Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Partners turn up the heat on firework fiends (Status: Press release)

    FIREWORK fiends will be feeling the heat this Autumn when enforcement agencies across the county launch a major crackdown on illegal practices.
    The newly-formed Oxfordshire Fireworks Partnership will be hitting the streets in a bid to improve public safety during the firework season.

    Officers from Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards will carry out evening patrols with Thames Valley Police, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, West Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils and Oxford City Council.

    Support will be provided at all times by Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service.
    Roving patrol cars will visit areas known to attract firework misuse and clamp down on anti-social and illegal behaviour.

    Teams will also carry out spot-checks at local shops to root out traders selling illegal or unsafe fireworks, as well as those breaking storage regulations.

    An underage test-purchasing exercise will take place to identify traders selling fireworks to under-18s.

    Fears during firework season

    Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Judith Heathcoat, said: “This is an exciting new partnership to improve public safety at what can be a dangerous and frightening time for many people.
    “By working with the police and our district and city council partners we have a breadth of expertise and local knowledge at our disposal to make what we hope will be a significant impact. We really feel like we’ve lit the blue touch paper here.”

    Oxfordshire Commander, Chief Supt Brendan O’Dowda, added: “This is an excellent initiative which involves all partner agencies coming together to tackle anti-social behaviour and criminal damage that unfortunately takes place when fireworks get into the wrong hands.
    “When fireworks are used properly, they can provide a spectacular centre piece to an event. When fireworks are used illegally, they can intimidate law-abiding members of the public and, above all, put people in danger.
    “Anyone who flouts the law could end up with a prison sentence or a

  • Radcliffe Hospitals gain ‘excellent rating’ for the first time

    THE Healthcare Commission recently announced that Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals have, for the first time, been given the top rating of ?excellent? for their services to patients.
    The Commission assessed hospital performance against key standards which were then used to calculate the overall quality rating.

    Core standards

    The first part of the health check examines whether NHS Trusts are meeting 44 ?core standards?, covering areas such as safety, the care environment and amenities, clinical and cost effectiveness and patient focus. The Healthcare Commission has assessed the Trust as having fully met these standards.

    Existing national targets

    ?Existing national targets? look at whether or not the Trust is meeting a range of standards, particularly focusing on how long patients wait for treatment, including diagnosis and treatment for cancer, waiting times in A&E and waiting times for planned operations. Again, the Commission assessed the Trust as having fully met these targets.

    In terms of inpatient and outpatient waiting times the Trust met the national targets early. The only targets that the trust did not quite meet in this category were the national target for ?Thrombolysis: 60 minute call to needle time? and for waiting times in A&E (Call to needle time means from the moment someone calls an ambulance, to the moment they receive the treatment (which could either be in an
    ambulance or at the hospital). In previous years, the measurement was door to needle time (ie from the moment the ambulance arrived to receiving treatment), and the ORH fully achieved the target.

    New national targets

    The ?new national targets? focus on the ways in which healthcare organisations are helping to improve the health of the population in England. The indicators include diverse factors, such as smoking cessation, drug misuse, teenage pregnancy and obesity, and the treatment of heart and stroke patients. The Healthcare Commission has assessed the ORH as Excellent in this category.

    The Trust met eight out of the ten standards, under-achieving on two indicators, the reduction of emergency bed days, and the participation in clinical audits.

    Chief Executive, Trevor Campbell Davis, said: “I am delighted that the hard work of staff and clinicians in caring for our patients has been recognised in this report. The annual health check is a complex set of assessments which considers many aspects of healthcare provided by our hospitals. It is important, as it gives patients a picture of the quality of care we provide, and reassures people that we are managing public resources efficiently. We are really pleased that we have shown such improvement over the previous year.
    ?I would like to thank staff for their outstanding work for patients during the past year. Our clinicians, and all of the staff who support them, juggle priorities on a daily basis, and work hard to ensure that each of our patients gets the best care possible. Everyone contributes in some way to these targets, and they should be proud to see the improvements made.
    ?I would also like to thank the patient groups with whom we work, who have helped us improve our services over the past few years. Their participation assists us in so many ways. They tell us when we get things right and when we get things wrong. They want us to do well.
    ?Our staff and patients can take pleasure in how far we have come in recent years, and I congratulate them for all they have achieved and look forward to an exciting future together.?

    Use of resources

    The Trust also scored ?fair? for ?use of resources?. This is an improved score for the ORH over the results last year.

    The Trust reported an in-year surplus of

  • Public thanked after money rescued from the wind

    Dear Editor
    All the people of Thame who came to the aid of a friend of mine one blustery day recently should be publicly thanked. I haven’t their names so am writing to you.
    My friend was on his way to the bank to deposit quite a large sum of money on behalf of the charity of which he is an official, when the bag broke and bank notes blew around the road and pavement. Some of
    them were run over by cars.

    All those who saw the incident rallied round and chased the cash as it fluttered about in the wind. They brought it back to my friend.

    Later he checked it. All the money had been retrieved. He is not as young as he was and could not have done it alone. He has asked me not to name him but he, his friends and all the people he serves will be grateful to the people of our town.

    Yours sincerely
    Norman Brand

  • Attempted burglary in Thame – Ringmaster message

    THIS is a Ringmaster message from Thames Valley Police. Between Saturday, October 18 and Sunday, October 19, a property in Cotmore Gardens, Thame, was subjected to an attempted burglary.
    If you have any information relating to this message, please call the Police on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 476 of 19th October 2008.

  • Thame’s MP demands action on rural crime

    THAME’s MP, John Howell, has written to Thames Valley?s Chief Constable, Sara Thornton, demanding an urgent meeting with a senior police officer following, what he called “a spate of rural crimes on estates and common land across the constituency”.

    Recent crimes, he said, have included lamping (night shooting of foxes and game), chasing deer with vehicles, destruction of crops, mindless maiming of animals, destruction of gates and fences with cars and setting cars alight.

    “In addition,” continued Howell, “local residents have been intimidated from taking vehicle numbers or from trying to prevent the crimes by blocking access.
    “Given how mindless and distressing this wave of crime is, it is not surprising that the strength of feeling locally is very strong on this issue.
    “I am fully aware how stretched the police are, but I think it is necessary for them now to commit a senior officer to a public meeting with those affected so that we can discuss what real action can be taken.
    “If we do not take action on this now, I am worried that a serious and life-threatening event might occur.”

  • Chinnor 2nds beat RAF Combined Services in injury-packed friendly

    CHINNOR Seconds played a friendly against a RAF combined services under 23, academy team, on Saturday, and won decisively.
    The game was played by a very changed second team, 11 of the normal side played in the EDF cup game against Lydney, allowing some first team players a well-earned rest. The boys rose to the challenge and were good enough to beat Lydney, also a national 3 team, by 19 points to 17.

    Chinnor 2nds went ahead after only 3 minutes with a good try by Adam Seymour converted by Tim Sutton. With so many changes, the boys played very well with good understanding between forwards and backs. They were able to keep RAF team under pressure and were rewarded when Aaron Russell broke the line and scored. That was followed with a penalty by Tim Sutton and Chinnor lead by 15 points to 0 after 20 minutes.

    Although RAF played well, they lacked the penetration and cohesiveness that they will get, the more they play together as a team, but were very good in defence and prevented Chinnor from scoring on several occasions.

    Tim Sutton scored a try, followed five minutes later with a Simon Matthews try, and the first half finished with Chinnor leading by 25 points to 0.

    The second half started with a lot of changes to the RAF team and it became a more even game despite RAF still experiencing problems gelling together, which will only come with practice and playing together.
    Sadly tragedy struck when one of the RAF props went down when the scrum collapsed and suffered a neck injury and had to be transported to hospital by ambulance.

    The emergency services were quick to respond, with first the Fire Service paramedics, the ambulance followed and then the air ambulance, which was thankfully not required.
    In the mean time the game changed to another pitch and unfortunately another RAF player went down with a very bad knee injury, this was then followed by an arm injury as well.

    By this stage the spirit was lost and the game was played out for the sake of getting it over and done with.
    The game ended – Chinnor Seconds won by 25 points to 5

  • Thame hair consultant jailed

    A THAME hair consultant was today jailed for sexual offences against women, carried out in his clinic between 2004 and 2007.
    Father of four, Praminder Mankoo, was given a three year prison sentence for each of one count of indecent assault and three of sexual assault, by Judge Mary Jane Mowatt, at Reading Crown Court this afternoon.

    Prosecuting Counsel, Kate Mallinson, told the court that all the victims went to Mankoo because they were very distressed and concerned about their hair and that “…they clearly felt preyed on by someone they went to for help. They felt defiled and gullible.”

    The judge said that Mankoo was “clearly in a state of self-deception” and believed that he was misunderstood.
    “Despite police cautions and reports in the newspapers,” she told him, “you continued to act inappropriately and entirely unprofessionally with one of your clients, which you have admitted to.”

    Defending Mankoo, Christine Agnew said: “He is in many ways an imperfect man – yes, but he is a kind man with a weakness.”
    “He does accept,” she went on, “that they (his victims) have been caused some distress which he has caused and he is remorseful.
    He was also, she said, deeply sorry for what he had put his family through.

    Miss Agnew said that it was the massaging that triggered the unacceptable behaviour and that with the provisos in place once he has completed his sentence, she did not think that it would be very easy for Mankoo to rebuilt his business.

    All four sentences are to run concurrently. Once released, Mankoo will have to take part in a sex offenders treatment course for a further three years and if he resumes operating as a practioner, may not carryout out massages, and any treatment must be carried out with another female present on the premises. He will remain on the Sexual Offences register indefinitely.

    Photo: Courtesy of BBC.Co.uk

  • Chinnor Neighbourhood Action Group report

    AS well as Chinnor, this neighbourhood includes the parishes of Towersey,Crowell,Tetsworth, Sydenham and Aston Rowant.
    The top priority set for this neighbourhood by local people in 2007 was underage drinking and anti? social behaviour and and a considerable amount of work has been carried out on this priority.

    ?South Oxfordshire District Council officers and the police have carried out test purchasing twice over the last few months in Chinnor and action has been
    taken against three premises that failed by selling alcohol to an underage person. A man has also been
    prosecuted for buying alcohol for under 18 year olds.

    ?the NAG members helped to start Pubwatch last month in all the pubs and off? licences in Chinnor. This
    scheme works in partnership with the police and the district council to tackle under age sales, crime and anti-social behaviour.

  • Focus on Thame – Amendment to venue

    CORRECTION – The public meeting to discuss an economic strategy for the future of Thame, on Monday, November 3, will be held at Lord Williams? Schools, Oxford Road, Thame, Oxon OX9 2AQ, and NOT at the town hall, as reported on Tuesday.
    Participants will review the work done at the launch event on Tuesday, October 14, against Thame?s specific aims and objectives and begin action planning for the town during facilitated workshops.

  • Test your ‘culture g

    THAME and District Twinning Association still have some tables left for their quiz night, on Friday, November 7.
    Contact 01844 217880 for tickets for the event, which starts at 7.30pm for 8pm, at Thame town hall.

    There will be a bar so just take along your own snacks and if you can’t rustle up a table, come along and join a table with others.

    Photo: Quizical quizzers at one of Thame Twinnining Association’s popular quizes. This one was at the Thame Barns Centre, when a team from the town hall, including the Town Clerk, won the team prize.