Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

Pedal for Prostate in the Chilterns

THIS year’s Chiltern Cycling Festival is shaping up to be a great summer’s day out for cyclists and their families from all over the UK, on Sunday, July 17.

This year the organisers are partnering with Scannappeal, a charity that raises money to buy state-of-the art medical equipment for the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Hospitals, Amersham, Wycombe and Stoke Mandeville. The Pedal for Prostate rides include 30, 60 and 100 mile routes. CCF organiser, Robin Askey, said: “We are delighted to support Scannappeal. The Chilterns is such a great place to cycle and our three routes are perfect for all abilities of rider and to help raise money for such a worthwhile charity.”

Based at the Penn House Estate, the festival offers a whole host of routes in and around the Chiltern Hills. All finishers receive a glass of champagne and a goody bag to help celebrate completing their challenge, along with entry into the Velo Village where they can relax and recover from their exertions.

Alongside the two wheeled challenges, there will be a mix of activities for friends and families to enjoy from a Brocante style vintage market, Children’s Go Ride activities to local produce and food and drink stalls, including locally brewed Craft beers as well as live music and even a retro bike parade, The Dapper Pedaler.

Riders can enter as part of the Scannappeal Pedal for Prostate team. There is no minimum fundraising or sponsorship amount required, but riders are asked to donate to Scannappeal based on distances covered and completion of the route. Scannappeal’s Director, Lisa Trivett said: “Joining the Pedal for Prostate team is a great way to explore the beautiful Chiltern countryside whilst helping Scannappeal raise money to purchase equipment to radically improve surgery to treat prostate, kidney and bladder cancers. Hopefully the sun will be out and we’ll all enjoy a great British summer’s day in this wonderful setting.”

To enter go online at LINK HERE. Whilst you don’t need to be a BC member you need to register your details and state ‘Team Scannappeal’ as your club.

25/05/2016
Grow your business through Midsomer Murders

BUSINESSES in the Thame area are being offered the opportunity to learn how their business can profit from the massive popularity of the TV series, Midsomer Murders.

Neil Dudgeon, who plays Insp Barnaby in Midsomer Murders, with the ‘Causton’ locations map that includes Thame

The international popularity of the series is attracting more and more visitors from all over the world to visit the locations used in filming the series, including Thame, or Causton, as it called in the series.

A Midsomer Workshop for businesses is being held on Wednesday, June 22, at Thame Town Hall, and is FREE to attend and will include refreshments of tea, coffee, Barnaby buns – supplied by Rumsey’s – and a glass of wine.

If you have a hotel, a B&B, a guest house, restaurant, pub, cafe, are a food & drink retailer, have a gift shop, run a museum or other attraction, are a tour guide, a coach tour operators or other organisation, you can increase business through Thame’s connections with Midsomer Murders!

This globally popular ITV series, Midsomer Murders, is filmed in Southern Oxfordshire and watched by millions in the UK and in over 100 countries worldwide. It attracts thousands of visitors from the UK and overseas to Thame and the local area. These visitors want to experience for themselves the beautiful towns and villages seen in the TV series. During 2015, there was a sharp rise in Midsomer visitor numbers, conservatively estimated at 15,000. They spent around £1m in the district’s towns and villages and there were 200,000 unique visitors to www.visitmidsomer.com in 2015.

This market is lucrative for those engaging with the Midsomer concept. Thame already has Midsomer visitors – one tour operator brings more than 50 tours a year to the town. Attracting more Midsomer visitors has huge potential to bring additional spend to the town – and your business can benefit!

What will happen at the workshop?

• Discover how you can make Midsomer work for your business

• Learn about the Midsomer effect: visitor profile and data, screen tourism, media coverage

• Find out about attracting Midsomer coach groups and independent visitors

• Meet one of at least 50 businesses already experiencing growth through Midsomer

• Hear about opportunities to become a Midsomer Tour Guide

• Network with other local businesses, organisations and Midsomer ambassadors

• Listen to our first-class presenters who will help you make it happen

Who will you hear from?

Sarah Osborne, Tourism Angles – Sarah has worked in tourism for 20 years, initially as tourism manager for Windsor then moving into consultancy in the UK and abroad. Her passion lies in destination management, using tourism to create vibrant and sustainable urban and rural economies. Six years ago she and her colleagues at Tourism Angles started working in screen tourism, one of the fastest-growing sectors of the UK tourism industry.
Tourism Angles created the Midsomer concept, funded by South Oxfordshire District Council and other partners, to develop an online and media
presence for Midsomer. As part of this, they have provided marketing collateral, engaged with the travel trade, and are working with individual businesses, towns and villages to attract more visitors.

Jean Gamester, Semaphora Consulting – Jean is a professional workshop facilitator and change programme manager with a focus on helping businesses make improvements. Her clients include Vodafone, Aylesbury Vale District Council and the British Computer Society. She is also a member of Henley Business School’s executive faculty. Jean is a regular workshop facilitator for 21st Century Thame, helping to develop Thame.

Arrival time for the workshop is from 3.30 pm, workshop starts at 4.00 pm, finish by 6.30 pm.

Places will be limited so to secure your place, contact: helen.johns39@gmail.com by Friday, June 10.

25/05/2016
Thame Bowls ladies off to a flying start

ANOTHER week of mixed results in a busy week at Thame Bowls Club. Thame Ladies got their season off to a flying start with a big win, 73 shots to 38, against Henley Ladies.

Top rink for Thame was that of Carol Boyland, Maire Duncan and skip Val Birchley. Unfortunately Thame Men couldn’t match the Ladies performance in the Thursday League and lost to a strong Headington side. Thame did have a winning rink skipped by Graham Penn, aided by Vic Brooks, John Rawson and Robin Jenner, but their score wasn’t enough to secure the overall win.

On Saturday, Thame Men’s team travelled to Hagbourne and put up a brave show in the Five Triples match but lost by just 20 shots overall. Top winning rink for Thame was skipped by Les Canfield with Gerry Barry and Michael Ralls assisting. On Sunday the first of the two annual Ladies versus Gents matches took place and resulted in a win for the Men by just 14 shots, 85 to 71.

With just a few ends to go, the match was very evenly balanced but Thame Men secured wins on the last ends to creep ahead. The Ladies won on three of the five rinks but it was the big win by skip Paul Heafey, Will Hawes and new bowler Chris Shannon that made the difference winning by 20 shots. Captains Caroline Walker and John Rawson and their teams will do battle again in August.

There will be another Open Evening at the Queens Road green on Tuesday May 31, to give you the chance to have a go at this wonderful game.

25/05/2016
‘Remain’ battle bus hits town

Cllr Jeannette Matelot Green with Conservative ‘Stay’ activist Ginny Camps-Walsh (right) canvas a passer-by this afternoon in Thame.

THE Conservative party’s ‘Remain on the road’ bus hit Thame this afternoon, bringing a team of ‘Stay’ activists to set up their stall behind Thame Town Hall, chatting to local people about their intentions in the forthcoming referendum.

Joining them was District Councillor Jeannette Matelot Green, sporting a tee shirt with the party’s slogan ‘In Europe for Britain’. The team met a variety of views but generally the feeling reported among the team, was that the majority of people they talked to in Thame, were in favour of staying in the Eurpean Union.

23/05/2016
‘Get stuck in’ to Oxfordshire’s food and drink scene

THE eagerly anticipated Oxfordshire Cook Book is set to be released on June 6, featuring a collection of stunning recipes and stories from some of Oxfordshire’s finest restaurants, cafés, delicatessens, pubs, producers and suppliers.

The book is the 11th in the ‘Get Stuck In’ series of regional cook books by Meze Publishing, who were recently crowned Best Newcomer at the Independent Publishing Awards.

Mike North, the owner of Michelin starred village pub The Nut Tree has written the foreword for the book as well as contributing his ginger panna cotta with rhubarb recipe. He writes: “Oxford’s gastronomy has so much to offer from nationally acclaimed artisan bakers and delicatessens to a plethora of amazing farm shops and local butchers.

“The local food heroes of Oxfordshire are too many to mention, but in short I am sure you will find in this guide a place to suit you for every occasion and every budget.”

Food lovers are spoilt for choice by the numerous award-winning, fine dining restaurants and traditional country pubs that Oxfordshire has to offer. The book also highlights local producers and suppliers in areas including Didcot, Chipping Norton, Kidlington, Banbury, Abingdon, Reading, Bicester, Witney, Henley-on-Thames and Watlington.

Among the venues featured are The White Hart, Minster Lovell who won ‘Traditional Pub Restaurant of the Year’ followed by The White Hart at Fyfield who won ‘Restaurant of the Year’ at the Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards and The Oxford Kitchen who won the same title for the South of England at the annual Restaurant Awards. Two AA rosette restaurant The Miller of Mansfield, who also contributed to the book, were awarded ‘Restaurant of the Year 2016’ by the Good Food Guide.

Thomas Curtis who is the Head Chef at country pub The White Hart, Minster Lovell is a big fan of the Oxfordshire food scene. He says: “Having being born and raised in Oxfordshire, it was a privilege to be given the opportunity to represent my county in The Oxfordshire Cook Book. There is so much talent, knowledge and passion in our area and we hope we do it proud.”

In the book, you will also see contributions from Great British Bake Off’s Christine Wallace, BBC Radio Oxford’s Kat Orman, Natural Bread Company, Tutu Delicious and many more – readers will be sure to spot one or two of their favourite eateries, as well as find a few new haunts.

Self-taught chef, Paul Clerehugh, who runs The Crooked Billet is excited to see the book in print: “I’m delighted that the Crooked Billet features amongst such an eclectic bunch of cooks, chefs & foodies in the Oxfordshire Cook Book. We are lucky enough to be surrounded by fantastic local produce and retailers in our county which boosts the appetite, enthusiasm, discernment and passion for food that keeps the local chefs in whites. This cook book is a fantastic reflection of this.”

With a carefully selected collection of diverse recipes achievable by all home cooks, from The Nut Tree Inn’s ginger panna cotta with Yorkshire rhubarb to The Crooked Billet’s Builders tea brulee with milk chocolate hob nobs, The Quince Tree’s scrumper’s scotch egg, Oxford Cheese Company’s isiflette and The Kitchen Farnborough’s roast Cotswold white chicken and herb potato dumplings in saffron broth – there’s something to whet everybody’s appetite.

The Oxfordshire Cook Book retails at £14.95 and will be available soon in all of the businesses featured in the book as well as select local gift shops, book shops including Waterstones and online at www.amazon.co.uk

SOURCE (or should that be SAUCE !?) Press release

23/05/2016
Thame’s first women cricket coaches qualify

THAME Town Cricket Club has followed up on the success of last season’s Crick-fit initiative and this winter’s indoor coaching at Lord Williams’s school, by helping the town’s first women coaches to earn an ECB qualification at the club.

Julie Jenson (pictured left) and Faye Wilkins (2nd from right) came through their Coach Support Worker course (CWS) successfully on April 10. Furthermore, Sean Hayes (2nd left) also passed his CWS qualification and Dan Patey (right) is currently completing his ECB Level 2 course.

This will take the number of ECB-qualified coaches at the club to 14, which has doubled over the past 12 months.

23/05/2016
Explore beautiful gardens in Chinnor

OVER the weekend of June 4 – 5, many interesting and varied private gardens will be open, all within the village of Chinnor, including two new gardens, as well as Chinnor allotments and a shop. St Andrews Primary School will also be opening its garden.

Image for illustrative purposes only

Refreshments will be available on both days at various places and gardens. St Andrew’s Church will be decorated with the theme of ‘A Joyful Celebration’ and will be providing cream teas. There will be plants for sale on both days too.

The gardens will be open between 2 – 6 pm, and tickets cost £5 for adults for a weekend ticket; accompanied under 16s free.

Leaflets and tickets available in advance from the Village Centre and Parish Council Office, or on the day from any participating garden and at the Plant Sales.

Further information: Phone: 07761 582 937 – Email: chinnoropengardens@gmail.com
Website: Chinnor Open Gardens

23/05/2016
Have you seen this man?

THAMES Valley Police has released an E-fit of a man who carried out a distraction burglary in Longwick, near Thame, earlier in the month.

At around 8.15pm on May 4, 2016, in Thame Road, Longwick, a man gained entry to the home of an elderly lady, by saying that he worked for the ‘water board’, and told her there was an issue with her water.

Despite being asked for ID which he did not show, the male persuaded the lady to let him in to check the kitchen taps and sink. Whilst he kept her busy, an unknown number of people climbed in through the front, bay windows and searched the house for items to steal.

The victim’s handbag containing money was taken and the offenders then left. The lady was not injured in the incident.

In its press release, TVP stated: “Due to the rural location it might be that the offenders had a car parked nearby.

“The description we have of the man who distracted the victim is of a man of mixed race, a light complexion, aged 25-30 years-old. He was around 5ft 8ins tall, wearing a grey plain woolen hat, clean shaven also wearing soft leather gloves and a jacket.”

Investigating Officer, Det Con Chris Hatton of Force CID based at High Wycombe police station, said: “We are appealing for anyone with information who may have seen a man matching the description or who looks like our E-fit to come forward.

“We are certain that this man was not working alone so if anyone saw a group acting suspiciously, or may have seen people getting into or out of a car on the evening of the May 4, on the Thame Road near Longwick, then please do call us on 101.

“In this case the suspect has been extremely persuasive and would not leave the victim alone. However we would remind people not to let people into their homes who have not shown ID, and we would also remind people to secure windows and doors in unattended rooms if possible.”

23/05/2016
Story-telling to rebuild the other Thame!

Thame lower school, after the earthquake in Nepal, in April 2015

A group of storytellers from the Thame area in Nepal, are using their skills to help local people gain engagement and support for rebuilding their earthquake-stricken communities, through telling their own stories.

Saurav Dhakal, the Founder of Storycycle, explained: “Building communities in affected areas will require not just funds and materials but also the proactive support and engagement of local people. Stories inspire people. Effective storytelling will transform people’s behavior and activities.”

In a unique collaboration, Storycycle has been working with Google and the Apa Sherpa Foundation to improve the digital map of the Everest region, collecting 360-panoramic images and overlaying them with the stories of the Sherpa people as part of a cultural mapping project.

They used Google’s Street View facility as a storytelling device to create an immersive experience that includes voice-over interviews, to show people places of local importance. (See LINK)

Saurav Dhakal, the Founder of Storycycle

Saurav Dhakal continued: “When we prepared the stories of the region last year, before the earthquake, and disseminated them to the world, we did not think that the audio/visual material we collected would one day become archive material. We thought the living heritage and the structure of the area would survive for long time. But nature had other plans.

“On April 25, 2015, the land shook violently and, not only brought down man-made structures, but also weakened fragile mountains and hills. Subsequent landslides changed landscapes in many areas and many of the places we mapped are now completely destroyed. As we now brace up to rebuild the Khumbu area, we have realized the importance of the archived audio/visual material.

“It has now become an inportant reference for rebuilding our region. The local community organised a series of workshops in Khumbu region after the earthquake, partnering with international and local agencies at the village of Thame, the home town of Apa Sherpa, the record-holding mountaineer. The local community organised a series of workshops in Khumbu region after the earthquake, partnering with international and local agencies at the village of Thame, the home town of Apa Sherpa, the record-holding mountaineer. He has reached the summit of Mount Everest 21 times, and collected funds to help the rebuilding work.

“At the Camp, locals and experts in areas such as engineering came together for a thorough discussion on rebuilding. As a result, the local people raised their dreams, their aspirations their ideas and their local knowledge of the land, and the engineers and other experts were able to give technical input and the benefit of their past experiences from other places similarly affected.

“We now have a list of priorities and together we will come up with a plan to build earthquake-resistant houses and structures while keeping the cultural and aesthetic beauty of the land alive.”

There are still many challenges ahead for the people of Thame and the rest of the khumbu region, but Saurav Dhakal and Appa Sherpa himself, have confidence in the rebuilding process.

The fund-raising group here in Thame, Oxfordshire, Thame to Thame, has been raising funds to help the people of Thame, in Solukhumbu District, money which it intends to donate to Edmund Hilary’s Himalayan Trust UK, which is helping to rebuild the area damaged by the earthquake. The children in our primary schools have heard about the plight of the children of Thame, Nepal, and one of Thame to Thame’s members, Charlie Tyson Taylor, who runs a trekking tour business and has visited Nepal many times, gave a talk about the plight of the district to the children of Barley Hill school.

You can see in this video, Thame school, being visited by Appa Sherpa before April 2015, and how it looked just after the earthquake. (See LINK) Also, follow this LINK to read a Brief History of Thame School.

Saurav Dhakal and Thame to Thame, are hoping that stories about their own lives can be exchanged between the children of the two Thame communities.

22/05/2016
Doomed Women in Thame tonight !

TONIGHT – Friday, May 20, at 7.45pm, Thame Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame – Doomed Women, a double bill of two fascinating one-act plays. Following excellent reviews and sell out shows in Edinburgh last year, the five-star rated company, A Drunken Sailor, are touring DOOMED WOMEN nationally in 2016: Drama from the award-winning playwright Joan Greening (creator of ITV’s Cabbage Patch and Trouble and Strife).
Five women set on a course to death or self-destruction. Who survives?
Two shows: one evening of brilliant drama and entertainment.

TERROR: During the French Revolution, two old courtesans, Jeanne Du Barry and Grace Dalrymple Elliot, spend the night together in Sainte-Pélagie Prison awaiting the guillotine the next day and hoping for a last minute reprieve. Will they find a way to escape the chop?’ Always an entertaining play – like Horrible Histories, it’s history with the horrible bits left in. ‘A great show – intelligent, funny, touching and full of interesting historical details.’ ‘ A real treat’

ROSSETTI’S WOMEN: Three of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s lovers, the prostitute Fanny Cornforth, the ghost of Lizzie Siddal, and Jane, wife of his best friend, William Morris, – fight each other to prove whom he loved best.
‘Clever, entertaining and well-executed…. The production features a fantastic performance by Munrow and offers thought-provoking observations on love, relationships and life along the way.’ Past praise for performers Julia Munrow and Julia Rufey. ‘Funny and touching’ (Times). ‘Hilarious’ (Guardian) ‘Exerts a control over the stage that is almost tangible'( Herald)‘ Funny and engaging’ Broadway Baby.

Tickets for Doomed Women cost £10 and are available as usual from Spear Travels on 01844 217228 or online from thameplayers.co.uk.

20/05/2016