TV Antiques experts Eric Knowles, Tom Keane and Paul Hayes will be donating their time to value items and to pass on their expert knowledge at a Charity valuation day in aid of Sobell House Hospice, at Thame Barns Centre, on April 29, between 11am – 3pm
The event is in aid of Sobell House Hospice, Oxford, who have a shop in Greyhound Walk, Thame.
For just £5 for up to three items and £1 per extra item, you can find out everything you want and need to know about your family heirlooms and antiques!
PLANS for this year’s Thame Carnival are off with a flying start as the organisers have managed to secure a repeat of 2014, with a flypast of two aircraft.
Furthermore, some fantastic float ideas with this year’s theme, The Best of British, are coming in thick and fast, reports Carnival organising team leader, Sue Martin Downhill, and already six local streets have signed up for the Giant Carnival Street Party planned for the big fete on Southern Road Recreational ground after the Carnival, and if YOUR street would like to join in the celebrations of Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday year, contact thamecarnival@gmail.com.
Great Bunting Creative
“Leading up to the Carnival on June 11, we are going to be attempting to craft enough red, white and blue bunting to decorate the street party gazebos, arena, beer tents and other marquees,” revealed Sue. “Anyone who would like to be involved in this fun and creative activity in the next couple of months then please contact thamecarnival@gmail.com.”
The Carnival Fete
How about a spot of splat the rat, egg throwing or gnome ringing? Or tackling the Thame Scouts’ climbing wall or even competitive games including Human table football, courtesy of the Cross Keys pub! – Just some of the fun-events planned for the whole family to take part in.
All this fun and games will of course, require those taking part to take refreshment from time to time so, as usual there will be a beer tent run by Thame Round Table and a Pimms Tent which the organisers are hopeful will be run by Lord Williams’s Association. For youngers members of the family will there will be a variety of food and drink vendors on site incuding a huge selection of food from burgers to pizza, cakes and sweets.
Arena and stage
The brilliant Dan Blasor will be back as the compere this year and Simon Markland, of Thame Music Academy, has been busy arranging for music and dance entertainment for the arena and on the stage.
All the ingredients are there for fabulous Carnival on Satuday, June 11, so all we need now to bind it all together is of course, sunshine !!
If anyone would like to meet to discuss getting involved in any of these or any aspect of the event, Sue Martin Downhill would love to be contacted via email: suedownhill@gmail.com or by phone on 07860 328880:
If you can put a poster in your window
If you can help sew bunting
If you could run the parade
If you can help with the marshalling of the road closure, please talk to Sue.
SEVERE disruption is expected due to a road closure currently in place – The B4445 THAME ROAD to CHINNOR, planned for electrical works, until midnight April 6, 2016.
The 40 Thame to Chinnor bus will follow normal route along Chinnor Road despite upcoming roadworks.
You’re never to young to learn! Image courtesy of Vicki Nesbitt
A Junior doctor who works at the JR hospital in Oxford, along with some of her colleagues, have decided to do something positive to benefit the local community in Thame, during the junior doctors’ industrial action planned for April 6 and 7.
Next Thursday, April 7, Katharine Francis and a group of colleagues will be teaching basic adult, child and baby life support skills at the Thame Barns Centre, between 2 – 4 pm.
Katharine explained: “We try to make this positive and of benefit to the local community, and on the last strike at the beginning of March we ran a littlelifesavers basic life support course for adults and children in Cowley. We had 40 mums, dads and grandparents (along with children) turn up!”
No need to book but if too many people turn up, some may be turned away and contact details taken for further sessions.
MAY 5, 2016, is the date for the election of the Thame’s Valley Police area’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
The current PCC for Thames Valley is Anthony Stansfeld, and as he has done for the past four years, the newly elected PCC will hold the chief constable of Thames Valley Police to account for how their force performs for the next four years.
David Buckle, Police Authority Returning Officer for the Thames Valley area, said: “It’s important that you register to vote and then turn out on May 5, for this election. Ten per cent of your council tax goes towards the police force’s budget – the commissioner manages this budget, so it’s your best chance to have a say in how your money is used.”
For more information on the election of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner please visit thamesvalleypccelection.co.uk. Details of the people you will be able to vote will be available on this site from Friday, April 8.
Register to vote
To vote in the PCC election you must register by April 18. – if you haven’t done this yet, visit www.gov.uk/registerto-vote.
Once you’ve registered you need to choose how you are going to cast your vote. You can vote in person at the polling station on election day, vote by post, or by allowing someone else to vote on your behalf if you’re going to be away. For more on voting visit aboutmyvote.co.uk.
Staff at Thame Community Hospital (Library picture)
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Healthcare NHS Trust which runs Thame Community Hospital and associated services, is to hold a series of public sessions to explore with patients, carers and local communities how the NHS can develop healthcare hubs that will better meet and support people’s needs.
The sessions, which will include a presentation from a clinician and small round table discussions, aim to look at how the Trust can develop care services provided in the community. It also hopes to look at how the Trust can work more closely with other health and care providers, as well as voluntary organisations, to support care closer to people’s own homes.
This is a great opportunity to help shape plans for community care in the future. Anyone with an interest in their local NHS can get involved. The Thame sessions will take place on April 7, in the evening.
FOLLOWING the successful Active Women campaign over Christmas and the New Year when the SODC campaign encouraged 30 ladies to come back to fitness after long breaks – usually related to starting a family – Racquets Fitness Centre is launching a Ladies only squash morning with coaching, training and playing.
Squash coach at Racquets, Sue Martin Downhill, explained: “Four of the 30 ladies who joined the club during the last Active Women campaign have taken up squash as their sport and their fitness regime of choice.
“We’d now like to get the other 26 ladies onto the court just to try it out. Fitness from squash can be gained in only 40 minutes of exercise playing against another person of the same ability. Squash can be played whenever you wish – to fit in with your own lifestyle – from 6.30am in the morning until 9.30pm at night.
“It’s indoors – so it is never rained off!”
Sue added: “When you book to play someone else you are committed to turning up – so there is no easy get out of doing your exercise for that day!”
South Oxfordshire District Council and Racquets Fitness Centre are launching this second Active Women campaign starting on April 1, and running through to September.
The sessions can be used for any of Racquets’ classes on the timetable which includes the Ladies only squash morning starting April 13, 2016.
Call 01844 261754 to find out more or email info@racquets-fitness-centre.com
BUDDY Holly and The Crickets will be brought back to life, as they looked and sounded in 1958 when they first toured the UK, at Thame’s Players Theatre, when Spencer J and the Copy-Cat Crickets will create the feel of a Rock ‘n’ Roll concert, straight from the ‘fifties.
The band will take you back to the age when a young Texan first played his heart out to screaming crowds in theatres and concert halls across Great Britain. At every performance, audiences clap, cheer and sing along. They dance, yell for encores and ask for photographs. And at the end of every show, the question is always: “When are you coming back?”
Song choices are based on Buddy Holly’s late-fifties performances. Besides legendary hits like Peggy Sue, That’ll Be The Day, Oh Boy and Heartbeat, other gems from his catalogue are also featured, as well as hits by the other Kings of Rock ‘n’ Roll, all of which Buddy actually performed with at live shows (La Bamba, Blue Suede Shoes, Rip It Up, Shake Rattle & Roll).
In terms of energy, originality and ability to connect with an audience, Spencer, JJ, Gerry and Spencer succeed in re-creating The Crickets’ special brand of “feel-good fifties fun”. And whenever they are on stage, fans everywhere agree that, once again, Buddy Holly lives!
Sunday, April 3, at 7.45pm – Thame Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame.
THAME swimmers, Ben and Josh Williams, fore-went any chocolate treats this Easter, instead competing at the closed Level One, Long Course Welsh Nationals swimming meet in Swansea from Friday through to Easter Monday.
Ben and Josh (left) Williams
Both boys put in some truly inspiring swims, competing against the Welsh British Nationals Elite squad and holding their heads up high with their achievements.
In summary, Ben competed in two finals (200 Back & 50 Back) and PB’d in five races, took a number of the Open Club records and achieved a goal of going under 58 seconds for his long course 100 Free.
Josh PB’d in nine races, went through to six finals (200 Back, 200 Free, 100 Back, 100 Free, 50 Back & 50 Fly), gained two further Regional Accepted times (200 Free, 100 Free), a Regional Consideration time for 400 Free and to top it all off, a Bronze medal for his 200 Back … meaning Josh is now part of the elite Thame Swimming Club Nationals medal club.
Both boys ended the Nationals weekend on a high with both of them swimming sub 30 for the first time in their 50 Fly (29.58 for Ben and 29.64 for Josh)!
A young brother and sister from Thame, Oliver and Emily Coulcher-Porter, aged 10 and 8, will be representing Oxfordshire in Regional and UK Under 11s, Squash inter-county tournaments as Number One boy and girl next month.
Emily and Oliver Coulcher-Porter
The two junior Squash players started their squash career at Racquets in Thame, under the watchful eye of coach, Sue Martin-Downhill.
Still loyal to their club, they have gained further skills from another of the club’s coaches, Will John.
Sue said that the children are delighted that their hard work is paying off.
“Emily, ranked 21 in the UK, is the second youngest girl ranked in the UK rankings, she explained. “She is very excited to wear the Oxfordshire colours for the first time. Oliver ranked 20 in the UK rankings is determined to beat some of his rivals in preparation for the GB championships in the Summer.”
Their mother, Jane, said: “I am so proud of Oliver and Emily’s achievements and their dedication, and I’m very grateful to everyone who has supported them.”
For just £5 for up to three items and £1 per extra item, you can find out everything you want and need to know about your family heirlooms and antiques!
