Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Licensees Warned To Help Reduce Under-age and Binge Drinking

    PUB and club managers across the Thames Valley are to be issued with help and advice to combat under-age and binge drinking – and a strong warning, by police.
    Thames Valley Police officers, working alongside Hampshire Constabulary and NHS South Central, have started handing out information packs to pubs, clubs and off-licences throughout the region.

    Assistant Chief Constable, Nick Gargan, said:”Alcohol can provide an enjoyable addition to a good night out, and we don?t want to ban anyone from drinking.
    But we do want to ensure our town and city centres are pleasurable places to be at night and we will be working with licensees to support them and their staff in being robust with underage and excessive drinkers.
    ?The packs contain material to help licensees explain the law to their staff and to customers they refuse to serve or ask for ID.
    ?Not only will they make life easier for licensees, the packs will help us expose irresponsible members of the licensing trade known as a ?soft touch? on alcohol sales.
    ?If they continue to fail to trade responsibly they can expect to have their license reviewed.?

    Officers have already started handing out the packs and talking to licensees about how they can help them reduce drunk, rowdy and violent behaviour along with underage drinking.
    It is hoped they will play a vital role in the year-long campaign designed to cut down binge drinking.
    Officers have also warned any licensee whose premises continue to have a reputation as a ?soft touch? after the packs are handed out will be subject to a clamp-down.

    Each pack contains details of the recommended number of daily alcohol units, the health impacts of drinking excessively, and the number of units found in a variety of drinks.

    Posters and stickers containing information about age checks for display at bars and a log book for recording refusals to serve suspected underage drinkers will also be included, along with a fact sheet about the Violent Crime Reduction Act.

    Dr James Mapstone, Acting Regional Director of Public Health, said: ?Working with licensees is one of the ways we are trying to limit the supply of alcohol to young people and raise awareness of the dangers of excessive drinking amongst adults generally.

    ?In the NHS we are seeing more and more people admitted to hospital as a result of alcohol and we can only highlight the dangers and help people make informed choices about how much they drink with the help of licensees, parents and other adults in the community.?

    A study found the impact of violence associated with excessive drinking on the NHS and police to be a major drain on resources.

    A typical glassing incident costs the NHS around

  • Thame Charities Fair Success

    THAME Town Councillor, Beatrice Dobie, has expressed her thanks to all who contributed to the success of the recent Charities Fair that she organised in Thame.
    The total raised from the afternoon was

  • Thame Fire Officers Collection For Killed Warwickshire Colleagues

    THAME retained fire officers are collecting donations to help the families of their colleagues killed in the recent fire on a West Midlands Trading estate.
    Anyone who would like to make a donation can either take it along to the fire station in Nelson Street, or hand it to any local fire officer they know or meet.
    Cheques should be make out to:
    The National Fire Service Benevolent Fund.

    Station Officer, Andy Ford, told ThameNews.Net: “The fire service nationally is one, big family and we all feel the pain of the friends, colleagues and families of the four men killed in the Warwickshire fire.
    “Thank goodness we have not had a fatality in the Oxfordshire Fire Service for around 20 years but we all recognise that it is the nature of our role that despite all the training we receive to minimise danger, there are risks and altimately fire fighting can be dangerous.”

  • A Better Climate For Cycling Conference

    CYCLOX, the cycling campaign for Oxford, will be hosting a conference aimed at examining how cycling can help tackle Climate Change.
    The Cycling for the Climate National Conference, on Saturday, November 17, organised by the CTC and CCN(Cycle Campaign Network), will explore a range of issues including how road conditions can be improved to tempt more people to take up cycling.

    Speakers will include Mark Lynas, the renowned environmental journalist and acclaimed author of Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet, and Adrian Dent, who manages CTC

  • Funds Available For Community Projects

    THE Trust for Oxfordshire?s Environment (TOE)is making funds available to local communities across the County through the Landfill Communities Fund.
    Do you have a local community or environmental project in need of funds? Perhaps the village hall or the playground need improving, or a local nature reserve is in need of management ? if you have a possible project give TOE a call to find out if they might be able to help you.

    TOE Meets four times a year, and the application deadlines for 2008 are as follows:
    16 January for a meeting on the 28 February
    9 April for a meeting on the 22 May
    30 July for a meeting on the 11 September
    15 October for a meeting on the 27 Nov.

    If you have a community and/or environmental project in need of funding, contact Fiona Danks on 01865 883488 or toe@ruralnet.org.uk.

    Places for People ? TOE and Oxfordshire County Council is working in partnership to offer local communites and organisations in rural parts of Oxfordshire the chance to bid for grants of up to

  • Christmas Gifts For Everyone,Thame

    GLAD RAGS – Christmas Shopping Experience, Thame.

  • Clean Sheet For Thame United

    MARLOW UNITED 0, THAME UNITED 0 – Match Report
    ON paper at least an away draw and clean sheet against fifth place Marlow was a good result for Thame, but after 90 minutes, United will wonder how they failed to leave Wilks Park without three points. In truth, Thame?s failure to score was a combination of some good goalkeeping, wayward finishing and curious officiating.

    Thame opened brightly and what turned out to be the best chance of the game fell to Gary Marshall in the 11th minute. Nathan Jack turned well on the left hand side and delivered a low pin-point cross between the six yard box and penalty spot that Marshall, arriving at the far post, placed back beyond the keeper but narrowly wide of the post.
    A similar chance fell to Marshall ten minutes later from a Luke Ricketts cross, but the result was the same. Captain Dave Hocking then went close with a header from a free kick, before Marlow had their best period of the game. However, United keeper Searl was rarely troubled as the back four combination of Thompson, Ansell, Higgs and Hocking dealt comfortably with the Marlow forward line.

    The second half was more one-sided as Thame searched for the elusive first goal. Both Ricketts and Jack went close when, after 20 minutes of the half, both the referee and his assistant failed to spot an obvious handball in the Marlow penalty box. Despite this, United continued to press forward with Ricketts and Ben Connelly on the left and right respectively causing the Marlow defence problems, with Greg Boult and Adam Rhodes gaining the upper hand in midfield.

    With 15 minutes to go, Marlow were reduced to 10 men when midfielder Matt Flint was sent off for an elbow to the face of Ricketts. Together with the introduction of Nigel Swafford for Gary Marshall, this galvanised Thame further and, with five minutes to go, a through ball from Ricketts was met by Swafford who was body checked by the Marlow centre back as he raced in to the box but, again, the referee failed to give a penalty. Still there was time for Marlow keeper Pollard to pull-off a point blank save whilst Rhodes saw his cross shot go agonisingly wide of the far post in the last serious action of the game.

    Despite their failure to score, United will go in to their away game next Saturday (2:15pm kick off) against unbeaten League leaders Chalfont Wasps on a high.

    Thame United: Searl, Thompson, Ansell, Higgs, Hocking, Boult, Connelly, Rhodes, Marshall (Swafford), Jack, Ricketts.
    Subs not used: Graves, Catlin

    Thame United Reserves returned to top spot in Reserve Division 2 East with a hard fought win against previously unbeaten Penn and Tylers Green Reserves. The Reserves face Henley Town Reserves in the Oxfordshire Intermediate Cup on Saturday, with a 2pm kick off at Lord Williams Upper School.

  • Praise For Oxfordshire’s Transport Chiefs (Status: Press Release)

    OXFORDSHIRE County Council has been told that its transport team has been ranked the top authority in the South East by the Government and is among only 20 in the country to be ranked as ‘excellent’ for its work in easing congestion.
    The Department for Transport ranks all local councils on their performance levels against pre-set transport network management duties.

    In 2005 the Government imposed such duties on all councils responsible for transport issues, to ensure that they are effectively managing congestion on their roads.

    The report is the first time that the Government has assessed the effectiveness of the measures authorities have in place against a range of criteria and praises the county council for covering all of the requirements very well.

    Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “Our transport teams work incredibly hard to do their jobs and this is a reflection of their efforts.
    “You only have to look at the recent work at the Green Road roundabout and at St Clements to understand the high standards they bring to their work.
    “There are real challenges ahead for us. We will have to make yet more effective use of our transport network with all of the new housing that has been allocated to Oxfordshire by Government as part of the South East Plan.
    “I have confidence that our transport planners will dedicate themselves to that work and make the best of the situation for Oxfordshire.”

  • Chinnor RFC Nail Biter Against Cleve

    MATCH REPORT – Cleve 22 pts Chinnor 26 pts – 03/11/07
    ANOTHER nail- biter – Not for the faint hearted this! The game lived up to its billing with top of the table Chinnor visiting Cleve, who were in third position and defending a two year undefeated home record.
    Chinnor were forced to make five changes from last week’s starting line-up. Skipper Matt Hutchins, Harry Jackman, Alan Cawston and Joe Winpenny were all absent from the pack with the unfortunate Sam Portland sidelined with a broken leg. Their places were taken by Joe Iosefo, Patrick Stennings, Andy Millburn, Adam Hastings and Pip Seymour.

    The game kicked off in perfect conditions with Chinnor unable to get their hands on the ball for the first 15 minutes, during which time they found themselves 16 points in arrears. The referee was quick to penalise any indescretions and with Chinnor committing three of these, the deadly boot of Cleve’s Matt Spencer made them pay. Three penalty goals from Spencer and a well worked try from Snach Ajuwa with Spencer adding the conversion left Chinnor stunned and facing an uphill battle. They got back into the game after 30 minuters, when Jaike Carter made ground on ther right wing and found the ever present Zane Winslade with a pass back inside to score wide-out. James Cathcart added the conversion. Chinnor then spurned a kick in front of the posts taking a quick tap penalty instead which came to nothing as they were held up just short of the line. At half time Cleve led by 16 points to 7 but Chinnor were well back in the game.

    Chinnor began the second half in storming style. Owen Gustafson made a break after the forwards set up a good platform, allowing Tom Whelan to force his way over the line and score his first try for Chinnor in three years. With Cathcart adding the extras, Chinnor were back in the hunt. It was now Chinnor making the play, but with the referee finding a couple more reasons to penalise them, one of these leading to a Grizz McQuire sin-binning, the unerring boot of Spencer made them pay. Two flashes of top drawer rugby them won the game for Chinnor. It was Ben Hewitt who, entering the line at pace and running at a good angle, was responsible on both occasions. He finished the first incursion by scoring himself, running 50 metres in the process. His second foray into the line set up Pip Seymour, who took the pass from Hewitt and ran hard to score wide out. With Cathcart adding one of the conversions, Chinnor took the lead for the first time. They then had to defend their line desperately in the last seven minutes without Andy Millburn who was yellow carded for entering the side of a ruck. The fact that they scrummaged twice near their line with seven men, and held up on both occasions, showed their resilience and fortitude. Young Robert Baker, on his debut, did very well at this most testing of times.

    So, at the final whistle it was Chinnor who ran out the winners and deservedly so in scoring four tries to one.

  • Have We Heard The Death Knell For Print News? Asks Boris

    JOURNALIST, Boris Johnson MP, has questioned why anyone should bother with print newspapers, after seeing the latest home technology on display by a Thame company.
    Boris was visiting the showroom of Cyber Homes Limited, in Howland Road, Thame, on Friday, when he was shown an integrated TV screen/bathroom mirror, through which one could watch news coverage and anything else on television, whilst soaking in the bath.
    “Why should anyone ever again bother to have kilos of print newspapers dumped on their doorstep?” he commented.
    “I am going away now to contemplate what I am going to do about it,” he added, as he turned to go after experiencing for himself the very latest in fully automated discrete home cinema, multi-room audio/video and electronic home security.

    (Well, we always knew that ThameNews.Net was in the vanguard!)

    Boris was visibly impressed with the technology and congratulated the company for its achievements in putting together the showroom and wished it every success in going forward to bring exciting and innovative, energy-saving technology to homes.

    Photo: Boris Johnson MP, expresses his amazement at the possibilities of home entertainment, during a visit to Cyber Homes Ltd, of Thame.