Author: Sonja Francis

UNCERTAINTY about the future of The Market House, in Upper High Street, Thame, continues following information that the Citizens Advice Bureau have been issued with a notice to vacate the building by next September.
The TIC (Thame Information Centre),which also operates from the Market House, is already set to close at the end of March, and some of its functions taken over by the One Stop Shop in the town hall.

It is known that South Oxfordshire District Council, which owns the Market House, has ear-marked it for disposal following a review of its properties and that Thame Town Council is looking into the feasibility of acquiring it.

No one from SODC, the Town Council or Thame CAB was available for comment at time of going to press.

THAME police station is to extend its opening hours as from April 10.
The front office at the Police Station, in Greyhound Lane, will be open from 8.30am to 8.00pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (so long as two members of staff are available,) otherwise its core hours will be 10am to 6pm.
On Fridays and Saturdays, it will be open from 10am to 6pm and closed on Sundays.
Outside these hours, the public can use the yellow phone outside the station, or dial 0845 8 505 505.

Thame Police would like to emphasise that, even when the front office is closed, police officers work out of Thame police station 24 hours a day, seven days a week and that these changes are being implemented to improve the front office facility for the public.

TWO local organisations have been awarded funds by the district council Cabinet’s system of community revenue grants.
Out of a total of

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a vehicle was attacked in Thame?s ‘Little Chef’ car park.
A window was smashed and items stolen between 5.45pm -6.00pm on Monday, February 6.

Thame Police are also appealing for witnesses after a vehicle was attacked in Thame on Saturday, January 28.
A large stone was thrown through the rear window of the vehicle, which was outside an address on Park Street, between 6pm – 10.30pm.

Anyone with any information about either of these offences is asked to contact Thame Police via: 08458 505 505, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on: 0800 555 111.

WARNINGS have been issued that there has been a significant increase in the number of fake notes being tendered, in both the South Oxfordshire, and Vale areas.
These notes are reported to be reasonably good forgeries, and are usually the higher denominations, specifically forged Scottish fifty pound notes and English twenty pound notes.

All notes should be carefully checked and anyone concerned about any notes in their possession should take them along to a bank.
These notes are reportedly usually offered to pay for low value goods in order to gain the maximum change. Particular attention should be made to the watermark and the advise is to refuse any note you are not happy with to refer the person tendering it to their bank. Make a note of the description of any suspect person, their direction of travel and method of travel; and call the police on 08458 505505 immediately.

A QUIZ to raise money for a Thame university student, severely injured in an accident recently, was sold out days before the event and raised almost

FOLLOWING a petition of over 330 names, and representations to Thame Town Council, SOLL Leisure has reversed it decision to run a 50 week programme of swimming lessons at Thame Leisure Centre.
The trouble started when, for budget reasons, SOLL Leisure decided to change its swimming lessons programme from 36 weeks to 50 weeks, with very short notice and without consulting parents, they say.
Many parents were upset because as they saw it, they were having to pay for weeks that included family and school holidays, when their children would be unable to attend their swimming lessons. Also, some parents were of the opinion that running lessons in the school holidays meant that the pool was not available for public swimming.
Parent, Christina Dore, told town councillors at a meeting of the Policy and Resources committee on Tuesday (Jan 31), that she had withdrawn her child from swimming classes after she was given 48 hours notice that her daughter’s swimming day had been changed to another night which clashed with Brownies. She said:”I felt as though we were being emotionally blackmailed to stay with this system. “Children need a break,” she continued. “Swimming shouldn’t be a chore.”
Because the 50 week swimming programme was built in to SOLL Leisure’s Business Plan, there are financial implications for Thame Town Council who have a Management Contract with SOLL to run the pool. However, it is hoped that more public swimmers, Crash Swimming Courses in the summer holidays and other organised activities will make up the difference in expected revenue to the council.
The financial effect of the change will be reviewed in October 2006.