DESPITE harder exams this year, the Headteacher of Thame’s Lord Williams’s School was full of praise for this year’s cohort.
Announcing the school’s results, David Wybron said: “The challenges which faced our GCSE students this year were considerable with harder examinations and more of them! They have responded to those challenges and secured very pleasing results. 73% of students achieved five or more higher grades (9-4/A*-C) including English and Mathematics.
“Students have had a nervous wait for their results. There is relief and cause for much celebration for students, parents/carers and staff following the release of results today. Following outstanding results last year, our students have again reached those heights and they deserve to feel really pleased with their achievements.
“I would also like to thank staff who have worked so hard to steer them through to these results and for all the support at home, which is so important.”
The following students gained at least seven passes at grades 9, 8 and 7 (old A* and A):
Ross Albany-Ward, Sam Allen, Millie Argent, Holly Benham, Alex Buchanan, Amelia Burdett, Alfie Carberry, Zachary Chan, Corin Charman, Maddie Coles, Alice Craig, Laura Creswell, Theo Cross, James Evans, Callum Farrell, George Garner, Charlotte George, Jessica Gomes, Hannah Hodson, Elizabeth Humphreys, Harry James, Anna Kandiah, Anna Lockwood, Cliona Macdonald, Ben Penrose, Kizzy Porter, Benjamin Rose, Josie Sampson, Eleanor Schofield, Emily Seed, Martha Taylor, Abigail Tully and Rhodri Walsh.
HOPEFULLY there’ll be no murders in Chinnor to trouble Inspector Barnaby next month, as a new Midsomer Tour package begins.
Neil Didgeon a.k.a. Inspector Barnaby
A guided walking tour of the internationally loved, TV series, Midsomer Murders locations in Thame will be followed by a steam trip on the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway (C&PRR). The rail journey will include cream tea in the afternoon tea car. The new combined Midsomer tour starts on Sunday, September 17, with further tours on Sunday, October 7 and the following Sunday, October 14.
Thame is one of the most frequently used filming locations in the popular ITV series, Midsomer Murders, in which it either as ‘Causton’ or as one of the fictional villages in Midsomer County. The Midsomer guided walking tours of Thame have grown in popularity, following their highly successful début last year. For the new Sunday afternoon tour, those taking the tour will be led by trained tour guides around many of the 20-plus filming locations in Thame town centre, including the Town Hall, Thame Museum, The Swan and the Spread Eagle Hotel.
After the walking tour, the murderous adventure continues from Chinnor Railway Station – the station that became ‘Holm Lane Junction’ in the Death in a Chocolate Box episode, when the station signs were changed, buffers were installed, and the station platform and train were drenched, to create the Midsomer illusion.
Taking a reserved seat in the afternoon tea car, Midsomer Murders fans will pass over the level crossing at Wainhill, featured in the episode, The Made to Measure Murders and during the journey will be served cream tea with locally baked scones, cream, butter and jam. The round trip lasts about 55 minutes.
Ray Gomm, special events manager at C&PRR, said: “‘We are absolutely delighted to be joining forces with Thame Midsomer Tours to provide a new Midsomer adventure, enhancing the experience that people have when they visit Midsomer County, and highlighting C&PRR as a unique Midsomer filming location.”
Tony Long, coordinator for Thame Midsomer Tours said: “Just like C&PRR, the Midsomer Tours are conducted by volunteers. The more people coming on these new tours, the more funds can be generated, both to help maintain the railway and help Midsomer Tours donate to charitable causes locally. Last year we donated over £700 to the Mayor of Thame’s Charities and Thame Museum. The guides themselves don’t take any income from the tours.”
Rumsey’s Barnaby Buns
Becky Reid is Market Town Coordinator at Thame Town Council. She commented: “Midsomer Murders is watched by 6.5 million people in the UK and millions more worldwide. It’s one of the UK’s biggest TV exports, and when people see it on TV, they want to come and visit the beautiful towns and villages of Midsomer. While here, they spend money in our restaurants, pubs, hotels, shops – and now railways! – which is good for our local economy.” She continued: “In Thame, it has also inspired specially created Midsomer products such as the popular Barnaby Buns and the newly launched Midsomer chocolate lollipops, both available from Rumsey’s Chocolaterie in Thame, itself a Midsomer filming location.”
THE Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway (C&PRR), which is 100% operated by volunteers, has been in the news recently. On Wednesday, August 15, a newly created platform, Platform 4, was opened at Chiltern Railways’Princes Risborough station, and C&PRR became the nearest main-line connected heritage railway to London, boasting a cross-platform interchange facility. The steam railway is now less than 25 miles and 40 minutes from London’s Marylebone station.
THE Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, has responded to a letter from the Minister of State for Housing, Kit Malthouse, asking the council to provide proposals for housing growth, within a proposed Oxford to Cambridge Corridor, or ‘the brain belt’.
District Cllr Jane Murphy, Leader of SODC
The Minister has stated that this new ‘Economic Hub’ which will include an Oxford to Cambridge Expressway, will need up to one million new homes to be built by 2050 – an average of over 30,000 per year.
Cllr Jane Murphy has written a statement summarising her response, in which she questions why the Minister is asking for details of the district council’s proposals for helping to meet this need, before the final route of a proposed Expressway through the corridor has been decided. Her statement reads:
“We welcome the opportunity to respond to Kit Malthouse MP, Minister of State for Housing, request for housing growth proposals within our district that support the Oxford to Cambridge Corridor.
“We have written to the minister to request more information on the reasons behind the need for one million new homes and have expressed our surprise that he requires information on any new developments prior to the route being decided.
“It is unclear from the minister’s letter if the new homes required include our ambitious planned growth, included in our emerging Local Plan, and takes into consideration other Oxfordshire authorities, who have signed up to the Housing and Growth Deal.
“The South Oxfordshire Local Plan is currently under review, with all strategic housing sites being reassessed. The Council will make their decision in December following completion of the review and aim to submit the plan for examination in March next year. This timetable is in line with all our partners, who have signed up to the Housing and Growth Deal.
“We continue to work together with other local authorities on the Joint Statutory Spatial Plan for Oxfordshire – a tool for considering the county’s growth in a co-ordinated, long-term way, which takes into consideration each district’s local plan.
“We have informed the minister that the spatial plan is a more appropriate method to explore housing growth and have sought assurance that the government won’t impose new settlements in our district.
“We welcome this letter and have requested to continue to engage and consult with the minister throughout the whole process to deliver this ambitious project.”
Why an Oxford to Cambridge Corridor?
The Government’s motivation for such a strategic route can be summarised in findings from the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) which concluded that the strong economic and population growth across the region has resulted in increasing demands on the existing transport infrastructure and housing supply. Rising congestion, journey times and housing unaffordability, the NIC stated, threatens further economic growth and these constraints reduce the attractiveness of the area as a place to live and work.
High house prices make it increasingly difficult for employers to attract and retain staff and attract new businesses – particularly in Oxford. Also, both Cambridge and Oxford are constrained by Green Belt designations. The NIC states: “The Expressway would help support the highly productive urban areas by helping to address some of these economic challenges. An Expressway and EWR (East-West Rail) would reduce congestion and capacity issues on local commuter routes (A34, A421 and A428), unlock local housing sites and improve connectivity between skilled people and important employment centres and thus support local economic growth in key urban areas within the study area including Oxford, Bicester, Buckingham and Aylesbury (depending on the Expressway route option), Milton Keynes, Bedford, St Neots and Cambridge.”
The proposed routes
The recently published Oxford to Cambridge Expressway Strategic Study: Stage 3 Report has come up with a short list of Expressway routes to better connect the two university cities by completing the ‘missing link’ between the M1 and the M40, to create a new ‘Economic Hub’. These are:
* via Thame, Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard (Option A)
* the East-West Rail (EWR) corridor (Option B) or
* the existing A421 corridor (Option C) – SODC’s preferred route, including sub-option C1 to the North and West of Oxford. The details can be found HERE
These options include on and off-line improvements and a number of sub-options in order to route around Oxford. All three Expressway options include conversion of sections of the A34, A421, A428 and A1 to Expressway standard to complete the route between the M4 and A14/M11. To quote the report: “Each Expressway option would form part of a package of transport measures including EWR, route technology, integration with rail interchange hubs and local access and mobility measures (including non-motorised users).” That’s pedestrians, cyclists and equestrian users.
What next?
The next stage of the NIC’s assessment will involve a more detailed ‘qualitative and quantitative’ assessment of the short listed Expressway schemes, and will assess the value for money, environmental (LINK HERE for concerns of one, major wild-life organisation), transport, and economic impacts of the Expressway interventions and will be reported in a Strategic Outline Business Case. This next stage of this study will also include further analysis of ‘the potential interaction between the short listed Expressway schemes and EWR to better understand the complementary benefits both schemes could provide’.
SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council has refused a planning application, to convert the guitar shop in Cornmarket, Thame, into a two-bedroom home.
The property is a Grade ll, listed building, originally a 16th Century corn warehouse. Planners gave their reasons for refusing the application as follows:
“In the absence of an acoustic report and recommended mitigation, the proposed development would lack sufficient information to demonstrate that the residential amenity of future occupiers could be adequately protected from external noise nuisance. As such, the proposal would be contrary to Policies G2, EP2 and H4 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011.”
Thame Town Council had recommended refusal of the application citing loss of retail use, insufficient parking and ‘poor residential amenity for future occupiers’.
‘Online sales’ affecting business
At a meeting of Thame Town Council’s Planning and Environment Group, Jeff Lowe, Planning Consultant for the owner of Vintage & Modern Guitars Ltd, had explained that his client had specialised in the sale of guitars for many years and whilst the business remained successful, there was an increasing shift to online sales. It was for this reason, he said, that permission had been sought to alter the building to residential use and relocate the business.
No Appeal against the decision by SODC, has so far been lodged.
A past winner of Thame’s Got Talent, recently released a new single of one of his original songs – and it’s already attracting a lot of attention and download on music streaming sites!
Lewis Branch
Twenty-year-old Lewis Branch, who back in 2013, won a dance lesson from dancer and choreographer, Scott Cole, when he was just 13 years-old, had his song, Never Did Before, released on July 13, 2018.
Lewis told Thame.Net: “I studied music for years in college and now I’m focusing on writing original songs as much as possible but I also perform with Emma Batting as part of the duo, DoubleTone. My new song, Never Did Before, has almost reached 2000 streams on Spotify.
“I’m looking forward to releasing new, original content in the near future and can’t wait to share it with everyone!”
As well as Spotify, the song is also available on ITunes, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon Music, Tidal and more !
THAME Swimming Club member, Lucy Block, became the first Thame Swimming Club swimmer to qualify for the English Nationals which took place in Sheffield during the first week of August 2018.
Lucy Block and Ian Blyth
Lucy had qualified for three events the 50m, 100m and 200m Backstroke. Just to get to the Nationals is a great achievement as only 20 swimmers per event in England can swim in these championships.
Lucy pushed herself to even higher levels by making the finals for all three events, going on to finish fifth in the 50m event, fourth in the 100m and seventh in the 200m. All of these swims were personal best times and this being Lucy’s first big event Nationally, she did herself, Thame town and Swimming Club proud.
Marcus Birmingham
Ian Blyth, Head Coach commented: “This is a fabulous achievement and shows Thame Swimming Club can produce swimmers at the top level.”
Marcus Birmingham, who also swims for Thame Swimming Club, recently competed at the 2018 Irish Nationals in Dublin, qualifying for the second successive year and putting in a great performance and making the club very proud of his achievement.
Marcus had qualified for four events, the 100m and 200m Butterfly, and the 200m and 400m Individual Medley. He improved on a couple of his entry times and managed to finish a very impressive 12th in the 400 Individual Medley and 10th place in the 200m Butterfly, narrowly missing out on the final.
SUNDAY saw Thame Town Cricket Club host Oxfordshire’s fifth Softball Cricket Festival of the year. Despite occasional drizzle, another great day of softball cricket was enjoyed by the 45 women and girls registered. Teams from Eynsham, Watlington and Thame played each other, with the Thame Tigers coming out on top. More details of how you can try either soft or hard ball are at http://www.thamecricket.org.uk/womens-cricket
Other match reports – Saturday, August 11, and Sunday, 12, August 2018
Young First cricketing eleven lose at Banbury
A depleted Thame First XI slipped to a heavy defeat last Saturday, away at Banbury. Bowling first, Thame’s young attack caused plenty of problems, with especially fine spells by Chris Jeffcock (1-36 off 10 overs) and youngster Jonathon Jelfs ( 1-16 from 5). Nevertheless, the lack of early reward saw Thame punished, as Banbury’s overseas Adams blasted a century to propel his side to 268-7; Hassam Mushtaq finished with 4-65. Thame’s batsmen struggled from the start, with only Mushtaq passing 30, as they were eventually skittled for just 96, in what will be an excellent learning-experience for a number of the emerging players. Thame next host Horspath at Church Meadow on Saturday, August 18.
Second Eleven thrash Shipton-Under-Wychwood
THAME Town Cricket Club’s second XI welcomed Shipton-under-Wychwood Seconds to Church Meadow. Bowling first, early breakthroughs by Ollie Chaplin (2-31) put Thame on top and were followed up by smart bowling at the end from skipper Matt Furness (3-12) and Pete Tervet (3-29), as Shipton were dismissed for a below-par 171. The target was then easily chased down by Thame’s top order of Richard Carr (64), Harry Thomas (44*) and Matt Furness (37*), securing a 9-wicket win. This puts Thame one step closer to promotion, as they travel to Witney Mills this Saturday, August 18.
Thirds gain points in rain-effected draw
THE in-form Thirds hosted an equally in-form Cumnor Thirds at Lord Williams’s School at the weekend. Cumnor batted first facing John Phippen (2-33) and Luke Hayes (1-32) and at 68-4 the game was well-poised. However, Clapton’s 74 led a big fifth-wicket partnership, as Thame dropped several catches. Tim Hester’s spell of 5-35 off 6 overs then cut short their charge, as Cumnor were all out for 207. In reply, Thame slumped to 32-4 on a pitch of variable bounce, but recovered thanks largely to Zahid Hussain’s hard-hitting 48*, finishing on 113-5 when rain ended the day. The 3rds can take a huge step towards promotion when they face Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescript Thirds this Saturday at Islip.
THAME Fourths travelled to play Shipton-under-Wychwood Fourths, where frugal bowling from Ed Mather (2-21 off 9), Neil Smith (2- 13 off 8) and Shay Reading (2-26 off 9) limited the hosts to 107 all out. With rain-clouds threatening, Thame’s openers hurried to chase down the target, with an opening partnership of 71 between Mark Fellowes (58*) and Tim Dabbs (34). Thame passed the Shipton total, for just one wicket, within 13 overs and more importantly beat the rain, thus cementing fifth position, as they welcome fourth-placed Didcot this Saturday.
STUDENTS at Lord Williams’s School have been congratulated by their Headteacher for achieving ‘impressive heights’ with their achievements at A Level and equivalent Level Three courses. The pass rate was 99% with 46% of passes at A*/A and B grades.
Headteacher, David Wybron was full of praise for the students: “It is always an anxious time waiting for results, especially with new courses. Our students have worked very hard to secure such pleasing results. It is time for celebration and to look forward to an exciting future.”
The following students achieved A* or A grades in three or more subjects: Marcus Birmingham, Harriet Burdett, Harriet Caiger, Harry Cooke, Annabel Davies, Luke Eaton, Sam Goode, Alessia Grant, Isabel Jackson, Marc Leaney, Lucy Miller, Jacob Powell, Michael Shearwood, George Shreeve, Charley Sydenham and Rebecca Van Walwyk.
This year, of the Lord Williams’s pupils who took A levels, 18% gained grades at A*/A level. Last year, the figure was 22%.
David Wybron added: “Results are broadly similar to last year but there are some baffling results in one or two areas, which we are following up with the exam boards. Lots of students are celebrating and students who didn’t get their hoped-for grades are getting university places.”
The national picture
Across the nation, 26.4 per cent of students were awarded either an A or A* this year, the highest since 2012 when 26.6 per cent achieved these grades, and the second year in a row that the A*-A pass rate has risen. However, overall, nationally there has been a drop in A* A-levels.
For the second year running, nationally, boys are winning slightly more of the highest grades than girls, with 26.2 per cent of girls achieving A or A* compared to 26.6 per cent of boys.
Praise for teaching staff
Lesley McPherson, Head of Year 13 at Lord Williams’s school, added: “We would like to congratulate the Year 13 students on achieving such excellent results in their A Levels and Level Three qualifications. We are extremely proud of their achievements and they have demonstrated a strong work ethic which has allowed them to fulfil their potential. Their hard work has now paid off and they are in a great position to embark on the next stage of their lives, whether that is higher education or employment.
“It is also a testament to the staff who have worked tremendously hard in teaching and supporting the students throughout their time in the Sixth Form at Lord Williams’s.”
THE Chilterns Conservation Board is to use cutting-edge imaging technology to produce a specialist ‘light and radar’ survey of the Chilterns as part of its ‘Beacons of the Past: Hillforts in the Chilterns Landscape’, a National Lottery-supported project.
The survey, officially known as a LiDAR survey, will enable the three-and-a-half-year project to uncover more about the Chilterns in the Iron Age, but also encourage and inspire people to find out more about and help protect the heritage environment. The survey will be carried out by Cyient Europe Ltd
LiDAR is a type of airborne laser scanning. The innovative surveying technique will cover 1300km2 at 25cm resolution and will digitally peel back the forest canopy to reveal the hidden ancient landscapes. It is the first time the entire Chilterns AONB and environs will be subject to such a survey.
Largest survey of its kind
This summer’s weather has revealed a plethora of new archaeological sites across Britain and Ireland as dry temperatures scorch the vegetation around ancient features. But aerial photographs only show up archaeology like this if the ground is visible; woodland archaeology requires LiDAR. Flights begin in late November, to allow the best result after most leaves have fallen.
Project Manager, Dr Wendy Morrison, said: “These hillforts can’t be thought of as just being individual monuments – they didn’t exist in isolation when constructed, and they don’t now. Understanding their wider context in the landscape is crucial to understanding the roles hillforts played in society over the longue durée (Ed. their time in history). We are thrilled to be working with Cyient to discover more about the archaeology of this region,” she continued. “I believe this is the largest bespoke archaeological LiDAR survey at this resolution in the UK.”
Volunteer help
The project intends to use Citizen Science to help identify new archaeological features across the Chilterns. The processed LiDAR data will be available through an online portal in the form of images for interested volunteers to digitally annotate. Training and guidance will be provided both online and through a series of workshops held across the region over the autumn months in the run up to the survey.
Landscape Heritage Officer, Dr Ed Peveler, said: “This will be a brilliant opportunity to enrich our understanding of the history and prehistory of the Chilterns landscape. Volunteers can learn exciting new digital and practical skills, and at the same time help us to discover previously unrecorded archaeology, and to tell new stories about these hills.”
Located across four counties and only a stone’s throw from London, the Chilterns AONB is perhaps best known for is chalk streams and it leafy woodlands, but it also boasts a large number of hillforts in the UK, with 20 known monuments and potentially more which the survey may reveal. The Chilterns Conservation Board is an independent body established by Parliamentary Order in 2003 with 27 members drawn from local communities, with a statutory duty to protect, conserve and enhance the Chilterns AONB.
Advantages of airborne LiDAR surveys
Established in 1991, Cyient is a leading geospatial services provider and has a range of airborne and mobile survey products to carry out traditional aerial photography, LiDAR and oblique imagery to hyperspectral imaging and 3D modelling. “We are delighted that Chiltern Conservation Board has selected Cyient as their partner for what promises to be a very interesting project,” said Simon Kraeter, Commercial Director of Cyient. “One of the key advantages of airborne LiDAR surveys is the ability to scan a large area quickly, safely, and without the need to visit the site and potentially disturb any hidden archaeological features.”
Seeing ancient ‘lumps and bumps’ beneath the trees
Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) can be used to record and observe archaeology on the surface of the ground that is otherwise obscured, such as by forestation. LiDAR instruments record landscapes in three dimensions by use of a laser scanner. An airborne LiDAR system sends out small pulses of light at the rate of hundreds of thousands per second. They are reflected back from the objects they strike, and the distance is measured and recorded. When the millions of measurements are combined by computer, then a digital three-dimensional image of the landscape is formed. From this data, objects can then be digitally grouped (classified) or deleted, thus an entire forest can be removed, revealing the ground surface, and all the humps and bumps ancient people left behind.
THE Comedy Club is returning to Ludgershall – YES – on Thursday, October 18. However, if you can’t wait, Brill Festival is staging a bill of some of Ludgershall’s favourite comedians on Friday, August 24, as part of the Brill Beer Festival.
Tickets available from various Brill outlets..(see poster). With RUDI LICKWOOD + OTIZ CANNELLONI + BRIAN DAMAGE & KRYSTALL + MAUREEN YOUNGER
