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Category: Thame news

  • War, woods, winter fuel bills & more – news round-up

    THAME is beginning to think about how it will commemorate the centeniary of the outbreak of World War One next year, 2014.

    Thame station how it would have looked before it was demolished. Image courtesy of Dave Wragg (flickr)

    Thame museum is planning a special exhibition, probably some time in May, which will include personal accounts written in letters etc of local people’s experience of the war. The British Legion’s plans include the possibility of an event of commemoration down at the old Thame Railway Station platform, some of which still remains on the Phoenix Trail. It was from here that local men would have left to fight in the war in 1914.

    THAME Museum has been feeling the effects of rising energy bills, and has announced that it will be closing for the winter, in an effort to save money. The Museum Trust has reported that it has been experiencing problems with its heating system and that utiliy bills have been higher than expected.

    THAME’S Millenium Wood, called Ham Wood, is named after the book ‘ Farmer Giles of Ham’, the only one of Tolkein’s books to have been set in a real place, Thame. Since it was planted in March, 2000, the wood has been managed by The Woodland Trust but it is now to be handed back the community and Thame Town Council has agreed to take it on and to maintain it.
    There is lots of interesting information about Ham Wood, here

    RESIDENTS of the labrynth that is the network of paths around and from Lea Park to the rest of the town, know just how difficult it can be to find your way around, and how it is often easier to jump into the car to go in to town until you learn the walking and cycling routes

    The 21st Century Thame Partnership’s Environment group is working with the town council on a project to improve cycle paths and footpath signage around Lea Park and other areas, as part of the Neighbourhood plan, to help tackle these problems. This work will include assessing the requirements from the developers of Site D, to improve paths and other linkages around the town. At the same time, 21st Thame is re-evaluating the Thame Walking and Cycling Map ready for updating and reprinting.

    LIGHTING in Elms Park, Thame, is now at the ordering stage and it is hoped that it will be installed during March/April, 2014.

    BECAUSE so much of its time and staff resources is taken up with community events like the Christmas event and the Thame Carnival, Thame Town Council wants to take more of a back seat in the future and wants to encourage local people to take on the managing of these events.

    It has therefore decided that it will begin the process of working with local people and organisations to move toward them taking on responsibility for community events, perhaps with grants from the town council, and that it will review the options early in 2015.

  • Defence Service Medal awarded to Thame councillor

    A New Zealand-born Thame Town Councillor has been awarded the New Zealand Defence Service Medal in honour of his service in Her Majesty’s Forces since 1996.

    Born in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, Vaughan Humphries was a cadet from a young age and went on to enlist as a Bandsman in the Seventh Wellington Hawke’s Bay Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment where he trained as an infantry soldier. In 1999 he transferred to the New Zealand Intelligence Corps and retrained as an intelligence soldier working at Land Command, Trentham Camp. Despite requesting an attachment to a British unit when Vaughan moved to the UK, he was unable to continue his military career and received an honourable discharge in 2002.

    The New Zealand Defence Service Medal was instituted in April 2011 to recognise proven military service since September 1945. Such a medal would normally have been presented by the New Zealand equivalent of the British Legion, however, due to Vaughan’s current residence in the UK, this opportunity was not available to him. Instead, the Town Mayor, Cllr Peter Lambert, had the honour of presenting Vaughan with his esteemed award at a Full Council meeting on Tuesday, December 17.

  • Your chance to play a Squash Pro & win prizes

    INTERNATIONALLY ranked Squash Pro, Will John, whose playing began at Raquets, in Thame, is offering all local squash players the opportunity to take him on tomorrow night (19/12), for ten minutes, with a cracking prize for the player who can score the most points against him.

     Can you get more points than your team mate? If you can, then the person with the most points will win a coaching lesson with Will. After the points challenge at 8.15pm, there’ll be an exhibition match between Alex Noakes and Will John. Place your bets on the scoreline and another coaching lesson could be up for grabs.

    Will’s story is an inspiring one and he needs the help of as many squash players out there to help him take the next step to increasing his World ranking by a massive 100 points. He tells his own story here:

    Hi, my name is Will John.

    I’m a local lad and professional squash player. Like you I’ve spent time at Racquets Fitness Centre – in fact for most of my childhood – playing squash.

    This is my story and my challenge!

    I’ve been training as a full time professional squash player now since July 2010. So for the last three years I’ve been working hard on all the aspects of my game to fulfil my dream of becoming a world class squash player. This is not something I’m just toying with. I’m giving it everything and I will be world class squash player!

    Squash has been my life for as long as I can remember. The first memory I have of it is at aged four going along to Sally Orris’s ball co-ordination classes at Racquets Fitness Centre. My aim back then was to hit that racketball-sized ball as hard as possible, which normally meant it would sail just behind the back of the service box. Now, though my aspirations are much higher, I can hit the ball a little bit further than the back of the service box and I’m starting to challenge players ranked a lot higher than myself.

    I am now in my third season on the PSA (Professional Squash Association). My current ranking is #274 in the world with my highest at #218. This is a very important season for me. I’m looking to break into the top 150 in the world and better than that, I want to be #130 by May 2014. I am currently approaching my seventh tournament in seven weeks which have given me a great base and start to my season to push on.

    To do this I need to be playing tournaments further afield. And my first opportunity comes in January where I have made it into the qualification draw for a $10k PSA event in Calgary, Canada. Unfortunately my goal was to go to USA/Canada and play three tournaments, making it much more cost efficient. However with my lower ranking, I didn’t make it into the rest. This tournament will help my ranking to the top 175 in the world – nearly 100 places higher than my current position. That will then allow me to enter bigger tournaments and play more of them, which will bring even more opportunities.

    So Simon Martin and I are putting on a Play your Pro event on the 19th of December (tomorrow), to give you the opportunity to be part of my journey. For this night from 6-8pm I will be playing all takers. It’s £20 for 10 minutes of squash. Can you get more points than your team mate? If you can, then the person with the most points will win a coaching lesson with myself. After the points challenge at 8.15pm, there’ll be an exhibition match between Alex Noakes and myself. Place your bets on the scoreline and another coaching lesson could be up for grabs! After that, some well deserved food and drinks with a buffet in the bar.

    I look forward to seeing you all there for what promises to be a really enjoyable evening of squash and social at Racquets
    Fitness Centre.

  • Town Council challenged over ‘Living Wage’

    THAME Town Council has been challenged over whether it pays its employees a Living Wage, and whether it uses suppliers that pay their staff a Living Wage.

    The flower beds in Thame’s Memorial Gardens, maintained by Thame Town Council’s team of maintenance men

    Cllr Mary Stiles asked the question at tonight’s meeting of the full town council. The Town Clerk, Helen Stewart, replied that she did not know what the figure was for the current Living Wage and that it had never been considered before. She proposed to find out and report back to the council.

    According to The Living Wage Foundation, a Living Wage outside London is £7.65 per hour.

  • Debut triumph for new Director’s Christmas Concert

    THAME Choral Society’s Christmas concert, the first to be conducted by the Society’s new Choral Director, Helen Swift, opened with a rousing performance of Gaudete, the 16th century carol made popular by the electric folk group Steeleye Span, but the main work in the first half was a performance of Benjamin Britten’s exciting choral show piece, A Ceremony of Carols, sung on this occasion in the arrangement for mixed choir.

    Helen Swift

     Continuing with the celebration of the centenary of the composer’s birth, the choir was joined by the young soprano, Jessica Wise and local harpist Sarah Goss.

    The concert also included carols old and new, several of which the audience were invited to join in with. St Mary’s church in Thame, where the concert was staged on Saturday (08/12), has fine acoustics for choral singing and the choir and audience singing together, with the ladies of the choir singing descant, produced a glorious sound. The carols and songs were accompanied by organist and pianist, Geoffrey Heath, who has a long association with the Society.

    Seasonal refreshments of hot mulled wine and mince pies added extra spice to the second half, a highlight of which was a solo performance by Sarah Goss of settings for harp of Debussy’s First Arabesque, Clare de Lune and an arrangement of  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The choral items were punctuated with readings by members of the choir from Genesis and Luke, and amusing monologues by Gervase Phinn of A Yorkshire Nativity and by John Julius Norwich of The Twelve Days of Christmas.  The concert ended with a plea by the gentlemen for the ladies to stay, in a setting of Baby’s it’s Cold Outside, which composer Frank Loesser premiered with his wife, Lynn Garland, at a 1944 housewarming party.

    Thame Choral Society’s Chair, Judith Newenham, said: ” It was clear that our varied, seasonal programme brought a refreshing change, and was greatly enjoyed by our loyal audience. Our singing was excellent throughout under our new, confident and talented Musical Director, Helen Swift.”

    Thame Choral Society, founded in 1961, is an informal, friendly, non audition choir committed to the enjoyment of music.  It has performed a wide range of choral works from baroque through the classical and romantic composers, to modern pieces by Britten and Poulenc, performing  two major concerts each year at St Mary’s  Church. Rehearsals for next year’s Spring concert, which takes the theme The Spirit of England , begin on January 8, 2014. New and former singers are always welcome. This, and subsequent rehearsals will be at the Methodist Church, Haddenham on Wednesday evenings from 7.30 to 9.30pm.

    More information about the choir can be found on their website www.thamechoralsociety.co.uk and by
    sending an email to thamechoralsociety@hotmail.co.uk.

    Attached photograph shows members of Thame Choral Society with from left to right at the front, Helen
    Swift ‐ choral director, Jessica Wise – Soprano and Sarah Goss – harp.

  • Christmas cake and Karaoke for Thame’s senior citizens

    FOR the first time ever, Thame’s senior citizens were lead in a Karaoke session at their annual Christmas tea party, by the Mayor of Thame, Peter Lambert.

    This year’s Christmas Tea was jointly organised by the Rotary and Inner Wheel Clubs of Thame in collaboration with the Mayor of Thame and Thame Town Council. The traditional annual event took place on Friday, December 13, at the Thame Football Club.

    The choir of John Hampden School, Thame

    Almost 100 senior citizens were sung to by the choir of John Hampden Primary School in Thame, and then joined Peter Lambert, the Mayor in singing a variety of seasonal songs with the words projected onto a large screen.

    Tyrell Gillman, Community and Vocational Chairman at the Thame Rotary Club, said: “The school’s children, staff and parents did an outstanding job leading a most wonderful show. The generosity of the three Thame supermarkets who provided most of the food, made it possible for the members from the Rotary, Inner Wheel, Thame Town Council and other local volunteers to prepare and serve a veritable feast. A big ‘thank you’ must go out to everyone involved.”

    The President of Rotary, Jeannette Matelot Green, commented: “We have to thank Frank Thompson and his staff for creating a lovely, Christmassy ambience at the Football Club. And as well as those mentioned above, the chauffeurs from Rotary, Thame Town Council and the Day Centre who ferried all our guests to and from the party. And thank you to Tyrell Gillman for organising a smashing Christmas Party !”

    For more information about volunteer and membership opportunities with the Rotary Club of Thame,  visit: www.thame.rotaryweb.org

  • Police appeal: Burglary, Shabbington

     THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after a burglary in Shabbington, near Thame.

    Between 6.45am and 5pm on Wednesday (11/12), offenders forced open a kitchen window by snapping part of a panel at a property in Dukes Close, Shabbington.

    It is believed that the offender was disturbed by a dog in the property and no items were stolen.

    PC Samantha Stansbie, of Aylesbury Local CID, said: “I am keen to speak to anyone who  may have been in the area of Dukes Close at the time of this incident and may have seen a man around mid morning riding a bike, wearing an anorak short jacket and carrying a clipboard.”

    Anyone with information should please contact PC Stansbie via the Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 101.

    If you don’t want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

    No personal details are taken; information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

    Join us on www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk/  to receive local crime and safety messages.

  • Red Kites on two wheels party for charity

    HOW does a bunch of scooter enthusiasts partying to Soul, Ska, R&B and Northern Soul come to benefit two worthy charities? When the Red Kites Scooter Club of Thame holds its End-of-Season social with like-minded friends at The Snooker Club, in Wellington Street, Thame, and raises £600 from a very generously sponsored raffle.

    From left to right: Sam Gee, Christine Collier & Serena Chamberlain

    Red Kites member, Serena Chamberlain, explained: “Each November, ‘the Kites’ organise an event to mark the end of the current Scooting season (for just a few months) and use the opportunity to not only party with like minded souls and friends, but also to raise a few pounds for local causes, as suggested by members of the Scooter Club at our annual A.G.M.

    “This year, there was a unanimous decision to support both Thomley Hall Centre  following an article in the local media, and also Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance,  particularly after an adventurous trip home from London one day on the scooters, and seeing first hand the good work of Air Ambulance.

    “All proceeds from the charity raffle were split between both charities, with each well-deserving and meaningful charity receiving £300 each. The Red Kites are looking forward to arranging visits with both Thomley Hall and TVACCA for the official cheque handovers, and having the opportunity to meet staff and children at Thomley, and meeting with the Air Ambulance crew and having a photo shoot at Benson.

    “Special thanks must go to all the bar staff at Thame Snooker Club, especially Craig Connell – and in particular Paul – who continues to show our scooter club massive support, and top marks for keeping all the Scooterists happy at the busy bar!

    “The DJs for the evening were Mike Collier and Dave Deans who each played a blinding set, with sounds from the scooter scene keeping the floor pumping, and everybody had a fabulous time. The charity raffle included some fantastic gifts, in particular a signed copy, including cover artwork, of the book ‘Time, Trouble and Money’ written by a fellow Scooterist and Author, Mark “Brad” Brough. Scooter gifts were donated by Maggie Mattioni – designer and owner of Peggy Jane http://www.peggyjane.co.uk/ and clothing was supplied from http://www.hipsteruk.co.uk/ and http://www.skinheadandska.co.uk/. Kind donations for the Air Ambulance were given by the Double Diamonds Scooter Club (Princes Risborough), Alan “Biggles” Newton and The Falcon http://www.thefalconthame.co.uk/ where the Red Kites meet every Wednesday from 8pm. Huge thanks once again to Steve Winfield and Airways Flying Club, based in High Wycombe http://www.airwaysflyingclub.co.uk/ who very kindly offered one lucky winner a trial flying lesson for 30 minutes in a CESSNA 152 aircraft….top raffle prize !!

    “There were many friends who travelled especially to attend this evening, and the local pubs and Travel Lodge did a roaring trade for guests staying over in Thame – especially for those who sampled the local hospitality (and food/liquor) before heading to the Snooker Club.

    “Once again, the evening was a total success with an awesome atmosphere, and all of the Red Kites would like to extend their thanks and gratitude to the local Scooting Scene for showing us such fabulous support and friendship (as always) and helping us to raise money for charity in the process; we salute you and thank you immensely…one love !!”

  • Hats off to Ethan!

    THE winner of the Christmas Top Hat Trail competition, sponsored by Thame Town Council, was a young man who only recently came to live in the area with his parents, who thought the trail would be a good way for him to learn his way around the town.

     

     

    Ethan Sexton with with Father Christmas (Image Courtesy of Nick White Photography)

    Ethan Sexton, aged 8, recently moved to Chinnor with his family from Cornwall, to be closer to his grandmother who lives in Thame.  Ethan attends St Andrews School, Chinnor, and was presented with his prize – Thame Players’ tickets and vouchers for Wally’s Toy Shop – by ‘Father Christmas’ on the stage at last Friday’s Dickensian Evening and Christmas lights switching on event.

    Ethan’s grandma, Hazel and dad, Rob, said the whole family is very proud of Ethan and that he persevered when he struggled to find the final two Top Hats. In fact, as the Mayor of Thame, Peter Lambert said, when he announced Ethan as the winner, he was the only person who entered, to find all the top hats!

  • Community Christmas in a box

    A THAME project is aiming to help those in our community who are going to find Christmas a real struggle, by asking shoppers to by an extra food item to contribute to a special Christmas box .

    John Hulett, a Trustee of the Sharing Life Trust which is leading the project, explained: “Whilst our Foodbank continues to provide emergency food parcels for those who really need them, we are aware that there are many in our community who have very limited funds and will be unable to afford the extras and treats that we all like to enjoy over the festive season.

    ” ‘The Community Christmas in a Box’ project will provide a set of special Christmas foods and treats for individuals, couples and families who probably wouldn’t be able to afford to buy them. We are very grateful to Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Thame Service Station for their practical and financial support. Just over 80 individuals and families have been nominated by our partner agencies to receive a Christmas Box.”

    John has a table just inside the door of Sainsbury’s in the High Street today, where shoppers can chose from a variety of goods, listed on cards, which will help make someones’s Christmas special.