THAME Town Council is not happy about a plan to demolish 69 Park Street and erect three houses, fearing danger to other vehicles and pedestrians when exiting into the road, near the school.
It has recommended refusal of the plan, citing Over development, Dangerous access onto the highway and Loss of retail units and employment. The building is currently occupied by J R Car Parts.
Cllr Nichola Dixon told fellow councillors at a meeting of TTC’s Planning and Environment Committee on January 31: “We should be increasing retail at that end of the town, what with all the new houses up there. It seems that the priority is to knock everything down and build what makes the most money for developers. We must make a stand to SODC and tell them that this plan should go to its Planning committee for a decision and not left to officers to decide.”
NB The Highways officer at Oxfordshire County Council has stipulated certain conditions to be placed upon any planning permission. see LINK The full planning application and associated documents can be read HERE and comments submitted.
YOUNG Fencers from Thame Duellists Fencing Club had their first taste of international competition at the CEP Challenge tournament in Paris at the weekend, January 29.
Hal Seed
The well-established Paris event regularly attracts huge fields of junior fencers from all over the world and this year was no exception, with fencers from every continent present. What was new was the presence of Hal Seed and Darcy Herring Johnson of Thame Duellists Fencing Club in the Boys’ and Girls’ Under-14 events respectively, getting their first taste of international competition.
Darcy Herring Johnson
The competition, run over two demanding days of fencing, was intense and neither Hal nor Darcy was able to progress beyond the first day’s fencing, with Hal one of seven British fencers to be eliminated from the Boys’ under 14 event on the first day, and Darcy one of five British competitors to face the same fate in the Girls’ event. Both Hal, 12, and Darcy, 11, were younger than many of their opponents in the Under-14 event.
James Evans in action
However, both picked up a victory over the course of the day’s fencing, and both will have been buoyed by having qualified for the British Youth Championships at the Southern Regional qualifying event the previous weekend. At the qualifying tournament Hal matched his sixth place finish in the Boys’ Under-12 event last year with the same result in the Under-14s this year, while Darcy, who also fences for Oxford Fencing Club, finished seventh in the Girls’ Under-12s and booked her own place at the national championships, which take place at the beginning of May in Sheffield. Also representing Thame at the regional event was James Evans (14), who finished fourteenth in the Boy’s Under-16 event in his first competition.
There was better news from Paris for fencers from the region, with Heloise Hardie of Oxford being the best placed British fencer in the Girls’ under 17 event, finishing 44th after two gruelling days of competition.
BUSINESSES in South Oxfordshire are being invited to register for the South and Vale Business Breakfast on Tuesday, February 21, and hear how a local start-up grew to become the world’s largest jet tender manufacturer.
Business Breakfast
This free event includes a light breakfast followed by presentations about issues affecting businesses and a question and answer session. The Key note speaker will be Mathew Hornsby, Sales Director and co-founder of yacht and powerboat specialists, Williams Jet Tenders, based in Berinsfield. Mathew will be sharing the story of how Williams Jet Tenders went from a local start-up business to the world’s largest jet tender manufacturer building over 700 boats a year.
Following the Brexit vote of 2016, Garry Young, Senior Advisor at the Bank of England, will be sharing his thoughts on business uncertainty and economic prospects and what it means for local businesses.
The Business Breakfast takes place on Tuesday, February 21, from 7.30am at the De Vere Oxford Thames Hotel, Henley Rd, Sandford on Thames, OX4 4GX.
Cllr Robert Simister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “It would be great to see as many businesses as possible join us for the Business Breakfast. This will be a fantastic opportunity to hear about and discuss what’s happening in the local area and hear directly from the Bank of England about what Brexit could mean for local businesses.”
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for the public’s help in locating a man missing from Crowell, near Thame.
Mark Robinson
Mark Robinson, aged 53, from Crowell was last seen on Thursday, January 26, at around 7am in Chinnor Road, Crowell.
He is white, 5ft 10ins, of medium build, and balding grey hair. He was possibly last seen wearing a suit and a grey over coat with a black leather shoulder bag.
Mark is thought to have access to a grey Mazda 3.
PC Matthew French, from Thame Police station, said: “We are increasingly concerned for his welfare and anyone who has seen Mark, a vehicle matching the description, or knows of his whereabouts is asked to call 101.”
UK Power Networks has apologised, after part of Thame experienced it’s fourth power cut in a week, last night (February 7), explaining that it was caused by faulty equipment.
Residents in part of the OX9 3 area of Thame were without power from mid-evening yesterday until 7.45 am this morning. Twice during that period the power came back on again for a time but then went off again.
A spokesperson said: “UK Power Networks would like to apologise to approximately 270 customers in Thame who have experienced a number of power cuts over the last two days.
“These were caused by a series of faults on electrical equipment. However the network has been repaired and the customers were all back on supply by 7.45am today.
“We understand how difficult it is to be without power and apologise again for the inconvenience caused.”
Some electricity customers affected by the power cuts may be entitled to compensation: DETAILS HERE
THIS Saturday, February 11, 8pm – QUEEN OF KATWE, PG certificate – Starring Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, Madina Nalwanga.
Director Mira Nair presents the true story of Ugandan teen chess prodigy, Phiona Mutesi. Phiona lives in the slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda, with her mother, sister and brothers. Her father is dead, and her young mother (Nyongo) struggles to keep the family safe and fed; life is perilous and the family live hand to mouth selling shards of corn on the street, never far from becoming homeless.
One day, Phiona follows her brother to a chess club run by a would-be engineer cum youth worker (David Oyelowo). It turns out that Phiona has a rare skill for the game, with a capacity to see eight moves ahead. Before long, she and her club are competing in a prestigious schools competition, and soon after she gets to represent her country in an Africa wide tournament. Her ultimate goal is a grandmaster competition in Russia. Along the way, she must negotiate multiple formidable obstacles: how to afford competition prices and the costs of travel; how to overcome her mother’s fierce protective resistance; how to walk away from the responsibilities of making money for the family and looking after her little brother; how to deal with the prospect of failure.
This is a classic tale of the underdog striving for success. But it feels rare and fresh not least because it is a true story and because its heroine is an adolescent woman, but also because it depicts at least some of the reality of lives and places that are seldom seen in Western narrative cinema. Told with great exuberance, humour, and brilliant performances Queen of Katwe will have you cheering as the credits roll. “A set of solid performances power this underdog flick to victory.” (Little White Lies.) “Could be the new Slumdog” (The Guardian.) Watch the trailer HERE
This Saturday 11th February 8pm – Thame Players Theatre – Film tickets are available on the door or online- Click HERE
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following thefts from vehicles in Thame.
Image courtsey of vanvault.co.uk (for illustrative purposes only)
Between 10pm on Wednesday (1/2) and 8.30am on Thursday (2/2) unknown offender(s) broke into a white Ford Transit on Henrietta Road and stole power tools.
Between 1pm on Wednesday (1/2) and 10.50 on Thursday (2/2) unknown offender(s) broke into a white Ford Transit on Pearce Way and stole an off-road motorbike and power tools.
Between 11am on Wednesday (1/2) and 9.20am on Thursday (2/2) unknown offender(s) broke into a van on Walker Drive and stole power tools.
The police ask that owners make sure they take items out of their vehicles where possible and do not leave anything on show.
If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message please call the Police via the 24 hour non-emergency telephone number 101.
Alternatively, if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online by visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
BUCKS Open Studios, the largest visual arts event in Buckinghamshire, has chosen a former West End musical actor, to take charge of its annual artistic extravaganza, which takes place next year from June 10-25, 2017.
Susannah Fellows
Susannah Fellows, who runs a gallery in Thame, and who has appeared in many plays and musicals, including Mama Mia in the West End, will oversee the 2017 event which showcases over 500 artists and makers opening up their studios to the public for two weeks, with an impressive line-up of free demonstrations, hands-on workshops and exhibitions in over 200 venues across Buckinghamshire.
As well as her acting career in professional theatre, film, television, radio and on the concert stage, Susannah also has impressive art world credentials having owned and run a Craft’s Council selected gallery in London for several years alongside her theatre work. She now runs fitch & fellows gallery in Thame, featuring her own handmade leatherwork as well as ceramics, glass, jewellery and contemporary art and craftwork by celebrated craftsmen and women.
Commenting on her new role, Susannah said: “I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to have been chosen as the new Chairperson for Bucks Open Studios. I really look forward to introducing new visitors to this great event. The wealth of artists and makers in our county, responsible for the vast array of work which is shown and sold to the public each year, is astonishing. We have so much talent here and, quite simply, I would like to see Bucks Open Studios become the best known and most successful of all the countrywide art and craft events.”
Susannah continued: “I have enormous energy and limitless enthusiasm for contemporary creative artwork and I’d like to make Bucks Open Studios a really memorable experience for visitors. My upbringing and professional life has always been in the Arts. I’ve grown up producing as well as appreciating and interpreting the diversity of creative endeavour – acting, singing, dance as well as painting, sculpture, carving, silversmithing, ceramics – I love the challenge of trying to help newcomers to understanding how and why artists and makers do what they do, what’s involved in their techniques and, perhaps, explaining the intention of their work to the public. I don’t think there is a mystique to these things. Creativity is about communication and artwork can and must be presented in a commercial fashion without detracting from the integrity of the piece.”
THE talented Catkids Theatre For Kids delivered a show-stopping take on one of the nation’s favourite pantomimes at Thame Players theatre, as their action-packed edition of Dick Whittington sold out all three performances over one, magical weekend.
Showing no little stamina to maintain such a high quality – with two shows on the Saturday (January 14) following Friday night’s opener – the young actors delivered a hugely entertaining night out with energetic dance routines, rousing songs, fast-paced action and a stream of big laughs. Every time a sweet dose of cute was required, on came King Rat with his endearing band of loyal little rats to beguile the audience with their own interpretation of tap dance and musical hall mayhem.
Every section of the performance added to the overall joy – Dick Whittington herself – sorry, himself – driving the narrative, the sailor crew providing big musical numbers and niftily staged slapstick, the commoners adding to the mix in dance and song and Catkids very own pantomime Dame supplying the tongue in cheek bawdiness along with her support crew. And never can we have seen a more laid back tropical island king – dispensing one-liners with panache while virtually horizontal in his deckchair and flip flops.
Having been provided with a delightful script, the ensemble relished doing full justice to the words and music.
As the performance reached its finale with an audience singalong, the director and stage crew earned their own huge round of applause for providing the perfect setting for these budding and talented entertainers.
From one member of a truly satisfied audience – thanks for a great night at the theatre Catkids!
NB The Highways officer at Oxfordshire County Council has stipulated certain conditions to be placed upon any planning permission. see LINK The full planning application and associated documents can be read HERE and comments submitted.
