Category: More News

DISPOSAL banks are being installed all over the south Oxfordshire district, including Thame, where residents can take unwanted waste electrical and electronic equipment (or WEEE).

Broken or unwanted small items such as hair-dryers, telephones, electrical toys, hand-held video games,
lamps, electrical tools and much more, can now be taken to a bank in the Cattlemarket, in North Street, Thame.

Larger electrical items can be taken to the county council?s waste recycling centre in Oakley Wood and others throughout the county.

IT’S all change at the top as a man from Towersey who dedicates his spare time to volunteering and fundraising in the local community takes up the reins as president of the Rotary Club of Thame.

Bob Livings was welcomed as the new president of Rotary Club of Thame on July 6, when he took over from Mo Westcott who led the club?s support towards Nigel Pattison?s Coast to Coast challenge which raised thousands of pounds on behalf of Thame Young Carers in October last year.

Bob Livings has been a Rotarian for over four years and his commitment to the club has earned the respect of fellow members who were only too pleased to vote him in as their new president for the forthcoming year.

Bob himself said: ?I am delighted to become the new president of our wonderful club. It?s going to be a very exciting year. Our first edition of the Rotary Swimathon will take place at the Thame Leisure Centre on Sunday, the October 7. As 2012 is an Olympic year, we want to encourage more people to start a sport activity or doing a bit more exercise. We are looking for teams of six people of all ages who are able to swim to raise funds for the Mayor of Thame?s charities (Sharing Life Trust and SERV), Thame & District Day Centre, Air Ambulance, Hearing Dogs and other local causes.

“We encourage participants to book early to avoid disappointment. Entry forms and details can be found on www.thame.rotaryweb.org or posters in local shops, or by ringing Peter Hook on 07836 651174.

?We have a lot of fun and really enjoy ourselves, on top of all the fundraising we do, and would love to hear from anyone interested – either women or men – in joining us and making a real difference to their community.?

To find out more about the Rotary Club of Thame, or to join, please contact Marius Ciortan on 07764 85 49 49 or visit the website.

SOURCE: Contributed

FOLLOWING the most recent public examination hearings about the district council’s ‘Core Strategy’, the Inspector, Mr Roy Foster, has identified some changes he considers should be advertised for public representations to be made.

These ‘soundness’ related changes will now be published for six weeks period to enable local residents and other interested parties to have their say.

Representations are invited on the proposed ?main modifications? to the South Oxfordshire Submission Core Strategy set out in the ?main modification? schedule of changes dated July 2012. The changes schedule should be read in conjunction with the South Oxfordshire Submission Core Strategy March 2011 (essentially the December 2010 Proposed Submission version).

All representations must be received by Tuesday, August 28, 2012 at 5pm precisely.

All the necessary information can be accessed online at: LINK and clicking on the Further Examination Publication link. You can also access a Word version of the comment form online by visiting that link. People are being encouraged to fill in the representation form electronically, either via e-mail or online, as this is the quickest way of responding and also helps ensure that your comments are logged accurately.

If you have any queries, you can contact the Planning Policy Team via e-mail: planning.policy@southoxon.gov.uk or on 01491 823725.

VIRUS ALERT FRIDAY 6TH – Alert message sent 06/07/2012 15:19:00 – Information sent on behalf of Thames Valley Police

This message is dated Friday July for the whole area.

I have received a report of a new Trojan virus that is allegedly circulating. I have yet to verify it, but it has been reported by CNN.

An email pops into your inbox from the name of someone you know (someone previously infected by the virus). It is an invitation to access FaceBook which incorporates an attachment asking you to update Adobe Flash Player. Apparently many of these emails arrive.

This installs the virus. A picture is displayed of an Olympic torch burning ? as your hard drive is wiped.

CNN report that this is a new virus and will be circulating widely over the next week or so, as the Olympic approaches.

As always with suspect messages ? DO NOT OPEN ATTACHMENTS.

Eyes and Ears.

Jeff
jeffrey.pick@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
thamesvalleyalert@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

TRADING Standards and the NFU have joined forces to host a training event to help farmers understand new rules on cattle movements.

From July 1, new regulations came into effect nationally governing the movement of cattle in areas with a high incidence of bovine tuberculosis ? and parts of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire fall into this category.

The training event, hosted by NFU with Oxfordshire County Council?s Trading Standards animal health and farming standards team, is on Thursday, July 12, at Agriculture House, Oasis Business Park, Eynsham.

Richard Webb, acting head of Oxfordshire County Council?s Trading Standards service, said: ?This is a great opportunity for us to work with the industry, to help farmers understand the new additional measures implemented to further prevent the spread of bovine TB.?

NFU South East policy adviser James Osman said: ?We want to ensure that NFU members are fully compliant with these new animal health measures which are geared towards containing the disease and limiting its spread.

?There are a whole host of changes, including a removal of pre-movement testing exemptions for animals attending shows that are taking place over a period of days.?

This training event has been funded via the Livestock Health South East programme which is supported by Defra and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

To book a place, email: info@livestockhealthsoutheast.org.uk or see the website www.livestockhealthsoutheast.org.uk

COMMUNITY LIBRARY More than 30 prospective volunteers attended a meeting on May 29 to hear about the plans for the new Haddenham Community Library (HCL) and to ask questions. Steve Sharp, who is co-ordinating the project talked about the community support for the library, the agreement which is being thrashed out with BCC, arrangements for September, volunteer roles, opening hours and volunteer rota and training for volunteers. Since the meeting there have been further discussions with BCC about appointing staff and training volunteers. The role description for the future manager has been approved and staff at risk in the review of the 14 libraries which are being handed over to the community have been invited to apply. It is hoped that interviews will be held in the week beginning 2 July, with HCL represented on the interview panel. If there are not sufficient applications, the post will then be advertised more widely within the County Council.

On training: the next steps are, for anyone wishing to help ‘on the counter’, provision of the names of two referees. BCC will then allocate a password for volunteers to login to the self-directed Spydus training (Spydus is the BCC library IT system). Volunteers need to work through an online information /questionnaire document. When this is successfully completed library support staff will create and email a login to Spydus. Volunteers will then be invited to attend a morning session of briefing and familiarisation at Amersham, Hazlemere or Princes Risborough library. As soon as possible these sessions will be offered at Haddenham, when the staffing is known. This will complete the basic library counter work training. Higher level training will also be available for those wishing to specialise in some aspect of the library work.

Steve says it would be great if anyone would like to help by acting as a co-ordinator of volunteers, helping in due course with the rota and liaising with the staff – please don’t be shy! Contact him on 290597 or email stephsharp@aol.com if you think you might be able to help.

CHARITY NEWS F

CELEBRATIONS have been taking place this week at Lord Williams?s School, Thame, to mark the 30th anniversary of the school?s exchange with Friedrich-Ebert Gymnasium school in Bonn, Germany.

Yesterday, Wednesday, a tree planting ceremony with Thame’s Deputy Mayor, Peter Lambert took place, and a time capsule buried.

The 28 students from Bonn who took part in this year?s exchange returned home today after a nine day stay which included a visit to Warwick and Windsor Castles, London and Oxford.

In ‘The Tamensian’ for the year 1981-1982, regret was expressed that the exchange with a school in Marktoberdorf had to be abandoned after 15 years due to the high cost of transport to southern Germany.

Friedrich Ebert Gymnasium was willing to run an experimental exchange that year, 30 students came to Thame where they spent most of their days in school with their hosts.

The Lord Williams?s School party went out to Bonn in the July and visited Cologne, Koblenz, Bruhl, the Eiffel hills and several swimming pools. The report ended: ?We look forward eagerly to many more years of the exchange which seems sure to become a permanent fixture.”

Over the years approximately 600 students from each school have participated in the exchange. Year 12 students also used to take part and do work experience in Germany.

As the Head teacher of Lord Williams’s School, David Wybron, conluded: “The partnership has grown from strength to strength because of the dedication and hard work of staff in both schools. To see the obvious friendships between students is very special.”

MORE investment in public forests and more protection of ancient woodlands are two of the main messages in this week?s report from the independent panel on England?s forests and woods, set up after the Government cancelled its plans to sell off the nation?s forests last year. These findings are strongly welcomed by the Chilterns Conservation Board, based in Chinnor, near Thame, which looks after the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which has some of the country?s most valuable woodlands.

The findings of the panel are also a direct challenge to the Government which plans to bulldoze ancient woodland to make way for the HS2 high speed railway as it crosses the Chilterns AONB.

In a statement today, the Board said: “The panel makes many wide-ranging recommendations on the basis that the country needs more woods as they are good for the environment, the economy and the country?s physical health and well-being. It also says that public forests should not be sold off and the Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has confirmed this will not happen.”

Steve Rodrick, Chief Officer of the Chilterns Conservation Board, welcomed the panel?s findings: ?The panel has taken its time to deliver a thoughtful and well researched report which confirms that the country needs both public forests and more private woodlands. Trees and woods offer so many benefits at such modest cost that I really hope the government will respond positively and invest more in forestry despite the recession.?

Mike Fox, Chairman of the Board, added: ?We particularly welcome the recommendation that the value of woods to society should be fully recognised. We call on the Secretary of State for Transport to make sure the plans for High Speed 2 avoid damaging irreplaceable ancient woodland.?

The panel?s report suggests that an enhanced Forest Service should receive an additional

THE Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Oxfordshire, will be holding its AGM on June 30, at the spectacular Wroxton Abbey near Banbury, and would particularly welcome new members.

This year’s theme is’ Wheels and Water’. Visit the website http://www.cpreoxon.org.uk/events/events.htm

THE Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Oxfordshire, will be holding its AGM on June 30, at the spectacular Wroxton Abbey near Banbury, and would particularly welcome new members.

This year’s theme is’ Wheels and Water’. Visit the website http://www.cpreoxon.org.uk/events/events.htm