IF you’re in need of a sweet, sticky, naughty treat while out shopping in Thame tomorrow (Saturday), look out for the Krisp Kreme Doughnuts and other cakes that will be for sale just inside the entrance to Greyhound Walk in Thame.
Olly Ross preparing for his charity cake stall tomorrow in Thame
Thame born and bred, Olly Ross, 21, will be there from 11am, with his cake stall, helped by his sister and her boyfriend, raising funds for the charity Childreach International, the charity he’ll be climbing Kilimanjaro for in August. You can find out more about Childreach International HERE and read about Olly’s stunning, six-day trek up to the ‘roof of Africa’, along the Machame Route, and donate too towards his target of £2,750 HERE
Olly went to Lord Williams school and Sixth Form, and is now a Freelance Videographer. He is also heavily involved with fundraising for the new Skatepark in Thame. He explained why he chose this particular challenge: “My girlfriend climbed Kilimanjaro last year and is now team-leading a group this year. I learned about the charity when fundraising with her and thought it was a great cause to be involved with.”
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BUSY Florists in Thame is looking for two new members of staff to join their team; A qualified florist and a shop assistant initially but they are open to considering anyone who is enthusiastic and above all, flexible.
Pop into Bizzie Lizzie, 6 Upper High Street, Thame, for more details or email: bizzthefizz@yahoo.co.uk
EXCITEMENT is growing among members of Thame Players who are currently in rehearsal for their next production, ‘Yes Prime Minister’, which appropriately will be running throughout Election week, from May 5.
This production will be directed by Brian Holt, who has been with Thame Players for 30 years, and has himself appeared in many productions since then, from pantomime to comedies and plays. In recent times he has appeared in Behan’s The Hostage, Saroyan’s Time of Your Life, Larbey’s A Month of Sundays and Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa. Brian has also directed several plays, including Born in the Gardens by Peter Nichols and A Slight Ache by Harold Pinter, as well as directing Yes Prime Minister this year.
Of Yes Prime Minister, Brian said: “We are all familiar with the TV series Yes Minister, and Yes Prime Minister, which ran from 1980 to 1988 and enjoyed viewing figures running into the millions. This full-length play was written in 2010, but very little has changed in the intervening years, with political leaders still standing up and arguing that their personal interventions have improved the lives of British people. The script is a masterpiece of satirical comedy, just the sort of thing the British are famous for throughout the world.”
THE WRITERS
Antony Jay is an English writer, broadcaster and director who had a distinguished career as a broadcaster and in public relations, for which he was created Knight Bachelor, before teaming up with Jonathan Lynn. He wrote the BBC TV documentaries, Royal Family and Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of our Queen. For the latter he was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order for personal services to the Royal Family.
Jonathan Lynn is an English stage and film director, producer, writer and actor. He directed the successful films Nuns on the Run and My Cousin Vinny. He also acted in Doctor in the House, The Liver Birds and Jack Rosenthal’s Bar Mitzvah Boy. His film appearances include roles in Prudence and the Pill and Three Men and a Little Girl.
Yes Prime Minister will be showing at the Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame, during General Election week, Tuesday, May 5 to Saturday, May 9, inclusive.
THAME.NET is inviting all the local candidates for Election 2015, for a short profile. The following are from from Bob Austin and Catherine Jones, who are both standing as Independent candidates in the Thame South Ward, in the Parish Council elections, on May 7.
Catherine Jones and Bob Austin
CATHERINE JONES: I moved to Thame in 1994 when my husband left the army. Having lived in numerous places we decided to settle in Thame, because of the delightful town centre, the good schools and the real feeling of community that we found here. It is a decision I have never regretted for a second. I have three children who were educated at John Hampden School and Lord Williams’s – two of whom still live locally.
I left school at 18 and was an army officer for 8 years. When I had to give up my career for family reasons, I started writing books. To date I have had 18 published – 2 non-fiction works and 16 novels.
I have always believed in giving back what I owe to organisations or communities that have helped or supported me and my family. I was a very active member of the John Hampden PTA and was on the Schoolhouse 2000 committee. I was also on the committee of the Romantic Novelists’ Association for 10 years, serving as secretary, PR officer, vice-chairman and, finally, chairman. Now I want to serve on the local council so I can repay something to this wonderful town.
I am standing as an independent so I can make my own decisions about what I feel might be best for the town. I am keen to see Thame grow and develop but within the structure of our agreed neighbourhood plan so we don’t lose our terrific town centre, its sense of community and its vibrancy – all the things that attracted me here over twenty years ago.
BOB AUSTIN: MY primary objective as a councillor will be to focus on the maintenance of Thame’s character as a market town in a period when that character is under threat from potential, misplaced, overdevelopment. That character must include the continued vitality of the town centre – a vitality that is being threatened by the prospect of an edge of town superstore.
I also want to ensure that Thame’s infrastructure will meet future demands as development happens and not when it’s too late. Parking is a priority for the Town and District Councils and we need to ensure that the County Council provides adequate health and education facilities for the growing number of residents.
I have been a resident in Thame for 28 years and brought up a family with my wife, Jenny. After a career as a Chartered Accountant, Finance Director and Chief Executive, I am now retired but endeavour to keep busy. I have a keen interest in Archaeology and obtained a degree from Reading University as a mature student. Also, since retirement I have worked, for a period, as a volunteer adviser at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and as a Teaching Assistant at Lord Williams’s School- until part time child minding of grandchildren came to the fore. I am Chairman of the East Thame Residents Association and a member of the steering group of the ‘Thame Centre First Campaign’.
A controversial planning application to build 37 new homes on land at The Elms, Upper High Street, Thame, will be considered by South Oxfordshire District Council’s planning committee on April 22, when Planning Officers are expected to recommend that the committee approves the application.
Meadow land at ‘The Elms’ where 37 new homes are being proposed
After acknowledging the large number of objections lodged against the plan, including objections from English Heritage and the Conservation Officer, the Planning Officer, Emily Hamerton, concludes:
” However the site is allocated within the TNP for up to 45 dwellings. The site is in a sustainable location within the town centre and proposes a high quality contemporary design. In addition this development will deliver 40% affordable housing, improvements to the park and will mitigate any impact through the S106 contributions. Therefore balancing all these issues, I am recommending that planning permission is approved.”
If SODC follows the advice of its officers and gives the plan the go-ahead, such a decision will fly in the face of the recommendation made by Thame Town Council, to refuse the application (See LINK for report and the reasons for Thame Town Council’s recommendation to refuse the application) and would be against the views of a petition group of several hundred signatures, and many other objections lodged against the plan.
Cllr Mary Stiles will be speaking at the meeting on behalf of Thame Town Council and there are expected to be several more representations made against the plan, as well as representations for the applicant, Simon Vickers, who owns the land at The Elms.
The meeting will start at 6pm in Wallingford Town Hall, Market Place, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 0EG. The full agenda and all related papers can be found HERE
A copy of the officer’s report can be read on SODC’s website SEE LINK
Anyone wishing to speak at this meeting must apply by 12 noon on April 21, by emailing: planning@southoxon.gov.uk
Full details of this application can be found on SODC’s website HERE
NOW that the lists of candidates for the Elections 2015 have been published, Thame.Net is inviting all the candidates for a short profile, and the first are from the two Labour candidates for both Thame District and Town Council, Mary Stiles (Thame North Ward) and Tristram Maclean (South Ward).
Mary Stiles (left) and Tristram Maclean
MARY Stiles has lived in Thame for 46 years, now retired from a 40 year career in education. She was elected as a Thame Town Councillor in 2011, having previously served as a councillor on both TTC and SODC between 1995 and 2003. She is active in and supported by the Co-operative movement and currently is working hard as a town councillor to investigate the possibility of co-operative housing schemes.
Mary is a trustee of three local charities, Chair of a school governing body, Chair of the local Children’s Centre advisory group and a Director of the local partnership, 21st Century Thame. Having worked with young people for much of her working life, Mary was appalled when the Thame Youth Centre closed in 2011 and the qualified youth worker was made redundant. Having secured a one-off grant from Thame Town Council, she is now delighted that the Youth Café is open one day a week after school, but she would much prefer to see a county youth service reinstated in Thame and the surrounding villages.
Married to Colin, she has two daughters, who both attended Thame schools before moving elsewhere for university and work. In her spare time Mary enjoys spending time with her family, theatre visits, reading, walking and the latest exercise craze – Zumba!
TRISTRAM Maclean is a retired senior police officer. After leaving Scotland Yard he worked as an adviser delivering police reform in Africa. He has now settled in Thame; he has two children at Lord Williams’s and he runs a security business in the town. Tristram wants to play a part in preserving the character and integrity of the town. Like Mary, he is part of the Co-operative movement.
Tristram’s goal is to increase local accountability – he would like the abandoned councillor surgeries to be restored and he wants to see a greater transparency about the Council’s work. He has declared his opposition to the Elms planning application and pledges to provide a voice for local residents in the decision process. He argues that the Neighbourhood Plan was rushed out too fast, and the Elms is just the most prominent example of how residents are not being listened to.
Dear Editor, It seems that Cllr Dyer remains confused about the Elms Park conveyance.
Really, no errors? – (his first para). He says the conveyance mentions the yellow area to be 6.736 acres. In fact that (small) area is not individually measured. The red and yellow together are the 6.7 acres which comprise the park.
Then in his para2, the Council will continue to do all to benefit the protection of The Elms, regardless of future ownership (of the Elms). Nothing to do with “what we know as Thame Park.”
The Park rules are in the schedule he refers to but we are not talking about that schedule, although in fact, the Council are in default on several items. We are talking about the clause which undertakes to protect The Elms, which includes the field, contained in Para 2 on the first page.
Then he says that “this condition” (restricted use of the gates) ceased to applywhen the Purser family sold the property in 2010.
No it didn’t cease. the conveyance states that the Council will not withold (i.e. will allow) the same (restricted) access to future owners.
Cllr Dyer stubbornly remains confident of the validity of including Elms Field in the neighbourhood plan. Okay, we can test that in court.
FOLLOWING the announcement that Stornoway are to join Joan Armatrading and Bellowhead at this year’s Towersey Festival (28-31 August 2015), the Oxford band have spoken about their appearance.
Stornoway
“It’s our only Oxford show over the summer and the first time we’ve played the festival,” said main songwriter Brian Briggs. “It’s a bit of a legendary festival, so we’re really excited to get to play it at long last.
“We’re on the same night as Bellowhead, who are, of course, another ‘local act’. We’ve played with them in the past and they are great.
“I’ve never been to Towersey before but I’ve heard about it many times. Hopefully, I’ll take the whole family as we have a couple of toddlers and we hear the festival is really family-friendly. We should have local fans coming and we’ll get some friends down too I’m sure – it’ll be great.”
Stornoway’s appearance follows the release of the band’s third full studio album, Bonxie (out 13 April 2015 via Cooking Vinyl). Named after the great skua (Stercorarius skua), a large powerful seabird also known as the bonxie, the collection features songs inspired by nature and the outdoors.
“Overall, the record’s pop, but in disguise. The songs seem to quite quickly connect with people,” explained Brian.
Debuting in 2010 with the 100,000 selling Beachcomber’s Windowsill, the band – Brian, Jonathan Ouin, Oli Steadman and Rob Steadman – have previously opted to record themselves. However, for Bonxie, the band enlisted the skills of famed producer Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Twin Atlantic).
“We’d got quite used to doing things our way, said Brian. “That’d been good fun. But this time we wanted a step up from our comfort zones and having Gil there made us question our decisions, see things from a fresh perspective. The result is a more simpler, fresher sound, and we wanted to do something less dense, less layered. It’s still poppy … but it in an outdoorsy way.”
Stornoway play Towersey Festival, near Thame, Oxfordshire, on Saturday 29 August 2015, with Bellowhead, John Smith, Phil Beer, Lisbee Stainton and many more. Day Tickets are £40 (adult), £28 (youth), £18 (child), under 5s free. Full Weekend festival tickets are available from £120 (adult), £110 (conc), £84 (youth), £55 (child), with under 5s free. For tickets and more line-up details, call 01629 827016 or see: towerseyfestival.com
