Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Great Haseley Marine killed in Afganistan

    A BRITISH serviceman killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, came from the Thame area.
    He was Royal Marine, Dale Gostick, aged 22, from Great Haseley, near Thame. Dale died when his vehicle was caught in a blast north of Sangin, Helmand Province.

    As a member of Three Troop, Armoured Support Company, Royal Marines, Dale was driving a Viking armoured vehicle when it hit a suspected mine. Medics attempted to revive him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Another two Royal Marines are still receiving treatment after being injured in the incident at the Sangin crossing of the Helmand River.

    The troops were returning to base after operations supporting soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment around Musa Qaleh.

    Marine Gostick, known affectionately by his friends as “master chief general of the universe”, was remembered for his sense of humour and relaxed attitude to life.

    His family paid tribute to a “huge character” who made time for everyone, adding: “His passing has left an irreplaceable hole in so many people’s lives.” They said he was “dearly loved and deeply missed” by his girlfriend Beccy.

    Marine Gostick joined the Royal Marines in late 2004 and passed the gruelling 32-week training course before becoming a member of Plymouth-based 42 Commando.

    In 2006 he completed a Viking operators course and served in Afghanistan with the Royal Marines’ Armoured Support Company as part of Three Commando Brigade. He arrived in Afghanistan for his second deployment in December 2007.

  • Greens ‘mark their card’ for by-election against Boris

    THE OXFORDSHIRE Green Party has re-selected Mark Stevenson as their candidate for the Henley Constituency by-election expected within the next couple of months.
    When Boris Johnson resigns as MP for Henley, Mark Stevenson will be the Green candidate in the subsequent by-election. The local Green Party were impressed by his track record both in elections and as a parish councillor.

    Sid Phelps, Chairman of Oxfordshire Green Party, said ” With Mark you see Green politics in action. His projects have helped invigorate the local economy, have improved recycling and environmental awareness in his parish, have encouraged local food production and he has championed a local vision on planning issues. We believe he would make a great MP for South Oxfordshire.”

    Many Dorchester and Berinsfield residents would seem to agree with Mr Phelps. In last years District Council elections for the Berinsfield ward Mark came second to the Conservatives, well ahead of the Liberal Democrat and Labour candidates.

    In the 2005 General Election Mark was the only candidate other than Boris Johnson to improve his Party’s share of the vote. His work on planning and environmental issues has earned the respect of his colleagues on Dorchester Parish Council.

    Mark also instigated the Dorchester Carbon Project, run by a group of residents to reduce the community’s carbon footprint, and led the team that set up the successful new weekly Local Producers’ Market in Wallingford.

    He said “I am greatly honoured to be selected to stand for the seat again. Most people know that lack of vision and understanding has inhibited other political parties from properly integrating our modern environmental understanding into all areas of policy, they fail to see that it is not just an environmental issue but social and economic too. By contrast our positive vision for a twenty first century politics based on thriving local communities makes the election of Green MPs increasingly likely. I already work to bring about that vision here in South Oxfordshire, now I want to take that vision to Westminster.”

    Mark Stevenson,49, lives with his family in Dorchester on Thames and together they run an organic market garden. A former teacher, he was Head of Maths at an inner city school and has a research degree in philosophy from Oxford University. He joined the Green Party in1997 and first stood for parliament in 2001 in Witney against an unknown David Cameron.

  • Wheatley murder update – 17.40pm

    FLOWERS have been layed at the cordoned off scene in Wheatley, near Thame, this afternoon, following the murder yesterday of a local woman.
    More details have emerged following a press conference this afternoon, by Detective Insp Colin Seaton, who is leading the investigation into this incident.
    D I Seaton revealed that the emergency services were contacted by local people who witnessed an altercation between a man and a woman outside a house in Bell Lane, Wheatley, at about 4.15pm yesterday, Bank Holiday Monday. The victim, 47 year-old Deborah Smith, was found inside the house with her throat cut by, what D I Seaton called, “a sharp implement” and was rushed to hospital but declared dead shortly afterwards.

    The man, 49 year-old Russell Yeates, remains in a serious condition but his throat injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

    A child and other family members are being supported by Family Liaison officer.

    A detailed forensic examination of the scene is still underway and a Pathology report on M/s Smith’s body is expected to be released at around 6pm.

    D I Seaton told ThameNews.Net that no one else is being sought in connection with this incident but that he expects an arrest to be made within the next few days. He was anxious to re-assure local people that although shocking, this is an isolated and unusual incident. He is appealing for anyone with any information they may help him with the investigation to contact Thames Valley Police on 0845 8 505 505, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    Photo: Detective Inspector Colin Seaton, who is leading the investigation into the murder of Deborah Smith, from Wheatley.

  • Dates for Thame by-election following Crewe triumph for Conservatives

    TWO dates have been penciled in for a by-election in the Henley Constituency, following a land-slide win for the Conservatives in Crewe and Nantwich yesterday.
    Both June 26 or July 3 have been talked about as likely dates for a contest following Boris Johnson’s promise to step down as the constituency’s MP, if he was elected Mayor of London.

    A by-election in Thame, brought about by the resignation of Conservative Town Cllrs Richard Walker and his wife Claire, is already planned for Thursday, July 10, 2008.

    The name of the Conservative party’s new candidate has not yet been decided, though it is know that Boris Johnson’s father, Sidney has put his hat in the ring.

  • Kites, Camera, Action!

    FRUSTRATION turned to joy this week as live images of a red kite nest with three chicks were finally beamed to a local garden centre.
    Red Kite Nest Watch, organised for the last five years by the Chilterns Conservation Board, uses CCTV technology to bring the public ?up close and personal? with a pair of red kites as they rear their chicks, but this year?s project nearly didn?t happen because last years? unsuccessful nest was abandoned.

    Just in the nick of time a new nest was located and the cameras moved. Live pictures of the nest are now being beamed into the coffee shop at the Studley Green Garden Store on the A40 near Stokenchurch.

    ?We?re extremely relieved? says Cathy Rose, who manages the project. ?After the parents didn?t return to last year?s nest and we couldn?t find where they?d moved to, we?d almost resigned ourselves to Nest Watch not happening this year. When members of the Southern England Kite Group discovered a new nest with three baby chicks, we were absolutely delighted and got straight to work relocating the camera!?

    You can view the live Nest Watch images at the Studley Green Garden Store until late July. You can also watch video clips on the website: www.redkites.net

    The Chilterns Conservation Board is looking for volunteers to help staff the Nest Watch stand at the garden centre over the next 8 weeks. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Cathy Rose on 01844 355 506 or Helen Olive on 07795 428 806.

    Photo: By A Freeman

  • New owner for Natural Cafe

    A LARGE proportion of The Natural Cafe chain, which included an outlet in Thame High Street and which was taken into Administration, has been sold off.
    A spin-off business of Costa Coffee, Marco Costa’s
    Caf

  • Get ‘snapping’ over the Bank Holiday

    THE schedule for this autumn’S Haddenham Horticultural Society show will not be available for a few weeks but, if you want to get started with taking photographs over the Bank Holiday weekend, the subjects for the photography classes have now been announced.
    They are: A Castle or Folly, A Sporting Event, Shadows, and Wild Flowers.

    The subject for the junior classes is An Animal or Animals.

  • From flocks to frocks (Status: Press release)

    COSTUMES inspired by the Oxfordshire County Council Museum Service’s collection of wild birds will go on display on Friday, May 24.
    The dresses, designed by freelance costume designer, Kate Plumtree, will be on show at the Oxfordshire Museum’s art gallery in Woodstock until September 28.

    Kate Plumtree graduated from Wimbledon School of Art in 1992 with a BA (Hons) in costume design. She now runs workshops that focus on the many different aspects of costume design and construction.

    Her latest collection is inspired by Oxfordshire Museum’s display of wild birds combined with the evolution of period dress.

    Each costume represents an individual species of bird and a specific era of fashion, spanning from the 16th century to the present day.

    The exhibition also includes the design drawings, large scale photography of the costumes modelled in natural habitats, and step-by-step photographs of how each garment was made – from sculptural constructions and fittings to creative textile techniques for creating surface texture, pattern and embellishment.

  • Lower speed limit on Thame bypass to go ahead

    FOLLOWING a public consultation, Oxfordshire County Council has now approved the implementation of a reduction of the speed limit on the Thame Bypass.
    No official date for the commencement of a 40mph speed limit for the stretch between the Aylesbury roundabout and the Chinnor roundabout, has yet been announced.

  • Boris’s Lib Dem Opponent goes to Crewe to give support

    THE Liberal Democrat’s Parliamentary Candidate for the Henley constituency that includes Thame, has travelled to Crewe to support Elizabeth Shelton, his party’s candidate in today’s by-election.
    Stephen Kearney is the Liberal Democrat candidate for the expected Henley by-election which, according to the Times newspaper today, could be next month if the Conservatives win in Crewe and Nantwich.

    The Lib Dems campaign headquarters for the duration of the campaign will be here in Thame, so presumably the town can expect a lot of attention from national journalists seeking the views of the town – which should be good for local hostelries!

    The Lib Dem’s candidate, Stephen Kearney, 49, is Chief Executive of an international development charity that works in Africa and the UK. He has been a small business owner, a farmer and has also worked as a commodity broker.

    He started his career in retail management with W H Smith and left to set up a pony trekking centre and mixed farm enterprise. After gaining a qualification in Agriculture from Harper Adams University College, Stephen worked in agricultural commodity trading and project management before deciding to make a move to the charity sector.

    He lives with his partner, Julia, who shares his passion for sailing and boating. As well as his love of Britain’s waterways, Stephen says he is passionate about protecting England’s rural environment. His interests include music, drama and the arts, especially live performance.
    He has pledged to make a permanent move to the constituency if he is elected as Henley Member of Parliament.

    “I want to be a very energetic and local MP taking up the concerns of people across the whole of the area,” he has said.
    “As the local MP, I will keep in touch with local people all year round and hold regular advice surgeries across the area. I will be a strong local champion for our local communities. I will speak out on the issues that matter to local people such as the loss of local Post Offices, policing and the environment. I will be a full-time MP for this area, living and working in its communities and fighting to safeguard local services.”

    Photo: Stephen Kearney