Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • 25/03/13….Rugby club gains prestigious ‘Accreditation’ status

    IN its 50th anniversary year, Chinnor RFC which has been based in Thame for 30 years, has something very special to boast about. The Rugby Football Union has awarded the club Accreditation status.

    This great achievement began with a complete review by the Chinnor RFC of its activities on and off the pitch when it asked all members to complete a survey. This was followed up with a workshop involving a cross selection of members to review the responses.

    Carol Bradbrook-Taylor, Honorary Club Secretary, explained. “We were keen to get opinions from those who are not directly involved in the day-to-day running of the Club. This helped us understand how members view the Club and to consider its future development on and off the pitch. The phrase SUCCESS WITH GROWTH summed this process up. The learning from this process informed a development plan which, together with existing good practices, allowed the RFU to judge whether Chinnor RFC met the high standards of an Accredited Club.”

    As an Accredited Club, The RFU found Chinnor RFC to have effective and efficient plans and processes to

    ? Retain and develop players
    ? Recruit new players
    ? Recruit and retain high quality coaches,
    volunteers and referees
    ? Maintain and develop effective and efficient
    facilities
    ? Manage and govern effectively and efficiently
    ? Further integrate with the local community

    But it doesn’t stop there. SPORT ENGLAND has also awarded Chinnor RFC ClubMark status. This measures Chinnor RFC against a number of criteria to determine if the club achieves a high standard of providing:

    ? A playing/participation programme
    ? A duty of care and safeguarding and protecting
    children
    ? Knowledge of how the club works especially in
    regard to its community
    ? Top quality club management

    The Club has an active volunteer base of some 150 people managed by a Committee of 10 responsible for the day to day running of the Club which was recently incorporated by guarantee. The Board maintains the strong overview required by a Club and a business which has over 1100 members, one of the largest in Oxfordshire.

    A new Action Plan relating to further improving coaching, hosting a foreign team, and to improve the clubhouse facilities and pitches is under way. “We are on target to achieve these in time for the annual Accreditation review,” concluded Carol

  • 25/03/13……Scouts make the most of a ‘rubbish’ day

    DESPITE the bitterly cold weather on Sunday, Thame scouts and their helpers scoured the Phoenix Trail for rubbish as part of Thame Tidy Day 2013.

    Here they are at the end of their days work with just some of the rubbish collected on the trail.

  • 24/03/13….Thame Players Theatre – Far From the Madding Crowd

    CLASSICAL theatre with a contemporary twist! At The Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame; FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD – By THOMAS HARDY, Adapted for the stage by Connie Stephens – Sunday, March 24, 7.45 pm.

    More information HERE

  • 23/03/13….It’s a date! A Day Out in Thame – English Tourism Week

    THAME has been in the news recently and its thriving High Street (the third most successeful in the country!) is attracting a lot of attention, but there’s a lot more to Thame than just its fabulous shops!

    And to prove the point, 21st Century Thame, along with South Oxfordshire District Council, is organising a special day in the town to coincide with English Tourism Day 2013, to show of our history, culture and environment and just how much there is to do if you spend ‘A Day Out In Thame’ on Saturday, March 23.

    Special events on the day confirmed so far include town tours with local historians, Dance displays by the Haddenham Hoofers, guided tours of the Cuttlebrook Nature Reserve and lots of special shopping events and offers including from Rumsey’s Chocolaterie, a chance to win a wonderful bouquet at Bizzie Lizzies and a chance to win for some great shopping vouchers as you visit Thame’s Loyalty Card member business and collect stamps on a special programme.

    Why not play ‘Spot the Cow’? Thame Cows have become a bit of a celebrity and we invite you to try and find them all. It’s not just a bit of fun; they’ll help you discover all that Thame has on offer … so you can plan your next visit!

    Oh, and we’ve got some truly great pubs (including a micro brewery) and some wonderful eateries!

    For more information visit: http://www.southernoxfordshire.com/make_a_day_of_it_in_thame.php and http://www.southernoxfordshire.com/make_it_a_day_to_shop_in_thame.php

    But keep your eye on the website for even more events as they are confirmed.

  • 22/03/13……Digger & dumper truck stolen – Thame

    BETWEEN 4.45pm on Wednesday (20/3) and 7.30am on Thursday (21/3), a Kubota digger valued at

  • 22/03/13….Haddenham station to get free Wi Fi

    HADDENHAM and Thame Parkway station is to be among the first to offer free Wi Fi as part of a roll-out across 24 stations over Chiltern Rail’s network.

    The first station, Warwick Parkway, has already been connected and the WiFi service is live from today with Warwick and Haddenham & Thame Parkway following next week.

    WiFi at all connected stations will be free to all customers for up to an hour each day.

    The stations that will receive the WiFi are: London Marylebone, South Ruislip, Northolt Park, West Ruislip, Wembley Stadium, Denham, High Wycombe, Gerrards Cross, Seer Green, Beaconsfield, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Stoke Mandeville, Wendover, Great Missenden, Haddenham & Thame Parkway, Bicester North, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Warwick and Warwick Parkway, Dorridge, Solihull and Birmingham Moor Street.

    IMAGE: Courtesy of crunklygill via flickr

  • 22/03/13…Public space occupied – 13 years into the Millenium

    THIRTEEN years into the new Millenium, a space reserved to mark the occasion has been filled, with a European Redwood Planter now a feature of the Millennium Circle in the centre of Thame.

    Originally constructed in 1999 to mark the Millennium, what should go on the circle has been the subject of much discussion and debate by the town council over the years. There was even a competition once for suggestions, but none of the ideas and designs were deemed acceptable or were unaffordable.

    The council has said that in providing the new seat, its aim is: “to give the area a strong identity similar to that of the Buttermarket and Swan Walk.

    “Recently, the Millenium circle had become used as a popular parking spot, not only damaging the pavement but spoiling the appearance of Thame. The Millennium Planter will reinvigorate this area of the town and restore its use as a place for pausing and soaking up the atmosphere of this vibrant town.”

    Funding for the planter-seat came from South Oxfordshire District Council’s Town and Larger Villages Infrastructure Fund.

  • 21/03/13…Pub locals help landlords ‘Thai’ the knot !

    A group of locals from the Rising Sun Thai restaurant and pub in Thame, including the bride’s Parents, travelled to Thailand recently for the wedding of Jay Kansikam to Patsy Phanthamat.

    The wedding took place on March 3, at a beach location in the Rayong area of Thailand. The experience made a lasting impression on Brian West, the Rising Sun’s regular pub quizmaster who described what happened: “The setting for the wedding was a veranda with a backdrop of a white sandy beach and the ceremony was traditional Thai. The bride and groom heads were joined by holy strings, which signified the joining of the two people.

    “After the rings were exchanged, the couple were then blessed by the Buddhist Monks. There were nine of them, chanting for about 45 minutes. When this was finished, the congregation was requested to step forward and, in turn, take a bowl of rice and place a portion in each of the Monk?s bowls. It was only after the Monks had been fed and had left, that the congregation were allowed to eat their lunch.”

    Finally, continued Brian: “The reception was held that evening with a meal, dancing and the setting off of Thai lanterns to ward off evil spirits.”

    Now back in Thame, it’s business as usual at The Rising Sun, but the shared experience of Jay and Patsy’s wedding will no doubt be a talking point for the locals for some time to come.

  • 22/03/13…..Sports funding up for grabs!

    SPORTS clubs in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse have another opportunity to apply for funding to improve their facilities. In total,

  • 22/03/13……..My Blue Badge Plea Got A Fair Hearing

    Dear Editor, Having become increasingly lame in recent years I eventually began to wonder whether to apply for a ?Blue Badge?. This was because, for example, I began to need to make two separate trips by car into town if I wanted to go to Waitrose and also, say, to the post office. The short distance on foot between the two had begun to be daunting and very painful.

    My doctor advised me to enquire at the Town Hall and from there I received a lengthy form to complete. It seems that the rules for issue of the badges are very strict and detailed. Readers might be interested to know how things went for me.

    I posted my application to Oxfordshire County Council and not too long afterwards I received a reply refusing my request. They were not satisfied that I met the eligibility criteria. If anyone is interested to know more about these there is a good deal of information on this site LINK HERE

    I fully appreciate that Blue Badges can?t be handed out like confetti but I am waiting to have a partial knee replacement and maybe another, on the other knee, later on. So I decided it was worth appealing against the decision, an option offered in the letter of refusal.

    In due course I was invited to see a County Council Occupational Therapist in Oxford for an assessment. This was a friendly but very thorough meeting which lasted an hour. I thought I was lost, though. For some reason my walking was easier than it had been for long before, or since that meeting. It was like one?s toothache vanishing when one walks into the dentist.

    My impression at the time, though sympathetically conveyed to me, was that there was little likelihood that I would be awarded the badge. If there was a prospect of improvement, it seemed the guidelines would go against me. Well, that?s what operations are for, I thought: to get better. The trouble is that the Badges are issued for three years. I asked if it was possible to have one for six months, but there is no provision for shorter periods.

    I provided copies of letters from my surgeon and of the X Ray, and very full details of my medical condition and general health were noted. The therapist walked with me back to my car (this was part of the assessment). We shook hands amiably ? I actually rather enjoyed the interview ? and I drove home, resigned to failing in my appeal for a Blue Badge. Well I tried anyway?

    Perhaps it was the surgeon?s letters. Perhaps it was the X Ray. Perhaps it was the possibility of a further operation, but I received a letter this week telling me that I am to receive a Blue Badge.

    During the appeal process I learned that there are 29,000 Blue Badge holders in Oxfordshire – if my memory serves me right. I can?t confirm that figure here but if that is the case I can see the Council has a problem. However, perhaps my experience indicates that it?s worth persisting if one thinks one has a reasonable case.

    I think if my appeal had gone the other way I would still feel I had been given a thorough and fair hearing.

    Norman Brand