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  • Half-price sale and birthday cake at Hospice shop

    GOOD news for Thame’s bargain-hunters; The Florence Nightingale Hospice Shop in Cornmarket, Thame, is to celebrate its first birthday with a half-price sale on Tuesday, July 19, Thame Market day – and there will be a cake sale and a tombola at the shop.

    Shoppers, staff and volunteers at the official opening of the Thame Florence Nightingale Hospice Shop
    Shoppers, staff and volunteers at the official opening of the Thame Florence Nightingale Hospice Shop

    “We are very grateful to our shoppers here in Thame for their support, both in shopping with us and also for donating so many lovely things for us to sell,” said Rachel Trendell, the Thame Shop Manager. “We’re delighted to be celebrating our first year, and hope that everyone will come and celebrate with us and enjoy a bargain and a piece of birthday cake at the same time!”

    All the profits from Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity Shops go towards providing specialist palliative care to patients, and support to individuals and families coping with life-limiting illnesses in the local area.

  • Successful Carnival means cash for charities

    FOLLOWING a very popular and successful Thame Carnival in June,  the event has raised £3000 for local charities.

    The Headteacher of John Hampden Primary school, Mr Hankey, lead his school in the carnival procession
    The Headteacher of John Hampden Primary school, Mr Hankey, lead his school in the carnival procession

    A cheque for £2000 will be winging its way to the young team behind the Megan’s Bench project; £300 will be going to Barley Hill Primary School PTFA; £300 to St Joseph’s Primary School PTFA,;£300 for John Hampden Primary School PTFA and £100 for E Fotherby World Challenge.

    Lord Williams’s Association – the PTFA of Lord Williams’s School – raised over £700 from the Pimms Tent and many other community groups sold burgers, ran games stalls and a variety of great fun activities this year, raising valuable funds for their own groups.

    Kieran Blanco, who has been leading the Megan’s Bench project, has thanked all the people who came to Thame carnival 2016 and for all the people who helped run this years carnival, especially in the later months running up to the event. He posted on the Thame Carnival Facebook page:

    “Megan was my best friend throughout my childhood and I am really pleased to hear that the carnival team has managed to raise £3000, and is willing to donate £2000 towards Megan’s bench. I would also like to say on behalf of Megan’s friends and close friends that they are all pleased and very excited about your kind generous donation towards the bench. Thank you guys. I will be looking forward to helping you out for next year’s carnival.”

  • Thame tells Tesco to ‘bog off’

    SUPERMARKET giant, Tesco, has failed in its third attempt to build a large supermarket on the outskirts of the Thame (1998 and 2002).

    no thanks Tesco 2

    South Oxfordshire District Councillors, sitting on the authority’s Planning Committee, accepted the recommendation of its Planning Officer to refuse the application on the grounds that ‘although the development might reduce car journeys out of Thame and would offer more choice to shoppers, on balance, it would divert linked shopping and have a significantly adverse effect on Thame town centre’.

    Speaking after the meeting, Duncan Nickless of the Thame Centre First group which lead opposition to the Tesco store, said: “We obviously welcome the decision made by the district planning committee to unanimously reject this application for an edge of town supermarket.  We are pleased the Committee recognised the importance of our Town Centre.  Their decision will ensure our High Street continues to thrive and be at the heart of our community.  We hope now that Tesco respect the committee’s decision and the strong view of local people who want our High Street to remain vital and vibrant.”

    Independent Mortgae Solutions (RGB) - R1The committee’s decision was unanimous. More details tomorrow. LINK HERE for previous posts on this subject

  • New National Squash Champion Simon dedicates his win to his late dad

    RACQUETS Fitness Centre players, Tom White, Oz Mustafa and Simon Martin, all competed in the National Racketball Championships 2016 at Edgbaston Priory in Birmingham last weekend – and Simon is now National Racketball Over 45s Champion 2016.

    Simon Martin (left) receiving the winner's trophy
    Simon Martin (left) receiving the winner’s prize from Mike Edwards, Head coach at Edgbaston Priory squash club & Squash England representative

    Attracting over 200 players from all over the country and he Channel Islands, the tournament was played at the squash and tennis centre, recently in receipt of a £15 million refurbishment.  Tom, with his amazing racket skills, was battling with injury. He lost closely to last year’s’champion in the over 50s. Oz lost closely to the number two seed in five games.

    “Simon had a good run and made it to the Over 45’s final,” reported Racquets coach and Simon’s wife, Sue Martin Downhill, “surprisingly after some heavy socialising and seemed to find some puff from somewhere to beat last year’s champion from Yorkshire, Mark Francis.”

    “I am pleased to have come back from a hip resurfacing five years ago,” said a proud Simon, “to achieve another national title. It was 24 years ago when I won the Open Championships last time. I had a good draw and great support from the boys. It just goes to show that with good strength and conditioning work in the gym you can recover from major surgery and gain all your mobility and fitness back. I must thank the Racquets gym and massage team for their help with all our players, and would recommend anyone to play racketball whatever age or level as it’s very easy to play and a fun workout!

    “I would like to dedicate this battle to my family, especially my late Dad who passed away in February this year. I wore my Cancer Research T-shirts throughout the tournament!”

    Good luck to Racquets in the final of the Buckinghamshire racketball league finals this Saturday (16/07) being held at Aylesbury Squash and Tennis club. The club is looking to retain the team’s winning form from last year.

  • Exhibition of material from Thame archeological excavation

    WHO could have predicted that a new housing development in Thame would reveal an archaeological site of immense national importance, with evidence of continuous settlement in Thame spanning a period of 6000 years ?

    Roman coins found at site F in Thame (Image courtesy of John Moore Heritage Services)
    Roman coins found at site F in Thame (Image courtesy of John Moore Heritage Services)

    From a Neolithic henge, and a causewayed enclosure through to Iron Age roundhouses and a ritual burial, moving on to a Roman well and sunken featured buildings from the Saxon period, all supported by artefacts in the form of tools, coinage, pottery and human remains.

    All of this was unearthed in 2016 on the old pig farm to the north of Thame, known as site F in the Neighbourhood Plan, through a joint excavation by Oxford Archaeology and Cotswold Archaeology, who are now bringing their findings to a public exhibition at Thame Town Hall.

    On Saturday, July 23 (10.30 – 4.00) maps, plans, photographs, and actual artefacts from the site will be on display and archaeologists who worked on the dig will be on hand to explain the significance of the site and to answer any questions. The last admission will be at 3.30pm

    All are welcome to this free event which will feature two introductory talks in the morning, followed by an afternoon for browsing, object handling, and children’s activities, making a unique opportunity for Thame residents to get hands-on with local history.

    SOURCE: Contributed by Phil Williams

  • Inspiring authors, Workshops and wine at TAL 2016

    NICHOLAS Parsons, Tom Paulin, Hugh Sebag Montefiore and Charlotte Green are just a few of the big names lined up to entertain, inform and inspire at this year’s Thame Arts and Literary (TAL) Festival.

    Beano illustrator, Kev F Sutherland who will be appearing at TAL Festival 2016
    Beano illustrator, Kev F Sutherland who will be appearing at TAL Festival 2016

    As well as the 2016 short story competition, Tales of the Unexpected, and a colouring competition for children, this year’s TAL Festival will offer forty events over five days will include a mix of history, biography, art, crime, fiction, music, drama, inspiring workshops and wine – so something to cover all interests.

    The TAL Festival kicks off on October 12, with Roger McGough and LiTTLe MACHiNe, in a gala evening of poetry and music. More information, including how to buy tickets, on the TAL website: http://www.talfestival.org/

  • Ex pro signs for Thame United

    THAME United has received a major boost with the signing of former professional Steve Gregory for the forthcoming season.

    Steve Gregory
    Steve Gregory

    Gregory, a 29-year old midfielder, played over twenty-five games for AFC Bournemouth in the 2011/12 season before moving on to Gillingham, for whom he made over fifty appearances in the 2013/14 season, with two spells at AFC Wimbledon, including a victorious play-off final victory against Luton Town that secured League status for the Dons.

    Gregory has also appeared twice for England C, playing in matches against Wales (2010) and Belgium (2011).

    Commenting on the signing, Thame assistant-manager Stuart Blaik said: ‘Steve is a fantastic signing for us and comes with wealth of recent Football League experience.

    SOURCE: http://nonleague.pitchero.com/

  • Thame businesses ‘Open Doors’ event today!

    What? An open air event with stalls and demonstrations that aims to introduces all the larger businesses in Thame to the community.

    come and learn (500x482)When? TODAY !! Saturday, July 9, 2016 – 9am to 2 pm

    Where? Thame town centre

  • Lord Williams’s Pupil’s ‘struck’ by visiting author

    LORD Williams’s School welcomed popular author, Julia Golding last week to talk to students about her many books for children and young adults.

    Julia Golding with a group of fans of her books at Lord Williams's School, Thame
    Julia Golding with a group of fans of her books at Lord Williams’s School, Thame

    Oxford-based Julia has written over 30 books and has won many awards; she also writes under the pen names Joss Stirling and Eve Edwards. The third book in her award winning Struck series, Shaken, was released recently and the sixth book in her much acclaimed Finding Sky series, Summer Shadows, was released just this week, on July 7.

    “Julia was fantastic,” said Library Manager, Bina Malde. “She spoke throughout the day to groups of students in different year groups and also to Year Six students from one of our feeder schools. The students were very inspired by her interactive sessions when she engaged them in the creative process that goes behind beginning a new story.”

    Many of the students were already fans: “I love her Struck series,” ’commented one Year Eight student; “I like the character Kieran. He is a Sherlock-type but he has to learn to dance as part of his undercover work – it’s great fun!”

  • Fire fighters rescue horse trapped in a horsebox

    FIRE crews from Thame and the Specialist Rescue crew from Kidlington were called out on a very unusual mission yesterday (July 8), to deal with a horse that had become trapped over the internal partition inside the back of a horsebox.

    The damaged horsebox after he horse had been released by Thame fire crew
    The damaged horsebox after he horse had been released by Thame fire crew

    Station Manager Reay explained: “The partition was not easily removable, so the crews needed to use hydraulic rescue equipment and battery powered saws to cut the partition away. The horse was distressed at times so a vet who was on scene throughout the incident, administered at sedative to help calm the horse whilst the firefighters carried out the rescue.

    Independent Mortgae Solutions (RGB) - R1“We had to be very careful working around the horse and firefighters used special protective shields to make sure everyone including the horse was safe. I am glad to report that the horse was successfully released with only minor injuries.”