Category: More News

NEXT week heralds the arrival of Acupuncture Awareness Week (February 25 to March 3, 2013), and this year the focus is on sleep. Research commissioned by the British Acupuncture Council reveals that two thirds of people in the UK are getting less than the recommended eight hours of sleep a night. More concerning is that 1 in 3 cannot sleep most days or would say they suffer insomnia.

Over half surveyed said they had no energy or felt drained the next day if they didn?t get good sleep the night before. And 1 in 2 people feel it affects their mood, losing their sense of humour or snapping at family and friends.

Thame-based acupuncturist, Rhiannon Griffiths, sees this in her patients. ?Lack of sleep has a massive impact on day-to-day functioning,? she said, ?and on so many levels ? physically, it can lower the immune system and create lethargy or exhaustion; and emotionally, troubled sleepers may be more susceptible to stress, anxiety, depression or feeling low.?

This can create a vicious cycle, with statistics showing the top causes for sleep disturbances being worries about money, family, relationships and work, needing the toilet or feeling too hot.

?In Chinese Medicine, night corresponds to Yin,? Rhiannon explains. ?This is the dark, quiet, cool, calm energy. If it is abundant, there is rest, a settling down of the mind, ready for sleep. If there are deficiencies or imbalances within the body, this process is interrupted and sleep issues occur.?

The study also revealed that a fifth of people resort to taking sleeping pills or drinking alcohol to help them sleep, which can make sleep worse long term. In contrast, acupuncture focuses on treating the root cause reason, by harmonising internal energy, known as Qi. Ultra fine needles are inserted into specific points on the body, to address imbalances causing dysfunction.

Despite this, statistics show that 1 in 5 would consider acupuncture for sleep only as a last resort, and a quarter of those polled didn?t realise acupuncture could help with sleep issues.

Rhiannon is not surprised by these figures. ?Perception and lack of information about acupuncture is still one of the barriers in people coming for treatment,? she said. ?From a scientific perspective, acupuncture is known to calm the nervous system and increase endorphin production, which is why most patients find treatment so relaxing ? many fall asleep whilst the needles are in!?

?Whether you have trouble falling asleep at night, or drift off quickly only to wake up in the early hours, if your worries keep you awake, or you just lack energy on getting up, acupuncture can offer some help.?

Rhiannon is offering one lucky person the chance to WIN their first three treatments, worth over

RESIDENTS in and around Thame have been invited to attend a free seminar on Europe and what the role of the UK within it is.

There will be a debate by three distinguished speakers, including Alexander Stockton, the grandson of Harold McMillan. The public will then have an opportunity to fire questions at the panellists. The event will take place between 10 am and 12.30 pm at The Oxfordshire, near Thame, on Saturday, February 23.

James Elles, the European MP who has special Conservative responsibility for Oxfordshire, said: ?Why not come and have your questions about the EU and how it works answered? You will be able to contribute to the debate that will become all the more important now that the Prime Minister has announced a referendum before 2017.?

The three panellists are Klaus Welle, who as Secretary General of the European Parliament, heads the Secretariat; Robin Niblett, Director of Chatham House and a British specialist on international relations and Alexander Stockton, the second Earl of Stockton, a former Member of the European Parliament.

PHOTO: James Elles MEP with the then Mayor of Thame, David Bretherton, when James visited Thame to help celebrate the 10th Birthday of Thame’s town twinning with Montesson, in France – May, 2011

TO celebrate English Tourism Week, the Chilterns Tourism Network has organised the Big Chilterns Weekend on March, 23 & 24.

Local businesses are giving residents of the Chilterns AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and adjacent towns, the opportunity to explore and experience more of what?s on their doorstep. Here?s how you can participate. Send an email to: info@visitchilterns.co.uk by midnight on February 28, saying in no more than 100 words what you love about
the Chilterns. The more original and quirky the submissions, the greater the chance of winning tickets.

CTN will need your contact information too, including full name, telephone, email and Chilterns postcode, and your preferred top three tickets you would like to win.

1x Pendley Manor bed and breakfast
5x Didcot railway family tickets [Two adults and two children]
2x Chilterns Brewery Tour tickets Saturday 23rd March [Winners must be 18 and over]
30x WalkFree BreakFree circular Chilterns guided walks – Wendover, Princes Risbourgh and Wycombe
1x Hobs of Henley 2.5 hour hire of 12-seater self-drive motor launch
20x Hobs of Henley children go free (with a paying adult) on sightseeing river boats
16x Amersham Museum adult tickets
24x Marlow Museum guided tours
2x Leighton Buzzard Railway
1x Cliveden family ticket – free entry to the gardens for up to 2 adults and 3 children. If you
are National Trust members, use the ticket to bring non-member friends of family.
2x sets of Chilterns walking guides including Kiddiwalks, Pub Walks, On Your Bike and Chilterns
Cycleway
1x Chinnor and Princes Risbourgh Railway family ticket Sunday 24th March
1x London Gliding Club in Dunstable flight 2000 [Winners must be 18 and over]
20x London Gliding Club tours – Dunstable
22x Chiltern Valley Winery wine tasting Saturday 23rd March [Winners must be 18 and over]
20x copies of the Chilterns Cycleway guide book.
14x GoApe Wendover Woods tickets Sunday 24th March [Winners must be 18 and over, and
not weigh more than 20 stone]
2x Wendover Woods all day parking
1x Stag and Huntsman in Hambledon dinner, bed and breakfast [Winners must be 18 and]
4x CycleFleet ?bikefix? maintenance class tickets Saturday 23 March [Winners must be 16 and]

Winners will be notified by email no later than Friday March 8, 2013.

Terms and Conditions:
This promotion is run by the Chilterns Tourism Network, a not-for-profit social enterprise based
in the Chilterns.
The judges decision is final and correspondence will not be entered into once tickets have been
allocated.
The tickets may not be exchanged for cash and it is the responsibility of the winner to use
them on the date and time allocated.
Winners must contact the businesses to arrange their visits. It is not the role of The Chilterns
Tourism Network to do this.
Email addresses will only be used to contact winners and will not be passed on to third parties.

THE Green Deal is the new government scheme whereby householders can borrow money from the government to install energy efficiency measures into their home, and reduce their energy costs. There has been a lot of critical commentary on the Green Deal. Is the bad press justified?

Chinnor and Thame Friends of the Earth are hosting a public meeting at their AGM on Thursday, March 21, from 7.30 pm, at The Village Centre, High Street, Chinnor, at which Rebecca Nestor from the Oxfordshire Low Carbon Hub will talk about how the Green Deal works, what its aims are and how Oxfordshire communities are responding to it. The Low Carbon Hub is a community interest company independent of any commercial organisations.

The talk will cover:

Green Deal finance, the ?golden rule? and the payback arrangements

Accessing the Green Deal without taking up the finance

The Green Deal assessment process and the Advice Report

What measures are covered under the Green Deal

Getting the work done ? Green Deal providers

Cashback and community benefit

There?ll be lots of opportunity for questions and discussion, and some information to take away. If you have been wondering whether this new government initiative is to be trusted, this is your chance to find out.

For more information contact mdyroff@tiscali.co.uk.
Light refreshments available ? entrance free ? all welcome.

LISTINGS for February of Community and special Activity days at Thomley Activity Centre, Worminghall, near Thame:

Please note that in school/term time Thomley is open to special schools and mainstream schools which include students with additional learning needs. We are open Wednesdays and Fridays throughout term time. Activities can be tailor-made to compliment school projects. Home Educators are welcome any day from Tuesday-Friday throughout term time.

February half term ? Booking is essential. All of the regular activities are on offer, with additional activities provided for each day; with a separate provision for teenagers and young adults available too. Please see the planner on the website for further information ( www.thomleyactivitycentre.com/newsletters

Friday 15th February ? Community Day – for all children with and without a disability, their family and friends. Theme for the day is Disney! Activities include Goofy goop; Mickey and Minnie ears; Clubhouse mobile; Mickey pop art; find hidden Mickeys. And for teenagers there is Spaghetti Bolognese cooking from 10:30-12pm and ?How to make a stop-motion animation? from 1:30-3:00pm.

Saturday 16th February ? Family Day ? for all children with a disability, their family and friends. Theme for the day is Walt Disney. Activities include Lightning time trials; mini pizza planets; Monsters Inc mess; and for Teenagers make your own Flubber! And an

ON Wednesday (6/2), Thames Valley Police found an extensive hoard of garden machinery and tools in an outbuilding at Middle Ground, Wheatley.

The police seized items including tool boxes, generators, strimmers, lawn mowers, drills, disc cutters, builders tools and whacker plates, with an estimated value of

THE Thame and District Day Centre will hold its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, February 13, 2013, at Thame Community Hospital, East Street, at 7.30 pm. This is an open meeting and all who are interested in the work of the Centre are most welcome to attend.

“We would love to meet some of the many residents who care about our work and to thank them for their support,” said the Chairman of Trustees, Tyrell Gillman.

If anyone wishes to receive a copy of the Agenda in advance of the meeting they are invited to contact the Centre Manager, Gill Coleman on: 01844212080 or email:office@thameanddistrictdaycentre.co.uk

The Day Centre, an independent local charity, which meets three days a week at Thame Community Hospital, is open for 50 weeks of the year and provides a day out with a hot meal, entertainment and plentiful refreshments for people from Thame and some nearby areas, who are elderly, frail or, perhaps, isolated. All donations received are spent on the services it provides to members.

THE Dial-a-Ride service in South Oxfordshire, which is a door-to-door, pre-booked service for disabled and mobility-impaired people is under threat because it is under used.

The Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC)believes that this is largely because there was no existing service in this district before April 2012 and therefore no existing members.

“We would really encourage people to use this service,” said an ORCC spokesperson. “As ever, the choice comes down to ?use it or lose it?!”

The Thame area service is on Tuesdays ? Thame, Chinnor and Watlington Service To include Adwell, Aston Rowant, Beckley, Brightwell Baldwin, Britwell Salome, Chinnor, Crowell, Cuddesdon and Denton, Cuxham, Elsfield, Forest Hill, Garsington, Great Haseley, Great Milton, Holton, Horspath, Little Milton, Lewknor, Pyrton, Shirburn, Stanton St. John, Stoke Talmage, Sydenham, Tetsworth, Thame, Tiddington, Towersey, Waterperry, Waterstock, Watlington, Wheatfield, Wheatley, And Woodeaton parishes, providing journeys to/from Thame, Chinnor or Watlington.

Details about the Dial-a-Ride service are on the county council?s website or you can call 0845 310 1111 for more information about becoming a member.

THAME knitters are being invited to take up their needles this month (January, 2013), and beyond, to help raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Trust by making legwarmers for trampolinists.

Trampoline supplier, Super Tramp, has joined forces with knitwear designer, Rebecca Peach from www.twigsknits.com to offer people a free pattern to make legwarmers in aid of the CF Trust.

Chris Prentis, Managing Director of Super Tramp, explained: ?People can download or print off their free knitting pattern by visiting www.supertramp.co.uk

?Once the legwarmers are knitted, we’re asking people to send them back in so that they can be sold via our website in the run up to Christmas 2013, with all proceeds going to the CF Trust, which is our Charity of the Year.

?Legwarmers are great for garden trampolinists as they help keep their ankles warm in the cooler months. They can?t be made of man-made fibres because otherwise they can create too much static when bouncing.?

Super Tramp was founded more than 25 years ago when it introduced the first garden trampolines into the UK.

Back in the 1980s the family-run business was pioneering, now it is seen as one of the nation?s best-known suppliers of trampolines to retailers and consumers.

The CF Trust wishes to highlight the health benefits of bouncing to CF sufferers, of which there are more than 9,300 in the UK. Super Tramp will help raise funds for the charity this year.

Senior Corporate and Trust Fundraising Manager for the charity, Sue Piper said: ?We know that families with children who have CF often use trampolines as a fun way to help them do their daily physio and we?re delighted to be part of this whacky challenge to the nation?s knitters.?

The CF Trust is the UK?s only national charity dealing with all aspects of CF. Each week five babies are born with CF and two young lives are lost.

Since 1964, it has supported excellence in research and clinical care, as well as providing practical support and advice to people and their families.

LOCAL tenants of Soha Housing Association are holding their landlord to account ? and doing so well, they?ll soon be teaching others how to do it!

Soha Housing tenants are involved in a