Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Improvement to Tetsworth footpath

    OXFORDSHIRE County Council?s Countryside Service has replaced an unsafe boardwalk and stile leading to a local events venue with new improved structures that provide access for all.

    A boardwalk on a footpath from Tetsworth to a nearby field which hosts community events such as car boot sales had deteriorated to the extent that it was unsafe to use. The footpath connects The Green, High Street and the Red Lion pub in Tetsworth and leads towards Great Haseley.

    The substantially improved design of the new boardwalk utilises a combination of recycled plastic and wood to provide strength and durability.

    The old stile leading into the field has also been replaced with a gate, in agreement with the landowner.

    The improvements allow access for a greater range of users, including those with mobility problems, wheelchairs and pushchairs.

    HUGE IMPROVEMENT

    Jon Beale, Field Officer for Oxfordshire County Council said: ?The new boardwalk is a huge improvement on the former access arrangements that were in place. We are very pleased with the innovative design of the structure that will provide all local residents with access to an important community resource.?

    Following a suggestion that Great Crested Newts were present in the pond underneath the boardwalk, an ecologist was brought in to assess the situation and make recommendations in order that the work did not harm these protected species.

    PHOTOS: The boardwalk before and after the improvement work.

  • First beer to be brewed in Thame for over a century

    A Thame Brewery will makes is debut this weekend, serving the first beer to be brewed in the town for more than than a century. The new micro-brewery?s real ale will be unveiled at the Cross Keys pub at lunchtime on Saturday, November 14, when Thame’s MP, John Howell will serve the first pint to BBC Radio 2 personality and local resident, Ken Bruce. The Mayor of Thame, Jeannette Matelot Green, a regular at The Cross Keys, will also be there to sample the new brew.

    The launch brew is a medium-strength bitter called Mrs Tipple?s Ghost, named after a former
    landlady who ran the pub in the 1950s and whose picture still hangs by the bar. The beer is
    aptly named as current landlords, Peter and Trudi Lambert, have restored the pub to the levels
    of popularity that Daisy Tipple herself would have been proud of.

    A year ago, the Cross Keys had been closed and was facing an uncertain future. Then Thame-based
    Oak Taverns considered buying the pub and asked Peter and Trudi to spend a month assessing its potential. Having previously made their mark by reviving an Oak Taverns pub in West London, the couple arrived in Thame in February 2009, trebled the Cross Keys? turn-over within a month and, having trebled it again, decided to stay.

    Peter explained the formula that has enabled the Cross Keys to thrive at a time when 50 pubs
    per week are closing around the country.

    “There were two real ales here when we arrived, along with a well-known keg beer,” he said.
    “The first thing I did was disconnect the keg and remove the pool table, and within a couple
    of months we had installed five real ale pumps. Then we added a sixth pump for our house ale, the best bitter from Vale Brewery in Brill.

    “During the nine months since we have been here, we have gone through 350 different guest ales, all of them from micro-breweries. I have never sold so much mild in my life, and we are also regularly offering porter and stout on draught.

    “Word has been going around the town and the community has become involved ? it is a place where women also feel comfortable, where there is no background music and no fruit machines, and the only sound you hear is the sound of conversation.”

    Peter says the launch of Thame Brewery is a logical development of the pub business, making good use of a barn at the side of the main building where he hosted Thame Round Table?s charity beer festival last July.

    Since then, he has installed a range of redundant brewery equipment from another Oak Taverns pub in Dorset.

    “Having never brewed beer before, I have been learning fast,” Peter reflected. “Installing the
    equipment was a serious challenge, and I have never done so much plumbing in my life.

    “At some stage in the past, all the pubs in Thame would have brewed their own beer. But it has been well over 100 years, and possibly 200 years, since any beer has been brewed commercially in the town.

    “As a result, there has been an enormous interest in the new venture and I have conducted numerous tours of the new brewery. The opening with Ken Bruce and John Howell will be a real community event, and it will also launch our Christmas raffle in aid of Ken?s charity, with a polypin of our new beer among the prizes.”

    10/11/09

  • Antisocial behaviour reduced in Thame town centre

    THE following is the latest report from the Thame, Chinnor and Watlington NAG – Neighbourhood Action Group:

    Active enforcement and a PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) Patrol Plan have been very effective in reducing the number of reports about antisocial behaviour in Thame town centre.

    LITTER (The second priority area of concern identified by the community after antisocial behaviour) – Although the PCSOs now have the power to ticket for such offences, enforcement and education are an ongoing challenge. A local fast food outlet has agreed to make more effort to look after the area around the shop and the Town Council is working with other partners to organise an anti-litter campaign.

    For the Chinnor neighbourhood area, including Aston Rowant, Crowell, Sydenham, Tetsworth and Towersey, the report states the following:

    SPEEDING (top priority concern) – Some enforcement with prosecutions has taken place on the B4009. A bid for a hand held laser gun is being processed and the decision should be known soon. A further enforcement plan is being put in place with other agencies.

    Aston Rowant Parish Council has achieved the installation of three, visually activated 30mph speed signs on the B4009, covering Aston Rowant and Kingston Blount (West) – these should be in place by the end of November.

    PARKING (second priority, High Street, Chinnor) – Following a number of suggestions and site considerations in Chinnor, there does not seem to be any action that can be taken by the NAG to improve the parking problems beyond what the Parish Council has already achieved.

    DOG FOULING – (Tetworth village green) The NAG is working with Tetsworth Parish Councillors to try and find a solution to the problem. Dealing with this issue across the whole Thame NAG area has been helped with the police now able to issue fixed penalty notices for offences.

  • Thame United wins close fought local derby (Contributed)

    MATCH REPORT: League game 7/11/09 – Chinnor 0, Thame United 2.

    THAME United won Saturday?s local derby at Chinnor in a closely fought match. There was little to choose between the two teams in the first half but Thame were the more inventive after the break and deserved their victory.

    United had the better of the opening exchanges, but then the home side got into their stride and began to threaten the Thame goal with Lewis Craker heading over and Tim Rantle forcing a good save from Thame keeper, Lee Orkney. At the other end, Ben Connelly laid on a low cross from the right only to see the ball intercepted by Chinnor keeper Ben Taunton milliseconds before onrushing striker Mark Jones could knock it into the net. United?s best chance of the half came just before the break, when Aaron Rogers rose to meet a high cross from the left but just failed to connect. The game was goalless at half time.

    Whatever manager Mark West said to his squad during the break seemed to work, as they were far more focused in the second half. Their first goal came in the 53rd minute when Jones pulled back a high ball from the left by-line into the path of onrushing midfielder Sam Cowan, who headed home confidently from 12-yards. Thame continued to press, and Stuart Barr was unlucky to see his strong 20-yard shot hit the side netting. At this stage it was one was traffic and Chinnor rarely threatened Orkney?s goal. With just over 20 minutes remaining Connelly made another of his trademark runs on the right and, finding his way blocked near the corner flag, sensibly laid the ball back to Steve Newell. The defender floated a good cross into the penalty area where 3 Thame players were waiting for it, but it was Rogers who met the ball and skillfully headed down into the corner of the home goal, giving Taunton no chance. A few minutes later Jones found the back of the home net but his effort was rightly ruled offside. Chinnor eventually ?woke up? and put together some good moves, at one point forcing 3 consecutive corners. The final few minutes were fairly even with both Rantle for Chinnor, and Thame substitute, Stuart Braun going close.

    The win moves Thame into 4th league place.

    Thame United: Orkney, Newell, Meredith, Higgs, Hocking (Braun), Cowan, Connelly, El-Kassir (Way) Jones (Goffe), Rogers, Barr.

    United have a series of away league games coming up. They do however entertain Premier league club, Old Woodstock Town on Tuesday 18th November (7.45 pm) in the first round of the Oxford shire Senior Cup

  • Latest gardening newsletter from Jane Folis – including Christmas ideas and visits

    IT is nearly November and we are still experiencing temperatures of 17 degrees ? brilliant. It has extended the growing season and even my spinach has germinated. I finally took down the tomatoes yesterday and picked a final pound or two. They have been magnificent this year. The Aubergines just won?t give up and have now been put in the greenhouse. They were an outdoor variety called ?Ophelia?, available from Marshalls (www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk). There are still about ten fruits to pick. The variety is very small and quite delicious.

    Now we are down to the winter crops and this weekend I really need to deal with my Endive. The roots need lifting in October/November and the leaves cutting about 2cm above the crown. Set five roots in a 20cm pot and pack with soil. Then put them in darkness indoors at 15degrees centigrade. The chicons, as they are called, should be ready in about three weeks. I?ll let you know how the Italian variety (the ones I got at Chelsea) turn out.

    October has been rather a frustrating month. I managed to injure my shoulder rather badly and have been unable to do even the most basic of chores, let alone driving or drawing. Even using a computer proved impossible as I haven?t been able to raise my arm high enough to rest on the desk!! Needless to say I am rather behind with my work, but catching up fast now that I have some movement back.

    One highlight of the month came courtesy of Nectar Points. I had, quite literally, thousands of them accumulated through my stationery supplier. One morning, back in May an offer came through for a demonstration and tasting day at Jean Christophe-Novelli?s Academy. Now how could I refuse? My day was planned for 16th October and even though I was unable to drive there was no way I was going to miss it. One very expensive taxi ride later I arrived at Crouchmoor Farm in Hertfordshire.

    We had a wonderful day watching the master at work ? and he didn?t stop. We only had a couple of five minute breaks in the 6 or so hours we were there. We picked up loads of tips and sampled all the delights. When I get the recipes through I will include some in the newsletter. Having been on a diet for the best part of a year the highlight was eating a home baked loaf, stuffed with Camembert cheese and a magic tomato sauce. As you can imagine, the cheese erupted out of the centre like molten lava and the taste was divine. The day was brilliant and I am sure it speeded up my recovery ? the arm actually began to work later that evening. Perhaps it was the wine we were obliged to sample?

    RECIPE
    Leek Carbonara
    This is a great alternative to pasta and a bit better for the waistline.

    6 rashers streaky bacon
    3 leeks
    150ml double cream
    2 tbs Parmesan
    large knob of butter

    Chop the bacon into thin strips and the leeks into thick slices. Heat a large saucepan and add the bacon. Fry for a few moments until golden and then put them to one side on a plate, pouring away the excess fat.
    Add the butter and once melted stir in the leeks and about three tablespoons of water. Cover and allow the leeks to steam for a few minutes until tender.

    Pour the cream over, simmering until lightly thickened, then spoon the Parmesan cheese and bacon through the sauce.

    This is lovely with some lightly grilled fish, such as Seabass.

    SEASONAL TIPS
    It is not too late to plant bulbs. I can probably still put in a late order if you want anything, but I do know they are running short of the popular
    varieties such as Narcissus ?Thalia?.

    November is a good month to get the borders looking good. Many perennials have lovely seed heads and it is entirely up to you whether you keep them until the spring, or cut them back. Most stems can be chopped up and added to the compost heap, but do burn anything that shows any sign of disease. One exception to the rule is Penstemon ? these should only be pruned in spring so that any new tender growth isn?t damaged by winter frosts.

    Remove any stakes and supports that are left in the ground and put them away for the winter. If you are in any doubt as to where certain perennials are, or if you have a newly planted border, do mark the cut down stems with small wooden sticks. This will help you identify what is a weed (and what is not) in the spring when the garden bursts into life.

    Gather fallen leaves. Rather than bagging them up and taking them to the dump, put them in 100% biodegradable sacks and store. Leaf mulch is really brilliant for the garden. There is a great product for this process, available from Nether Wallop Trading Company ? www.netherwalloptrading.com. They suggest you collect the fallen leaves and pack them into ?love ?em and leave ?em? sacks. Tie at the top and stand in an out of the way corner of the garden.

    November through to March is the time for bare root trees and shrubs being readily available from suppliers. If any of you need to infill borders or want new hedging or trees ? let me know and I will see what I can source.

    Don?t forget to order seed catalogues. This will give you plenty of time to plan the borders and vegetable patch ready for the spring. A number of you have asked me how I get such a good supply of tomatoes each year and indeed get them ripened. I think it is down to my eager hope that spring is about to happen in late January!! I usually sow my seeds at this time and nurture them in my office until I can put them outside in May. By this time they usually have at least a couple of trusses and are well on their way. I don?t grow them in a greenhouse, but of course you have to be careful to choose outdoor varieties. I never, never grow them three in a grow bag. There just isn?t enough soil to cope. This year I used John?s brilliant wooden planters, but if you don?t want to go to this expense fold the grow bag in two and make into two ?pots?.

    Give lawns a final cut to tidy up its appearance ? it also helps to get rid of fallen leaves. Clean away any grass stuck to the bottom of the mower and check whether the blades are blunt. If they are use a sharpening stone to put on a good edge.

    Improve your soil by digging in organic matter such as garden compost or mushroom compost.

    Put a floating ball or piece of polystyrene in ponds to prevent the water from freezing.

    VEGETABLE & FRUIT GARDEN
    Clear the vegetable patch of old plants, weeds and other rubbish that could be harbouring pests and diseases. Dig over open ground and add
    organic matter such as garden compost.

    Plant Broad Beans and Garlic if you didn?t get around to it last month.
    Force Chicory/Endive (see above).

    If you have space in the patch it is a good time to improve the soil. Dig it over now and leave it untended. The frosts over the winter will break
    down any lumps of heavy soil and give you a far finer material to work with next year. Alternatively you can grow green manures, such as Caliente mustard or Phacelia. These manures suppress the weeds
    and protects the soil from erosion and adds structure

    Prune Apple trees. Begin by removing any dead, diseased or crossing branches. Shorten the central shoots by a quarter and then cut sideshoots back to three buds to encourage them to change into fruiting
    spurs.

    Prune Blackcurrant. Most fruit forms on stems produced the previous season so it is best to encourage new growth by removing about a quarter of the older stems. These are usually grey or black in colour.
    If you have a plant that hasn?t been pruned for a few years, cut out more of the older wood. You can get away with cutting the whole plant back to ground level.

    To stop winter moths, place grease bands around the trunk and stake of fruit trees. This prevents the female moths crawling up the tree to lay their eggs.

    Spray peaches to protect against peach leaf curl. Cover to prevent any re-infection.

    For more information, visit www.rhs.org.uk/advice/calandar.asp.

    GREENHOUSE
    Reduce watering now as the plants are moving into a dormant period.

    Fungal diseases are one of the main reasons that plants can die in the greenhouse during winter. To help stop any spread, check over plants and remove any dead leaves or flowers. Remember to sweep up the
    floor to clean up anything that may have fallen off the plants.

    Clean up the greenhouse by washing with hot soapy water or garden disinfectant. Clean pots to avoid spread of diseases.

    POINTS OF INTEREST
    ?We will if you will?
    A Government-backed initiative to encourage healthier lifestyles.
    The first is to encourage people to eat more home-grown, seasonal and UK produced food.
    Visit www.rhs.org.uk/growyourown/news.asp for more information.

    BIRDS AND BEES
    A new RHS book is available and aimed at children.
    RHS Wildlife Garden by Martyn Cox explains how to create suitable habitats for all kinds of wildlife.
    Published by Dorling Kindersley ISNB 9781405334358
    RHS Mail Order 0845 260 4505

    PLACES TO VISIT
    Gardens free to RHS Members
    RHS Wisley; Blenheim Palace Park and Gardens; Nymans; Waddesdon Manor; Waterperry Gardens; West Dean Gardens.
    For a full list visit www.rhs.org.uk.

    FIVE BEE FRIENDLY GARDENS
    Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond
    The National Wildflower Centre, Liverpool
    Garden Organic Ryton, Warwickshire
    RHS Wisley, Woking
    Highgrove, Gloucestershire

    EVENTS

    RHS Wisley
    Flower Arranging ? colourful Christmas
    11th November ? 10.15 ? 12.15pm
    Lunch at 12.30 followed by a guided walk at 1.00pm
    Members

  • Loads more photos from Youth Theatre birthday bash!

    LOTS more photographs from Thame Youth Theatre’s brilliant birthday bash on Sunday, November 1, 2009.

    Follow the LINK
     to Flickr.

    Prints available on request from: editor@thame.net

  • Thame remembers its war dead

    HUNDREDS of people gathered together on Sunday, to remember all those who died fighting in the Great War of 1914-18 and all the conflicts since, including that currently being waged in Afghanistan.

    In the minute’s silence that followed a lone trumpeter playing the last post, the only sound to be heard, ironically, was the distant gun fire of a local game bird shoot.

    All the emergency services, young people’s groups, local authorities and most of the local clubs and organisations were represented in the wreath laying, and included the Mayor of Thame, Jeannette Matelot Green and Thame’s MP, John Howell.

    The Rev Derick Chambers, conducting his last Remembrance Day service in Thame before he moves on to another pastership, told those assembled: “We cannot help but grieve over the loss of so mamy lives by war.”

    “In one sense,” he continued, “war is a product of failure. War emerges as a spectre which hovers over the human race when nations, cultures or ideologies fail to agree, compromise or negotiate. It was Winston Churchill who said, “rather jaw, jaw, than war, war.”

    “War is a product of failure of the human race to love each other at any level and every level. It is the antithesis of the greatest of Jesus’s teachings, ‘No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’ (John 15 v 13)

    “But how can a man stand idly by and watch, as all the ideals he believes in, his loved ones and the concept of freedom itself, be destroyed by some deliberate act of violence? And therein lies the essence of conflict. The idealist will defend liberty and freedom, however abhorrent the taking up of arms is to him. However unnatural it is for him, he will give his life for a cause worth believing in.

    “Times change,” he went on. “At Loos, in Belgium, 95 years ago this year, the British Expeditionary Force faced the invading German Army. On the first day of battle, 60,000 British soldiers were killed. Many remain unidentified from that day to this, and lie in war cemeteries alongside their fallen comrades. In Afghanistan, over the last eight years, over 200 British lives have been lost. This is not a war of the unknown warrior. Every name is known, every family is informed, and we who witness the procession home of another brave warrior, grieve alongside them too, for they are our son or daughter, our brother or sister.

    The Rev Chambers concluded: “We are part of this world as Christ himself is part of this world. Jesus, who came amongst the oppressed, the suffering and the grieving. Jesus, who looked upon humanity with compassion but whose gaze never left the kingdom of heaven, commanded us to love one another, just as he did, until the day comes when we can live together as one human race and the spectre of war will be no more. Amen.”

    09/11/09

  • Latest news from Soha (South Oxfordshire Housing Association)

    Soha housing residents have produced their own annual report this year, 2009, which can either be read on line or an audio version downloaded and listened to.

    Go to:Soha’s website

    GREENING THAME – Public meeting success

    The first in a series of public meetings, was held on October 26, 2009, organised by Soha housing, to give local residents the opportunity to choose simple steps to take to save energy, CO2 and money.

    Jack Silver, of Soha, told ThameNews.Net: “We were very pleased with the turn out from the general public & local businesses. The group had a presentation from Terena Plowright, the founder of the Greening Campaign, which was very informative and gave everyone a better idea of what the Greening Campaign is all about.

    “Mark Green from Brothers Hairdressers chaired the meeting with support from Adam Buckland, Cassie Pinnels and myself. The group then chose five challenges to be put on the back of cards which will be displayed in windows of residents wanting to support the campaign.”

    THE NEXT STEP

    “The next step is for the group to look at a launch for the campaign, for which dates are being discussed.” So, watch this space!

    NB The Greening Campaign www.greening-campaign.co.uk
    was set up in response to the threat of climate change ? a global problem which needs to be tackled at every level, including local communities.

    The idea is to motivate people to reduce their energy consumption in a community response to what is a global problem. The campaign aims to encourage and support local people and businesses to take easy and straightforward steps to reduce energy consumption and waste and, in so doing, to make financial savings whilst benefiting the environment.

    Social landlords, Soha Housing which runs and manages over 5,200 properties in Oxfordshire, is sponsoring the Greening Thame campaign alongside Thame Town Council and Brother Hairdressing, Thame.

    PHOTO: Terena with HRH Prince Charles

  • Buy a charity card this Christmas

    A Cards for Good Causes Charity Christmas Card Shop opens its doors at Christchurch, in Thame High Street, for three weeks in November and December this year, 2009.

    Cards will be available from more than 25 national and local charities including Thame Hospital, Sobell House Hospice and the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity.

    Because Cards for Good Causes keeps its operating costs to a minimum, the charities will receive at least 75p in every

  • Another Poppy appeal box stolen in Thame

    THE police are appealing for witnesses after a Poppy Appeal collection box was stolen in Thame, ten days ago.

    The collection box was stolen by a boy from the library in Southern Road, Thame, at around 12.10pm on 27 October, 2009. He made off down Southern Road, towards Elm Park.

    The boy is white, around 15 years old, 5ft 5ins, slim, with short, dark hair. He has a spotty complexion and was wearing a dark blue, hooded tracksuit top, with black and white stripes going up one sleeve, across the back, and back down the other sleeve and black jogging bottoms.

    PC Roy Fuller, investigating the incident, said: “We don?t know how much the box contained but it was approximately a quarter full with contributions.

    “I would like to make a direct appeal to whoever has done this, to take responsibility for their actions and return the box.

    “Such behaviour will not be tolerated and we are doing all that we can to catch whoever is responsible.”

    Anyone with information which could help the police should contact PC Roy Fuller at Oxford 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.