A new statement regarding the cancellation of the Thame fair has been issued by Thame Town Council:
“By refusing to sign a reasonable one year agreement, the Showmen’s Guild has caused the Cancellation of the Thame Fair in September. Two press releases were issued by Thame Town Council to explain the situation. There has been continued interest in further background information, and this briefing paper has been prepared to answer the questions raised.
You can read the FULL briefing paper by following the link:
DAME Fiona Reynolds, former Director-General of the National Trust, is to address a Chilterns’ audience about “The Fight for Beauty: Our Path to a Better Future”- her recent book about the evolution of protecting the beauty all around us, in an age when everything it seems, has to a monetory value.
Dame Fiona Reynolds will be at the Elgiva Theatre, Chesham, on the evening of Tuesday, September 26. she will explore an alternative vision for society and the environment – a theme that will be taken up in relation to the Chilterns and other protected areas by Sue Holden, Chief Officer of the Chilterns Conservation Board and Howard Davies, Chief Executive of the National Association of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
According to a recent review of the her book: “We live in a world where the drive for economic growth is crowding out everything that can’t be given a monetary value and it’s getting harder to find space for the things that really matter but money can’t buy, including our future. Fiona Reynolds proposes a radical but simple solution to inspire us through the beauty of the world around us. Delving into our past, examining landscapes, nature, farming and urbanisation, she shows how ideas about beauty have arisen and evolved, been shaped by public policy, been knocked back and inched forward until they arrived lost in the economically-driven spirit of today.” (LSE uncredited)
Tickets for the event are selling fast and are available to buy from the Elgiva Theatre or online at www.elgiva.com. Local producers, Auberge du Chocolat and Chiltern Icecream, will also be on hand to showcase their products before the event, with a book signing (cash sales) by Dame Fiona afterwards.
OXFORDSHIRE fire crews have begun to take control of the next generation of fire engines, after a collaborative partnership with neighbouring fire sevices. The resulting agreement will see a total of 37 new fire engines over the next four years, and aligned working practices between Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. New features of the new fire engines include:
L-R: Cllr Peter McDonald (vice chair Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority), Cllr Judith Heathcoat (Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue) and Cllr Angus Ross (Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service)
Larger (22mm) hose reels to enable water to be delivered more quickly to extinguish fires
Battery-powered extrication equipment, which is easier to carry and less bulky than hydraulic equipment previously used to cut casualties from vehicles; eliminates potential hydraulic hose hazards and removes generator noise from rescue situations
Improved mobile lighting for better visibility at the scene of an incident
A more comfortable seating area for crews. This is especially important as firefighters are typically spending more time in the fire engine, completing prevention work such as Home Fire Safety Checks (HFSCs)
THAME Town Cricket Club’s T20 team has reached the final of one of the county’s two big T20 competitions, the Wilf Bennett Cup, and the club is hoping that lots of locals will make the short journey to Wormsley, near Stockenchurch – just 20 minutes drive away to support them.
Image courtesy of the Wormsley Estate
Wormsley is a very prestigious cricket venue, on the Getty estate, a beautiful 18th century Estate in the Chiltern Hills, and the match begins at 11am this Saturday, September 16th.
AFTER the celebrations of the Thame Town Cricket Club’s momentous promotion to the Home Counties Premier League, Division One, for the first time in its history, the club’s attention has now squarely turned to the plans for the new clubhouse.
With the start of work delayed temporarily, due to higher-than-expected tenders, the club, with the help and support of Thame Town Council, has now entered a busy month of work to get the project ready for the starting gun to be fired.
On the cost side, discussions are well under way with the various contractors who submitted tenders, in order to bring the costs within an acceptable budget. On the fundraising side, the club is asking all its members, friends and supporters to help, in one or more of these three ways:-
By sponsoring a brick in one of the interior walls of the new clubhouse – full details can be found and a card downloaded from – LINK
(or just call 07968-201152 for a card).
by making a donation, however small, on the club’s crowdfunding site – LINK (or just google the words “crowdfunder Thame cricket club”
if you have a business and would like to help, please contact Andy Jinman (email – marketing@thamecricket.org.uk) to talk about sponsorship or advertising that would benefit both parties
Club spokesman, Andy Jinman, said: “This new clubhouse will not only benefit the men, women and children in the cricket club, but also Thame Hockey Club, as a social centre, and local community groups that will use the new spaces for their activities.”
Finally, on the field of play, Thame’s Sunday XI beat wandering side, Hetairoi, last Saturday, September 9, by six wickets, with Guy Holmes making 100*. The season will come to an end this weekend, with the club’s T20 team battling it out against Bicester and North Oxford for the Wilf Bennett Cup, at the Wormsley Estate’s ground, starting at 11am on Saturday 16, (free entry). That will be followed by a friendly match at home on Sunday 17, and the Women’s team taking part in a tournament at South Moreton on the same day.
FOLLOWING the news that the Thame September fair will not go ahead later this month, and the many comments and questions on social media, Thame Town Council has issued the following update:
Image courtesy of Iain Fairweather
“FOLLOWING enquires from residents and businesses and the discussions on social media over the weekend, we are sorry to inform you that in spite of last ditch efforts instigated by the Town Council that the Guild have decided that the Thame Fair in September should still not go ahead. The Town Council sincerely wants the tradition of a town centre fair at the same time as the old Thame Show to continue, but on terms that are fair to both the Guild and the Town. The Town Council must always budget to ensure that it is not subsidising a commercial operation. We know that the Guild has charged their showmen around £32,000 in rent for each of the last 3 years and have put that up by around another £4,000 (12%) this year, more than enough to cover the modest £979 increase (from £27,521) in Town Council charge, the first increase in three years, in spite of ever-rising costs. The amount being charged by the Town Council this year is £28,500 (not £33,900 as publicised by Guild members on social media). The Town Council offered a fully reasonable one-year, rather than four-year, agreement but the Guild would still not sign the agreement by a new deadline of 5pm on Monday 11 September 2017.
“At the Full Council meeting on 15 August 2017 amendments to the Fair Agreement were approved to accommodate specific requests from the Showmen’s Guild. The Guild had the opportunity to come along to this public meeting to address Councillors of any concerns that they had. There were some members of the public and press at that public meeting, but no representation from the Guild.
“There has been much discussion about the costs to the Town Council. The Town Council is responsible for event management, event layout and emergency evacuation procedures and uses independent, accredited, local tried and tested contractors who give the best value and provide an excellent service to the Town and the Guild. Security, safety and clear-up is paramount. The risk of chopping and changing proven suppliers in a high profile town centre event is not outweighed by constant minimizing of cost. This year additional security measures have been required following advice from the police and in light of the current heightened security terrorist threats.
“Fair operations are also different in each and every Town with operational requirements assessed by the relevant authority. One service at one cost in one town is not necessarily appropriate in another. Security in Thame includes the manning of three major and two minor road closure points, along with ensuring relevant and safe access for businesses and residents in a vibrant town centre. Comparing costs only is not necessarily meaningful. It was in April 2008 that the Town Council became the official organiser of the fair with roles and responsibilities defined to ensure that the concerns raised by the emergency services were significantly improved. To that end the Town Council to date have fulfilled these responsibilities with the Showmens Guild.
“It should be made clear that there will be no provisions in place to enable the September Fair to take place this year as the Showmens Guild of Great Britain have refused to sign the one year Agreement.
“In the spirit of partnership the Town Council is hoping to work with the Showmens Guild to enable the October Charter Fair and future fairs to take place.
“Members of the Town Council would also like to clarify further points that have been aired on social media. Thame is privileged that there are other independent organisations that undertake other festivals for Thame residents. This year they have given support to Music in the Park, Thame Carnival, Thame Town Music Festival and Thame Arts and Literature Festival.
“The management of the Show Ground (and events held there) are completely independent of the Town Council which has not been involved in any way in influencing, allowing, cancelling or deciding the location of events held there.”
BOTH teams on Saturday (September 10), knew the importance of the game ahead of them to set up the season, so the degree of intensity at the start of the match was to be expected.
Photographer: Aaron Bayliss
It was Henley who applied the early pressure, with Chinnor endeavouring to play some expansive rugby to clear their lines. They were playing against the wind so this was a sensible approach.
The game opened up when Bentley made a clever break before putting in a well-judged chip ahead for Phil Chesters to win the chase to the touch down after just two minutes, but Bentley failed with the conversion.
Play then became a little frenetic before Henley replied with a penalty from some 35 metres by Connor Murphy. This was swiftly followed by a powerful surge from the Henley pack resulting in Harry Burn scoring with Murphy adding the extras. A trademark Kieran Goss try under the posts put Chinnor back in front. Chinnor were now looking quite potent with ball in hand resulting in Henry Lamont scoring with his first touch of the ball after replacing the injured Phil Chesters. After a lull in proceedings another delightful move saw Orisi Nawaqaliva touch down under the posts on the stroke of half time, with Bentley adding the extras. This gave Chinnor a half time lead of 26 – 13.
The second half began with Chinnor opting to kick for goal with Bentley slotting over two penalties. Jamel Hamilton then made his mark by setting up Will Bordill to once again go under the posts for Chinnor. Interchanges then become commonplace with Henley beginning to become dominant up front. It was no surprise when towards the end of the game the referee awarded Henley a penalty try following a succession of infringements by the Chinnor scrum.
This was hard fought game played in a good spirit with maybe the score not totally reflecting the flow of the game as Henley had territorial domination. Chinnor’s scrum half, Greg Goodfellow, was Man of the Match producing several darting runs turning defence into attack.
Peter Davies, the Henley coach commented: “Enjoyed the day. The game was played in a good spirit. The difference between the sides was at half back. We left three scores on the paddock. Chinnor line breaks were clinical.”
Matt Williams said: “With the ball in hand we looked dangerous. Our defence was top drawer.”
Next week (September 16) Chinnor are away to London Irish Wild Geese.
TO celebrate the opening of the new Elizabethan Wall Paintings Exhibition, Thame Museum is presenting a concert of Elizabethan music played by the amazing and very talented Oxford Waits. Come and see this wonderful group bring the music of the Elizabethan period to life in their own unique style.
The Concert is on Saturday, September 16, at St. Mary’s Church, Thame, starting at 8pm. Tickets are FREE and are available from Thame Museum during opening hours this week, Tuesday. Wednesday and Saturday,
10am-4pm, or reserve by telephone: 01844 212801 or email publicity@thamemuseum.org
The new permanent exhibition of Elizabethan Wall Paintings has been made possible thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Through exciting, new interactive digital displays, visitors learn the history behind the Wall Paintings; including where they were discovered, who their owner was likely to have been and even hear the sort of music being played by the musicians shown in them.
Led by volunteers, Yvonne Maxwell and Lindsey Weimers, the project has taken three years to design and develop. This included a series of workshops to help us find the best way to portray the significance of the paintings. “We hope that the completed installation will not only excite visitors but also provide a new perspective on the social and economic developments of the Elizabethan period in Thame”.
This concert marks the completion of the project and is also a fitting celebration for the tenth anniversary of the official opening of Thame Museum.
THE Showmens Guild of Great Britain have informed the Town Council today, Friday September 8, that the town council’s invitation to enter into a new four year Agreement has been rejected by their members.
Nick White’s winning photograph of Thame Fair at night
In a statement, the Thame Town Council said: “The Town Council is disappointed to inform residents, businesses and visitors that the September Fair will therefore not be taking place this year.
“Over the past two years fees have not been increased by the Town Council, however with the operational costs rising to assist with event safety the modest increase of less than £1,000 is fully justified in meeting the operational costs incurred by the Town Council and equates to an increase per stall holder of just £4 per day of the fair.
“Associated road closures for the September Fair will be lifted within the town centre between Thursday 21 and Saturday 23 September 2017.
CHINNOR residents have overwhelmingly endorsed its Neighbourhood Plan, after yesterday’s referendum (07/08/17).
The results show that 95.5% of those who took part in the referendum voted ‘Yes’. In figures, 1742 voted yes, 77 voted No, three votes were unmarked and the turnout was 36.4% of those eligible to vote.
Marius Ciortan, one of the Steering Group members, said: “The village has spoken! This is an outstanding result following two and a half years of hard work by a group local volunteers in the Chinnor Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, a sub-committee of the Chinnor Parish Council.”
