FOLLOWING two burglaries in Thame this week, on October 26, two more burglaries have been reported to Thames Valley Police.
Between 2.30pm on Wednesday 30th, and 10 am on Thursday 31st October, a property in Hamilton Road was burgled. Offender(s) gained entry by drilling the lock out of a rear door. There has been no report of any items stolen at this time.
Between 7am on Tuesday 28th, and 12.40pm on Thursday 31st October, a property in Glenham Road was burgled. Entry was gained via a rear patio door;. The offender(s) removed the casing (Ed. of the door handle) and snapped the lock. Items stolen include jewellery.
Please be extra vigilant. 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.
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.
ADVICE FROM LOCAL LOCKSMITH
Local Locksmiths, Nobles, told Thame.Net that these types of handles are very common on PVC doors. Their advise is : “You can buy anti snap cylinders which can be broken but still leave the door secure.”
PEOPLE who have lost family members and friends in road collisions in the Thames Valley will have the opportunity to commemorate their lives at a multi-faith service at St Mary’s Church, in Thame, this month.
St Mary’s church, Thame. Photo courtesy of John Alexander (johnalex flickr)
The service, organised by Thames Valley Police, will be held on Sunday, November 17, at St Mary the Virgin Church in Thame at 3pm.
The memorial service is an opportunity for the emergency services to come together with members of the public who have lost loved ones, to remember those that have died on the region’s roads, or in road collisions elsewhere.
Police officers, fire and rescue workers, paramedics, ambulance technicians and hospital staff will give readings and prayers from different religions during the service. Family members will be invited to take part in an act of commemoration during the service.
The service will be led by David Wilbraham, Force Chaplain of Thames Valley Police. The Bishop of Dorchester, The Right Reverend Colin Fletcher, will lead the Act of Commemoration.
Chief Constable Sara Thornton said: “The Road Death Memorial Service is always very moving but I know that it also provides a great comfort for those family and friends who have lost loved ones in road traffic collisions.
“We have always held the service in Thame Parish Church, which is a lovely old and peaceful building where the bereaved can spend some special time treasuring memories and finding the strength to move forward. The service brings together all the emergency services and many families from across the area and it is our way in the Thames Valley of marking the United Nations Day of Remembrance.”
Supt Chris Brown, head of Roads Policing, said: “The Road Death Memorial Service is held on the third Sunday of November each year in recognition of the tragic loss of life on our roads as part of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
“In 2012 (Jan – Dec), 78 people were killed on the roads of Thames Valley and the effect of these collisions is felt by many hundreds of people. We aim to offer support to the families of those who have been killed and we organise this service to mark this very important day.”
Force Chaplain, David Wilbraham, said: “The third Sunday of November is set aside by the United Nations as a special day of remembrance for victims of road death.
“However, while clearly a global issue, the death of someone on the roads is intensely personal and impacts greatly on their families and friends. This service provides a safe, supportive place for those affected to come together to remember and commemorate their individual loss.
“For some, this service has become an annual event; we welcome them and extend the invitation to others whose lives have been affected by death on the roads to join us.”
This is the eighth year that the service has taken place, and it is believed to be the only service of its kind in the UK organised by a police force.
Everyone is welcome to attend the event, and can reserve a space by contacting Elizabeth Richardson on 01189 231802 or, alternatively, email RDMS@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
THAME’S Christmas celebrations this year will see the town’s first lantern parade as part of Thame’s commemoration to the 170th anniversary of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’. Dickensian London is coming to the streets of Thame on December 6, 2013, from 3.30 pm, and the children of Barley Hill, John Hampden and St Joseph’s Primary Schools will parade around the town centre with their individually made lanterns creating no doubt a truly spectacular sight .
Ice-skating ring, Christmas, Thame 2012
There will be a host of local and regional artists and makers selling original gifts, perfect for filling those stockings as well as numerous food stalls selling everything from traditional Christmas puds to speciality sausages. To keep out the winter chill, mulled wine, hot chocolate and hog roast sandwiches will be for sale.
Everyone is encouraged to dress up in the Dickensian theme and as well top hats and flat caps, dancing shoes will be highly recommended as the band, Ska Souls, late of Music In The Park, will be entertaining the crowds, adding to the party mood. There will also be carols from the local school children, appearances from Thame Players and Stagecoach Theatre School, plus music from the Thame Concert Band and the Thame Chamber Choir.
To get the Christmas spirit flowing, a Top Hat Trail for children and families will run from November 15, tempting them to try and spot all 28 Dickens Top Hats that will be hidden in the windows of the local shops along High Street, Cornmarket, Butter Market, Swan Walk, Greyhound Walk, Upper High Street and North Street.
More details of Thame’s Dickensian Christmas coming soon.
THAME residents in the Cromwell Road area particularly, are being asked to keep a watch out for suspicious people or vehicles following a burglary on Saturday, October 26, between 4.15 pm and 11 pm at a property in Cromwell Avenue, Thame.
It is not known at this time how entry was gained to the property, the offender(s) havimg stolen jewellery and watches.
Please be extra vigilant. 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.
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.
FIVE young men from Thame, all pupils of Lord Williams’s school, arrived back in town today, after a road-trip of a very different kind.
Olly Ross, Aiden North, Will Green, Harry King and Zak Rostami (Not necessarily in that order!)
The group reached the town hall at around midday, to be welcomed by the Mayor of Thame, Peter Lambert, after a three day trip from Trafalgar Square to Thame, on skateboards and BMX bikes to raise funds towards the renovation of the local Skatepark.
Though wet and tired from their epic trip of over 50 miles in three days, the lads took the time to pose for pictures and to chat with well-wishers, before pedalling and scooting off home for a well-earned shower. They recalled how yesterday, they had passed the night trying to sleep through the biggest storm the country has seen for over a decade, in a hay barn in Princes Risborough.
The evening before had been the lowest point of the whole trip, when the lads had picked their way in the closing dusk, along badly surfaced lanes, near Denham, in order to get across to the other side of the M40 motorway. But the highlight of the whole trip, they all agreed, was the amazing, adrenalin-fuelled ride down the long hill in Princes Risborough.
There was hardly time though for one of the lads, Olly Ross, to rest because he was due to be interviewed by BBC Radio Oxford about their achievement, later this afternoon. Well-wishers on social media have showered the lads with congratulations all day, and Thame Round Table even issued an invitation on twitter for the lads to join ‘Santa’ on the Round Table’s annual Sleigh ride around Thame, to help with the fund-raising for the Skatepark.
The Thame Skatepark is well-used by hundreds of local young people of all ages, and this half-term week will see many of them gathering together to support and teach each other to skateboard, a facility that will no longer be safe soon for them to do so, unless enough money is raised to compliment a grant promised by Thame Town Council for a replacement.
A plan to build 175 residential dwellings on land to the West of Thame Park Road in Thame, know as ‘site D’ in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, has finally been approved by Thame Town Council, following several amendments made to the plans at the council’s request.
Master plan of the proposed development at Site D (Thame Neighbourhood Plan)
Councillors agreed to withdraw a holding objection which followed concerns about aspects of the plans including the designs of the proposed houses, an insufficient ‘buffer’ or ‘green edge’ at the Western and the northern boundaries of the development and various public accessibility issues to other recreation areas in the town, particularly the Cuttlebrook and the Phoenix Trail. (Read the full Consultant’s report HERE)
The council agreed to approve the outline planning application subject to four requirements being met (see page 14 of the report), and the application will now be considered by the Planning Committee at South Oxfordshire District Council in November. FULL APPLICATION HERE
FOLLOWING on from yesterday’s news that Thame is to have its own Community Bank (see LINK) more information about how it will work has now been made available, including that the banks’s website, www.thamecommunity bank.org.uk, will be live by the launch date of November 11.
Image courtesy of financenet.org
Thame Town Hall Information Centre will become a branch for the Thame Community Bank. The council staff there are being trained to help individuals sign up to join the Swan Credit Union or make loan applications, and will be available to answer general questions.
Everything about the Thame Community Bank will be accessible to all 24/7 because the application process can be done online or via the post. Similarly loan application forms will be online and there will also be a 9am to 5pm telephone support service available each weekday.
Having opened an account with Thame Community Bank (which is free), members will then be able to pay money into their account either by Standing Order from a normal bank account, Payroll deduction (if their employer supports that) or simply go to a local supermarket or newsagent which handles Paypoint Cards and pay cash directly into their account with their Swan Credit Union Paypoint Card.
Phil Stratton, a Trustee of Sharing Life Trust, one of the bank’s sponsors, said: “We have been working closely with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) throughout the whole process of setting up the Thame Community Bank, so they will be fully aware of the services that it will offer, but because it is run by multiple volunteers, they may not be able to provide as much detailed support to clients as the trained staff at the Town Hall Information Centre.”
It is planned to have a branch of the Thame Community Bank in Chinnor at the Village Centre which will be open daily.
IT seems that those of us lucky enough to live in Thame, are probably among the happiest and most satisfied with out lot, of any townsfolk in the nation. According to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) living in large, rural or market towns is linked to the highest levels of “personal well-being” and life satisfaction.
The data, published as part of the ONS Measuring National Well-being Programme, revealed that “personal well-being’ improved in the UK between 2011/12 and 2012/13. Ratings for life satisfaction and feeling that the things we do in life are worthwhile increased on average, whilst anxiety levels fell.”
Analysis of the data reveals that large market towns possess all the factors leading to the highest levels of well-being and happiness.
The BBC’s Home Editor, Mark Easton, commented in a Radio 4 news bulletin “the secret of market towns’ high well-being levels is their sense of distinct identity, community spirit, and perfect size: small enough for people to feel included, and large enough to remain private.”
Chris Wade, chief executive of AMT Towns Alive ( a National charity, Action for Market Towns) has worked with and supported market towns for 15 years and has recently been called upon to support towns of all sizes and even some cities. He commented today: “Market towns’ community spirit has been born out of doing things for themselves and decades of self reliance. Many have faced the challenging economic climate with community-led ideas that involve and engage their residents, helping them to thrive, and to be great places to live and to work.
“We’re now seeing the lessons that AMT has shared from working with market towns for 15 years benefiting other communities and high streets.
“In fact, this year the entrants to our Towns Alive Awards – the UK’s most prestigious Awards for town community improvement projects – demonstrate this perfectly, with real community spirit, creativity and the drive to make projects happen in their towns that increase economic and social vitality. We’ve rewarded projects created by communities from all sorts of towns – and we can’t wait to announce our national winners next month at Towns Alive ’13, where market towns will share their happiness secrets with small and large towns, and even cities from all over the UK.”
THAME residents finding it hard to make ends meet economically, will soon be able to borrow money from the town’s own Community Bank, enabling them to avoid the possible pitfalls of ‘loan sharks’ and so called ‘payday loans’ companies, who often charge extremely high interest rates that only serve to trap people into more debt.
Image courtesy of findyourcreditunion.co.uk
Launching on November 11, in Thame Town Hall, Thame Community Bank is a collaboration between the local charity, Sharing Life Trust (which already runs the Thame Food Bank), the Citizens Advice Bureau and Thame Town Council, with support from local Housing Associations, caring agencies and the high street banks.
In a statement, The Sharing Life Trust said: “With the aggressive marketing and astronomical interest rates of the payday loans companies, there has never been a greater need in our community for a fair and affordable option for borrowers who aren’t a good fit for the high street banks.
“This is an enterprise from the community for the community.
“With loans at 2% per month, instead of 1% per day, borrowers will be able to manage their accounts online or, if needed, get help from the staff at the Information Centre in the Town Hall. With savings covered by the Government’s guarantee scheme, Thame Community Bank will provide a safe, fair and affordable banking service to the people of Thame and the surrounding villages.”
Thame Community Bank is a local branch of Swan Credit Union, a recent merger of two neighbouring Credit Unions in Milton Keynes and Aylesbury. Credit Unions are mutual societies – not-for-profit companies owned and run by their members to promote regular saving and to offer loans at reasonable rates.
FROM September 2014 decisions about teachers’ pay will have to be based on their performance against National Teachers’ Standards. These standards alone are not enough to justify pay decisions to OFSTED, nor are they able to identify where development needs are for future leaders, according to Thame’s education HR specialists, SYLO and Associates.
Sally White, HR specialist with Sylo & Associates, Thame
Sylo and Associates are therefore holding a FREE seminar, aimed at Head Teachers, to help them understand more about how to implement the pay changes through their Schools Assessment and Appraisal Framework.
TEACHERS NEW PAY CHANGES – EVIDENCE VERSUS WHIM
SYLO Associates are talking to schools across the county to suggest a competency framework is used alongside the National Standards. Managing Partner, Sally White believes that whilst Oxfordshire teachers need to focus on what they are achieving and what they lack, it is only one aspect which needs to be balanced against their personal development needs.
Sally explained: “Whilst every school has to evidence each teacher has met the eight standards of competence the system as a standalone is flawed. In the first instance the standards are not detailed enough so schools will struggle to provide sufficient evidence and could face appeals because of the perception that pay decisions have been made on a whim without a detailed underpinning framework. It is highly subjective to define what is lacking in competence or indeed what is highly competent.
“Our competency framework gives the detail needed to look at expected requirements together with indicators to show progression and where there are development needs. Heads are already working every hour of the day and many need external help to develop the detail needed to put in place a better framework. “Additionally the focus on schools needing to prove that a teacher isn’t meeting the regulated standards creates a very negative culture which should be balanced with a focus put on personal development. It is important to create a more positive culture by not just focusing on evidencing pay rises, but in providing clear development opportunities for individuals and teams and spotting future leaders.”
On this basis, SYLO Associates is hosting a ‘Pay Changes in Education’ Seminar on November 14, in Oxford, aimed at Headteachers in the region, showing what was achieved from the successful pilot at Rush Common School, Abingdon.
Sally said: “What we have done at Rush Common is unique in providing a detailed framework and through our approach a positive culture to support the school in the development of their teachers. By working with the Senior Leadership team and teachers themselves, we got them to describe what they expected to see from a competent and excellent teacher.”
Maxine Evans, Head Teacher, Rush Common School said: “Utilising a competency framework alongside the Teachers’ Standards will support our leaders and managers in their relentless focus on improving teaching and learning and, allow us to implement relevant and targeted professional development at all levels.”
CASE STUDY Rush Common School recognised the detail did not exist in the National Teachers’ Standards to effectively evidence and justify decisions and to support the personal or professional development of teachers. The challenges were: School requirement to implement a new pay policy Rush Common School identified a gap in assessment capability School identified support required for leadership and organisational development Support required to define the granular detail for a Competency Framework Need to update all appraisal documentation to ensure competencies supported development and improve standards
Solutions Held an exploratory meeting with Head Teacher & Assistant Head to agree the process and developed a project plan. Facilitated workshop with Senior Leadership Team to determine granular detail for a Competency Framework which was then designed to be aligned to Teaching Standards professional development but look at the fine detail of the progression through the main and upper pay scales Reviewed appraisal documentation
Results Fully developed Competency Framework, Schools Assessment & Appraisal Framework – (SAAF) ™ with granular definitions Updated and implemented appraisal documentation Supported all the communication, including presentation of Framework to the teaching staff and liaison with the local trade union representatives, to help successfully embed the Competency Framework and revised appraisal processes.
Sally concluded: “Teacher evaluation systems are not just there to serve the purpose of documenting accountability but should be there to help improve professionalism and practise. More and more schools need external support to assess talent management, employee engagement and wellbeing, manage change and create personal development plans.”
“Pay Changes – evidence vs. whim” Thursday, November 14, 2013 2.00pm – 4.00pm Magdalen Centre, The Oxford Science Park, OX4 4GA
By joining this seminar, you will learn more about the successful pilot we ran at a school in Oxfordshire and understand more about how to implement the pay changes through our Schools Assessment & Appraisal Framework (SAAF)™. Our goal is to support your school and assist the raising of teaching standards by utilising robust appraisal methods.
To secure your FREE place email enquiries@sylo-associates.co.uk or call one of the team on 01844 216290.
