NOMINATIONS are now open to put businesses, managers, leaders and entrepreneurs forward for the South and Vale business awards. South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have joined forces to include businesses of all shapes and sizes based across the southern Oxfordshire and Science Vale areas.
Oxford Wood Recycling won the Social Responsibility Award in the Vale4B Awards 2018
Anyone can nominate a businesses, employers and leaders for the following categories:
Large business of the year
Employer of the year
Early stage innovation award
Established innovation award
Social responsibility award
Business leader of the year
Business space of the year
SME of the year
Cllr Mike Murray, Cabinet Member for Development and Regeneration at Vale of White Horse District Council said: “We are looking forward to receiving the nominations for this year’s awards. There are so many excellent organisations based here, some undertaking the most ground-breaking work, and these awards can help to put them in the limelight.”
Cllr Harrison said: “This is the first time businesses and leaders based in our district are able to nominate themselves and others for these prestigious awards. We are excited to championing great leadership and good practice and to support our local organisations to grow and succeed.”
Simon Bassett, lead partner from UK Top 100 law firm and lead sponsor, Royds Withy King, said: “It was great to see so many people attend the launch of the 2019 South and Vale Awards last month, highlighting the calibre of potential applicants from across the two districts. We would strongly encourage businesses of all shapes and sizes to either apply themselves, or nominate a business, employer or leader for one or more of the eight awards on offer. We are surrounded by innovative and exciting individuals and businesses in Oxfordshire and these awards are the perfect opportunity for that to be recognised. We look forward to seeing the applications come in and to meeting more of you at the upcoming events.”
Once announced, the finalists of each category will be invited along to attend a fabulous awards ceremony at Williams F1 Conference Centre in March next year.
Sponsors of the awards are Royds Withy King (lead sponsor), HSBC, Richardsons Group, Bluestream Recruitment, MSC R&D, FOCUS Oxford Risk Management, Hilton Garden Inn (Abingdon), Harwell, Milton Park and Better for Leisure.
IN an exciting change to its usual format, well-known local actor, Bruce Alexander, is to compère Thame Chamber Choir’s evening Christmas Concert, entitled Follow that Star!, in St Mary’s Church, Thame, on Saturday, December 15.
TV star Bruce (Superintendent Norman Mullett in the ITV television series A Touch of Frost) will intersperse seasonal readings with the choir’s blend of old favourites and pieces with a modern twist, complemented by traditional refreshments (including mulled wine and mince pies), familiar carols to sing along with, and a beautiful candlelit atmosphere.
The evening concert will be preceded by a family matinée, specially intended for families with young children. Both concerts also feature TCC2, Thame’s thriving Children’s Choir, veteran broadcasters on both BBC Television and Radio 3!
The concerts are at 4.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m., and tickets are available from the Book House, 93 High Street, Thame. Children under 18 are admitted free.
PREZZO in Thame celebrated the re-opening of its fresh new look branch on Cornmarket on Tuesday, November 27, with a ribbon cutting ceremony by the Mayor of Thame, Anne Midwinter.
Ann Midwinter with Prezzo chefs, Pavel Masztalewicz and Damian Wrotniak
The event celebrated the refreshed Prezzo Thame following a major, two-week refurbishment and staff training for the new menu. Guests were treated to sample dishes from Prezzo’s new Autumn/Winter menu including Beetroot Gnocchi and Crab & Lobster Torellini, served alongside Prezzo’s Signature G&T cocktail.
Prezzo Executive Chef Paul Lewis commented: “Both our dishes and our restaurant design have been influenced by what we’re calling the spirit of Milan. Think Italian dining with a sophisticated twist.”
Mayor Ann Midwinter, in declaring the new-look Prezzo officially open, said how delighted she was to have been asked to been involved in this special evening, as she personally found the restaurant to be the most family-friendly in the town, and how after 10 years in Thame, is had become an important contributor to the town’s thriving eating-out scene and the town’s economy.
Tia Latham with the Mayor of Thame Ann Midwinter, Gordon Lee from The Fourth Angel PR & Andreas Schlamkow of Double Tree by Hilton
The ceremony was also attended by deputy mayor, Linda Emery, and local businesses, media and one of the special guests was fan of Prezzo, Tia Latham, ITV2’s Survival Of The Fittest Star.
Prezzo’s Italian-inspired menu includes fresh new, seasonal dishes with innovative flavour combinations, alongside tempting Italian classics, developed by Prezzo’s executive chef, Paul Lewis, and his talented team. “Our brief was to create dishes and drinks with an indulgent feel that also celebrates the best of the winter produce,” explained. “We started working up ideas for the Christmas set menu back in May using special Christmas ingredients and referencing Italian culture and food trends to influence what we create. We hope the Prezzo Christmas set menu inspires customers to try our great, new ingredient combinations presented in a modern and stylish way.”
Prezzo has 188 restaurants nationwide and all offer a wide variety of pasta and pizza on menus available across all of its restaurants for both lunch and dinner and to suit all budgets and palates. Separate allergy-aware menus are available across all Prezzo restaurants and they cater for vegetarians and the growing number of vegans too.
THE festive season comes chiming in at The First Thursday Music Club at The Stables in Thame on Thursday, December 6. A big crowd and lots of artists are expected as usual, to this brilliant night of live music as we start the run-up to Christmas – and as always entry is FREE.
Band With No Name
This month the club will feature The Band With No Name with their annual appearance. The band played to a huge crowd at the Rebellion Brewery in Marlow in November and will be moving on to close at Haddenham’s hugely successful Winterfest Beer Festival on Saturday, December 8.
With Clive Taylor on drums, Clive Henry on Harmonica, Phil Westerman on Bass, George Brundrette on lead guitar and Dave Bradley on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, they’ll be rockin’ the house from around 10pm in Thame.
The First Thursday Music Club still offers the opportunity for artists to play live in front of a warm and appreciative audience, maintaining the ‘Open Mic’ section of the evening where slots will always be available in the first hour on a first come, first served basis with player sign-up by 7.30. The club has a full house PA system with keyboard, bass amp, guitar amp and jazz drum kit (bring breakables!) all set up on stage and ready to go.
Another eclectic evening is guaranteed and, don’t forget, it’s FREE entry!
TIES between Thame and our twin town of Montesson, in France, continue to be strong despite the difficult national conversation currently gripping the country over our future relationship with Europe.
A group representing Thame and District Twinning Association have just returned from an excellent weekend in France, to take part in Montesson’s Christmas market.
Thame twinner, Sue Mottram told Thame.Net: “The weather was cold but fine and we were as usual very well received by a good number of customers, some of whom are now becoming regulars! The first sale was to one such customer, eager to avoid the disappointment of missing one of the now anticipated, popular carrot cakes that one of our members makes every year!
“We are very grateful to all our members who supplied the cakes, biscuits and pickles which all sold for very good prices and contributed to the total net profit of £380, which is a few pounds more than last year. Other members supplied jam,tea and Christmas puddings.”
The few things left over from the market will go into the tombola on Thame’s Twinning stall at the Christmas light switch-on on Friday, November 30, in Thame, and others will be used in the ‘lucky dip’ on Saturday evening at the Associations Christmas party.
“If both of these activities go well,” said Sue, “our total profit from the Christmas market goods should be in the region of £500.”
The money raised by Thame Twinning Association, together with the funds raised from their recent quiz, go towards hosting a group of French friends from Montesson iin Thame, in May 2019.
Six Montesson friends will arrive early on Friday afternoon to set up outside Thame Town Hall, ready for the Christmas lights switch-on. They will be making crêpes – always a highlight of the Thame Christmas lights event – and selling a range of other French produce. Thame Twinning Association will have a stall next to the French with a tombola and a other gift and craft items. The event starts at 3.30 and ends at about 7pm. FULL PROGRAMME HERE
POLICE Officers working to locate Florence Waters, 33, who was reported missing from Thame on Monday (19/11), yesterday evening (22/11/18) found a body.
The late Florence Waters
Although formal identification has not yet taken place, it is believed that the body is that of Florence Waters. The body was found on land near Oxford Road, Thame. She was reported to have last been seen at her home in Osney, Oxford, at about 9am on Monday, November 19.
Her next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers at this time.
The death is not believed to be suspicious and a file is to be prepared for the coroner.
Florence was a Freelance and contributed articles on the visual arts, film and books to the Daily Telegraph. Florence’s own artwork is advertised for sale on the Saatchi and Saatchi website.
CELEBRITY Chef Raymond Blanc led a delegation of over eighty local business leaders, gathered at his Black Horse Pub Brasserie in Thame, in order to show support for the now community-run Oxfordshire charity, the Red Kite Family Centre.
Red Kite Children’s Centre Leader, Amy Spicer
The Centre provides a wide range of activities, support and advice services to all parents with children up to four years old in the Thame and Chinnor area. It also helps young children and their parents prepare for their school years which follow. Well over 80% of parents in the area make regular use of the Centre and the trustees are determined to ensure that the £70,000 a year needed to fund its upkeep is secured for the coming years.
Image: Courtesy of Paul Wilkinson Photographt – Raymond Blanc cooking with a pupil from Haddenham St Mary’s school
Speaking during the event on Tuesday, November 20, Raymond Blanc offered his personal endorsement for the centre’s work and encouraged everyone present to show their support through practical and financial means. Mr Blanc said: “The family centre is heavily relied upon within the local area. Therefore it’s critical that the centre retains the help and assistance of all of us in this room and throughout our wider community.”
Amy Spicer, the family centre’s Leader, provided a number of striking examples of the real difference that the centre is making to the lives of many families with young children in the area, ranging from children with disabilities through to a new mother with postnatal depression. Amy ended by saying: “We want to be there for every family.”
Tony Stratton, Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire also attended the event and gave his support before thanking Amy and her team for the invaluable work that they are doing.
John Hulett, the centre’s Chair of Trustees further added: “With support from local business and the wider community we can ensure that the centre continues to provide this vital lifeline to families in our area.”
As part of the evening, a new ‘Friends of the Red Kite Family Centre’ scheme was launched, with ‘a menu’ of sponsoring and support options, for providing support. The scheme is open to everyone and details can be found on the Red Kite Family Centre website. LINK HERE
The importance of early years ‘building blocks
John Hulett welcomed everyone to the Black Horse, and thanked particularly the Family Centre’s main sponsor of the evening, and the staff of the Black Horse. He told guests how he was inspired to help the Red Kite Family Centre, after retiring as Head of Barley Hill School in Thame, where he came to notice how good ‘building blocks’ during children’s early lives gave them a flying start. For those not fortunate enough to have those early advantages, there were issues they had to deal with. “So please,” he asked. “Do take the opportunity to help, because we know that the early years of a child’s life are so vital.”
Raymond Blanc, who had just flown in from Bankok on his way back from China, spoke of his own early life and joked about how he had taken on English characteriseltics like waiting in queues and that most English of things, being able to laugh at himself, after 46 years living in Great Milton. Now he was a publican, he proudly declared, and a hotelier, working ethically and responsibly, and importantly, training young people!
‘With success comes reponsibilities’
“I’m a business man,” he said, “..a papa; just a guy who has had the benefits of success. But with that comes a responsibility that people like us should all get involved and give back to the community. To be able to taken on the extraordinary role of helping kids who may not have had the best start in life is both a duty and privalege.
“So much has been taken away for support and development of these young people, so as I see it, it is the responsibility of us all to help. We must be active players in ensuring that Red Kite Family Centre is successful and able to get to those kids and help to give them the very best start in life.”
A supporter, Iain, added his praise and thanks to the Trustees and staff of the Centre who do so much to provide ‘a huge service’ that is no longer supported by Government, and ‘are adding enormously to the communtiy we all live in’.
Still here thanks to a great team!
Centre Leader, Amy Spicer, recalled how, two years ago, she took a call from Oxfordshire County Council telling her that she would have to tell all the staff and families that early intervention services were going! “Two years on, and we are still here!” she said to loud clapping and cheers. “Behind what we do is an amazing group of Trustees who have done so much to get funding fron here, there and everywhere to enable us to keep going and make such a difference to so many lives. This team works tirelessly,” she said, “And I can tell you that the team would do anything to help our families.”
TV drama mirrors life
Amy then mentioned the recent TV drama, The Cry, where we see a beautiful, high-flying young couple, who on the outside, have perfect lives. Then a baby comes into their lives. Mum, with no support with a crying baby, begins to crumble. “Red Kite is here too,” she explained, “for those people who look like they have it all but need help. We are also there for the more vulnerable in our community and work with partner agencies to make sure we reach all families.”
Amy spoke movingly of one mum who fled a violent relationship; she had four kids under six, had no carpet, no trumble drier etc. “We helped her find the agencies to help, we got her food parcels, some carpet and other things she needed,” recalled Amy. “one month after that, she had gained enough confidence to come in to the centre. Now, that same mum comes to the centre three times a week and has now started as a volunteer! That’s what we are about – making sure that those sorts of families have a chance.”
Over a thousand children helped in two year!
More than 1,600 children have registerd with the centre since it became a charity, and over the last year, 942 children have been seen – 74 of them have come from the most vulnerable part of Thame. As well as thinking of the needs of children, the centre supports young families; it has helped 35 unemployed parents, 30 lone parents and 300 fathers through the men’s Breakfast events.
Feedback reported by Amy
“Its made a massive difference to myself and my son who is autistic. The girls who work there are lovely and my son has settled. It’s nice not feeling judged or stared up; it makes me more confident.”
“I have made so many new friends since I started coming here.”
” The staff alway have beaming smiles on their faces!”
“I suffer fron anxiety and low self-esteem, but going to a group of others similar to me, I have been blown away by the level of professionislm and I’m learning new skills.”
The centre closing would be a ‘tragedy’
Tony Stratton, the Deputy Leiutenant of Oxfordshire, said of Amy: “What a little Star!” Those of us who can should support this organisation. It would be a tragedy for children and families and the town it couldn’t carry on.” He then called for a toast to Amy and the her team and John Hulett presented her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
The Red Kite Family Centre is a former Oxfordshire County Council children’s centre. OCC ceased funding this and many other centres across the county in March 2017 as part of budget savings. Since April 2017 the Centre has been run by a community-based charity. Its Mission statement – To be there for every child – and it does all that on £70,000 per year. It’s three-year business plan ends in 2020 when it expects to run out of money which is why the Red Kite Centre is now reaching out to the business community for their support and working together.
THE Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust is issuing a claim in the High Court against the government regarding the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway.
The Trust has stated yesterday, November 21, that it is challenging the government because Highways England failed to commission a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) or a Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) as part of the process of selecting a ‘Growth Corridor’ within which the Expressway and associated housing will be built.
“This is required under European law for schemes that impact on the environment such as this,” the Trust has said. “This means the true environmental impact has not been properly considered, and the public has been denied the opportunity to fully scrutinise the comparative economic, societal and environmental impacts of the options.”
The Trust believes that The Court will consider the case’s merits and anticipates that there will be a Judicial Review hearing in the New Year.
The corridor will be broadly aligned with the proposed East-West rail route from Abingdon to south Milton Keynes via Winslow. It is yet to be decided whether the route will pass west or east of Oxford.
Follow the LINK to read BBOWT’s full statement and related new stories HERE
IT’S exciting times for 19 year-old heptathlete, Alice Hopkins, from Thame, whose. Her talent was first noticed in her Barley Hill school, year six, sports day.
Alice Hopkins
Alice has since trained with Oxford City Athletics club and is currently first in the UK and sixth in Europe for under 23s long jump. She is now hoping to qualify for the under 23s European Championships in Sweden in July 2019, but to help her on her way, Alice needs the support of some sponsorship. Therefore, she would be very grateful if any local companies are able to help her to get there. You can contact Alice via aliceann5@hotmail.com
THE much-loved patron of Towersey Festival, British folk legend ROY BAILEY, died yesterday, Tuesday, November 20, 2018.
The late, great Roy Bailey
A hugely important figure in British music, Roy started performing skiffle in the 1950s before falling in love with traditional songs. He was on stage, and in brilliant form, in August when he played his now traditional Bank Holiday Afternoon concert at the festival to a packed audience.
In a statement today, Joe Heap,Towersey Festival’s Festival Director, said the following:
“It’s with great sadness we hear of the passing of our Festival Patron and friend Roy Bailey.
“Roy has been a part of Towersey Festival since our very first event, and even before. He was there, back in 1965 at the very meeting where the festival was conceived, and he’s been performing at the festival almost every year since.
“Always playing to capacity crowds, his regular Monday afternoon concerts were an utter joy – warm, funny, poignant, and well-observed.
“We’ll miss him greatly, and we know many Towersey-goers will do too.
“Our thoughts are with his family.”
In a message of the Roy Bailey official website, Roy’s family have posted this message:
“Many of you will know that Roy has struggled with heart failure for over 30 years. Sadly today his condition finally claimed him. His last few days were peaceful and filled with love, family and friends whilst being cared for by the amazing folk at St. Luke’s hospice in Sheffield.
Professor Roy Bailey – a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, singer, academic and humanitarian – 1935 – 2018. “
