THAMES Valley Police have confirmed that the police station in Greyhound Lane, Thame, is to close as part of a cost cutting exercise.
A small counter will be maintained somewhere on the site once it has been re-developed as apartments, to maintain a presence in the town centre, but the operational side of police work will transfer to a building somewhere on the Thame Business Park.
The current police station will close sometime in March or April, 2013.
MESSAGE from Dick Jennens, the Manager of Thame’s Oxfam Bookshop: “WE LEFT TWO IN THE SHOP AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! IN NOVEMBER 2012 WE WILL CELEBRATE THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF WATERSHIP DOWN.
“THE CLASSIC CHILDREN?S BOOK HAS NEVER BEEN OUT OF PRINT SINCE ITS FIRST PUBLICATION IN NOVEMBER 1972.
REJECTED BY ALMOST A DOZEN PUBLISHERS, REX COLLINGS LTD AGREED TO THE FIRST PUBLICATION.
THIS ICONIC BOOK WAS LATER PUBLISHED BY PENGUIN BOOKS AND BECOME A BESTSELLER AND ONE OF THE ?BBC TOP ONE HUNDRED BOOKS?
The story featured as a film, TV series and was a chart hit for Art Garfunkal as a solo artist with ?Bright Eyes?
We left two copies of the book in the shop overnight, and now we have enough to mount a window display to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first publication.
Fiver, Hazel, Bigwig, Strawberry and Kehaar are waiting to meet a new audience”
May El-ahrairah be with you.”
Celebrate 40 years of Watership Down and buy a copy to reread this November.
HERE is the latest Thame neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), Lucy Rattenberry. The Thame Sector covers the neighbourhoods of Thame, Chinnor and Watlington.
Anti-social behaviour (ASB)
Thame town centre has experienced a slight increase in criminal damage as a result of eggs and stones being thrown at properties. In response the Neighbourhood Policing Team have completed the following:
liaised with local shops advising them not to sell eggs and flour to young people in the lead up to Halloween.
increased high visibility patrols in identified areas.
distributed awareness sheets to local primary schools and vulnerable people and locations.
The most common way we can deal with incidents of ASB is by issuing ASB warning letters, acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs), anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), Section 27 orders ? direction to leave locality, and Section 59 orders – contracts issued for using a vehicle in an anti-social manner.
We have had reports of vehicle related ASB on the Lakeside Estate in Chinnor. The Neighbourhood Policing Team has worked with the local housing association to identify the people responsible and they are currently on warnings for their behaviour. Also, Section 59 notices have been issued and a vehicle has been seized.
We continue to tackle ASB issues in the Watlington area and continue to patrol in order deter ASB.
Halloween/Bonfire Night
The Neighbourhood Policing Team will be conducting high visibility patrols in vulnerable locations. If you are subject to any ASB issues during this period please contact us on 999 if it is an emergency or 101 for non-emergency. There will be extra dedicated resources working on both dates.
Traffic issues
Barley Hill School, Thame and Lord Williams Lower School are experiencing parking issues at both entrances as drivers are causing an obstruction for local residents and safety issues for the pupils. The team have conducted dedicated parking patrols at key times where they have offered advice to motorists in the first instance and issued Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for repeat offenders.
In response to reports of vehicles parking in restricted areas in Watlington Town Centre the team conducted a parking operation. Offending vehicles were issued with FPNs over a period of two weeks.
Winter burglary campaign
The aim of the campaign is to encourage people to invest in light timer switches so that houses are not left in darkness and therefore vulnerable to opportunist burglars. A video is available on the Thames Valley Police Facebook and Twitter pages to promote this. If we see a house we consider to be at risk of burglary, then a postcard entitled ?Here?s a bright idea? will be posted through the letterbox.
Planned activities
attendance at various Remembrance Events across the neighbourhood.
Community Action morning at Lord Williams Lower School.
Operation MANGER involves PCSOs patrolling Town Centre car parks to distribute crime reduction literature.
regular visits to sheltered accommodation coffee mornings to offer Crime Reduction advice and reassurance.
Offenders brought to justice
24 offenders have been brought to justice for a variety of offences, including the following:-
Fraud
Public Order
Drugs
Shoplifting
Assault
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, 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: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh/yournh-about-nh-pol/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n153-hys. 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:?
Friday 2 November, 2pm ? 4pm at the Co-Op caf
LORD Williams?s student and Thame Duellists Fencing Club member, Daniel Kovacs (14,) took third place in the Bucks, Berks & Oxfordshire, Under 16 fencing championships at Langley on Saturday.
Daniel, a previous bronze medallist in the Under 14 age group, maintained his strong record in the tournament this year, even though this was his first test at under 16 level.
With a bye through the last 16 after a strong group stage, Daniel won his quarter final easily but was in the same half of the draw as the eventual winner, Alexander Hardie of Oxford. Alexander fenced strongly to win 15-7 when he faced Daniel in the semi-finals and went on to win comfortably in the final.
Daniel?s next goal is to translate this result into a strong performance at regional level, with the Southern regional championship coming up in the spring.
Thame Duellists Fencing Club welcomes new members, both adults and juniors. Anyone interested should call Club Chairman James Kingston on 07947 049511.
THE inaugural Thame Rotary Art Show, organised by the Rotary Club of Thame, has been hailed a great success.
Rotarian, Jeannette Matelot Green, who chaired the Show?s organising committee, said: ?We had over 40 local artists and sculptors showing their work and all agreed the venue could not be better. It was very busy both on Saturday and Sunday, and we raised over
CORRECTION; We would like to point out that John Massey, mentioned below, was never Mayor of Thame but a long-standing Town Councillor during the 1980s. We apologise for any embarrassment caused to Mrs Massey over this misunderstanding.
A Thame resident, who worked as a secret agent in German occupied France during World War II, is to have a street in a new housing development named after him.
Arthur Staggs, who will be 100 years-old in November, lives at Meadowcroft Residential care home in Thame. He is the proud holder of the Legion D’Honneur from the French Government for his exploits during WWII, when he used his guile and knowledge of the French language to avoid discovery, despite being interrogated by the Gestapo.
Arthur is an Honoury Citizen of Thame, and his name will be reflected in one of the new roads currently being built on the old Memec site, near Jane Morbey Way.
Another Thame resident, the late John Massey, a past Mayor of Thame, will also have a street named after him on the new development.
photo: Arthur during a visit to a French market in Thame, with ex Mayor of Thame, Jeannette Matelot Green
NEW powers to help deal with the potential risk of flooding in the district have been adopted by South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils.
Last month the two councils agreed to take on three key powers acting on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council. These powers are from the Flood and Water Management Act (2010) which was brought in following the floods in 2007.
As a result of this transfer, the two councils are now responsible for:
* giving consent to people who put in structures in
streams and ditches (like bridges or pipes),
* taking appropriate action to make sure landowners
carry out their duties to maintain water flows,
* investigating the cause of flooding events in their
respective districts and making recommendations to
alleviate future risk
Today, in a joint press release, the two councils stated: “This work is not totally new to the district councils as we already have more than 40 years experience in dealing with flooding events, investigation and enforcement, including during and after the widespread flooding in 2007. The new powers will guarantee the continuation of the good work that has happened in helping to identify and alleviate potential flood risks over the last few years, and will also help to provide a more local approach to granting permission for structures such as bridges and piping which are designed to minimise the risk of them causing or exacerbating flooding.”
The transfer of powers from OCC could also potentially save the two district councils a combined sum of around
A new local information website is coming to Thame. Have you ever wished you could put your hands quickly on some relevant local information, like how to find an NHS dentist in the area, where to get help for an elderly relative with mobility issues or even, where to access impartial energy savings advice? Well now you can!
Toogle is a collaboration between the charity, Sharing Life Trust (www.sharinglifetrust.org) and the Thame Alliance Group (TAG). It is a community information, advice and referral service aiming to ensure that the residents of Thame and surrounding areas are easily connected to the available health and human services in their communities.
Just Google, www.toogle.org.uk and you will have instant access to a wide range of local information from Animal Welfare to Social Care. It is set to be a vital local resource.
SOURCE: Contributed by Thame Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) – CAB advice line: 08 444 111 444 or 0300 3300 650(mobile) – For general advice visit: www.adviceguide.org.uk
Your local CAB is in Market Square, Thame.
SIR Ian McKellen, the esteemed RSC actor, star of The Lord of the Rings and the X-Men, and co-founder of Stonewall (a LGBT rights charity) visited Lord Williams?s School today, as part of a campaign to eradicate homophobic bullying in schools.
Lord Williams?s is a Stonewall School Champion and Sir Ian gave talks at both sites to excited and receptive audiences of students across the year-groups.
Sir Ian spoke eloquently about his early experiences of his sexuality in a society in which the only mention of homosexuality was by the derogatory term ?queer?. This lack of acceptance from the wider society of the time partly led him to the more tolerant and relaxed theatre industry, where he was able to flourish as an openly gay actor.
He emphasised the importance of being aware of the offence that can be taken from using the word ?gay? as a synonym for ?bad?, ?useless? or ?broken? ? particularly among teenagers at school. He implored the students to think before they spoke, and respect the feelings of their peers.
While admitting there were understandably differing views in society on controversial issues such as gay marriage, Sir Ian stressed the extreme importance of equality regardless of sexuality, speaking of how he co-founded Stonewall to achieve this both legally and in day-to-day life.
Students were then invited to ask questions about his life and work, and he was happy to tell stories of his experiences in different campaigns, recount how ‘coming out’ had allowed him to develop more confidently as an actor, and even wittily remind students that if they did not study hard, ?You shall not pass!? (a line from his famous role as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series).
After rapturous applause following his extremely engaging and thought-provoking presentation, students surrounded him, anxious to meet such an eminent and highly-respected actor, having heard him discuss such a personal issue. Many students were impressed by his openness. Some admitted that their preconceptions regarding homosexuality had been changed after hearing such an honest account, and that they had previously been unaware of the hurtfulness of using ?gay? as a disparaging term.
Overall, Sir Ian?s visit appears to have made a big impact on the students and teachers at Lord Williams?s, and we are extremely grateful to him for coming to talk to us about this incredibly important issue.
SOURCE: Contributed by Meg Roberts, a Year 13 pupil at Lord Williams’s school
LAST Saturday (03/11), rugby fans were spoilt for choice with three matches being played at Chinnor RFC HQ. The feisty Seconds played on pitch one, defending their unbeaten record. The Thirds played Henley with a host of youngsters playing for Chinnor. a match they lost narrowly, 17-20.
The evergreen experienced Vets (35+) ran rings around and eventually, left behind, Redingensians. It was great to see so many kids involved as linesmen, ball boys and waterboys, and the smaller ones copying Dads on the pitch – an alternative to Daddy Day Care! So gentlemen, if you want to get out of shopping etc, offer to look after the kids and bring them to the rugby club, suitably dressed for a kick around in the mud of course!
Next Saturday?s supporters will have an easier choice for allegiance. The 1sts and 2nds are both at home playing against SHELFORD RFC (near Cambridge). This will be Shelford?s first visit to Chinnor RFC in Thame. Let?s give them a day to remember.
Clash of the Titans
Match Report Chinnor 2nds vs. Old Albanians 2nds
CHINNNOR seconds welcomed Old Albanians to Kingsey road this week for an eagerly awaited top of the league clash. This was to be a crunch game between the two teams with neither having lost a game this season and both having achieving maximum points from all the games. OABs first team plays National one, so we knew it was going to be a tough one and it was a game that both teams wanted to win, but more pressure on the Chinnor boys with it being a home game.
Chinnor?s start was not their normal free flowing game with nerves getting the better of the team. There were the exceptions, being Ed Devine, Nick Harrison and Max Williams who was played like men possessed and were fantastic to watch. This put the OABs under pressure from the kick off, but it was the visitors that stepped up to the mark and put the home side under pressure in the scrums, not something that the Chinnor boys are used to. It took until the 15th minute before George Blewitt took a quick penalty and caught the visitors napping by scoring under the posts. As fate would have it as Sam Angle was striking to kick the ball it fell off the tee and connected with the OABs standing under the posts. With the first points on the board and both teams playing attacking rugby and defending well, Chinnor seemed to settle down and were moving the ball well between forwards and backs, when a silly overhead pass was intercepted by OABs on their 10 metre line and they scored under the posts and OABs were in the lead 7 points to 5.
Unfortunately we lost Max Williams and Ed Devine to injury and we had to use the bench earlier than planned. OABs went on to increase their lead with a push over converted try, but Chinnor came straight back with ?Mr Reliable? Trevor Powell scoring and closed the gap to 10 points to 14. Four minutes later with the boys stepping up a gear and attacking the visitor?s line when Nick Harrison went over for Chinnor to take the lead 15 points to 14 at halftime.
The second half started with Old Albanians putting Chinnor under a lot of pressure which eased when Sam Angell who had experienced an unusually off first half with the boot, kicked a penalty from the half line to increase Chinnor?s lead. The next fifteen minutes Chinnor seemed to lose focus by not sticking to the basics. They lost momentum but the strength of a good team is when they can hold it together when things are not going to plan, and this they did.
During this period Harrison went over for his second try which Angell converted and was also presented us with a try bonus point, and increased the lead to 25 points to 14. Shortly after that a lost turnover ball allowed OABs a soft try and which narrowed the gap to 25 points to 21. The intensity of the game increased with both teams giving their all and it was Chinnor who came out top with a great second try from George Blewitt and the score was 30 points to 21 for Chinnor.
A late try by courtesy of a weak tackle saw Old Albanians close the gap to 30 points to 26 in Chinnor?s favour and that was the full time score. By the end of the game Chinnor supporters had chewed their nails to the quick!
There were many good performances in the team Max, Ed Devine, Ed Vickers, Ed Rixon, Trevor Powell and George Blewitt, but man of the match this week goes to Jack Green for his outstanding defensive work which saved Chinnor on several occasions. The whole team can be very proud of themselves. This makes it maximum points 40 from 8 games.
SOURCE: Contributed by Carol Bradbrook-Taylor