THAME’S First Thursday Music club, having delivered over 700 performances, over 2,000 songs and a lot of fun – all for free, will be celebrating it’s fourth birthday this coming Thursday, February 6, at its usual venue, The Stables behind The James Figg pub in Cornmarket, Thame.
As well as popular regulars like Tanya Brewster, 2am Blue and Walter J. Wallis, this is of course, an open mic night and so will include all the surprises of the unknown, the hopeful young musician setting out, with a sprinkling of well-honed, seasoned musicians.
So, expect anything from Rock ‘n Roll, soul, folk and some very individual fusion and jamming across all the genres, accoustically mostly but with some percussion thrown in along the way.
Doors open at 7.30pm to sign up for a spot on the night. Visit FTMC’s Facebook page HERE
UNFORTUNATELY this event has been canclled due to low tickets sales.
THE community group, Staying Alive Thame, cordially invites you to its Valentine’s Party Night at the Barn Centre, Thame, on February 15. All proceeds will go towards placing defibrillators throughout Thame.
Tickets cost £12.50 per person, and the fun will begin at 7.pm through to 11.30pm. The event will include a disco, a buffet, a bar, raffle and a Whisky Roll.
Address for the Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, Thame, OX9 3AJ – Tickets available from the Centre on 01844 217308 or email patsy@thamebarnscentre.co.uk.
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after an attempted burglary in Thame Road, Chinnor.
Thief breaking a window with a hammer (Image for illustrative purposes only)
Between 8am and 9.45pm on Friday (31/1), offenders damaged several rear windows at the property but did not gain entry.
If you have any information, please contact Det Con Georgina Bradley from Didcot CID via the Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 101.
If you don’t want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
THANKS to continued strong growth, The Adroit Services partnership have a vacancy for a bathroom installer. Skills required are plumbing, tiling, plastering, carpentry, electrical. Committed work ethic, excellent timekeeping and interpersonal skills are essential. We offer great rates of pay and benefits and, the potential to become a profit sharing partner in the business, to share in our success. If you, or someone you know, has some or all of these skills AND the aptitude to learn the others, then we invite CV’s to be sent to info@adroitservices.org – Posted on Facebook by Peter Butt, Partner.
PREMIER Architectural Joinery are looking for 2 additional employees 1 to work in our final assembly area, need to be in good health as a lot of lifting is required and the other is for an apprentice in our spray shop, we would like to employ from the village of Quainton or surrounding area – if you know anyone please contact Kelly on 01296 655555 option 6. Posted on Facebook by Paddy Green
THE Thame 10k road race has been running since 1985 and has grown to be one of the key sporting fixtures in Thame with 1000 runners pounding a course through the town centre to Towersey, and back along the Phoenix Trail.
Image courtesy of John Harvey1 – via flickr
Thame Runners organise the race and allocate any surplus funds to local charities. Last year approximately £2.5K was given to local Thame organisations and charities.
This year’s CPM Thame 10km road race will take place on Sunday, June 29, 2014, starting at 9.30am from Thame Leisure Centre. Entries are being taken now on-line via Runners World website www.runnersworld.co.uk.
There will be NO ENTRIES ON RACE DAY and the race will be limited to 1000 entries to maintain a safe and enjoyable day for everyone. Last year this race was full before the end of May so it is recommended to enter early to avoid disappointment.
ANYONE passing through the Thame Services yesterday morning, may have noticed two tired and hungry men on a tandem loaded up with equipment, parking up outside Burger King.
The two men are The Cycle2Liberty team, consisting of Dave Simms and James Hesketh, who are continuing their preparation rides for an epic tandem ride across America to raise money for the Youth Sport Trust, by cycling from Leeds to Paris this weekend.
The Leeds-Paris leg, via Thame and then on to Reading, is the second of a five-part fundraising mission that will conclude with a mammoth ride from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California through four time zones and 10 states to the Statue of Liberty in New York.
The duo have already cycled from the west coast to the east coast of England, but this time, the distance covered is a lot further, as they would have cycled from Leeds, through London to the south coast, and then will take a ferry across the English Channel before carrying on to Paris.
THAME United were defeated 0-1 by Bracknell Town at the ASM Stadium on Saturday, a disappointing result for Thame as Bracknell are six places below them in the league. Football is however about converting chances into goals and, although United created several good scoring opportunities, they could not find the back of their opponent’s net.
A strong wind gusting behind Thame in the first half and Bracknell after the break contributed to a ‘game of two halves’ with United controlling the first half and their opponents in control for much of the second. The game saw the return of goalkeeper Lee Farrow, who was injured on Boxing Day.
Thame started brightly and created a good chance when Lewis Cordice hit a low cross from the right into the path of Luke Ricketts who narrowly failed to meet the ball. After 10 minutes, a ball from Ian Pykett created a half chance for Cordice whose shot was parried by the keeper and fell to Niall Hodgkins but the keeper also blocked his shot allowing Cordice to fire home, but it was ruled to be from an offside position. Thame were looking dangerous and Nik Rhodes Lynton Goss, Cordice and Ricketts all went close. The game was goalless at the break despite Thame having won six corners to the visitors one.
It was a completely different game in the second half. Thame struggled to threaten whilst the visitors mounted attack after attack. Farrow was on form and made several good saves. Bracknell hit the woodwork twice before taking the lead with 10 minutes remaining. A pass from midfield created the space for Martin Bradshaw to run at goal and hit a low well placed shot into the corner of Farrow’s goal, giving him no chance.
HS2 (‘High Speed Two’), is a railway line which will go from London to Birmingham in its first phase. It is planned to be followed by a second and third phase, connecting the Midlands to the northern towns of Leeds and Manchester, and then to Newcastle and Edinburgh. The line is designed to cover long distances at a high speed with few stops, using modern high speed trains, similar to the ‘Eurostar’ or Japanese ‘bullet trains’.
Artist’s impression of an HS2 train travelling across a river on a viaduct
So?
According to the official HS2 website, it will “revolutionise our railways, create thousands of jobs, bring major cities closer together, generate investment in neglected areas and provide passengers with an unprecedented travel experience”. It goes on to assert that an entirely new line is needed to provide greater and more efficient connectivity between the two largest cities in the UK. Anticipating further increased demand for Britain’s railways in the future, HS2 is also designed to reduce overcrowding on existing lines, which it is thought will improve local services and freight routes.
But…
There has, however, been extensive criticism of the HS2 proposals too, coming from across society. Many have accused numerous aspects of the HS2 case of being misleading. The ‘Stop HS2’ and ‘HS2 Action Alliance’ campaign groups have been particularly vocal in their opposition to the planned railway. There has also been opposition from across the political spectrum, despite the official support of all three main political parties to HS2. In addition to funding concerns, the Department for Transport has been accused of inflating the number of potential job creations, downplaying the environmental costs and ignoring alternatives and upgrades which could utilise infrastructure already in place.
How could it affect us?
Despite the massive coverage of HS2 there has been relatively little discussion of how it could affect Thame and the surrounding area. Thame is less than 10 miles from the planned route of HS2, as can be seen here. This has the potential to affect Thame and the surrounding area in a number of ways.
Environment
One of the most noticeable consequences of HS2 would be its effect as it crossed the Chilterns, cutting through the local Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This is currently a popular recreation and leisure destination for locals and visitors alike.
The Chilterns AONB Conservation Board has been particularly keen on drawing attention to the consequences that HS2 and its construction could have. The most obvious effect, from the Board’s and its supporters’ point of view is the track ‘scarring’ the landscape, and the noise pollution caused by the construction and trains.
As well as the construction of the track itself, HS2 will also involve the building of viaducts, tunnels, embankments and cuttings in, what is a protected AONB. These would be visible from local nature spots such as Coombe Hill, as well as the surrounding towns and countryside. Chiltern AONB believes that at least 3.79 miles of HS2 infrastructure will be visible within the protected area, contrary to HS2 Limited’s prediction of 1.5 miles.
It is estimated that the construction process would also cause nearly a million square metres of waste spoil. In addition, ancient trees and hedgerows are currently situated directly on the planned route. A number of rights of way, including The Ridgeway, The Icknield Way and the Chilterns Cycleway, would need to be intersected. In all, 13 Rights of Way, along with 13 roads, would need to be crossed by the route within the AONB.
History and Archaeology
As well as being naturally rich, the AONB area is also of historical and heritage value. HS2 will pass through an area scattered with listed buildings, medieval settlements and even Roman artefacts.
Particularly hard hit will be the remains of St. Mary’s Church and graveyard at the old village of Stoke Mandeville. This site would be “totally obliterated” by HS2 itself, and the construction of maintenance sidings directly on the site, according to the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society (BAS). The BAS estimates that there may have been up to 3,900 human burials at the site over 650 years.
Flooding
As HS2 passes between Stone and Aylesbury, it will pass through an area at risk of flooding. HS2 has accommodated for this by planning two viaducts to carry trains over the floodplains just outside the town.
The Chiltern District Council’s Buckinghamshire Mitigation Blueprint for HS2 suggests that there is a chance that this construction could negatively affect the behaviour of flood water, potentially putting the western edge of Aylesbury at increased risk of flooding. Campaign group ‘Stop HS2’ go further, claiming that “a project with the landtake of HS2 will severely impact the potential for flooding, not just along the line but downstream on every river and watercourse affected”. The River Thame also intersects with the HS2 route.
The effect of construction and traffic on Thame
The Chiltern District Council has “significant concerns” about HS2’s impact on the safety and access of local traffic and transport during the construction period. For Aylesbury, it is thought that the consequences will be “severe”. The main route from Thame to Aylesbury, the A418, is likely to suffer diversions as HS2 is planned to go directly over it. This could affect commuters, shoppers and public transport links to Thame for an unknown period of time. It is feared that a number of lorries supporting the construction would cause damage and major disruption to local roads, especially as there are a limited number capable of supporting heavy vehicles. The number of vehicles that will used by HS2 staff are also considered a risk to the local road system.
Although HS2 is designed to benefit the whole country, its effects are likely be strongly felt in the Thame area, particularly in relation to traffic and the environment. It remains to be seen whether the disruption it would cause, would eventually be worth the national advantages that HS2 is projected to bring by its advocates, in the long term.
THAME Food Festival Patron, Raymond Blanc, caused great excitement at Haddenham St Mary’s school yesterday, when he turned up to launch an Android app intended to connect kids with nature and food ingredients in a fun way, including healthy recipes created by Raymond.
Image: Courtesy of Paul Wilkinson Photographt – Raymond Blanc cooking with a pupil from Haddenham St Mary’s school
Raymond Blanc’s son Oli and his actress friend Charlotte Salt, recognised for her role in the TV hospital drama, Casualty, have created ‘Henri le Worm’ to be used with mobile devices to follow Henri’s growing and cooking adventures. All the characters’ voices in the app are spoken by Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz fame.
During the android app launch at Haddenham Saint Mary’s school, yesterday, Raymond spoke passionately about changing our attitude toward food and where it comes from. Both Oli and Charlotte worked on the app with the children and cooked with them, while ten lucky pupils were given a masterclass by the Michelin starred chef and had fun making a ‘Mayonnaise Mouse’. Raymond was charmed by one pupil who asked if the recipe came from his imagination!
Charlotte created the illustrations that went on to become the characters in the app and admitted that Henri le Worm was based on Raymond. Raymond himself has said that he is more than happy to be a worm if the worm is educating children about something so important.
The app is for children aged three to eight and includes a host of games and recipes to entertain and educate. More information and Download HERE
REHEARSALS are underway for Thame Choral Society’s Spring Concert on Saturday, May 10, at St Mary’s Church, Thame. The theme of the concert, The Spirit of England, will feature English choral music spanning five centuries, from Byrd and Purcell to Parry and Rutter, with accompaniment by organ, brass and percussion.
Thame Choral Society’s Director of Music, Helen Swift
New and former singers are particularly welcome to join existing choir members for this exciting concert under the inspirational leadership of director, Helen Swift.
Thame Choral Society, founded in 1961, is an informal, friendly, non audition choir committed to the enjoyment of music and has performed a wide range of choral works from the renaissance and baroque through the classical and romantic composers to modern pieces by Britten, Poulenc and Rutter. Two major concerts are performed each year at St Mary’s Parish Church in Thame, and an informal concert of lighter items is arranged for the summer, often in a garden setting.
Rehearsals are held at the Methodist Church, Haddenham on Wednesday evenings from 7.30 to 9.30. More information about the choir can be found on its website, www.thamechoralsociety.co.uk, and by sending an email to : thamechoralsociety@hotmail.co.uk
