Category: More News

SELF-portraits by pupils of St Joseph?s School in Thame have been used as part of Face Britain, a national project involving young people across the UK, to celebrate the Queen?s Diamond Jubilee and attempt to break a world record.
　
Every child at St Joseph?s created a self-portrait which was then brought together with thousands of children?s pictures from across the country. The resulting images of the Queen were projected onto Buckingham Palace for three nights.
　
?I loved the idea of all my friends being on display together. It was fun to create my own portrait but even more exciting to be part of the final portrait of the Queen,? said Esther Heywood, age 7.

Visit St Joseph?s School on their Open Afternoon on Wednesday, May 9, from 1.30pm-2.45pm.

SOURCE; Contributed

OIL BUYING SCHEME Have you heard about the Community Oil Buying Scheme launched by Community Impact Bucks in January? ?The scheme is aimed at bringing communities together to make the most of joint buying power so that greater savings can be made and passed on to customers.? It already has members locally in Aston Sandford, Chearsley, Cuddington, Dinton, Haddenham, Long Crendon and Upper Winchendon. If you would like the opportunity to buy heating oil at a reduced price (and, in the process, reduce the number of heavy tanker journeys into Haddenham), visit the website http://www.communityimpactbucks.org.uk or call 0845 389 0389.

Sat 21st Zumba Olivia Mott, who runs Zumba classes in Haddenham, is holding an After Easter Fat Buster Workout at Haddenham Village Hall (9.30-11am). Entry is

YOUNG people from across Oxfordshire are being invited to take part in this year?s Summer Challenge ? a free of charge programme for 16 and 17 year olds in the county, aimed at improving skills and offering young people next experiences to help their future.

The programme is part of the National Citizen Service (NCS), a government initiative which focuses on the personal and social development of young people, while supporting local communities as part of the Big Society agenda.

Oxfordshire County Council is one of the key delivery partners for the scheme running across England, which saw over 8,000 participants complete the programme last year.

Summer Challenge runs from Thursday 26 July to Friday 31 August 2012, and consists of activities designed to bring out the best in participants, teach them new skills, challenge themselves and enable them to make new friends, while giving something back to their community.

Ryan Johnson, NCS Co-ordinator for Oxfordshire County Council, said: ?The idea is to bring young people from different backgrounds together to meet new people, challenge themselves and try out new things, while giving them the opportunity to make a difference in their own communities and most importantly have fun.

?The Summer Challenge is a voluntary programme and is open to anyone who will be 16 or 17 years old by Friday 31 August 2012. Once participants have registered an interest, programme representatives will be in touch to discuss the scheme in more detail. There are 105 places in Oxfordshire up for grabs. I would encourage people to sign up as soon as possible to avoid disappointment, it is a great initiative.?

Programme of events

The programme will open at the beginning of the summer holidays with activities and team building exercises.

An induction will take place on Thursday 26 July which will include laser gaming and a high ropes day trip.

From Monday 30 July, participants will spend five days away from home at an adventure residential centre, taking part in challenging outdoor activities such as coasteering, surfing, rock-climbing and gorge-walking.

From Monday 6 to Friday 24 August, participants will develop and deliver their own social action projects related to subjects or issues they are passionate about. They may get involved in arts, creative media, music performance and events organisation to bring their concept to life, identifying and supporting a need within their community in creative ways.

On Tuesday 28 August, each team will have another trip away at a residential centre to look back at the Summer Challenge and what they have learnt and put together a presentation for their friends and family.

The programme will end with a joint graduation day and summer celebration on Friday 31 August for everyone involved in the programme in Oxfordshire.

After the Summer Challenge, the participants will be invited to take part in other activities including a Volunteering and Opportunity Fair in October.

Suleiman Ahmed and Kiran Dhingra-Smith took part in the programme last year. Suleiman said: ?I gained a lot from my NCS experience. I have made some friends for life and feel like a valuable member of my community.? Kiran added: ?For my community project I taught basketball to local kids. It was great to give something back to my community.?

How to sign up

Young people first have to express an interest in the programme either via leaflets in schools, Early Intervention Hubs, the County Council?s oxcentric website or the National Citizen Service. They will then be sent a sign up pack.

Parent or guardian consent will be needed before anyone can be accepted onto the Summer Challenge.

If you have any further questions or need support completing this application, please talk to a member of the Summer Challenge team on 01865 896282 / 815870 or email: annette.richards@oxfordshire.gov.uk or ryan.johnson@oxfordshire.gov.uk

SOURCE: Press release

JUST three years after the Rowallan Scout troop first started, in February, 2009, the first of them have been awarded their Gold Scouts Award by District Scout Leader Anthony Morris and Scout Leader, Andrew Newton.

Its been tough road for the eight award winner who, in order to qualify, have had to complete a number of Challenges that focus on building skills and develop awareness of issues, which have involved them in global issues and involvement in the local community. They have also participated in camps, navigation hikes, camp fire cooking and a triathlon. Many of them will continue their Scouting in the Explorers which is for 14-18 year olds.

Pictured (in order)
Anthony Morris, Oliver Jackson, Jimmie O’Connell, Tom Goetz, Jeremy Lowen, Will Parker, Jamie Morgan-Wormald & Harry Tanner

PLANNING Applications Considered by Thame Town Council?s Planning Committee on April 17, 2012:

9013
P11/E2392/A
20 BUTTERMARKET & 113 HIGH STREET
Display of replacement non-illuminated replacement fascia signs to both premises and new non-illuminated projecting sign to No 20 (As amended by plan accompanying e-mail from agent dated 28 March 2012).
Amendment No 1 shows hand painted fascia and hanging signs for 20 Buttermarket. 113 High Street signage will be replaced like for like.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL
Comment: The Committee regret that the hanging sign for 20 Buttermarket has been positioned so near the old, traditional lettering on the wall. They ask for the sign to be raised, and for the wall to be reinstated to its previous condition.

9021
P11/E2470
51 CHURCHILL CRESCENT
Demolition of existing and construction of a new single storey rear extension.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

9022
P11/E2551
47, 48 & 49 NORTH STREET
Re-rendering existing external walls with ?monocouche? render (through colour white).
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

9023
P11/E2516
20 ROUNDHEAD DRIVE
Single storey rear and side extension.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL
Comment: The Committee found this to be an unexceptional design.

9024
P11/E2549
7 CHINNOR ROAD
Demolition of existing single storey rear extension and erection of single storey rear extension.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

SINGERS, dancers and actors from the Oxfordshire Youth Music Theatre will tread the boards at an Oxford theatre this month when they perform their annual production.

A total of 32 local secondary schoolchildren, including some from Lord Williams’s in Thame, will bring their own touch of glamour to The Theatre at Headington by performing the popular musical Evita, a production about the life of Argentine political leader Eva Peron with music written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.

There will be four 7.30pm shows at the 240-seat venue, which is situated within Headington School on Headington Road, from Wednesday, April 18 to Saturday, April 21. A matinee will also be performed on the show’s last day at 2.30pm.

The pupils were auditioned for parts last year and have been learning lines and perfecting dance routines since September.

Future success

Past members of the Oxfordshire Youth Music Theatre, a group run by the county council’s Music Service, have gone on to huge successes in the professional theatre and music world, including the lead parts in West End hits such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Mamma Mia.

Liz Stock, Oxfordshire County Council’s Assistant Head of the Music Service, said: “Productions in previous years have been fantastic and I am sure that the current crop of talented performers from the Oxfordshire Youth Music Theatre will impress theatre audiences.

“The county council’s Music Service works closely with the students in schools all over Oxfordshire in a variety of ways and this production is one example of how successful that partnership is.”

Ticket prices start at

THE famous Chilterns bluebell woods are becoming covered with carpets of blue, and this weekend is a great opportunity to get out and enjoy them.

This year the bluebells are slightly early because of the warm sunny weather in recent weeks. In the next few days many local woods will turn into a sea of blue, so get out there and make the most of them ? they will be at their peak for the next two weeks. Half of the world?s bluebell woods are found in the UK so this is a spectacle that is very special to this country.

Some of the best bluebell woods in the Chilterns are:

OVER 3,700 gardens will open for charity for the National Gardens Scheme (Yellow Book), including five gardens in Thame, on Sunday, May 20, between 2pm and 6 pm.

The combined admission price will be

THE Rotary clubs of Thame and Haddenham & District will be hosting a ‘Know Your Blood Pressure’ event at the Co-operative Supermarket, High Street in Thame, on Saturday, April 28, to help raise awareness of the link between high blood pressure and stroke across the UK.

The event will be taking place between 10am and 2pm, offering the public a free blood pressure monitoring service with information and advice on stroke-related health issues. At the same time the two clubs will carry out a street collection in the Thame town centre to raise funds on behalf of the Stroke Association.

The two Rotary Clubs are joining scores of clubs across the UK as part of the ‘Know Your Blood Pressure Campaign’ in partnership with The Stroke Association and the Ambulance Service.

It is estimated that around 16 million people in the UK have high blood pressure and around a third are unaware of this. At least 40% of strokes could be prevented each year if people checked their blood pressure and took steps to control it. In 2011, more than 30,000 people had their blood pressure taken at a Know Your Blood Pressure event and more than 4,000 people were diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Rachel Seyler from the Stroke Association says: ?Thousands of strokes could be prevented every year if more people took steps to monitor their blood pressure. You can keep your blood pressure under control by making a few healthy lifestyle changes. For example, eating a balanced diet in saturated fat, exercising regularly and cutting your salt intake will go a long way. Knowing your blood pressure is the vital first step and I strongly urge everyone to go and get theirs checked.?

Rotarian Tyrell Gillman, Coordinator of the local event added: ?Over the years this event may have prevented thousands of people from having a stroke. It may be quite worrying to discover you could be at risk of a stroke, but once it is highlighted it is possible to make changes which will reduce that risk. The team will welcome any query, even if it is just for a chat, and help you find out how strokes can be prevented through simple lifestyle choices. Regular exercise, healthy eating and giving up smoking can all help to regulate blood pressure.

He added: ?Members of our Rotary Clubs will also be in the Thame town centre collecting any spare cash on behalf of the Stroke Association and we encourage the public to support our fundraiser.?

To find out more about the campaign, please visit the Thame and Haddenham & District Rotary Clubs websites: www.thame.rotaryweb.org and www.haddenham-rotary.org.uk or call the Stroke Association on 0303 30 33 100.

THE Chairman of the Chilterns Conservation Board, based near Thame, has hailed the government’s new planning policies ‘a great improvement on their earlier version.’

Mike Fox, Chairman of the Chilterns Conservation Board, said: “The Board is relieved that the Government has listened to the ferocious criticism of its earlier plans to completely overhaul the planning system, which would have left the countryside vulnerable to poor quality development and long term damage to the environment.

?The revised polices are much better than the draft and retain much of what was good about the previous system,? said Colin White, the Board?s Planning Officer.

“Simplifying planning policies is not in itself a bad thing as long as you keep much of the detail that is necessary to safeguard the environment as the public would expect.”

The Board was concerned that the earlier draft would have meant much weaker protection for the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the environment in general.

A number of important changes have been made to the draft, some of which respond to concerns that the Board and others had expressed.

These include:

The primacy of the local plan is retained, ensuring that proposals must be consistent with the development plan.

A better definition of sustainable development, based on the 2005 sustainable development strategy.

The expectation that previously developed land will, in general be developed before green field sites.

The removal of the default ?yes? to development where there is no plan.

A reference to the ?intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside?, which recognises the importance of countryside outside designated areas.

Confirmation that existing plans will remain in force while the new policy framework is introduced, and that there will be a one-year transition for the preparation of new plans – though this is considered to be a very short period of grace.

Recognition that it is proper to seek to promote or reinforce local distinctiveness when considering the design of new development.

All these changes are considered to improve the document. However, the Board remains concerned that, in practice, there are still many grey areas. Application of the new planning policies may be fraught and many decisions will be decided on appeal or even in the courts.

Bettina Kirkham, chairman of the Board?s Planning Committee, said: ?We welcome the emphasis on good design and will continue to support development for local needs as long as it also conserves the special character of the Chilterns.?

PHOTO: Kingsford Cottage, Speen, Joint Winner of the annual Chilterns Buildings Design Awards 2011