Author: Sonja Francis

A THAME woman joined other ex Land Army girls at Downing Street yesterday, to receive a special ‘thank you’ and a Badge of Honour from the Prime Minister.
Gordon Brown told the ladies, including Freda Castle from thame: “The Women’s Land Army and Women’s Timber Corps worked tirelessly in the war years to keep this country going by providing food and supplies, and timber for the war effort. Their work was absolutely vital, and it is right that we thank them now for their dedication in the service of their country.”

Freda, originally from Sheffield, arrived in Thame in 1944 when she was 18 years-old and called up to assist the war effort. Here she worked for James Holland who had a farm in Thame Park Road, after attending a crash course at a college ‘for the sons of gentlemen farmers’ in east Sussex, where 20 girls a week were taught how to milk cows and other skills including hedge laying.

Freda told Thamenews.net: “The first thing we were told was to cut our nails for the comfort of the Jersey cows who had to be milked by hand because they didn’t like the milking machines. My first posting was to a farm in Shipton-Under-Wychwood which was a huge farm with 300 cows and six bulls but I didn’t do any milking there, my main job being to steralize all the milking equipment.
“I stayed their for a few weeks and then moved to lodgings in Queens Road with a woman who had a young family and a baby on the way, whilst working at Jim Holland’s farm in Thame. Here, with a Thame girl, Jean Aldridge and others, I was responsible for taking the ponies out of the field every morning and getting them ready to pull the milk dray around Thame where we delivered milk from churns on the back.”

When she joined Thame Players in 1945, Freda met and married Peter Castle, whose family ran the local toy shop where Austin’s is now, and a printing works at the back.

She finally relinquished her job at Holland’s farm in 1946 when Jack Howlett, whose job she had taken over when he went to fight in the war, was demobilised and came back to his old job.

Freda, and Peter who died in 1973, had three children, a son who now lives in the Faulkland Island, another who lives in Australia and a daughter who lives in Bristol.

Freda now shares her life with her partner, also called Peter, in Nelson Street, Thame, and is still a much-valued member of Thame Players, often manning the box office.

As Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said when he presented the former Land Girls with their badges of honour, “The nation owes you a huge debt of gratitude for your determination, courage and spirit in the face of adversity”.

WATCH A VIDEO
OF THE CEREMONY AT 10 DOWNING STREET YESTERDAY (23/07/08)

RESIDENTS of Cedar Crescent, Thame, who had to leave their flooded homes last month, received some reassurance from Thame Town Council recently.
At a meeting of the town council?s Policy and Resources committee, councillors heard that the area where the flooding took place, adjacent to the Cuttlebrook Nature Reserve, is officially listed as ?low risk? which means that those affected will not be penalised by their insurance companies when they come to re-insure their properties.

Also, it was reported that the council had been in contact with the Environment agency who will be directing a major clearance of the Cuttlebrook and an examination to see if it is functioning properly, on August 2.

The Chairman of the Policy and Resources committee, Cllr David Dodds, said today that other ?riparian? owners of land in the area are to be approached, which could include Berkeley Homes and Robin Gibb, to make sure they are fulfilling their responsibilities in keeping water courses clear of weeds and other debris.

The Highways authority is to carryout clearing operations underneath the Oxford Road bridge and the Crendon Road footpath bridge, which may have contributed to the flooding last month.

At the recent Policy and Resources meeting, Cllr David Laver asked if the drains from Lord Williams?s school and the Chiltern Vale development were of adequate size.
Cllr Dodds replied that he did not think the drain size was of any consequence and that the main problem was the overspill from ditch at the back of the Cedar Crescent homes, over and above all the vegetation in the brook.

The Clerk, Helen Steward, said that the agency has indicated to her that the idea of a fishing lake, first muted over three years ago, was a good one because it could act as a balancing pond in times of heavy rain fall.

The council also intends to talk to the owners of Thame park to see if anything can be done with the lake there, which is up-stream from Cuttlebrook, to help the situation.

The idea of sluice gates for Cuttlebrook was discussed but dismissed as ?more costly than its worth.?

Photo: One Cedar Crescent garden under 14 ins of water after torrential rain hit the area in June this year.

A SUMMER, county-wide crackdown on the underage sale of alcohol has been jointly launched by the Oxfordshire Safer Communities Partnership.
This follows continued problems found in recent test purchasing campaigns in the county – including Thame where five out of eleven premises were caught serving alcohol to 14 year-olds in May this year.

Thames Valley Police’s Licensing Manager for Oxfordshire, Tony Cope, said: ?This test purchasing operation is just the start of the partnership?s summer campaign to tackle underage and irresponsible drinking.
“During the summer holidays more teenagers are tempted to hang out in parks and drink alcohol. Posters will be sent to licensed premises across the county to warn young people the dangers of alcohol, highlight to adults that it is an offence to buy alcohol for people under the age of 18 and lastly, target and educate licensed premises about the consequences of selling alcohol to anyone under the age of 18 and serving people who are already under the influence of alcohol.
?Alcohol can sometimes lead to violent behaviour and sexual assaults. Officers across the county will be out in force this summer in the town centres in a bid to prevent any of these crimes taking place.?

Licensed businesses across the county have been sent a resource pack containing information about asking customers for proof of age and the implications of selling alcohol to anyone the age of 18. This will be followed by a two-week test purchasing blitz across Oxfordshire, focusing on retail outlets.

Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards Group Manager, Richard Webb, said: ?The first phase of this operation is about giving traders who sell alcohol all the necessary information, so there can be no excuses for falling foul of the licensing laws.
“The exercise is as much about raising awareness of the issue of underage alcohol sales as it is about rooting out irresponsible traders.”

The information packs contain a video titled ‘no proof of age – no sale’. There are also training materials on a CD which can be printed off by independent retailers, including refusals books, staff tests and training record sheets. Posters warning children they could be fined

THE district council is asking residents for their views on the removal of 50 red telephone boxes across the district, including two in Thame.
BT has said that it is considering these proposals because of the extensive coverage of home landline and mobile phone services, and low usage of public payphones in the area.

The Thame telephone boxes ‘for the chop’ are those at Churchill Crescent, Chinnor Road and one at Milton Common.
The others in the area are:
Sydenham
Oakley Road, Chinnor
Oxford Road, Tiddington.

The loss of the Thame red phone boxes is likely to effect older people and others who may not be able to afford mobile phones or the costs involved in renting a landline.

The consultation period is from 14 July 2008 – 11 August 2008

To have your say, visit: LINK

THE Police are appealing for witnesses after an attempted burglary last Monday, (14/7) at a house in Long Furlong, in Haddenham.
At approximately 2.30pm three men were seen in the rear garden of a house. Police officers were alerted and on arriving a search was carried out of the house. The offenders had already left, but without taking any of the homeowner?s property.

The offenders had forced their way into the premises via a conservatory door. It is believed the offenders had left after a witness rang the door bell several times in an attempt to scare them off. The police helicopter was deployed along with several units from Waddesdon, Aylesbury and Thame.

An extensive search of the area was conducted but the suspects could not be located. It is believed they left the house out the back door and went through the wooded area coming out somewhere on the industrial estate off Thame Road.

Neighbourhood Specialist Officer, PC Gareth Morley from Waddesdon police station, said: ?As it was the middle of the day I hope someone may have seen these three men running away from the house.

?Information also suggests they may have access to a Black Audi but we do not have any further details on the type of Audi or its registration.?

Anyone who may have seen three white men acting suspiciously and/or an Audi matching the description in the local area around the time of the attempted burglary can contact PC Gareth Morley on the Thames Valley Police 24-hour non-emergency number, 0845 8 505 505. If you do not want to talk to the police please call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.

You can also give information to the police in person by visiting any police station. To find out the opening times and location of your local station please call 0845 8 505 505 or visit: www.thamesvalley.police.uk/bcu/buckinghamshire/bcu-info/stations.htm