Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Labour candidate’s challenge to Conservative CCTV policy

    LABOUR candidate, Richard McKenzie, has written to John Howell, the Conservative candidate for the Henley
    by-election, asking him which CCTV cameras in Thame and Henley he would like to see switched off.

    Richard McKenzie has written a letter to John Howell asking him whether he supports fellow David Davies’ position on CCTV.
    Richard McKenzie said: “CCTV cameras and DNA evidence cut crime and help keep us safe. I challenge my Tory opponent to identify which CCTV cameras in South Oxfordshire he wants to remove and which crimes
    should be solved without DNA evidence.”
    He added: “David Davis and the Conservatives have lost the plot on law, order and security. They and the Lib Dems voted against giving the police powers to
    detain terrorist suspects for longer, and now they want to cut back on CCTV cameras and the use of DNA evidence which has proved so important in
    securing convictions against criminals and those who would do us harm.”

    David Davis, who was until his recent resignation over the 42 days custody of terrorist suspects, the shadow home secretary, is on record as saying that Britain is one of the heaviest users of CCTV in the world and that the widespread use of closed circuit television (CCTV) risks infringing civil liberties.
    He proposed new rules on the use of CCTV and penalties for people and bodies that use the cameras to invade the privacy of the public.

  • See lots of images from the Thame Festival 2008

    FOLLOW the link to Flickr and see lots of pictures taken over the weekend’s festivities, including the food festival.
    Why not send your festival pictures to editor@thame.net and have them added to the festival album? LINK

    Photo: Copyright Ravi Solanki

  • Elvis the scarecrow goes on tour

    A SCARECROW, designed by a pupil at John Hampden school, reached the final in a competition at the recent Chelsea Flower Show.
    Now, ‘Elvis’, who was built by members of the school’s gardening club, will shortly be off to the prestigeous flower show at Hampton Court and will finally end his days at Wisley.

    Photo: Pupils from year 5 at John Hampden school, Thame, with ‘Elvis’ the scarecrow.

  • Invitation to question the Liberal Democrat leader

    TONIGHT (June 17) local people will have the opportunity to put questions to the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, the Henley by-election candidate, Stephen Kearney and Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable MP.
    The meeting will focus on the so-called credit crunch and its effects on the local area and will be held at the Chinnor Rugby Club at 7.30pm and everyone is welcome.

  • Kites make way for Kestrels! (Contributed)

    FANS of the red kite nest watch near Stokenchurch were delighted to see new nest images being beamed into the Studley Green Garden Store coffee shop on Monday, even though the birds in question weren?t quite what they expected.

    Nest Watch, organised for the last five years by the Chilterns Conservation Board, planned to use CCTV technology to bring the public ?up close and personal? with a pair of red kites as they reared their chicks, but unfortunately, all three chicks died a few weeks ago and another suitable red kite nest couldn?t be found. Instead, a kestrel nest was located in a nearby wood, and on Monday, images of the two kestrel chicks went live.
    ?We hope visitors to the viewing site don?t get too confused? says Cathy Rose, who manages the project. ?Although red kites and kestrels are both birds of prey, kestrels are much smaller than kites. People may be disappointed not to see red kite chicks on screen, but I?m sure the kestrels will prove to be just as fascinating over the next four weeks or so.?

    Find out more about Nest watch by visiting:
    www.redkites.net

  • By election Hustings event in Dorchester Abbey

    DORCHESTER ABBEY will be the venue for a Hustings event for candidates in the Henley Bye Election on Thursday, June 19 ? one week before the Election.
    Canon Sue Booys, Team Rector of the Dorchester Team Ministry, said: “I am delighted that all the invited candidates have accepted our offer to come to Dorchester and I am looking forward to meeting those I don?t yet know. We are a large venue at the ?other end? of the Henley constituency to the town itself and as such we are ideally placed to host such an event.”

    This event will be a mixture of formal and informal with the opportunity to meet the candidates, hear each of them make a brief statement and give public answers to questions posed by the audience.

    The Abbey will be open from 7pm and the candidates will each be invited to address those present briefly from 7.30pm. Questions from the floor will follow.

    Dorchester Abbey is situated between Oxford and Reading just off the A4074. Refreshments will be available at the beginning and end of the meeting. Parking is available in Dorchester Recreation Ground (approximately 10 minute walk).

    Please note that there is limited parking in the village itself.
    All constituents are welcome to attend and further details may be obtained from the office at Dorchester Abbey. 01865 340007. enquiries@dorchester-abbey.org.uk

  • Nominations for town council by election announced

    THE following six people have been nominated for the election of two Parish Councillors, on Thursday, July 10, 2008 for the THAME SOUTH WARD.
    They are:

    Clifford Dennis Baker
    25 Coombe Hill Crescent, Thame, Oxon, OX9 2EQ
    Conservative

    Margaret Dympna Bretherton
    33 Towersey Drive, Thame, Oxon, OX9 3NR
    Liberal Democrat

    Andrew Haydon Gunn
    4 Ormond Road, Thame, OX9 3XW
    Labour

    Hussein Mirza
    59 Cromwell Avenue, Thame, OX9 3TT
    Liberal Democrats

    Mary Honora Stiles
    3 Willow Road, Thame, OX9 3BE
    Labour

    Michael Welply
    Beech House, 14 Towersey Road, Thame, OX9 3PE
    Conservative

  • Thame festival in fine fettle

    AFTER almost fading away for lack of volunteers, this year’s Thame Festival proved to be a huge success with hundreds of people of all ages taking part in a week of community events.
    The highlight of the week was undoubtedly Thame’s first Food Fayre on Friday, which attracted crowds of local people and visitors to experience what some of Thame’s best local food producers and caterers had to offer.
    TV celebrity and cookery writer, Sophie Grigson, signed copies of her book and later chatted to the children who entered the vegetable sculpture competition, whilst Anita Sharma James demonstrated how to make pekoras and authentic indian chutney.
    Dozens of children queued to learn how to make homemade pasta with Beverley Glock and her team in the upper chamber of the town hall.
    Colourful stalls lined the cobbled area around the town hall, including food from india and thailand, as well as goat burgers, breads and homecooked meals to take away. Special guests were friends from Montesson, Thame’s twin town, who were kept busy all evening selling fresh crepes made to order as well as doing a roaring trade in fine French wines.
    The foody theme for the festival attracted a train of entries in the carnival procession on Saturday, with Thame Guides and Brownies taking first prize, jointly judged by Radio two presenter, ken Bruce and the Mayor, Don Butler.
    In the evening, Thame rocked to the second, open air rock night to be held in the Upper High Street car park.
    The young people of Thame did the town proud, both with their extraordinary exhuberance and talent and the good-natured behaviour of those who went to support and listen to the music.
    Earlier in the week, on Wednesday (11/06) both the children of Thame and the adults tested their knowledge about food and related subjects in two separate quizes over-seen by the redoubtable Sue Boyle.
    Watch out tomorrow for a link to loads of photographs from the week’s festivities.

    Photo: The spirit of Thame Festival – A Thame pensioner joins in with the dancing at the Rock festival on Saturday night, in the Upper High Street, Thame.

  • Thame school ‘a buzz ‘ as it celebrates 35 years

    A HELICOPTER dropped into a Thame primary school this morning, to help it celebrate 35th birthday.
    All the pupils of Barley Hill school, Thame, gathered on the playing fields to for the number 35, before the helicopter took off again and took aerial photographs of the spectacle.

  • Innovative new Thame business is born

    A LOCAL mum has come up with an original way to cloth babies and toddlers and save money.
    The Stork Exchange, a new second hand clothing agency in Thame, will be specifically for mums-to-be and children under two.
    The Stork Exchange is somewhere you can sell on your maternity wear and baby clothes to other people in an uncomplicated and trouble free manner with no postage or listings to worry about. What?s more, you can buy the next stage too – seeing it for yourself first – from maternity through to 24 months.

    Shelley, who came up with the idea for The Stork Exchange, said. “It all started when I discovered that having a newborn and a toddler meant absolutely no time to get my outgrown baby clothes listed on auction sites.
    “My tots were growing fast and with limited local clothing outlets, I was also buying a lot of things from the internet. After being disappointed for the umpteenth time with something I had bought this way (colour not as pictured, too small, postage fees) I started talking to other mums with young families in the area and discovered that many of us were in the same predicament. And so The Stork Exchange was created.
    “All the items are good quality new or nearly new clothes from designers and the high street, so you can dress yourself and your little one at a fraction of the normal price.
    “It?s taken months of planning, some sleepless nights and a lot of hard work and now we?re ready to open!”

    The Stork Exchange will be launched at Christchurch, Thame from 10.30am, on June 21.

    The website will support all local businesses and events to do with families plus enable mums to advertise other items that they no longer require, all free, so it has a communiity feel to it as well.

    Visit the website at: www.the-stork-exchange.co.uk