Author: Sonja Francis

SUPPORT is growing for a Robin Gibb fan’s campaign for the late member of the Bee Gees to be posthumously awarded an honorary Knighthood.

Jill Francis from Norfolk began her campaign after the musician, who lived in Thame, died in June last year. Robin was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire medal during his life time for his services to music.

Jill believes that Robin’s charity work outside music, including his support for the campaign for a Bomber Command Memorial, is deserving of the posthumous award. Thousands of people have already signed her petition and she has written to Parliament and members of the Royal Family. Her letter reads:

“I am campaigning to have Robin Gibb (CBE) be served with Recognition. In the past my correspondence has always referred to as a “KNIGHTHOOD” which he so deserves, however as the views within the English Parliament laws of Posthumous Knighthoods are still working in the prehistoric age, and maybe cannot be granted, then I seriously think a recognition title should be granted.

I understand that he already has a CBE, awarded in 2004, but this was only for his Contribution to Music. Things have moved on mountains since.

On many occasions I have mentioned that an application had been filed for a Knighthood for Robin Gibb but with the very slow processing of the application Robin sadly passed away before the application was accepted, in spite of being told that time was of the essence in this particular case due to Robins very ill health at the time. Surly this must be taken into consideration.

Recognition MUST be granted. As you can see by the Disc enclosed thousands of signatures are flooding in to honour Recognition/Knighthood, and everyday more and more people sign this campaign to honour this man. I am transferring even more signatures onto updated discs all the time, the support seems greater every day that passe.

May I just point out a few points to back this campaign?

The Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, London, is an AMAZING achievement for this country, and let us not forget the Tourist Attraction this holds for our City of London. People travel from far away to visit this wonderful Memorial, and means so much too many who visit. When I visited a couple of weeks back, there were 5 veteran soldiers standing quietly, and one gentleman came to me and asked if he could signed the petition for Robin, he did, and said and I quote

“I never thought I would see this, and I can’t thank the people behind this enough it means so much to us all”, and he cried standing in front of me, his friends were also very emotional and thanked me personally for trying to get some recognition for Robin,,,, I was deeply moved, and realized once again how important this was to the Bomber Command crews and their families. 

People have the highest respect for Robin who fought many years to actually make this happen, and have this passed for erecting this magnificent memorial in Green Park. I believe many, many meetings took place trying to get this approved, and many times Robin was knocked back saying it wouldn’t happened, but he NEVER gave up, and his determination and dedication paid off, and we now have this amazing Memorial.

I don’t have to keep emphasising the many other good things Robin done for this country,,,to name but a few are….

The Bomber Command Memorial,
The Titantic Requim. Written and composed by Robin and Robin-John his son……a massive tribute to those who lost their lives on the Titantic .
The Diana Trust….Helping young people
The Outbound Trust….Helping young People
Rebecca House….Childrens Hospice Isle of Man
Poppy Appeal, recording the Song “Ive gotta get a Message to you” with all proceeds going to the Poppy appeal, and performing with ” The Soldiers” who were also active serviceman…..
He campaigned for KEEP BRITAIN TIDY
Supported CHILDREN IN NEED.
Supported THE PRINCES TRUST.
Raised money for UNICEF, by given all proceeds from the song “Too Much heaven”…
Held numerous GARDEN PARTIES at his own family home in ENGLAND for CANCER RESEARCH and BOMBER COMMAND, and raised substantial amounts of money.

And let us not forget his wonderful contribution to the Music World, for over 50 years. There is no end to this Gentleman’s contributions to this country and although he has now passed, money is still being raised in honour of his name, for example:

Robins Run, 200 miles, where members of his family ran from his Oxfordshire Home to the Isle of Man, raising money on the way for the following charities
Hospice Isle of Man: Rebecca House 
Haig Housing Trust; Coming Home
Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

I and thousands of others are asking the question: “Why is Robin Gibb being ignored for a Recognition?” It is unbelievable and beyond belief.

It is not just people from this country, but people from all over the World. 

Here we have a true Englishman, who has done so much, and has actually ACHIEVED mountains, and fought right to the very end to achieve even more, a man who never wanted to stop working. 

England has lost an amazing Ambassador, Representative, call it what you like, a man who was prepared to help, and fight for what is right, dedicated his own personal time, who worked to help, support, and contributed so much and achieved results; a truly remarkable man who England will not see many like again.

I await your reply.

A NEW system to enable Thame residents to raise issues with town Councillors is to be introduced, and the current system of monthly, Saturday surgeries, ended.

This follows a year of logging visits to the often poorly attended monthly surgeries, which showed that of the 50 visits made to the surgeries by residents, only five of them were town council matters. The highest number, 19, were about county council matters and 12 referred to matters which are the responsibility of the district council.

From now on, residents will be able to contact the town hall and arrange to meet a particular Town Councillor on a particular matter, at an agreed time.

The County Councillor (currently Nick Carter) will hold his own surgery separately, and the pre-booked appointment system for arranging an appointment at a pre-agreed time with a Councillor of the resident’s choice (Town and/or District) at either the Town Hall or an alternative venue of their choosing, will apply. 

The new proposal was agreed at tonight’s meeting of the town council’s Policy and Resources committee.

THE latest Neighbourhood Update for the Thame Sector includes several recent incidents of Anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the area.

The following is an excerpt from Thames Valley Police’s September Neighbourhood update: “We have received further reports of ASB in Pearce Way in Thame. Officers will continue to put in extra patrols in an effort to prevent and deter any further ASB; we are also working closely with soha to identify a solution.

“There have also been reports of ASB in the recreational areas in Thame, Southern Road and Elmes Park. We are continuing to patrol these areas and are engaging with the young people to put a stop to this.

A Section 59 was issued to a mini moto in Chalgrove.

A Section 59 was issued to a resident causing ASB in the Chinnor Area.

An ASB warning letter was sent to a resident using a quad bike in an anti-social manner.

An ASB warning letter was sent to a resident using a car to cause a nuisance.

A Court injunction was obtained against two residents in Chinnor for using or threatening violence, using foul language, dangerous driving, threatening to cause damage to property. The same residents have also been issued with a notice of seeking possession.

PCSO Jacky Madden identified a young person who had been acting anti-socially in Sydenham. She made contact with his parents and dealt with him through our ASB team.”

SHED BREAK-INS – More from the report:

Burglary non-dwelling

PCSO Lucy Rattenberry, PCSO Chris Hollis and PCSO Diane Jackson have worked with Lea Park Residents Association to distribute Crime Reduction material to residents regarding shed break-ins. This was following an increase in theft of power tools from garden sheds and vehicles.

Crime information

PCSO Chris Hollis & PCSO Lucy Rattenberry caught a shoplifter in the act and detained him until officers arrived to arrest him, he was charged with shoplifting.

PCSO Chris Hollis detained three separate people for possession of cannabis and they were dealt with appropriately by police officers.

PCSO Lucy Rattenberry has identified three unknown shoplifters from still images; Lucy was able to do this through her local knowledge of the community.

PCSO Diane Jackson and PCSO Chris Hollis identified a known cannabis user and dealt with him appropriately for possession of a controlled substance.

Rural crime

Reports of illegal hare coursing across the rural areas of Watlington continue to come in. The Neighbourhood Policing Team would like to thank Country Watch members, particularly in the Shirburn and Watlington areas, as they are extremely quick to report incidents, along with comprehensive details, enabling officers to respond quickly.

Operation Marauder is pro-actively targeting rural offenders and continues to work closely with the neighbourhood teams. Offenders are often tracking, sometimes across hundreds of acres, causing damage to land, fencing, gates and livestock. We would encourage land owners to (safely) note the registration numbers of any suspicious vehicles looking around, scouting or touting for scrap, and that any unauthorised vehicles driving across land are reported immediately.

Offenders brought to justice

A total of 56 offenders have been brought to justice this month for offences such as cannabis possession, drunk and disorderly, burglary in a dwelling and a non-dwelling, shoplifting and criminal damage to vehicles.

Crime mapping

The Home Office national crime mapping website gives the public access to street-level crime information as well as information on their Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Neighbourhood Priorities and Events – details of Have Your Say and other neighbourhood activities. Log on to www.police.uk (opens new window), type in your local postcode or neighbourhood name and then click on ‘Find out more’.

Have Your Say online

You can now send non-emergency messages to us using the online form that is available on the Thames Valley Police website. A number of people have already sent their concerns using this method. For you to do that please follow the link: Have Your Say – contact your local team Please allow some time for us to get back to you as we do check our mail box only at certain times of the day.

There is also the opportunity to attend Have Your Say meetings in person. Upcoming Have Your Say meetings are:–

Sunday 22 September, 10am – midday, at Watlington Parish Council offices, 1 Old School Place, Watlington with PCSO Michelle Jacques.
These meetings are an ideal opportunity for local residents to speak to their local police officers and PCSO’s about any local issues, no appointment is necessary just turn up and speak to your local officers. Further meetings will be publicised locally and on the force website at www.thamesvalley.police.uk.

If you want any advice or would like to contact the neighbourhood team you can call us on the police non emergency number 101 or email ThameWatlingtonChinnorNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. Please note this email address cannot be used to contact Thames Valley Police to report crimes or for any urgent matters. Alternatively you can visit the force website at www.thamesvalley.police.uk to view information on your neighbourhood (including the September update in full)

THAMES Valley residents are advised to be on their guard to a new type of scam which is becoming prevalent across London and is now spreading to other areas. The courier fraud scam often targets the elderly and vulnerable and takes the following steps:

The victim receives an unsolicited telephone call from fraudsters saying they are from their bank (or in some cases claiming to be the police), stating that their systems have spotted a fraudulent payment on their card or that their card is due to expire and needs to be replaced.

The person may be asked to ring the bank back using the phone number printed on the back of their bank card. This helps to convince the person that the call is genuine. However, the fraudster has kept the telephone line open so even though the person has called the bank, the call does not go through. Instead they are unknowingly connected straight back to the fraudster.
The fraudster then gains the person’s trust by pretending to

In many cases the person is asked to provide their full bank card details and key in their PIN so that their existing card can be cancelled and their new one activated or authorised. The fraudster will then explain that the bank will need to collect the card.
The fraudster will then attend the person’s address or send an innocent courier company driver to collect the card and sometimes provide them with a replacement card which is subsequently found to be fake.

Therefore, the fraudster has obtained the person’s name, address, full bank details, the card itself and the PIN. The bank cards are then used fraudulently without the victim’s knowledge.

There are a number of variations to the scam, including:

Fraudsters pretending to be from the police cold calling members of the public and telling them that their bank account has been compromised by criminals. The fraudster suggests that the person should transfer their bank balance into a ‘safe’ police bank account.
Fraudsters pretending to be from the police attending people’s addresses and retrieving the person’s card and PIN.

Members of the public receiving letters on bank headed paper informing them that their account has been the subject of a fraud. The letter advises them to transfer their funds to a ‘safe’ account and that an official will be in contact to provide them with a new card and PIN.

Fraudsters contacting members of the public requesting them to cut their cards in half because their account has been compromised. They are then asked to post the cut card to an address where fraudsters simply tape the card together again and can use the details to commit fraud.

Between May and August, Thames Valley Police has received 17 reports of fraud of this type, all in the central Milton Keynes area.

Police advice is that if you receive such a call, end it immediately. If you have elderly or vulnerable family members, friends, or neighbours, let them know about the scam.

Please be aware that:
Your bank will never attend your home
Your bank and/or the police will never collect your bank card
Your bank and/or the police will never ask for your PIN
If you receive this type of call, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or via their website. In an emergency, dial 999.

A resident of Sycamore Road, Thame, is to receive a letter from Thame Town Council, warning him that he may face legal action over the unauthorised cutting down of a swathe of foliage on the Cuttlebrook Nature Reserve – apparently to improve his view!

The resident has apparently told the council that he has evidence of having received approval to carry out the work, but no such evidence can be found in the council’s records.

THAME is rapidly running out of burial space. Thame Town Council is to spend up to £1,150 on further ground investigations on part of the allotments next to St Mary’s churchyard, to see if it is suitable for extending the church yard. The council has said that if land in the adjacent allotments is deemed unsuitable i.e. the water table is too high to avoid associated pollution, the church may have to consider reusing graves that are at least 100yrs old or closing the churchyard.

THE Remembrance Day parade, which will take place on November 10, was the unexpected subject of a protracted and heated debate at Tuesday’s meeting of Thame Town Council’s Culture, Leisure and Recreation committee.

After criticism in the local press after last year’s procession, describing the town councillors’ contribution as resembling ‘a rabble’, the committee Chair, Cllr Nicola Dixon, who had up to this point driven the meeting at an almost unseemly pace (may be eager to get the meeting over so that councillors could rush home to watch the England game?) suddenly suggested that councillors should get together and practice marching.

Several councillors objected to the suggestion, Cllr Andy Gunn saying that “Councillors are not members of the armed forces!” As no agreement could be reached by the committee, it was decided to take the matter to full council at its next meeting on Tuesday, September 24. 

THE date for next year’s Music In the Park is to be moved to the May Bank holiday weekend, May 4th, because the previously agreed date fell the day before local Primary school children sit their SATs exams and so need to get a full night’s rest.

THE Mayor of Thame, Peter Lambert, has expressed his sadness that there is to be a delay in the refurbishment of Thame skate park, as he made it one of his priorities in his inaugural speech on being elected as Mayor. The refurbishment of the skate park was stalled earlier this year when the council realised that a planning application was needed before any grant applications could be made. The council says that the project is “a huge priority” but that funding is essential to enable the £250,000 project to move forward.

DESPITE the success of this year’s Carnival, the future of the event is uncertain. A new Chairperson is urgently needed as well as some volunteers to help, from the local community. If you would like to assist in keeping this annual tradition alive, you can contact the Town Hall on 01844 212833.

This year’s carnival raised £2000 for the Thame Youth Café which opened back in January, a year after County Council funding was withdrawn and the youth centre closed.

The number of unemployed claimants in the Henley constituency, which includes Thame, fell in August. At 523 claimants, this represents a rate of 1.1% of the economically active population aged 16 to 64, the 647th lowest percentage of the 650 UK constituencies. 

The number of claimants is 129 lower than in August 2012, and four lower than in July 2013. The number of claimants in Thame was 72.

John Howell MP said: “It is once again refreshing to see a drop in the number of unemployed claimants in the constituency. This is good news. There is no room for complacency here and our thoughts are with those who still cannot find a job. However, the figures speak for themselves in showing the constituency is doing well in this area.”

TWO continental markets will be held in Thame in 2014. An Italian market will be held on March 7 and 8, and a French market October 31 and November 1, 2014.

FIRE Officers based at Thame, along with Brigade colleagues throughout Oxfordshire, held a two minutes silence this morning out of respect for their New York counterparts who died after the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

Officer Andy Ford has particular memories of that time, having met officers from one of Ladder Brigades involved in saving lives and fighting fires on that fateful day. Andy and fellow fire officer, Mark O’Connor, helped to raise funds in Thame and took a plaque bearing The Fireman’s Prayer, over to New York the following month and presented it to the Ladder Brigade from the people of Thame.

IMAGE Courtesy of abcnewsradioonline.com

DESPITE the fears by some town Ccuncillors, a new, bigger ride will replace the ‘Jump and Smile’ that has regularly operated outside the town hall at Thame fair.

Speaking at last night’s meeting of Thame Town Council’s Culture, Leisure & Recreation (CLR) committee, several councillors described the proposed new ride, Superspin, as ‘inappropriate for that part of the town’, ‘frightening for smaller children’ and ‘not appropriate for the setting’.

Generally, the bigger, more scary rides are concentrated at the Upper High Street end of the town, and the smaller rides aimed at younger children, are positioned at the High Street end. It was feared that having a bigger ride outside the town hall would also make it difficult for security staff who tend to be at the Upper High Street end of the fair, because that is where trouble is more likely to occur.

After much discussion, the committee agreed that, because of the lateness of the change coming before them leaving such a short time to consider the proposal, they would allow the new ride just for this year, and that its impact would be assessed as soon as possible after the fair has left, and a decision made then as to whether it could stay for next year.

Both the Mayor, Peter Lambert and the Town Clerk, Helen Stewart, declined to try Superspin for themselves, in the spirit of research.

WATCH ‘Superspin’ in action HERE

WATCH ‘Jump and smile’ HERE