AT a recent court hearing at Oxford Magistrates Court, Simon Hill, 27, of Windmill Road, Towersey, near Thame, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm in Thame, on November 13, 2010.
He was sentenced to 50 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay
THAT great British tradition, the street party, will no doubt be a feature of the coming celebrations for the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, and South Oxfordshire District Council has helpfully come up with some guidance for organisers, including how to go about getting a road closure.
The royal wedding on April 29, 2011, is a great chance to get out with your neighbours into your traffic-free street to celebrate.
The council’s advice page on the website also includes links to all the application forms you may need for a road closure and an Events Licence.
Key deadline dates for forms:
Road closure application forms – seven weeks before the event (Week ending 11 March for event on 29 April)
Temporary event notices – deadline 12 April.
Sharing alcoholic drinks with your neighbours at a private party does not require a licence. However, if you want to sell alcohol or provide entertainment for up to 499 people (such as live music, showing a film, performing dance), you will need to apply for a temporary event notice (TEN) for your street party. This costs
A King Charles spaniel that went missing while she was being clipped in Great Haseley, near Thame, back in November, has been returned to her rightful owner after being discovered in Bedfordshire!
It transpired that Ruby, whose owner lives in Little Milton, had apparently escaped from a Travellers’ camp in Bedfordshire yesterday and ran in front of a police car. She was picked up by officers and her true ownership discovered when her micro chip was scanned at a rescue centre.
A family of Travellers tried to claim Ruby, saying that they had bought her from another Traveller. A police investigation is under way, following a spate of dog thefts.
OXFORDSHIRE businesses are being invited to play a crucial role in a very special event. The county?s longest running youth charity, Oxfordshire Association for Young People (OAYP), is keen to involve local businesses in one of its showcase projects. The Oxfordshire Youth Awards celebrate the many positive and inspiring contributions young people make to our county.
OAYP are already planning their next awards and are looking for local businesses that would like to join them as partners and sponsors.
CATEGORIES
In the most recent awards there were six categories: Individual Bravery, Community, Volunteer, Sports, Arts and the Jake Spicer Special Recognition Awards. More than three hundred young people and family members attended the celebration event at Oxford Town Hall. This year OAYP hope that each of the categories will have an individual business backer.
The Chairman of the Associations? Trustees, Sir Charles Ponsonby, says: ?The Oxfordshire Youth Awards give a sponsoring business a low cost opportunity to associate – before, during and after the Awards – with something which generates general approbation: excellence, altruism and strength of character amongst the County?s young people.?
The Awards are the most high profile of the Associations? initiatives to support young people in the county, and help them realise their potential as individuals and as part of the community.
Based at the Jennings-owned Boundary Park in Garsington, OAYP has been running for 63 years, and is a big supporter of youth groups across the county. It provides sport, leisure and learning resources for 56 youth groups countywide run by a total of 500 volunteers and attended by more than 2,000 young people per year. OAYP also offers guidance on policy, rules and regulations.
Director Paul Lawrence said: ?With public sector funding cuts affecting both ourselves and the groups we support this is a very challenging time. We understand that local businesses are facing tough times too but wanted to raise awareness of the opportunity to involve themselves and their staff in something that makes a huge difference in the county. Our landlords Jennings have been great both in terms of funding support and advice and mentoring, and we?re keen to build on that by developing partnership with other local businesses.?
The Boundary at Garsington is home to ten companies employing more than 50 people between them. It is part of the Jennings family of business centres which also includes Monument Park, Chalgrove and retail units in Thame.
A FREE fact-finding event for families of children with special needs or disabilities and learning difficulties takes place next month. There’s still a few days left for parents to sign-up for workshops and register their children for activities taking place on the day.
The Facts For Families conference is the first of its kind to take place in the county. It’s a joint venture by Oxfordshire County Council’s Parent Partnership and Oxfordshire Family Voice – a group of parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities who work with the council in developing services for disabled children.
The event takes place on Saturday March 5 from 9:45am until 1pm at The Marlborough School and Enterprise Centre in Woodstock.
Some of the 15 workshops taking place include
Getting ready for “big” school
Brain Gym
Developing speech and language
Help with behaviour
Helping children with physical disabilities at
school
There’ll also be representatives from many local voluntary organisations as well as parent to parent support groups from across the county with more information for parents.
While parents are busy taking part in workshops, there’s a creche for under 5s and games and activities for older children including drumming, football skills, messy fun and arts and crafts.
Councillor Louise Chapman, Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, said: “This event is a great example of partnership working between the county council and Oxfordshire Family Voice and also an opportunity for parents to get new ideas and strategies for dealing with what can be challenging situations.”
Book in advance
Parents need to book in advance for workshops and children’s activities – the closing date for bookings is February 18. Please contact Parent Partnership on 01865 810516 or e-mail parentpartnership@oxfordshire.gov.uk to book and for more information.
A new Oxfordshire voluntary group controlled by people with physical and sensory disabilities is looking for members to help change communities across the county.
Oxfordshire UNLIMITED wants to make sure community life becomes more inclusive for people with physical and sensory difficulties, particularly in areas such as access to buildings, transport, education, employment and public amenities. With the support of Oxfordshire County Council and development advice from OCVA, the group plans to ensure everyone has equality of opportunity in the county.
Peter Hindshaw, Oxfordshire UNLIMITED Chair, said: ?It?s not what?s wrong with you, it?s about what you can?t do and how might the community change so that you can do it. Going for a wander in the park, taking a bus trip, following a sign, going shopping – day to day activities like these are difficult or impossible for some people with physical difficulties. We don?t expect miracles but we should be able to make many more of these activities possible.?
The group has big plans for future events, training, advice, changing attitudes, consultation, research and monitoring. But it needs local people with skills and enthusiasm to get heard in the right places.
Anyone can be a member and show their support, but people who experience physical and sensory difficulties are particularly encouraged to join, irrespective of how much time, if any, that they can offer. Telephone 0845 121 4112 for further details.
SOURCE: Press release
THAME Town Council is inviting community organisations working for the benefit of residents to apply for a grant.
Applications for grants intended to improve the range of activities and services in Thame must be received by 30 April 2011. Please note the earlier deadline this year.
Application Forms are available from Thame Town Hall or from the Council?s website: www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk.
They must be completed in full and include information on what your organisation does, how it benefits Thame and the amount of funding requested.
When returning your completed application, please include a copy of your constitution, annual accounts for the last two financial years and a signed copy of the Declaration at the back of the form.
If you have any queries or would like forms posted to you, please contact 01844 212833 or e-mail oss@thametowncouncil.gov.uk.
SOURCE: Press release
THE waste collection service in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse has scooped a national award for environmental innovation.
The service, which the two district councils run jointly, was named winner of the Environmental Innovation Award at the Government Business Awards last Thursday (17 February).
The award is designed to recognise a local authority scheme that demonstrates innovation in environmental practice and increases the awareness of environmental issues to residents.
The collection service, which is provided by waste contractors Verdant, was launched in South Oxfordshire in June 2009 and in the Vale last October.
In both districts the recycling rate has soared since the introduction of the service, which features a weekly collection of food waste and fortnightly collections of rubbish and recycling on alternate weeks. As well as collecting food waste separately for the first time in both districts – which alone helps to divert tonnes of waste from landfill – the new service has also enabled residents to recycle more items at the kerbside.
During the first 12 months of the new service in South Oxfordshire the council?s recycling rate rose from around 42 per cent to 70 per cent on average. During the first three months of the service in the Vale an average around 70 per cent of waste collected was recycled compared with 38 per cent the three months before.
As well as leading to an improved recycling rate, the service is also helping both councils to make significant financial savings through reduced running costs and additional recycling income. The service is also designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible with crews making fewer journeys and using fuel-efficient waste trucks to help reduce carbon emissions from vehicles.
Cllr David Dodds, Cabinet Member responsible for waste services in South Oxfordshire, said: ?We are so proud of the way this service is working in South Oxfordshire and the consistently high recycling rate that is being achieved. It is a real success story for all involved, from our residents for their commitment to recycling to the hard work of our contractors and council staff.?
SOURCE: Press release
Thames Valley Police has charged a man in connection with two drugs warrants executed in Tiddington last week.
The warrants were executed on Thursday 17 February at addresses in Fernhill Close, Tiddington, and Green Hitchings, Great Milton.
John Cheshire, aged 47, from Fernhill Close, has been charged with possession of a class B drug; cannabis. He has been bailed to appear at Oxford Magistrates Court on 3 March.