Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • 05/02/11….Crendon Chamber Orchestra meets Stravinsky

    CRENDON Chamber Orchestra will hold its winter concert on Saturday, February 5, at St Mary’s Church, Thame, at 7.30 p.m. The guest conductor will be William Carslake who has wide experience of working with both professional and amateur orchestras. William has worked as Cover Conductor at the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, on several productions and is currently working on Swan Lake.

    In this concert he is introducing the orchestra to the ballet music for Apollo by Stravinsky. The programme also features the premiere of a suite by Colin Ferris, one of the orchestra?s violists.

    The concert opens with Bach?s energetic Brandenburg Concerto No 3, full of rhythm and melody, which ends with an exuberant dance. Anticipating the interval for refreshments, Colin Ferris, then wheels out his collection of Something from the Suite Trolley. The first half closes in contemplative mood with Grieg?s Two Elegiac Melodies. Grieg was inspired by the peasant-poet of Norway, Aasmund Vinje to set his texts as songs, two of which, The Last Spring and The Wounded Heart, he later arranged for string orchestra. The interval is followed by Stravinsky?s tuneful ballet Apollon Musag

  • 04/02/11………Man accused of hotel manager’s murder moved from prison

    THE man charged with the murder of the hotel manager of The Oxfordshire, near Thame, on Saturday, August 21, 2010, has recently been transferred by the prison authority to Broadmoor hospital as there are concerns over his mental state.

    Detective Chief Inspector Steve Tolmie, the Senior Investigating Officer of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, was in court last Friday, January 28, when the accused, Jonathan Limani, made an appearance before Oxford Crown Court.

    Det Insp Tolmie told ThameNews.Net: “There has been some delay awaiting medical reports from Sweden where Mr Limani had previously lived before arriving in the UK. These reports need translating and then defence will require time to interview Mr Limani and complete their report. The prosecution is then likely to need further time to analyse the defence report before interviewing Mr Limani themselves.

    “Unfortunately this will result in a court delay. The trial date has now been broken but there will be a mention to review progress and hopefully set a new date on the February 21.

    “(The victim) Mr (Chris) Varian?s brother, Roger was present at court and is fully aware of the recent updates. One can only sympathise with the family but both sides must have sufficient time and be fully informed of all available information. It is too early to be able to comment on whether there will be a trial or what process could follow. Mr Limani has not been arraigned (Ed. legal term meaning asked to answer to the charge against him) at this time.”

    PHOTO: The victim, Mr Chris Varian

  • 04/02/11…….Grand Jury Prize winner at Thame Cinema this FRIDAY

    THIS week’s film is to be shown on FRIDAY as the Thame Players Theatre is being used for a production on Saturday. The film is WINTER’S BONE – USA 2010, 100 minutes 15 cert, Directed by Debra Granik, Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, John Hawkes,

    Adapted from Daniel Woodrell’s novel, and winner of the Grand Jury prize at last year’s Sundance film festival, Granik’s film is a powerfully moving story of loyalty, love and courage. Jennifer Lawrence stars as Ree Dolly, a 17 year old doing her best to give her two younger siblings a decent upbringing in the remote Ozark mountain region of northern Arkansas. This is a community of poor white people, descendents of 18th century settlers, who have lived in tight-knit clannish isolation for centuries, and crystal meth has taken the place once occupied by illicit liquor.

    Ree’s father, Jessop, has used the family’s house to secure bail but has failed to turn up for his court hearing and gone on the run. Faced with homelessness, a desperate Ree is forced to turn bounty hunter. But hers is a community long suspicious of the law, and rules of kinship – and the more brutal necessities of shady drug trafficking – mean that people close ranks, enquiries are met with mounting hostility, and veiled threats escalate into violent attempts to subdue her. This is a quiet, cautious film, a portrait of a unique culture that does not resort to clich

  • 04/02/11…..Thame Football has officially come home

    ALMOST nine months after he layed the foundation stone at Meadow View Park, Thame football was officially launched into the future last night by the Mayor of Thame.

    After congratulating everyone involved in, what he called, “this amazing project,” the Mayor, Adam Buckland, thanked them for all their hard work and dedication, and for giving up their time and energy, ” for the love of football.”

    ONLY THE FIRST STEP

    “As I know from experience,” he went on, “it can be very hard work, stressful but also very exciting planning and setting up a project like this and seeing it through to completion. But this is only the first step…the next step is to run and maintain not only a successful football club and junior teams but an all- encompassing, profitable community facility.

    “There is still a lot of hard work to be undertaken in the future, but with the management team the partnership has in place and the overwhelming support of the local community, I know this is going to be a great asset to the town now and in the future!”

    THAME’S OWN BECKHAM?

    South Oxfordshire District Councillor, Mike Welply, who helped the Mayor press the automatic door button to break the ribbon over the threshold, said: “My hope is that we will one day have our very own ‘David Beckham’ from Thame, playing in the Premier League, after passing through the ranks of this Centre of Excellence – May it thrive and prosper!.”

  • 03/02/11…..Could you make a difference to someone?s life?

    THE Oxfordshire Befriending Network is looking for more Befriending Volunteers to visit in Oxford and out in the County. We offer excellent free training, on-going support, and expenses.

    The next training is starting in Oxford on 2nd March 2011, and the next training in Banbury starts on 6th April 2011.

    For more information or an application pack telephone: 01865 791781 or email: enquiries@oxonbefriending.net

    For more information about the Oxfordshire Befriending Network charity, visit: http://www.oxonbefriending.net

  • 03/02/11……….M & S food coming to Thame soon

    THE changeover from the BP local store in Park Street, Thame, to Marks and Spencer, will begin on February 14, when the existing shop will close.

    The refurbishment is expected to take four weeks and in the meantime, the petrol station will remain open with the staff operating temporarily from a portacabin.

  • 03/02/11………Burglary ? Wheatley

    THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a burglary in Wheatley. At some time between 7pm and 9pm on Monday (31/1) thieves broke into the property in Kelham Hall Drive and stole some cash from rucksacks and bags.

    PC Adrian Bray, investigating the incident, said: ?I am appealing to anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area to contact the police.”

    Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact PC Bray at Didcot police station via 0845 8 505 505, or if you don?t want to talk to the police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

  • 03/02/11………Door Stop crime warning

    [Reference: M 03/02/009] – This is a Community Message from Thames Valley Police sent on behalf of Trading Standards.

    INFORMATION APPEAL

    In the past two weeks there have been three incidents reported of door-step crime in Oxfordshire. Police and Trading Standards have been notified that traders calling themselves ?TOTAL COAT? are cold calling and working in the area.

    If they have been or are currently working in your area, please notify Trading Standards on 0845 051 0845 select option 2 and ask to speak to the door-step crime team, thank you.

    Message Ends.

  • 04/02/11…….What are the home sales trends in Thame?

    THE asking price of all types of homes in Thame, except for those that are semi-detached, were lower in January this year than for the same month in 2010, and the average time that a home has been on Market in Thame is currently 177 days.

    For more information about house price trends in Thame, and to see if the value of your home has gone up or down, visit www.Home.co.uk

  • 18/01/11……..Public meeting called to fight Chinnor library closure

    CHINNOR Parish Council has called a meeting to discuss the threatened closure of the village’s library.

    Parish Councillor, Liz Folley, told ThameNews.Net: “Chinnor Library is one of 20 libraries under threat of closure by Oxfordshire County Council. It is felt that the loss of such a resource will be demoralising to our community and the surrounding villages that also access facilities here in the village.

    “As you know the library provides a wide range of services in addition to the supply of books. It is the only facility provided by the county council that is open to all.”

    She explained that it was as a result of many residents expressing concern about the situation that a Public Meeting has been arranged for Wednesday, February 2, at St. Andrews School Hall, Station Road, Chinnor OX39 4PU at 7.45pm.

    John Jackson, the Oxfordshire County Council Director for Social & Community Services, will be in attendance to answer any questions.