Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Thame Rotary presents cheques to Thame charities

    THAME Rotary Club presented cheques to some of the charities it supported during the Presidential year of Marius Ciortan, at a special event last Friday (04/09/09).

    The Recipients were, left to right in the photograph:
    David Caswell ? Polio Plus, Rotary District 1090

    Ann Mayou ? Chairman of the Governors, The Phoenix Appeal, Lord Williams School

    Mary Stiles ? Trustee, Thomley Activity Centre

    Linda Newton ? Thame Girl Guides

    Marius Ciortan ? Immediate Past President and Romanian Foyer Trust

    Joe Seed ? Micro-credit Malawi Rotary District 1090

    Peter Todd ? President of Thame Rotary Club

    Further details on the charities supported can be found on the Thame Rotary Club web site: LINK

  • Horse and cart environment tour coming to Thame

    A GROUP of climate change activists currently touring the south of England with horses and cart, will be stopping in Thame on Friday.

    The oil-free tour by the campaign group, Climate Rush, is designed to raise awareness of climate change on the lead-up to the Copenhagen talks, and to get people involved in campaigning to reduce the harmful emissions effecting climate change.

    Members of the group are dressed as suffragettes and lead by Tamsin Omond, she who has been banned from going within 1km of the Houses of Parliament after scaling its walls and leading a mob of 600 people who stormed the entrance of the Palace of Westminster last year.

    Also in the group is Deborah Grayson who was one of the other four wall-climbers, and who is awaiting trial after supergluing herself to a statue inside the Houses of Parliament.

    Before coming to Thame on Friday (venue to be announced – watch ThameNews.Net for details tomorrow), Climate Rush will be joining forces with Transition Thame and District in the lounge area of the Red Lion pub in Haddenham (7-10pm) for an evening on the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference (Dec 7-18th 2009). This will be an opportunity to learn about what is going on in the lead up to Copenhagen, and particularly about ?The Wave?, the big climate change march in London on December 5.

    To find out more about Climate Rush and how to get involved, follow the LINK TO THEIR WEBSITE

  • The Late Breakfast in Thame

    THE next Late Breakfast in Thame will be at The Spread Eagle Hotel in Cornmarket Thame OX9 2BW, on Thursday, September 17, 2009, 9.00 – 10.30 am.

    This will be an informal networking event which this month will include a presentation from Steve Gunn of Steve Gunn & Associates:

    CURRENT TRENDS IN CUSTOMER SURVEYS ‘The evolution of the most common type of customer survey : from ‘Quality’ through ‘Satisfaction’ to ‘Loyalty’ survey methods and their cost implications.
    Plus other types of customer survey and their uses.

    You can book and appear on the guest list or simply turn up on the day. Entry fee of

  • Thame looks forward to first FA qualifying round (Contributed)

    THAME United look to extend their FA Cup run this Saturday (12/09/09)) at the Hithercroft Stadium in Wallingford when they entertain Burnham FC from the Zamaretto Division 1.

    Although Burnham are a couple of leagues above Thame in the current football pyramid, this is an eagerly anticipated clash with both sides unbeaten this season, but with Thame boasting one of the few remaining 100% records with seven wins from seven games.

    Thame?s Asst Manager, Frank Thompson commented: “This will be a really good test to see how far we have come recently, we have had a really good start to the season and this is our biggest game by far so we are looking forward to the challenge. We have a home tie and in the FA Cup you can never predict the outcome. If we play to our full potential and compete with them, we will have a good contest here. It would be nice to get a good crowd behind the team, it?s surprising what a difference it can make and it would be a great boost for the club to be in the draw for the next round.”

    Club Chairman Jake Collinge added: “It is a measure of how far we have come in the last year that we are looking on a game against a side two leagues higher as one that we are capable of winning. What is all the more pleasing is that this is being done with a team of mainly Thame-based players, many of whom have progressed from Thame Boys and Girls FC, and along with future development at Church Farm, demonstrates the significant progress we are making both on and off the field.”

  • Local soldier was killed by road-side mine says Coroner

    A young soldier from Great Haseley, near Thame, who was killed in Afghanistan just days before he was due home, was killed by a road-side mine decided the Oxford coroner today.

    Royal Marine, Dale Gostick, aged 22, a member of Three Troop Armoured Support Company, died at the Sangin crossing, Helmand River, in southern Helmand province, in May 2008.

    Dale, who was driving a Viking armoured vehicle back to Camp Bastion, was killed instantly and two colleagues suffered multiple injuries from which they are not likely to recover enough to ever return to duty.

  • Foul play mars Chinnor RFC’s battle with Bournemouth (Contributed)

    MATCH REPORT – Bournemouth 24, Chinnor 26 – National third division South West; Saturday, September 05. 2009.

    CHINNOR’S first match of the season, an away win at Bournemouth, was marred by an incident of foul play which led to the hospitalisation of Chinnor scrum half, Toby Prescott, and possibly the end of his season.

    Chinnor gave debuts to hooker Simon Tattersall, flanker Liam Gilbert, no. 8 Tom Mowbray and fly half Mark Chase. There was a welcome return for Sam Black at lock, back from injury after missing most of last season.

    In good but blustery conditions, the game got off to frenetic start with the first score to Bournemouth from a penalty goal on seven minutes. Just two minutes later, a Bournemouth scrum 10 metres from their own line was disrupted by Chinnor?s Toby Prescott. No 8 Mowbray pounced on the loose
    ball to score an unconverted try. A few minutes later, Prescott ran off the back of a scrum and sent a long pass to Ben Hewitt to scoot in at the corner. With the conversion failing, Chinnor led 10-3.

    Bournemouth then came back strongly. Winning a mid field penalty, they kicked for the corner. The resultant lineout saw the ball moved to winger Rory Hearson, coming in to midfield at great pace. He brushed off two tackles to dot down under the posts. The conversion from Puks Ngapaku levelled the score at 10-10.

    The 36th minute then saw the low point of the match. Prescott darted from the scrum and wrong footed Bournemouth fly half Ngapaku. As Prescott passed, Ngapaku hit Prescott in the face with a stiff arm
    forward smash. Catapulting into the air, Prescott lay ominously still.

    Examination at hospital revealed that Prescott?s jaw was fractured in four places and four teeth were dislodged. The referee yellow carded Ngapaku which seemed totally inappropriate for an act of foul play which has possibly ended Prescott?s season. Chinnor Captain, Richie Williams, went to scrum half and Alex Wallace, returning from a long injury lay off, replaced Prescott.

    On 39 minutes and with their dander up, the Chinnor pack rolled a maul off a lineout over Bournemouth?s line for prop Ian Stock to score. Cathcart converted to give Chinnor a 17-10 half time lead.

    The second half started well for Bournemouth. Repossessing the ball after the restart led to a series of rucks on the Chinnor 22 with Bournemouth winger, Hearson, again breaking the Chinnor line to score a try. With Ngapaku in the sin bin, replacement kicker Mike Pope slotted the conversion to level the scores at 17-17. Shortly afterwards, two
    penalties in quick succession from Chinnor fullback Cathcart gave Chinnor a 23-17 lead.

    Bournemouth remained competitive and, in the 62nd
    minute created an overlap on the left which allowed Pope to score wide out. Ngapaku?s conversion gave Bournemouth a one point lead at 24-23. Seven minutes later, Chinnor?s Cathcart regained the lead for Chinnor with a well struck penalty. Chinnor now led 26-24 and were hanging on in the face of intense pressure from the home side.

    In the dying seconds of the match, Bournemouth were awarded a penalty. As the ball sailed wide, the referee blew for full time with the score 26-24 in Chinnor?s favour.

    In some ways this was a typical first match of the season. There was a degree of rustiness and Chinnor will be worried about the fall off in performance in the second half. Failed kicks cost Chinnor 19 points.
    Bournemouth are a very competitive side and any side visiting Chapel Gate will do well to get a result.

    All in all, Chinnor were grateful to get a win but the whole match was overshadowed by the act of foul play which has possibly ended the season of Chinnor?s brightest spark and man of the match, Toby Prescott.

    Chinnor team: Cathcart, Serrano, Hewitt, Williams, Shiel, Chase, Prescott (Wallace 36), Stock, Tattersall, Whelan (Winpenny 70), Black, Jackman, Gilbert, Hastings, Mowbray.

    Reps: Winpenny, Wallace, Wood

    PHOTO: Man of the match, but sadly injured, Toby Prescott

    Bill O’Donnell

  • Retiring radio & TV host to sign book in Thame

    ON the day that Terry Wogan has announced that he will be leaving his job as morning presenter on BBC radio two, we bring you the news that he will be visiting Thame for a book signing.

    Sir Terry, will be at Thame Town Hall on Wednesday, September 09, 2009, when he will be sign copies of his new book “Where Was I?”

    The book will be on sale to be signed and dedicated by the man himself.

    Sir Terry will leave ‘Wake Up To Wogan’ in the New Year to present a new weekend show on the network. He will be replaced by Chris Evans.

  • Motor cyclist air-lifted to hospital after M40 crash

    SLOW moving traffic has now cleared on the M40 after the northbound motorway was closed ealier this afternoon, following a crash.

    A motorcyclist was injured in the incident that happened near Wheatley, and there was a diversion through Thame while the incident was cleared and road accident investigatiions could take place.

  • Beds cut at Thame hospital

    THE number of beds open at Thame Hospital has been slashed from 12 to 8 to coincide with a cut in medical cover at the hospital.

    The new arrangements have been negotiated between Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust and a large private company which has said it can cover the hospital with only four hours of medical time per week. Local doctors maintain that this is not enough.

    Local GPs say the were saddened last week to receive P45s from the PCT in respect of their work at Thame Community Hospital, but insist that their campaign to continue their responsibility for medical cover at the hospital goes on.

    Dr Duncan Keeley said: “The PCT tells us that this reduction in the number of beds at the hospital is temporary, but we are very worried that it is a warning of further reductions to come, and that the changes the PCT are making to the medical cover at the hospital are a threat to the future of the hospital.

    “We have offered to the PCT to use our practice?s prescribing savings to make up the financial shortfall between the cost of these new arrangements to the PCT and the cost of providing double the number of hours of medical care for the hospital from local doctors. We have even had offers of financial support from the community to make up this shortfall, such is the level of local concern.”

    The doctors are continuing their appeal to the PCT and to the Strategic Health Authority for the decision to be changed.

    Signatures are still being collected to the petition, which 2,500 local residents have already put their names to. The League of Friends of the Hospital and local GPs will be presenting their case to a public meeting in High Wycombe next Friday, September 11th, 2009, of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Buckinghamshire County Council.

    The meeting is open to the public and the League of Friends of the hospital is organising a coach to take along any members of the local community who wish to attend that meeting. To arrange a place contact Elizabeth Orde-Brown on 01844 216515.

  • Distraction burglary in Sydenham (Status: Press release)

    THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after a house was burgled in Sydenham, near Chinnor, yesterday (3/9/09).

    At around 3.30pm, a woman was tending to some horses in the stable area of the property in Sydenham Road, when she saw a man walking through the courtyard towards the fields.

    While the woman was asking the man what he was doing, she noticed another man leaving the porch area of the house.

    The men left in a blue Astra.

    The man the woman spoke to is around 5ft 4ins and aged in his thirties. He has a Mediterranean appearance with dark hair and eyes, large build and was wearing a black tracksuit.

    The man seen leaving the house is around 6ft, slim, with fair hair and was wearing a light coloured jacket.

    Det Insp Kev Elkins, leading the investigating, said: ?We are in the early stages of our investigation and following up every line of enquiry. At this stage, it is unknown what has been stolen.

    ?I urge anyone who might have seen these men, or the Astra, in the area, to contact me.?