SOME residents of Thame are unhappy about what they feel is a lack of publicity prior to an exhibition of a house builder’s plans for over 200 homes on the outskirts of the town. The proposal is for the so-called Site F, in Thame’s Neighbourhood Plan, on the site of the old pig farm in Oxford Road.
Although a leaflet was posted through the door of some residents in the vicinity of the proposed development and an email sent to members of Residents’ Associations in the area, information does not generally seem to have come to the notice of others in the town.
Comments on social media included: “No body I’ve spoken to knew about it. Would definitely have gone.”
“I saw signage about it but only because I was at Town Hall for a meeting yesterday.”
In a statement today, a spokesperson for Bloor Homes said: “We’ve sent out over 1,800 newsletters directly to Thame residents around the site as well as supplying posters and placing an advert in the local paper. We also provided information for members of the residents associations within Thame.”
He added: “The consultation period is still ongoing.”
For those who do not receive the local free paper, or missed the notice on its Letters page and missed the exhibition, but would like to respond to the consultation, a PDF of the leaflet from Bloor Homes is available here: Site F, Thame – Newsletter – Bloor Homes
THAME Players Theatre Company has been providing the town with first class, amateur dramatics, pantomime, one-man (and one-woman) shows and hosting visiting professional touring companies, for 70 years.
Thame Players Theatre patron, Nicholas Parsons, hosting ‘Just a Minute’
On Friday, October 3, two of Thame Players’ celebrity patrons, Nicholas Parsons, famed host of BBC Radio 4’s Just A Minute, and Bruce Alexander, the actor best known for his role as Inspector Mullett in A Touch of Frost, joined close to 100 members, friends and supporters at The Spread Eagle in Thame, to celebrate.
The distinguished company also included the Mayor of Thame, Jeanette Matelot Green, and the Chairman of South Oxfordshire District Council, Ann Midwinter.
The Mayor Consort, James Green (lower left) and other guests enjoying the repartee of Nicholas Parsons, during the 70th Anniversary birthday party of Thame Players
After a welcoming glass of bubbly to get the party underway, all took their places at tables named after Thame Players’ productions through the decades, including April Fools (1949), Gaslight (1950), Billy Liar (1966), Camelot (1983), Oliver (2001) and, more recently, Arcadia (2012) and Quartet (2014).
Music was provided by Rob Grimwood on keyboards and Nicki Rochford of Towersey Festival’s Songs of the Urban Past, themed to reflect the passing decades from 1944 until the present, with wartime numbers such as Swinging on a Star and classic pieces from musicals such as My Fair Lady, Les Miserables, and Wicked.
Taking pride of place was a display with posters and reviews of past productions, representing the history of Thame Players since 1944, and another collection of images showing refurbishment projects undertaken since Thame Players acquired the freehold of the theatre building in 1997 – a former church hall which was 100 years old last year. The most notable projects were undertaken in 2002 and this summer 2014, with £200,000 raised from public and private sources, including SODC and Thame Town Council.
A highlight of the evening was the auction, which was led by Nicholas Parsons with skill and humour in equal measure. The tempting lots on offer included a week in Tuscany, best-in-house tickets to see The Lion King (donated by Sir Tim Rice), and a case of fine wines donated by The Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc.
Bruce Alexander, besides running the raffle, entertained the assembled company by reciting The Wild Things of Thame, a poem he had written specially for the occasion, celebrating Thame Players as the wild things of Thame, providing a window on the world through the medium of theatre.
Sadly, the evening had to come to a close, but everyone took happy memories away with them of helping Thame Players celebrate their first 70 years and look forward to the next 70. There was icing on the cake too: the auction and raffle had raised the princely sum of £3,500 towards the theatre development fund – there is still renovation work planned for 2015.
This Birthday Bash was a fitting 70th tribute and to see the guests go home with delighted smiles on their faces was indeed an inspiration for the future of theatre in Thame.
SOURCE: Contributed by Helen Johns
NB Thame Players is a registered charity run entirely by volunteers offering a varied range of productions all year round, from serious theatre to comedy and pantomime, including their own productions, visiting shows, and film screenings by Thame Cinema for All. The theatre is also used as a venue during Thame Food Festival and the Thame Arts & Literature Festival.
Thame Players’ next production will be Sleeping Beauty, the annual pantomime, from 5th to 7th and 10th to 14th December, matinees 2 pm and 5.30 pm, evenings 7.45 pm. Tickets cost £9 and £8 (concessions) from Tickets Anywhere Greyhound Walk Thame, Tel 01844 217228 or online from www.thameplayers.co.uk (booking fee applies). Party discounts are available – details on request from thameplayers@gmail.com or 07938 857291.
For more information about Thame Players visit www.thameplayers.co.uk Thame Players are still fundraising: to donate any amount, large or small, to the Building A Better Theatre project, please contact Helen Johns, fundraising committee, on 0771 743 4983
RACQUETS Fitness Centre in Thame is running a one day squash tournament for the juniors this Saturday, October 18, and there are still some places left so get in there quickly!
Happy young squash players who took part in Racquets’ Squash Camp, back in February
There will be round robin events of three, four or five players – so everyone will only be playing others of similar standard, and guaranteed two games.
AUTHOR, Jeffrey Archer, is due to visit Chinnor later in the month, to officially open the first ever charity bookshop supporting the charity, Fight Bladder Cancer.
Jeffrey and Mary Archer – Image courtesy of beyondhall8.blogspot.co.uk/
Jeffry Archer’s wife, Dr Mary Archer, was herself diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2010 and underwent life-saving surgery which resulted in her having to have her bladder removed and a substitute ‘neo-bladder’ being formed out of a piece of her intestine. In the same year, Andrew Winterbottom started up the Fight Bladder Cancer charity in Chinnor, following his own diagnosis of the disease in 2009, when he also had to have his bladder removed to prevent further spread of the cancer.
Andrew explained: “What surprised me at the time of my diagnosis, was that there wasn’t a single charity in the UK dedicated to supporting people affected by bladder cancer. Like most people, I had not heard of bladder cancer before, so I was very surprised to find out that in fact it is the seventh most common cancer there is, has the highest recurrence rate of any cancer and is the most expensive for the NHS to treat.”
Since the charity was formed it has developed a very significant confidential support service for people affected by bladder cancer across the whole country together with a Bladder Cancer Buddy service which links people who live close to each other, so that those who have gone through the treatment can provide one-to-one support for those who are newly diagnosed.
Andrew continued: “We are delighted to get the support of Jeffrey Archer to open our first charity bookshop. The Fight Bladder Cancer charity has grown significantly in a short period by the e fforts of the trustees and volunteer supporters. We are now able to support people affected by bladder cancer right across the country, raise awareness of the causes and symptoms, and help to fund essential medical research.
“Having moved the charity out of the shed at the bottom of my garden into its first small office, we were pleased to be able to use some of the space to open this charity bookshop that will help fund our vital work. Hopefully, this will be the first of many across the country.”
The official opening event will start at 6pm on Friday, October 31, at The Wee Bookshop, 19 Station Road, Chinnor OX39 4PU
Further information about bladder cancer and the activities of the charity can be found at: www.fightbladdercancer.co.uk
THIS year’s Long Crendon School fireworks event, which regularly attracts over 1,000 spectators, promises to be a real spectacle.
This year the theme is Guy Fawkes and gun powder and a procession, led by a real Guy Fawkes, will start at the Long Crendon recreation ground and take the children up to the display, singing songs, waving glowsticks and lighting up Long Crendon along the way.
One lucky child will have the chance to be Guy Fawkes’ accomplice, leading the procession and setting off the gunpowder that will start the fireworks.
As well as the fireworks there will be a feast of BBQ food, a bar selling mulled wine and locally-brewed XT beer, and stalls for the children to enjoy.
The event will take place on Saturday, November 8, on the Long Crendon School field. Doors open at 5pm. Tickets can be bought in advance from Fischer German, who are sponsoring the event, Long Crendon School, the Flower Pot Long Crendon, and on the night itself.
All proceeds will go to the school. The artwork for the poster has been designed by the cartoonist Robert Duncan, who is a parent at the school.
THERE are fears that the Route 40 bus that goes from Thame to High Wycombe, may lose its subsidy because not enough people are using it.
Last April, Oxfordshire County County stepped in to subsidise the route from Thame as far as Stokenchurch, when Arriva said the route was not commercially viable. According to a report, 185 people a day use the No 40 bus from Thame, including some sixth form pupils at Lord Williams’s school, people visiting the hospital in Wycombe, and young people who work in High Wycombe who are unable to get to the station.
Some Thame Town Councillors are concerned that information about a public consultation on subsidised bus routes, including the 120, 121, 123 and 124 as well as Line 40, is not reaching people who may not have access to the internet. So the council is going to stick posters about the consultation on all the relevant bus stops in the town.
The current subsidy for Line 40 as far as Stokenchurch, is just short of £113,000 which Oxfordshire County Council, who is looking at areas to make cuts to its budget, has said is not viable.
Cllr Mary Stiles, the town council’s Transport representative, told councillors at a meeting of the Planning and Environment committee last night (14/10): “This service is vital for the town and it’s very important that as many people as possible know about the consultation and let the county council know there feelings about the bus services.”
IT will be 20 years on Saturday (18/10) since Thame Barns Centre first opened its doors as a community-owned venue and to celebrate, a big birthday bash is planned for all those who were involved at the very beginning, in transforming a derelict building.
But the Centre’s Managers needs help in contacting many of those caught up in the original vision, to invite them along.
Karen and Patsy who run the Centre, take up the story. “The Town Council and St Mary’s Church backed the plans. Many people gave up their time to help develop the plans and gave up their weekends to do the building work. It does restore your faith in mankind when you hear about it.
“Twenty years on the Centre is really busy; so many people are benefiting from all the hard work put in back in the 1990’s. Whether it’s for a keep-fit class or a wedding reception, we hope that everyone gets a warm welcome and enjoys using the Centre. We are constantly trying to improve things here, and our latest project is to create a new seating area near the Small Barn, which we are opening as part of our Anniversary Celebrations.
“It’s open house on saturday so we would like anyone who has been involved or enjoyed the Centre to call in on Saturday, from 10.30am to 4pm, for free tea, coffee and cake and take a look around the displays of the transformation of the building and things that take place now. We’ll be serving lunch from 1pm, and there will be speeches at 2.30pm. In the evening visitors can come and take part in (or just listen to) the Sing-a-round, and there will be free snacks and a cash bar.”
PEACH PUBS, which runs The Thatch and The James Figg in Thame, won the title of Best Medium Group Pubs & Bars Employer at Caterer.com’s Best Employers in Hospitality Awards 2014, at a ceremony in London on Monday, September 29. This was the fourth time the company has won the prestigious national award.
The Thatch’s kitchen team in high spirits
To mark the win, Peach kicked off a game of ‘Best Employers Pass the Parcel’ where each pub and several of its suppliers had to pass the trophies won in the same awards in the last four years, from one pub to the next, photograph or video the evidence and celebrate with a glass of bubbly.
The challenge reached Thame on Wednesday, October 8, when The Thatch manager, Evelin Rae, took delivery of the special ‘Peach Parcel of People’ Awards and rounded her team up for a ‘then there were four’ photo, where everyone raised four fingers to show four wins.
Afterwards she ensured the parcel reached its next destination in one piece – The Fishes at North Hinksey followed by The Fleece in Witney, with everyone trying hard not to drop the parcel – the trophies inside were all made of glass.
“It’s massive to win a Best Employer in Hospitality Award and it means a great deal to me and all the team,” said Frazer Sutherland from Peach, who looks after both the Thame pubs with his two managers. “When we founded the company, we genuinely wanted to make it a special place to work and give people a real say in how the business is run and share in the rewards. Our people come first and we work hard to help them succeed.
“It’s fantastic to have this recognised, more so because these awards are voted anonymously by employees themselves. We are individuals with total enthusiasm for what we do. We make sure everyone learns what they want to learn and gets the boss they deserve. And that makes it fun…..almost every single day. That’s so rare in hospitality.”
Evelin Rae, manager of The Thatch adds, “Peach is a great place to work where you get the chance to work on your dreams and achieve them. Everyone on the team is encouraged to do that and gets recognition for what they do as well as a share in the rewards. I’ve got a great team here in the pub and it’s fantastic to be able to celebrate the award win with them by taking part in this challenge and of course by having a well-deserved glass of bubbly!”
Now in their fourth successful year, Caterer.com’s Best Employers in Hospitality Awards are recognised by employers and employees alike as a respected measure of great employers in the sector. Every year, the awards survey thousands of people who work in the industry to highlight the companies who do the most to attract, train, retain and motivate their people.
Employers of all sizes and from all sectors of the hospitality industry line up to compete but it’s down to the views of the employees themselves to determine who is a winner. More information about the awards can be found at www.bestemployersinhospitality.com
Peach is always on the look-out for people to join its award-winning partners and team. To find out more about the rewarding roles available, visit: www.peachpubs.com
THE legacy of the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics has once again been carried forward by Thame Rotary’s third edition of the Thame Swimathon at the town’s leisure centre on Sunday, October 12.
The Booker Tate team with Nichola Dixon, Deputy Mayor of Thame, and Linda Emery, President of the Rotary Club of Thame
Over 80 people of different ages swam in teams of six or so for one hour. Groups from Booker Tate, Barley Hill School, Thame Childrens’ Choir, Thame SAFARI, Citizens Advice Bureau, Racquets, Thame Swimming Club, Thame Town Council, and others were represented by enthusiastic swimmers. After the excitement of the swims, all of them were honoured by Nichola Dixon, Deputy Mayor of Thame who, together with Linda Emery, President of the Thame Rotary Club, awarded the teams with medals.
Marius Ciortan, spokesman for the Thame Rotary Club said: “All the teams had a fabulous time and have helped to pledge so far, almost £1,700 for local charities for which the Rotary Club of Thame is very grateful. However, the money continues to come in as the on-line fundraising did not stop and some teams are still busy fundraising.”
“The Thame Swimathon has now become a traditional local community event, so look out for the details of the next one in 2015.” Marius added: “Our thanks go to our sponsors, Thame Leisure Centre, Park Street Dental Clinic, Abbotts Office Solutions, Vale Life Magazine, Booker Tate, Haddenham Beer Festival, Silent View Windows, and Ignite Sport, as well as club members, friends and relatives. But special thanks must go to the teams of swimmers from Thame and the neighbouring villages without which this event could not have happened.”
THAMES Arts and Literature festival was officially launched on Friday (10/10), with festival Directors, sponsors, supporters and the Mayor of Thame, Jeannette Matelot Green, gathering at Thame Museum, to relish the delights to come of the fifth TAL festival – and the tasty nibbles provided by Chinnor caterer, Caroline Jones.
From L to R – Mayor Consort James Green, Mayor Jeannette Matelot Green, Steve Bannister, Yvonne Maxwell (TAL Directors), Luise & Brian Pattinson (Book House, Thame)
Appropriately continuing on the history theme, the keynote lecture, tomorrow, Wednesday, will be the first event of the five-day festival and will feature Charles Spencer, talking about his latest book, The Killers of the King, January, 1649. The book is about what happened to all the signatories on the Death Warrant of King Charles 1st.
As Thame was intricately involved in the Civil War, being right on ‘the front line’, and the King based in Oxford, this lecture will be of particular interest to local people. And of course, the Parliamentarian General, John Hampden, died of his wounds after the battle of Chalgrove, here in Thame.
Tickets for Charles Spencer’s talk have already sold out but there are still tickets left for several of the 29 other events on during the festival, all listed on the TAL website at http://www.talfestival.org/
Although a leaflet was posted through the door of some residents in the vicinity of the proposed development and an email sent to members of Residents’ Associations in the area, information does not generally seem to have come to the notice of others in the town.
