Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • 08/04/13….Lame pensioner’s Blue Badge disappointment

    DEAR Editor, Further to my letter of March 22, LINK in which I spoke of my relief at being told my appeal for a Blue Badge had been granted, I learned today, only because I rang up to enquire when it would arrive, that it had NOT been granted after all. I wonder if anyone would have ever told me. Apparently it was a mistake. Some mistake, some very serious disappointment ? and for some maybe, who are at my stage in life, potentially injurious, I would have thought.

    I had been told to allow 15 working days for delivery of the Badge. Today, the 14th day, I rang up to check that it was on its way and was then told by Oxon County Council that their records said my appeal had been REFUSED.

    Not according to the letter I received, I pointed out; it said they were ‘pleased to inform me’ that they could now issue the Badge. Their letter was on my desk as I spoke.

    ‘We can only apologise for the mistake’, I was told. If this was a mistake it was disgustingly casually made, and reported to me with virtual insouciance. My wife and I had made plans for very simple shopping trips based on the promise of this badge.

    The effect of the news is devastating, literally dis-appointing. I am increasingly lame, in constant pain, face the prospect of one, maybe two knee operations, and am 77 years old.

    I said in my letter to you of March 22 that I had received a fair hearing, and so I did. I also said that if the decision had gone against me I would have accepted it. I would NOT have agreed with it, however. But in these circumstances I do not accept and shall fight it.

    My application was genuine, as is my need. I shall take this a lot further.

    Yours sincerely,
    Norman Brand,
    Thame

  • 08/04/13…..The Circus is coming to Thame!

    HAND balancing, Aerial acrobats, Unicycling, Clowns and funny dogs are things you could see in a talent show on TV, but what is even better? To see it LIVE! To see the talents from so close that normally only the judges can see them. This is now possible because Circus Ginnett is coming to Thame from April 10 to 16, with a brand new show!

    ?Lovely show folks, the little one loved it too. Can I say the small things count too like the way we were welcomed; you are all a friendly bunch and that is a bigger bonus. Of course the show was brilliant too!?

    This is only one of the many positive reactions Circus Ginnett had about the 2012 show. So Circus director, Patrick Austin, continues his 200 year old family tradition with an all-new show for 2013 with new, international artists from Hungary, Holland, Ireland and the UK.

    Lights off?. Spot on, let the show begin! In a one and a half hour show circus Ginnett presents to you, for the first time in England, clown Anton! Dutch clown Anton has smuggled all his craziness into The UK.
    Patrick is back with his police dog Vader. With his hilarious antics Vader is preventing Patrick to steal the jewellery in the roof of the big top. Together they will make you fall off your chair with laughter.

    Jenny from the UK will make her entrance on the aerial net. Sparkling in the roof of the big top, she will amaze you with elegance and grace. Eva will amaze you with her sword and knife balancing skills. Danni Endresz with his dare devil unicycle skills!!!! And lets not forget about Lui all the way from Hungary!! And his blinking lamp post!!! Will he ever get that light to stay on?

    A mix of sizzling excitement, perfectionism and up-tempo humor awaits you in the latest production of circus Ginnett. The result is a smooth running, fun filled performance that captivates the audience from the beginning to the end; a show that once again proves that circus art is valued entertainment for all ages!

    The long family history and the friendly image makes Circus Ginnett truly unique entertainment. As soon as you step into our big top you will feel the magic called circus.

    Enough said ….come and enjoy what the traditional circus still has to offer!

    For more information or to book tickets call TEL: 07582 35 36 34 visit www.circusginnett.com or find us on facebook. Just enter ‘Circus Ginnett’.

    SOURCE: Press release

  • 08/04/13…..Danish drama at Thame Cinema 4 All

    THAME Cinema 4 All presents: The Hunt, this Saturday, April 13; Made in Denmark – released 2012, 88 minutes, 15 certificate; Directed by Thomas Vinterberg, Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Susse Wold, Thomas Bo Larsen

    Vinterberg?s latest is a brilliant Danish drama about a man wrongly accused of paedophilia thanks to the dangerous lies told by an innocent child. Mikkelsen is outstanding in the role of school teacher Lucas. Life has been difficult ? he lost a job because of local cuts, has been forced into a lowlier position at a nursery school, and is engaged in a bitter dispute with his ex-wife over access to his teenaged son. Just when things seem to be looking up ? he is well liked in his small community, and has found a new girlfriend – he becomes the victim of a small act of revenge.

    The daughter of a friend is slighted when Lucas refuses a gift. Peevish and hurt, she decides to tell the school administrator that Lucas has exposed himself to her. Child psychologists and police are called in, and mounting suspicion escalates against the increasingly marginalised and paranoid hero. It is a frightening and all too believable story, told with intelligence and maturity, with gripping suspense. It asks important and timely questions about community and the ease with which perfectly reasonable people can be swept up by group hysteria.

  • 08/04/12….Sponsorship opportunities with Thame Carnival

    THAME Carnival Committee is looking for local businesses to support and sponsor one or all of the six banners/posters that are displayed on all the roundabouts and entrances coming into Thame.

    The banners/posters will include the carnival image and information about the carnival, which will be displayed alongside sponsoring businesses logo.

    The theme for this year’s carnival is ‘Musicals’

    Please contact Mark: 07733333798

  • 06/04/13….Easter Rugby Camp CANCELLED

    CHINNOR Rugby Club’s Easter Rugby Camp in Thame, planned for next week, has been cancelled.

    Honorary Club Secretary, Carol Bradbrook Taylor, said: “Clearly the cold weather has resulted in a reduced number of confirmations for the Easter Rugby Camp. As a result we have had to cancel the camp planned for next week.”

  • 05/04/13….’Bleak, road trip comedy’ at Thame Cinema

    THIS Friday, April 5, Thame Cinema 4 All presents SIGHTSERS. Released in the UK in 2012, the film is 88 minutes long, and a 15 certificate. It is Directed by Ben Wheatley, Starring Steve Oram and Alice Lowe.

    This bleak British road trip comedy has earned four or five star reviews from film goers and critics alike. Tina lives a life apparently trapped into permanent singlehood, supporting her needy and dependent harridan of a mother. That is until a new boyfriend arrives on the scene ? Chris ? who whisks her away on a dream romantic holiday ? a caravan tour of the British Isles. Chris is disgruntled and malcontent and, it turns out, inclined to violent retribution for any slight ? dropping litter, being a bit pompous and middle class, that sort of thing.

    He is, it would seem, a bit of a psychopath. But Tina finds herself joining in, unleashing her erotic potential at the same time as she develops a taste for murderous carnage, finding she shares Chris? violent disdain for most other people.

    This blackest of black comedies is a sort of hybrid of Badlands / Bonnie and Clyde / Natural Born Killers and Nuts in May, with plenty of observational comedy reminiscent of Victoria Wood or Allen Bennett, and affection for the northern landscapes and banal tourist attractions. But be warned ? comparisons with Wood or Bennett or Mike Leigh should not lull you into thinking this is comfortable territory: Wheatley well and truly lets rip and simmering tensions and resentments explode into graphic violence. Transgressive, confronting, confident, chilling ? a real one off.

    SOURCE: Contributed by Catriona Gilmour Hamilton

  • 05/04/13….’Bleak, road trip comedy’ at Thame Cinema

    THIS Friday, April 5, Thame Cinema 4 All presents SIGHTSERS. Released in the UK in 2012, the film is 88 minutes long, and a 15 certificate. It is Directed by Ben Wheatley, Starring Steve Oram and Alice Lowe.

    This bleak British road trip comedy has earned four or five star reviews from film goers and critics alike. Tina lives a life apparently trapped into permanent singlehood, supporting her needy and dependent harridan of a mother. That is until a new boyfriend arrives on the scene ? Chris ? who whisks her away on a dream romantic holiday ? a caravan tour of the British Isles. Chris is disgruntled and malcontent and, it turns out, inclined to violent retribution for any slight ? dropping litter, being a bit pompous and middle class, that sort of thing.

    He is, it would seem, a bit of a psychopath. But Tina finds herself joining in, unleashing her erotic potential at the same time as she develops a taste for murderous carnage, finding she shares Chris? violent disdain for most other people.

    This blackest of black comedies is a sort of hybrid of Badlands / Bonnie and Clyde / Natural Born Killers and Nuts in May, with plenty of observational comedy reminiscent of Victoria Wood or Allen Bennett, and affection for the northern landscapes and banal tourist attractions. But be warned ? comparisons with Wood or Bennett or Mike Leigh should not lull you into thinking this is comfortable territory: Wheatley well and truly lets rip and simmering tensions and resentments explode into graphic violence. Transgressive, confronting, confident, chilling ? a real one off.

    SOURCE: Contributed by Catriona Gilmour Hamilton

  • 05/04/13….Medic recognised for breakthrough in brain research

    A doctor from Worminghall, near Thame, along with his team, has been recognised for a breakthrough in brain research that could potentially improve outcomes for millions of stroke victims in the future.

    Professor Alastair Buchan, Head of the Medical Sciences Division and Dean of the Medical School at Oxford University, led the work on explaining how the brain is able to protect itself from damage that occurs in stroke.

    The Oxford University researchers, including Professor Buchan’s collaborators in Calgary, Germany and Athens, hope that harnessing this inbuilt biological mechanism, identified in rats, could help in treating stroke and preventing other neurodegenerative diseases in the future.

    In an interview with Science Daily, Professor Buchan said: “We have shown for the first time that the brain has mechanisms that it can use to protect itself and keep brain cells alive.”

    Read the full article in Science Daily HERE

  • 05/04/13…..Police addressing illegal parking in Thame

    IN the latest Thame Sector neighbourhood policing update from Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Chris Hollis, he reports that fixed penalty notices have been issued for parking on the double yellow lines in Thame High Street.

    Anti-social behaviour is a top priority for local officers and Chris Hollis reports that they have received reports of people littering in the Southern Road Recreational Ground in Thame. They therefore will be patrolling this park to deter any further ASB issues.

    Throughout the Thame Sector neighbourhood, which includes Watlington and Chinnor, there were 16 offenders brought to justice in March. Offences included Shoplifting, Aggravated Vehicle Taking, Drugs Possession, offences against the Public Order Act and Theft.

    To read PCSO Chris Hollis’s full report, go to /www.thamesvalley.police.uk

    ASSOCIATED NEWS: Abuse of parking raised by council

  • 05/04/13…Wanted.: Thame people to help Get Britain Bouncing

    THAME folk are being asked to sign up to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust by getting one million people nationwide bouncing on the same day.

    Get Britain Bouncing is calling for clubs, schools, businesses and individuals in the town to take part in National Get Britain Bouncing Day on June 27, during Cystic Fibrosis Week.

    Martin Schofield, Chief Executive Officer of Super Tramp, which is supporting the safe trampolining campaign, explained: ?We are hoping to get one million people bouncing during National Get Britain Bouncing Day so we are calling on people in Thame to sign up.

    ?You don?t need a trampoline to take part, you could be on a rebounder, space hopper or pogo stick, you just need to bounce. Get Britain Bouncing aims to publicise trampolining as a fun and safe activity for all the family and we think this is a great way to highlight how much fun bouncing is.”

    To sign up for the event and for further information, visit www.getbritainbouncing.org.uk

    The initiative is supported by the national trampoline manufacturer, supplier and retailer, Super Tramp, which is committed to helping the nation enjoy bouncing safely. The company helped found the organisation by bringing various bodies together and is sponsoring it.

    The Cystic Fibrosis Trust will be involved with the initiative too and will highlight the health benefits of bouncing to cystic fibrosis sufferers. Get Britain Bouncing will also help to raise funds for the charity.

    Martin added: ?National Get Britain Bouncing Day is an awareness day but we have organised it during the Cystic Fibrosis Trust?s fundraising and awareness week, Cystic Fibrosis Week, which runs from June 24 until 30. We are encouraging people to raise money on the day through a