Author: Sonja Francis

ANYONE walking into Thame town hall on Saturday night expecting to find a typical Thame quiz night, might very well had gazed around and wondered if they had come to the right place!

Thame Twinning Association’s Royal Wedding Quiz was indeed, as our American friends might say, ‘something else.’

The offer of prizes for the best dressed table as well as for the most points scored in the quiz, certainly inspired several teams to get into the wedding spirit and search out bridal veils and some gorgeous hats, and in at least one team’s case, to raid the dressing up box!

The winning team, whose name is unrepeatable on a family website, was a regular team from the Cross Keys pub in Thame, consisting of four men dressed as women, two of them as brides, the other two as possibly mother of the bride, and their female partners as grooms; all looking rather dapper in dark suits, bow ties, and in one case, a top hat. These bastions of the community, including your editor, a local florist, a chairmaker, the local farrier, two local writers of romantic fiction, a security advisor to the Metropolitan police and and ex headmaster, swept the board by winning both prizes.

Quizmaster for the evening was Jeannette Matelot Green, Chair of Thame Twinning, whose questions on literature, music, the Royals, food and drink and France, were varied enough to give everyone the opportunity to contribute, rounding off with a picture round of other famous Williams and Kates.

At the end of an epic evening’s entertainment, Jeannette and her committee of helpers were thanked for all their hard work and a bouquet of flowers presented to Jeannette.

In total the evening raised over

THAME Town Council has recommended approval of a replacement planning application to move Thame cattlemarket to the Thame show ground in Kingsey Road – despite some reservations!

The new plan is very similar to a previously approved planning application which runs out in a few weeks, except that the applicant, R G Williams (TCM) Ltd, propose to move the entrance a few metres along the Kingsey Road.

The application has however, attracted over 100 letters and on-line representations from local residents and others, which can be viewed on SODC’s website at:
http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/ccm/support/Main.jsp?MODULE=ApplicationDetails&REF=P11/E0622 where details of the application can be viewed.

At Tuesday’s meeting of Thame Town Council’s Planning & Environment committee, Cllr Nigel Champken Woods said that he felt the plan still does not address problems that could arise because of the access, and that he feared the development would add to exciting problems for vehicles leaving Lea Park.

Cllr Mike Welply was concerned that foul water drainage into currently unadopted drains on Lea Park, from the Cattlemarket could cause problems.

Cllr David Dodds said that he thought the associated buildings would be “decidedly more visible in the landscape” than the previous plan.

Cllr Helena Fickling pointed out that a Bund was included in the plan, but that there appeared to be no provision for pedestrians and cyclists to the access.

Councillors were also concerned that there was insufficient parking for the regular big sheep sales and other larger events.

The plan will next go to SODC’s planning committee shortly which will decide whether to approve the plan or not.

THE children at Tetsworth Primary School celebrated the Royal Wedding in style yesterday – by holding a wedding of their own! They began by making flower arrangements and button holes and then went off to St Giles’ Church in Tetsworth where the Reverend Peter Waterson talked them through a wedding service.

The sun shone, the organ played and the bridal party made its way down the aisle to the waiting bridegroom and best man. After the vows and the signing of the register, the congregation threw confetti and then made their way back to school for the wedding breakfast, speeches and the all important wedding cake, made by Teaching Assistant Mrs Jenny Mann. At the end of the day, all the children took home a bone china Royal Wedding commemorative mug – something to remind them of their exciting and special day.

Mrs Alison Charlton, Head of Teaching and Learning, said ?What a truly wonderful day. The children have been learning about the forthcoming Royal Wedding and thoroughly enjoyed acting out a wedding for themselves. I would like to thank Reverend Waterson for his part in making this unique occasion so special for all the children.?

SOURCE: Contributed

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for anyone with information about an incident in which caravan hitchings were stolen from a caravan centre in Thame.

The stolen items are 51 ALKO branded caravan hitchings.

Between 00.51am and 3.30am on Thursday (14/4), CCTV footage shows two men climbing over the gate then load a trolley with caravan hitchings which they take across the main yard to the rear of the property.

They do three trolley runs before leaving.

It is thought that they parked a vehicle up in the turning bay of Station Yard; the closest point from the road to the caravan centre.

Police are working on CCTV images trying to identify the offenders; both appear to be in their late teens or early twenties and were wearing woolly hats, tops and trousers.

One of them seems to be 5ft 11ins, about 12 stone, slim build, and the other is about 6ft 3ins, chubby build and about 16 stone.

PC Andrea Smith, leading the investigation, said, ?I am appealing for anyone with information, or whoever may have seen suspicious activity in the area, possibly a vehicle on Station Yard at that time, to contact the police on 08458 505 505.?

If you don?t want to speak to the police or leave your name, call Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

An employee of a Thame hotel, accused of murder, failed to appear in court today, due to what his defence lawyer described as “a mess up.”

Jonathan Limani, 33, is charged with the murder of Christopher Varian, aged 32, on Saturday, August 21, at The Oxfordshire, near Thame.

Who or what was responsible for the administrative confusion was unclear but the judge was clearly annoyed at the lack of progress with the case, and expressed his sympathy with family members associated with both victim and the accused, some of whom had travelled from France to be in court today.

Although currently being held at Broadmoor hospital, Limani was expected to be returned to prison but apparently was not because there is no room for him in the health department of the prison.

It emerged that there is disagreement between two psychiatric reports that state that Limani was suffering from ‘Diminished responsibility’ at the time of the offence, and a third psychiatrist, at Broadmoor, who disagrees.

The case was adjourned for 10 days whilst further consultations take place between the lawyers and the Broadmoor doctor currently in charge of Limani’s case.

The actual trial is due to begin in July.

LINK HERE for back stories on the case.

PHOTO: Christopher Varian, for whose decapitation at The Oxfordshire, near Thame, Jonathan Limani is charged with Murder.