Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Cycles Wanted

    THE Thame Walking and Cycling group, TWAC, have already donated three bicycles to Lord Williams’ school, to enable teachers to cycle between Lower school in Towersey Road, and Upper school, in the Oxford Road.
    The idea has proved so popular among the teaching staff, that they need more.
    Therefore, anyone with either men?s or women?s bicycles, in good working order, looking for a good home, (must be in good working order), is asked to telephone 01844 261430.

    Photo: Thame cyclists joined hundreds of bike-riders from all over the country recently, who converged on Cambridge for a festival to celebrate 10,000 miles of National Cycle way.
    The group where among those who cycled from Oxford to Cambridge.

  • Thame Care Worker Honoured

    A THAME woman was one of two dedicated care-workers honoured for their dedication and thoughtfulness at an annual awards ceremony at County Hall,Oxford.

    Louise Hawkins, of Thame, who works in the Autism Resource Centre at Lord Williams? Lower School in Thame, was nominated by a parent grateful for the time and attention Louise gives her son. With her help, the boy has lost his anxiety about school and she helped prevent him from dropping out of school altogether.

    The awards were presented by Anne Kelaart, former High Sheriff of Oxfordshire at a recent meeting of the Oxfordshire Carers? Forum, which is mainly funded by Oxfordshire County Council.

    Dr Evan Harris, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, was also there, speaking about the problems of supporting and resourcing people who provide unpaid care for relatives and sometimes friends and neighbours.

    The awards, are intended as a tribute from individual unpaid carer to a paid care-worker who contributes to the care of the nominator?s relative or friend.

    Based in Witney, the Oxfordshire Carers? Forum has about 900 members who act as a carers? watchdog, a mutual support group and also as one of the first points of call for the County Council when it wants to know what carers? think about a particular issue.

    Both the Council and the Forum would like to see more carers join up.

    Cllr Don Seale, portfolio holder for Adults? and Community Services, said: ?The Carers? Forum is going from strength to strength, doing a fantastic job both for carers and for the Council.

    ?The more members it has the better, because it means more people are getting advice and because more people are having their say in how we provide our services.?

    Cllr Seale added: ?Sometimes people may be afraid to ask for help because they think Social Services will step in and take over, but that?s not the case. We?re there to support people where we can, not to take control of their lives.?

    Tony Purkis, the Forum Chairman said: ?The Forum gives both practical and emotional support to members, but a lot of people don?t think of joining us because they don?t consider themselves to be carers. They think the emotional and practical support they themselves give to friends and family is part of normal life.?

    To find out more about the Oxfordshire Carers? Forum, please call 01993 706651. You can also get advice from your nearest Carers? Centre: Banbury (01295) 264545, Oxford (01865) 205192, Didcot (01235) 510212.

  • Exciting, Autumn Events In Towersey

    SPOOKY Halloween Party ? Saturday, October 29, from 8pm
    Venue: Towersey Memorial Hall, Towersey, Nr Thame
    Dancing, games, raffle, licensed bar
    Adult Tickets at

  • Chiltern Railways Travel Advise

    Track Improvement Works: Saturday 15 October.
    Due to track improvement and engineering work this Saturday,Oct 15, Chiltern Railways is making some changes to its scheduled services.
    Before travelling passengers are advised to check for service alterations at their local staffed stations, by calling the Chiltern Railways enquiry line on 08456 005165 (07:00hrs to 20:00hrs) or visiting www.chilternrailways.co.uk where full timetable information is provided.
    Service summary:
    Marylebone station will be closed to all trains on Saturday 15 October. Services will run into Paddington station instead. Full details follow:

    Saturday 15 October
    Kidderminster – Birmingham ? Stratford-upon-Avon – Leamington Spa – Banbury – London
    Aylesbury – High Wycombe ? London

  • New Library One Step Nearer

    AFTER a 15-year wait, Thame may soon be a step nearer to a new, state-of-the-art library.
    Last year, Oxfordshire County Council agreed to include in its Capital Programme

  • Controversial Fire Control Centre Move Announced

    IT was announced today that the new Fire and Rescue regional control centre for the South East of England will be located in Fareham, Hampshire.

    The new control centre will be responsible for handling emergency calls and dispatching fire engines to incidents across the region. Currently, there are nine Fire and Rescue Services in the South East region, Kent, East & West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Oxfordshire.

    The Fire Brigades Union has consistantly been against regionalising control centres, fearing the loss of local knowledge by control centre staff, which they feel could jeopardise the safety of the public.

    John Parry, Chief Fire Officer and Director for Community Safety at Oxfordshire County Council, said: ?I am pleased and relieved that the location for the South East Regional Control Centre has been announced at last.

    ?The delay, following the announcement of the other seven locations on 10 August, has been the cause of a considerable amount of worry and uncertainty for our staff in Oxfordshire.

    ?Our control staff provide an excellent level of service and now that we know where the new control centre is to be located, we can all work together to consider any implications that this may have for them and Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

    ?The transfer to the new location in Fareham is planned for 2008 and we will continue to work towards this. However, I remain concerned about some aspects of the project and will ensure that any issues are resolved and that Oxfordshire residents continue to receive a high level of service from us.?

    County Councillor Ray Jelf, Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: ?I am glad that the announcement has been made finally.

    ?The County Council has been consistently concerned about the ability of the proposed new system to maintain, let alone improve, the efficiency of our Fire and Rescue Service and has lobbied the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to ensure that the safety and level of service already provided to Oxfordshire residents will continue to be met.

    ?Oxfordshire?s Fire and Rescue Service is one of the most cost-effective and efficient in the country and it provides an excellent service.”

    ?The delay in announcing the new location has proved to be extremely frustrating and unsettling for our staff who may be affected by it within the service. Although the location announcement is important, it is only the first of many decisions that will have to be made.?

  • The Real Cost Of Binge Drinking (By Karen Franklin-Shaw)

    FIRST let me dazzle you with some facts. Alcohol related injuries and illnesses cost the NHS an impressive

  • Its All In The Name (Contributed by Karen Franklin-Shaw)

    EVERYBODY who lives here will know that Thame has its fair share of public houses and inns that are steeped in history.
    The Bird Cage public house situated on Cornmarket is the oldest inn in Thame. Built around 1300, it still features many of the elm beams that were once covered in ancient plaster but it does not retain its original name!
    The pub itself can be traced back to the early 16th century when it was knowN as just ?The Cage? and then later as ?The Bird in the Cage?. This interested me somewhat and was the start of a lot of research into the history of Thames pub names. Why I wondered was The Cage so called? The only link I could come up with was that during the Napoleonic wars the Bird Cage housed French prisoners (according to The Bird Cage own web site it was these prisoners that founded the local Masons!) It has also been documented as having been used as a holding house for just about every sort of petty criminal around and even lepers!! I wonder if the locals of Thame gave The Cage its name because of this? However this goes slightly off course when it?s renamed The Bird in the Cage!!!! Perhaps we have a local historian that would like to email Thamenews.net to see whether I?m on the right track or not!
    Many of the other pub names in Thame are far easier to trace back to their origins.
    There were 20 or so pubs in Thame in the 16th Century, this figure is now estimated at 45 -60 so there is absolutely no excuse to be caught thirsty in Thame! Indeed beer was claimed to have provided the locals with a healthier alternative to the local drinking water although I stress this is no longer the case!!
    The Old Nags Head on 43 Upper High St was originally called The Kings Head, which is pretty self-explanatory so I popped into The Old Nags Head (it?s a tough job!) and over a swift half asked the landlord, Gary, if he had any idea why the name was changed and when.
    ?Well yes I do know that it was originally The Kings Head? He smiled ?But I?m afraid I have no idea why it was changed in the late 1800?s to The Nags Head and then in more recent years The Old Nags Head?
    It seems after all my thirsty work I?d come up against brick wall! Off to another I boldly strolled right into to the Swan Hotel on the opposite side of the road at 9 Upper High St. Now here was a public house that must have an abundance of history propping it up. You can almost smell it as you walk through the wobbly doorway, but why is it called The Swan? Within its sixteenth century beams and wonky walls I tried to interrogate the landlord as to the pubs history only to learn he took over just 8 weeks ago!
    This was turning into a bit of a disaster so it was back to the drawing board where at last I found out that the Swan Inn was built by Sir John Clerke whose family crest was?yes 3 swans! No doubt this was how The Swan Inn Hotel originally got its name.
    The Rising Sun on Lower High St may also be named from a family crest as it was a popular symbol used dating back to Edward IV however it has been documented that it was more likely given this name to mark the start of a new venture in the 1800?s.
    Why the Abingdon Arms is so called has always been a bit of a mystery to me, we are after all in Thame not Abingdon! Then I stumbled upon the fact that the Abingdon Arms was originally called Chequers and changed its name in 1832, probably in honour of a certain Montague, the fifth Earl of Abingdon, who apparently was the owner of a large amount of land in Thame at the time.
    There was a Fighting Cocks inn on the spot where Woolworth now stands and one of the most interesting bits of information I came across whilst writing this was that there was a Red Lion where Lightfoot’s is now situated. This in itself is not so riveting as the Red Lion is the most common name for an inn in this country, named for the ?red lion rampant? of many heraldic devices. However our Red Lion was one of the most important inns in Thame during Tudor times when it is claimed Henry VIII himself, along with Catherine of Aragon and the then lady in waiting Anne Boleyn, stayed in 1530.
    As I stood outside Lightfoots building I tried to picture Thame of old. The very many inns that stood to cater for its people, the market and passing travellers. I looked up and down the high street and realised I?d worked up quite a thirst. Now?? hmm which inn to chose??

  • Animal Rights Group Threatens Local Tradesmen

    POLCIE investigating a series of threatening letters sent to builders and decorators over the weekend, are asking for other victims to report the incident as soon as possible.

    Officers have been made aware of 18 anonymous letters, which were sent to companies across Oxfordshire threatening action from the Animal Liberation Front. Detectives believe it is likely other people may have also been targeted, but chosen not to report the letter to the police.

    It is believed the letters are part of a campaign by animal rights extremists who are trying to prevent work by Oxford University to build new laboratories in South Parks Road,Oxford.

    A police spokesman said: ?It is very important that anyone who is sent a threatening letter, or becomes the victim of any other harassing or intimidating behaviour, lets us know what has happened.

    ?We have a team of officers dedicated to offering advice and support as well detectives who are committed to finding evidence which will enable us to find those responsible and put them before the courts.

    ?Although everyone is entitled to an opinion about this very emotive issue, it is just not acceptable to act in a way which intimidates other people and threatens their livelihood. Thames Valley Police has worked with representatives from groups who wish to protest about the building and the University to facilitate a regular time and place for active protest. Criminal activity will not be tolerated from any section of the community.?

    If you have received a letter and would like to report it to police, please call the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505 quoting URN 779 of 8/10. If you have any information which could assist police you can also contact Crimestoppers (anonymously) on 0800 555 111.

  • Phoenix Trail Temporary Diversion

    WORK is to begin today to repair the cracked surface on part of the Phoenix Trail.
    The section between Penn Farm and Grove Hill Farm (Towersey) will be closed from today and the trail will be diverted down farm drives onto Manor Road, then back onto the trail.
    The work is to be carried out by SUSTRANS and is expected to take about a week.

    PHOTO: Town Cllr, Lionel Morbey and Cathy Gaulter, both regular users of the Phoenix Trail, try out a Dutch shopping bike at the culmination of a bike ride from Oxford to Cambridge recently.
    The ride was organised by SUSTRANS to celebrate 10,000 miles of National Cycle Way, much of it built over the last ten years since the organisation received funding from the National Lottery.