Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Sex Offender At Large In Oxfordshire

    THE Police have appealled for help with tracing a missing offender in the county.
    A joint statement has been released by Thames Valley Police and Thames Valley Probation Area:

    Kevin Aldred, aged 39, is a registered sex offender who has been missing since Wednesday night (31/01).
    He broke his curfew and has failed to maintain contact with probation staff or adhere to the conditions of his licence; he left his address in Oxfordshire around 9.20pm.

    Kevin has been living at this address since December (2006) and it had been approved as part of his post-prison licence conditions.
    He is subject to Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) and all agencies are working together on this case.
    He is 5ft 3ins with a slim build; has red, balding hair and a distinctive walk. He was wearing a black hooded top, jeans and a white T-shirt.
    BCU Commander Chief Supt Shaun Morley, said: “Intensive police inquiries have been undertaken to locate Kevin and he was sighted yesterday in Oxford.
    “One of the reasons we are releasing his details to the public is that there is a high risk he will re-offend. We are doing all we can to trace him, but would like people to remain vigilant, and ask anyone with information as to his whereabouts to get in touch as soon as possible.
    “Aldred is unpredictable and it would be inadvisable for members of the public to approach him. Should anyone see him, I would advise they call 999 immediately.”

    A dedicated telephone number has been set up for people to give information ? 01865 293037.

  • New Thame Library Latest

    A planning application to replace the Pied Pedaller with a new library for Thame, currently being discussed by Oxfordshire County Council and South Oxfordshire District Council, will be for demolition of the existing building and its replacement with a new, purpose build library.
    The estimated cost will be

  • Thame Toy Shop Closure Latest

    IT has emerged today that the Pied Pedaller toy shop, which is to close at the end of the month to make way for a new library for Thame, could have remained open until June.
    A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said today that the Pied Pedaller’s lease was not due to end until June, but that its Financial Director had asked the county council if they could vacate on February 17, “for business reasons.”
    “The business was not issued with a notice to quit,” she said, as was previously report in the press.

    NB The Pied Pedaller is part of The Toyworld Group comprises of Toyworld Toymaster, Toyworld Store Toymaster, Toyworld Megastore, Toyworld Hobbystore, Toyworld Factory Outlet, Toyworld Store Factory Outlet, The Toy Factory and www.toyworldstore.com.
    The Toyworld Group plc is Europe’s largest factory outlet toy retailer and also one of the UK’s largest chain of independent toy retailers.

    It is owned by the brothers, Gary and Stuart Sadler.

  • Thame Pupils To Meet Darth Vader

    SCHOOL children from Barley Hill school in Thame, will meet Darth Vader tomorrow, where the Dark Lord of the Siths will be making a rare appearance at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford.
    Better known for his military than his musical prowess, the Cyborg Human with psionic powers will hear the Star Wars Suite played by Oxfordshire County Council’s Central Music School Sinfonia.

    Alongside Darth will be some 1500 children from 29 primary schools across the county, attending two rousing concerts the organisers hope will encourage them to learn an instrument.
    Also on the programme will be John Williams’ Superman March, a trumpet fanfare and Night on the Bare Mountain by Mussorgsky,

    The twice-yearly concerts, which introduce children to the woodwind, brass and other families of instruments, have been taking place for more than seven years and the children will, as usual sing a song accompanied by the full orchestra.

    Oxfordshire county councillor Don Seale, Cabinet Member for Cultural Services, said: “The Sheldonian is a fantastic building, and with such powerful music being played in it the concerts should prove very exciting for both performers and audiences.
    “For many of the children it will be the first time they have been to a concert. I hope the drama of the music and the excitement of the experience will inspire some of them to become young musicians and encourage those who already are to continue.”

  • Snow White & the Seven Wonders of Pantomime

    An Epic & Spectacular Production!
    The Towersey village production of ?Snow White and the Seven Wonders of Pantomime? will be taking place in Towersey Village Hall from 14 – 17 February 2007. Written by local resident Les Lawrence, his aim is to include every villager who wants to take part, and this year there are over 60 members of cast on stage and screen. The panto always includes spectacular Ultra Violet scenes, a filmed section, fabulous costumes and inventive sets created by village residents.

    This time, Les is exploring how many times the number seven appears in our popular culture, in history and in the arts, all wrapped up in an intriguing plot that will keep you guessing. Who knows, there may even be a sighting of BBC Radio 2?s Ken Bruce!

    The village of Towersey has staged its own pantomime almost every year since 1977. Towersey village hall is transformed into a theatre for the occasion.

    Performances take place from Wednesday 14 ? Saturday 17 February at 7.30pm, with an additional matinee on Saturday 19 February at 2.30pm. Ticket prices vary, but start from just

  • Breaking News – Collision A34 Oxfordshire

    ACCIDENT NOW CLEARED AND ROAD RE-OPENED !!

    THE Police are currently dealing with a collision on the northbound A34.
    The incident, involving four lorries and two cars, happened in the contra-flow section of roadworks near Harwell Hill on the A34 between Chilton and the Milton interchange.

    One man has been taken to hospital by air ambulance. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

    The A34 is currently closed in both directions although traffic should start to flow southbound shortly.

    The road should be fully reopened in approximately one hour.

    Further updates will be placed on the website as and when available.

  • Powders At The Social – (Contributed)

    LIVE music nights start up again at the Social, Wellington Street, in Thame on Thursday nights from tomorrow (February 1).
    Local band, The Powders will be headlining the event- they recently played main support at Aylesbury Showcase, Hobble on the Cobbles to John Ottway, and will be promoting their debut album ‘Just By Breathing in. These masters of songwriting, play with passion and energy – make sure you catch The Powders on Thursday.

    Main support will come from Tim Matthews, a favourite act now at the social, a great singer/songwriter complete with band. Tim a great songwriter and performer.

    The opening act is GRK, a girl fronted group with a great voice, and some great songs; they will be performing an accoustic set for us on Thursday as their keyboard player is away.

    Three great bands for the usual door entry of only

  • District Councillor Welcomes Increased Police Presence In Thame

    A THAME Councillor has welcomed the the news that additional police officers have been tasked to cover Thame town centre on Friday and Saturday nights. Inspector Stewart Dunbar’s announcement that extra officers were in the town centre over the last two weekends, was welcomed by District Councillor Ann Midwinter who said: “This is really good news and shows that the local police have listened to the concerns of Thame people that were voiced at the recent public meeting to explain Neighbourhood Action Groups.”
    Last weekend, Inspector Dunbar announced, five arrests were made and two fixed penalty notices issued for anti-social behaviour.

    At the meeting, which was held at Thame town hall and attended by some 65 local people (including young people and councillors), the residents of Thame named the issues they want their neighbourhood team to tackle.

    The top three priorities were lack of provision for young people, underage drinking and vandalism.

    During the meeting residents were asked to think of things that concern them in their neighbourhood and they then voted for their top issues.

    Lack of youth provision received 25 votes. Underage drinking in the town centre, Lincoln Place, Churchill Crescent parks and Fleetwood Way received 21 votes. And vandalism on Pearce Way, Lincoln Place, Chinnor Road, Queen Elizabeth Circle and the Upper High Street received 13 votes. These three issues received the most votes.

    The neighbourhood team is now looking for people willing to be part of the neighbourhood action group (NAG) to start taking work forward to tackle these priorities.

    Sgt Martin Jubb, Neighbourhood Implementation Manager, said: ?The NAG will be a group of people including local residents, police, local authorities and other interested parties such as shop owners, teachers, youth workers or licensees. This group will find solutions to the three priorities and put those solutions into action.

    ?If you are interested in joining the NAG then contact me, Sgt Mike Todd or PC Abi Derbyshire via 0845 8 505 505.

    ?We would also like to hear from anyone interested in becoming a PCSO. PCSOs are the key to the success of neighbourhood policing and we need more PCSOs across South Oxfordshire to complete our neighbourhood teams.?

    ?If you are interested in finding out more about what being a PCSO involves contact the national call centre on 0845 600 0925 or visit www.rewardingrole.co.uk.?

  • Two Out of Two For Chinnor RFC Seconds

    Match Report – Home League Game – January 27.
    Score: Chinnor 2nd, 31 Pts vs. North Walsham 2nd, 7 Pts
    Tries: Johnathan Phipps x 2, John Pritchard, Leon Westerman, Danny Burns.
    Conversions: Adam White X 3

    CHINNOR seconds have made it two out of two in 2007, with a win in their league match against North Walsham, beating them by 31 points to 7 on Saturday.
    It was a game played by two good teams of equal strength and it took until the 30th minute before Chinnor 2nds took the lead with a good try by Johnathan Phipps, which was well converted by Adam White. With Chinnor forwards dominating the game, North Walsham took the easy ?in vogue? option which is becoming the norm, by going for uncontested scrums to neutralise Chinnor?s strength.
    Chinnor rose to the occasion and went further into the lead after John Pritchard broke through about five tackles to score again, and converted by Adam White. The first half ended with Chinnor in the lead by 14 points to nil.
    Chinnor lost Ian Stock at the start of the second half to a yellow card; this was a somewhat harsh decision by the ref with him having only pulled a player out of a maul. During this period of play, North Walsham scored a converted try due to an interception. As soon as the team were back to full strength Phipps then scored his second try, shortly followed five minutes later by Danny Burns scoring. Chinnor were in the lead by 24 points to 7.
    In the closing minutes of the game it was the turn of Leon Westerman to cross the line once again and Adam White was again successful with the kick and Chinnor finished the game winning by 31 points to 7.
    All seventeen players had very good games, but man of the match goes to Johnathan Phipps for his work rate throughout the full game.

    Walter McGuicken
    Second Team Manager

  • TopTrombonist Comes To Thame

    JAZZ concerts are to resume at The Players Theatre in Nelson Street, Thame, on Wednesday, February 7, at 8pm. Now under a new promotor, the first of these concerts will feature trombonist, Roy Williams, who was voted Top Trombonist for four years running in the 1980s, by Jazz Journal International.
    Roy was born born in Manchester and self taught, after some disastrous early lessons as a boy when his teacher told him: “Look Roy, we?re wasting each others time ? why don?t you try something else?”. Of course he persevered and over the years has played with the bands of Terry Lightfoot, Alex Welsh and Humphrey Lyttleton. He has toured and recorded with many musicians and is much in demand at jazz festivals all over the world.

    Supporting Roy will be The Alvin Roy Quartet. Alvin too has built up an enviable reputation with frequent broadcasts on BBC Radio 2’s Jazz Club and has toured and recorded extensively around Europe. The quartet is made up of Alvin on clarinet, Rod Kelly on piano, Thad Kelly on bass and Martin Hart on drums.

    A great night is in prospect for all mainstream jazz fans. Tickets cost