Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Thame store learns from pupils’ Fair Trade commitment (Status: Contributed)

    DUBBLE SUCCESS !! Pupils from John Hampden Primary School in Thame were rewarded by the local branch of the Co-Operative supermarket for their commitment to Fairtrade in an achievement assembly at their school last week.
    Year 5 pupils had been working on a project about chocolate ? from bean to bar ? and learnt that the cocoa grown in Mim, a village in Ghana, was used to produce the Fairtrade ?Dubble? chocolate bar. But when it came to tasting it the children were disappointed to discover that the only place they could buy it from locally was at the Oxfam shop.

    So, the children wrote to the management of the Thame Co-Op, who sell a large range of Fairtrade goods, to try to persuade them to sell the Dubble bar in their store. They were delighted that their letters were answered very promptly ?.AND with the news that they?d hoped for!

    Within days the Co-Op were selling Dubble in their Fairtrade caf

  • ‘Dubble’ succes for Thame pupils

    DUBBLE SUCCESS !! Pupils from John Hampden Primary School in Thame were rewarded by the local branch of the Co-Operative supermarket for their commitment to Fairtrade in an achievement assembly at their school last week.
    Year 5 pupils had been working on a project about chocolate ? from bean to bar ? and learnt that the cocoa grown in Mim, a village in Ghana, was used to produce the Fairtrade ?Dubble? chocolate bar. But when it came to tasting it the children were disappointed to discover that the only place they could buy it from locally was at the Oxfam shop.

    So, the children wrote to the management of the Thame Co-Op, who sell a large range of Fairtrade goods, to try to persuade them to sell the Dubble bar in their store. They were delighted that their letters were answered very promptly ?.AND with the news that they?d hoped for!

    Within days the Co-Op were selling Dubble in their Fairtrade caf

  • Unfair coverage of the Henley by-election claim

    A THAME constituent, Owen Davies, who is a Liberal Democrat, has written to his local paper, questioning the fairness of its coverage of the recent Henley by-election.
    Here is what he wrote:

    Dear Sir
    I refer to the articles in the Thame Gazette of July 4, By-election Special and wonder on what criteria you gave such disproportionate coverage (60%) to 4 of the minority parties, BNP, Independents, Loony and UKIP who polled between them a total of little more than 7% of all the votes cast – compare 5% of the space accorded to Lib Dems who polled just under 30% of the total votes cast.
    I note that this is your second article in recent weeks on the BNP who polled under 4%, hardly warranting such prominence by any argument, I would suggest.
    —————————————————

    Owen Davies later added up the scc’s (single column centimetres) and worked out approximate percentages as follows:

    Independents 30scc’s; approx 15%

    Tories 51scc’s in 2 articles; c30%

    BNP 30 scc’s; c15%

    Loonies 24scc’s; c14%

    UKIP 20scc’s; c12%

    LibDem 9scc’s; c5%

    general 9scc’s
    Total 173 scc’s-no reference to greens or Labour or others.

  • Candidates for the Thame South Ward by-election

    THE following are the candidates standing in the Thame South by-election, to be held on Thursday, July 10.
    The election is for two town councillors to replace Richard and Claire Walker.

    Baker, Clifford Dennis
    25 Coombe Hill Crescent, Thame, Oxon, OX9 2EQ
    The Conservative Party Candidate

    Bretherton, Margaret Dympna
    33 Towersey Drive, Thame, Oxon, OX9 3NR
    Liberal Democrats

    Gunn, Andrew Haydon
    4 Ormond Road, Thame, OX9 3XW
    The Labour Party Candidate

    Mirza, Hussein
    59 Cromwell Avenue, Thame, OX9 3TT
    Liberal Democrats

    Stiles,Mary Honora
    3 Willow Road, Thame, OX9 3BE
    The Labour Party Candidate

    Welply, Michael
    Beech House, 14 Towersey Road, Thame, OX9 3PE
    The Conservative Party Candidate

    Michael Welply, Mary Stiles and Andrew Gunn have all sat on Thame Town Council previously and Margaret Bretherton is the wife of Town Cllr and ex Mayor, Cllr David Bretherton.

  • Outside Edge from Thame Players

    …to July 12; Thame Players present Richard Harris’s “Outside Edge”. Two couples united only by a Sunday league cricket team.
    At the Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame OX9 2DP. Email: thameplayers@aol.com or visit Thame Players website
     Tel 01865 358907.
    Tickets for all Thame Players productions are available from Tickets Anywhere, Greyhound Walk, Thame: 0871 2227232. Tickets available from the theatre during the week of the show, 7pm – 8pm weekdays.
    Telephone 01844 212012 during these times.

  • Tribute to acclaimed actress who lived in Thame

    THE death has been announced of a well-loved character actress whose work included parts in Harry Potter, television and cinema costume dramas, as well as Midsomer Murders, and who lived in Thame until her death last Wednesday, July 2.
    Elizabeth Spriggs, who lived in Thame Park Road, was a great supporter of local culture and had a memorable encounter a couple of years ago when she attended one of Thame Choral Society’s concerts in St Mary’s Church, with Thame’s current Deputy Mayor, Jeanette Matelot Green, a family friend.

    Jeanette recalls: “The soloist was Lithuanian I think, and in the interval she went up to Elizabeth and said: ‘Are you Elizabeth Spriggs? You are my mother’s favourite actress. We have watched Sense and
    Sensibility (Back home in Lithuania) on our DVD many, many times.’
    “Elizabeth was thrilled that someone from as far away as Eastern Europe would instantly recognise her.”

    Jeanette paid this tribute to Elizabeth Spriggs:

    “I have always followed Elizabeth’s career since I was sent a set of videos of the Glittering Prizes whilst working in Hong Kong in the early eighties. After that, she popped up in such a kaleidoscope of parts from Shakespeare to Harry Potter via Midsomer Murders. I was delighted when she moved to Thame a few years ago and to discover she was the aunt of a very close friend of mine, Abi Williams. On the few occasions I met her I was not disappointed to find she was as warm and extravagant as many of the roles she played. I find it very sad that she has left us so suddenly but the people of Thame will not forget her memorable character in Midsomer Murders.
    “Her performance was so good that despite her murder in one episode, she was persuaded to come back as her twin sister to reprise the role! Goodbye, Elizabeth. “We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”(The Tempest)

    Elizabeth died at the John Radcliffe hospital, Oxford, and donations to the hospital’s Intensive Care unit and flowers can be sent to the funeral directors, Robert Surman on 01844 351323.

    Elizabeth Spriggs was married three times; to Kenneth Spriggs, Marshall Jones and, since the early 1970s, to Murray Manson, a classical guitarist. He survives her, as does Wendy, her daughter from her first marriage.

  • From Lantern-making to Fandango (Status: Contributed)

    THIS year, Towersey Village Festival is packed full with more workshops than ever before. From Fandango and Harmony Singing to Lantern-making and Yoga, the Festival?s wide and varied workshop programme offers activities for all ages and abilities. All that?s really left to decide is which one to try first!

    Towersey offers an enormous array of dance workshops including Breton, Scandinavian, Contra, Rapper, French Bourrees, Austrian, Fandango, Irish Step, Molly, Border Morris, North West Morris, Longsword and Appalachian. For those keen to flex their vocal chords there are workshops in Harmony Singing, Global Vocals and festival-goers can even learn how to Sing Like a Bloke! Music workshops range from Afro Brazilian Dance, Austrian and Hungarian music to American Traditional music and English Song as well as Concertina classes and the ever-popular Slow and Steady Music sessions. The Festival also offers Yoga sessions, lantern-making and circus skills workshops.

    Towersey?s Shooting Roots project offers young people aged 12-25 an opportunity to develop new skills, meet loads of other young people and experience the excitement of being involved at the grass roots of a folk festival. This year?s workshops include the Funky World Band, the Ceilidh Project as well as Theatre, Craft, Dance and Song. The work of all the Shooting Roots participants will be presented in a dazzling Showcase on Monday evening.

    There are also loads of great activities on offer for the younger ones at the Towersey Children?s Festival, which is renowned for being one of the best on the scene. This year?s programme includes Taiko drumming, song workshops, storytelling, craft workshops, parachute games, circus skills, dance classes, Mini Melodeons and a ceilidh workshop with Whapweasel. There will also be a magical family puppet show from Hand to Mouth Theatre Company called Head in the Clouds, the Grand Family Ceilidh and a chance to experience the hugely popular Family Bat Walk.

    Towersey?s workshop programme offers a great opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and get truly caught up and involved in the Festival atmosphere. More information and all the latest updates can be found on the Festival website at www.towerseyfestival.com.

  • Thame road re-naming

    A NEW name for the so-called spine road around Lea Park has been agreed.
    The stretch of the North East distributor road, sometimes called the Thame by-pass, running between the Aylesbury round-about and the Risborough round-about, will become known as Tythrope Way, subject to the approval of the family of the old Tythrope House, in Kingsey.
    Giving a formal name to the road came about following some confusion when planning notices were sent out about the new proposed football complex, wrongly describing it as ‘Kingsey Road.’
    The new name was chosen by Thame Town Council’s Planning committee.

  • Thame to get chewing gum and cigarette bins

    FOUR dedicated cigarette and chewing gum bins are to be installed in the High Street.
    The bins, which will be paid for by South Oxfordshire District Council, will be placed at the bus shelter outside Co-op, the bus shelter outside the Town Hall, the seating area outside Robert Gatward and in Montesson Square’s seating area.

  • Wheatley residents asked to engage with local police

    RESIDENTs of Wheatley and the surrounding villages are being encouraged to engage with their neighbourhood policing team.
    To this end, there will be a police surgery on Saturday, July 12, from 7pm to 9pm, at Garsington Village Hall.

    Residents will be able to speak in confidence with PC Paul Gregory and Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Ken Cooney about issues from neighbourhood disputes to problems with litter, graffiti and other anti-social behaviour.

    If you would like to speak with PC Paul Gregory or PCSO Ken Cooney but are unable to attend either meeting, call them via the Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. For more information about your local policing team, visit www.thamesvalley.police.uk