Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Tour Thame’s ‘murder’ locations

    THIS month sees the start of a new season of ‘Midsomer’ guided walking tours of Thame, following their highly successful début last year.

    Thame’s Midsomer tour guides

     

     

     

    Six trained volunteer tour guides took 200 people on Midsomer tours last year, visiting filming locations in the town centre, used in episodes of the popular ITV series Midsomer Murders. Thame is one of the most frequently used filming locations, with 21 locations in the town centre.

    Midsomer Murders is still going strong after 20 years, with new filming taking place in Thame just last year. Becky Reid, Market Town Coordinator at Thame Town Council, commented: “Six and a half million people watch Midsomer Murders 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, such as Thame.

    “While they’re here, they spend money in our restaurants, pubs, hotels, and shops – which is good for the town and its economy.”

    The Oxfam Bookshop in Cornmarket, Thame, becomes ‘Cover to Cover’ in filming for ‘Vixen’s Run, August 2005
    Image courtesy of http://www.midsomermurders.org/

    Amongst the Thame landmarks featured in the series are Thame Museum, Market House, Rumsey’s Chocolaterie, the Spread Eagle and Swan Hotels, the Coffee House, and the Black Horse brasserie. Thame Town Hall itself has been portrayed as Causton Town Hall. Visitors can pretend they really are outside Causton Town Hall by asking at the Information Centre for a specially produced Causton sign to be hung over the Town Hall sign; perfect for pictures to show your friends and family back home!

    Tony Long, coordinator for the tour guides, who are all members of Thame Players, said: “This year the tours are being held on Wednesdays, as this proved to be the most popular day last year, with people from the UK and from overseas, including visitors from Germany, Denmark, Australia, and Canada. We are hoping to beat the number of tour participants this year.”

    Tony continued: “The more people we have coming on the tours, the more funds we can donate to worthy causes at the end of the season. Last year we donated over £360 to the Mayor’s Charities and a similar sum to Thame Museum. The guides themselves don’t take any income from the tours, and any funds left go towards admin and next year’s promotion.”

    Becky concluded: “These tours are certainly adding a new dimension to tourism in the town, attracting more visitors from the UK and overseas to the historic town of Thame.”

    The Midsomer tours were developed from an original tour created by David Dodds, a trustee of Thame Museum. The tours are held under the auspices of 21st Century Thame, an organisation that brings together local businesses, community groups and councils to help keep Thame vibrant and viable as a market town. They began after a successful 21st Century Thame Midsomer Workshop held in Thame two years ago, which recommended a number of promotional ideas to develop Midsomer tourism in the town.

    The tours take place weekly until the end of October, on Wednesdays at 11am starting from inside Thame Museum (79 High Street, Thame, OX9 3AE), one of the filming locations. Tickets cost £7.50 each and may be purchased online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/thamemidsomer or from Thame Museum (open 10am – 4pm Tue, Wed, Sat, and 12pm – 4pm Sun). Alternatively, simply turn up on the day and pay the guide. If the advertised tour times don’t fit in with your itinerary, tours can be arranged for groups of four or more people on other days. For more information, contact Tony Long at thamemidsomertours@gmail.com.

    An updated version of the Visit Midsomer leaflet, covering locations in Thame and in neighbouring villages is available free of charge at the Town Hall Information Centre and Thame Museum, as well as at local hotels, pubs, shops and cafes. An online version can be downloaded from www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk, www.thamemuseum.org or www.visitmidsomer.com.

  • UPDATE: Thame Headteacher accuses national newspaper of ‘false reporting’

    FOLLOWING a report in The Sun newspaper, about an incident involving drug-taking at Lord Williams’s School, in Thame, the Headteacher, David Wybron, has issued the following response: (SINCE this article was posted, Mr Wybron has confirmed that some pupils were excluded from the school)

     

     

     

    “In response to the article in The Sun newspaper last week, it was very disappointing to read such false reporting concerning a prescription drugs incident at the school. The report was inaccurate in many areas:

    No student was coughing up blood
    No student was taken to hospital
    No student passed out.

    “The truth is that staff were very professional in how they dealt with the incident, recognising that a small group of students were unwell. Paramedics attended our Oxford Road site and parents were contacted immediately. They were very appreciative of how a team of staff supported their children. On the day of the incident, which was Thursday, March 15, the parents/carers of students in Years 10, 11, 12 and 13 were contacted by the Headteacher with the following message:

    “Dear Parents/Carers

    A small group of Year 11 students were taken ill this afternoon having taken prescription medication, supplied by person(s) unknown, at lunchtime in Thame.

    The students received medical attention in school and are all now safely at home. We do not know if other students may have taken this substance. Medical advice is that we alert parents/carers of Upper School students to what has happened. Symptoms seen today included severe lethargy, slurred speech and sluggish movement. If you are concerned about your son/daughter, please contact the NHS 111 service for medical advice.

    I am grateful to the staff members who dealt with this incident in such a professional way. It is a pity the report in The Sun newspaper was not constructed as professionally. The school sends very clear messages to students about the dangers of drug taking and the sanctions of doing so. What we cannot control is the availability of drugs, including prescription medicine, outside school, and the fact that a very small minority of students are prepared to risk taking something, which can cause harm.

    David Wybron.”

    The report in the Sun Newspaper on April 8 (updated on April 9), followed a press release from Thames Valley Police, reported on Thame.net on March 29, 2018 – LINK HERE

  • Chinnor RFC make club and RFU history

    ON April 7, 2018, Chinnor RFC, in their game against Taunton RFC, secured a play off place for possible entry to the third tier of National Rugby.

    Photo by Jane Claton

    Chinnor needed only one point for the play off place which they achieved with their fourth try after only 25 minutes (report HERE). They went on to score another four tries and a total of five league points in their 45-56 win against fourth placed Taunton Titans.

    Matt Willliams, Chinnor’s Director of Rugby, said: ”I am incredibly proud of the Team and my support staff, having secured this play off place with three games still remaining. Our record this year so far of played 27 won 24, drawn 1 lost 2, is outstanding and in any other year in this league would have earned automatic promotion. Cinderford however to their credit have a slightly better record and whilst it is unlikely we will catch them we look forward to the play-off when we will have the chance to make Club and RFU history again and gain entry to National 1, which is the league just below the Championship. This would be a remarkable achievement for such a young club.”

    The play off date is likely to be May 5, and providing Chinnor get six more league points from their remaining three games it will take place at Kingsey Road, Thame.

    The President of Chinnor, John Ashfield, commented: “We are thrilled that all of the management and squad’s hard work has secured them this fantastic opportunity. We are a Community based Club and all of our many youngsters, players and members will be very excited to see the senior squad continue their march forward.

    “This could not have been achieved without the tremendous support of our sponsors who should be as proud of this achievement as we are. It would be great to see as many local supporters and friends as possible at our remaining home games (on Saturday, 14/04, Chinnor beat Bury St Edmunds 28 – 27) to help us obtain the points necessary for a home play-off.

    “What a fantastic day that should be for the town of Thame and the surrounding areas.”

    On April 28, Chinnor will play Clifton at home.

    SOURCE: Contributed

  • 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.