Category: Thame news

EIGHTEEN months after two Thame mums complained to the town council about the state of the Southern Road play area, work is to begin on its redevelopment.
After a year in planning and raising the funds, the work will commence next week which means that the play area will be closed for about eight weeks from Wednesday, August 27, whilst the work takes place.

As well as general wear and tear, the play area had been the subject of thousands of pounds worth of vandalism over recent years.

The new design for the play area was chosen following consultation with some of Thame’s school children and young people, and can be viewed at the Town Hall from Tuesday, August 26.

The town coouncil has warned that the car park at Southern Road (next to the Scout Hut) will also be closed from Monday, September 1, to allow for storage and vehicle access for the works.

Photo: courtesy of BBC, for illustrative purposes only

THE headteacher of Thame’s Comprehensive school, is especially pleased with his school’s GCSE results, out today as, for the first time, the girls have not out-shone the boys.
Mr David Wybron said today: “I want to pay tribute to students for their hard work and well deserved successes and also to staff who worked with students in so many different ways to help them secure such impressive results. It is pleasing to see both boys and girls are achieving highly at Lord Williams’s.”

Boys and girls were represented more-or-less equally in the 78% of students who achieved five or more A -Cgrades, with 72% achieving five or more A to C grades in subjects that included English and Maths. 96% achieved five or more A -G grades.

The following students all gained at least nine passes at A* and A: Nicole Austin, Sian Burgess, Rachel Bennell, James Collier, Charlotte De Val, Thornton Eaton, Harriet Elkerton, Cara Evans, Alex Feuchtwanger, Stephanie Fox, Katie Hall, Charles Herd, Fiona McLeod, Timothy Morrison, Katie Niedzielski, Anna Osborne, Annabelle Pearson, Melanie Pheby, Beth Richardson, Gemma Roberts, Rebecca Stenning, Fay Underwood, Emily Stapleton-Jefferis and Rachel Williams.

Photo: Nicole Austin (who gained 9, either grade A* or A passes at GCSE), Jordan March and Caroline Baker share their relief and delight in their achievements.

THE funding, which came from the Government and the EU, will be shared between South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Councils.
SODC has said that it will use the money to help revitalise rural communities through training and supporting projects up to 2013.
In a statement, the council said: “The funding will provide support to a wide range of projects and training for farmers, growers, foresters, food businesses and rural communities. Initial expressions of interest have so far included ideas for a food festival, conservation themed holiday breaks, and rural skills training.”

An action group, with key members from the farming and forestry sector, will co-ordinate the project. South Oxfordshire District Council will support the group and will recruit a project manager to run the programme. Once the project manager is in place, applicants can make expressions of interest before presenting a full application to the group.

Each project can receive a grant of up to

THE winner of the Thame In Bloom competition has today spoken of some very strange effects of this summer’s weather on his garden.
Show gardeners everywhere have been struggling against the wettest conditions for years, and some are blaming global warming for observable changes in the way their plants have grown this year.

Mr John Johnson, who lives in Churchill Cresent, Thame, was the overall winner of the annual Thame in Bloom contest, for the fourth time since 2002, but told ThameNews.Net today that his garden should have looked even better.
“Although my flower beds may look a picture to you,” he said, “I know that there should by now be much less green and a whole lot more colour.
“Some things have romped ahead and grown tall, but there hasn’t been enough sunshine to make the flowers bloom.
“Also, there are other plants hidden in among the Marigolds, Geraniums and other things that should be taller by now but are hidden by the massive amount of growth of the other plants around them.
“Everything gone weird this year, with some flowers as much as six weeks behind of what they should be.”

But retired lorry driver, Mr Johnson, whose other hobbies and interests include Thame’s history, said that he is not down-hearted, and with his wife Lyn, is already planning for next year’s competition.

Photo: By Mr John Johnson, of his winning garden in Churchill Crescent, Thame.

THE Oxford Road between Haddenham and Thame was closed for a time yesterday morning (19/08) after a collision between a bus and a silver Volvo car.
The crash happened close to the staggered cross roads just past the Haddenham turn at Scotsgrove.
One female passenger received bruising to her arm but apart from shock, the other passengers were unharmed and were transferred to another vehicle to continue their journey.
The police and the Arriva Bus company are carrying out an investigation into the incident.

THIS is a Ringmaster message from Thames Valley Police.
The Thame Neighbourhood Action Group is looking for volunteers to help with public consultations.

If you would like to be involved and help with the consultations, learn more and ensure that local residents have a voice in deciding WHAT ISSUES THE NAG ADDRESSES NEXT, then please contact PCSO Diane Jackson or PCSO Daniel Tucker at Thame Police Station on 08458 505 505 or by email: diane.jackson@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk or daniel.tucker@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

Photo: NAG meeting in progress

WHILST the whole of the British cycling fraternity was celebrating England?s Nicole Cooke?s gold medal at the Beijing Olympics this week, a Thame man had a particular reason for feeling rather proud of himself too.
For Gordon Wright, of Cromwell Avenue, Thame, has been Nicole?s trainer for the past year ? mainly planning and overseeing her training schedule based on feedback via email and mobile phone!
Although Gordon has known Nicole since she was a 10 year-old grass track event and Roller race competitor, she is currently based in Switzerland from where she had been in constant contact with Gordon here in Thame.
Gordon described how he watched the race unfold from his sofa in the early hours of Sunday morning, as it was being broadcast live from Beijing on TV:
?The race conditions were appalling,? said Gordon. ?The rain poured down, making crashes more likely and therefore a very risky event.
?But Nicole played a very cagey game by waiting, always keeping in touch with the leading group until about the last 10 or 12 kilometres when her winning moves unfolded. One I saw her move away from the remnants with the leading five riders, I knew it was a ?done deal? because Nichole has a very strong sprint and I knew then she would be up for a medal.
?In the last 200 metre, up-hill finish, she attacked, took the lead and was first over the line.
?I must admit I was very emotional by this point ? usually I am a calm and collected sort of a person, but Nicole had come a very long way ? from that little girl I first met Roller racing at Mildenhall, through becoming Junior World Champion and now this – this was the culmination of that journey.?

Gordon added that he was very proud to have been asked by Nicole?s father, Tony, to help with her training, and that the moment when she become Britain’s first Olympic medallist in the women’s road race, was undoubtedly the pinnacle of his 30 year career as a trainer.

Gordon is long-time stalward and President of the Wycombe Cycle Club and has trained, among others, Stuart Dangerfield who rode for Great Britain in Athens in 2004.

Photo: Nicole Cooke on a static cycle turbo trainer warming up alongside some other competitors, just before starting a time trial. Gordon Wright (wearing his Wycombe Cycle club colours) looks on supervising her warm up procedure.

THE organisers of the Towersey festival are appealing for extra stewards for the event to be held on August bank holiday weekend.
Organiser, Steve Heap says:”We are short of one very special team of stewards, which is the toilet and shower cleaning crew for our Site 2 Camp site.
We have had a few people unable to attend this year and are desperately looking for people to help us keep on top of our reputation for the best efficient and clean services on the festival scene.”

If you think you can help, please give me a call on 01629 827 017.

ACCORDING to a report in the Sunday Times this weekend, Bee Gee, Robin Gibb, who has lived in Thame for the past 20 years, is thinking of selling up.
The article was written by Lucy Denyer in the ‘Property News’ section of the paper, and claims that the converted 12th century monastery, The Prebendal, in Thame, would go on the market for something in the region of

THE owner of a boat hire company has been cleared of Health and Safety breaches, brought after a Haddenham man drowned on Lake Vyrnwy in Wales.
See Full report
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