20/01/12….Thame helps celebrate market towns projects

REPRESENTATIVES from Thame’s town partnership celebrated the shared success of the Oxfordshire Small Rural Towns programme on Tuesday, which included the Thame Loyalty Card scheme, the Blue Plaques project and the shop fronts improvement scheme.

The event was hosted by ORCC (Oxfordshire Rutal Community Council)which supported the programme, and held at Carterton community Centre which itself was an OSRT project.

Sonja Francis, currently the Chair of the Economic working group (Thame4Business) of the 21st Century Thame Partnership, said: “It was very interesting to review what has been achieved by Thame and the other three South Oxfordshire market towns in the programme, and to discuss what we have learned from the experience.

“The Thame contingent, Alison Isherwood (Market Town Co-ordinator), Town Cllrs Helena Fickling and Mary Stiles, and myself, came away feeling very proud of what Thame had achieved.

“All four towns are now looking for possible funding streams and support from their local authorities to help enhance the prospects of our market towns into the future.”

The invited delegates included the volunteers from each market town who had seen the projects through to fruition and the Town Clerks of Wallingford, Faringdon and Carterton who had helped steer their towns through the process.

PHOTO: L to R: Alison Isherwood, Caroline Wood (SODC), Mary Stiles, Sue Scott (ORCC), Valerie Carter (SEEDA)and Helena Fickling