FOLLOWING the tragic death of a 4 year-old boy, knocked down by a car in Thame, Stefan Cork, the boy’s father, has raised thousands of pounds in tribute to his son.
Barnaby Cork died last Saturday (December 10), shortly after the incident, despite the efforts of air ambulance and other paramedics who were quickly on the scene, in the car park outside Thame Leisure Centre. On his JustGiving page, Stefan says: “Our precious Barnaby was our world, our everything. He was taken from us at such a tender age; we are so so heartbroken to say goodbye before any of us are ready.
Barnaby Cork’s dad, Stefan
“We would give anything to have Barnaby back in the safe and loving arms of our family.
“We were so lucky to have such amazing doctors at hand in an instant. Ella and I will forever be indebted for the speed, skill and courage of all these great people on the scene fighting with Barnaby, including the Thames Valley Air Ambulance.
“Only this summer we were raising money for the air ambulance and never for one second thought that we would be calling on them in our own moment of need .”
In just a few days, Stefan’s page has raised over £16,000 to support the Thames Valley Air Ambulance which many people don’t realise depends on charitable contributions to be able to carry out its work.
To find out more about Stefan’s cause and to contribute to the Barnaby Cork JustGiving page, LINK HERE
EX BBC Weatherman, Bill Giles OBE, who lives in the Thame area, has been recalling fond memories of his old friend and fellow weather forecaster, Ian McCaskill who died yesterday aged 78.
Memories of the late Ian McCaskill & fellow BBC Weather forecaster Bill Giles (image courtesy of the BBC)
Speaking to Thame.Net, Bill, who is President of Thame Bowls Club, recalled: “Ian was a breath of fresh air when he joined my weather team in the late 1970s. He quickly developed his own style, a rather bumbling, cheerful man whom everyone adored whether they could understand what he said or not.
“He showed us all how to engage with our viewers (up to 15,000,000 at peak times) with his opening one-liners and cheerful ‘Hello’. He could fall asleep at the drop of a hat and frequently did during my staff meetings which were often held late in the evening, only to wake up and complain that I hadn’t covered a particular topic!
“His driving skills, or lack of, were well known and coming down from a high floor level at the BBC car park late one evening, he mistook the level he was on and crashed his car into a pillar, writing it off.
“Although it is many years now when we both retired I will miss him and all he brought to our world-beating weather team.”
AFTER winning ‘Rising Star’ status in last year’s Great British High Street Awards, Thame’s star has shone even more brightly since becoming a finalist in it’s category in this year’s competition.
Helen Johns (left) & sonja Francis collected Thame’s Finalist’s certificate on behalf of the town
Despite losing to a very worthy Champion, Hebden Bridge in this afternoon’s glittering awards ceremony, Thame’s entry was highly praised by the judges for it’s collaboration between the town and district councils, its businesses and the community at large, and for it’s innovative use of the prize money from last year’s award, to promote the town’s Midsomer Murders connection to attract visitors.
In reply to a tweet by @Thame4business, who spear-headed Thame’s social media campaign on behalf of 21st Century Thame and Thame’s entry, @theGBHighSt tweeted: “In our view every finalist is a winner! 900+ applications and you made top 3 in category!”
Thame’s achievement
Summing up Thame’s achievement on facebook, Thame business woman, Kathryn Lock, who runs The Practice therapy centre, commented: “All the hard work and publicity might not have resulted in a ‘win’ but it certainly raised the profile of Thame and resulted in a stronger and more positive community.”
The winner
Champion Small Market Town, Hebden Bridge received £5,000 and presented with a trophy by High Streets Minister, Andrew Percy, at the ceremony at Lancaster House in London earlier today (December 12). In addition to winning their category, Hebden Bridge was awarded a special new prize of People’s Choice for receiving a record breaking 40,000 votes – the most ever cast for a place in the history of the competition.
‘Enthusiasm and ambition’
The three shortlisted ‘small market town’ high streets, including Thame’s, were visited by judges from Holland & Barrett and The Department for Communities and Local Government, whose marks accounted for 50 per cent of the overall score.
Andy Torrance, Chief Operating Officer at Holland & Barrett said: “What struck me in this category was the enthusiasm of the individuals and businesses who make these small towns the cultural and business hubs they are.
“They may be small, but they have big ambitions, and coming from a business which began in Nuneaton but is now present on high streets up and down the country, we know how important it is to think big when it comes to your goals.
“Hebden Bridge is a worthy winner, and one with a lot to teach the rest of us about the importance of enthusiasm and innovation within the community.”
Thame’s MP, John Howell did not attend today’s event, but sent the following message: “I’m away on business this week but looked out for the final results today. I was so sorry to see that you were pipped to the post by Hebden Bridge.
“I’m sure you are all disappointed after so much effort but I hope you will also be pleased with getting to the final. That in itself was a great achievement and I am sure that all the fantastic work will not go unrewarded in terms of value added to the town and community.
“One of the things I took from the day with the judges was the huge sense of working together that existed amongst you all. This can’t be quantified but makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts. I am sure this will reap its own reward.
“Please pass on my commiserations on the final result to all but above all I hope that you will still be able to celebrate what you have achieved together.”
You can watch a recording of the live Periscope streaming of the event HERE
** The full list of winners:
Overall winner ‘Champion of Champions, was Blackburn.
City Location Winner – The Cathedral Quarter, Derby
Runners up – Castle Arcade District, Norwich and Broadmead, Bristol Town Centre Winner – Blackburn
Runners up – Hemel Hempstead and Banbury, Oxfordshire Large Market Town Winner – Bridgnorth
Runners up – Hinckley and Market Harborough, Leicestershire Small Market Town Winner – Hebden Bridge
Runners up – Chipping Norton and Thame, Oxfordshire Coastal Community Winner – Falmouth
Runners up – Sea View Street, Cleethorpes and Prestatyn, Wales Local Centre Winner – Hoole, Chester
Runners up – Claygate, Surrey and The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells Village Winner – Pateley Bridge
Runners up – Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria and Langport, Somerset London Winner – Myddelton Road, Haringey
Runners up – Romford and Waterloo Rising Star Winner – Stockton
Runners up – Leominster and Dornoch, Scottish Highlands
The competition
The Great British High Street competition is run by the Department for Communities and Local Government and sponsored by British Land, the Post Office, Holland and Barrett, Boots UK, Google UK, Marks & Spencer, Wilko, Revo and Ellandi.
The Google Digital Garage on Tour is a workshop which includes sessions for businesses on finding and keeping customers online and the chance to have one-to-one consultations with Google specialists to chat through their businesses digital needs.
The overall winner received £10,000; category winners received £5,000 and runners up received £500 each.
The final result across all categories followed an online public vote and expert judges’ assessments, each counting for 50 per cent.
THAME Market Trader, Chris Hurdman, has spoken about the ‘great honour’ he felt to be part of a trio of finalists in this afternoon’s Great British High Street Awards ceremony in London.
Chris Hurdman, in the opulent surroundings of Lancaster House in London, with his Finalist’s certificate
Although disappointed not to be the overall eventual winner in his category, Market Retailer Champion, Chris said afterwards: ” I was of course absolutely gutted to not have won the Market Champion award. I have to take solace from being both nominated by the people of Thame and being the only market trader at the awards. It was a great honour to represent market trading and I will carry on working with the community to help keep Thame’s market and high street one of the finest in the country.”
But Chris, known locally for his cheerfulness and ‘can-do’ attitude, is not a man to stay down for long, adding later: “I must admit to feeling a little deflated. Never mind; the normal Chris will be back in play (at Thame’s Tuesday market) at 05:30 tomorrow morning!”
The Great British High Street judges awarded Nicola Martin, Tameside Markets, with the Market Retail Champion Award, and Beverley Milner-Simonds, of Burnham on Sea was Chris Hurdman’s fellow runner-up.
A full list of the Great British High Street winners, in all categories can be found HERE
THE family of four-year-old Barnaby Cork, who was fatally injured in a collison with a car in Thame on Saturday (December 10), have issued the following statement:
“We’re truly devastated at the loss of our precious Barnaby and we’re absolutely heartbroken that he’s gone to heaven before he was ready.
“There’s no words that can even begin to describe the sadness we’re experiencing now that Barnaby isn’t with us. He was our world.
“We are so very, very lucky to have such close and strong family as well as such great friends and neighbours and your support means everything to us.
“We know that the people of Thame have us in their thoughts and prayers and this gives us strength when we need it the most.
“We would like to thank you all for your support and for respecting our privacy at this time.”
Barnaby died after colliding with a car in the car park of Thame Leisure Centre, despite the efforts of the emergency services.
Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses to come forward after a fatal collision on the M40, in which an unidentified white man, believed to be in his 20s, was killed.
Police officers were called at 8pm yesterday evening (10/12) to a report that multiple vehicles had collided with a pedestrian on the M40 northbound between High Wycombe and Loudwater.
Investigating officer Sgt Dominic Mahon of Roads policing based at Amersham police station said: “We would like to appeal to anyone who was driving on either the north or southbound carriageways of the M40 between Junctions six and two at around 8pm to contact police.
“We are still in the process of identifying the victim. He is a white man, believed to be Polish, aged approximately in his twenties. He was wearing a black jacket, dark jeans and white canvas trainers.
“Anyone who recognises the victim from this description or who has information about this incident is asked to contact us on 101 quoting reference number 1467 (10/12).
“If you don’t want to speak directly to police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers (opens new window) anonymously on 0800 555 111. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.”
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses in connection with the tragic death of a four-year-old child in Thame on Saturday (10/12).
The child, a pedestrian, was involved in a collision with a car at around 10.25 am yesterday, outside Thame Leisure Centre, Oxford Road, Thame. The driver stopped at the scene.
Police officers and other emergency services attended the scene but the child sadly died on the way to hospital. His next of kin has been informed.
Senior Investigating officer Sgt Jack Hawkins of Roads Policing based at Abingdon police station, said: “We are investigating the fatal collision and appealing for witnesses. Please can anyone with information which could assist enquiries contact police.
“The family of the deceased are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers at this very difficult time.”
Anyone with information about the incident should contact the 24-hour Thames Valley Police enquiry centre on 101.
If you don’t want to speak directly to police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers (opens new window) anonymously on 0800 555 111. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a burglary non-dwelling in Chinnor.
Between 6pm and 6.30pm yesterday (7/12) unknown offenders broke into a garage on the road running through Henton, Chinnor, and stole a child’s electric quad bike.
Anyone who may have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in these areas, or have any information relating to this incident, is asked to call the Police via the 24 hour non-emergency telephone number 101.
Alternatively, if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online by visiting www.crimestoppers-org.uk. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
SMALL businesses, young entrepreneurs and retailers alike were big winners from Small Business Saturday, held in Thame on Saturday, December 3.
Samantha Bond (left), Keith Slater and Helen Johns
Samantha Bond, the Downton Abbey actress, came to Thame to judge and present the prizes for the best window displays in the Small Business Saturday Christmas window display competition. From 18 entries submitted, Samantha and retail expert, Keith Slater, chose the three winners.
The Mayor of Thame, Linda Emery, revealed the winners at the end of a busy day, packed with workshops and one-to-one advice sessions, to celebrate Small Business Saturday in Thame, at Christchurch in the Upper High Street. The winner’s trophy and a case of prosecco went to Deli No 5, in Buttermarket, Thame. The second prize of a bottle of prosecco went to Bizzie Lizzie, the flower shop in Upper High Street, and the third prize, also a bottle of prosecco to Shaw Trust, in the High Street. These two will also receive marketing tips from Keith Slater and the winner, Hannah from Delic No 5, will receive marketing consultancy from Keith.
Helen Johns, Mayor of Thame Linda Emery and John Howell MP
Five finalists in the SBS Young Entrepreneurs Competition pitched their business ideas, Dragon’s Den style, to a panel of expert judges chaired by Tim Luscombe of Thames Valley Business Advisers. Three winners were later announced at a packed reception at The Spread Eagle Hotel. The winners’ event began with a performance by talented young singers from Stagecoach Thame.
Tom Wylam with his winner’s trophy
The prizes, sponsored by CarmichaelUK, included a first prize of £500, a trophy, and business mentoring for 12 months which went to Thomas Wylam of Princes Risborough School for his idea CupCycle, based on recycling plastic coffee cups.
Tim Luscombe presents Amelie Mason with her trophy
The second prize went to Amelie Mason of Lord Williams’s School, for her idea, Magical Maths, based on a new maths app, and the third prize went to Philippe van Caloen of Oxford Brookes University for his idea WeCoach, aimed at helping students apply for their first job. Present were John Howell MP, the Mayor of Thame, The Mayor of Thame, Linda Emery, and invited guests from among Thame businesses.
Philippe van Caloen (left) with John Howell MP
Earlier in the day, Small business owners had flocked to Christchurch to attend nine, free-to-attend workshops and one2one sessions given by business experts on subjects ranging from understanding business finance to digital marketing and how to get the right customers for your business. Attendees were also entertained by performances from Thame Pop Choir and Stagecoach Thame’s dance troupe. Small businesses were also invited to place their business cards in a prize draw to win fabulous prizes, including a cookery class at the home of Katie Ryder-Richardson, celebrated local chef and caterer, a meal for two at the Thatch, and vouchers to spend at the Book House, 2Wheels, Racquets Fitness Centre, the Cutting Rooms, Jack & Alice and others.
SBS Thame Co-ordinator, Helen Johns, said: “It was big wins all round! The Small Business Saturday organising team are grateful for the support of 21st Century Thame, our sponsors, including several local companies, Thame Town Council, and South Oxfordshire District Council, for making this highly successful event possible. We are also grateful to Thame TV for videoing the whole day. “
The sponsors of Small Business Saturday Thame 2016, were Booker Tate, Taylor Wimpey, Richardson’s Group, XT Brewing, Travelodge, ASM, DAF, K & A Scaffolding, Carmichael UK, Time For You Domestic Cleaning, The Sanderum Centre, Thame Cars, Mobalpa, MP Printers, Abbotts Office Solutions, Thame Town Council, South Oxfordshire District Council.
More information on Small Business Saturday, an annual event that puts small businesses nationwide under the spotlight, can be found at https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com and on Small Business Saturday in Thame at www.smallbizthame.uk.
SEVEN of us came from Montesson to Thame for the Christmas Event on Friday, and what a welcome! After a very good journey through the Channel tunnel we arrived in Thame at 2pm, to be met by our Thame Twinning Association friends, Linda Emery, Carl, Sue, Roy, and David who had already settled our gazebo and our electrical needs.
The hungry queue waits in line for Elisabeth and crew’s delicious crêpes
We were welcomed with friendly hugs and hot teas and coffees from the Co-op coffee shop brought to us by Linda on a tray while we were unloading. We started to sell our products: wines, cheeses, jams, olive oils, ginger breads and our crêpes, along with something new, this year – the buckwheat pancake stuffed with ham and Emmental cheese. The market was slow at the beginning but became busy and crowded by the time of the beautiful Lantern Parade and the big Switch-on. And then the ambiance was really joyful and magical! It was late when we decided to stop making crêpes. We returned to our host families to warm up and have dinner.
The Montesson Christmas market crew enjoying a drink in the James Figg pub in Thame
On Saturday morning we settled again in our little market on the other side of the Town Hall facing Greyhound Walk. Friendly people stopped by while they were shopping even if it was to just have a little chat and it was nice to meet them. At some point we ran out of crêpes batter and we had to stop but it was already 2pm and we were very happy with our experience. We really needed to warm up a little so we gathered at the James Figg pub where we were joined by Linda Emery, Sonja Francis and Sue Mottram and we experienced the ambiance of the pubs in Thame: fun, talk, friendship and good drinks.
That evening we had a wonderful party at the Town Hall: homemade soups, cheeses, bread and crackers, homemade desserts and wines. We tried to sing along with the Christmas Carols, and a tombola gave us lovely prizes. Eventually, a pretty Mother Christmas, Linda, brought us presents. What a night!
Sunday was time to get back to France. Rendez-vous was at the Town Hall at 10am – just in time to encourage the “Santa Dash” fun run, and off we went. Farewell to ours friends. Happy, happy holiday season to Thame and its inhabitants.
