Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • 30/04/13….Thame Neighbourhood Plan: Councillors’ titles in advert questioned

    DEAR Editor, Last week’s Gazette advertisement in support of a Neighbourhood Plan ‘Yes’ vote was signed by Councillor David Bretherton and Councillor Mike Welply. The use of the ‘councillor’ title gives the impression that both were commenting in an official capacity on council policy.

    I understand that according to The Neighbourhood Planning (Referendums) Regulations 2012, no material is allowed to be published by or on the behalf of the relevant council or the local planning authority during the referendum period.

    I am disappointed that use of the ‘councillor’ title may afford unwarranted gravitas to this advertisement, whether or not deliberately intended. Perhaps the councillors concerned could clarify their position.

    Roger Cole
    Thame

  • 30/04/13…..Thame Neighbourhood Plan: Will the count be fair?

    DEAR Editor, I heard recently that Thame Town Council will be counting the results of the referendum to save money. If this is so, why at this stage when tens of thousands of pounds have already been spent on the Neighbourhood Plan?

    How can we be sure this count will be fair and impartial given that a number of town councillors are actively involved with promoting the vote ‘Yes’ campaign? Is the vote count open to public scrutiny/observation?

    Catherine Hollingworth
    local resident

  • 30/04/13…..Let the kids ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ at Music In The Park

    THE organisers of Thame’s Music in the Park, on May 12, are aware of how difficult it can be for parents with younger children to fully relax and enjoy large events such as this festival. Thankfully, BASE, from Barley Hill Church, will be lending a helping hand to provide some welcome free time for parents, keeping the kids happy with jungle-themed activities.

    BASE* will be running activities for children aged 4 -12 in the Children?s Crafts Area. Children can be left to enjoy a range of fun activities in the capable hands of trained volunteers, allowing their parents to enjoy the music and see the rest of the attractions at their own pace. This year the activities will have a jungle crafts theme and the children will have fun creating animal face masks and musical instruments.

    Sessions time are: 13.00-13.45, 14.00-14.45 and 15.00-15.45.

    Sessions are split between 4 – 8 year-olds and 9 – 12 year-olds, and there are 40 places per session.

    These sessions are free, although a donation would be appreciated.

    Other fun activities for the children will include the Mega Slide, Bungee Run and Disco Dome.

    Music In The Park is the ideal family-friendly event and local youth are well represented among the performers, which will include the John Hampden School Choir and Little Bill?s Big Band, comprising pupils from Lord Williams?s School.

    With Music in the Park?s family entrance tickets being such good value (

  • 30/04/13……Meet the candidates No 7 – Local Engineer to stand for UKIP

    THE second UKIP candidate who is standing for one of the two County Council Election seats for Thame and Chinnor in Thursday’s election, is William Parkinson.

    Here is his statement: “I have lived in Chinnor for 11 years, attend the local church, work as a volunteer for the elderly, am a member of the U3A and in the recent past have been an Advocate.

    I am an Engineer having worked in the aircraft industry and held posts as Assistant Development Engineer and then Experimental Engineer. I have also been employed as a lecturer in Management studies majoring in Management Accounting and HR Law.

    I have been a member of UKIP for six years and believe that their policies, both at County level and National level, are what this country needs at the present time.”

  • 29/04/13….Neighbourhood Plan: ‘Undue influence’ from Residents’ Associations?

    DEAR Editor, It is becoming quite clear that an undue influence has been put upon The Town Council by the three Residents Associations representing the western area of Thame. The interests of the remaining areas have consequently received less consideration.

    Under this circumstance the pressure placed upon the inhabitants of Thame to vote Yes by members of the Town Council can hardly be seen as being democratic.

    To those who have doubts in the fairness of the manipulations vote NO.

    Colin Sear
    Park Terrace
    Thame

  • 29/04/13….Last match of the season victory for Chinnor RFC

    MATCH REPORT – National 2 South – Saturday, April 27 – SCORE: Chinnor 27 Launceston 13 – CHINNOR, in their last home match of the season, repeated the result of their first match of the season by overcoming Launceston 27-13 at Kingsey Road on Saturday.

    With a number of injuries and non-availabilities, Chinnor made some changes with Seymour and Blewitt called up to the starting 15.

    The first score came in the eith minute from a catch and drive from a lineout. Skipper Winpenny touched down to give Chinnor a 5-0 lead. A promising backs move broke down in midfield but Jones, for Chinnor, saw a gap on the blind side and put Millett away. His neat slip pass saw Seymour power over the line from 35 metres on the 18th minute. Launceston mounted a series of attacks and the Chinnor defence committed a series of penalty offences. Whelan, just on the field as a replacement, lasted no more than two minutes before receiving a yellow card for persistent infringements by the Chinnor team, 22 minutes into the match.

    Millett?s penalty goal on the 28th minute gave the home side a 13-0 lead. On two occasions, fly hacks nearly resulted in tries for Chinnor but the Launceston defence was sharper to react.

    The first Launceston score of the afternoon came on the 30th minute with a penalty goal from Kieron Lewitt to make the match score 13-3. Launceston No 8, Josh Lord, in his final match for the club, incurred the wrath of referee Mr Sullivan and received a yellow card. Half-time saw the score at 13-3 to Chinnor.

    It was not until the 55th minute that a sustained period of Launceston pressure was converted into points. A neat grubber kick flat-footed the Chinnor defence and Paterson scooted into score Launceston’s first try of the day. Lewitt?s conversion closed the match score to just 13-10 in favour of Chinnor.

    Chinnor came straight back just two minutes later when a piece of Millett sidestep magic at a ruck produced a short flat pass to Fielding, who hit the line at pace. With the defence line broken, Fielding had an easy jog to the posts. Millett?s conversion was a formality and the Chinnor lead increased to 20-10.

    Hopwood, just two minutes on the field as replacement, was adjudged to have tackled dangerously and the referee decided that a 10 minute rest was in order. Jake Murphy, from Launceston, stepped up for a successful penalty goal and a match score of 20-13 to the Oxfordshire boys.

    On the 67th minute, a well-organised rolling maul saw Winpenny touch down for his second try of the afternoon to increase the Chinnor lead to 25-13. Millett?s conversion was the final scoring act of the day to give Chinnor a 27-13 victory.

    Launceston produced some promising scoring opportunities, particularly out wide, but Chinnor?s scramble defence always did just enough to keep them out. Paterson always looked dangerous with ball in hand.

    Chinnor produced a gritty, defensively sound performance with Mowbray usually involved. They patiently worked to create opportunities for scoring interspersed with some smart handling from the backs, particularly in the lead up to Fielding’s try. Both Millett and Fielding, despite their tender years, had good matches in the black and white shirt.

    With just one match of the season to go, Chinnor are set to finish sixth in this competitive league – their highest level of attainment ever in the club’s history. Much of the progress of the club can be laid at the door of Jason Bowers who steps down as head coach at the end of the season to progress his career with the RFU. He will be much missed by players and supporters alike.

    Scorers:
    Chinnor: Winpenny 2T; Seymour T; Fielding T; Millett 2C, PG
    Launceston: Paterson T; Lewitt C, PG; Murphy PG

    Chinnor team:
    Matt Mountford, Pip Seymour, Leo Fielding, Sam Stoop, Tom Gray, Will Millett, Frank Jones, Joe Winpenny (c), Simon Tattersall, Andy Berry, Sam Blewitt, Andrew Smith, Tom Mowbray, Nick Harrison, Liam Gilbert
    Replacements: Tom Whelan, Ed Vickers, Adam Hastings, Macsen Williams, Ricky Hopwood

  • 29/04/13…..Meet the candidates No 6 – The two Lib Dem Davids

    THE Liberal Democrats are fielding two candidates for two, Thame & Chinnor seats at the County Council elections on Thursday, May 2, both of them currently Thame Town councillors, and one of them a District Councillor too.

    Here is David Laver’s personal statement: “I have been a resident here for over 37 years and as a councillor for 14 years. Twice Town Mayor of Thame, I think I have shown my commitment to Thame and its surroundings. I have been a school governor, am a Museum Trustee, a representative on 21st Century Thame, and for 20 years I have been active with the Cuttlebrook Reseve Volunteers. I think this is proof of my commitment and my intention to get stuck in. I am very keen to maintain the economic and environmental health of the division and as my wife has a shop in Thame.

    I am very interested in maintaining the vibrancy and unique character of the town centre. I love the Chilterns and spent some time on the Chilterns Board. I think I can bring my experience to the County Council and I fully understand the problems facing the County Council and how vital it is to maintain the services that the council provides. I am not just standing for political reasons as may be the case with some of the candidates.”

    The other Lib Dem candidate, David Bretherton, has lived in Thame for nearly 30 years. Married to Margaret, they have three children who live locally and five grandchildren who attend Thame schools.

    He has been a Town and District Councillor for 10 years and has twice served as Mayor of Thame. He has sat for many years on the Planning Committee at SODC. He is a very keen founding volunteer at Thame Museum and is also a trustee of Thame Youth Memorial.

    For many years David has been a Governor at Barley Hill School and chairman of the Thame Sinaia Association.
    He is keen to ensure that County Council services are maintained for the people of the Thame and Chinnor. He intends to be an active councillor seeking out solutions to Thame residents’ problems.

    PHOTO; David Bretherton (Left) & David Laver

  • 29/04/13…..’Yes’ camp spreads its message to shoppers

    THE ‘Yes’ Campaign, who are encouraging the people of Thame and Moreton to vote to accept the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, attracted a lot of attention when they ‘camped out’ in the town centre on Saturday.

    Alongside another stand, manned by Thame Town Council, the ‘Yes’ group answered questions from passers by about the Neighbourhood Plan, and visitors to their tent included Thame’s MP, John Howell, and Michael Oatway, Oxfordshire’s Youth Parliament representative. Michael said: “”The neighbourhood plan has got Thame’s best intrests at heart and will be greatly beneficial to all residents if voted in.”

    Jeannette Matelot Green, for the ‘Yes’ campaign, who was on the spot most of the day with fellow members, in their distinctive T-shirts, told ThameNews.Net: “We spoke to many residents and the key questions were: Using the Plan to explain where the housing would be allocated; Primary school and health centre provision;
    Where the Elms Field allocation had come from – we explained that this had come forward later in the consultations and it had been agreed that SODC and English Heritage had no objection to this and therefore
    it would get planning permission whether we vote Yes or No.

    “We explained that if the Plan was turned down,the 45 houses would then be considered Windfall and would be added to the 775 houses making it 820 houses. Some residents still thought they were voting for 775 houses and once they realised that was not the case, they thought they would now vote Yes.

    ” Another popular questions was what would happen about the Cattle Market if there was a No vote. We couldn’t say what Sainsburys would do, but the most likely outcome was that they would appeal against SODC’s decision to refuse their planning application.”

    On Sunday, Thame enjoyed being in the political limelight, when the town and its plan featured on the Politics show on Sunday, on the BBC. There representatives from both the No and the Yes camp had their say, and Neighbourhood plans in general were discussed by studio guests.

    You can watch the Politic Show on iplayer here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01rxx34/Sunday_Politics_South_28_04_2013/ It’s at about 48:14 secs along.

    IMAGE: (Courtesy of Nick White Photography) John Howell MP urges local people to vote for the Thame Neighbourhood Plan

  • 29/04/13…….Dig out those unwanted tools for craftsmen in Africa

    THE Rotary Club of Thame is asking the public to check their sheds and lofts and bring their old tools to the Upper High Street car park, near Market House, in Montesson Square on Saturday morning, May 25, between 9:00 and 14:00.

    Every year the Rotary Club of Thame runs a collection point for unwanted tools. These are then taken to ‘Tools for Self Reliance’ at Netley Marsh near Southampton. The latter is a charity which refurbishes them and sends them to NGOs in Africa. The NGOs then distribute them among both men and women craftspeople, to enable them to obtain work.

    Rotarian Peter Hook, Chairman of the International Committee at the Thame Rotary Club said: “The Rotary Club of Thame would like to encourage everyone to check their garages and lofts and bring their unwanted items to us to give the craftspeople in Africa a chance to put their skills to good use for the benefit of their community, as we believe it is a worthy cause.”

    Here are a few examples of items to be collected:

    ?Sewing machines
    ?Blacksmiths tools ? especially anvils, leg vices, hand operated pillar drills
    ?Carpentry tools ? especially large carpenters’ vices, metal jack planes and tri-planes, drawknives;
    ?Engineering and Metalworking tools ? especially HSS twist drills, metric taps & dies, hand operated bench grinders;
    ?Bicycle repair tools ? especially spoke spanners;
    ?Shoe repair tools ? especially complete sets of individual lasts;
    ?Auto mechanics’ tools ? especially HD screw jacks, tyre pressure gauges, foot-pumps;
    ?Electrical repair tools ? especially multi-meters, Arc Welders (240V);
    ?Industrial quality power tools ? especially drills and bench grinders.

    Once refurbished by a group of retired engineers at Netley Marsh, the tools are packed into containers for shipment to African countries. From the port of arrival they are taken by members of the organisation to villages to help the people become more self-reliant.

    Anyone with tools available to donate but who may not able to go to the Upper High Street car park on the May 25, can send a message via the Rotary Club’s website: www.thame.rotaryweb.org
    or ring/text 07764 85 49 49

  • 26/04/13…..Unprotected park entrance increases risk of accidents, says Thame Head

    FOLLOWING recent safety concerns about a missing pedestrian gate to Elms Park, the headteacher of nearby John Hampden Primary School, has added his voice to pleas to Thame Town Council to act.

    In a statement today, Alan Haigh said: “The school pays a small nominal sum to Thame Town Council for the use of the park. This has been the case for many years. In recent years the school has supported efforts to change the park into an increasingly user-friendly facility for families and especially children, eg Music in the Park.

    “In advocating this park as a superb green area and space to play in, our interests as a school lie firmly in upholding this as a safe place to play by large numbers of children being able to play unsupervised with the most minimal levels of danger and risk.

    “As a school supporting and promoting sustainable travel in the town and around the school, many children use bicycles and scooters to come to and from school. They should and do use the park pathway which leads on to the highly busy Park Street. An unprotected park entrance would logically increase the risk of accidents.”

    Parent recalls near-miss….

    Several parents have had, what to them, were worrying experiences, including this Thame resident who did not wish to be named (name and address supplied)for personal reasons:

    “The incident happened one day as I left the park with my two daughters, one in a buggy and one on a scooter. We exited the park onto Park Street with my eldest daughter, then five, exiting first on her scooter.

    “As she went through the exit where the gate should be and turned left onto the pavement, a white van mounted the dip in the kerb to make a delivery the the house immediately on the left, missing my daughter by a couple of inches!!

    “Clearly this exit is concealed, hence I would like a barrier put up between the road and pavement. The van should not have done this as that side of Park street is double yellow lined. However, on a daily basis this does not put off vehicles from parking on this side.

    “I submitted a comment on the town council’s website detailing my experience and supporting the need for a gate and barrier. I’m not certain why this isn’t getting sorted as it seems clear to me that as a public space frequented by many people, and especially children, that these necessary safety features should be in place as can be seen in other parks in Thame. So surely a precedent has been set!

    “The council has a responsibility to provide the community with safe recreational areas. Therefore, you would think they would make it a priority to correct this ASAP.

    “The alternative is an accident waiting to happen… it’s a no brainer to me!

    The Mayor of Thame, Nigel Champken Woods, speaking at the recent annual, Town Meeting, told concerned residents: “The entrance has undergone several inspections by ROSPA, the last of which being two weeks ago, and they have reported the current layout to be of ?minimal risk?. However, the Council is responding to the concern raised by local residents and the issue will be raised at the next Culture, Leisure and Recreation meeting.”

    PHOTO: The view through the pedestrian side entrance from Elms Park, Thame, onto Park Street