Author: Sonja Francis

FOR the first time on record, the number of people killed on the roads in the Thames Valley has dropped to below 100.

There were 95 road deaths in 2008, 19.7 per cent lower than in 2007 and 34.3 per cent lower than in 2006.

Sue Brown, Chairman of the Safer Roads Partnership Board, said: ?The impact of a fatal crash cannot be underestimated. To have witnessed the reductions in road deaths that we have seen, in the last year in particular, marks a dramatic change on our roads. The challenge that lies ahead is maintaining those reductions and aiming to go further.?

Whilst road safety bosses are delighted with the progress this represents their message to motorists is still one of caution.

Mick Doyle, Superintendent of Roads Policing at Thames Valley Police, said: “The reduction is wonderful news but no comfort for those families that have lost a loved one this year. Far too often officers have to break the news to somebody that their son, daughter, wife or husband is never coming home again.
?The reduction comes as a result of the dedicated commitment of many agencies: Intelligence led police enforcement and education initiatives like The Young Driver Scheme and Safe Drive, Stay Alive make important contributions. We have led the way nationally with our innovative diversion schemes used as an alternative to prosecution for errant drivers, but there is still much to do.”

Richard Owen, Operations Manager for the partnership praised the work of professionals in the field: ?It is a great credit to the work of all our partners that today?s results are the lowest on record; a just reward for the incredibly dedicated road safety officers, emergency service personnel, engineers, analysts, administrators and volunteers whose work is rarely seen.
“There are, of course, some key areas that remain of concern to the partnership. Over 30 per cent of those who died were under the age of 25, 18 per cent of the deaths were motorcyclists and 14 per cent were over the age of 70. Relative to the amount of time in which they occupy the roads these groups are more at risk than many and it is hoped that greater progress can be made in improving safety for these groups.”

In a statement today, Thames Valley Police said that the need for coroners to finalise their investigations into the causes of some of these fatal collisions could result in the death toll attributable to crashes being altered, but this will only affect a small number of cases.

A THAME man, accused of causing grevious bodily harm with intent to another man in a street fight in the town, was given bail by Oxford Crown Court today.
Robert Newitt was charged after a 31 year-old man was hospitalised with an arm injury, following an incident in the Hight Street on Friday, December 19, 2008.
He is due to appear at the court again on March 2.

IT is with great sadness that we report the death of Denis Manners MBE, from a heart attack, on January 02, 2009.
As well as being the founder of the now huge, annual Towersey Festival, Dennis was ‘Mr Folk Music’ on Radio Oxford, and a former prisoner of war who helped found the Ex-Servicemen’s CND to campaign for nuclear disarmament.

Tribute

“Denis and Sheila moved to Towersey nearly fifty years ago. Denis was a member of the small committee which started fund-raising for the provision of better facilities in the village hall, particularly the toilets. As part of the fund-raising effort he held the first Village Festival 45 years ago in his own garden (where we live now!). The Oxford City Morris Men, of which he was a member, came to dance at that Festival, which gave rise to much sniggering from the local youths, so Denis challenged them to try a bit of Morris dancing themselves, and thus founded the Towersey Morris Men.

Towersey traditions have gone from strength to strength, and have been continuously supported by Denis and his family ever since.

During the late 1960s Denis, together with Louis Rushby, Frank Honiball and Ernie Warland,
negotiated the purchase of ten acres of land, which they, as Trustees of that property conveyed to the village as the Towersey Playing Fields.

Denis?s service to the community was recognised by the award of an MBE for services to Morris dancing, presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire in 2002, at a very festive occasion in Thame Town Hall (Ed. at the request of Denis himself because he wanted Morris dancers to be present and he didn’t think they would be allowed at Buckingham Palace) followed by a lunch in the Towersey Memorial Hall.

Denis and Sheila moved to Nottingham (from Cedar Crescent, Thame) about three years ago, to be near their daughter. Sheila passed away last year. We can assure their family that they will never be forgotten in Towersey where they made such an enormous contribution to the life of this community.”

Photo: Denis Manners outside one of his favourite ‘watering holes’ The Three Horseshoes, Towersey, with John Wilson (Courtesy of Towersey Morris website)

THE emergency services were called to an incident in the early hours of new year’s eve, when a car left the road, between Haddenham and Aylesbury.
The driver of the vehicle was looked after by passers-by until paramedics arrived on the scene, treated the man and then took him to hospital with serious injuries.

The incident happened on Lower Road between Haddenham and Aylesbury, at around 2.30 am.

A THAME man, charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent, after a 31-year-old man was injured in a street fight, is to appear before Oxford Crown Court.

Robert Newitt was charged after another man was hospitalised with an arm injury, following the incident in the Hight Street on Friday, December 19, 2008, and will appear in court on January 5.