Author: Sonja Francis

THAMES Water has been under scrutiny from a panel of food and drink specialists, for clarity, smell and taste.
Out of ten samples from different water companies, Thame Water came in third, behind Anglian Water and Severn Trent Water, the winner.
The blind taste test took place at the Chelsea-based restaurant, Tom’s Kitchen in London. The judges incuded Michelin-starred chef, Tom Aikens.

The tasting competition was set up to celebrate the launch of a new initiative from the environmental group, Green Thing, which is campaigning to encourage people to stop drinking bottled water and switch to tap water during the month of August.

Green Thing says that by switching to tap water, the environment benefits because there is no plastic to recycle and carbon emissions from transporting the packaged water are irradicated.

Other supporters of drinking tap water point out that it actually takes a high percentage of the quantity of water contained IN the bottle to actually make the bottle itself. Also, restaurants make a very large profit on the sale of bottled water at the table.

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THE BOTTLED VERSUS TAP WATER DEBATE?

For more information about the Drink Tap Water campaign, follow the LINK
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THE police were called by Thame fire officers yesterday, when the driver of a burning car ran from the scene.
The incident happened yesterday, in the car park by the burger restaurant at the Thame Service Area on Long Crendon Road.
Although details are sketchy at this time, it appears that some sort of evidence of a possible crime was found after the car fire had been quickly put out.

It is not yet known whether the vehicle, said by witnesses to be a pick-up, had been stolen.

A THAME town councillor has called for the name of the Henley constituency to be changed to reflect the growing size and relevance of Thame.
Cllr Mike Dyer, speaking a meeting of Thame Town Council last night (29/07/08), said:”During the recent by-election to elect a replacement for Boris Johnson, I became increasingly irritated to hear the national news media that invaded Thame regularly, continuously reporting from ‘here in Henley’.
“This is totally wrong,” he added. “This is a largely rural constituency in which Thame is the biggest town and this should be reflected in the name.”

Other councillors supported Cllr Dyer’s views, Cllr David Dodds remarking that because Thame is on the edge of the Constituency, it is a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind.’

Cllr David Laver said that he was not against the change but warned against slighting other towns like Chinnor and Wheatley.

The council voted to write to the Electoral Commission to request a change in the name to include Thame.

THE Queen has appointed a new Lord Lieutenant for Oxfordshire to take over from Sir Hugo Brunner KCVO, who retires at the end of August.
Tim Stevenson OBE will take on the role on September 1. He is the current Chairman of Morgan Crucible plc and of Travis Perkins plc. He has been a Deputy Lieutenant for Oxfordshire since 2007.

Until recently, Tim was Chair of Governors at Oxford Brookes University. He is a graduate of Oxford University and a Sloan Fellow of the London Business School. He was called to the Bar in 1971.

Tim Stevenson’s career in industry has included periods as Chief Executive of Castrol International and of the Burmah Castrol Group. In addition to a number of other directorships, he was a non-executive director of the Department for Education and Skills between 1997 and 2004 and a member of the Council of Modern Art Oxford. He received the OBE in 2004.

Tim is married with three daughters. His wife, Marion, is Director of the Oxfordshire Family Mediation Service. He is aged 60 and lives in Oxford.

Warm welcome

Joanna Simons, the Clerk to the Lieutenancy and Chief Executive of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “The role of Lord Lieutenant dates back many centuries but is very much part of modern day life.
“Sir Hugo Brunner has been an exceptionally well liked Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire and we wish him well. We also warmly welcome Tim Stevenson into the role. He has a distinguished background and real experience of what the role will involve having already served as a Deputy Lieutenant.”

A PUPIL from Lord Williams’s school in Thame, is to see his design for the exterior of a new drama studio immortalised for generations of students to come.
The school and Oxford Architects, appointed by the county council to oversee the scheme, ran a design competition for the pupils which involved them helping design the exterior of the new hall. Winning pupil, Harry King, won the competition and received cinema vouchers as his prize.

The new

A door-to-door bus service for people who have difficulties using normal bus services, may be extended to the South Oxfordshire district.
Thame Town Council’s Parish Transport Representative, cllr Jeannette Green, told the council’s planning committee ealier this week that the current contract with the Octabus Consortium, which provides a dial-a-ride service in the rest of Oxfordshire, runs out on March 31, 2009. Consequently the service is being reviewed by the relevant city and district councils based on costs and benefits.

They are also looking at the potential extension of the service to include South Oxfordshire and are
looking for the views of councils within this area, including Thame. The closing date for this consultation is Monday, September 22, 2008.

Octabus Dial-a-Ride is a door-to-door service for those who are unable to use or find it difficult to use public transport, such as elderly or disabled people. The drivers of the vehicles are trained both in first aid and in the assistance of wheelchair users and those with mobility problems.