THIS year’s Thame Service of Remembrance will take place, as usual, at the Thame Memorial Gardens in the Upper High Street, on Sunday, November 10.
Remembrance Day Service, Thame 2012 – Image courtesy of thameconcertband.org.uk
The procession, which will include Town Councillors, members of the Royal British Legion and other community groups, and will assemble outside the Town Hall at 10.30am and proceed to the War Memorial.
Following the service everyone is warmly invited to Christchurch for refreshments.
A copy of the Order of Service can be downloaded from the Town Council website at www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk. Copies are also available at the Information Centre and will be distributed at the memorial gardens on the morning of the service.
On the following day, November 11, at 11 am, the Mayor, Cllr Peter Lambert, has invited everyone to join him as he leads a two minute silence outside the Town Hall.
ATTRACTING thousands of visitors to the Thame Food Festival this year also enabled a group of local service organisations to raise just under £2,400 for local charities. A proportion of the money raised will be going to the Thame Food Bank, operated by the Sharing Life Trust. This year the Thame Food Bank has seen a rapid rise in the number of families needing assistance in putting food on the table.
Radio Presenter Ken Bruce with Lotte Duncan at Thame Food Festival 2013. Image courtesy of Alexandra Jane – Click image to visit her web blog
Much preparation was needed before traders and crowds poured in to Thame to enjoy the good fare on offer at this year’s Thame Food Festival.
“Organising parking is a critical element to ensure a smooth flow of traffic and people to the event,” said Roger Blackburn, President of The Lions Club in Thame. A number of local organisations pulled together to deliver this logistical feat, with the food festival organisers, the Lions and Rotary clubs, the Thame Boys Football Team and Cornerstone Baptist Church were all involved in setting up and manning car parks, including the Park and Ride.
Rob Ellis, who is a member of both the Lions Club and Cornerstone Baptist Church, was enthusiastic about the way the organisations worked together. “Once again we were able to work together to achieve something that alone would be difficult. As a result a considerable amount of money was raised for charities through volunteer work and the tombola.”
A special presentation evening is being planned to take place at Thame Football Club on November 12, to distribute cheques to the Thame Food Bank and several other local charities. Radio presenter, Ken Bruce, who has associations with one of the charities, Thomley Activity Centre, will be there too.
The organisations to be presented with donations include Thomley Activity Centre, Thame and District Lions Club, Thame Rotary Club, Thame Football Partnership and Cornerstone Baptist Church.
TO add to the four burglaries reported in Thame since the clocks went back on October 27, there have been two more reported on Lea Park, both involving damaging locks to doors. Between Tuesday, October 29, and Friday, November 1, a property in Stafford Way was burgled. The offender(s) gained entry by damaging the lock to the rear door and stole jewellery.
Protect your home and property
The second burglary, between Monday, October 28, and Friday, November 1, was at a property in Ludlow Drive, Thame. was burgled. Again, the offender(s) have gained entry by damaging the lock to the rear/side door and on this occassion, stolen silver and gold items.
Please be extra vigilant. 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 on 101.
Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
THE local housing association, Soha, is well on the way to helping those 1,450 people on the waiting list for homes in the district, following a ground-breaking deal with the district council.
South Oxfordshire District Council has loaned £15 million of its reserves to Soha Housing for 20 years, which will be secured on some of Soha’s properties. The loan means that Soha can borrow the money at a cheaper rate than it could a from a bank or elsewhere.
Soha are the biggest social housing provider in South Oxfordshire, owning and managing around 5,800 properties.
This loan will help fund Soha’s current development programme, which currently delivers around 250 much needed affordable new homes a year. The terms of the loan mean that at least 75% of the homes must be in South Oxfordshire and the rest within 10 miles of the district.
Whether or not the loan money will help fund affordable new homes in future developments planned for Thame, is not yet clear. Richard Peacock, Chief Executive of Soha, was unavailable for comment later this afternoon.
THE ARRIVA bus company has warned today that considerable disruption to local bus routes is likely from tomorrow (01/11/13) due to emergency road works.
The Aylesbury Road, Thame, will be closed from 07 30 hrs, November 1, until further notice due to a collapsed sewer. Buses 110, 111, 112, 113 and 280 will be diverted away from the closure and so bus stops at Queens Close and Cricket Ground will not be served during this time. This is likely to add more journey time to the bus services and possible disruption to these services.
Services 280 and 110 will need to divert away from the closure by using Thame by-pass and then double running into Thame via Oxford Road, Priestend and High Street, then turning via Bell Lane and North Street to pick up as usual at the Co-op going towards Oxford; or coming from Oxford via normal route to Town Hall and then via North Street, Bell Lane and High Street, Priestend, Oxford Road and Thame by-pass.
CHILTERN Railways has announced that it will trial running trains to London on Boxing Day for the first time.
67010 powers through Haddenham & Thame Parkway station in a cloud of blown snow back in January 2013; Photo courtesy of Geoff Plumb
Traditionally train companies are closed on Boxing Day so the move is good news for passengers who would otherwise have been unable to travel.
Trains will run from 08 00 hrs to 20 00 hrs with the first train northbound from London to Bicester North at 08 15 hrs and the last to Princes Risborough at 18 45 hrs. Southbound, the first train will run from High Wycombe to London at 08 29 hrs and the last will run from Bicester North to Marylebone at 18 57 hrs.
THE next First Thursday Music Club (FTMC) Open Mic night is on Thursday, November 7, at the James Figg in Thame, and includes one of the hottest bands in the area, SinFiction, in its 10 o’ clock spot. Having recently released their debut album “Led by Verses”, and through their regular gigging, they are attracting a large and rapidly increasing number of followers.
SinFiction will headline at Thame’s First Thursday Music Club on November 7
The band boasts a diverse range of musical influences which include classic rock, dance and heavy metal, bring a natural flair for rhythm and melody to SinFiction’s song writing.
On stage, this combines with acoustic guitars, driving beats and soaring harmonic vocals to create a truly unique sound, resulting in the kind of catchy, memorable rock songs you think you’ve known all your life. “We have a traditional focus on song writing where melody is the most important aspect. Because of this even the more edgy tunes appeal to a wide range of people,” said Danny Brook, the drummer with SinFiction.
Round up some friends, get along, and have a great night out. Anyone can play just by signing up at the venue from 7.45pm. The music starts at 8.15pm.
Check out the club on Facebook “The First Thursday Music Club” or at: www.firstthursdaymusicclub.com where you can find more info’ including contact numbers and addresses for the organisers
Chinnor RFC’s first team, troubled by injuries and absences, did just enough to squeeze home against a competitive Bishop’s Stortford side 29-27, on Saturday (26/10)
Image courtesy of .pitchero.com/clubs/bishopsstortfordrfc/
Chinnor went into the lead in the third minute after a Millett penalty goal but then suffered a blitz from the visitors from Hertfordshire who scored two tries in two minutes.
Nice interplay from Stortford down the tramlines allied to woeful tackling, saw Cattell score Stortford’s first try. A quick tap from a midfield penalty for a Chinnor offside allowed Mahoney to skip through an absent defence and lay on the second try for Hankin. Walker’s conversion put Stortford 12-3 ahead with just six minutes played.
Three minutes later a scrum penalty awarded to Chinnor was converted by Millett to pull the score back to 6-12. Having weathered the initial storm, Chinnor came back into the match on the 21st minute when a simple passing movement at pace saw George Blewitt in at the corner. Five minutes later, a punishing scrum from Chinnor saw Frank Jones, dart inside his defender and slip the ball to Hastings who crashed over for Chinnor’s second try. Millett’s conversion put the home side ahead 18-12. The third try came courtesy of Corpe who jinked through the Stortford defence to increase the lead to 23-12.
As the half came to a close, Fielding, for Chinnor, was yellow carded and Walker’s penalty goal for Stortford closed the half at 23-15 to Chinnor.
Just two minutes into the second half, Stortford caught Chinnor on the hop when Hankin touched down for his second try of the day to put the visitors just three points behind at 23-20. Millett soothed the crowd’s worries with a penalty goal on the 52nd minute to increase Chinnor’s lead to 26-20.
Stortford then upped the pressure and Chinnor had to endure a ten minute period when Stortford charged at the line continuously. Despite the number of penalties awarded against them, Chinnor held firm and cleared their lines. Stortford came back and, with an apparent knock-on in midfield causing several Chinnor players to stop, Bird went over for a try near the posts and Walker’s conversion put the visitors 27-26 ahead with 13 minutes left to play. Chinnor did not panic and moved the game upfield where a penalty, awarded wide out on the right-hand side in the 74th minute, was converted, with no mean skill by Millett in the fierce wind, to put the home side back in front 29-27. Stortford were not finished but the Oxfordshire boys managed to hold the score and secure a two point victory although outscored four tries to three by their visitors.
Chinnor managed some periods of skilful play but, for most of the match, seemed disorganised and out of sorts. Their period of three tries midway through the first half did much to seal the victory as did Millett’s kicking in very windy conditions. However, for the rest of the match, they were hassled and hurried by competitive Stortford side. Bishop’s Stortford, to their credit, never gave up and will feel irritated that their efforts did not earn them victory. Hastings, for Chinnor, had a fine all-round match with some bullocking runs – doing much to ease the pressure from the Hertfordshire lads.
Chinnor team: Ricky Hopwood, Tristan Corpe, Leo Fielding, Will Millett, George Blewitt, James Cathcart, Frank Jones (c), Joe Winpenny, Ed Vickers, Andy Berry, Sam Blewitt, Andrew Smith, Andy Tibbatts, Nick Harrison, Adam Hastings
Replacements: Tom Whelan, Nathaniel Titchard-Jones, Tom Mowbray, Joe Marston, Sam Angell
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a burglary in Cromwell Avenue, Thame.
Between 4.15pm and 11pm on Saturday (26/10) offenders climbed over a fence into a rear garden. They subsequently climbed on to a flat roof they then forced entry to a bedroom window.
Once inside the offenders carried out an untidy search of the property and stole jewellery.
If you have any information please contact PC Claire Ashton from Didcot police station 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 www.crimestoppers-uk.org No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses to a serious injury road traffic collision in Thame.
Police Accident sign near the scene of the incident
A single-vehicle collision occurred at about 11pm on Sunday (27/10) on the A329, Rycote Lane, close to the Oxfordshire Golf Club. A blue Skoda Fabia left the road, went through a hedge and collided with two trees.
The driver, a 30-year-old man who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, sustained serious leg injuries.
He was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford where he remains in a stable condition.
Officers are appealing for witnesses to the collision or anyone with any information to contact PC Martin Mann, of the Roads Policing Joint Operations Unit at Abingdon, 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 www.crimestoppers-uk.org . No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
