Thame.net

Category: Thame news

  • Story of Ugandan teen chess prodigy at Thame cinema

    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

  • Witnesses sought after series of vehicle break-in, Thame

    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 casts its leading lady!

    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.”

  • Chiltern Railway – replacement buses

    THERE are NO Chiltern Railways SERVICE between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury nor between Aylesbury Parkway and Great Messenden today, February 4.

    Chiltern Railway’s train at Haddenham & Thame parkway

    Replacement buses are being provided.

  • Panto panache from budding young thespians

    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!

    SOURCE: Contributed

  • Thame butchers strike gold at Smithfield Awards

    THAME butchers, Newitt and Sons came away with a golden haul from the 2017 Butchers Q Guild Smithfield Awards.

    Tom Newitt (L) with Tom Parker Bowles

    M Newitt & Sons Butchers in Thame High Street, won four golds for their Oxfordshire Sausage, Beef Steak Burger, Blue Cheese Steak Burger, and Home Smoked Bacon.

    The Newitt family has been in Thame since 1810. In 1965 Michael and Susan Newitt bought the seventeenth century butcher’s shop on the High Street and were joined by Tom in 1990. Tom has been indoctrinated into the business from an early age. Having graduated from Smithfield College as Members of the Institute of Meat, he worked in the food industry for several years.

    Michael sadly passed away in 2010, while on holiday, leaving the business to Susan and Tom to continue the passion of quality produce and excellent service. The shop has achieved numerous awards, including Britain’s Best Butcher’s Shop Award.

    Open to the Q Guild’s 123 members nationwide, the 2017 Smithfield Awards attracted a record entry of almost 600 individual products, a major increase on the previous year, from 61 butcher businesses from the Scottish Highlands down to the south coast.

    A total of 267 gold awards winners emerged this year across the Q Guild’s eight regions – this, too, was a new record high. Judged blind by independent panels of international food and meat industry experts, products were then shortlisted for the national final in each of the ten product categories.

    Winners, including best in category diamond awards, were announced at a ceremony in Ironmongers Hall, London, when the awards were presented by acclaimed British food writer and food critic Tom Parker Bowles. (Wed, Feb 1) He told the butchers present: “A town or city without a proper butcher is town without a heart. But all of you here today are masters of meat, heroes of the haunch, legends of the lamb chop and you don’t do this for the prospect of a quick and easy buck. ”

     

  • School buses told ‘Turn off your engines when parked’

    THAME Town Council is to make representation to the coach operators of school buses, asking them not to run their engines when the buses are parked outside Lord Williams’s school.

    Image courtesy of njea.org

    The decision to contact the coach companies came after a discussion about the Thame Green Living Plan, at a meeting of the town council’s ‘Thame Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Working Group.

    Cllr David Bretherton told fellow Councillors, and the Chair of the Green Living Working Group, Charles Boundy, that he had personally been ‘covered in diesel fumes’ recently when he had been passing the school, when several school buses were parked up waiting to collect pupils, with their engines idling.

    Other councillors pointed out that the Arriva bus drivers of the 280 service always turned off their engines at the bus stops in the centre of town, thus helping to prevent an unhealthy build up of dangerous fumes.

    Clean air will be one chapter of a draft ‘Green Living Plan’ for Thame,  that is expected to be published for public consultation, later in the year. The plan is part of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan which aims ‘To keep Thame as a green and pleasant place to live’. Other chapters will cover such things as Water, Energy and Waste.

  • A new festival for Thame ‘For the love of Music’

    A THAME Town Music Festival, a long-held dream of musician and Thame First Thursday Music Club (FTMC) Founder, Jon Littler, was officially launched last night (03/02/17) by Jon, at the club’s seventh birthday party.

    Jon Littler proudly announces the launching of the the first Thame Town Music Festival

    Jon told an enthusiastic audience of musicians and music lovers at the regular FTMC open mic night at the James Figg pub,  that the festival would be a free, multi-venue, multi musical genre, town centre based festival of live music on Saturday, July 8, 2017, with a main stage in the High Street, in the centre of Thame.

    A range of music across all genres including Classical in St Mary’Church, Jazz in another town centre venue as well as Blues, Americana, Rockabilly, Folk, Comedy, Songwriter and more in at least five other venues, will be there to be relished from midday to 10.30pm.

    You choose what you want to see!

    The headline band for the first Thame Town Musical Festival has already been confirmed – its Rusty Shackle. The band, which describes itself as ‘Folk Roots and Roll’, has already made a very strong impression locally having appeared at both Beacon and Towersey Festivals. But Jon and his team want to hear which musicians YOU want to see at YOUR festival, and you can go to the website www.ThameTownMusicFestival.org, propose an act YOU would like to see, fill in their details and then the team will ask them if they would like to appear. Then anyone can endorse or vote for they acts they want. Or, just have some fun looking at the proposed acts on the website, explore their website and videos and endorse the ones you like.

    Also confirmed are Van Susans who have been described by the BBC’s Chris Hawkins as “The Levellers” for a new generation. They too drew big crowds at Beacon Festival last summer.

    YOUR festival needs you!

    Although the festival is being supported by Thame Town Council with £5,000 worth of seed funding, and stall holders and venues will be contributing, more money is needed and the website has a section for volunteers, Sponsorship and a crowd-funding opportunity for anyone to contribute whatever they can afford, to help pay for thing such as toilets, insurance, risk assessment etc.

    As per the official leaflet released today, Jon concludes: “It’s about original and authentic music – there are great covers bands around but we want to give a chance to original music.”

    So, visit the website and get involved and follow the facebook page (LINK HERE) for regular updates as more acts are confirmed  You can also follow the festival on twitter at @TTMFest

  • Double Victory for Racquets Juniors in one day tournament

    RACQUETS Squash Academy juniors blew competitors out of the water last weekend, taking first place in two out of three categories in a one-day tournament at Racquets Fitness centre in Thame.

    On Saturday, January 28, 16 junior squash players from all over the South Region, ranging from beginner/intermediate level to county level participated in the tournament.

    In the junior grade C category, consisting of eight players of similar ability, Mac Readman who has been playing squash at Racquets for a number of years now, really came into his own showing off his full potential against his fellow competitors. He ‘sailed’ through the tournament without dropping a single game and it was clear to see that he has the capability to compete with the more advanced players if he keeps working hard at his game. Alex Glover, who has been playing in the Racquets academy for just over a month now, was runner up in this category. The academy is allowing Alex to improve his game at a rapid rate as he is now playing between three and four days a week and getting coaching specific to his game by the likes of Sue Martin-Downhill and Ben Hedger, both qualified squash coaches.

    In junior grade B, Abingdon junior, Alex Smith, proved to be too strong for the juniors at racquets, not dropping a single game, but was graceful in his wins. It was a great to see another junior in Oxfordshire improving their game. Silas Glover, another Racquets developing player, was runner up, not able to beat one of his fellow competitors who he previously had lost to in the past.

    Six players in the junior grade A category, played a round robin, a format of play where each player had to play against every other competitor in their category. This allowed for plenty of match time for all the players, and allowed for a more accurate representation of who the winner would be. James Portsmouth, another junior at Racquets who is also in the Racquets junior academy, played out of his skin, not dropping a single game to any of his opponents. Revenge was in his mind from losing out on victory in the previous tournament in December, so he went into this tournament hungry and raring to go. He was able to beat players that he had lost to previously which shows how much his game is coming on in such a short period of time.

    Wendover junior, Ben Randrup, was runner up, just losing out on first place by a few points. As well as training at Wendover, Ben has been attending junior training at Racquets once a week for just over two months and is also receiving private coaching by Racquets coach, Ben Hedger.

    For more information about playing squash from young age or starting later in life, please contact Sue, Simon or Ben at Racquets Fitness Centre on 01844 261754.

    SOURCE – Contributed

  • Celebrations and fun for Thame Swimming Club

    MEMBERS of Thame Swimming Club have been celebrating a constellation of successes and achievements over the past year, with Guest of Honour, Linda Emery, the Mayor or Thame, who opened the club’s special evening and presented the awards.

    Club spokesperson, Helen Williams, said: “The event was held at Lord Williams’s Lower School which again seemed to be the perfect location to host our annual event. The food was delicious and plentiful and the atmosphere was buzzing!

    “The evening was about our amazing swimmers and it started with a review of the key highlights from 2016 covering local galas, open water events, Counties, Regionals and Nationals; charity events such the Swimathon and Santa Sleigh; fun events like the Aquathlon and Thame Town Carnival and another successful swim camp to Torremolinos.

    “The coaches then presented the swimmers with their achievement plates from Club Champs. Helen Birmingham presented the Tom Birmingham Skins awards, in memory of coach Tom Birmingham, to the winners Elizabeth Humphreys and Ben Williams. Team GB were then presented their awards and prizes by David, Caroline and George Finch, as winners of the Will Finch Breaststroke Canon Relay, in memory of Will Finch who passed away in 2015. Well done to Martha Block, Thomas Collins, Lucy Block, Dominic Loughran, Flora Kershaw, Josh Williams, Laura Creswell, Harry Block, Ellen Ludlow and Will Simpkins.”

    The Coaches awards for the Top Boy and Top Girl in each Group were awarded to:

         Girls

    Boys
    Group 1 Sacha Livingston Josh Boddy
    Group 2 Tally Simms Murray Wakefield
    Group 3 Lucy Block Oscar North
    Group 4 Ella Simms Josh Williams

    UCare Most Committed Award: awarded to Louis Withers for continuing to swim with a smile despite challenging times.
    Rob Brooks Most Improved Award: awarded to Lucy Block with a 7.63% improvement, followed by Oscar North and Jacob North.
    Simon Burnett Most Competitive Award: awarded to Josh Williams with a whopping 726 points followed by Ben Williams and Elizabeth Humphreys.