Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Thame firecrew cut trapped driver from under trailer

    FIRECREWS from Thame and Wheatley worked together recently to release an injured man from his car, when it became stuck under a lorry trailer following a collision.
    The collision between the man’s car and the lorry happened last week, January 14, close to junction 8A of the M40.
    Paramedics were only able to attend to the man after the roof of his car had been cut off by the firecrew. Although the man was taken to hospital by ambulance, his injuries were not serious.

    Relating to road traffic collisions and other emergency situations, Thame fire officers are reminding everyone about the ICE scheme, introduced after the 9/11 terrorist attack. The idea is to enter the phone number of next of kin into your mobile phone under ICE rather than a name, which stands for In Case of Emergency. This helps emergency services to quickly contact next of kin in the case of accidents or any other emergency where casualties may not be able themselves to tell emergency services who to contact.

  • Funeral of Keith Manger

    THE funeral of Keith Manger from Thame, whose body was found in the river at Windsor last week, will be at 2.30pm on January 30, at the Chiltern Crematorium.
    Further details can be obtained from Liz Verchase Manger, via email: verchase_liz@yahoo.co.uk

  • Private traffic wardens in Thame unlikely any time soon

    AFTER the much heralded prospect of the removal of police controlled Traffic Wardens in towns in South Oxfordshire during 2008, it now seems that the introduction of private wardens is not now likely – at least for a while.

    According to a report from Thame Town Council’s Traffic and Transportation Working Group, no date “in the foreseeable future” has been set by the district council, because it is not seen as a priority at this time, “because of the amalgamation of SODC and Vale of White Horse DC.”

    Decriminilisation is due to start in West Oxfordshire in October this year, 2009, and is expected to take place in the Cherwell District Council area in October 2010.

    The prospect of so-called ‘Decriminilisation’ of parking has been cited by Thame Town council and South Oxfordshire District Council for a lack of progress in resolving the thorny issue of residents’ parking in the town centre.

    That there is insufficient parking for people who live in the town centre, came out of a survey carried out by 21st Century Thame three years ago. Since then, residents have lobbied the town council and a survey was carried out by a private company in 2007, at the behest of the town council, but no action on the findings has been taken to date.

    NB It was suggested some time ago by the then Chief Executive of SODC, David Buckle, that the new Community Wardens, expected to be introduced in April 2008 in Thame, may have eventually take over parking enforcement, but they have failed to materialise.

  • The dilution of Gordon Ramsey – By Eddie Francis

    AS I write this, my latest dispatch ?from the front? of London eating places, I?m absolutely furious!
    Gordon Ramsay has, for the couch food guru, become a god, the Adonis of gastronomy, a genius amongst chefs. Well, after tonight?s experience, I for one am thoroughly disillusioned.
    How can he have the audacity; the bare-faced cheek? How can he cross the pond and dare to ?entertain? us by tormenting and blatantly taking the rise out of incompetent restaurateurs then claim to fix them up in a flash?

    York & Albany is the latest branch to spawn from the Ramsay family tree and is as bland, boring and nondescript as a restaurant and bar could be. I?m not even going to bother explaining where it is: it?s that rubbish!

    What he has essentially done is this: taken a beautiful old building, spent a few quid on dull pastel coloured bits and bobs in an attempt to ?do it up?, but not so as to loose the character ? two inch gaps under the doors, single glazed iron framed climate-change-inducing windows are just a couple of examples ? and staffed the place with jesterly dressed, eastern European morons who have received no apparent training and therefore know sod-all about any of the things on offer.

    My partner and I didn?t bother to eat as we couldn?t even get a drink out of the lounge waitress as she, and the other staff, messed around whipping each other, joking and singing whilst the frumpy, simple- looking manager did endless snail-paced laps of the draughty, miserable room.

    I would venture to suggest that Gordon gets out of the TV studio, stops flogging low-grade Gin and BT technical services, stops telling the yanks how to fix up their restaurants, and focuses on getting his own house in order. People patronise his establishments with a level of expectation that accompanies such culinary mega stardom and anyone with half a brain can see that the place is utter rubbish. It can survive only on so-called food tourists: People who go out wearing enjoyment blinkers, mesmerised by just being there ? obliviously to the fact that they are eating food served by village idiots in a dull, characterless, over designed temple of pretence and marketing prowess.

    No doubt the food is ok ? as Ramsay prodigy Angel Harnett is ?at the stove? but I care not a sausage! The passion, love and obsession that makes a great restaurant is totally absent here. There are so many great places in town that ooze a commitment to doing what they do well, so spend your hard earned cash elsewhere.

    I feel at this stage that I should clarify something: Gordon Ramsay currently ?runs? around 20 restaurants, and is supported by a loyal army of dedicated henchmen ? and women who keep the standards up. Forget right now, any thoughts you have that when you go to a Ramsay restaurant he is in the kitchen. Forget also, any thoughts you have that one of his henchmen are there either. Angela Harnett is currently overseeing ? in addition to York & Albany ? her Mayfair restaurant Murano, plus restaurants in New York and Dubai. Who the duck is in the kitchen?

    How diluted can something get before it becomes unrecognisable? This diluted is the answer.

    I must apologise for not maintaining my commitment to this column. It was Christmas, I?ve been to The Netherlands and Prague, and I?ve started a new job. My mind has ? as can be expected ? been on other things but have no fear, I am back in the culinary driving seat and will hopefully bring you better news in the coming weeks, as I continue to offer (hopefully) more useful advice on where to eat and drink when you visit The Smoke. In the mean time, if any readers wish to send me some feedback, or ideas on places to visit then I would love to hear from you. Hopefully mum will tag my details on to the bottom of this passage of opinionated drivvle. God, Ramsay makes me mad!

    NB Reminder of disclaimer: The views expressed in this feature are NOT those of Thamenews.net which bears no responsibility for the accuracy or otherwise of any part of this article. Besides, it not worth sueing us Gordon, we are paupers, live in a tent and are currently living on baked beans!

    To contact Eddie with your feedback to this, or any other of his contributions, email him at:
    eddie@useyourloaf.net

    Image: a shot of the York and Albany, from the York and Albany website

  • Lord Bill’s continues to shine (Status. press release)

    OXFORDSHIRE students, including those of Lord Williams’s school, Thame, have made significant progress in GCSE results, according to figure released recently.

    The proportion of students performing well, based on the key measure of five A* to C grades, including English and mathematics, at 50.5 per cent is above the National Average of 47.6 per cent. Oxfordshire students have made a 2.4 per cent improvement which is double the national improvement.

    On the five or more grades at A* to C overall measure, Oxfordshire students made a significant improvement, achieving 63.0% compared with last year?s figure of 57.4%. This is again above the national rate of improvement.

    Both Lord Williams School, Thame, and St Gregory the Great Catholic School, Oxford, made gains of over 13 per cent on both measures of GCSE attainment. On the overall measure of five or more grades at A* to C,
    Banbury School recorded an improvement of 27 percentage points and Matthew Arnold School has improved by 18 percentage points.

    Among the best in the country

    Several Oxfordshire schools are now among the top performing schools nationally. Four schools are in the top 25% of all schools for five or more grades at A* to C, including English and mathematics: Lord Williams School, Thame, Bartholomew School, Eynsham; Gillotts School, Henley and Matthew Arnold, Oxford.

    Five Oxfordshire schools are in the top 25% of all schools for the progress made by pupils from age 11 to age 16 (Contextually Value Added (CVA) measure based on progress between the pupils joining the school and GCSEs). These schools are: Banbury School, Cheney School, Oxford; The Cherwell School, Oxford; Matthew Arnold School, Oxford and Woodeaton Manor Special School.

    Encouraging improvements

    The county council?s Cabinet Member for School Improvement, Councillor Michael Waine, said: ?These results show very encouraging improvements. I congratulate all the students, teachers and headteachers who have worked so hard to make these gains.
    ?I am delighted that several Oxfordshire schools are now amongst the best in the country. I am also pleased to see the record improvements at Banbury School and St Gregory the Great.”

    He added: ?At the same time I am disappointed to see that some schools have made less good progress. We are working to support and challenge those schools which need to make greater advances.

    ?There are now more than 20 outstanding schools in Oxfordshire when only three years ago there were very few. It is clear that things are moving in the right direction.”

    ?This all represents a welcome improvement this year but there is still some way to go in our journey of improvement.”

    Photo: Flashback to last summer’s GSCE excitement!

  • Thame Mayor helps burn a million calories

    THAME’S Mayor joined joined staff from Thame Leisure Centre, and Fox FM’s Thunder Crew recently, to help promote Oxfordshire County Council’s Go Active campaign’s De-tox month.

    Throughout January, the team are visiting various centre around the county encouraging local people to get healthy and active for the New Year.
    The aim is to burn off a million calories – the equivalent of a staggering 715 Christmas puddings, but already So far South Oxfordshire is leading the way having burned 343,612 calories in the first week of the challenge! The county together has burned 935,244 calories in the first week of the challenge – and there are 2 weeks to go.

  • Praise for waste collection service

    Dear Editor
    Having just got my rubbish and recycling bags ready for collection tomorrow I would simply say that I have lived in Thame for seven years and nowhere, repeat nowhere, in the several parts of England that we have lived, have I known a service as reliable, thorough, swift and courteous as has been provided by Grundon. As reported on your site and elsewhere I see that changes in the system are coming. My view is that if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

    Norman Brand, 6 Fanshawe Road, Thame

  • Invitation to Dennis Manners’ funeral

    FRIENDS of the late Denis Manners MBE, who passed away on Friday, January 02, have issued an invitation to those who knew him to join them on a coach to attend Denis’s funeral.
    Nigel Cox of Towersey Morris said: “Denis touched many people?s lives through his passion for Folk music, Morris Dancing and his lifelong commitment to world peace and a fair society for all.
    “We will be celebrating his life on January 23, at 2pm at Bramcote Crematorium, Nottingham. Do join us to give him the send off he deserves.
    No need to wear black ? this is a celebration.”

    Coach (pick up Princes Risbrough, Thame and places in between.) Times depending on the travel operator to be at Bramcote for 1 – 1.15pm then to the Pub and returning at the latest leaving Nottingham 6 – 6.30pm may be sooner.

  • Illegal drivers nabbed in police operation

    A POLICE operation at the Welcome Break Service Station last week, nabbed one third of the the drivers pulled over for offences.
    As part of an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) operation, vehicles were pulled over by Officers from the neighbourhood policing team at Thame and the Roads Policing Department worked together on the operation between 12pm and 4pm.

    The ANPR camera was inside a vehicle parked at the Welcome Break Service Station.

    During the four-hour period, 32 vehicles were pulled over and 22 drivers were asked to verify their details. Four people were searched and a man received a street caution for cannabis. A car was seized because the driver had no insurance and five people were given

  • Top draw win for Chinnor RFC (Contributed)

    CHINNOR V BARKING – Saturday, January 17 – MATCH REPORT; This was, by some considerable distance, Chinnor’s best performance of the season. They have stepped up to the mark on a number of occasions, notably against Richmond and Canterbury but for sheer persistence and doggedness interspersed with some delightful tries, this was top drawer.

    Chinnor welcomed Chris Mahoney to the side, the Oxford Blue making his debut at full-back. Ed Devine came into the second row and there were starts for Bob Baker and Ian Stock. With Angus Neilson returning at openside, Chinnor took the field with a well balanced unit.

    It was Barking who started with much intent not allowing Chinnor a touch of the ball until they restarted after Ratford had slotted a well struck penalty into the wind. A couple of minutes later, following Chinnor’s first incursion into Barking territory, Ben Hewitt replied in kind. From then on it was mostly Chinnor calling the shots. A break down the blind side by Ben Hewitt saw him transfer the ball to Pip Seymour who gathered his own chip ahead to score wide out. It was good to see both Hewitt and Seymour showing some of last season’s sparkle. The Chinnor side were now pounding the Barking line and eventually scored with Ian Stock almost strolling over unopposed to score the second try.

    With Hewitt missing both conversions but then striking a long range penalty, Chinnor had opened up a 13 point advantage. They should have extended this lead but were to impatient at key critical moments and allowed Barking off the hook. This cost them dear just on half-time when Barking’s speedy threes broke the shackles to score from some 80 metres. They recycled the ball well before it reached Scott Shaw who went over under the posts. With the conversion a formality, the referee blew for half-time with Chinnor just 6 points to the good which appeared scant reward for all their pressure and with the knowledge they would be facing a stiff breeze on the restart.

    There were many raised eye-brows when the teams took the field for the second half. Both the Barking props who trotted off the field at half -time, were unable to restart owing to injury hence forcing the referee to call for uncontested scrummages. This was not particularly to Chinnor’s liking but did not prevent them from starting the second half with pace and intent.

    Following a scrum some 25 metres out from the Barking line, Hewitt fed the ball to Mahoney who took the pass with his angle of running taking him clean through the Barking defence to go over under the posts. This just five minutes into the restart should have settled the Chinnor nerves as it put them 13 points in front. However, as this season has shown, nothing can be taken for granted at Kingsey Road. A try by Scott, quickly followed by another from Kellard when the speedy Gash took advantage of the uncontested scrum scenario to put Kellard over, saw Barking just one point adrift with some 25 minutes remaining.

    Next up was Chris Mahoney who scorched though the middle of the Barking defence, shrugged off a couple of would-be tackles to run some 40 metres and score under the posts. A Hewitt conversion then gave Chinnor an eight point buffer which they held onto to give them a well deserved win. They did go close to increasing the lead in the final stages but were well content that this was a five point win by virtue of the four tries they scored which was a season’s first.

    The whole side played with much passion. Angus Neilson was perpetual motion from the word go and it was good to see the young props, Bob Baker and Ian Stock, make a statement. Their Barking counterparts would probably agree here as they failed to pass muster for the second 40 minutes. Chris Mahoney made a sparkling debut which promises much for the remainder of the season. The only downside was Ed Devine who looked at home in the second row, having to leave the field with concussion. Latest reports are that he is recovering well.

    Chinnor 30 pts Barking 22pts.