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Category: Thame news

  • Tough but fun Easter Squash Camp at Racquets

    RAQUETS Fitness Centre was as busy as ever over the Easter Holidays, particularly the squash courts which were being used by 18 Oxfordshire juniors who were taking part in a squash camp with Head County Coach, Chloe Marshall.

    The theme of the camp was ‘taking the ball in short’, with focus on playing drop shots from the middle and back of the court.

    Across four courts, long short routines and front v back practice was on show, with young players working on ‘cutting the ball’ and adding deception to their game. A game of ‘consequences’ which are conditioned-based skill games, added a competitive edge to the training, with some players being punished with 50+ Courtsprints and jumping jacks depending on where they finished in the competition.

    Coach Chloe commented: “skill games are a great way to reinforce what is being practiced in training, and allows players to be more creative with their shots – all the players engaged with the theme really well! Well done to all the children who were involved in the squash events at Racquets this Easter.”

    Racquets runs squash camps every school holiday, as well as drop-in sessions which are aimed at beginner juniors who want to try out the game. For information on future events contact the team on squash@racquets-fitness-centre.com

  • Thame’s Community Equipment Bank saved

    AFTER the threat of closure and a long search for a saviour, Thame’s Community Equpment Bank has a new Supervisor, just in time for the busy hiring season.

    Robert Nisbet

     

     

     

    Robert Nisbet will be taking over the liaison between the hirer and the keyholders, joining the current team. This is a task that has to take place most weeks and in the summer when there may be multiple bookings each week.

    The Thame Community Equipment Bank provides equipment for events at extremely reasonable prices to allow local events like fetes, festivals, fundraisers and celebrations raise the maximum funds for their respective charities and groups. Since 2006 the equipment bank has supported almost every event that you will have heard of in Thame and many more that will have taken place in the surrounding villages.

    The 21st Century Thame Partnership set up the Equipment Bank with funding originally from SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) to purchasd the bulk of the equipment, and receives funding each year from SODC and Thame Town Council as well as ploughing any profit back into replacing and fixing the equipment. The equipment bank has helped many events take place over the last 12 years. Since 2014, Sue Martin-Downhill has run the equipment bank with help from David Laver and Peter Harris and the support of the rest of 21st Century Thame. Having taken on the chairwomanship of 21st Century Thame and continuing to run the Thame Carnival, the equipment bank had become too much work.

    Sue said: “We are very pleased to welcome Robert Nisbet to the team. I am so pleased that someone has been able to take over as without this pivotal role the equipment bank would not have been able to continue.”

    21st Century Thame is a group of volunteers from the community that works in partnership with Thame Town Council and SODC. It works to ensure the vitality of Thame and its surrounding villages.

    “We are always looking for volunteers to help with the many projects that our community needs,” explained Sue. “Thame Tidy was a recent success and we’re looking forward to Thame Carnival in June and we’re currently updating the Shopping Guide cabinets in the car parks.”

    Anyone interested in finding out more about 21st Century Thame and getting involved, and meeting like-minded people around Thame, is invited to email admin@thame4me.co.uk

  • Pro-European activists in Thame join National Action Day

    THAME Activists and supporters from Open Britain, the European Movement and Britain for Europe were in Thame town centre on Saturday, April 14, as part of a day of action throughout the UK.

     

     

     

     

    The ‘Open Britain Thame’ group visited other parts of Thame’s MP. John Howell’s Henley and South Oxfordshire constituency including Chinnor, Henley, Watlington and Kirtlington and, with the support of the ‘Thame For Europe’ a street stall was set up in front of Thame town hall, which included a ‘Brexitometre’ on which people were invited to stick on a plastic letter in either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to whether they ‘Still want Brexit’ and leaflets distributed throughout the town. The leaflets asked local people to ask John Howell MPto support the Customs Union Amendment ‘to avoid a hard, destructive Brexit’.

    This, the largest ever pro-European National Action Day, preceded the launch on Sunday, April 15, of a new People’s Vote campaign, calling for the British people to be given a vote on the Brexit deal.

    Robin Storey of Open Britain Thame, said: “I’m delighted with the launch of the campaign for a peoples vote on the final Brexit deal in Thame. We signed up over a hundred supporters in two hours and then drove to Henley and launched a group there with similar results. We also visited other areas throughout John Howell MP’s constituency and will be asking John Howell MP for a meeting.

    “Volunteers have been delivering 4000 leaflets in the Thame area asking John Howell MP to back the customs union amendment ‘to avoid unnecessary economic damage’. This is a logical and measurable first step for him to take, but the Peoples Vote on the final Brexit deal is the real solution to this mess – as there are so many new facts about the cost of Brexit such as the £40Bn exit bill, broken promises on NHS funding and a likely bad deal.”

    Phillipa Tawn, of the Thame For Europe Group explained: “Once we know the terms of the Brexit deal we should have the right to decide if we still want it or not. We campaigned for nine hours on Saturday all around the Henley constituency and in that area it is clear that people are not at all happy about the way Brexit is looking right now.”

    There were however, some voices from Thame who are on the opposite side to Saturday’s activists. Tony Rushforth stated on Twitter: “We had a vote; stick by it! You can’t have best of three! We voted and gave our politicians the mandate to deal with the terms of the Brexit. Just let them get on with it and stop crying foul !”

    James MacCleary, Campaign Director of European Movement UK, said: “The pro-European movement is gaining in strength and momentum and that progress was reflected this weekend with a huge demonstration of grassroots power in favour of a People’s Vote on the Brexit deal.”

    Anne Weyman, Vice Chair of Britain for Europe, said: “We may come from different political parties, different traditions and different groups, but we are united by our desire for the people to have their say on the Brexit deal and we are determined to make sure their voice is heard loud and clear.”

  • Thame quiz format inspires first quiz ever by Romanian ‘twin’ Sinaia

    A group of three women from Sinaia, Thame’s twin town, have organised a quiz inspired by the format of Thame’s TAL popular event. (more…)

  • ‘The worst opera singer in the world’ coming to Thame theatre

    AUDIENCES in Thame can enjoy an award winning performance when White Cobra Productions stage a performance of “Glorious! The True Story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the worst opera singer in the World” this coming Saturday, April 14.

    The company recently swept the board at an international drama festival taking virtually all of the top awards winning “Best Play” with the two leading actors, Kate Billingham and Richard Jordan being voted “Best Actress” and “Best Actor” respectively.

    The play tells the story of 1940s New York socialite, Florence Foster Jenkins, and her determination to pursue her dream of becoming a top class Opera singer, despite being tone deaf! She employs the initially bemused pianist Cosme McMoon and together they eventually perform a sell out concert at the world famous Carnegie Hall.

    As well as the the top prizes, White Cobra also scooped an additional acting award for Lynne O’Sullivan, for the set, and the audience appreciation award where the audience voted for their favourite of the seven performed during the week long festival on the Isle of Man.

    Among the companies performing were representatives from Switzerland and Germany, as well as others from across the UK. Glorious Director, Ian Spiby, said: “It’s a wonderful tribute, not only to the production but to the spirit of Florence and her determination to succeed.”

    The story of Florence Foster Jenkins was recently an Oscar nominated film starring Meryl Street and Hugh Grant; now this new production brings the story to life on the stage.

    MORE INFORMATION & Tickets HERE

    SOURCE: Contributed

  • Two car collision in Thame

    TWO Fire crews from Thame Fire Station were called to a Road Traffic Collision involving two private cars yesterday, April 11, 2018, on the B4445 Chinnor Road, Thame.

    The scene of yesterday’s crash

     

     

     

    The driver and passenger of one car managed to get out of the vehicle suffering only minor injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was assisted from their vehicle by a passing motorist and suffered an injury to their leg.

    Medically trained firefighters provided first aid to all three casualties until the arrival of South Central Ambulance Service. Fire Fighters made the vehicles safe and liaised with Thames Valley Police to close the road. The driver with the leg injury was conveyed to hospital by South Central Ambulance Service. The driver and passenger of the other car were discharged at the scene.

    Further investigation into the cause of the collision being carried out by Thames Valley Police

    Safety message:

    Incident Commander Crew Manager Kevin Morgan said, “This was a considerable impact to both vehicles and fortunately on this occasion the drivers and passengers only suffered minor injuries, I would like to take this opportunity to remind all road users to wear their seatbelts and to take extra care whilst driving on rural roads. This incident had the potential to be life-threatening and life-changing. Oxfordshire has one of the largest ‘rural’ road networks in S.E.England. Almost 60% of road deaths in Oxfordshire occur on a rural roads.”

    Visit www.365alive.co.uk for Community and Road Safety advice.

    If you have a Community or Road Safety question please call the free phone helpline on 08000 325 999 or email: community.safety@oxfordshire.gov.uk

  • A Coull collaboration for Thame Chamber Choir

    A unique concert taking place on May 5, in St Mary’s Church, Thame, will see a collaboration between Thame Chamber Choir and the internationally-renowned Coull Quartet, one of whose members, cellist Nick Roberts, is a Thame resident.

     

     

     

    The quartet, together with second cellist Rowena Calvert, will perform Schubert’s sublime C major string quintet – considered by many to be one of the greatest compositions in all chamber music – as well as his early G minor quartet. The choir’s contribution is a selection of Schubert’s finest part-songs, chosen from the hundreds that he wrote.

    Tickets for the concert, which is sponsored by Blaser Mills, are available from The Book House, Thame, on-line from www.wegottickets.com, and at the door.

  • Tea dance date for those with impaired memory and their carers

    MONDAY, April 16, sees the return of Chinnor’s Forget-Me-Not Cafe’s very popular spring tea dance, hosted by popular Thame musician Ian English.

    Organiser, Michele Pether said: “A wide range of music is played with something for everyone, and don’t worry if you have mobility problems or are in a wheelchair; we ensure that everyone joins in and has a great time.”

    Light refreshments will be on offer as usual, and the event kicks off at the usual time of 10.30am at Chinnor Village Centre and finishes around 12.30. Everyone is welcome, particularly those suffering from memory problems, so go along with your carer for a great friendly and supportive morning.

    The Forget-Me-Not Cafe meets every other week on a Monday morning, and has a varied and interesting programme on offer. They just ask for a small donation of £2.50 For more information, check out the Cafe’s facebook page: www.facebook.com/forgetmeknotcafe or call Michele on 07779732097 info@holisticmassageuk.co.uk

  • Chinnor RFC boosting women’s rugby with Warrior Camp

    THE next wave of England Rugby’s Inner Warrior campaign has launched today and Chinnor RFC has announced a Warrior Camp for women players, on Friday, April 20, at 7pm.

    The Inner Warrior campaign is back after a successful series of Warrior Camps in 2017 and January 2018, which gave a huge boost to grassroots women’s rugby participation. The April wave of Warrior Camps kicks off on April 13, and will run until April 29, with 100 rugby taster sessions taking place at clubs across the country.

    The April wave of the campaign coincides with the Rugby Sevens tournament at the Commonwealth Games, where women will take part for the first time ever. Following England Rugby’s announcement earlier this month that there are now 30,000 registered female rugby players playing regularly and the Inner Warrior campaign is encouraging new women to get active outdoors this spring and challenge themselves to take up a new sport.

    England Sevens Captain, Abbie Brown, commented: “We’re excited about the opportunity to play at the Commonwealth Games for the first time and will be looking to make the country proud. The Inner Warrior campaign gives women the chance to try rugby, often for the first time, and it’s fantastic to see so many women getting involved – we hope our performances in Australia can inspire more to get outdoors and try our sport.”

    Since its initial launch, over 12,500 women have attended Warrior Camps nationwide and of those women, 4,200 had never picked up a rugby ball before. The number of camps available to women has continued to grow to meet demand and the influx of players saw 41 new female contact rugby club teams established in 2017.

    Steve Grainger, RFU Rugby Development Director, said: “Female participation in rugby has seen unparalleled levels of growth in recent years, and we were delighted to announce on International Women’s Day that there are now 30,000 women and girls playing regularly. Rugby is one of the fastest growing team sports for women in England.”

    “As part of the 2017-21 funding agreement with Sport England and our Women and Girls’ Action Plan, the RFU is looking to significantly expand the number of women and girls participating in grassroots rugby across England, and the Warrior Camps are instrumental in supporting this growth.”

    The Inner Warrior campaign aims to encourage more women and girls to play contact rugby, teaching participant’s key introductory skills and drills for rugby within a non-committal, social and fun environment.

    Click HERE to register for Chinnor RFC Warrior Camp or to find other camps near you.

  • Chinnor are in the play-offs!

     

     

    CHINNOR RFC travelled to fourth placed Taunton knowing that one point would secure a coveted playoff place for promotion to National league One.

    The visitors took control of the game from the first whistle with some excellent handling and support play which played dividends. Phil Chesters found himself in space on five minutes and raced away to score under the posts which Jonny Bentley converted. Indeed Jonny Bentley was imperious with the boot converting very Chinnor try of the afternoon.

    The sustained pressure continued and paid dividends by the Chinnor’s impressive forwards Jack Ramshaw and Jack Gilding both powering over for tries in quick succession giving Chinnor a 0-21 lead with only 15 minutes on the clock. Taunton then had a short period of possession and Struminski scampered over the line for Taunton’s first score of the afternoon. This invoked an immediate response with Chinnor putting multiple phases of play together from the restart and Orisi Nawaqaliva broke numerous tackles before scoring the vital try that ensured Chinnor’s playoff place. Phil Chesters added a further try on 32 mins giving Chinnor a 5-35 lead. This was reduced by a mixture of individual excellence from Taunton players and the vistors having one eye on the half time break. A costly final five minutes of the half saw Taunton peg Chinnor back to 19-35.

    First score of the second half was key to the outcome of the game and on 42 minute with Chinnor again applying pressure on the Titans line Will Bordill charged down a clearance kick and collected the loose ball to extend Chinnor’s lead. This was just reward for Bordill who was instrumental in virtually all Chinnor’s good work winning numerous turnover balls all afternoon. Josh Barton then capped an assured performance at Scrum Half with try No 7.  This was followed by a point of controversy when a speculative kick and chase by Taunton was fly-hacked on to the touchline and bounced in favour of the home side for Claydon to score. After much discussion by the officials the try was allowed to stand.

    Chinnor still remained clearly in control of the game and Phil Chesters completed his Hat-trick on 65 minutes. In customary fashion Chinnor eased off in the closing stages with the game comfortably in the bag and allowed Taunton to run in another two tries in the final 5 minutes to leave the final score 43- 56.

    Chinnor played some superb rugby and scored a number of scintillating tries With Taunton refusing to lie down it was an excellent afternoon of rugby. The resulting 5 league points from the game means the club are guaranteed their highest ever league position and a place in the National Two playoffs for first time in Chinnor’s history.

    An elated Matt Williams (DoR) said “That’s first job done. Now we need another six points to secure a home playoff and then win it!  Let’s get the town out in force to support their club at this exciting but vital moment. Thanks to everyone for their support thus far!”

    Man of the Match – Will Bordill- An immense performance!

    SOURCE – Contributed