Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Waste collection confusion explained

    FEARS that kitchen waste is still going into landfill, despite the new waste separation scheme launched this week, have been allayed today.

    Following correspondence from a ThameNews.Net visitor yesterday – see LINK
     and several phone calls to South Oxfordshire District Council, the council has issued an explanation for how the new system works.

    A spokesperson for SODC told ThameNews.Net: “I can tell you that food waste is collected by use of a ‘slave bin’ which looks like a grey wheeled bin attached to the back of the truck. All food waste is emptied into this before being emptied into the truck. The trucks have two compartments – one for waste or recycling (depends on the collection) and one for food waste. So while it may look like it’s all being dumped into the same truck it is actually being emptied into separate compartments.”

    District and Town Councellor, David Dodds, explained that the contractors may use a bin of any colour, one that perhaps has no lid or unusable for some other reason, as the so-called ‘slave bin’ so it may have looked as though kitchen waste was being put into a general waste bin.

    “Actually,” continued Cllr Dodds, “more kitchen waste was collected on Monday than was anticipated which will all go to help reduce the amount of waste going into landfill.”

    In the Thame and Wheatley area on Monday, 10.7 tonnes of food waste was collected and delivered to a processing plant. If this tonnage is maintained, it will be roughly equivalent to removing 10% of the previous residual waste that went to landfill.

    Despite some teething problems with the new scheme, the collection generally went well in Thame, though some bins were not emptied, particularly on the north side of the Upper High Street.

    Photo: Some of the kitchen waste collected from the Thame and Wheatley area on Monday, launch day of the new scheme to collect separated waste.

  • ‘Lightening McQueen’ storms off to Barcelona!

    A THAME business man and a friend will soon be heading off on a 1500 mile banger rally, in a Lightening McQueen look-alike car that cost them just

  • Hola Amigos!! St. Joseph?s travels to South America for Carnival

    AS the excitement builds for this year?s Thame Carnival, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School is in South America getting ready for the Carnival in true Rio style!

    Younger children in the school have joined together to explore and learn about countries in South America through imaginary excursions to Colombia and Mexico. Only this week, a specially chartered flight did the round trip (on the same day!) from Thame to Mexico with a real air hostess and mini pilot. The school hall was the makeshift aircraft with special sound effects and images to simulate a real flight.

    The children are making their own costumes and creating a very colourful carnival parade on the theme of fire; parents have had a sneak preview in the school playground one sunny afternoon.

    Everyone has enjoyed learning about the diverse cultures from music to sampling Mexican food, leaning traditional dances, art, landscape and about family life. Before the Carnival, children will be celebrating their achievements with parents at the weekly Friday Sharing Assembly sporting their hand made Sombreros.

    Adi

  • Are your neighbours wearing too much bling?

    PEOPLE who live lavish lifestyles on the proceeds of crime are being targeted in a joint campaign by police, Crimestoppers and their partners across the county.

    ?Too much bling? ? give us a ring?, is a two-week advertising campaign being launched to coincide with National Tackling Drugs Week, and aims to encourage members of the public to report their suspicions about people who appear to be wealthy despite having no discernible legitimate income.

    The campaign will also be featured at a number of events taking place across Oxfordshire in support of National Tackling Drugs Week.

    Ch Supt Brendan O?Dowda, Commander for Oxfordshire, said: “We have launched this campaign during National Tackling Drugs Week, as a lot of criminal asset seizures are made in connection with drugs offences.
    ?Do you want to see drug dealers living a life of luxury as a result of them peddling their misery throughout our neighbourhoods and communities? I don?t, and together there is something we can do about it.
    “It?s not just drug dealers we?re targeting; burglars, thieves, robbers and money launderers can all live off the proceeds of their crimes and they are well and truly on our radar. We want to encourage people to join us in our campaign, Too much bling – give us a ring! You can call Crimestoppers now and anonymously report those who are clearly living well beyond their means.”

    PC Leigh Thompson, Drugs Coordinator for Oxfordshire, added: “The proceeds of the property seized from criminals are later sold and the money is deposited in a central government fund, a percentage of which will be returned to the Force. We will use the money to fight crime by funding the training of more financial investigators and, in future, putting the money toward community-based projects.
    “Lots of people work extremely hard to be able to buy nice cars and belongings but there are a few people who will live off criminal gains, and this isn?t right or fair. We must work together to eradicate this, especially in the current economic climate.
    “This is the perfect opportunity for the public to call in anonymously to Crimestoppers with any information about people who they genuinely suspect are living off the proceeds of crime.”

    Crimestoppers is an independent charity which offers the public the ability to report what they know without having to identify themselves. Anyone can call 0800 555 111 at any time of day or night or give information online through a secure website: http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

    For more information about the ?Too much bling? ? give us a ring? campaign, please visit: LINK
     or Crimestopppers

    Image courtesy of Inimagine.com

    09/06/09

  • Recycling confusion!

    Dear Editor
    Unlike Norman (Farewell to a friendly service), I did see the lorry that came around to collect the rubbish yesterday, and yes, it was only one lorry.

    The waste food boxes were emptied into the black rubbish bins and then they were emptied into the lorry. I was under the impression that the waste food was going to compost, and the black bins to land fill?

    So what I would like to know is, why are we doing all of this recycling if it is all going to go into the one lorry to land fill?

    Name supplied. 09/06/09

  • South Oxfordshire Greens buck the trend (Contributed)

    IN the face of a Conservative landslide in the Oxfordshire County Council elections, Labour and Liberal Democrats saw a marked decline in their share of the vote across the electoral divisions in South Oxfordshire, but the Greens bucked the trend. Across South Oxfordshire their share of the vote increased to 11.7%, up from 6.3% at the previous County Election.

    Spearheading this Green growth is Mark Stevenson. In 2007 he was runner-up for a District Council seat in the Berinsfield ward, and then, in 2008 he came third in the Henley by-election and last week came second in the County Council election for the Dorchester and Berinsfield division, with over 20% of the vote.

    Mr Stevenson, who is also the Green Party election agent in South Oxfordshire, said “This was a very encouraging set of results, in every single South Oxfordshire division that we contested our share of the vote increased. In the past people used to say to me that they wouldn’t vote Green because it was a wasted vote – now they ask me about our policies and ideas.”

    The Greens also did well in Goring, with 16.0% of the vote, and Benson with 14.6%.

    “James Norman and Tim Fenn were both excellent candidates”, said Mr Stevenson, “They tipify the principled realism that now underlies Green politics, both run successful businesses with a strong strong comitment to environmental principles. They are precisely the sort of people we need in local politics.”

    There is no doubt that politics in South Oxfordshire is changing. The Greens have clearly displaced Labour as the third most popular party and in some areas they are challenging the Liberal Democrats for second place.

    09/06/09

  • Local Red Kite chicks prepare for Scottish release

    RED KITE chicks, currently being cared for in a secret location not far from Thame, are soon to travel all the way to Aberdeen, to be released into the wild.

    The chicks, which are approximately five weeks old, are to be released as part of a Red Kite reintroduction project taking place up there.

    An infra-red camera has been installed so that their carer, who cannot be named for securtiy reasons, can monitor them 24 hours a day. The birds are fed on a diet of mice and day old chicks.

    Images, video clips and the latest news will be available on the website below.

    http://www.redkites.net

    09/06/09

  • Campaign news from CPRE (Contributed)

    SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council are in the process of seeking legal advice on the legality of the Government’s South East Plan, published in May, in relation to the ‘selective review’ of the Green Belt south of the City, which lies within South Oxfordshire District. It will be known by mid-June whether SODC will challenge it in the High Court. CPRE Oxfordshire is also considering taking legal advice on the legality of the SE Plan.

    CPRE is delighted to learn that Radley Parish councillors has called off their year-long bid to get Radley Lakes registered as a Town Green following plans to transform the area into a wildlife haven. The decision came just days after nPower revealed that the Northmoor Trust, which runs the Wittenham Clumps nature reserve, had been appointed to manage the lakes.

    The Oxford and Buckingshire Mental Health Foundation Trust are making a proposed claim for Judicial Review in the High Court, challenging the County Council’s decision to register Warneford Meadow as a Town Green.

    CPRE OXfordshire will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Saturday 27 June at Denman College, Marcham. See Diary for more details.

    For more information about these and other issues see the CPRE Oxfordshire website: www.cpreoxon.org.uk

    09/06/09

  • Fresh, new signs for Thame Twinning

    THAME’S main entry streets now boast fresh, new signs illustrating the town’s link with the French town of Montesson, near Paris.

    The signs include the town’s logo and have been provided by Oxfordshire County Council.

    The Twinning relationship between Thame and Montesson continues to develop and grow, with a coach party from France recently spending a weekend in Thame in the homes of supporters of Thame and District Twinning Association. The visitors were taken to historic Stratford-Upon-Avon for the day, and both visitors and hosts came together on the Sunday for a reception at the town hall, jointly organised by the twinning committee and Thame Town Council.

    On Saturday, (June 13), the weekend of Thame festival and the carnival, a small group from Montesson will once again have a stall, selling their delicious crepes, wine and other French produce. The Twinning Association will be spreading the word about the ‘jumelage’ at their stand, next door to Montesson’s.

    PHOTO: Young people from Le foyer, in Montesson, pose for a picture with one of their hosts, John Francis, and their carers, before leaving for home, after a weekend in Thame recently (May 2009).
    They stayed at the Spread Eagle in Thame, where their welcome packs included a bag of special chocolates and sweets, donated by ‘Sweet Surrender’ in Cornmarket, Thame.

  • Farewell to a friendly service?

    Dear Editor

    I did not see the lorry which emptied my three-parts empty black bin this morning, while my already full recycling bin must wait another week to be dealt with. I am not sure who was given the contract but, in my experience, Grundon?s service has been superb.

    If we are no longer to receive their swift, courteous, flexible and totally reliable attentions that is a matter of very great sadness. Their staff, jogging, sometimes sprinting behind the vehicles, gathered up everything they could reasonably be asked to deal with, bed-sized cardboard flatpacks for example, or maybe the odd broken broom or pram wheel.

    It seems from national publicity that this is all about saving the planet and doing what we are told by the European Union. Well beware the former. Pocket Hitlers love good causes, as has been seen elsewhere in the country, when the the might of the state has descended on the disposer of a harmless apple core by the roadside, for example ? and many other instances.

    As for the planet, I read somewhere recently a serious assessment that the world is getting cooler. And on national politics, I wonder whether the Labour Party?s troubles at the moment result from an instinctive revulsion against interfering social controls, enforced by the faithful followers of the busybody State.

    Not yet, not yet, maybe, but how long before I get a visit from a ?counsellor? if too many cake boxes are spotted in my recycling?

    Norman Brand 08/06/09