OXFORDSHIRE County Council is to review and prioritise many schemes linked to its key services in response to likely forthcoming cuts in government funding for capital projects.
Projects to be-visited include all maintenance and building work planned to do with education, highways, fire and rescue, trading standards, social care, libraries and other services provided by the council.
The council said today that it had planned to spend around
THE Thame motorcyclist who died on Saturday after a crash at a Bicester roundabout, has been named.
He was 29 year-old Robert Thompson of Michaelis Road, Thame. Robert, who was a former pupil at Lord Williams’s school in Thame, was the father of a 13 month-old daughter.
A resounding success was the verdict following Thame Boys annual six-a-side tournament where over 3,500 people and 130 teams attended the event over the weekend, and with good weather the food tent was kept really busy.
On the pitch, Thame Boys had success with the Under 10?s side winning their age group and the Under 12?s coming runners up in their’s.
Age groups from Under 7?s to Under 14?s competed over the two days and organiser, Paul Hopwood, was delighted with the feedback he received from a number of parents and opposing managers.
“It?s really nice when you get told that this is the best event they come to and how friendly and well organised it is,? said Paul. “It makes all the hard work that goes into it worthwhile?.
The organisers of the event, Thame Football Partnership, expressed particular appreciation to Lord Williams?s School for allowing the use of the pitches, and all of the Managers, Parents, Referees and players for making it such a great tournament.
Next year the venue will move to the new development at Meadow View Park, TFP?s Frank Thompson said: “We have been using the Upper School site for the last 15 years for the tournament and it has done us proud. However, with our new site we will now be able to host a tournament that will be even bigger and better than anything we have achieved before. With our new 20 acre site and all the facilities we have there, it will enable us to provide a Tournament from Under 7?s through to Under 18?s and hopefully play the finals on the main stadium pitch.”
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision at Dinton, near Thame, on Saturday (5/6).
At around 6pm, a collision occurred between a Silver Mitsubishi Shogun, a red Vauxhall Corsa and a red Volkswagen Polo on the A418 Oxford Road, Dinton.
The Mitsubishi Shogun was travelling in the Thame direction when it collided with a Vauxhall Corsa heading in the opposite direction.
The driver of the Vauxhall Corsa, a 35-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Shogun was treated for minor injuries at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
The road was closed for almost five hours for forensic collision investigation.
Anyone with any information, or who witnessed the collision, is asked to contact the officer in the case PC Ryan Whiles of Aylesbury Roads Policing base via 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to talk to police or leave your name, please contact the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.
Firefighters had to be called to help release a driver near Thame, when he trapped his hand under his car while changing a wheel.
The accident happened outside the Esso station in Long Crendon Road, Thame, at around 4am on Saturday, 05/06/10.
Fire crews used hydraulic equipment to free the man.
Acknowledgement: Incident first reported in the Oxford Mail
BUILDING on the success of the two past year’s successes, Thame Food Festival 2010 promises once again to be a fantastic local event in the town centre, on September 25.
As an ideal day out for all the family and a great chance to sample and buy some of the wonderful local produce from our area, Thame Food Festival is aiming high and aspires to become one Oxfordshire’s most noted food festivals.
The recently launched website: www.thamefoodfestival.org.uk
is intended to be the focal point for visitors to the show, local producers, businesses and retailers to find out more and join in with the festival.
?There is so much quality food from the area and many local businesses who promote provenance. This is the perfect chance to let people share and discover more about the great taste of our regional foods,? said one of the organisers, Sally Dickinson of What?s Cooking, in Cornmarket, Thame.
As well as producer stalls, there will be street entertainment, children?s cookery workshops, chef demonstrations, food sampling, plus real ale tastings. Thame Cinema 4 All will be showing a film specially to celebrate the occasion.
Thame Food Festival is encouraging contact from anyone who might like to have a stall and would welcome sponsorship support from local businesses.
So, take a look at the new website www.thamefoodfestival.org.uk
and feel free to get in touch to be involved in this great, local initiative.
A man whose body was recovered from a popular Oxford swimming place, has been named. He was Daniel Lewis, aged 29, from Wheatley.
He apparently went swimming in Bullstake Stream, near West Oxford Community Centre in Botley Road, on Wednesday, 02/06/10, at a stretch of the stream known as Tumbling Bay which feeds into the River Isis.
Police and firefighters were called at about 16.15 pm when companions noticed that he did not surface. His body was recovered about two hours later.
The police are treating the death as unexplained. Mr Lewis’s next of kin have been informed.
PHOTO: Popular Oxford swimming place, Tumbling Bay, Courtesy of www.panoramino.com
SINCE the launch last June, 2009, of the national hygiene standards ratings scheme, Scores on the Doors, South Oxfordshire has seen a large increase of premises boasting three stars or higher and big reductions in places with two stars and under.
The number of five star premises has risen from 11 at the launch to 48. Overall, the number of 3,4 and 5 star premises have risen to 362 from 290 at the start.
The nationwide scheme rates the food hygiene standards in premises that sell food including restaurants, cafes, deli?s, butchers shops, takeaways and mobile food vans.
HOW DOES THAME RATE?
Premises with five stars in Thame include Lord Williams’s Upper and Lower Schools, M Newitt and Sons, High Street, Thame and Meadowcroft Care Home.
Diners can now check out the food safety ratings for 582 premises in South Oxfordshire and 455 in the Vale.
To check out all the premises rated in your area or by specific business name, visit: http://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk
Cllr Dorothy Brown, South Oxfordshire District Council Cabinet Member responsible for health, said: “It?s fantastic news that one year on, so many of the food premises in our district have achieved high ratings, and those with lower ratings have been working hard to improve. We?ll continue to offer our help and advice on how they can best do this. This is such an excellent resource for residents to make an informed choice about where they eat and buy food from.?
OXFORDSHIRE County Council is urging residents to go out and enjoy the countryside as part of a fortnight of exciting events across the South East.
Countryside 2010 is a regional campaign running until 13th June to encourage people to get out and about and discover new outdoor interests.
Events in Oxfordshire include guided walks, bike rides and open days at farms, gardens, vineyards, and other sites of interest.
Find out more online
The Event Directory at www.countryside2010.org.uk
currently features details of over 600 events across South East England with wide appeal to both adults and children with a variety of different tastes, interests and levels of energy.
It features details of Oxfordshire events including Springwatch Festival at Aston Rowant, boat trips on the Thames, and bike rides in Banbury. There are also tours, tastings and open days at farms, gardens, vineyards, windmills and artists? studios. Many events are free and there is also a great range of special offers.
Councillor Rodney Rose, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport said: ?Oxfordshire?s unique countryside has so much to offer and Countryside 2010 is a great opportunity to get out and enjoy it. We hope that the campaign will encourage more people to experience the wonderful and varied countryside in the county.?
Oxfordshire activities as part of COUNTRYSIDE 2010 include:
Banbury Bike Ride on 13th June ? 2.5 hours county guided ride open to everyone ? organised by the local cycling club. Free
Evening Bat Walk at Wallingford Castle Meadows on 8th June ? learn how to use a bat detector. Organised by the Northmoor Trust.
Hobbs of Henley passenger boat trips ? a child goes free with every fare paying adult during C2010.
Open Farm Sunday at FAI Farms, The Field Station, Wytham, Oxford ? cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry, thatching demonstrations, tractor rides, bouncy castle, face-painting and much more. Free
Springwatch Wild Day Out at the Aston Rowant Nature Reserve on 5th June. Lots of free activities, walks and crafts and Vicar of Dibley celebrity guest appearance. Free
Uffington White Horse Guided Walk on the Ridgeway, on 5th June. – Free
Picnic and Boat Hire, The Beetle & Wedge Boathouse, Moulsford, Wallingford ?20% discount on all bookings during COUNTRYSIDE 2010.
Evening Walk with the Gardener at Greys Court on 4th June.
Chalgrove Battlefield Walk on 6th June – Free
Faringdon Folly Tower Open Day on 6th June.
STATUS: Press release: OXFORDSHIRE County Council is encouraging local businesses to get to grips with their food waste and make big savings on landfill tax.
Representatives of 50 businesses including restaurants, hotels and other food outlets attended an event set up by the authority to spread the word about the county’s facilities for turning food waste into compost.
The Oxfordshire Food Waste Conference, held last week, enabled the council to put businesses in touch with its contractor Agrivert and other companies that collect and treat food waste, diverting it from landfill.
Householders across Oxfordshire are already starting to put aside their food waste for treatment at Agrivert’s Ardley site, and the county council’s contract has ensured there is extra capacity for businesses as well.
A second Agrivert/Oxfordshire County Council Anaerobic Digestion Facility is due to open at Cassington later this year.
Significant demand
Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Growth and Infrastructure Ian Hudspeth, said: “The Oxfordshire Food Waste Conference has shown there is significant demand for food waste treatment among Oxfordshire businesses and I’m very happy that we have provided facilities that they can now use.
“Householders are already helping the environment by setting aside their food waste for composting. Thanks to the extra capacity we’ve made available, businesses can now compost their food waste.”
Agrivert owns and operates food waste treatment facilities in Oxfordshire on behalf of the county council.
The company’s commercial director Harry Waters said: “One of the core strategies of the council and Agrivert was to deliver treatment facilities for business as well as residents and we are now seeking to engage with the business sector.
“Taking food waste out of landfill is excellent news for the environment and can often save businesses money. The food waste conference was a great opportunity for us to meet potential customers, particularly those which generate large volumes such as hotels, restaurants, schools, universities and hospitals.”
The Oxfordshire Food Waste Conference was held at the Oxford Conference Centre on Tuesday, 25th May, 2010.