults with learning difficulties.
All the young people from Safar gather around the Mayor of Thame to thank him. Photo: Nick White
The spirited enthusiasm of Safari members in the audience livened up the proceedings of this normally formal occasion, especially when one of their members, David, thanked the Mayor and presented him with a picture of the group with a special thank-you message.
Cllr Lambert concluded with a rallying call to others in the audience to put themselves forward for election to the town council next year, May 2015, adding: “If I can do it, anyone can.”
A new Mayor of Thame will be elected by fellow town councillors at the Council’s AGM next Tuesday, May 13, 2014.
ONCE upon a time, Thame had a thriving ‘Thame in Bloom’ group that helped to keep the town attractive by organising annual Best Garden competitions and other activities, including planting thousands of daffodil bulbs along the by-pass and the Aylesbury Road.
Thame In Bloom was lead for many years by the late Len Webb but four years ago, the group disbanded when the long-standing committee became, in the words of one their number, Mavis Ayres: “…too old and tired to carry on.” For a while, the group was lead by the then Mayor of Thame, Adam Buckland, but he had to retire from the post because of business and family committments.
Now, the current Mayor of Thame, Peter Lambert, is hoping that Thame In Bloom can once more blossom, after Mavis Ayres raised the question of its possible rebirth at last night’s Thame Town Meeting.
So, if you or anyone you know with an interest in horticulture, gardening and/or specifically flowers, is interested in forming a Thame In Bloom group, the Mayor would would like to hear from you. You can contact him via the Town Hall on 01844 212833.
Structural archwork above a window at the front of the building needs urgent attention at an estimated cost of £12,000, as well as rotten window frames at the top floor level needing repair – and a crumbling stone ball on the clock tower was found not to be attached! Also, old street lighting fixed to the building, which will be completely removed, has created water damage.
