Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Have Your Say At The Annual Town Meeting

    THAME Town Council have issued an invitation to local people to the annual Town Meeting, which will be chaired by the Mayor, Nigel Champken-Woods.
    The event will be held at the town hall on Tuesday, April 24, at 7.30pm
    Representatives from the Town, District and County Councils will hear your views and answer your questions.
    The Speakers will include Police Constable Russell Hounslow, who will give an update on Neighbourhood Policing, and Nicola Francis, the Area Youth Worker and two young people will talk about youth work.
    The hopes & aspirations of the Thame Football Partnership will be discussed by both Jake Collinge, Chairman of Thame United and Nigel Hargreaves, Head of Strategic Development for the F.A.
    AGENDAS ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE TOWN HALL
    Tel: 01844 212833 or e-mail: clerk@thametowncouncil.gov.uk

  • Try Thame First Flies!

    THE Try Thame First Campaign took to the skies last night (18/04/07), when the town’s Mayor took a balloon flight with ‘rising’ young Thame business, The Altitude Balloon company.
    Ex RAF Glider pilot, Cllr Nigel Champken-Woods, sporting a smart brown summer suit and the Mayor’s Chain, joined members of the local press for what turned out to be a gentle and leisurely flight across the countryside from Thame Showground, up and away above Towersey and on to Bledlow, finishing with a text book landing in a field, executed by pilot, Ian Woodmansey.
    Before they could take off however, the Mayor and his team had to earn their flight. They helped unload the bottles of propane gas, the basket and all the rest of the 1,000 kilograms of equipment before using a giant fan to blow first cold air into the gaping canopy, and then a gas burner to complete the inflation with hot air (jokes about the Mayor being used to ‘hot air’ in the council chamber setting the scene for the level of humour for the rest of the flight).

    ‘Try Thame First’ is the slogan that the 21st Century Thame Partnership’s Economic Working Group is promoting, to encourage local people to explore the excellent range of local shops, businesses and services in order to support their local economy.

    After what he described as “a fabulous experience and one I shall definitely be repeating with my wife Alison,” the Mayor told ThameNews.Net: “New enterprises like The Altitude Balloon Company are exactly the sort of things that Thame needs and deserve to be supported, as do our more established, independent shops and businesses that bring so much to the town in the way of choice, variety and economic vibrancy.”

    More information about The Altitude Balloon Company, which they believe is the UK?s first ever ? and only -carbon-neutral hot air balloon company, can be found on its website: “Link

    The company works with the charity ‘Climate Care’ based in Oxford to off-set the carbon they create in flying, by donating money towards energy efficient projects. See Link

    Photo: The Mayor or Thame, Nigel Champken-Woods, Pilot Ian Woodmansey, ground crew and trainee pilot, Stuart (outside the basket), Thame Gazette reporter, Sophia Jay and Editor of ThameNews.Net, Sonja Francis

  • Collision on M1- Update

    THE M1 motorway has now been reopened after a collision this morning (18/4) between four HGV lorries, one of which is a petrol tanker, and a car.

    One man died in the incident that happened at 2.45am. Four other people were slightly injured.

    The collision happened on the northbound carriageway between junctions 13 and 14. Both lanes of the motorway have been closed as a safety precaution.

    A 23 year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released on bail until 5th June.

  • Thame Citizen Helps Honour Belsen Liberation Hero

    THE war-time memories of a Thame Honoury Citizen were rekindled on Sunday, when he was invited to commemorate and honour the life of the medical officer in charge of the liberation of the Belsen concentration camp.
    Ex Thame Mayor and District Councillor, Len Webb, was a young army driver in April 1945, assigned to Brigadier Glyn Hughes CBE,DSO,MC,FRCGP, who was the medical officer in charge of the liberation of the notorious Belson concentration camp.
    At the invitation of the Yad Vahem UK Foundation, the organisation which, on behalf of the Jewish people recognises the bravery of non-Jews in attempting to save the lives of Jews, Len joined the annual commemoration of the six million victims of the Holocaust on the anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, in London on Sunday (April 15).

    Now 86 years-old, Len re-called his old boss: “When we went into the camp, it was riddled with typhus and there were bodies lying in open pits. The majority of those still alive were sick with the desease. The Brigadier was responsible for transferring them to the near-by German hospital and ordering the burning of the camp a week later. Despite being a very tall and imposing figure, he treated the sick and starving people with gentleness and respect. I remember one occassion when he ordered German soldiers to carry a couple of old people they were kicking to move then along. On another occasion, he arranged for another couple to be married. Brigadier Hughes was a wonderful and brave man and I am honoured to have served under him, and to have been part of Sundays recognition of what he did, and the presentation of a Meritous Award for Bravery to his son-in-law, his only remaining relative in the UK.”

    Apart from the harsh memories of that historic week in Germany, Len has many fond memories of happier times driving the sport-loving Brigadier in his Humber car to play rugby and even golf whenever he got the opportunity, and shares his many photographs of those war years and his tremendous store of memories with poignancy and pride.

    Len Webb was made the first Honoury Citizen of Thame in December, 1999, in recognition of his long, exemplary and outstanding public service to the people of Thame, both as a citizen and a councillor.
    His achievements include:
    * Serving from 1969 to 1995 as a Thame Councillor
    * Serving from 1977 to 1991 as a Thame District
    Councillor
    * Mayor of Thame from 1975 to 1979 and Deputy Mayor
    on two occassions
    * School Governor of John Hampden school in 1969,
    serving for 26 years, including as Chairman from
    1975 to 1990
    * Helping to set up and Chair ‘Thame In Bloom’
    * Setting up and chairing Thame Carnival for many
    years
    * Setting up and Chairing Thame PHAB Club for the
    Disabled for many years
    * Becoming a Trustee of The Thame Barns Centre in
    1990
    * Chairman of The Friends of Meadowcroft in 2000
    * Chairing the Thame Golden Jubilee Festival
    Organising committee 2002

    Photo: Len Webb with his daughters, Alison and Judith who accompanied him to the commemoration of Yom Hashoah, the Holocaust, and the commemoration of the Brigadier Gly Hughes and the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, at Logan Hall, Institute of Education in London.

  • New Rules Agreed After Thame Fair Complaints

    FOLLOWING a petition and complaints about excessive noise, pollution and vibration created by the annual Thame fair in the High Street, the town council and the Showmen’s Guild have agreed several actions to try to curb issues of concern.
    The September fair, which Thame Town Council says runs at a net loss to themselves, has divided the town for many years between those who see it as a positive thing for the town, bringing fun and enjoyment, and those who consider that the noise and smell and the inconvenince to nearby business and residents has a negative effect on the town centre. Many people think that the size of modern fair rides and modern amplification of music now make the town centre an unsuitable location for a fair.

    The agreed actions are as follows:-

    * Music and noise will be set not to go above 80 decibels, 20 ft from the source in line with the Noise at Work Regulations Act 2006. This to be monitored by stewards who will carry decibel meters.
    Any infringement will be taken up by the Showman’s Guild who can fine the offending showman by amounts of

  • By Pass Crash Today

    EMERGENCY Services were called to a crash on the Thame By-pass, near to the round-about with the Aylesbury Road.
    A black car left the road at around 1.30pm today. The driver, a male around 20 years, appeared to have minor head and facial injuries but the full extent of his injuries is not yet known.
    The air ambulance attended the scene.

  • Some Changes For Bus Routes

    CHANGES are be made to some bus services in and around Thame from June 3.
    The alterations follow an extensive Oxfordshire County Council review of those bus routes that it supports financially. The council?s decision making Cabinet recently decided on the award of new four-year contracts for a number of bus routes in South Oxfordshire.

    These were the subject of a consultation exercise in the latter part of 2006 and were considered following the re-tendering of these routes undertaken earlier this year.

    In the Thame area, the current shuttle to/from Chinnor is replaced by a new through route ?LINE 40? (Thame – Chinnor – Aston Rowant – Stokenchurch – High Wycombe), contracted jointly with Buckinghamshire County Council.

    LINE 40 will operate every hour Mondays to Saturdays and partly replaces route 275 (Oxford – High Wycombe) which is withdrawn. Intermediate villages on the present 275 route (Postcombe, Tetsworth and Milton Common) will get a replacement connection to/from Thame on five days per week by an enhanced service on route 124 (Watlington – Thame), which currently only operates on Tuesday and Saturday.

    Oxford, Chalgrove, Watlington, Wheatley, The Miltons

    It has been possible to maintain or improve a number of inter-urban routes such as X39 (Oxford – Chalgrove-Watlington) (to be re-numbered back to 101) – including later, evening journeys on Fridays and Saturdays and routes 103/104 (Oxford – Wheatley – The Miltons) – where the current need to change buses to reach the furthermost villages has been dropped; buses will in future, run all the way through.

    Councillor David Robertson, Oxfordshire County Council?s Cabinet Member for Strategic Transport Policy said: ?A number of very difficult decisions had to be made as to the direction of the available funding. An effort was made to retain those services that were more extensively used at the expense of some of the lesser used routes.

    ?A number of parishes will therefore see a reduction in service or in one or two instances lose their services completely. In such cases community transport alternatives may have to be investigated as an option.

    “I am pleased to announce that most of the services will receive brand new low-floor accessible buses as a result of these awards.?

    The revised services will be introduced on 3 June 2007 and passengers are advised to check nearer the date to see if their services will change.

  • Late Start For Thame’s Close Encounter

    Thame United 0, Hungerford Town 2 – 11/04/07 – League
    WHEN these teams met at Hungerford in February, Thame were soundly thrashed 6-1. This encounter was much closer; the main difference between the teams was that whilst Hungerford turned chances into goals, Thame squandered their countless goal scoring opportunities.

    Thame was without James Saulsbury who was injured in the pre-match warm up and was replaced by Adam Rhodes, but as a consequence the game started five minutes late. Thame had the better of the first half hour, putting together some good moves but Darren Moore, Dave Hocking and Adam Rhodes all managed to miss the target with only the goalkeeper to beat. Hungerford came back towards the end of the first half, but the game was goalless at half time.

    The visitors came out fired up for the second half and went ahead in the 52nd minute when the ball found Graham Endey in space and he hit a well placed shot from 12 yards. Seven minutes later, after a period of Thame pressure, Hungerford broke quickly and, following a move which looked suspiciously off-side, Edney netted his second from 15 yards. The hard working Thame side pressed hard and Nathen Jack was unlucky to see his strong, goal bound shot blocked. With 10 minutes play remaining Manager Mark West brought himself on as a third forward and central defender Matt Higgs went off. Thame pressed, but Hungerford defended well and just about deserved their win.

    Thame United: Barisic, Ansell, Steadman, Rhodes, Matt Higgs (West), Graves, Connelly, Hocking, Jack, Moore, Smith (Watkins).

    Thame?s next home game is on Monday 23rd April (K.O. 7.45) when Fairford Town are the visitors.

  • 50+ And Exercise

    SPORT, exercise and fitness are all things we tend to associate with younger people. This, and other factors, put ordinary people off activity especially if you happen to be more mature. Statistics show that we all take less and less exercise as we get older.
    By the time we are over 50, few of us take regular exercise. Whether you’re fit or not – and no matter what your age – you can take exercise and get lots out of it. Have you tried any of these activities?

  • Amendment To Candidates Standing In Local Elections

    DUE to a technical fault, Nigel Guy Champken-Woods’ name did not appear on the original list posted on the website on Thursday, April 5.
    We apologise for the omission and confirm that Mr Champken Woods is standing for election in Thame North Ward and that his name has now been added to the report. Please see Link