CHINNOR and Thame Friends of the Earth’s next event will be a SWAP SHOP and BIKE EXCHANGE on Saturday, November 18, at Chinnor village hall. The SWAP SHOP will be between 10am and noon, and the BIKE EXCHANGE between 10 and 11 am.
Image from a previous Bike Swap event in Thame
If you wish to sell a bike, take it along to the village hall at 9.45am clearly labelled with your name, contact details and the asking price. Please return to check if your bike has been sold at 11am. A charge £5 will be made for every bike sold.
Bring and /or take for free:
Books – Clothes – Bric-a-brac – Baby equipment
Toys and games – Household items – CDs/DVDs/Videos
Electrical CE marked goods accepted, no large items please.
Recycle stations will be available for the following items:
THAME Players will be auditioning for their next production, the classic British farce, No Sex Please, We’re British, on October 30, at 7.45pm.
The actual Performances will be March 6-10, 2018. Here’s a synopsis to whet your appetite:
Peter and Frances Hunter are a happy newly married couple. They are living in a nice flat above the bank where Peter has a good job. Owing to an unfortunate mistake by Frances, they find themselves inundated with pornographic material from the ‘Scandinavian Import Company’ – first postcards, then films and then books.
Senior bank officials, Peter’s mother and the respectable inspector of Peter’s bank all become entangled in the shenanigans that follow. Events are brought to a head by the arrival of two ladies, from the same company, to provide their special services!
CAST
Peter Hunter
Frances Hunter – Peter’s wife
Eleanor Hunter – Peter’s elegant and snobbish mother
Brian Runnicles- Work colleague of Peter’s. No sense of humour.
Leslie Bromhead- Senior Manager at the bank.
Superintendent Paul
Mr Needham- ‘Jobsworth’ Bank Inspector
Susan and Barbara- Ladies of the night!
Delivery Man
Ages will be relative rather than specific.
Director – Julia Rush
If you are interested in attending the audition, just turn up on the day, or want too see a script, them contact Thame Players via their Facebook page
FOLLOWING feedback to the Business Survey earlier in the year, Thame Town Council is inviting all local businesses to its first Town Centre Business Forum on November 2, 2017, between 5.30pm – 6.45pm.
An Eventbrite meeting has been set up to track numbers of attendees so there are two ways of booking a place, either by emailing Becky Reid, Thame’s Market Town Co-Ordinator, Becky.Reid@thametowncouncil.gov.uk or via the following link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/town-centre-business-forum-tickets-38621960323
The Forum has been set up to support and improve the economic vitality of the town centre and will provide an opportunity for regular communication between public and private sector stakeholders in the town.
Becky explained: “The first meeting is particularly important as it will allow those attending to shape the direction of the forum going forward, to ensure that the meetings benefits your business. You will also have the opportunity to:
* share your concerns about doing business in Thame town centre with Thame Town Council (TTC) and South Oxfordshire Dirstrict council (SODC)
* get an update from TTC and SODC about working currently being undertaken to support businesses in Thame
*hear about current opportunities there are for businesses within the town
ONE of the many sold-out events of the very successful TAL (Thame Arts and Literature) Festival, that has just ended, was Dan Manea’s talk about his love for Sinaia, the beautiful Romanian mountain town twinned with Thame.
The public had the opportunity to hear from the Sinaia, Land of the Elites author and to go with him on a virtual walk into Sinaia’s historical buildings and its glorious past.
Dan Manea (right) with two of his fans, David Bretherton (left) and Malcolm Dent (centre)
Dan Manea told his audience: “This book invites you to stroll not only on the streets of the town, but also inside its history, which for the last 130 years, has been strongly woven into the history of Romania itself. It offers a succession of stories and images, seen through the eyes of an architect in love with his town. This book represents an invitation to walk through the halls of this vast open-air bearing the name of Sinaia: The Pearl of the Carpathians; the capital of Romanian tourism; the resort priding itself with two Royal Railway Stations, where the Orient Express makes a stop, the royal residence town or the summer capital of Romania, as it has been called over the years.”
The author reminded the audience about the connection between the Royal Families of the UK and Romania. Queen Marie, mother of King Michael of Romania, was one of Queen Victoria’s nieces.
Inspired by the publication of Dan Manea’s book, Romania’s National State Television produced a series of 60 one-minute episodes about Sinaia and its architectural jewels, such as Peles Castle, Sinaia Monastery and many other buildings which awarded Sinaia the title of the Romanian town with the largest number of historical monuments per capita. All episodes have featured quotes from Dan Manea’s book.
Marius Ciortan, Secretary of the Sinaia and Thame Friendship Association, said: “The event itself would not have been possible without the help from TAL organisers, Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association and Sinaia’s ASPE Cultural Association.”
The four guests from Sinaia were hosted by families of Thame Rotarians who welcomed them with friendship and offered them the opportunity to visit the area and get a taste of some of Oxfordshire’s and Buckinghamshire’s most beautiful places. They also joined a team in the TAL Festival quiz at the Barns Centre on Sunday evening.
The friendship between Thame and Sinaia has built a vibrant association and its next event will be a ‘Wine from the Transylvanian Alps’ tasting event at Thame Town Hall on Wednesday, November 29, at 7:30 pm. The event was initiated by Malcolm Dent, one of Thame-Sinaia’s newest members.
For more information about Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association and how to get tickets, visit www.facebook.com/thamesinaia
ALTHOUGH Thame has escaped the more extreme results of the Tropical storm affecting the North and West of Britain today, experiencing nothing worse than some blustery winds, residents have been reporting and photographing a strange phenomenon in the sky.
Throughout the day, the skies have turned grey casting an eerie, yellowish light all around, while in the sky, the sun has been visible at the same time, though appearing as a pinkish/orangish/redish disc in the sky.
The phenomenom was captured on camera by Sarah Tack, who photographed the sun at various times thoughout the day. Here’s her composite picture:
Stages of the sun throughout today in Thame (October 16, 2017)
The strange and rare light has apparently been caused by dust from thousands of miles away, including the Sahara desert and from forest fires in Portugal, drawn up into the air by hurricane Ophelia.
AFTER the euphoria of last week’s win over Cinderford, Chinnor were brought down to earth by a sprightly Tonbridge Juddians side who took the game to their hosts for the whole 80 minutes.
The game started pretty evenly and when Tonbridge appeared to be having the better of possession Ben Manning wrestled his way over the line for the first try of the game converted by Jonny Bentley to give Chinnor a fairly fortuitous lead. Tonbridge then had the majority of possession but Chinnor’s solid defence kept them out. It was no surprise when Tonbridge, in the ascendency, scored an unconverted try by O’Sullivan shorty before the break to reduce Chinnor’s lead to 7-5.
In the second half Tonbridge maintained their kicking game, particularly from the boot of their No 9, and put in repeated pick and drives to expose Chinnor’s defence around the fringes. This led to their second try when Bent dotted down following a rolling maul and some slick handling. The conversion was missed which proved to be the Achilles heel in the Tonbridge performance. Chinnor replied almost immediately with Ben Manning diving under the posts for his second try converted by Bentley to restore Chinnor’s lead to 14 – 10.
Then followed a period of tit for tat attacks and although Chinnor defended stoutly Galbrith-Lowe broke through for a third try for Tonbridge edging them ahead 14-15. Bentley maintained his 100% record with the boot for Chinnor by slotting a penalty. This was soon followed by another Chinnor try by debutant Tom Ranaboldo which gave Chinnor a 9 point lead with 10 minutes remaining. Tonbridge then put a cross field kick into the corner where Watson collected and dived over for a 4th try and a much deserved bonus point. The try was once again unconverted.
Chinnor responded well but with only 4 minutes remaining they were unable to score a 4th try for a bonus point.
It was a flat and error strewn performance by Chinnor but full marks to Juddians for making the game so close. When all is said and done Chinnor maintained their unbeaten home record and the Kingsey Road fortress remains intact.
Click for the full, French experience! THAME school children were given a real taste of France on Wednesday (October 11), when John Hampden Primary School organised a marché francais to give the children a French market experience and for them to sample different foods.
In the school hall French accordion music played in the background while children managed the stalls which included a boulangerie, patisserie, café, animaux (soft toys) and a salon de beauté.
This was a market for the whole school, where the children, staff and parents were able to sample a variety of foods from Petit Beurre biscuits, Camembert, Pains au Chocolat, Saucisson Sec, Sirops and much more from stalls for which pupils in KS2 had designed posters, and managed the stalls. The children were all prepped in advance to try out their basic French greetings andsome key words that they had been learning.
Younger pupils in KS1 visited the market having learned some French words and expressions in their PE lessons as a cross-curricular way of learning. The market was open for an hour after school and money was successfully raised to go towards a school funded project.
The teacher responsible for French at John Hampden School, who initiated the French market project, Laura McRonald, said afterwards: “Merci to the staff and parents and local residents for supporting the first of our French projects for this academic year. It was a huge success raising over £280 for the school after just one hour’s worth of trading! All the children got to sample a variety of French themed food stuffs such as sirops de Grenadine, Menthe, fromages, saucisson sec, pâté, crepes, patisserie, tricolor face paints, tricolor hairspray and tricolor finger nails.
“The soft toy stall was very popular along with the café serving hot drinks. The event was well attended and we ran out of food! But we do have a few bottles of sirop to sell which, if people are interested, can be bought for a contribution of £2.50 per bottle. Staff and volunteers were invaluable in assisting with the event on the day.
“Fun was had by all and we will surely to organising another French themed event at some point in the future.”
French is taught to KS2 pupils at John Hampden School, where a school correspondance exchange with Thame’s twinned French town of Montesson, is being set up.
FROM Irish rebels in 1800, through two world wars, to the latest attacks by Muslim extremists using vehicles, London has been bombed, blitzed and blown-up, and a local, former military explosives officer who worked for the Counter Terrorism Command of the Metropolitan Police, has written an explosive history of the city.
Ian Jones
Ian Jones’ latest book, London: Bombed, Blitzed and Blown Up: The British Capital Under Attack Since 1867, took him 10 years to write, using his own experience in both Northern Ireland and London, and extensive research into a subject that has fascinated him most of his life. During his research, he was actually able to tell staff at two museums that certain exhibits still contained explosive
As a civilian Explosives Officer working for the Metropolitan Police Force Bomb Squad, dealing with all incidents involving explosives and ammunition in Greater London, Ian Jones MBE was intimately involved in the response to both the 7 July and the 21 July suicide attacks in London and had the unpleasant task of searching the body of Jean Charles de Menezes. Now retired, Ian is actively involved in exploring WW1 tunnels with the Durand Group and has frequently found old ammunition in these tunnels. some which still posed a danger even after all this time.
In his book, Ian explains that in terms of bombing, London is unique. “Although it cannot claim to be the most bombed capital city in terms of the weight of explosives, it has endured the most varied and unrelenting attack since the discovery of explosives, particularly high explosives,” he writes. “Guy Fawkes started with his attempt to blow up parliament, but it was from the 1867 that the use of bombs began in earnest and started a trend, which has been ongoing ever since.
“The main culprits are the Germans and the Irish, but they are by no means alone and other terrorist groups, crooks, cranks and criminal negligence have been responsible for hundreds of attacks and accidental explosions. This book looks at how London, and its population, has dealt with these attacks.”
Ian expresses a huge admiration and respect for all the emergency services involved in dealing with attacks on the city, but special acknowledgement goes to the members of the police force: “It was police officers that removed a bomb from the Palace of Westminster in the first Irish Campaign and were first into the tunnel at Aldgate after the 7 July suicide bombs,” he says. “It is those who are first on scene and have to deal with the confused, chaotic and disorganised situations they find, often working against the clock, that have the hardest job.”
From Suffragets, Zeppelins, V1 and V2 bombs, anarchists, letter bombs and suicide vests; the effects on London and the response of the citizens, the brave police officers and military who had to deal with them; it’s all there in Ian’s book, London: Bombed, Blitzed and Blown Up.
The very recent terrorist attacks, using vehicles as weapons, is a new departure in attacks on London, and have taken place since Ian wrote his book. And for the reason behind this change in tactic, Ian has a theory: “The use of vehicles is a departure from the norm, but is only because the terrorists cannot get access to guns or explosives. As we have seen vehicles, especially lorries or vans, are very hard to stop and can kill many people before they are stopped.”
London: Bombed, Blitzed and Blown Up is a fascinating and detailed read for anyone interested in the history of our capital city, and is a revealing insight into the background of what generations of Londoners have come to accept almost as a fact of life over the generations, but which has nonetheless left her citizens uncowed and refusing to be terrorised, but continuing living their lives has they always have done in that stoic way that only Londoners can.
IF you want silly wigs and naff impersonations then there are plenty of other ‘tributes’ out there … if you want to experience the power and the passion of a Led Zeppelin concert, played by one of the most exciting Rock’n’Roll bands on the circuit today, then pick up the phone now and book your ticket to see Hats Off to Led Zeppelin at the Players Theatre in Thame on Saturday, October 28!
This year, as well as winning Best Led Zeppelin Tribute Act award for the third year running at the National Tribute Awards, the band was also awarded top prize by the Agents Association of Great Britain, as the Best Tribute Band in the UK overall! They are the ONLY UK tribute act officially endorsed by Marshall Amplifiers and they are managed by Warren Grant … for the uninitiated, Warren’s father, Peter, was Led Zeppelin’s manager!
Having played with Queen, Ray Davies, Edwin Starr, Iron Maiden, Gerry & the Pacemakers, PJ Proby, Shaun Ryder & the Seahorses as well as appearing in a plethora of London shows – including We Will Rock You, Tommy, Thriller LIVE!, Wicked, Dancing in the Streets, Return to the Forbidden Planet and Buddy, to name but a few, these guys are a truly professional outfit guaranteed to give you a night you won’t forget in a hurry!
Hats Off to Led Zeppelin are in their eighth year on the road, with concerts from London to Singapore. They have received glowing endorsements from Led Zeppelin’s tour manager, Richard Cole – ‘Worth seeing … entertainment with style’; from Led Zeppelin biographer, Dave Lewis – ‘A refreshing no-nonsense approach … this band delivers every time!’; and from the BBC – ‘An outstanding concert’. They have also received audience and critical acclaim – ‘Shut your eyes and you would think you were listening to the real thing’.
PEOPLE in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse are being reminded that they only have until midnight on Monday, October 23, to submit their comments on the proposed plan for future housing.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have published a draft joint plan which sets out how they propose to meet the challenge of delivering thousands of new homes over the next 14-16 years.
Anyone who needs help to complete the survey, or would like a paper copy, can contact the councils’ housing team on 01235 422451 or email housing@southandvale.gov.uk
Cllr Lynn Lloyd, Cabinet Member for Housing at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Delivering the new homes required will be a significant challenge and one we will only meet if the public sector, local communities and the house building industry work together. We’ve already received a good response to the consultation but it is important that we receive the views of as many people as possible to ensure the new strategy is suitable to help us meet the wide variety of needs.”
About the proposed strategy
The number of new homes proposed in each district is set out in each of the two councils’ adopted and emerging local plans. The Joint Housing Delivery Strategy will work alongside these local plans, to guide how these new homes will be delivered and ensure that the types of homes provided meet the various needs of their communities.
The draft plan describes a new way for councils working with partners to get new homes built. If it is adopted, the councils will ensure that the required number of new homes, of the right type to meet local need, will be built at the right time in the locations allocated in the respective local plans.
