HELEN Johns set herself a challenge in May – to cycle 100 miles on her indoor exercise bike and raise £100 for the Alzheimer’s Society as part of their Cycle for Dementia Challenge.
By the end of May, donations had far exceeded £100, and Helen decided to keep going with another 100 miles cycled during June. By June 30, Helen had cycled a total of 213 miles! The Just Giving fundraising page remained open for a further month until July 31, and Helen kept encouraging people to donate. She also kept cycling and achieved a final total of 300 miles.
The final total raised is £1,750, which is fantastic, considering that the original target was £100. Helen said: “I would like to thank everyone, family, friends, business contacts and others, who have made generous donations and contributed to this amazing total. Your support has been truly inspiring and spurred me on to achieve this outcome.
“I am very proud to have been able to help the Alzheimer’s Society fund the cost of care for dementia sufferers and fund research for a disease that affects 850,000 in the UK and for which there is currently no cure.”
CHINNOR RFC Thame has announced the signing of German prop Jonas Humbert. The 22-year-old joins from fellow National League 1 side Darlington Mowden Park, adding further power to the front row for the club’s 2020/21 campaign.
Jonas, who grew up in Hannover, is a tighthead by trade and made six appearances in the third tier of English rugby last season. An energetic, aggressive player, Humbert is as comfortable with the ball in hand as he is in the scrum, offering 117kg to the pack. Jonas only started playing rugby at the age of 16 at his local club Hannover 78, before travelling to Australia and packing down for the University of Queensland and Sunnybank. He is now excited to be a part of the new chapter at Kingsey Road.
Jonas said: “It feels great to have signed. Richard Thorpe told me about his vision for the Club and I really liked it. I enjoyed my time at Mowden Park and I want to thank them, but I was also looking for a new challenge and I just feel like this is a very family-orientated Club with a great community which I want to be a part of. Another big factor is Soane Tonga’uiha being here as player-coach – if you’re a prop and you don’t know of him, you’re probably in the wrong sport. With all the experience he has, I’ll be like a sponge and trying to learn as much as I can from him. There are not many better guys to learn from.”
Chinnor’s Director of Rugby, Richard Thorpe, said: “Jonas has really impressed since his arrival at Kingsey Road. An impressively strong tighthead, he will add significant firepower to our scrum, and his stand out work ethic will ensure he continues to develop into an all-round high-level player.”
THAME Rewards Club – Shop OX9, and Thame Town Council have launched Lockdown Love Awards to recognise and celebrate some of the incredible work that has been going on in the town sine the outbreak of Covid-19.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Thame community has sprung into action, with Neighbours connecting and looking out for each other more than usual; informal support groups organising to support people in need with things like prescription collection; charities and volunteer groups. Businesses, churches and many others have all rallied together to support the town and it’s residents, working together, Now local residents are invited to nominate someone for a Lockdown Love Award, in one – or all – of the following categories:
Community Champions: an individual or group who you feel has gone above and beyond to support you or other members of the community during lockdown.
Local Business: a local business that has helped support you, or those you know, during lockdown.
Charity: Each year Thame Rewards Club donates 20% from funds raised from the sale of membership cards. This year there is an award of £500 up for grabs! Is there a local charity that has risen to support the community during lockdown that you feel deserves recognision?
Nominations should include comments/stories to celebrate and thank your nominee(s) as this is all about sharing the LOVE! Let your nominees know loudly and clearly how much they are appreciated. Although there are no specific prizes, each nominee will receive a certificate with these comments included.
Thame Town Council and Thame Rewards Club are also planning to create a visual display within the town centre using your words to showcase how our community has pulled together.
Nominations can be made through a form on Thame Rewards Club’s website 31, 2020, and awards will be distributed at the start of September.
So get involved in sharing some Lockdown Love by nominating today!
Another way you can ‘show some love’ locally is by shopping as much as you can at local businesses, and help Thame town centre remain strong and vibrant during this challenging time.
To find out more about local businesses and their current opening times visit https://www.shopox9.com/
ANGRY residents demonstrated against a proposed major development in the Green Belt at Culham, as Inspector Jonathan Bore completed his investigations into South Oxfordshire’s emerging Local Plan with a visit to Culham Science Centre today, Wednesday, August 12.
Culham protesters at an earlier protest gathering
The Local Plan 2034 includes a proposal to build 3,500 houses on Green Belt Land at Culham, Oxfordshire, between the Europa School and the railway. The campaigners assert that the development would be the equivalent to a new town the size of Wallingford. Access to the site is limited on roads that are already saturated, they say. The village of Culham currently has 450 habitants and this project would change a small village into a town of 9,000 people.
The protesters also say that there would be no investment in infrastructure before the first 750 houses are built which would put a strain on already busy roads and junctions at Clifton-Hampden and into Abingdon where very long queues and delays occur every day.
They also fear that as drop off and pick up at the Europa School is a real challenge as things stand, an increase in traffic would be safety concern.
Green Party District Councillor, Sam Casey-Rerhaye, who accompanied Mr Bore on the visit in her capacity as a Culham Parish Councillor, said: “The Plan was written under the former Conservative administration and is being forced through by a Conservative government. Six of the seven ‘strategic sites’ are in the Green Belt – land that is protected and should only be built on in exceptional circumstances, including environmentally sensitive land close to the Thames at Culham.
“The wishes of local voters were ignored when Secretary of State Robert Jenrick issued a legal order to force the plan through to Examination, and it appears that our local Conservative MP John Howell’s claim that substantial changes could be made at the Examination stage was unfounded.”
A Green Party Spokesperson said: “Green Councillors stood with local residents at the local plan hearings, the first ever to be conducted online, and spent a combined 45 hours making the case for changes, including reduced overall numbers, removal of Green Belt and unsustainable sites from the plan, and more social and affordable housing. During last Friday’s “wash-up” session of the inspector’s initial conclusions, some Green amendments were accepted, such as prioritisation of walking and cycling on new developments, community-led housing and enhanced climate change policies.
“However, the contentious elements of the plan, including the major Green Belt site allocations, look set to pass relatively unchanged, a real kick in the teeth for local residents who spent a great deal of time and effort to make incredibly powerful arguments during the examination.
“Perhaps a taste of things to come under Mr Jenrick’s planning ‘reforms’ which will further erode democratic input into what is built locally.”
During the Examination sessions, the main promoters of the Green Belt sites allocated in the plan were the large housing developers, Oxford City Council who felt the housing sites to meet Oxford’s housing needs, should be close to the city, and some of the Oxford colleges who own large tracts of green belt land. For such sites to be acceptable in the Plan, the Inspector will need to be satisfied that no alternative sites would have been better suited for development, or in planning terms, ‘sustainable’.
The ‘Examination in Public’ of the emerging Local Plan 2034, is the first ever to have been carried out in Public. Following the close of the Hearings, the Inspector will identify the main modifications he requires in order to make the Plan sound and legally compliant should that prove possible. Main modifications will require further consultation, prior to the conclusion of the Inspector’s Examination.
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following an assault on a garage worker in Thame.
At around 1am on Saturday (1/8), the victim, a man in his thirties, was working at the ESSO services on Thame Road when he was assaulted by another man.
Following an altercation at the night pay window, the offender slammed the hatch drawer onto the victim’s hand, causing a deep cut which was treated by officers at the scene but did not require any further treatment.
The offender is described as a white man with an average build and around 5ft 9ins tall. He had short hair, was clean shaven and was wearing a white t-shirt. He was driving a silver five door Seat Leon.
Investigating officer PC Daniel Mitchell, based at Abingdon police station said: “There may have been others near the garage at this time who could have witnessed this incident, or drivers in the area who may have dash-cam footage of the vehicle described.
“If you did witness anything, or have any information that might help our investigation, please get in touch.
“You can make a report online or by calling 101 and quoting reference 43200236524.
“Alternatively, if you wish to remain 100% anonymous you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following an assault in Chinnor, last Thursday, July 30, 2020.
At around 12.50am on Thursday (30/7), the victim, a man in his thirties, was assaulted outside his address in Springfield Gardens.
The victim was at home with a friend when they heard a vehicle outside his property. After going outside to investigate and ask them to leave he was approached by two men which led to an altercation.
One of the men hit the victim, and the other assaulted the victim by hitting him over the head and knocking him to the ground. The two men and a woman then got back in the vehicle, a silver or grey hatchback, and left the scene.
The victim sustained serious head injuries including a fractured skull and swelling to the brain and is being treated at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
Investigating officer Craig Gibson from Abingdon police station said: “I am appealing for any witnesses or anyone who has any information relating to this incident to please get in touch.
“This is a quiet area at this time of night, so if you saw or heard anything suspicious, or have CCTV or dash-cam footage from the area at the time, please come forward.
“You can make a report online or by calling 101 and quoting reference 43200234245.
“Alternatively, if you wish to remain 100% anonymous you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Two men aged 24 and 30 from Chinnor, and a woman aged 24, from Thame, were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon in a public space and have since been released under investigation.
THAME & District Classic Motor Club held their first meeting since March, on July 30, at the Thame Snooker Club.
The club was able to do this as it was held out-doors so that members could socially distance and judge each others’ cars in the Annual Pride of Ownership competition. Each member gets to vote for their favourite car.
And the winners, out of 17 entries, were:
1st Geoffrey Mansfield’s 1931 MG M (Winner of a rosette and a bottle of wine), 2nd David Brown’s Armstrong Siddeley Typhoon and 3rd Roger Withers’ MGB GT V8
Covid-19 restrictions permitting, Thame & District Motor Club’s next next meeting will be at the Snooker Club again, on September 24, at 7.30pm.
The club meets every last Thursday of the month at 7.30pm, at the snooker club, except August and December, and new members are always welcome – you don’t have to have a classic motor, just an interest.
THE public examination of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2034 enters its fourth and final week today, with discussions set to focus mostly on the district’s three market towns, including Thame, and Didcot Garden Town.
This afternoon the discussion will focus on Thame, with Graeme Markland, Thame Town Council’s Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer, speaking on behalf of Thame Council.
The Thame discussion will start at around 2pm. Follow this link to view the session:
At an earlier session of the hearing, Graeme Markland addressed the Inspector, Mr Bore, on the matter of the amount of Employment Land designated in the plan for Thame. Mr Markland said that he welcomed an increase in the amount of employment land given to Thame in the plan from 1.6ha to 3.5ha, but explained that it remains inadequate given the loss of job opportunities across Thame in recent years (estimated to be over 690) much because of Permitted Development (where offices etc can be turned into flats without planning permission, such as the Angus Fire Armour building) and an increase in out-commuting. He said that the evidence was that Thame would need 10 hectares of similar employment land as that at Rycote Lane, to take the town back to where it was in 2012.
Potential jobs for Thame lost
Cllr Mike Dyer spoke about how various businesses had moved out of Thame, taking jobs with them, because they could find no where to expand into, and other businesses had wanted to come to Thame, but no suitable premises were available.
Sustainable access to neighbouring Haddenham ‘pulled’
Graeme Markland also raised the problem of the Local Plan building in an imbalance between employment and housing land in Thame. He pointed out that the Aylesbury – Oxford bus, much talked up by developers and the District was not a panacea, that sustainable access to Haddenham Parkway had just been put in doubt by the pulling of funding for the Greenway, and that is was not a route for anything other than hardened utility riders with a high level of fitness.
You can view Graeme Markland’s presentation, followed on by Cllr Mike Dyer – at around 4.45, HERE
CHINNOR RFC Thame have announced the launch of a women’s team, with Fran Ronan appointed Head Coach.
In a statement, a club spokesperson said: “It has been more than a decade since we were able to field a senior ladies side and this move reinforces our commitment of providing inclusive rugby for our community. The women’s team further builds on the success of our girls Under 12s & 13s, who enjoyed a successful first year last season.”
Although only 24-years-old, Fran joins the Club with a wealth of experience, having played county rugby for Northumberland as well as for Oxford Brookes University and the Adjutant General’s Corps while she was an officer cadet. Most recently, she has been Head Coach at Oxford, as well as holding a coaching role with Oxford University. She is also the Head Coach of Oxfordshire Women. Fran will be assisted by Karl Crockford, with Chinnor due to play in the Inner Warrior Series.
Fran herself said: “I’m delighted to become the Women’s Head Coach at Chinnor RFC Thame. I’m very excited; it’s quite a big thing to be a part of. The Club has an amazing community and I’ve never really felt quite a welcome as big as the one I got here. This Club has put in a lot of work to move forward and grow, and it has the potential to be one of the biggest clubs in the country if it continues the way it is.
“It’s a very appealing environment for someone to play rugby, be part of the community, while still having those values around the sport and desire to develop. I’m so passionate about making sure people enjoy rugby because it’s a crazy sport. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Amanda Pearce Higgins, Chinnor RFC Thame Board Member with responsibility for Community Engagement, Equality and Diversity, said: “I’m very excited about the new women’s senior team at Chinnor RFC Thame. I’m truly passionate about getting as many people as possible playing and enjoying sport, in particular women and girls. This is a big step forward in Chinnor’s recent history and demonstrates our commitment to being a community sports club open to all.”
Chinnor RFC Thame Director of Rugby, Richard Thorpe added: “I’m delighted to begin working with our new women’s team. In delivering our vision of becoming the outstanding community club in Oxfordshire, our new women’s team will be playing an important role within it. It’s my personal ambition to see our senior women and senior men not only share the training field, but to share a matchday as well. Whilst our senior men’s team are role models for the rest of our community, the same goes for our senior women’s team, who will undoubtedly directly influence our girls teams. I have no doubt that in the years to come we will see more Oxfordshire ladies and girls pick up a rugby ball here at Kingsey Road.”
Prospective new players of all abilities are welcome and are encouraged to email Fran on:
ACTING was a dangerous, even violent, profession back in the sixteenth century, according to Bruce Alexander, the well-known actor and patron of Thame Players’ Theatre Company, in a new video just released on YouTube.
In the video, The Death of Big Knell, Bruce tells the dramatic story of how William Knell, a leading actor with the Queen’s Men, met an untimely death in Thame. The Queen’s Men were formed in 1583 at the express command of Queen Elizabeth I and were responsible for providing entertainment at court. Among their leading actors was William Knell, dubbed directly an ‘Absolute Actor’ in the phrasing of the time – he would undoubtedly have been equivalent to a Hollywood star in today’s terms!
Because the Plague was raging in London, the Queen’s Men decided to go on tour in 1587, with their first stop being the prosperous market town of Thame. They were performing The Famous Victories of Henry V (a precursor to Shakespeare’s play Henry V) at the White Hound Inn – thought to have been where the War Memorial Gardens now are in Thame. Following the afternoon performance, a fight broke out between William Knell and another actor, John Towne, as a result of which Towne was injured but Knell was sadly killed. It seems that violent occurrences were not that uncommon among actors at the time: the famous playwright Ben Jonson, initially working as an actor with the Admiral’s Men, was briefly imprisoned for killing a man in a duel in 1598, but subsequently freed using a legal ploy.
The Queen’s Men travelled on to Stratford-on-Avon after this episode and it’s rumoured that, being a man down, they went back to London taking the young William Shakespeare with them. Whether this was true we shall probably never know. When you watch the video, you will hear there was another connection between William Knell and Shakespeare – you’ll have to look to find out what it was!
The Death of Big Knell can be viewed by going to the Thame Players’ website www.thameplayers.co.uk and clicking on the YouTube button.
NB Bruce Alexander is probably best known for his portrayal of Superintendent Norman Mullett in the ITV series A Touch of Frost, where he plays the superior to David Jason’s Jack Frost. Other TV appearances include parts in Love & Marriage, Doc Martin, EastEnders, Midsomer Murders and Gentleman Jack, while on radio he has played in the BBC dramatisation of Le Carre’s novel The Honourable Schoolboy, among many others. He has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company for over a decade, playing parts in plays such as All’s Well That Ends Well, The Duchess of Malfi, The Merry Wives of Windsor and more. He has also worked many times at the National Theatre. He is one of two patrons of Thame Players Theatre, the other being Sir Tim Rice. Bruce is currently writing a history of Thame.
