A THAME man has admitted to Magistrates that he stole alcohol from the BP garage in the town.
Robert Appleby, 20, of Chowns Close, Thame, admitted shoplifting alcohol valued at
Author: Sonja Francis
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01/11/11…How to attract media, visitors and funding
IF you are a small or medium sized enterprise, give two hours of your time and we?ll give you practical ideas and suggestions to help improve your profits. There are four ?how to? sessions: increase your media coverage; use events to attract more people; apply for and use LEADER funds; encourage visitors to stay in the area and spend money in your business. Each session is led by an expert in their field.
DATE & TIME: Wednesday 9 November. Start: 2.00pm for 2.30pm. Close 4.30pm
VENUE: Millets Farm Centre, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5HB 01865 391169 LINK?Getting media attention? BBC Oxford?s Wesley Smith will be talking about radio, TV and on-line coverage. What are journalists looking for? Why would they feature your product or business? What will make them cover your event? Wesley knows his subject inside out, he knows the local area very well and is an entertaining speaker.
?Events ? why it?s worth the effort? Sarah Osborne from TEAM discusses the benefits of events ? from small scale wine-tasting or book signings up to themed weekends and full-scale town events. Paul Bellchambers, The Late Chef and organiser of Wallingford Food Festival, will be bringing his experiences of what has worked (and what has not) during his years in the food industry. What are some of the immediate positive effects as well as the longer lasting opportunities to build your brand and expand your customer base?
?LEADER funding ? what is it and how to get it? This is a short session led by Kate Forrest who has helped a number of businesses develop their ideas assisted by the LEADER fund. If you want more information in advance, log onto: LINK
?Getting a slice of the visitor pound? Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, England?s historic market towns, proximity to London and Oxford, Midsomer Murders ? these are just a few of the things that bring millions of visitors into Southern Oxfordshire. How can you get more of them to visit you? Sarah Osborne looks at ways you can use the assets of the local area to enhance your product; whilst Susie Hunt from the visitor attraction, Waterperry Gardens, tells us how she gets people through the door by making a small marketing budget go a long way.
A FREE event organised by the economic development team of South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Councils – economic.development@southandvale.gov.uk
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01/11/11….Record entry for National Racketball Doubles championship
THE National Racketball Doubles Championship, this year held at Racquets Health and Fitness Club in Thame, attracted a recorded entry.
A full sixteen draw in the Men?s event was closely followed by a near capacity turn out in a quality
based, Mixed tournament. The Ladies category was played as a round robin with pairs guaranteed four matches over the weekend.The England Squash & Racketball Championship was run in partnership with Simon Martin from Racquets with both parties very pleased with the event?s success. Simon commented: “As a club we are very proud to be associated with such a prestigious tournament and hope
that the refurbished facilities that were kindly funded by ESR were to the liking of all competitors”.The Ladies’ Championship was won by the Dorset pairing of Bev Vatcher and Vic Jarvis, narrowly overcoming a fierce challenge from Sam Mueller and local girl, Beth John. It was testament to the event that all pairs were in with a chance of winning on Saturday evening,
such was the overall quality of the draw.In the Mixed final, the Somerset pairing of Natalie Lawrence and Robert Watkins were no match for the 2008 champions, Julie Lawton and Jim Lord. The experienced Lawton and the stylish Lord completed a comfortable 3-0 victory.
The Men’s clash proved an absolute classic between two times Champions Matt Baker (Devon) and Jim Lord (Yorks) and challengers Christian Turner (Devon) and Rob Watkins (Avon). Most of the capacity crowd anticipated a comfortable victory for the pairing of Baker and Lord but the opposition had very different ideas as they stormed into a 2-0 lead.
The reigning champions showed their determination as they rallied to level at 2-2, and once again many felt experience would tell in the deciding set. It was not to be as Turner and Watkins continued with their strategy of power and strength and prevailed 12-10 in the fifth set to a standing ovation.
Full Scores
Men’s Final:
Christian Turner and Rob Watkins bt Matt Baker and Jim Lord 3-2 (12/10, 12/10, 8/11, 8/11,
12/10)Mixed Final:
Julie Lawton and Jim Lord bt Nat Lawrence
and Rob Watkins 3-0 (11/8, 11/9,
11/7)Ladies Winners:
Bev Vatcher and Vic Jarvis (13 points)Ladies Runners-up:
Sam Mueller and Beth John (12 points)Mixed Final Winners: Julie Lawton and Jim Lord
PHOTO: Mixed Final Winners: Julie Lawton and Jim Lord
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01/11/11…..First away defeat for Thame United
Hellenic League Cup, Round two – 29/10/11 – Ardley United 3, Thame United 0 – Match report (Contributed)
THAME United suffered their first away defeat of the season on Saturday, when they lost 3-0 to 2nd placed Ardley United. With regular goalkeeper Nick Bennion injured, the game saw the debut of Elliott Bernstein, who has played at a higher level. Whereas the debut of an outfield player is generally not crucial to the outcome of a game it is not the same for a goalkeeper. Unfortunately, Bernstein had a mixed debut and although he made some fine saves, he was at fault the first goal and perhaps ?could have done better? for the third.
After an even start, Thame went behind in the 7th minute when a long cross from Ardley defender Carl Standen was misjudged by Bernstein, who turned the ball into his own net. Thame should have equalised in the 15th minute when Stuart Barr, who was in a striker role, was blatantly pushed in the back as he was about to head home in the 6-yard box. Unbelievably referee Williamson waved play on. Shortly after Ian Pykett was fouled during an Ardley attack, but Williamson also missed this infringement. A few minutes before the break, Bernstein made two good saves, and there was a one goal deficit at half time.
Ardely?s second goal came 2 minutes after the restart when winger Nick Thorn made a run on the left and his marker, Nik Rhodes, slipped allowing him to hit a shot from an acute angle, giving Bernstein no chance. Minutes later Bernstein made a quality save from a strong shot. Thame came back and Barr was unlucky to see a shot go just wide. Ardley?s final goal came from a ball through the middle which was picked up by Ryan Brooks in enough space to dribble pass the oncoming Bernstein before slotting the ball into an empty net. United brought on substitutes and Barr, who had an excellent game, moved to a defensive role, allowing Aaron Rogers and newcomer Alex Woodfine to form the striking duo. Thame pressed, and Matt Hall hit the cross-bar with a long range shot. Minutes later Adam Little hit an on-target shot which was deflected out for a corner. The hosts were forced to defend for the final 10 minutes, as Thame piled on the pressure, but they restricted further chances and will progress to the next round.
Thame United, Bernstein, I Pykett (Woodfine), Hall, N. Rhodes (Meredith), Steadman (Little), Keeble, Cowan, West, Barr, Rogers, Ricketts
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01/11/11….New scheme to help women in the distirct get active
A new scheme has been launched in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse to encourage women to become more active.
?Active Women? will target women with children under the age of 16 to help them increase their activity levels and become more involved in sport.
The scheme works by specifically targeting locations in the two districts, including Thame North, where there are a high number of women with children, and providing them with a selection of sports, based on which were the most popular with women in these areas.
In South Oxfordshire up to 105 women in Aston Rowant, Benson, Crowmarsh, Didcot Ladygrove and Thame North will benefit from netball, badminton, tennis and athletics sessions, which will be arranged specifically for them.
Where suitable, childcare arrangements will be made available at the sessions in both districts.
?Active Women? is a Sport England scheme, funded by the National Lottery, which supports projects around the country designed to get women with children more active. The scheme is the second part of a multi-themed project designed to tackle gaps in sports participation.
The scheme in South and Vale is also receiving funding from Active Nation, GLL/Nexus Community, Oxfordshire Sports Partnership, SOLL Leisure, South Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse District Council.
The scheme will be run in South and Vale by the new Active Women co-ordinator, Lil Roe. Women living in the targeted areas, as well as any local coaches or potential volunteers, who wish to get involved with the Active Women sessions should contact Lil on 01491 823135.
Cllr Bill Service, cabinet member for leisure in South Oxfordshire, said: ?The Active Women scheme will provide a fantastic opportunity for women with children to get more active, try sports that they haven?t done before, and make new friends in the process.?
Cllr Elaine Ware, cabinet member for leisure in the Vale, said: ?We know that women have less opportunity to participate in sporting activities when they have children to look after, so we hope that by bringing these specially targeted sessions to them they are able to enjoy playing sport again.?
IMAGE: Courtesy of blogs.culture.gov.uk
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01/11/11…..Read conclusions of Thame Town Plan consultation so far
A REPORT detailing the findings so far of the public consultation currently being carried out to formulate a Thame Town Plan, is now available.
Sadly, the report states where the workshops etc have been publicised but does not acknowledge ThameNews.Net, despite the fact that we have been instrumental in reporting and publicising the events. Hey Ho…
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31/10/11….Local authorities win test case against Icelandic banks
A decision by the Supreme Court in the Landsbanki and Glitnir test case trials in Iceland will mean that local authorities, including Oxfordshire, who had millions of pounds invested will get most of their money back.
In response, the following statement was issued this afternoon on behalf of the Thames valley Police Authority, who had
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31/10/11….Early scare ‘galvanises’ Chinnor into action
AFTER an early scare, Chinnor overcame local side Amersham and Chiltern, recovering from 16-0 down to win 39-16 on Saturday, October 29.
Chinnor were metaphorically still in the changing room when Amersham and Chiltern scored the first try of the match in the 40th second of the game. Retaining the ball from the kick-off, Chiltern moved the ball rapidly to left wing Jerry Rice who dotted down in the corner. With Bugden?s conversion, the Bucks side were 7-0 up with just one minute on the clock.
Chiltern kept up the pressure on the home side and 10 minutes later scored the first of a triple set of penalty goals from the reliable boot of Ross Bugden. By the half hour, Chinnor were shell shocked and Amersham and Chiltern were 16-0 up.
Chinnor then began to settle down. A midfield penalty against the visitors from Bucks on the 32nd minute led to a catch and long drive to the line, with Gilbert touching down for Chinnor’s first try. With Cathcart’s conversion, Chinnor trailed by 7-16 at the interval.
The halftime talk clearly galvanised Chinnor who now came out all guns blazing. With the wind now at their backs, Chinnor pressed the Chiltern line. Inches from the line, the referee gave the visiting Rice a 10 minute rest for lying over the ball. The catch and drive from the resultant penalty saw Gilbert again touch down on the 48th minute for Chinnor’s second try of the day to reduce the deficit to 16-12 to Chiltern. Chinnor took the opportunity to replace Mowbray with Ramsdale.
Awarded a penalty on the halfway line, Cathcart made excellent use of the breeze to slot a penalty goal for Chinnor to reduce Chiltern’s lead to just one point, 16-15. On the 64th minute, Chinnor got a slight nudge forward at scrum on the Chiltern’s 22m line. A wayward pass was expertly collected by Goode whose arcing run allowed him a simple try under the posts, easily converted by Cathcart to allow Chinnor to take the lead for the first time in the match by 22-16. Three minutes later a penalty goal from Cathcart increased Chinnor’s lead to 25-16. At this point Chinnor brought on Whelan for Pickett and Prinsloo for Williams.
Prinsloo?s first touch was most significant. A precise cross field kick from Cathcart was neatly fielded by Prinsloo who, in one motion, collected he ball, sidestepped his marker and slipped a pass inside. Two more inside passes later saw Harrison cantering through the posts for Chinnor’s bonus try. With Cathcart’s conversion, Chinnor now held a 32-16 lead. A few minutes later, left wing Colver came into midfield looking for work and accelerated on to a short pass to slice through the opposing defence for a score under the posts. Cathcart converted to give a final score in favour of Chinnor of 39-16.
Amersham’s intensity from the start of the match took Chinnor by surprise and for the first half-hour the visitors were in control of the match, belying their low position in the league. Fortunately for Chinnor a degree of patience and intelligence was rediscovered and they systematically came back into the match. At one point the visitors from Bucks were 16-0 ahead. Chinnor did well then to halt further scores and pile on 39 unanswered points.
The wind was a significant factor in the match and a number of prodigious touchfinders from Cathcart helped turn the match in Chinnor’s favour. Chiltern?s kicker, Bugden, was also reliable with the boot and Chiltern scrum-half Polataivao was a constant threat throughout the match for Chinnor. Chinnor will be pleased that their forwards got them back into the match with Gilbert maintaining his average of a try per game and for some moments of sheer class from the backs.
Scorers:
Chinnor: Gilbert 2T; Goode T; Harrison T; Colver T; Cathcart 4C, 2PG
Amersham & Chiltern: Rice T; Bugden C, 3PGChinnor team:
Gray, Williams (Prinsloo 69), Goode, Stoop, Colver, Cathcart, Jones, Winpenny, Tattersall, Pickett (Whelan 68), Jackman, Smith, Mowbray (Ramsdale 49), Harrison, Gilbert
Replacements: Whelan, Ramsdale, PrinslooSTATUS: Contributed by Bill O’Donnell
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31/10/11…..Tube challenge gets solid support from Brick Development Association
THE Brick Development Association (BDA) has announced its support of the Purple Frog Tube Challenge to be held on November 9, in aid of Sue Ryder Care. Their sponsorship of one of the teams trying to visit 270 London Underground stations in one day neatly brings together modern day fundraising challenges and Victorian underground brick architecture.
During the day, 10 teams will travel through the entire London Underground network exiting each and every station to take photos of the entrance as proof of check in. The Brick Development Agency will also be setting a secret challenge for their team to complete during the day. Let?s all hope it isn?t to count how many bricks were used in the entire tunnel network!
To see the progress of the teams on the day visit the challenge page LINKThe story of the London Underground began with Charles Pearson, the first in a succession of underground visionaries. It was he who first proposed the notion of ?trains in drains? in 1845, when the railway was a relatively new invention and his persistence helped persuade the House of Commons to approve a bill in 1853 to build a subterranean railway between Paddington and Farringdon. Excavation began in 1860, with a shallow trench dug and brick walls built beneath Euston Road and then covered over.
This became the initial route for the Metropolitan line and was instantly hailed a success, with 11.8 million passengers (the population of London was about 3.2 million) braving the foul, smoke-filled conditions in its first year. As the Metropolitan expanded westwards, it opened up new areas for Londoners to move to, and the overcrowded city slowly started to expand.
The success of the Metropolitan led to the building of the District Line along the Victoria Embankment, and then the creation of a Circle Line to link the two. The completion of the Circle Line marked the last of the sub-surface lines, built by the simple, cut-and-cover method. Advances in tunneling and the use of electrified rails now allowed for the building of deep-level lines that gave birth to the phrase ?tube? and allowed London?s network to really connect the dots beneath the capital.If you wish to support the challenge you can donate by mobile : Text TUBE50
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31/10/11….Core Srategy Inspector’s hearings this week – timetable
THIS week sees the latest round of hearings to be held by the Inspector reviewing the controversial Core Strategy that will decide housing and economic development in Thame and the rest of South Oxfordshire, to 2026.
The timetable for the hearings is HERE
ThameNews.Net will be covering the Thursday hearing which will concentrate on Thame.