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Category: Thame news

  • Thame trio team up to tidy our town

    THREE prominent figures in the local community have joined together to oversee this year’s Thame Tidy Day, and the team is currently looking for sponsorship from a local business to provide additional litter-picking equipment, as well as a flatbed lorry to loan for use on the day of the Thame Tidy.

    Mani Abreu with his bag of cans collected around Thame during 2013's Thame Tidy Day
    Mani Abreu with his bag of cans collected around Thame during 2013’s Thame Tidy Day

    Sue Martin-Downhill of Racquets Fitness Centre, Popular local musician, Josh Gilbert and Reverand Paddy Harris of Cornerstone Baptist Church will be working hard to ensure that the event builds upon the success of previous years.

    A county-wide Tidy Up was launched in 2008 by South Oxfordshire District Council and Thame has committed to this ever since. This year’s Thame Tidy Day is on May 11, preceded this year by a separate Lea Park Litterpick on May 10. The village of Moreton, with its Morton Muckout, is this Sunday, April 13.

    Local organisations, groups and individuals are being encouraged to take part, and commitments have already been made by Waitrose and Chinnor RFC, Thame fire fighters, the local Scouts, Girl Guides, and many of the residents of Thame and Moreton.

     Please contact thametidy@gmail.com to respond or for further information.

  • Crime update: Parking on double yellow lines, car locks drilled out & criminal damage

    THESE are three of the criminal matters that Thame’s Community Policing team were kept busy dealing with during the last month, as reported in the lasted Thame Sector, Neighbourhood team news letter.

    The public toilets in Upper High Street, Thame
    The public toilets in Upper High Street, Thame

    PCSO Diane Jackson reports that the public toilets by the Market Place car park, and those in the public library, will be closely monitored and any issues dealt with accordingly, following acts of criminal damage to the toilet seats and toilet roll holders and cannabis smoking.

    The report warns parents who continue parking on double yellow lines outside local schools: “These restrictions are in place to help to keep the area safe for children, so please do not park on them,” say officers. “These areas will be monitored by PCSOs and offenders will be dealt with accordingly.”

    In Chinnor, a couple of BMW cars which have had their door locks drilled out. PCSOs have delivered crime reduction leaflets to BMW owners in the area so that they are aware and can be vigilant.

    To read the full report, visit: LINK

  • ‘Unsung’ village hero rewarded by High Sheriff

    A man who can be found mowing the village green or rodding the village drains, has been presented with a High Sheriff Award for outstanding services to community life in the village of Sydenham. The award was presented at a special ceremony at County Hall.

    The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire (left) with Paul Stancliffe (right)
    The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire (left) with Paul Stancliffe (right)

     

     

     

    Paul Stancliffe, Chairman of Sydenham Parish Council, has lived in the village for over 40 years and has been a member of the Parish Council for 34 years, 27 of those years as Chairman. According to villagers: “Paul is a well respected, modest and extremely valued member of the community. The following achievements are a real reflection of an outstanding man who is very much an “unsung hero” in the village.

    “Paul takes great pride in the village and can be seen cutting the grass in the churchyard and village green. He does a myriad of minor tasks of which no one is aware. Paul attends and photographically records virtually every event in the village so that there is a good historical record of what has happened in Sydenham over many years. He Chairs and is a Trustee of The Munday Charity which was set up to help the poor of Sydenham, and is also Chair of the village newsletter committee. In 2004 Paul was active in helping the village to win the Newcomer Award in The Small Villages section of the Calor Gas Best Kept Village competition. “

    After the Parish Council bought the redundant telephone kiosk from BT, Paul single handedly converted it into a village information centre. The clever use of the facilities offered by the kiosk received an award in BT Payphone’s Adopt a Kiosk Competition in 2009.

    Paul’s perseverance and persuasion resulted in Southern Electric undergrounding their cables over 10 years ago. This was a major investment by Southern Electric of some £250,000 and resulted in a big reduction in the number of power cuts. This was followed by investment from BT and the Parish Council that enabled all the telegraph poles in the centre of Sydenham, which is a conservation area, to be removed. Paul actively led the project for the whole time and would not have happened without his tenacity and it was a major personal achievement.

    “Most of all, for over 30 years Paul has been tireless in his efforts to rectify a major issue with flooding and sewage issues in Sydenham and other villages nearby. As a result of the support that he engendered from the local MP, John Howel,l he has managed to get a commitment from Thames Water for a major investment in upgrading the sewage and drainage system costing £1.6m which is starting in April. After a record-breaking wet winter and copious episodes of flooding in the village with groundwater from the sewers pouring out of the manholes, this upgrade cannot come soon enough.”

    Alison Isherwood  nominated Paul for the award on behalf of the Parish Council. Of Paul she said: “We are absolutely thrilled for Paul that his unstinting commitment to all aspects of village life has been recognised by this award. During the recent episodes of flooding Paul, with his extensive knowledge of the village infrastructure, could be seen rodding blocked drains to help clear floodwater which was causing problems to village property. He is a highly respected and very warmly regarded member of the village community”.

  • Cloud computing on the menu for the Late Breakfast

    The Late Breakfast - Monthly networking
    The Late Breakfast – Monthly networking

    SIMON GRAY of Turncloud is the guest speaker at this week’s Thursday’s Late Breakfast meeting, at the Spread Eagle, Thame.

    Simon will give an explanation and an introduction to cloud computing and explain how to make the move and get the most from cloud based services.

    The event is at the Eden Suite at The Spread Eagle Hotel, 16-17 Cornmarket, Thame, OX9 2BW. Registration starts at 9am for a 9.30am start by the speakers, and aims to finish by 10.30am.

    To appear on the guest list, book by following this link – http://bookitbee.com/e/pga53 or through the website – www.thelatebreakfast.co.uk by noon, on the day before the event or alternatively, if you turn up on the day the entrance fee of £12 (including light refreshments) is payable at the door by cash/cheque.

  • Chinnor squeeze a two-point victory against tricky Taunton

    IN a tense contest throughout, Chinnor RFC managed to squeeze a two point victory against Taunton on Saturday,  by 20-18.

    chinnor_badgeTaunton opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Taunton’s scrum half, Townsend, took the ball from the base of a scrum and with pace and trickery, ran around the blind side untouched, to score under the posts. Kingdom converted to put the visitors ahead 7-0. An 18th minute penalty goal from Millett for Chinnor reduced the gap to 7-3.

    With the Taunton scrum starting to dominate, penalty goal opportunities came regularly for the Somerset boys. Kingdom took two of them to put Taunton further ahead 13-3 with penalty goals on the 24th and 31st minutes.

    Chinnor’s first try came from a long downfield kick from Taunton. Chinnor’s full back, Mountfield, collected the ball and launched a garryowen, Following up, he soared to catch the ball and released Chinnor’s backs down the tram lines. A kick ahead was fumbled by the visitors’ defence to let Hayes in for the try. Millett converted from touch to close the gap to 13-10 to Taunton at half time.

    Chinnor scored again almost from the kick off. Taunton passed the ball behind their backs and good harrying by Harrison allowed him a kick through and touchdown for a try. MIllett’s conversion put Chinnor ahead 17-13. Chinnor then went into overdrive and battered the Taunton line for 15 minutes without luck. There were several held up decisions and Taunton performed heroics to prevent a score. Chinnor’s only gain from the period was a penalty goal from Millett in the 51st minute to put the Oxfordshire boys 20-13 ahead.

    Taunton, despite the efforts of their non-stop defence then rallied. A break out by the always tricky scrum half, Townsend, eventually led to a catch and drive try on the 68th minute, scored by Forrester. KIngdom’s penalty missed to leave the score at 20-18 to Chinnor. Taunton, now galvanised, kept up the tempo and it was Chinnor’s turn to man the barricades which they managed until the sound of the final whistle.

    Chinnor played with resolution and resolve in a fierce contest. Hall prompted well at scrum half with the two flankers, Harrison and Hirskij-Douglas having a fine game. Townsend for Taunton was tricky and dangerous throughout. The win keeps Chinnor just out of the relegation places and a continuation of the desire to win as shown in this match will go a long way towards survival.

    Teams

    Chinnor: Matt Mountford, George Blewitt, Matt Goode, Jack Hayes, Leo Fielding, Will Millett, Lewis Hall, Joe Winpenny, Jamie Townsend, Joe Pickett, Andrew Tibbatts, Michal Kruzycki , Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas, Nick Harrison, Liam Gilbert (c)
    Replacements: Ricky Cano, Rudal Aiono, Andrew Smith, Frank Jones, Dan Barnes

    Scorers
    Chinnor
    Tries (time): Hayes (34), Harrson (41)
    Conversions (time): Millett (35, 42)
    Penalty Goals (time): Millett (18, 35, 51)

    Taunton
    Tries: (time) Townsend (13), Forrester (68)
    Conversions: (time) Kingdom (14)
    Penalty Goals (time): KIngdom (24, 31)

  • ‘Mile of Coins’ to benefit local play scheme & help save lives

    boy_mile_of_coins (349x400)ANYONE walking through Greyhound Walk, in Thame, on Saturday, would have found themselves stepping over a line of coins that grew steadily thoughout the day, and hopefully felt compelled to join in with Thame Lions Club’s annual ‘Mile of Coins’ to raise money for local charities.

    This year’s proceeds, which amounted to £520, will be shared between Staying Alive Thame, and Lighthouse, Thame. Ken Bennell, who is this year’s Lions’ Vice President, explained: “The staying alive charity is organised by Patsy and Karen from the Barns centre and their aim is to have defibrillators at various locations around the town, and the Lighthouse charity provides a summer school for local children for one week during the school holidays.

    Patsy Baker from the Barns Centre took along a demonstration defibrillator to explain how they work and how they save lives. Mike Hill, Chairman of Lighthouse Thame, also spent some time at the event, both he and Patsy answering further questions from passers by as to the activities of Staying Alive Thame and Lighthouse Thame. Ken Bennell, this year’s Vice President had the lovely, sticky task of removing the coins from the masking tape at the end of the day. He explained the aims the Thame Lions:

    “Thame lions have been raising funds for mainly local charities for 35 years and over the years have helped many local causes, organised local events and helped the local community by providing manpower for events such as Music in the Park, as well as for the fair car parking and also the food festival car parking,” he said. “Discos for the disabled are a regular, yearly event and and also a barn dance is held each year.

    “Recently a shed was provided for the Princes Centre in Princes Risborough. Over the years Thomley hall has benefited from our fundraising as well as Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, and Dogs for the Disabled, Bucks Vision and the Oxfordshire Association for the Blind have also benefited.

    “The Lions, like a lot of organisations, are a bit short on manpower and welcome new members both male and female, who would like to give something back to the community. “

    If you are interested in joining Thame Lions, or initialy attending one of the club’s twice monthly meetings, then contact Ken Bennell on 01844 261269.

  • A chair fit for a little prince

    THE work of a Master Craftsman from Thame, was recognised recently when an exhibition at The Real Wood Furniture Company, in historic Woodstock, revealed for the first time, a piece of his work hopefully destined for the nursery of the new, young royal family.

    Designer, Chris Baylis (left) with John Francis, the maker of The Windsor George child's chair
    Designer, Chris Baylis (left) with John Francis, the maker of The Windsor George child’s chair

    Over 30, traditional, Windsor-style children’s chairs from the personal collection of the company’s founder, Chris Baylis, representing seating through the ages from 1770 to the present day, was on display, alongside several 1/6 ‘miniatures’ that would have been travelling salesmen’s samples.

    But the star of the show at this exhibition was without doubt, the very latest Windsor child’s chair, a chair that it’s designer, Chris Baylis, said he knew had to be ‘boyish, robust and throne-like’ – in fact a chair made for a prince of the House of Windsor – The Windsor George. The chair commemorates the birth, eight months ago, of Prince George, and includes his name carved into the top rail.

    Chris himself had never designed a child’s Windsor chair before, but said that he was inspired by the ‘general clamour’ surrounding the birth of a son to Prince William and Kate Middleton. “It occurred to me that there could be no better tribute to the birth of a future king in the House of Windsor, than to design and make a chair of ‘Windsor’ style that reflected the best traditions of the Thames Valley chair-making traditions of the 18th and 19th centuries,” he explained.

    “From the first sketches through several proto-types, I am endebted to the in-put of Master Chairmaker, John Francis, from Thame, without whose skills and keen eye, the chair would not have achieved fruition. I have collaborated with John on several Windsor chairs we have made and it is indeed a great pleasure to work with someone whose eyes see things very much as I see them. Windsor chairs are an amalgam of angles and a change to the angle of one component can impact massively on the balance of the whole chair.

    “If protocol allows, we will present the first ‘George’ as a gift to the young prince.”

    Unveiling the Windsor George, Michael Welson, of Auctioneers and Valuers, Bonhams, said: “We are privileged to have someone like Chris and his craftsmen, to maintain such high standards of good construction. “Any maker from the 18th Century, ” he continued, would be able to come here and feel completely at home, and find it completely natural that you are tweaking designs slightly and making your own mark on them.

    “The ‘George’ is not only attractive but very practical – George’s cheeks will fit so well into that shaped seat,” he joked. To see something made to the same standards as 150 years-ago is very rare.

    “The George has in it the spirit of Woodstock and it is hoped that the Prince’s parents, William and Catherine, will gracefully accept this very first Windsor George. I am sure any doting grandparent too would be so pleased to give it to there grandchild and I am sure it will sell well,” concluded Michael.

    For more information about The Real Wood Furniture Company, visit: http://www.rwfco.com/about.shtml

     

  • ‘Air tanks popping’ & tyres exploding in M40 coach fire

    THE M40 has a lane blocked northbound for resurfacing works between junctions six and seven (Watlington to Thame), following a dramatic coach fire early this morning. The closure is expected to be ongoing for rest of today.

    Photo by Oliver Jobson - Courtesy of bbc.c.uk
    Photo by Oliver Jobson – Courtesy of bbc.c.uk

    Crews from Thame, Wheatley and Stokenchurch, along with a water carrier from Wheatley were called just before 0600 to a report of a coach on fire on the M40 just north of Junction six. When firecrews arrived, the coach was completely on fire and fuel was flowing along the motorway.

    “Initially fire crews worked to stop the fire spreading until the arrival of the water carrier when they were then able to use large volumes of water to put the coach fire out completely, ” reported Andy Ford from Thame Fire Station. “The motorway for closed for some time,” he added.

    “With such an established fire, initially fire-fighters managed to contain the fire from spreading, including stopping flowing fuel that was on fire from entering the drains and setting alight to adjacent trees. There are lots of hazards we face with a coach fire, compressed air tanks were popping and tyres bursting, which makes it quite dangerous to get too close and why the whole motorway had to be closed for everyone’s safety. Once our water tanker arrived we could then completely dowse the fire.”

  • Girls cut from car in morning crash

    FIRE crews from Thame and Wheatley along with specialist rescue unit from Kidlington, attended an Road Traffic Collision on the A329, near Great Milton, this morning.

    Firecrew using spcialist cutting equipment to release a trapped passenger (Image for illustration only)
    Firecrew using spcialist cutting equipment to release a trapped passenger (Image for illustration only)

    Two cars had collided head on. One female was very seriously hurt and was treated on scene by an Air ambulance paramedic and doctors. Three other people, a woman and two 12 year old girls travelling in the other car were cut free by Fire crews using specialist equipment, working with Paramedics and doctors on scene.

    “This was a horrific collision,” said Andy Ford, Watch Officer at Thame Fire Station. “The young girls were extremely shook up by the accident and were suffering some injuries from the crash, but thankfully, were wearing their seatbelts which definitely saved them for more serious injuries or worse. All three were also taken to hospital.

    “It’s so important to wear seatbelts as highlighted today. It’s also a reminder to drivers to be aware of the road conditions when again, we are seeing a change in the weather.”

  • Sign up quick for the Thame 10K – entries limited

    ENTRIES are now being taken on-line via the Runners World website www.runnersworld.co.uk. 

    Memories of Thame 10K 2013
    Memories of Thame 10K 2013

    THE CPM Thame 10k road race will take place on Sunday, June 29, 2014, starting at 9.30 am, from Thame Leisure Centre, Oxford Road, Thame.

    There will be NO ENTRIES ON RACE DAY and the race will be limited to 1000 entries to maintain a safe and enjoyable day for everyone. Last year this race was full before the end of May so please enter early to avoid disappointment.

    THE Thame 10k road race has been running since 1985 and has grown to be one of the key sporting fixtures in Thame, with 1000 runners pounding a course through the town centre to Towersey,and back along the Phoenix Trail. Thame Runners organise the race and allocate any surplus funds to local charities. Last year approximately £2.5K was given to local Thame organisations and charities.