THAME and District Citizens Advice Bureau wish you a very happy Christmas and a healthy and peaceful new year. You can find some helpful tips about enjoying this time of year without blowing the budget at: www.citizenadvice.org.uk See especially:
12 ways to be a savvy seasonal shopper
10 top tips to avoid a Christmas hangover
RESIDENTS in South Oxfordshire are set to be the first in the country to see their council tax go down, under proposals put forward by its Leader.
Cllr Ann Ducker, today became the first council leader to announce that her council intends to reduce its council tax in 2012/13, a move, she says, which would be a welcome boost to many residents throughout the district.
Cllr Ducker is proposing a 2.5 per cent reduction. This would reduce the amount that a Band D taxpayer pays for the services provided by South Oxfordshire District Council from
MATCH REPORT: Saturday, December 2, 2011: Newbury Blues 0, Vs Chinnor 67 ; In their first ever league meeting with Newbury, Chinnor ran out comfortable winners by 67-0 to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
The first of Chinnor?s 11 ties came on the 4th minute when, from a lineout catch and drive, Winpenny touched down. On the 11th minute, after two quick rucks, some precise passing in the tramlines released Richie Williams to score Chinnor’s second try. Cathcart added the extras to give a 12-0 lead to the visitors from Thame.
Chinnor expected their third try on the 19th minute when a rolling maul, powering over the line, left the ball behind. Cathcart picked up and had a dart and was held up but managed to work the ball to Gilbert who crashed over for 17-0. Cathcart?s conversion then made the score 19-0 to Chinnor. With a penalty for holding on, Jones, for Chinnor, took a quick tap to Prinsloo who, running a wonderful line, slipped Seymour in for Chinnor’s bonus try, converted by Cathcart to put the visitors ahead 26-0 on the 30th minute.
The second half started well for Newbury who made several incursions into the Chinnor 22. Awarded a penalty, Newbury fly-half Daniel Thorpe kicked well to the corner to set up his forwards for an attack on the Chinnor line. However several pick and drives were repulsed by the Chinnor defence and the attack ended with a penalty to the visitors with the added insult of Cathcart dispatching it some 65m downfield into touch.
The next score, on the 52nd minute was a Chinnor try scored by a muscular attack on the line by Matt Goode. Cathcart’s conversion increased the lead to 33-0. A minute later, Colver arriving on a late but fast run carried the ball straight through the home defence for a try under the posts. Cathcart again did the honours to give the boys from Thame a 40-0 lead. A minute later Chinnor’s Prinsloo received the ball from a slow ruck and created havoc in the home defence allowing Jackman to motor to the line leaving a trail of would-be tacklers in his wake. Chinnor’s lead was increased to 45-0.
Chinnor’s next score on the 63rd minute was perhaps the best of the match. Picking up the ball in midfield, Goode, at high pace, effortlessly stepped four potential tacklers to dot down for Chinnor’s eighth try of the match. The conversion gave Chinnor a 52-0 lead.
A wonderfully delayed late pass from Cathcart saw Goode slide through the home defence for his second try. A neat run around move involving replacement scrum-half Hopwood led to Seymour on a straight run to the corner for a Chinnor try to increase the lead to 62-0.
With two minutes to go, a fake miss move from Hopwood saw Goode blast through the defence for his fourth and a 67-0 victory for Chinnor.
Newbury?s young team, who are having a torrid time at this level, are to be respected for their never say die attitude and although the scores were coming thick and fast they continued to defend with energy and commitment. They are very young and hopefully will benefit from the experience.
Chinnor must be praised for the quality of many of their tries. A few final passes went astray which may have increased the winning margin. It was a job well done with the pack operating effectively and defensively very strong. The backs had a bit of field day with their pacey and decisive running. Colver looked assured at full back, kicked well and joined the line impressively. Goode had a barnstorming match but the player to catch the eye was Prinsloo. The speed and angles of his running were impressive as was his precise passing. He was defensively immovable and seemed to make things happen every time he touched the ball.
Scorers:
Chinnor: Goode 4T; Seymour 2T; Winpenny T; Williams T; Gilbert T; Jackman T; Colver T; Cathcart 6C
Chinnor team:
Colver, Seymour, Goode, Prinsloo, Williams, Cathcart, Jones (Hopwood 57), Winpenny (Whelan 57), Tattersall, Pickett (Whelan 57), Mowbray, Smith, Jackman, Harrison, Gilbert (Ramsdale 46)
Replacements: Whelan, Ramsdale, Hopwood
SOURCE: Contributed
THAME Swimming Club, which has a training session at Headington Girls School, Oxford on a Tuesday evening (December 6), desperately needs a lifeguard!
A spokesman for the club told ThameNews.Net: “Since September our lifeguards have proved very unreliable with several sessions having to be cancelled. We need to find some reliable lifeguards so that our swimmers can get the training they deserve and continue to excel in competition.”
What the club needs is a local NPLQ trained lifeguard. In return they would get regular two hours work on a Tuesday evening at
THIS is a Community Message from Thames Valley Police.
Thames Valley Police Crime Reduction Advisors have put together a festive crime reduction bag containing a personal attack alarm, purse bell, ultra violet marker pen and some crimestoppers goodies.
So if you are stuck for a present idea this Christmas, why not purchase one for
HERE is the latest Thame neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) Chris Hollis, Richard Howard, Lucy Thorne and Diane Jackson.
Anti-social behaviour (ASB) Information
We have received reports of ASB in the Cuttlebrook, where young people are gathering creating noise nuisance. This area is on our patrol plan and will be monitored regularly.
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.
One Section 59 order has been issued this month for using a vehicle in an anti-social manner.
Two young people under the age of 16 were issued a warning letter from the ASB team following an incident where they were smoking in a park.
Four Youth Restorative Disposals (YRDs) have been issued this month by PCSO Richard Howard. Two young boys were issued a YRD each for theft, and two were also issued to two young girls who had committed criminal damage.
PCSO Richard Howard identified two offenders that had caused criminal damage to a bench in the Cuttlebrook. Two YRDs have been issued and the graffiti has been removed from the bench.
Priorities
Our Local Priority for Thame is ASB. To prevent ASB, we conduct high visibility patrols in and around the town, engaging with members of the public, listening to local people?s community concerns/issues. Where problems are brought to our attention, we conduct home visits with parents present, issue warning letters and work with offenders to encourage them to move forward.
Offenders brought to justice
In November eight offenders have been brought to justice for the following;
Driving with no insurance, no MOT, no tax and displaying false plates
Two illegal immigrants were caught after exiting a lorry in Thame
Three x thefts
Two x criminal damage
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?.
Community Messaging
This free service provides information to subscribers about crime and police activity in their area via phone or email. It also includes information on what we and our partner services are doing to bring offenders to justice or combat anti-social behaviour, and information on opportunities for local residents to raise concerns with their local policing teams. More information can be obtained via our website, and you can sign up here too: http://www.tvpcommunitymessaging.org/rmwebportal/startup.aspx.
Partnership Activity
We continue to work with our partners, ensuring that we liaise on a regular basis with the schools on our sector to maintain the good rapport we have built up.
PCSO Lucy Thorne has been working closely with the schools over the past month promoting Education Watch and Caretaker Watch; these have been passed to the Watch office to be implemented.
The Neighbourhood Policing Team has worked with the local community to target a persistent nuisance neighbour. Numerous reports of loud music were received relating to an address in Thame so we worked together with Environmental Health to issue a noise abatement order to prevent such ASB.
We conduct monthly site inspections with Soha, South Vale Housing and Sovereign Housing, tackling low level neighbourhood disputes.
We continue to engage regularly with the local Town Council, picking up any local concerns people raise and events which are taking place over coming months.
Pubwatch meetings continue to be held every two months and Country Watch meetings are held quarterly.
Non-partnership Activity
PCSO Richard Howard has been working with local businesses on the industrial estates in Thame in an effort to set up a Business Watch. This would better inform local businesses of crime in the area and has been received well in the areas he has approached so far.
Planned Activity
We have participated in the following operations during November:
Maginot – this operation continues to run, tackling travelling criminals entering and leaving our area. Due to an increase in thefts from vehicles in the Thame area and surrounding villages, we have been deploying the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) device at dedicated times and providing a highly visible police presence aimed at deterring and preventing offences taking place, offering reassurance and assisting in the capture and prosecution of offenders.
ANPR is a powerful tool that can help prevent crime by identifying flagged vehicles.
Benefits of ANPR
ANPR identifies suspect vehicles that may not normally attract police attention.
Unlicensed or uninsured vehicles are likely to be seized on the spot by ANPR equipped officers.
It can be used to gather intelligence on known criminals and for running pro-active operations using dedicated Roads Policing intercept teams.
ANPR cameras are not safety cameras – they are not used by Thames Valley Police to catch speeding or otherwise law abiding motorists. ANPR cameras are not used to generate money for the Government or other agencies.
Magpie – This operation involves checking parked vehicles in local car parks for valuables left on display.
Mangrove – this was set up as a result of fuel thefts from heavy goods vehicles in our local area. This operation involves us carrying out static patrols in key areas at key times in marked vehicles.
Moonlight – this operation will be running continuously and is working to protect the night time economy of Thame Town centre by preventing and detecting ASB/violent assaults and managing licensed premises. PCSOs are working with police officers to conduct high visibility patrols in the town centre and liaising with the pubs, carrying out licence checks.
Thames Valley Police goes live with 101
Thames Valley Police went live with 101, the new national single non-emergency number on 14 November 2011. 101 will replace the 0845 8 505 505 number and both numbers will run side by side until the end of March, but if demand for the 0845 8 505 505 number drops it may be discontinued earlier.
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:-
Saturday 12 December 2011 from 3:30pm ? 5:30pm at the Co-Op Caf
SANTA FUN RUN/ WALK ON SUNDAY 4TH DECEMBER STARTING AT THE LEISURE CENTRE COMMENCING AT 10.30AM, REGISTRATION FROM 10.00 OR APPLICATION FORMS FROM TOGS 4 U IN THE HIGH STREET.
ALL PROCEEDS TO LOCAL LIONS CHARITIES
Dear Editor, This evening, Friday December 2, just as it was getting dark, there was a ring at the door. My wife answered and a young man, festooned in ?ID?, was there asking for donations for deaf children. My wife declined but in a reasonable way – none of us is unsympathetic to such a cause.
Possibly 90 minutes later there was another ring at the door. I answered. Again there was a young man, festooned in ?ID? asking for donations for deaf children. I told him that we had declined this request not long before. He left.
Then, about 7.30 or a little after, there was a third ring at the door. This time two young men stood there, asking for donations for deaf children. One of them was the man whom I saw earlier. My wife who joined me at the door identified him as the same man to whom she spoke first.
It was dark. We are in our seventies and, thank goodness, we have each other. It could have been frightening.
Why three times? Why the same house? Were they genuine?
They might have been.
The last time we answered the door I was rather firm ? to put it mildly ? about their persistence. They left.
I thought it worth alerting the police, via 101. I received a swift and sympathetic response.
An hour later there was another ring at the door. This time it was a young Police Community Support Officer.
I hope I may quote his name. He was Chris Hollis. And he was very reassuring.
I do hope that other old people are not similarly troubled by such calls. I wonder whether any respectable charity could encourage this kind of practice. Unfortunately even I, an ex-journalist, did not, in the suddenness of the moment, take down the exact details and address of the charity, if it was indeed that.
Which indicates how such approaches can put people off their balance. Especially, maybe, old ? and vulnerable – people.
Norman Brand
THIS evening, Friday December 2, just as it was getting dark, there was a ring at the door. My wife answered and a young man, festooned in ?ID?, was there asking for donations for deaf children. My wife declined but in a reasonable way – none of us is unsympathetic to such a cause.
Possibly 90 minutes later there was another ring at the door. I answered. Again there was a young man, festooned in ?ID? asking for donations for deaf children. I told him that we had declined this request not long before. He left.
Then, about 7.30 or a little after, there was a third ring at the door. This time two young men stood there, asking for donations for deaf children. One of them was the man whom I saw earlier. My wife who joined me at the door identified him as the same man to whom she spoke first.
It was dark. We are in our seventies and, thank goodness, we have each other. It could have been frightening.
Why three times? Why the same house? Were they genuine?
They might have been.
The last time we answered the door I was rather firm ? to put it mildly ? about their persistence. They left.
I thought it worth alerting the police, via 101. I received a swift and sympathetic response.
An hour later there was another ring at the door. This time it was a young Police Community Support Officer.
I hope I may quote his name. He was Chris Hollis. And he was very reassuring.
I do hope that other old people are not similarly troubled by such calls. I wonder whether any respectable charity could encourage this kind of practice. Unfortunately even I, an ex-journalist, did not, in the suddenness of the moment, take down the exact details and address of the charity, if it was indeed that.
Which indicates how such approaches can put people off their balance. Especially, maybe, old ? and vulnerable – people.
Norman Brand
EAST ENDERS actress, Gillian Wright, will be helping to launch Christmas in Thame this year when she officially turns on the town’s Christmas lights.
Gillian plays Jean Slater in East Enders and will be taking part in the Big Thame Christmas Event on Friday, December 2, in the High Street in front of the town hall. She’ll be accompanied by other members of the cast of Dick Whittington, this year’s panto at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, in which she co-stars with actor, musician and TV presenter, Jonathon Wilkes.
THAME GOES ALPINE!
This year’s event promises to be even bigger and better with an ice rink in the car park area again, and for the first time, a Ski slope will help create a winter wonderland atmosphere.
As well as the usual stalls and charity stands, the French market will be in town from the day before (Thursday, December 1)until the Saturday, December 3.
Thame’s twin town of Montesson will also be visiting for the weekend once again, selling French wines, conserves, cheese etc and their ever popular tasty crepes.
The stage event will include a Childrens’ choir made up from all three primary schools, accompanied by the Thame Concert Band, a performance by the winner of Thame’s Got Talent, Community singing, a Christmas address by Rev Paddy Harris and, one of the stars of Music in the Park, Elton John tribute band, Ultimate Elton will be performing.
The event will begin at 6pm with the Mayor, David Bretherton’s Welcome and finish at around 7.30pm. The Town Crier and a surprise visitor, with the initials FC, will also be making frequent appearances throughout the evening.
The Compere for the evening will be Paddy Harris, from Cornerstones, who many will remember as the compare for Music In the Park back in May.