LIKE all communities, it is the people of Thame that make it such a special place to live and work in, and last night those who have contributed in a particular way throughout the past year have been recognised and celebrated.
Around 100 people from the business community and other groups in the town attended a reception last night (18/07) that brought forth both tears and cheers, at the Barns Centre, Thame, for the fifth Annual Thame Town Awards.
After short presentations by representatives from the Mayor, Peter Lambert’s two charities, SAFARI and Thame Players, the Mayor himself presented this year’s awards, the final winners out of a record, 60 nomination forms received this year.
The Young Achievement Award went to Michael Oatway, a student at Lord Williams?s School who has recently been elected by his peers to become a member of the UK Youth Parliament and since his election has given both his time and support to the Neighbourhood Plan, Thame Twinning Association and the Thame Business Forum.
The award for Sporting Achievement was presented to Hollie Ravenhill, also a student at Lord Williams’s. Hollie has been taking part in Riding for the Disabled since the age of three and in March 2013 came second out of 200 entrants in the Para Festival of Dressage. Since being nominated, Hollie took part in a similar dressage event and took home a Gold medal. Brazil bound?
The Voluntary Individual of the Year award went to a man who has been Chairman of the Thame Round Table twice, is a trustee of the Thame Youth Memorial and is involved with Thame Air Cadets, Iain Biddle.
This year’s Person of Courage award was presented to Tanya Seckington, a Nursery Nurse at Lord Williams’s schoo. Tanya has suffered from leukaemia for a number of years, and in the words of her nomination, has remained positive “despite pain, despair and suffering.”
The Service With A Smile award went to the Thame family business in the High Street, Butchers, M Newitt & Sons, received on behalf of all the staff by Tom Newitt.
Two Thamensians were chosen to receive Lifetime Achievement awards posthumously. The first went to Norman Lilley, a former teacher at Lord Williams?s School and Chairman of numerous Thame organisations including The League of Hospital Friends, Thame Camera Club, Thame Youth Committee and the Visually Handicapped Society. One of his sons, David, and his two grandchildren accepted the award on Norman’s behalf. David spoke of how his father would be ?highly embarrassed? to receive such an award as he was not a man to enjoy the limelight and spoke of how he, himself and the rest of the family had adopted his father’s motto which was: “People matter!”
The second recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award was John Wrench, a Thame resident since 1963 whose involvement in the community included the Thame Festival Committee, Secretary of the Thame Cricket Club for over 25 years, President of Chinnor Rugby Club, a steward and judge for Thame Show and a Governor at John Hampden Primary Schoo. John’s wife, who receive the award on his behalf, said that her husband had loved Thame, and that as soon as they visited the town 50 years earlier, John said: “This is where we are going to live.” She said that he would have been ‘very humbled and proud’ to have received the award.
As Mrs Wrench reminded us all, quoting her late husband: “If you live in a community and make it your home, you become part of that community and it will flourish and grow.”
PHOTO: Hollie Ravenhill and Michael Oatway