Author: Sonja Francis

PUPILS at Barley Hill school in Thame, didn’t just wear Remembrance poppies, they planted them!

After taking part in a special Remembrance assembly on Wednesday, November 11, and observing the two minute silence, ceramic poppies were ‘planted’ by children who had attended Mrs Harvey’s poppy making workshop, making a wonderful display by the school’s Office Reception.

THE man who has overseen a massive growth in the popularity and sales figures of the Oxfam Bookshop in Thame, is moving on to pastures new, and will, for sure, be missed by customers and volunteers alike.

Recognisable from his distinguished, sartorial individuality (more of that later!), Dick Jennens has been manager of the Oxfam Bookshop for most of the fifteen years since it opened in 2000. The shop’s sales figures over the 15 year period, are stunning, making it one of the top performing Oxfam Bookshops in the country:

Sales of over £2million of donated stock – books and music; over three quarters of a million items that have generated almost £1.7m of income for Oxfam; around 2.5 million items donated by the people of Thame – with about half a million passed on to other Oxfam shops; Single most expensive sold item – Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier, signed first edition in its dust jacket £1800.

Most interesting (Dick’s own choice), War In Iraq, published in 1918; book of photographs compiled by the father of the spy, Kim Philby, sold via the Oxfam Online shop to a customer in France for £1500. Oldest – ‘Art of Distillation’ published in 1653, a book on distilling Whisky and making Gin, sold for over £750.

Biggest single donation – £5,750 made by a donor following the sale of a family autograph book.

Marianne Parslow (pictured right), Deputy Shop Manger, spoke on behalf of Dick’s army of Volunteers: “It’s hard to say what the volunteers will miss most about Dick when he moves up north to Matlock in the New Year. It’s not just his always-interesting ties and his stripy jacket, his cheeriness and good temper, nor even the photographs of his grandchildren on his desk, but we will miss his interest in every person, whether volunteer, community service person, or driver of a delivery van. He can sense what people are good at, and values us for it, whether it is doing up parcels, washing the tea-towels, skills with the till, the pricing gun or the computer, or doing the window displays.

“He listens to us, and then usually does his own thing, but that thing is always the right thing in the context of a busy charity bookshop. He is a truly professional retailer. He has also been a friend, mentor and an example for all the young people doing their Duke of Edinburgh Award or Work Experience with us, as well as to his nearly ninety volunteers, and it is as a friend that we will miss him most.”

“But don’t worry the shop will remain the same as always, so keep your donations coming in. Yes, we will miss him and we wish him lots of success.”

Up until he moves on to the next chapter in his career in the new year, Dick will still be managing the Thame Shop for two days a week, and driving up to Matlock for two days a week until a new manager is appointed for Thame – a manager who will find he or she has a very hard act to follow, but a bunch of wonderful volunteers and loyal customers to help him on his way.

THAME Town Council’s Transport Representative, Cllr Mary Stiles, has said that she is ‘shocked’ to learn that subsidised bus routes to and from Thame are likely to be scrapped, leaving elderly people and students isolated and stranded.

Oxfordshire County County’s Cabinet yesterday voted to remove the subsidies that the council pays to commercial bus companies to operate low use routes. The council has said though that it is continuing to talk to these companies to see if they can take on any of the services commercially.

The Thame routes under threat are Carousel Buses Service 40, that runs between Thame and High Wycombe, the Vale Travel Service 124, that runs between Watlington and Thame, the Vale Travel Service 120, that runs between Thame and Princes Risborough and the Service 123, Thame local service bus.Also, the first and last 280 journeys on Sundays and Bank Holidays would be affected.

Cllr Stiles said: ” I am shocked at this news. It makes a mockery of public consultation and I think that Parish Transport reps will be very angry at our next meeting with OCC, which I will be attending soon on behalf of Thame Town Council.

“Local people need these services which are subsidised by OCC, but as part of the consultation suggestions were made whereby some bus services could be changed to save money e.g. not duplicating the 40 and 123 through Towersey. When I travelled on the 123 to meet passengers and discuss with them OCC’s proposals, we followed the 40 bus from Chinnor to Thame via Towersey!

“The people I met all need the subsidised buses to get to and from work or college or, if elderly or disabled, to get from the eastern end of Thame into the centre. This is vitally important in order to prevent isolation and the health problems that can result from it. I shall be doing all I can to lobby for these services to be retained. OCC’s cabinet say that they may be able to avoid cutting bus subsidies, if Government provide more money. Therefore I urge Cllr Nimmo-Smith and the Leader of the Council to be like Oliver Twist and ask for more!”

The cuts are aimed at saving the council around £million 3.5. It is hoping that voluntary groups will take up some of the slack by providing similar schemes to the Dial-A-Ride service, which it also wants to scrap, and says that some funding may be available for such schemes where a proven need is identified in an area.

‘Difficult choices’

Cllr David Nimmo Smith, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “As a county council we are faced with very difficult choices. We are now in our sixth year of cuts since 2010. We’ve stopped using more than 100 properties, reduced our staffing by 30 per cent and our senior management by 40 per cent since 2010. We’re sharing services with other councils.

“We have a legal and moral duty to support the most vulnerable in society – that means adults who are in our care because they need help washing, dressing, eating and other personal care, and children at risk of abuse and neglect. Almost 50 per cent of our budget goes on care services for adults and children. We need to make savings in other areas to fund those vital services.

“We have already successfully made big savings by running and funding supported transport services more efficiently and have plans to do much more. To make the remaining savings we have consulted on options to either reduce or end the subsidies we pay to bus companies while discussing with them the prospects for them continuing to run services. It is really important to understand that more than 90 per cent of bus services in Oxfordshire would be unaffected by these proposals.

“We’re in the process of saving £290m from 2010 to 2018 and may have to save as much as £50m on top of this.”

What next?

This recommendation will now be fed in to the council’s overall budget process, with a final decision being taken in early 2016.

Under the cabinet’s approved option, bus services would cease at different times throughout the Summer and Autumn 2016 depending on contract termination times.

A special paving stone has been installed at the Thame Youth Memorial in Thame’s Upper High Street, by the friends and family of a popular Thame teenager who died tragically back in March, 2015.

The stone was laid on Sunday, November 1, which is Megan Biddle’s birthday. Family and friends of Megan, known as ‘Bid’ to her friends, are currently working on a bespoke memorial bench for installation at Southern Road Recreation Ground. Megan already has a walk-way sign named after her, as a tribute from neighbours.

A separate bench is also planned by Megan’s skater friends, to be installed at the new Thame skate park, shortly to be opened after an extensive update and extension.

PREVIOUSLY – Link

FIRE crews from Thame and Aylesbury were called to a property in Orchard Close, Thame on Monday, (9/11) at 12:05pm, where they were faced with smoke issuing from a bungalow. A team of firefighters in breathing apparatus, carrying a high pressure hose reel jet and using a thermal imaging camera were sent into the property. Using this specialist equipment, the crew were  quickly able to locate and put the fire out,  preventing it from developing further.

On further investigation it was found that the fire had been started by hair straighteners which had been accidentally turned on and set fire to a pile of clothes they were laying on.

Fortunately the elderly couple who live in the bungalow noticed the smoke, left the bungalow and called the Fire and Rescue service straight away. Their couple were praised by fire crew who said that their prompt action prevented, what would have become, a much larger fire.

Thame Watch Manager, Andy Ford from Thame Fire Station, said: “If it had not been noticed, the fire could have gone undetected for a lot longer and certainly would have been a lot more severe. It is so important to make sure electrical items are turned off and if not needed, unplugged.” Mr Ford went on to say that the smoke alarm fitted in the property had not sounded because it was very old.

“I would remind everyone,” he went on, ” how important it is to make sure your smoke alarms are in date and in full working order by carrying out a weekly test to ensure the battery and internal components are still capable of sounding the alarm.”

For further advice on electrical safety, smoke alarms or any other fire related concerns, visit: www.365alive.co.uk  If you have a fire safety question you can call the free phone community safety helpline on 08000 325 999 or email: community.safety@oxfordshire.gov.uk