Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Priority Crimes Operation Launched By Police (Status: Ringmaster message)

    A TWO month operation has been launched by Thames Valley Police in the Vale & South Oxfordshire areas, focusing on priority crimes such as burglary, and Vehicle Crime in a special initiative.
    We ask that all members review the security of their homes, including door locks, window locks, garage and shed doors. Also consider identity theft and make sure personal details do not fall into the wrong hands.

    Please be aware and keep an extra look out for any elderly or vulnerable residents within your NHW (Neighbourhood Watdh Scheme), who may be targets for Distraction Burglars or Bogus Callers. A FREE crime reduction survey can be carried out by the Crime Reduction Advisor to anyone you feel may be at risk.

    Weekly Ringmaster messages will be sent out giving Crime Reduction Advice and you can contact the NHW watch office to obtain supplies of security information leaflets on 01235 556957.

    To contact you local Crime Reduction Advisor at Thames Valley Police, please call 08458 505 505

  • Great New Year start for Chinnor RFC Seconds (Contributed)

    CHINNOR RFC Seconds, Home League game on Saturday, January 5, 2008 – SCORE: Chinnor 2nd, 27 points, vs Esher 3rd, 10 Points.
    Tries: Captain Rob Fenwick x 2, Richard Binning x 1, Guy Hackshaw x 1 and Aaron Russell.
    Conversions: Thad Cooper x 1
    MATCH REPORT

    Chinnor seconds saw the New Year in with a very good win against Esher 3rd who?s first team are in National league one.
    This was a tough game played by two good teams but still a game that Chinnor seconds will be very pleased to have won. They had full control in the first half but had too many dropped passes and interceptions, mainly due to the adverse weather that created a very wet slippery ball.
    Chinnor were first to put points on the sheet with a well-worked try that saw Guy Hackshaw score in the corner after five minutes. Esher cut the lead with a penalty. Esher then took the lead in the 20th minute with an interception on the Chinnor 10 metre line that finished with a try. Chinnor were camped on the Esher line for ten minutes before Aaron Russell broke the defence for a well deserved try and the first half finished 10 points all.

    In the second half Chinnor played to their strengths by keeping the ball in the forwards, driving Esher back and winning the Esher scrums, thus disrupting their line outs and putting them under constant pressure.
    Captain Rob Fenwick rewarded Chinnor five minutes into the half with a great forwards drive and a try and took the lead 15 points to 10.
    Chinnor was unlucky not to add to the points tally with the ball being so slippery. Chinnor then moved further ahead in the 25th minute with a well-worked drive by the forwards and Rob Fenwick scored his second try.
    Esher never let up but had no answer to the Chinnor pack who were relentless in their attack which kept Esher on the back foot.
    Chinnor backs worked very well with the forwards and were very unlucky a number of times. But weather conditions dictated how the game was played.
    In the 35th minute Chinnor had a ten metre scrum and drove the Esher boys back over their try line for no. 8, Richard Binning to dot the ball down for a try, well converted by Thad Cooper.
    And Chinnor ran out winners 27 points to 10

    Walter McGuicken

  • Driver Dies On M40 After Collison With RAC Van (Status: Press Release)

    THE Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision that took place yesterday (3/1) on the M40 between JunctionS 1 and 1a, on the northbound carriageway.
    At around 3.45pm a grey Mazda collided with an orange RAC transit van, which was stationary on the hard shoulder. The RAC van was attending a breakdown of another vehicle which was not involved in the collision.

    The driver of the Mazda, a 67-year-old man from Camberley, Surrey was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. He was the only occupant of the vehicle.

    One other person at the scene received minor injuries but did not require hospital treatment.

    Anyone who may have witnessed the collision is urged to contact PC Simon Kennedy at Amersham Roads Policing via 0845 8 505 505, or if you don?t want to talk to the police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

  • Views Wanted About Possible Thousand New Homes For Thame

    RESIDENTS of South Oxfordshire have until February 1 to say where they think 10,000 new homes should be built in the district by 2026. This includes a possible 1,000 for the Thame area.
    As required by the Government, SODC has identified a number of potential areas for new housing in around the towns of Didcot, Henley, Thame and Wallingford. It has also identified thirteen larger and more sustainable villages, which it considers could accommodate more housing. The district council would like to hear your views on which of these areas of land and which towns and villages you think are the most suitable.

    Over the next 18 months, South Oxfordshire District Council will develop plans and polices for development up to 2026 and have come up with what they are calling ‘The Core Strategy’ to identify the important issues and areas for new development.
    To read the strategy, visit the website at Link here

    The pages relevant to Thame are 39, 40 and 41.

    To make your views count, go to LINK
     and follow the link to ?Your place, Your future?, or email planning.policy@southoxon.gov.uk.

    Photo: Map showing the possible sites for housing development around Thame. (The map is clearer on SODC’s website – follow the links above)

  • Gold For Ex Lord Williams’s Students

    FIVE former pupils of Lord Williams?s School, Thame, have received Gold Duke of Edinburgh?s Awards from Hugo Brunner, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire.
    The award ceremony took place yesterday (03/01) at the Unipart Conference Centre, Cowley, Oxford.
    James Abbott (18), Sarah Braund (19), Andrew Dawson (20), Jeremy Shott (19) and Amy Wakelam (19) each undertook five elements in gaining this highest level recognition – community service, skills development, physical recreation, a residential project and an extended outdoor expedition. The program took over 18 months to complete and included canoeing, youth camp supervision, fundraising and voluntary work with hospital and the Scout and Guide movements.

    Thanks were extended to the staff at Lord Williams?s School and award mentors for their support and guidance throughout the Gold Award and for their assistance in the Bronze and Silver prerequisite qualifications.

    Chairman of the partnership, Keith Sexton, said: ?The personal achievements of the Oxfordshire Gold Award recipients, and the amount of benefit they have provided to local communities through the service section of this award, are a cause for real celebration.
    ?Amey, as a large company based in Oxford, is pleased to see its support for the award in the county being reflected in such a positive and inspiring way.?

    In Oxfordshire, over 3,000 young people currently participate in The Duke of Edinburgh?s Award challenge. During 2007, 506 Bronze Awards, 193 Silver Awards and 119 Gold Awards were achieved. These silver and gold results have broken all previous county records.

    The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of practical, cultural and adventurous activities, designed to support the personal and social development of young people aged 14-25, regardless of gender, background or ability. It offers an individual challenge and encourages young people to undertake exciting, constructive, challenging and enjoyable activities in their free time.

    Photo: (left to right) Sarah Braund, Andrew Dawson,
    Hugo Laurence Joseph Brunner JP, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Jeremy Shott, James Abbott and Amy Wakelam

  • Ambulance Call-Outs Up By 11% Over Festive Period (Status: Press Release)

    THE South Central Ambulance Trust dealt with more than 11,000 calls across the Christmas and New Year period, making it one of the busiest times ever for the organisation.
    It also handled over 15,000 ?out of hours? calls ? people ringing for non-urgent advice and home visits once their GP Surgeries were closed.
    As an example, at one point, the Out Of Hours staff for Oxfordshire took more than 500 calls in one hour alone ? that was on the 29th December.
    Calls to the Out of Hours service represented the biggest increase in call volume, year on year.

    Between the 24th December 2007 and 1st January 2008, calls taken by the Emergency Operations Centres were as follows:

    Berkshire Division: 2,921 calls
    Hampshire Division: 3,761
    Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Division: 4,387

    This represents an increase of approximately 11% on last year?s call volume. The types of incidents were extremely varied and although alcohol related problems did occur, there were also significant numbers of people with cardiac problems, breathing difficulties, falls and traffic accidents.

  • Arrest Following Thame By-pass Crash

    A 32 year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of Dangerous Driving pending further enquiries, following a four-car pile-up on Thame by-pass last Friday (28/12/07).
    Four people, including a six year-old child suffering from cuts and bruising, and a broken collar bone, were taken injured in the incident. A woman with head and severe facial injuries remains critically ill but her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
    The arrested woman has been bailed until January 24.

    Both the child and the woman arrested have been released from hospital.

    The vehicles involved in the collision, which occured around 1.30pm, were a black Skoda Fabia, a silver Vauxhall Corsa and a grey Honda CRV.

    The road was closed for around five hours following the accident and an investigation into the cause of the crash continues.

    Anyone with information on the collision should contact police on 08458 505505 or speak anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

  • Thame Sunday Cinema Classics

    THIS year, 2008, Thame Cinema 4 All, in partnership with The Thame Players, will be showing classic films on Sundays, as well as their usual Saturday night programmes.
    The first Sunday night classic is to be Steven Spielberg’s ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (PG), which will be shown on January 20th, at 7pm.

  • Council delays Windmill Road development decision

    THAME Town Council has deferred making its recommendation about a plan for houses on the old Thame United Football club site.
    Neighbours around the site have compained that planning notices were sent to them by South Oxfordshire District Council only days before the application was due to go before the town council’s Planning committee last Tuesday (01/04). They want more time to view the plans and consider how any development might effect them.
    The application, for Outline residential development, has been submitted for J G Land & Estates, London.
    Thame Town Council will consider the plan at its next Planning meeting on April 15.

  • Thame United Boxing Day Blues (Contributed)

    Penn & Tylers Green 3, Thame United 2
    BOXING Day?s match at Penn and Tylers green was a game that Thame United did not deserve to loose. They had more possession, created some good chances, had a perfectly good ?goal? disallowed and, although the referee offered little protection, maintained their discipline well against an unnecessarily physical Penn side. Due to Christmas commitments Thame were without some key players, including leading goal scorer Nathan Jack.

    Thame started well but, against the run of play, Penn scored in the 10th minute. A cross from the right found home striker, Dave Keenan in space and he hit a well placed shot from 15 yards, beating Thame?s goalkeeper, Paul Searl. A few minutes later Graeme Catlin, forced a good save from the home keeper when he met a Ben Connelly cross with a strong header. Thame were having more of the play and it seemed only a matter of time before they equalised, but in fact it was Penn who, on 29 minutes, increased their lead. A cross from the left was met with a weak goal bound header from the unchallenged Andy Goddard. The normally reliable Searl fumbled the save and it was 2-0 to the home side. On 35 minutes, Thame?s Player/Manager Mark West met a corner with a good header which seemed to cross the goal line before being blocked by a defending hand but, despite Thame protests, the unsighted referee waved play on.

    Thame pulled a goal back 15 minutes into the second half when Connelly made a good run to the right by line and pulled the ball back for Catlin to shoot home from 5 Yards. Again it seemed that Thame would equalise, but again it was the home side who increase their lead, this time by a break away goal, scored by substitute Dean Allen. Thame?s second goal came on 72 minutes when, following a corner, the ball fell to Lee Thompson who unleashed a 25-yard goal bound shot which the keeper parried, but Thame sub Matt Leach picked up the rebound to finish from close range. Penn were reduced to 10 men soon after when fiery substitute Gary Finch, who had come on in the 42nd minute, was dismissed for a second bookable offence. The final frenzied minutes saw Thame players push forward and create several chances, but they were unable to find the net, and it was the home side who took the points.

    Thame United: Searl, Cowan, Watkins (Jewell), Thompson, Hocking, Boult, Connelly, Rhodes, Catlin (Ansell), West (Leach), Ricketts.