Category: entertainment and leisure news

Thame Duck Race 2014 – The Return Of Captain Ducky!

SUNDAY June 15, sees the return of Thame & District Round Table’s annual duck race, held as usual on the morning after Thame Carnival.

The race, which involves dropping more than 2,000 rubber ducks into the River Thame, has now been running for more than 10 years and has long become a family favourite in Thame’s summer calendar.

Tickets always sell well, so you will need to be quack off the mark if you don’t want to miss out! You can still buy tickets at the Falcon and Cross Keys pubs and on Saturday 7^th June, Thame Air Cadets will be selling tickets outside the Town Hall. They will also be available on the Duck Race stall at Thame fete the following Saturday, the day before the race, immediately after the Carnival. There will also be some tickets on sale at the start line on the morning of the race.

The race starts on the old town bridge, accessed from the bottom of Priest End, behind St Mary’s church. Gates open at 10.45am and the race will start at 11.00.

Thame Duck Race is organised each year by Thame & District Round Table, with a bit of help from Captain Ducky, Thame’s resident pirate. The money raised is divided between local causes, many of whom contribute to the fundraising themselves by helping to sell tickets.

03/06/2014
Can your quiz team beat The Wild Geese?

AS part of Thame Carnival week, the popular annual Thame Carnival Quiz will be held at Racquets Fitness Centre, on Friday, June 13, the evening before Carnival Day. The Carnival Quiz (aka Festival Quiz) has been running since 1993. The Wild Geese are named nine times on the Shield – could your team name join them?

Teams of up to six can sign up, at £5 per person. There will be a licensed bar, and a raffle. Contact Quiz mistress, Sue Boyle, via facebook to book a table. https://www.facebook.com/events/687805924613759/

The victorious team, Russell’s Cyclists, after receiving their prizes for winning The Mega Quiz on May 9

A MEGA quiz, held recently in Thame, raised hundreds of pounds for a Thame charity that supports young people with learning difficulties.

The quiz was held in aid of SAFARI and the Thame & District Day Centre at John Hampden School, and the quiz mistress, Sue Boyle was delighted with the result.

“This was a great evening,” she said, “and I am thrilled to announce that we raised £1000! This figure was doubled, thanks to Barclay’s Bank, who had agreed to match-fund money raised. So each charity received £1000 – not bad for a night’s work! Thank you to everyone who came and supported the event so generously.”

27/05/2014
Street Dance kids are ‘Strides’ ahead!

AFTER their phenomenal performance at Thame’s Music in the park, so many of us were ‘blown away’ by Urban Strides, and have wanted to know more about them. So we decided to catch up with Andy Instone, this amazing Street Dance group’s Creative Director, to find out about what those inspiring the next generation of dancers is doing differently to create such extraordinary results.

Tommy Russell

Urban Strides have been one of the leading lights on the UK Street Dance scene for over 10 years. They were the first Street Dance crew in the World to open the Royal Variety performance in the presence of her majesty the Queen and have performed on over 108 arena stages. Their students have gone on to become Hollywood stars, successful dancers and to have confidence in all aspects of their lives. Founder Andy Instone is clearly putting something in the water! Although Urban Strides perform all over the UK, they reside and train in Bucks and have classes and links to schools in Thame. Here’s how the interview went:

Q: The level of performance you attain with a group of young people is far above the ‘normal’ standard of performance, what’s your secret?

AI (Andy Instone): Confidence. We give our students the confidence to believe they can achieve their dreams. From a beginner’s class right up to the professional companies we re-enforce the belief that we are all capable of achieving great things if we put our mind to it.

Q: How do you get such a transformation from taking a beginner to professional standard dancer?

AI: Expectations. In all our crews whether it’s the kids or the teens and adults we set the bar extremely high and expect them to reach it. We find when you raise the expectations of someone you open their eyes to a standard they never thought possible. After that it becomes an addiction, once you get to a level you never thought you could achieve it gives you the confidence to raise the bar again.

Q: The performances are so dynamic what is it that sets your choreography apart?

AI: We are Street Dance specialists so everything we do is based from that. I spent the last 15 years traveling around the world learning the original Street Dance styles from the creators themselves. I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from the teachers of Michael Jackson and the worlds most famous Breakin’ (Break dance) crew, The Rocksteady crew from New York. I’ve taken these real deal Street dance moves and teach my teachers to pass these skills on to our younger students.

Freya Hargreaves

Q: Have you any success stories from students from Lord Williams in Thame?

AI: Yeah quite a few! But a couple spring to mind. Freya Hargreaves who was a student at Lord Williams came to class as a beginner to learn some moves and transform her confidence. She ended up performing with our professional company and even performed at the O2 arena.

We also had Tommy Russell who also started as a beginner and is now in London on a scholarship with a top musical theatre school and is about to embark on his journey as a full time professional dancer.

At the moment we have a another young man called Alex Cook who started off in our Thursday night beginner class in Thame and now performs regularly for the Junior crew. His confidence, team working skills and dance ability have soared in the last 4 years and he is showing huge promise to continue a professional career in dance if he wants to.

Alex Cook n the middle with Urban Strides crew members,
Tom on the left and Jacob on the right

Here’s what Alex’s Dad Rob had to say about Alex’s involvement with Urban Strides:

“Urban Strides has been amazing for Alex, he was never really interested in sports but street dance with Urban Strides gave him an outlet for his energy and passion. He’s gained so much strength, confidence and self belief it’s been wonderful to see. Urban Strides and the crew are truly his second family – sometimes his first! and their commitment to supporting and developing their students goes so much deeper than “just” street dance, he’d be lost without them.”

If you would like your child to inspired, get fit, be a part of something positive take a look at the Urban Strides website for classes for children, teenagers and adults. www.urbanstrides.com or 08448488825.

23/05/2014
Thame Players have’ Much Ado’ This Summer!

DURING the last few months, Thame’s dedicated theatre company, Thame Players, has been busy fundraising in aid of their Building A Better Theatre project and is moving closer to its target of £203,000. This means that the money received so far is enough to enable the improvement work to go ahead this summer.

This means that, while the work is being carried out, The Players Theatre will remain closed to the public from Monday, May 19, until Tuesday, September 9, when it will re-open for the autumn season.

During the summer months, local building company R B Dymott will move in and get started on the major work involved in enlarging the stage and moving it further back, improving the lighting, adding a new row of seats and reconfiguring the balcony. All these improvements will mean that more people can be accommodated to see more shows; audiences will get a better view from anywhere in the theatre and, because of the larger stage area, more ambitious productions can be put on, so audiences can enjoy a greater variety of theatrical and cinema entertainment, as well as visiting musical and celebrity acts.

While the theatre is closed, Thame Players Theatre Company, whose 70th anniversary falls this year, will not be idle: they are staging an open-air production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing in the gardens of The Elms in Thame, from July 8 – 12. Rectory Homes, as principal sponsor of this production, has given permission for Thame Players to use The Elms, which is owned by them and dates back to the Edwardian era. To complement the Edwardian setting, Thame Players’ production of Much Ado About Nothing – considered to be one of the Bard’s best comedies – will be set in the ‘Roaring Twenties’, a time of swing, jazz, and the Charleston – complete with flappers.

Helen Johns, speaking on behalf of Thame Players, said: “Besides Rectory Homes, Thame Players are grateful for the generous sponsorship of other local businesses: Reaston Brown, the property agents, Wills & Trusts Chartered Financial Planners, Pearson Insurance Services, Abbotts Office Solutions, XT Brewing and others yet to be confirmed.

“We are also extremely grateful for grants and donations from South Oxfordshire District Council, Thame Town Council, The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Foyle Foundation, The Oxfordshire Community Foundation, The Doris Field Trust, The Pye Charitable Settlement, The Mayor of Thame’s Charitable Fund, The Rotary Club of Thame, other community organisations, local businesses and private donors, all of whom have been generous with their support of the Building A Better Theatre project. “

The next Thame Players’ production when theatre re-opens on September 9, will be Quartet by Ronald Harwood, which will run until September 13.

PLEASE NOTE: Towersey Festival Launch event, which was planned for May 17, at Thame Players Theatre, has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales.

23/05/2014
‘Le Manoir’ champagne treat offer for food festival supporters

THE organisers of this year’s Thame Food Festival have teamed up with festival ambassador, Raymond Blanc, to offer an exclusive tea-time treat at an exclusive price to help raise funds to run the food festival.

If you’re looking for a truly indulgent treat for a loved one, the perfect present idea for a foodie friend, or simply fancy spoiling yourself, why not enjoy Champagne afternoon tea in the luxurious surroundings of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Raymond Blanc’s fabulous Oxfordshire country house hotel, near Thame?

This unforgettable experience, which takes place on Monday, June 2, starts with a private tour of the Le Manoir Gardens with the expert gardeners on hand to walk you through the impressive two-acre plot. Take in the tranquil Japanese tea garden created by landscape designer Robert Ketchell; the beautiful English water garden which is fed by natural springs and was founded by the monks who lived in the property in the 16th century and La Vallée de Champignons, the unique mushroom valley. Inspect the immaculate vegetable and herb gardens which supply the two-star Michelin kitchens with over 90 different varieties of freshly grown organic vegetables and 70 types of herbs, and admire the colourful flower and herbaceous beds in the main garden.

Then it will be time for tea in the elegant setting of La Belle Époque private dining room, where a glass of fine Le Manoir Champagne will be waiting for you. Sit back in the glorious surroundings of this intimate room and savour a delectable afternoon tea. Enjoy a selection of sandwiches, patisserie du jour and homemade scones, jam and clotted cream, all freshly prepared for you by the chefs, before relaxing and making the most of your afternoon at Le Manoir.

Don’t miss out on this wonderful experience, which has been created especially for this year’s Thame Food Festival by Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Tickets, which cost £90 per person, are only available by going to www.thamefoodfestival.co.uk, where you also find out about the fantastic foodie line-up for this year’s event.

The Thame Food Festival takes place from 9am to 5pm on Saturdayn September 27, in the heart of Thame town centre.

20/05/2014
Red Kites reggae to help give special little boy a lift

THAME’S Red Kites Scooter Club regularly holds special events to raise funds for charity, and recently members reggaed the night away at The Falcon pub in Thame, to raise funds for a very special little boy.

The Red Kites’ annual St George’s party was a free event with ska/reggae/2 tone tunes (vinyl spun) by the club’s own DJ duo, Mike Collier and Dave Deans, and a grand total of £264 was raised from the raffle which will go directly to the charity, Shay’s Miracle Fund. Shay is a very special little boy from Aylesbury, who has a condition called PVL (Periventricular leukomalacia), as well as cerebal palsy and epilepsy. The family have been trying to raise funds for a stairlift, that will hugely help enhance his mobility at home.

Kites’ member, Serena Chamberlain, said: “It was such a wonder night. Special thanks to Fluff (Lee Poulton) for supplying the speakers and all Kites who helped promote the event and donated raffle prizes. The wonderful landladies at The Falcon, Paula and Chrissie (we are truly blessed to have them) also donated £70 from the sale of hot dogs on the night (which went down a storm with the punters) and we thank them hugely – not only for the donation, but for their continuous support to our scooter club, and for being such great sports along with your fabulous bar staff – all year round – and particularly on busy event nights, with lots of hungry and thirsty Scooterists and locals!

“A great evening was enjoyed by everybody (we hope !!). It was wonderful to mingle with the pub locals, and special thanks to those who rode over on Scooters, despite the April showers, and those from further afield who travelled too – and a great idea to have the Falcon Marquee in place (just in case) emblazoned with flags and bunting!”

“We couldn’t have raised so much money without the generosity of everybody who attended and supported,” Serena concluded, “and bought those all-important raffle tickets; we’re truly grateful and ‘thank you’ from the bottom of our hearts, on behalf of the Shay family.

Donations can be made to Shay’s Miracle Fund via: https://www.make-a-donation.org/charity/shay-s-miracle-fund

13/05/2014
Twelve Years A Slave at Thame Cinema

THIS week’s film, Twelve Years A Slave, is the last one of the season to be show by Thame Cinema 4 All, at The Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame, until after the summer.

The film will start at 8pm though the doors will open at 7.30pm, on Friday, May 16. Licenced bar available as well as coffee and soft drinks, and confectionary.

DETAILS: Twelve Years a Slave – UK / USA 2013, 133 minutes, 15 certificate – Directed by Steve McQueen, Starring Chiewetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Sara Paulson, Bendedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti.

Solomon Northrup was born a free black man in New York in the early 19th century. He worked as a musician, living a life of comfort and respectability in the city with his wife and young children. One day, while his wife was away visiting relatives, he was offered the prospect of lucrative work by two white men who apparently praised his artistry and promised rich rewards. He was drugged, chained, and sold into slavery in the south, given a new name, his freedom nullified.

Based on Northrup’s memoir of 1853, McQueen’s film describes Solomon’s captivity and his experiences at the hands of slave traders and plantation farmers. McQueen is known for unflinching and uncompromising cinema and this is no exception. He treats his subject with the honesty it demands: there is no satisfying redemptive narrative; there are no attempts to evade or obscure what slavery is and how it is perpetrated.

This is a film that makes you look at brutality and what it means to have your freedom comprehensively withdrawn. But it also shows how everyone is brutalised and de-humanised by cruelty, perpetrators, onlookers and victims alike, how brutality seeps out and perpetuates itself in a cycle of endless self-loathing. Eijofor gives what will probably be the performance of his lifetime as Northrup, dignified, miraculously unbroken, and Fassbender puts in a typically fearless performance as the monstrous sadist slavemaster Epps.

This is a film that is sometimes very difficult to watch, but it could be argued that this is the only really ethical way to treat the subject, and that this is the first film to ever seriously put slavery on screen. And although this is a representation of historic slavery, it also points to the present, and the plight of all those still enslaved. An incredible story, told with great artistry and integrity, and a film that will surely prove to be one of the most important movies of this – and perhaps any – decade.

13/05/2014
Thame’s big day out leaves them wanting more!

BOUYED up by the warm and sunny Bank Holiday weather, a record 5,400 people soaked up the day-long entertainment, good food, real ales and various craft stalls at Thame’s fourth Music in the Park on Sunday, May 4.

Headliners, Skasouls UK – Photo: Nick White

The quality and diversity of music and dance on offer hit new heights as the crowd danced along or simply chilled out with a picnic. When people finally departed after an energetic set from headliners Skasouls UK, had brought everyone to their feet, they were already asking: “When’s the next one?”

Nigel Champken-Woods, Chairman of the Music in the Park Organising Committee, said: “It was a fun-filled day of great family entertainment. We got fantastic feedback from the public. One of the nicest comments was from someone who said, ‘Thank you – you have given Thame its day out!’ ”

The organisers are still calculating total income and costs, but it is likely that this year’s event will have raised somewhere in the order of £9,000 to help fund further improvements to Elms Park. The new lighting in the park has been partly paid for by money raised from previous years’ Music In The Park events.

To keep up-to-date with news of next year’s event, see the website: www.musicinthepark.org.uk or Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MusicInTheParkThame.

NOTE: Music in the Park will benefit the Friends of Elms Park, a community group that aims to improve and maintain the Park for the benefit of the community and visitors. More information on the history of Elms Park can be found at: http://www.musicinthepark.org.uk/elmsparkhistory.php

Follow Music in the Park on social media: Twitter: @MusicInThePark, and “Like” Music in the Park on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MusicInTheParkThame

More pictures from Music In the Park HERE from Sonja Francis, and even more HERE from Nick White

08/05/2014
Love lives of soldiers wives revealed by Thame author

A ROMANTIC Novelist, who lives in Thame, is currently moving fast up the Amazon bestsellers ranking for its Kindle store, with her latest book, Soldiers’ Wives, before it is published in paperback later this month.

Fiona Field, real name, Catherine Jones, live in Thame

This page-turning novel by Fiona Field, who herself joined the army at 18, interweaves the stories of three women getting to grips with military life.

Chrissie, orphaned young, finds solace in her career as a medic in the regiment but, will love for a married man prove her undoing? Maddy, a brilliant Oxford graduate, is bogged down with a fretful baby and a super-ambitious officer husband. Will she be able to stand life as a regimental wife?

And Jenna – glamorous, bad girl Jenna; she doesn’t believe in rules and regulations. Will she destroy her husband’s career? Or will it destroy her?

Fiona Field, joined the army when she was just 18, straight out of her all-girls school. Her first posting was to Bicester. At 21 she married an army bomb disposal expert and at 26 was thrown out of the army for becoming pregnant. Her first child was born at the John Radcliffe hospital Oxford, whilst she and her husband were living in Didcot. Her last posting was to the Joint Air Transport Establishment at RAF Brize Norton.

Fiona understands life as a soldier’s wife and her own son, also a soldier, recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan. She knows the frustrations and difficulties of living with the rules and regulations that have to exist to enable the well-oiled military machine to function. A full time author, Fiona has written sixteen books under the names Kate Lace, Annie Jones and her real name, Catherine Jones. She was Chairman of Romantic Novelists’ Association from 2007 – 2009, during which time she captained the RNA team on University Challenge to the Grand Final. Follow her on twitter @field_fiona.

Soldiers’ Wives will be published by Head of Zeus on May 22, 2014, as a paperback original. ISBN: 9781781857748 / Also available as an eBook http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soldiers-Wives-Fiona-Field-ebook/dp/B00G1SW3TQ

07/05/2014
Record crowd for Thame’s Music in the Park

OVER 4,000 people thronged to Elms Park in Thame today for the fourth, Music In The Park – a biggest crowd so far. And the sun shone too – a welcome relief to organisers and visitors, following the cold and wet of last year’s event. Full report coming soon.

Follow Thame.Net on twitter to see what others are saying about Music In the Park 2014, and click HERE to see more pictures from the festival.

05/05/2014