THAME CINEMA 4 ALL – Saturday, April 14th; Wuthering Heights – UK 2011, 129 minutes, 15 certificate, Directed by Andrea Arnold, Starring Kaya Scodelario, James Howson
TO describe this film as a Bront
Author: Sonja Francis
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14/04/12….Woman admits drink driving in Thame
A woman from Chinnor has been banned from driving for a year, after admitting drink-driving in North Street, Thame.
Esmeralda Martinez, 37, of Thame Road, Chinnor, who admitted carrying out the offence on December 11, 2011, had 89 milligrams of alcohol in 100ml of blood, above the legal limit of 80 milligrams.
She was fined
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13/04/12….Police operation to crack down on speeding
THAMES Valley Police will be taking part in the European TISPOL (European Traffic Police Network) police campaign to crack down on speeding motorists.
All police forces across Europe will be tackling speeding concerns throughout the week commencing Monday, April 16, to Sunday, April 22.
Thames Valley Police will conduct random speed checks throughout the Thames Valley area at all times of the day and night. Drivers who are caught speeding will be issued with anything from a Fixed Penalty Notice to a summons to attend court.
During last year?s campaign, 1329 drivers were issued with Fixed Penalty Notices for speeding in the Thames Valley.
Sgt Chris Appleby, from the Joint Roads Policing Department, said: ?This campaign is another example of the determination and continuous commitment of Thames Valley Police to tackle the issue of speeding in our communities. Drivers who choose to break the law will be prosecuted.?
Follow us on Twitter @ThamesVP for updates on how the campaign is going throughout the week.
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12/04/12…Crime levels down in Thames Valley
THE overall level of crime in the Thames Valley has fallen by more than 13 per cent according to the latest figures released yesterday (11/04) by Thames Valley Police.
In a year where the Force has had to make budget cuts while protecting front-line policing, statistics for April 2011 to the end of March 2012 show there were 22,566 fewer crimes in the Thames Valley compared with the same period in 2010/11, equating to a fall of 13.1 per cent.
In the South and Vale Local Policing area, which includes Thame, the crime rate fell by 15.6 per cent.
Categories of crime showing the largest reduction include violent crime against the person, sexual offences and serious acquisitive crime.
The end of the year crime summaries show that in 2010/11 there were 172,397 crimes recorded across the Force area which serves more than two million people, compared to 149,831 crimes during the period 2011/12.
The number of offences of causing death by driving dropped by more than 62 per cent, and offences of violence against the person without injury fell from 35,910 to 27,324, a reduction of 26.9 per cent. The total number of violence against the person offences fell by 23.9 per cent.
Serious sexual offences fell by nine per cent from 1,524 to 1,387 and serious acquisitive crime fell from 28,414 to 24,709 representing a decrease of 13 per cent.
Domestic burglaries fell by 8.2 per cent from 9,600 to 8,817 and the number of burglaries of business premises fell by more than ten per cent from 11,206 to 10,051.
Theft of vehicles and from vehicles have fallen by 25.7 per cent and 12.7 per cent respectively, while vehicle interference offences have dropped by 38.5 per cent.
The number of criminal damage offences has fallen by 15.3 per cent, but drug possession has seen an increase of four per cent and drug trafficking has increased by 14.9 per cent.
The number of offences listed in the ?other? category which includes hate crime, domestic abuse, homophobic and racist incidents has also fallen.
Chief Constable Sara Thornton said: ?Cutting crime is Thames Valley Police?s most important responsibility and I am really pleased that we have cut crime by 13 per cent over the last year. We have done this despite reductions in our budget which makes it more impressive. Most important of all, this means that there were over 20,000 fewer victims in Thames Valley last year.?
Thames Valley Police Authority chairman, Khan Juna, said: ?The continued reduction in crime across the Thames Valley area over the last year is certainly good news for people living in the Thames Valley area.
?The improvement in our crime figures confirms the ongoing success of our commitment to responding to the priorities of the public, being to cut crimes that are of most concern to the community; to increase the visible presence of the police, and to protect our communities from the most serious harm.
?On behalf of our communities I would again like to thank the Force for their efforts and hard work in achieving this further improvement in crime reduction. Nevertheless, we all want to see this improvement continue and will support our Force in their challenge to reduce crime even further.?
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12/04/12….Cookies & Milkshakes VIP treat for talented Thame singer
A YOUNG Thame’s Got Talent winner, who so impressed the judges with her wonderful singing voice, celebrated in style with friends today, when they were treated to cookies and milkshake at the Time Out Caf
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12/04/12…Diary date: Open Gardens in Thame – May 20, 2012
OVER 3,700 gardens will open for charity for the National Gardens Scheme (Yellow Book), including five gardens in Thame, on Sunday, May 20, between 2pm and 6 pm.
The combined admission price will be
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11/04/12….Join the Queen to celebrate her jubilee
THE residents of Oxfordshire are being invited to The Queen?s Diamond Jubilee Garden Party, to be held near Henley.
Four thousand guests, together with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, will attend the party to be held on the afternoon of Monday, June 25.
To be one of these guests, Oxfordshire residents can apply through a public ballot which will be drawn next month. Successful applicants will join guests from all walks of life including representatives of voluntary organisations and charities, together with civic, community and business leaders.
Over a thousand tickets up for grabs
The event is being jointly organised by the Lord Lieutenants of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire as part of The Queen?s UK-wide Diamond Jubilee regional tour.
More than a quarter of the tickets will be available through the public ballot which will be drawn on Wednesday, May 9, by the Lord Lieutenants of each of the three counties.
How to apply
The ballot is open to residents aged 18 or over of all three counties. Each successful applicant will be allocated a double ticket so they can bring a guest.
Application forms can be downloaded from Oxfordshire County Council?s website. Residents without internet access can get a hard copy at public libraries from next week. The ballot closes on Monday, April 30, and successful applicants will be notified by the end of May.
Guests are promised a splendid afternoon to remember. A highlight is a river pageant themed around the Thames which celebrates the important role the river has played in the life of the three counties over a thousand years.
Closely associated with the event is a major Jubilee fundraising appeal for the four Community Foundations in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. To make a donation to the Jubilee Fund for Oxfordshire, or for more information, visit the Oxfordshire Community Foundation website.
IMAGE: Courtesy of http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/
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11/04/12…Opening hours to be cut at Thame police station
THAMES Valley Police has announced the new opening hours of its front counters in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse local police area (LPA), following a review of counter services across the Force. The new hours will be implemented from 2 July 2012.
Supt Rob Povey, Commander of South Oxfordshire and Vale LPA, said: ?Our aim is to make best use of our resources, while maintaining a local police presence in our communities, which we have managed to achieve. However, there will be reductions in some of the front counter opening hours in the South and Vale.
?I want to reassure the community that this is not about removing officers from our streets. The visibility and availability of police officers to attend incidents is not affected by front counter opening times. Your neighbourhood teams will still be out patrolling the same areas they do now and will retain their local bases.
?It is also important people are clear that this does not affect emergency response teams in South Oxfordshire and Vale LPA, which are separate from neighbourhood teams. They remain on patrol 24-hours-a-day across the borough and will continue to operate as normal.
?We know that the role of counter services is much valued by the public, and we have worked hard to maintain a high level of service provision in the face of substantial budget cuts across the whole of Thames Valley Police. The new opening hours were drawn up after an analysis of demand and extensive consultation with staff, partner agencies and the general public.?
The opening hours at Thame police station in Greyhound Lane, will change to 9am ? 5pm, Tues – Sat; from July 2, 2012.
As well as visiting a police station front counter, there are a number of other ways to contact your local police, which many people may find easier and more convenient.
Thames Valley Police now has a new number ? 101 ? for non-emergency calls and routine enquiries. There is no change to the emergency number, 999.
You can also use the Force website www.thamesvalley.police.uk to report a crime, as well as to access a wealth of information including:
details of your neighbourhood team
crime prevention advice
road safety
latest news and events
answers to frequently-asked questions.Up-to-the-minute information is available on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, all of which can be easily reached via our website.
Neighbourhood policing teams provide a direct point of contact in each community. They are available while out on patrol, during Have Your Say meetings and public forums, via email, at Neighbourhood Action Groups and many other local initiatives. Visit the website or call 101 to contact your neighbourhood officers.
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11/04/12…..Rotary puts the pressure on with the Stroke Association
THE Rotary clubs of Thame and Haddenham & District will be hosting a ‘Know Your Blood Pressure’ event at the Co-operative Supermarket, High Street in Thame, on Saturday, April 28, to help raise awareness of the link between high blood pressure and stroke across the UK.
The event will be taking place between 10am and 2pm, offering the public a free blood pressure monitoring service with information and advice on stroke-related health issues. At the same time the two clubs will carry out a street collection in the Thame town centre to raise funds on behalf of the Stroke Association.
The two Rotary Clubs are joining scores of clubs across the UK as part of the ‘Know Your Blood Pressure Campaign’ in partnership with The Stroke Association and the Ambulance Service.
It is estimated that around 16 million people in the UK have high blood pressure and around a third are unaware of this. At least 40% of strokes could be prevented each year if people checked their blood pressure and took steps to control it. In 2011, more than 30,000 people had their blood pressure taken at a Know Your Blood Pressure event and more than 4,000 people were diagnosed with high blood pressure.
Rachel Seyler from the Stroke Association says: ?Thousands of strokes could be prevented every year if more people took steps to monitor their blood pressure. You can keep your blood pressure under control by making a few healthy lifestyle changes. For example, eating a balanced diet in saturated fat, exercising regularly and cutting your salt intake will go a long way. Knowing your blood pressure is the vital first step and I strongly urge everyone to go and get theirs checked.?
Rotarian Tyrell Gillman, Coordinator of the local event added: ?Over the years this event may have prevented thousands of people from having a stroke. It may be quite worrying to discover you could be at risk of a stroke, but once it is highlighted it is possible to make changes which will reduce that risk. The team will welcome any query, even if it is just for a chat, and help you find out how strokes can be prevented through simple lifestyle choices. Regular exercise, healthy eating and giving up smoking can all help to regulate blood pressure.
He added: ?Members of our Rotary Clubs will also be in the Thame town centre collecting any spare cash on behalf of the Stroke Association and we encourage the public to support our fundraiser.?
To find out more about the campaign, please visit the Thame and Haddenham & District Rotary Clubs websites: www.thame.rotaryweb.org and www.haddenham-rotary.org.uk or call the Stroke Association on 0303 30 33 100.
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11/04/12…New planning policies better for Chilterns
THE Chairman of the Chilterns Conservation Board, based near Thame, has hailed the government’s new planning policies ‘a great improvement on their earlier version.’
Mike Fox, Chairman of the Chilterns Conservation Board, said: “The Board is relieved that the Government has listened to the ferocious criticism of its earlier plans to completely overhaul the planning system, which would have left the countryside vulnerable to poor quality development and long term damage to the environment.
?The revised polices are much better than the draft and retain much of what was good about the previous system,? said Colin White, the Board?s Planning Officer.
“Simplifying planning policies is not in itself a bad thing as long as you keep much of the detail that is necessary to safeguard the environment as the public would expect.”
The Board was concerned that the earlier draft would have meant much weaker protection for the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the environment in general.
A number of important changes have been made to the draft, some of which respond to concerns that the Board and others had expressed.
These include:
The primacy of the local plan is retained, ensuring that proposals must be consistent with the development plan.
A better definition of sustainable development, based on the 2005 sustainable development strategy.
The expectation that previously developed land will, in general be developed before green field sites.
The removal of the default ?yes? to development where there is no plan.
A reference to the ?intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside?, which recognises the importance of countryside outside designated areas.
Confirmation that existing plans will remain in force while the new policy framework is introduced, and that there will be a one-year transition for the preparation of new plans – though this is considered to be a very short period of grace.
Recognition that it is proper to seek to promote or reinforce local distinctiveness when considering the design of new development.
All these changes are considered to improve the document. However, the Board remains concerned that, in practice, there are still many grey areas. Application of the new planning policies may be fraught and many decisions will be decided on appeal or even in the courts.
Bettina Kirkham, chairman of the Board?s Planning Committee, said: ?We welcome the emphasis on good design and will continue to support development for local needs as long as it also conserves the special character of the Chilterns.?
PHOTO: Kingsford Cottage, Speen, Joint Winner of the annual Chilterns Buildings Design Awards 2011