THAME & District Round Table have been overwhelmed by the generosity of local people towards their annual Santa collections this year, not just with record donations but with random acts of kindness!
Peter Butt of Thame & District Round Table explained: “As well as our mobile sleigh collections, we always have a static collection in the town centre, to allow less physically able groups to collect with us – this year the volunteers were from the Thame Day Centre. We were really touched when staff from Sainsbury’s came over with tea, coffee and biscuits to help keep Santa and the Elves warm.
“Then, on our last collection night, residents of Onslow Drive, led by Robert Phillips, laid on a barbeque for everyone taking part; it was a wonderful thing to do and made us all very proud to be a part of such a great Community.”
This year the Round Table raised £8,219, all of which goes back into supporting various local groups, charities and persons in need, for example – one example the Community Christmas Thame, with a donation of £275 which hit their target to allow the event to take place this year. Community Christmas Thame aims to provide a lunch on Christmas Day for the isolated and vulnerable elderly of the Thame area.
Round Table is the original social network, offering men under the age of 45 the opportunity to expand their social and business networks, develop life skills, have fun and help others. Thame & District Round Table meets every other Tuesday and has a busy calendar of fun and interesting events, as well as organising various fundraising activities on behalf of local causes. Find out more by visiting their facebook page: HERE and their website HERE
EX farmers, a Second World War bomber rear gunner, engineers and men and women from all walks of life, now in their senior years and all members of the Thame and District Thame Centre, came together on Tuesday (December 20) to celebrate Christmas.
The Mayor of Thame, Linda Emery, admires a guest’s novelty Christmas jumper
Members, their carers, staff from the day centre, Trustees, the Mayor of Thame and other special invited guests all enjoyed a three course Christmas lunch followed by mince pies and coffee, at The Oxford Belfry before being entertained by members of the Thame Players with songs, poems, jokes and sketches, all revolving around that great British obsession, the weather.
Not only were there renderings of great show tunes like ‘Singing in the Rain’, and a medley of Flanagan and Allen songs, but a recitation of ‘January brings the snow..’ and other poems. Of course, jokes about our weather generally go down well with most British audiences – even if they’re as corny as this one: “Where do you weigh a pie?” Answer: “Over the rainbow!” (Way – up – ‘igh ? Please yer self!)
In amongst the fun and laughter, there were some very interesting facts about the weather too. Did you know that in 1983 the air temperature in the Antarctic plunged to −89.2 °C? Or that the Shipping forecast has been broadcast every day since 1911? But the biggest buzz of surprise came from the audience when they learned that during the great London Smog of 1950, which many in the audience remembered, 10,000 people died of its effects and in fact, it was so difficult to see to find your way around for the three days that the Smog lasted, that blind people were enroled to lead Londoners around the city.
Just to finish off, I’d like to share a weather-related incident that happened to me recently. As we waited for a bus in the frosty weather, the woman next to me mentioned that she makes a lot of mistakes when texting in the cold.
An elderly gentlemen, over-hearing our conversation, nodded knowingly. “It’s the early signs of typothermia you know.”
DESPITE winning a grant of £10,000 to help keep Thame’s Childrens Centre open, the community group putting together a business plan to secure its future, is fearful for its longer term sustainability.
Image courtesy of Action for Children, the natioal charity that runs the Red Kite Childrens Centre in Thame
Speaking on behalf of Thame Sharing Life Trust, John Hulett told Thame.net: “The county council’s Cabinet is expected to propose tomorrow that instead of a one-year waiver on the rent of buildings used by the county’s Childrens Centres, only a six month breathing space will be given to those centres who have come up with a viable business plan.
‘Giving with one hand and taking with the other’
“We believe that the rent of the thame building – £6,600 per year – should be waived for at least a year because of the enormous cost involved in setting up a community initiative. Yes, we have been awarded £10,000 from the ‘Transition’ fund for the first three years by Oxfordshire County Council, but it is not helpful, the say the least, for them to want to charge us rent for running a service for them. This amounts to giving with one hand and taking away with the other! What is the point of offering it if they will be taking it back?
Longer term prospects for the Thame centre
“Whilst we are confident that we can run the Red Kites Children Centre for a year, if we have to pay some of the money back, this will severely curtail some of the other things we want to do.”
Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet is expected to make a decision on the rent waiver proposal at its meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) and John Hulett will be making his point in person at the meeting.
Local charity Sharing Life Trust is leading a working group with other local agencies to see if the Red Kite Children’s Centre can be saved from closure by Oxford County Council, planned for the end of March, 2017, along with 41 others.
Benefits to families
The Red Kite Centre has been providing services for the under 5’s and their parents for the last 10 years at its base in Southern Road, Thame, the former library building. A recent survey showed that 82% of 1,150 eligible children accessed the service in Thame or Chinnor, with 95% of parents who attend the centre reporting an improved outcome for them and their children.
“We’re at an advanced stage of developing a business plan to continue providing the vital universal care services which also can highlight developing problems which may require specialist help,” said the centre in a recent statement, appealing for more help.
“We’re going to need up to £90,000 a year, and, in order to not lose existing staff we must make a decision by Christmas on whether this is a viable project. Following confirmation of a grant from the County Council and other providers we believe that we’ve got over half what we need for Year One.”
‘Dedicated team’
John Hulett concluded: “Amy Spicer, the Centre Leader, and her dedicated team have provided invaluable support to so many families with young children in our area and we want to ensure this continues. For this to happen we need the help of the whole community so please get in touch and show your support.”
What can you do to help?
Just a willingness to be asked for help when its needed is basically what is being asked for. Just your contact details is all that is necessary if you would like to make a pledge. The Trust will follow up with you when it is ready to go. Just visit the website at www.sharinglifetrust.org and then click on the ‘Save the Red Kite Children’s Centre’ button on the home page and register your interest. For enquiries or offers of other resources, email: info@sharinglifetrust.org. If you prefer you can phone using the Freephone number: 0300 201 0212
A new bus service to bring shoppers from Watlington to Thame market on Tuesdays, will begin operating from summer, 2017.
Thame’s Tuesday market
The new service will be provided by the Oxfordshire Comet using the ITU fleet of minibuses. This service to Thame will start on Tuesday, August 16, and will replace the old 124 service that stopped running at the end of July, 2016. It will follow a similar route to the old 124 route.
The Oxfordshire Comet uses county council vehicles that normally take children to school and adults to day care centres. Oxfordshire County Council’s transport planning team identified the times of the day when they weren’t being used and are making them available to residents.
FOR the third year in a row, South Oxfordshire District Council has been named the best recycler in DEFRA’s annual recycling league tables.
The good news comes despite a small drop in the recycling figures due to recycling in green wheelie bins being contaminated with food waste, dirty nappies and other things that can’t be recycled. These are often hidden in sacks that the waste crews can’t see into, and full lorry loads of recycling were being rejected. New policies not to empty recycling bins containing non-clear sacks came into force for both councils in November this year to tackle the problem.
This has already begun to have a positive effect, and since the new policy was introduced, no lorry loads of recycling have so far been rejected due to contamination.
The problems due to contamination were offset by the councils’ popular new kerbside recycling service of textiles and small electrical items. Residents can leave old, unusable clothes and textiles in a tied carrier bag next to their green bin, and small electrical items, like hairdryers and toasters in a tied carrier bag next to their grey bin.
Cllr Tony Harbour, cabinet member for waste at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We’re extremely pleased to be top of the tables again and we’re very grateful for the hard work of our residents – we took a difficult decision this year to stop people using non-clear sacks in their bins to prevent contamination. Most of our residents have already adapted brilliantly though, which should help us stay near the top for another year.”
THAME Concert Band will be outside Thame Town Hall on Christmas Eve from 6pm-7pm playing carols.
This is the 12th year running that TCB has supported this event which has become quite a family tradition for many in the town, and everyone is invited to join them for a Community Christmas carols sing-along. Carol Sheets will be available, although those with phones, tablets etc can access carols on: www.thameconcertband.org.uk/links.htm
Hot mulled wine, minced pies and a selection of sweets will be served by the friends of Barley Hill Church.
FOLLOWING the tragic death of a 4 year-old boy, knocked down by a car in Thame, Stefan Cork, the boy’s father, has raised thousands of pounds in tribute to his son.
Barnaby Cork died last Saturday (December 10), shortly after the incident, despite the efforts of air ambulance and other paramedics who were quickly on the scene, in the car park outside Thame Leisure Centre. On his JustGiving page, Stefan says: “Our precious Barnaby was our world, our everything. He was taken from us at such a tender age; we are so so heartbroken to say goodbye before any of us are ready.
Barnaby Cork’s dad, Stefan
“We would give anything to have Barnaby back in the safe and loving arms of our family.
“We were so lucky to have such amazing doctors at hand in an instant. Ella and I will forever be indebted for the speed, skill and courage of all these great people on the scene fighting with Barnaby, including the Thames Valley Air Ambulance.
“Only this summer we were raising money for the air ambulance and never for one second thought that we would be calling on them in our own moment of need .”
In just a few days, Stefan’s page has raised over £16,000 to support the Thames Valley Air Ambulance which many people don’t realise depends on charitable contributions to be able to carry out its work.
To find out more about Stefan’s cause and to contribute to the Barnaby Cork JustGiving page, LINK HERE
RED Kite Radio, the new radio station for Thame, Haddenham and the surrounding villages, has moved a step closer to launch after being awarded two grants. The cash from the Haddenham Beer Festivals Trust and The Rothschild Foundation, based at Waddesdon Manor, means that the station is now even closer to hitting the airwaves in late Spring 2017…But it still needs more cash.
Welcoming the awards, Chairman of Red Kite Radio, Mark Chapple said: “We’re over the moon with this grant funding which puts us in a stronger position as we move closer to our launch in Spring 2017. We’ve been lucky enough to receive funding from the Haddenham Beer Festivals Trust and the Rothschild Foundation to the tune of nearly £7000. Much of this money will be used for essential transmission equipment and work to build and renovate our studio at the Haddenham Garden Centre. I’d like to thank both organisations for their kind generosity.”
The Haddenham Beer Festivals Trust operates two beers festivals in Haddenham, including the recent Winterfest. So far it has raised over £220,000 for good causes in our community.
Founder Mark Zeall at the microphone of Summerfest Radio
Chaired by Lord Rothschild himself, the Rothschild Foundation supports Waddesdon Manor and gives grants to a variety of charitable initiatives including local good causes situated close to the 19th century property.
The radio station urgently needs to raise a further £3000 to get on air in 2017.
“As a not-for-profit radio station licensed by Ofcom, we will be completely funded through grants, donations and the sale of advertising and sponsorship to local businesses and traders,” explained Mark. “Very soon we’ll be in a position to release a number of founder sponsorship packages at a heavily discounted rate to local businesses. The money raised will help us plug the gap and fund essential fees like music copyright (PRS & PPL). We’re asking local businesses to register now on our new website www.redkiteradio.com
“Local people who’d like to donate money or office equipment can also get in touch via the website.”
Red Kite Radio, based at the Haddenham Garden Centre, will provide hyper-local programming for Thame, Haddenham and the surrounding villages on 107.2fm. Staffed primarily by volunteers, it will follow the successful Summerfest Radio broadcasts in support of the Haddenham beer festival – Summerfest.
2016 has been ‘a hell of a year’ for Haze. They’ve released two EPs, played at Truck Festival and been featured as Nightshift Magazine’s ‘Band Of The Month’.
On Thursday, the band will be supported by Milk and Father Demo.
EX BBC Weatherman, Bill Giles OBE, who lives in the Thame area, has been recalling fond memories of his old friend and fellow weather forecaster, Ian McCaskill who died yesterday aged 78.
Memories of the late Ian McCaskill & fellow BBC Weather forecaster Bill Giles (image courtesy of the BBC)
Speaking to Thame.Net, Bill, who is President of Thame Bowls Club, recalled: “Ian was a breath of fresh air when he joined my weather team in the late 1970s. He quickly developed his own style, a rather bumbling, cheerful man whom everyone adored whether they could understand what he said or not.
“He showed us all how to engage with our viewers (up to 15,000,000 at peak times) with his opening one-liners and cheerful ‘Hello’. He could fall asleep at the drop of a hat and frequently did during my staff meetings which were often held late in the evening, only to wake up and complain that I hadn’t covered a particular topic!
“His driving skills, or lack of, were well known and coming down from a high floor level at the BBC car park late one evening, he mistook the level he was on and crashed his car into a pillar, writing it off.
“Although it is many years now when we both retired I will miss him and all he brought to our world-beating weather team.”
Round Table is the original social network, offering men under the age of 45 the opportunity to expand their social and business networks, develop life skills, have fun and help others. Thame & District Round Table meets every other Tuesday and has a busy calendar of fun and interesting events, as well as organising various fundraising activities on behalf of local causes. Find out more by visiting their facebook page: HERE and their website HERE
