Category: Thame news

FOR the past twenty years, Thame Youth Theatre has offered local youngsters the chance to be involved in theatre and dance, performing very nearly 200 shows, and organising tours and exchanges across three continents.

In 2007, the Drama Studio at Lord Williams?s Lower School, their base from the very beginning, was completely destroyed in an arson attack and the past two years without a home have been very difficult.

However, the new Phoenix Studio has risen from the ashes of the old building and Thame Youth Theatre are back in business with three thriving groups all working towards new Christmas shows.

To celebrate both birthday and the re-launch, Thame Youth Theatre is holding a special celebration cabaret. It promises to be quite a night, with lots of old members returning to lend their support and performers from our past joining some of our current young people to present an all-star line-up of comedy and music including:

Rob Deering, renowned stand-up of stage, TV and radio, winner of the stand-up comedians? Weakest Link

Sam Alexander, young star of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Rosencrantz in the David Tennant Hamlet, currently appearing in Twelfth Night

Amy Darcy, recently starring with Phil Jupitus in Life Coach in the West End, and appearing as a doctor in Eastenders

Felix Hayes and Tom Warwick, two of the original cast who created The Gruffalo on stage.

The Boom Jennies, comedy sketch trio, rising stars on the London and Edinburgh circuits.

And so much more?

It promises to be a sparkling evening, and all money raised will go towards providing extendable seating in the new Phoenix Studio.

The cabaret takes place at Lord Williams?s Lower School Hall, Towersey Road, Thame on Sunday, November 1, 2009, at 7.30pm. Tickets are

LOCAL GP Duncan Keeley and supporters of Thame Community hospital, were out and about at Thame market today (20/10/09)to gain more signatures for their petition.

The hospital is threatened by a reduction in the number of hours of medical cover from 40 to only four hours a week, if current plans by the Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust go ahead.

The proposed change is currently under review and the panel put in place to reconsider the new arrangements is expected to report around the end of Novemeber.

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PLANS are underway for the first Thame Arts and Literature festival, planned to take place over the weekend of June 25 – 27, 2010.

The festival was the idea of Yvonne Maxwell, from Long Crendon, who has been involved in the Oxford Literary Festival since its inception in 1990.

Yvonne, who is a steward at Thame Museum, told ThameNews.Net: “After working for so many years with the Oxford festival and seeing it grow and grow, I just felt that this was something that Thame needed. We have so many talented playwrights, poets, writers and artists around who deserve a platform and to be celebrated.

Yvonne and her fellow Board members, Brian and Luise Pattinson, of The Bookhouse, Thame, Lyndsey Wright and Steve Bannister, have formed a not-for-profit company, TAL Festival Ltd, to enable them to seek sponsorship and other funding, and any time now, the website, www.talfestival.org will be going live so that everyone can keep up-to-date with what is happening.

The festival will include Meet the authors, talks, lectures and discussions, creative writing workshops, poetry in pubs, A Play in a day workshop, a festival dinner with guest speakers, drama and performance art, art show and installations, literary pub quiz and TALKids – a programme for young readers.

The festival will launch with a Literary Lunch on Friday, June 25, 2010.

Photo: Raymond Blanc, who may or may not be appearing at the Thame Literary and Arts festival, at a recent book signing at The Bookhouse, Thame.

HRH The Duke of Kent KG met residents of the newly built Meadowcroft home for Thame’s elderly earlier today.

The Duke toured Meadowcroft and met some of the residents, including one of Thame’s best known characters, 96 year-old Arthur Staggs and Mr and Mrs Stephens, well-known in Shabbington where they ran the village post office for many years.

Before unveiling a plaque commemorating his visit, The Duke was shown around the building by the Home Manager, Mrs Sylvia Cann and representatives of The Orders of St John Care Trust, who run Meadowcroft. He was able to see the work of the Little Milton specialist Residential Dementia Care wing and the Rycote Nursing Wing, as well as seeing for himself the comfortable new bedrooms, lounge and dining room.

Before the Duke and guests were invited to partake of a splendid buffet lunch, provided by the Oxford Catering Company, resident Mrs Barbara Cox, presented the duke with a bottle of Champagne.

Once the formalities were over, the official guests mingled and chatted with residents, an opportunity for the Mayor, Cllr Matelot Green, who is half french, to chat – in French – to Arthur Staggs, whose mother was French, and who proudly wore his L

LOCAL doctors and other supporters of Thame Community Hospital will be around Thame market on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. Their aim is to publicise a public meeting to be held to gauge public support against proposed changes at the hospital.

The supporters’ group will be at the market from 1.15 pm, and the meeting is on Thursday, October 29, at Thame town hall, starting at 7pm.

Missing, 12 year-old, person Leah Holden, from Aylesbury has been found safe and well.

THE Primary Care Trust that manages medical services for Thame hospital and the town’s GPs, has had its finance management graded as “weak” by a report published today.

The Care Quality Commission’s report, published today, states: “Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust has failed to demonstrate the existence of adequate arrangements for the management of its financial resources,” adding however that “Improvements have been identified.”

Buckinghamshire PCT, which has recently been ordered to carryout a review of new arrangements for medical cover at Thame Community Hospital, had its finance management judged as weak both in 2007 and 2008.

The Trust did however earn a “Fair” rating for Commissioning Services, including 13/13 for Safety and Cleanliness.

On “Meeting Core Standards – Providing Services,” the Trust was in the “Almost Met” category scoring top marks in all categories except Good Management.

See the full report:
LINK
TO Care Quality Commission website

THAME town council has rejected a proposal to raise the profile of the position of Town Mayor and the mayor-making process, to that of other towns’ mayors, like High Wycombe where they have a “weighting in” ceremony. One idea was to spend

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council is asking residents to have their say on proposals to protect traditional red phone boxes, by allowing towns and villages to adopt them.

British Telecom (BT) is looking to introduce the ?Adopt a Kiosk? scheme, so that town and parish councils have the option to protect their distinctive red telephone kiosks by adopting them and taking on maintenance costs.

The initiative follows BT?s payphone removal programme last year. At the time, the council objected to the proposed removal of 35 out of 50 payphones after feedback from residents raised objections to the loss of these community lifelines.

BT?s plans included the removal of some of the iconic red kiosks. The company has now provided a list of all 47 red kiosks found in the district and is asking the council whether these should be adopted. Adoption of the kiosk would come at an initial cost of

A PUBLIC meeting is to be held to discuss the future of Thame Community hospital.

Everyone with an interest in the future of the hospital is invited to go along to the town hall on Thursday, October 29, 2009, at 7pm.

Local GPs have put pressure on the Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust, to include a public meeting in its review of new contractural arrangements for medical cover at the hospital.

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