Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Thame Badminton Phoenix Fixture – By Andrew Scarlett

    THE last home match of the season saw the men?s team in the Aylesbury & District league play Phoenix D.
    In the first match in Aylesbury, Thame had lost the match 2 ? 4. The recent results for this team have been improving and hopes were high for this fixture.

    Ben Cooper started off with Adrian Broadway but both struggled, although Broadway was holding his own with his serve. The pair struggled and was well beaten by the Phoenix first pair in straight games. On the adjacent court, Lance Adlam was paired with Gareth Allingham who was continuing his comeback. Adlam and Allingham started off quickly and soon won the first game conceding just 2 points. The second game was more difficult as the Phoenix pair of father and son started to play a wider game and made Adlam move around the court. However, the tactic was not able to prevent the Thame pair winning the second game and the rubber.

    The next rubber saw Cooper paired with Adlam. Cooper was not aggressive enough when in a position to take control of rallies and this saw Thame lose points they should have won. This continued as Phoenix took the first game. After the turnaround, Cooper started to improve and get his placements correct. With Adlam mixing up the serves, Thame were able to come back and level the rubber. The good form continued in the final game as Thame won the rubber and move into the lead in the match. Broadway was now playing with Allingham and they played well together. Broadway was serving well with his disguised flick service catching the Phoenix pair out. Meanwhile, Allingham was attacking the Phoenix serve and was smashing well. With this level of play, the result of this rubber was never in doubt and Thame duly won in straight games.

    The last round of rubbers saw the pairs revert to the starting line up. With the match score standing at 3 ? 1, the team supporter was confident of victory. Cooper and Broadway started well and were always in contention. However, the Phoenix pair took their time and slowly moved ahead to win the first game. The second game saw the Thame pair lose their way with Cooper seeming to lose confidence. They could not pick up their game and Phoenix went on to win the rubber in straight games.

    With the match now at 3 ? 2, the pressure was on the Thame pair. Adlam continued to serve well and not just relying on the flick serve. Additionally, Adlam?s movement around court was the best he has played for a number of years. Allingham responded with an improvement to his play and the pair won the first game. The Phoenix pair then upped their own level of play and just managed to win the second rubber. The final rubber saw the Thame pair keep the level of play up and they battled against an uncompromising Phoenix pair. The two sides exchanged points all the way to 14 all. With the sides level, Phoenix chose to set to 3 points. Phoenix won the next 2 points to leave them on match point. Thame saved this and then went on to level the scores before losing serve. The match had been played in a very good spirit and the last point reflected this as the Phoenix serve landed right on the line. It was left to Allingham to give judgement and he called the shuttlecock in to give Phoenix a last point win and the rubber.

    The 3 all draw was an entertaining and enjoyable game of badminton played in the right spirit. Thame now have only one match to play this season against local rivals, Mill Lane BC of Chinnor.

  • Shape Up For Charity

    SHAPERS, in Chinnor, will open its doors on Thursday, March 2, to everyone, old and new customers alike, to check out their new-look facilities.
    Try the new, ladies only fitness equipment and have one of the mini facials, mineral hand treatments, acupunture, cupping, reflexology, indian head massage or back and neck massage.
    All treatments only

  • ‘Swap Shops’ Help Environment – Contributed

    FIFTEEN communities across Oxfordshire are running ?Swap Shops? in their local area on Saturday March 4, with people invited to bring unwanted items or pick up anything they want for free.
    This is the first time that communities across the county have coordinated their events to raise awareness about waste.
    The Swap Shops are being run by the volunteer led Community Action Groups (CAGs) that work within Oxfordshire communities to save resources and reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill sites.

    The CAGs were the first of their kind in the country and were set up by The Recycling Consortium in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council. The model is now being copied in other parts of Britain.

    Moira Dorey, CAG Coordinator, said: ?The whole aim is to find good homes for unwanted items that would have been thrown in the bin ? this is about reuse that saves resources and reduces landfill.
    ?You don?t even have to bring anything, just come and find something you want to save it from going to waste.?

    Fifteen Swap Shops will take place on Saturday at Barracks Lane, Buscot, Charlbury, Coleshill, Didcot, Faringdon, Finstock, Polstead Road, Sunnymead, Wantage, Waterways, Wallingford, Wheatley, Witney and Wolvercote.

    Some Swap Shops will be run in community halls while others will be street events. Look out for posters giving exact locations or phone Moira Dorey on 07903 037290.

    Cllr Roger Belson, Oxfordshire County Council?s Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: ?One man?s junk is another?s treasure. These Swap Shops will illustrate that perfectly. Our plea is for people to keep hold of anything they don?t need, take them along to the Swap Shop, and see what you can pick up.?

    For more information on locations or how to run a Swap Shop in your local area contact Moira Dorey on 01865 815871 or moira.dorey@oxfordshire.gov.uk. The CAG website is available at www.cagoxfordshire.org.uk

  • Marlebone Station Closed This Weekend

    Track Improvement Work: Friday 3, Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 March.
    DUE to track improvement work this week, Chiltern Railways is making some changes to its scheduled services. A few late evening services will be affected on Friday 3 March. On Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 March, work on the Evergreen II project ? set to deliver major benefits for passengers once completed ?will continue. On Sunday 5 March, London Marylebone station will be closed to passengers all day and train services will be diverted to London Paddington.

    Before travelling Chiltern Railways is advising passengers to check for service alterations at their local staffed stations, by calling the Chiltern Railways enquiry line on 08456 005 165 (07:00hrs to 20:00hrs) or visiting www.chilternrailways.co.uk where full timetable information is provided.

    SERVICE SUMMARY
    Friday 3 March
    Kidderminster – Birmingham – Stratford-upon-Avon – Leamington Spa – Banbury ?High Wycombe – London
    Aylesbury – High Wycombe ? London

  • Nuisance Motorcyle Seizure Warning

    FOLLOWING a recent spate of young motorcyclists causing a nuisance off the public highway recently, a youth has been issued with an official warning by Thame police.
    A ‘Section 59’ notice, which addresses anti-social use of motor vehicles, can be issued where a motor vehicle is judged to be being used in a manner likely to cause “alarm, distrss or annoyance.”
    If the receiver of the warning offends again, or someone else uses the same vehicle in the same, anti-social way, the police have the power to seize and remove the vehicle and charge

  • Weekend Of Car Crime

    THAME Police are appealing for information, after five vehicles were attacked in Thame over the weekend.
    Four cars parked in Elms Road and Nelson Street had wing mirrors pushed or kicked off, sometime between Friday, February 24 – 26, whilst a fifth vehicle parked in Horton Avenue, was attacked between 10.30pm on the February 24 (Friday) and 7am on Saturday, 25th. Offenders threw a brick through the rear windscreen.
    Anyone with information is asked to contact Thame Police via 08458 505 505, Crimestoppers (anonymously) on 0800 555111.
    Thame’s Crime Prevention Officer, Lesley Nesbitt, said:”This sort of crime is opportunish and therefore one of the most difficult to detect. We really do need anyone who knows anything about these incidents to come forward.”

  • A Personal View Of Valencia – By Sophia Jay

    SITTING at a shaded pavement cafe sipping Valencia Water (a dangerously drinkable cocktail of freshly squeezed orange juice, cava and Vodka) you could be forgiven for believing yourself on the other side of the planet from the tourist trampled beach resorts of Benidorm, Alicante and Torrevieja.
    Yet it is resorts such as these that draw over 4.5 million tourists (many of them Brits) to the Comunidad Valenciana each year, making it Spain?s most visited region. The vast majority of these visitors cling to the coast like limpets unaware of the gems that this beautiful and diverse region has to offer.
    Founded in 138 AD by a group of weary Roman legionaries who were granted prime land beside the Rio Turia to build a retirement community, Valencia now has a population of over 750,000 making it Spain’s third largest city. Like most European cities it consists of a hotchpotch of buildings that have grown up over the centuries many of which, including the cathedral and the neoclassical post office, are ornate and exquisitely beautiful. The cathedral?s 230ft bell tower is well worth the climb – especially in the evening when the city is bathed in rich golden sunlight, but Valencians are relaxed about opening hours to say the least so it?s best to do your homework beforehand. My friend and I finally made it to the top on our third attempt.
    Valencia?s attractions are too numerous to list, but the biggest crowd puller is the Ciudad De Las Artes Y De Las Ciencias (The city of arts and sciences) which occupies a huge swathe of the old Turia riverbed south east of the city centre. Looking rather like a cross between an armadillo and Darth Vader?s hat, the daring 21st century museum, designed by home town boy Santiago Calatrava, covers 3,770,000 sq ft, making it Europe?s largest urban complex. Still under construction, Valencia?s showpiece also boasts an IMAX cinema and a laser show, and is worth a visit if only to ogle the distinctive architecture of Senor Calatrava, who rose from an undistinguished Valencian suburb to become one of the world?s leading cutting edge architects. Currently on his drawing board are the Milwaukee Art Museum on the shores of Lake Michigan and the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California.
    If the glare from the gleaming white buildings becomes too much, the city?s slightly bohemian Barrio del Carmen district is well worth a stroll, as is El Mercat where our backpackers Home Lonja is located. Cosy, cheap, fun, friendly and extremely orange – I cannot recommend this place enough.
    Oranges of course are very big business in the Valencia region. If you bite into an orange anywhere in western Europe there is a fair chance it was grown here. As soon as you leave the city, which I recommend everybody does at least once, you will not be able to miss the groves which produce 70% of the country?s oranges, most of which are exported. The abundant freshly squeezed orange juice is unreal. Perhaps the city?s biggest claim to fame however, is that it is the home of paella, and anyone wanting to sample this Spanish speciality is spoilt for choice. Paella is traditionally made with chicken and rabbit (usually on the bone) and snails or seafood, but I was relieved to find a veggie option laid on for the more discerning (squeamish) traveller.
    Outside the city the forested mountains give way to ancient towns and villages just begging to be explored. We took a train through the beautiful rust coloured winelands to Requina, a bustling commercial centre from which rises a walled city that was established by the Moors in the eighth century. The city?s ancient allyways, which shoot off in every direction, hiding medieval churches with exquisitely carved doorways are an explorer?s dream. What makes the place all the more enchanting is that although not untouched by tourism, these streets are inhabited by ordinary people who gossip in doorways whilst their washing flutters in the warm breeze.
    Finally to take in the good, the bad and the ugly, we took a trip to Benidorm. I went with an open mind. No I did. But in spite of the pretty mountains that line the Costa Blanca, this British family favourite (think Clapham Junction on sea with more concrete towerblocks) never failed to shock and appal. When we missed the first bus out of the neon nightmare I was actually quite scared.
    There is no denying that the Comunidad Valenciana?s hours of scorching sunshine make it a beach lovers paradise. But stray from the coast and I can assure you will not be disappointed.

  • Local Shop Features In Food Guide

    AS TV chef, Phil Vickery is urging people in Oxfordshire to buy local, a Thame food shop is featured in the new Food Guide 2006.
    Local Tastes, in the Buttermarket, Thame, only sell produce sourced from within a 30 mile radius of the store and was the winner of the much coveted 2005 ‘Taste of the South East’ award.
    See their website at: www.localtastes.co.uk

    The Food Guide features 126 people growing, rearing, processing and selling local food in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and neighbouring areas.

    Phil Vickery says in the foreword: ?My mission is to urge all chefs, cooks, tea shop owners and caterers to look for locally produced food that has a real flavour and taste. The French, Spanish, Italians and Portuguese love their local food heroes, it?s about time we did the same.?

    Oxfordshire County Council is one of the local authorities to help fund and back the Food Guide. It is now available from Farmers? Markets, shops, pubs, restaurants, public libraries, council offices. They are also available from the Berks, Bucks, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire Food Groups that co-ordinate the Food Guide.

    The guide will be launched at the Oxford Farmers Market, Gloucester Green, on Thursday March 2 at 11.15am.

    Cllr Roger Belson, Oxfordshire County Council?s Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: ?Buying local food that has not travelled for miles tastes better and is more environmentally friendly.

    ?The phrase ?food miles? refers to the distance and the amount of fuel that has had to be used to get foodstuffs into our supermarkets. There are few ?food miles? for local food. I urge everyone in Oxfordshire to have a close look at the delicious local food that is on sale on their own doorsteps.?

  • Praise For Local Tastes

    AS TV chef, Phil Vickery is urging people in Oxfordshire to buy local, a Thame food shop is featured in the new Food Guide 2006.
    Local Tastes, in the Buttermarket, Thame, only sell produce sourced from within a 30 mile radius of the store and was the winner of the much coveted 2005 ‘Taste of the South East’ award.
    See their website at: www.localtastes.co.uk

    The Food Guide features 126 people growing, rearing, processing and selling local food in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and neighbouring areas.

    Phil Vickery says in the foreword: ?My mission is to urge all chefs, cooks, tea shop owners and caterers to look for locally produced food that has a real flavour and taste. The French, Spanish, Italians and Portuguese love their local food heroes, it?s about time we did the same.?

    Oxfordshire County Council is one of the local authorities to help fund and back the Food Guide. It is now available from Farmers? Markets, shops, pubs, restaurants, public libraries, council offices. They are also available from the Berks, Bucks, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire Food Groups that co-ordinate the Food Guide.

    The guide will be launched at the Oxford Farmers Market, Gloucester Green, on Thursday March 2 at 11.15am.

    Cllr Roger Belson, Oxfordshire County Council?s Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: ?Buying local food that has not travelled for miles tastes better and is more environmentally friendly.

    ?The phrase ?food miles? refers to the distance and the amount of fuel that has had to be used to get foodstuffs into our supermarkets. There are few ?food miles? for local food. I urge everyone in Oxfordshire to have a close look at the delicious local food that is on sale on their own doorsteps.?

  • National Recognition For Umberto

    JUST as we are all being urged to ‘Try Thame First, the fame of Umberto’s, the Specialist, Italian food shop in the town, has reached the National papers.
    Last weekend, this award-winning, local business was featured in the Independent newspaper, which featured Umberto Della Valli talking about his passion for real, good quality, Italian food.
    Follow the Link
     to read the whole article.

    Umberto’s epitomises the type of quality, independent retailer that characterises Thame as somewhere to enjoy the good, old-fashioned qualities of personal service and quality products that cannot be found in the supermarket of ‘cloned’ High Streets of other towns.