Category: More News

SUPPORT Aylesbury Vale?s Environment (SAVE) is pleased to invite you to a free Climate Reality Presentation at the Oculus, Aylesbury, from 6.30pm on the 31st January.

Climate change is not any one person?s fault for the car they drive, the lights they turn on, or the food they eat. Climate change is our problem. Real solutions, systemic solutions, innovative solutions, can only come when we address it together. That?s what The Climate Reality Project will focus on. Without doubt. Without delay. And with your help.

If you are interested in learning more about the science of climate change, discovering the facts and taking meaningful steps to bring about change please come along to the Climate Reality Project presentation ? at The Oculus, AVDC offices at Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF. Light refreshments will be provided. We hope to include a short discussion following our presentation.

Why not bring a friend along?

To book your place please email: save_environment1@yahoo.co.uk

LADIES – Have you ever fancied trying Morris dancing? Well, here’s your chance! A new side in Towersey is looking for new recruits.

Towersey Women’s Cotswold Morris side meet at 8pm on Wednesdays in the barn at the Three Horseshoes, Chinnor Road, Towersey, Nr Thame. No need for any equipment and the teaching starts from scratch. Just bring yourself, both your left feet if you’ve got two and a sense of humour (oh – and trainers or other similar footwear).

To find out more, contact Paul Doman on 01844 344255 (one of the Towersey Morris men who is helping to get the women’s Morris off the ground).

Fun, friendship and fitness
A living, growing English tradition
A new challenge
English folk music at its glorious best
A great mix of ages, from teens on up
Something different
No previous experience needed

Sat 7th Ceilidh Just a week after their New Year?s Eve Extravaganza, Haddenham Ceilidhs is holding the normal monthly ceilidh on Saturday (8pm) in Haddenham Village Hall. It features Hugh Rippon calling for the band St

ACTION for Market Towns (AMT), the national charity representing market and small towns across the UK, has welcomed a new report from the select committee of MPs which is examining the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Alison Eardley, Policy Manager for Action for Market Towns, said: “A lack of clear definition within the NPPF has been at the centre of debate for some months, and was raised in AMT’s response to the draft NPPF back in the Autumn. AMT welcomes Greg Clark’s indication that he will ‘carefully consider’ a new definition of sustainable development produced by the committee. We would urge the government to define sustainable development in terms of assessing proposed developments by weighing up their impacts on environment, population and economy equally in order to come to an informed and balanced decision.

“We need to ensure that unscrupulous developers cannot use presumption to avoid presenting plans that are well-constructed and abide by appropriate standards. We also must ensure that developers cannot just bamboozle a community into approving a plan that is against the community’s interests. The planning process should become more, and not less, democratic.

“We also welcome the reinstatement of a reference to the effect that any new development should be guided by the principles of ‘brownfield first’ and ‘town centre first’ and that new provisions for communities to secure ‘absolute protection’ of town centres from out-of-town development be added.”

PHOTO: Courtesy of Miller Research: Thame Food festival stalls

Oxfordshire County Council?s firefighters will be at Thame town hall on Saturday, January 7, 2012, to encourage people to consider taking on the role retained firefighter.

They will be giving out leaflets, explaining what being a firefighter involves and invite people to apply. Officers will also visit local businesses within 1.5 miles of the station to discuss with managers the possibility of releasing staff to become retained firefighters.

Amyone who would like more information or is unable to attend can visit their local station (Thame’s is in Nelson Street) between 7pm and 9pm on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, or alternatively visit the recruitment pages on the County Council website

?SNOW SAVIOURS? Do you have a four-wheel-drive (4WD)? If so, can you volunteer to help Bucks County Council?s home carers reach vulnerable people during heavy snowfalls. Or, if you don?t have a 4WD, could you volunteer to help clear paths at the homes of vulnerable people? If you can help please call the County Council’s Localities Team on 01296 383409 or email locality-services@buckscc.gov.uk with your name, where you live, contact details and whether you have a 4WD vehicle or can help with snow clearance.

MEDICAL CENTRE Haddenham Medical Centre will be closed on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27; for urgent matters please call the out-of-hours service, Buckinghamshire Urgent Care, on 0300 130 3035. The following information about a new appointments system has been received:

?We are aware of the problems some patients experience when trying to book an appointment with a doctor. To make this process easier for you we have changed the way in which our appointment system works.
The aim of our new appointments system will be to reduce the 8 o?clock rush and allow you a greater opportunity to secure an appointment in advance. To achieve this we will release more appointments in advance. However, as a result, we will have no appointments available to directly book on the day.
From 5th December, the duty doctor for the day will triage all requests from patients for urgent ?on the day? appointments. The doctor will assess the problem by initially telephoning you to determine whether you need to be seen that day, another day or whether the problem might be managed on the phone.

Non-urgent appointments should be booked in advance at any time of the working day or using our on-line facility. Appointments will be released gradually over each day for the next day or two, or the following week. There will no longer be any advantage in ringing early in the morning for a routine appointment. The benefits of this are that there will be more pre-bookable appointments for all doctors and patients will no longer need to ring early in the morning to try and obtain an appointment.?

LIBRARY Haddenham Library closes for Christmas at 1pm on Christmas Eve and will re-open on Thursday 29 at 10am.

RUBBISH & RECYCLING. Please note that there will be no rubbish collections in Haddenham on December 27th and paper, cans and plastics is postponed until Wednesday 4th January 4. Collections are back to normal the following week and glass will be collected as scheduled on Tuesday, 10th January, along with more paper, cans and plastics.

What’s On
Fri 23rd Mummers Haddenham Mummers will perform their traditional play at various pubs etc in Haddenham. They will be starting opposite Clerkenwell Cottages at 7.30pm and will then visit each of Haddenham?s pubs and restaurants in turn: 7.45pm King’s Head, High Street; 8.20pm Rose and Thistle, Church End; 8.40pm Red Lion, Church End; 9.15pm Peking Rendezvous, High Street; 9.50pm House of Spice, Fort End; 10.25pm Green Dragon, Church End; 10.45pm Rising Sun, Tacks Lane/Thame Rd.

Sat 24th Christmas Eve Lunch You are invited to enjoy the annual Christmas Eve soup lunch on Saturday (12noon-2pm) at the Baptist Schoolroom, Stockwell. You can choose from a selection of delicious home-made soups, served with fresh local bread, and in return you are asked for a donation to Christian Aid to provide essentials for life for the world?s poorest people.

Sat 24th Christmas Eve Services St Mary?s Church, Haddenham, has a Crib Service at 3pm and the Baptist Church has an Interactive Crib Service at 3.30pm. Two of the Haddenham Benefice churches have carol services at 7pm: St Nicholas, Cuddington, and St Nicholas, Kingsey; and St Michael?s, Aston Sandford, has a carol service with Holy Communion at 6.30pm. Later in the evening, St Mary?s Church has a Midnight Communion Service at 11pm, and the Church of the Good Shepherd has carols at 10.30pm carols followed by Midnight Mass at 11pm.

Sun 25th Christmas Day Services St Mary?s Church, Haddenham, 10am; St Nicholas, Cuddington, 10am; St Nicholas, Kingsey, Holy Communion 9.15am; the Church of the Good Shepherd has a Mass for Christmas Day at 9.30am, and the Baptist Church and Methodist Church have family services at 9.30am.

HAVE you seen this van around in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse area? A white transit van, registration number 07W X265

[M 20/12/019] This is a Community Message from Thames Valley Police: THEFT OF STEEL – On Monday 19th December at approx: 17:00hrs steel plates were stolen from a business premises in Park Road, Faringdon. A white transit van, registration number 07W X265 was seen entering the site containing male occupants. This vehicle and occupants has been seen previously acting suspiciously in other areas of South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse.

If you see this vehicle or have any information in relation to this message please, call the police on the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Ringmaster message.

Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Message Ends.

A book of poems about the local area, including Great Haseley and Thame, has been published by The Book House in Thame. Its author, Roy Davids, has lived in Great Haseley for twenty years.

The book contains 54 of Roy’s poems and includes four specifically about Thame itself.

Here’s one of the more tongue in cheek examples of the, eerm! ‘bi-lingual’ author’s talent!

Cat Saisons

Dans Mealton Grande il y a un restaurant
le r

CHRISTMAS is a busy time of year for everyone, but ensuring your home is properly protected against festive crime should be made a priority.

Ch Insp Geoff Robinson, Head of Neighbourhood Policing and Partnerships, said: ?Having bought all those wonderful presents, don’t make it easy for someone to steal them from your home.

?Keep presents out of sight until last thing on Christmas Eve and if you ‘hide’ or store larger items such as bicycles in the shed or outbuildings, make sure they are very secure.

?Don’t leave curtains open so people can see your decorations as potential thieves can see in. Be extra careful about locking doors and windows. As a fire precaution, don’t leave Christmas lights on in the house while you are out.

?If you go out for the evening, make it look like someone is at home by turning on lights and the radio. If you go away for the holiday period – use an automatic timer for lights and ask a trusted neighbour to watch your home.

?If you have high value presents like a new laptop, mobile phone or games console, please dispose of the packaging with care. Just leaving it next to the bin with the other rubbish will advertise what you have inside your home for all to see. Fold it up and put it in the bin or take it to the recycling centre?.

Consider property marking high value items with your postcode and house number. This will put a thief off as the property can be easily identified as stolen, and if it is stolen, this will assist the police in getting your property back to you. Also, keep a record of the serial numbers of expensive items.

Some basic burglary prevention advice is bullet pointed below.

Remember to close and lock all windows and doors, even if you only leave the house for a few minutes.
Most burglars will only steal items that are easy to carry and sell on such as jewellery and small electrical items ? like laptops, mobile phones and cameras. Often, the first place they look is the bedroom for jewellery and money. Consider hiding jewellery and money away in a place that only you would know about.

Lock items away when you leave the house and do not leave them on display in front of a window. This advice applies to Christmas presents too.

If you have a high value present such as a new laptop, mobile phone or games console, dispose of the packaging with care. Leaving it next to the bin with the other rubbish will advertise what you have it in the house for all to see. Fold it up and put it in the bin or take it to the recycling centre.

Consider property marking the high value items with your postcode and house number. This will put the thief off as the property can be easily identified as stolen, and if it is stolen, this will assist the police to get your property back for you. Also, make sure you keep a record of the serial numbers.
Ensure you have a good lock on your garden shed and consider getting an alarm fitted. Always keep bikes stored somewhere safe.

For further crime prevention advice or to find out more about crime in your area, follow us on Twitter @ThamesVP OR alternatively you can give us a ?like? on Facebook.

Alternatively you can also visit our webdsite or call and ask to speak to a Crime Reduction Adviser via the non-emergency number, 101.

SOURCE: Press release PHOTO: Courtesy of Essex Police

PREPARATIONS are in place in South Oxfordshire to minimise potential disruption in the event of extreme weather this winter and local councils are urging residents to do the same.

The South Oxfordshire District Council has supplied their shared waste partner, Biffa, with 40 tonnes of salt, some of which has already been used to fill grit bins at council sites across the districts. This salt will be used to keep town centres, car parks, leisure centres, mobile home parks, council offices and parks clear of snow and ice by the council?s street sweeping teams where possible.

Residents are being asked to make similar preparations of their own. Most good DIY stores now stock bags and sacks of salt and grit as well as snow and ice clearing equipment. A sturdy shovel and a bag of rock salt in the garage or shed would be invaluable if heavy snow were to fall again this winter.

The council is urging residents not to be put off from clearing any snow and ice from the pavements near their own home by scare stories in the national media suggesting they might face legal action should somebody slip on an area they have cleared.

The best way to minimise disruption is by working as a community to help each other, particularly those more vulnerable to cold weather and those who might have difficulty clearing their own property. Remember, snow is much easier to clear as soon as it has fallen.

Should the worst happen, it might be necessary for the council to cancel some bin collections. This decision is always taken with the safety of the general public and the waste crews in mind. If this happens, the councils will communicate alterations to the collection schedule directly to those affected through a variety of sources.

The best way of receiving comprehensive and up to date information is via this website which will be updated daily with up to date information regarding any disruption.

The council also operates a free waste text messaging service which notifies residents directly to their mobile phones if there are any changes to their service due to bank holidays and adverse weather. Residents in South Oxfordshire can register for this by texting waste then their usual collection day (for example waste Monday) to 07797 870370.

Residents can also find out about the status of the waste collection services by listening to local radio stations and keeping an eye on the local press. Biffa operate a waste hotline, which will run recorded messages detailing the effects of any disruption ? the number for this is 03000 610610.

If bin collections are cancelled at any time, any available crews and resources will be diverted to help street sweeping teams to clear town centres, car parks and other key public sites.

In the next couple of weeks, Biffa will be distributing ?bin hanger? cards to everybody in South Oxfordshire. Residents should look out for these cards as they contain their Christmas collection schedules and information about waste recycling during the festive period.

THAME Town Council’s Extreme weather policy :

Thame Town Council
Severe Weather Policy
1. Introduction
This policy defines the manner in which the Town Council approaches severe
weather conditions.
2. General Statement
Severe weather is defined as extreme high winds, flooding, heavy snow and icy
conditions, or heat waves. The policy applies to Town Council owned or managed
land. Individual landowners are responsible for dealing with their own property and
Oxfordshire County Council for highways, pavements, schools, etc.
3. Responsibilities
a) Town Clerk
The Town Clerk must identify and prioritise where action is required and allocate
the Council?s resources as effectively as possible.
b) Councillors
Councillors must ensure sufficient resources are allocated to deal with severe
weather conditions. They must recognise that employees may have difficulties in
travelling to and from work and the effect on their starting and finishing times.
4. Procedure
A list of sites which are most likely to be affected by severe weather will be compiled
and updated periodically.
Sufficient numbers of staff dealing with issues arising from severe weather will be
adequately trained, e.g. chainsaw use, gritting, first aid.
5. Actions
Town Clerk
The Town Clerk will identify and undertake the following actions:
Will assess the risk regarding severe weather and the impact this will have by
obtaining information from the Meteorologist Office, the Environment Agency and
Oxfordshire County Council?s website. During periods of extreme weather the
Emergency Planning Department will e-mail the Town Clerk providing up to date
information and advice. Severe Weather Policy 02.11.10 – 2 – Review 02.11.14
Will inform Councillors of the current situation regarding the severe weather. Will
ensure the Town Hall remains open and if staff cannot travel to work then
Councillors will make themselves available as back up to ensure continuity of
services
Will ensure the Council?s website is continually updated
Staff will be alerted to undertake the following activities depending on the
weather conditions and the associated risks:
o High winds – following periods of high wind, the following sites will be
inspected for damage:
 Churchill Crescent
 Elms Park
 Cuttlebrook
 Southern Road Recreation Ground
 Queen Elizabeth Circle
o Flooding ? during and following periods of flooding, the drainage ditches
at Cuttlebrook will be checked and cleared as necessary. The ditches
shall also be checked and maintained annually to help prevent blockages.
The stream through Cuttlebrook shall be checked at least every month
and large obstructions removed.
o Heavy snow and ice ? the Council shall keep a limited supply of grit in
order to deal with snow and ice on Council owned land when gritting shall
take place as necessary. Areas that do not belong to the Council will not
be treated in any way due to advice received by the Council?s Insurers
e.g. highways and pavements
o Heat Waves ? work patterns and tasks may be altered to avoid outside
work during heat waves. This is for staff safety, as well as to avoid
damage to plants through watering in daytime. The Council will comply
with any water restrictions.
o Plant, equipment, signs, PPE and materials shall be checked at least
every six months and prior to use in preparation of severe weather, e.g.
grit, chainsaws.
o Staff will endeavour to pass on reports about severe weather problems
outside of the scope of this policy to the appropriate body, e.g.
Oxfordshire County Council.
6. Records
The following records are to be kept in support of this procedure:
Safety Inspection Records
Time sheets
Training records
All records are to be retained for one year after the end of the period of severe
weather or until any claims arising have been settled (whichever is the longer).
The Town Clerk is responsible for ensuring the above records are retained and
eventually destroyed.