Author: Sonja Francis

ONE of Thame’s great characters and activists is leaving the town to take up, what she describes as her ‘dream job’ in Lyme Regis.
Margie Barbour, who, since moving to Thame with her husband Chris Savoury, has been instrumental in so many of the town’s activities, is moving to Bridport in Dorset, in June.
Margie, a professional story-teller, has made her mark in a huge list of community activities, particularly in the Arts, including the Thame festival, the Youth Theatre, 21st Century Thame Partnership, the Thame Twinning Associations and most notably, was a founder-member of Thame Cinema 4 All.

At a fairwell dinner on Tuesday, organised by the women’s network group, Movers and Shakers, Margie was presented with an etching by Thame artist, Christine Tacq and a bouquet of flowers in recognition of the friendship and support Margie had give to the group in the two years since she founded it.

The evening, though tinged with sadness at Margie’s departure was a happy event, not least because it was announced that Thame Players will be ‘going on tour’ to the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis where Margie will be taking up the post of Development Manager.

The Players will be taking their production of ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’ to Lyme in July.

Christine Tacq, who is Margie’s next door neighbour, based the print given to Margie on a weeping ash tree that Margie could see from the window of her house in Essex Road, Thame. In thanking the group for her present, which she had admired several times when visiting her neigbour’s house, Margie said: “What a marvellous imaginative present for my memories of Thame!”

As they say, “Your can take a woman out of Thame, but you can’t take Thame out of the woman,” and Margie and Chris will for sure be finding visitors from Thame on their doorstep in Bridport for some time to come.

CONSULTATION on a blueprint for our region?s future development, has been launched.

The excercise will be taking place until Friday, June 23, and the panel will hold a public examination of the Plan starting in the autumn.

The draft South East Plan will set a vision for the region to 2026, covering housing, transport, the economy and the environment. Once adopted, it will also set the framework for district councils to prepare local plans.

In a statement, Oxfordshire County Council say that the Plan proposes that 47,200 new homes be built in Oxfordshire from 2006 to 2026. Of this, they say, 26,300 are already planned up to 2016 and an additional 11,000 could be built on previously developed land. The Plan proposes that most of the remaining houses should be built in Bicester, Didcot, Wantage and Grove, about 6,400.

The statement continues: “A significant number of new homes will be built in Oxford, recognising the need to make the best use of previously developed land.

“The Plan seeks to protect the Green Belt around Oxford, building on the county?s economic strengths particularly in education, science and technology and seeks higher levels of affordable housing. Key however is the delivery of much needed infrastructure.”

Councillor Roger Belson, the County Council?s Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said:”Building new houses alone does not create real communities.
“Adequate transport and other infrastructure must be put in place. Schools, hospitals, community centres, libraries, and water supplies are all vitally important. This will be the central message we will be drumming home to Government through this consultation exercise”.

Consultation responses should be made on special response forms which are available in the consultation section of the South East Plan website at Link

IN a suspected murder case, the body of a man, found in the burned out remains of a house in Northamptonshire, has been identified as that of a Thame photographer.
44 year-old Richard Flippance, of Roundhead Drive, Thame, was found dead along with the sister of Car Phone Warehouse tycoon, David Ross at her home in Brampton Ash, Northants, on Sunday.
A police spokesman has said that a post-mortem indicated that both 40 year-old Fiona Marshall and Richard Flippance had been stabbed.
It is understood that Mrs Marshall had been living apart from her husband and shared the bungalow with their daughter.
Richard Flippance?s family have issued the following statement:
?We have been devastated by Richard?s untimely death. A gentle man with a kind and generous spirit ? he was much loved not only by us, his family, but by his many friends.
?Richard was a very talented individual and could turn his hand to most things ? in fact he was a very useful person to know! He worked in engineering and had recently started a new job which he was very excited about. In his spare time he was a semi professional photographer and his love of horses and ability with a camera made him many lasting friendships in local equestrian circles.”

“There is so much more to Richard but the most important thing that we can say about him is, that as a son, a brother, and a brother-in-law, we couldn?t have wished for better. His loss has left a gap in our lives which can never be filled.

“Richard was always there for his family and friends and we hope that, now he is no longer with us, our wish for privacy at this difficult time will be respected.”

Mrs Marshall’s husband, 36-year-old Alex Marshall, who lives in Rushden, Northamptonshire, was today charged with two counts of murder.

He was due to appear before magistrates in Kettering this morning.