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  • The Dolly Parton Story

    WHERE? The Players Theatre, Thame
    WHEN? 4th October 2019 at 7.45pm

    THE Dolly Parton Story takes you on an incredible journey through the career of the ‘Queen of Country’.

    Follow Dolly’s story in this groundbreaking “show-umentary” format taking you from her humble beginnings in the Smoky mountains to her arrival as Queen of Country.

    Featuring passionate renditions of Jolene, 9 to 5, Islands In The Stream, Here You Come Again, Coat Of Many Colours, Joshua and many more, this show enjoyed sell out shows with standing ovations at Edinburgh Fringe in 2018 and had audiences dancing in the aisles.

    “What a beautiful performance. Dolly’s Music comes alive in a contemporary way” Dominic King” The Dominic King Show’ BBC Radio Kent

    “Hannah Richards performs beautifully …. is a talented singer song writer …. would have liked it to have gone on longer” **** ScotGay

    Hannah Richards is superb as Dolly Parton – an evening not to miss. Book your tickets HERE now. Tickets are £15 each.

  • Thame’s FTMC is back with China Bears!

    THE First Thursday Music Club resumes its monthly sessions on Thursday, September 5, at The Stables in Thame. Following its summer break (which incorporated the hugely brilliant Thame Town Music Festival), the organisers of FTMC are excited to welcome China Bears to take the 45 minute headline slot.

    China Bears formed in Somerset in 2015 by twin brothers Ivan and Frazer. The line-up was completed after meeting James and Dean at university in Guildford later that year. Drawing influence from bands such as: The National, Dry The River, Frightened Rabbit and Snow Patrol, China Bears create misery anthemic indie combining ambient guitars, choral vocals and raw lyric writing. They’ve currently released 3 singles independently with airplay from Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1, Steve Lamacq on BBC radio 6, John Kennedy on Radio X and Melita Dennett on BBC Introducing.

    Now signed to Fierce Panda Records and about to start a two-month, 20 date tour of significant towns, cities and venues across the UK, China Bears have been tipped for greatness … and you can see them, for FREE at FTMC!

    The First Thursday Music Club still offers the opportunity for artists to play live in front of a warm and appreciative audience, maintaining the ‘Open Mic’ section of the evening where slots will always be available in the first hour on a first-come, first-served basis with player sign-up by 7.30. The club has a full house PA system with keyboard, bass amp, guitar amp and jazz drum kit (bring breakables!) all set up on stage and ready to go.

    Another eclectic evening is guaranteed and, don’t forget, it’s FREE entry!

    China Bears links: https://www.facebook.com/ChinaBearsBand/

  • Transport minister visits Oxfordshire

    TRANSPORT Minister George Freeman today met with Oxfordshire County Council Leader Ian Hudspeth and City Council Cabinet Member Alex Hollingsworth to hear how the councils are working together on low-carbon transport.

    Better transport connections and lower carbon and nitrogen dioxide emissions are at the centre of future transport plans from the two councils, they told the minister. Also, Oxfordshire has become a hub for developing smart travel technologies by using our transport network as a “Living Lab” and by supporting innovation beyond just vehicle manufacturing, with businesses offering the test facilities, measurement, cybersecurity and smart infrastructure that provide an essential mix for bringing forward new travel technologies.

    George Freeman MP, who is the Minister for the Future of Transport, said: ““UK leadership in transport technology is helping to make transport greener, safer and more reliable & convenient.

    “The great work being done here in Oxfordshire is increasing the uptake of electric vehicles, promoting smart transport technologies and attracting inward investment to create the jobs of tomorrow.

    “With world class companies like Oxbotica, a global leader in self driving technology, investing here we have the potential to build a world class cluster. As the PM made clear in his first speech, the new Government has made innovation for connectivity a priority and we will shortly be announcing a series of initiatives to support this vital sector. “

    Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, added: “We were delighted that the new transport minister came to Oxfordshire to see for himself the fast-growing transport technology sector. We are making the most of the technological know-how in our excellent universities and energetic start-up community. But I am also convinced that our success is driven by the environmental concerns of people living and working in Oxfordshire who want to see transport that is both better and cleaner, with the county becoming an exciting test-bed for future technologies.”

    Regarding the city of Oxford itself, Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Oxford City Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Sustainable Transport, said: ““Oxford is leading the way on innovation to address the environmental impacts of how we travel. This was a great opportunity to demonstrate to the Minister the ways we are rising to the challenge of future transport needs, and to discuss the transport challenges for the city and workforce in the future. Bold measures are needed to address traffic congestion within the constraints of our medieval city.”

  • Remembering Roy and record-breaking temperatures at Towersey 2019

    A series of outstanding performances, emotional celebrations, and record-breaking temperatures ensured the 55th Towersey Festival (Friday 23 to Monday 26 August 2019) was another huge success.

    The traditional Towersey Festival Lantern Parade (Click image for video)

    Highlights over the Bank Holiday weekend included appearances by soulful Dubliners, Hothouse Flowers, and 2-Tone legends The Selecter (Sunday), whose energetic appearance had the entire crowd on their feet.

    Troubadour Newton Faulkner, and BBC Radio 2 Folk Award 2019 nominated Welsh/ African duo Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita (Sat) were other notable stand-outs.

    (EDITOR: My personal favorites were Seth Lakeman, Fisherman’s Friends, Sam Kelly and the Lost Boys and on the last night on the bar stage, Phat – I’m a sucker for bit of brass! SF)

    Monday afternoon saw an emotional celebration of the life and career of the late folk singer, activist and Towersey Patron Roy Bailey, who passed away in November. Having appeared at the very first Towersey in 1965, Roy’s regular afternoon shows were much-loved feature of the festival for many years. Among those paying tribute during a moving two-hour show were friends, family and colleagues, including his son-in-law guitarist Martin Simpson, and broadcaster and musician Tom Robinson.

    The festival also marked the official retirement of Towersey Director Steve Heap; Steve attended the second festival before taking over the reins in 1975.

    In the region of 8,000 revellers attended the four-day event in Oxfordshire, which also witnessed record-breaking Bank Holiday temperatures, hitting highs of 30 degrees.

    Towersey Festival Director Joe Heap said: “We saw some incredible performances this year across our many stages. The first ever silent ceilidh, in particular, on Saturday (24 Aug 2019), was an absolute triumph and the talk of the festival.

    “But the Roy Bailey concert was something quite special. The Big Club tent was filled to capacity, and we had many more outside to see people like Martin, Tom, Andy Cutting, The Wilson Family, John Kirkpatrick, and other major folk/ roots musicians. They all performed songs from Roy’s incredible back-catalogue, and recounted stories about him – there was barely a dry eye, it was very very moving, as Roy was so associated with us. An afternoon few will forget.

    Discussing four uninterrupted days of hot sunny weather, Joe said: “We had plenty of taps, and everyone stayed well hydrated all over the site.”

    The 56th Towerey Festival will run from Friday 28 to Monday 31 August 2020, at the new location, Claydon Park, Buckinghamshire. Click HERE for peek at the new site.

    EDITOR: Tell us about YOUR stand-out performers.

     

  • Towersey Festival to leave Thame!

    TOWERSEY Festival is to be held on Thame Showground for the last time, this coming Bank Holiday weekend, 2019, and will move to the Claydon Estate in Buckingham next year, 2020.

    Leaflets saying as much have been given out at Artists Reception and there is information about the move displayed in the Merchandise tent on the site.

    The reason for the move is reported to be the instability about the long-term future of the show ground, which is currently owned by Thame Agricultural Association.

    No one was available for comment from Towersey Show at the time of writing. https://www.towerseyfestival.com/

  • Look again at Oxford’s housing numbers say councillors

    SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council has written a letter to Cllr Sue Brown, Leader of Oxford City Council, detailing their concerns over the city’s calculations on new housing needed in light of both councils’ Climate Emergency declarations and opposition to the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway.

    Image courtesy of pas.gov.uk

    The city’s emerging Local Plan has information on their proposed housing numbers based on the presumption that the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway will go ahead – something that the district council says could contradict the city’s recent positions.

    Cllrs Sue Cooper, Leader, and Robin Bennett, cabinet member for development and regeneration at South Oxfordshire District Council, have asked the city council to provide more detail on their housing number calculations and assumptions relating to the expressway.

    The city’s housing numbers have an impact on South Oxfordshire District Council’s emerging Local Plan because, like other local district councils, they have agreed to plan for extra houses to help support the city’s unmet housing need.

    Cllr Robin Bennett said, “We were delighted that the city has joined us in declaring a climate emergency, but we’re concerned that if the expressway goes ahead, it will have a detrimental effect on carbon emissions and widespread ecological impacts.”

    Cllr Sue Cooper said, “Making provision for Oxford’s unmet need was one of the reasons our Local Plan housing numbers were so high. Now that people are much more aware of the climate crisis and because the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway is becoming more unpopular locally, we need to be sure of the Oxford City’s housing need figures.”

  • Record GCSE levels of achievement for Thame!

    AFTER sitting so many examinations and tough examinations at that, it was a day of much celebration at Lord Williams’s school, following the release of GCSE results today.

    Outstanding levels of achievement have been maintained by students at Lord Williams’s, with 73% of students achieving five or more higher grades 9 – 4, including English and Mathematics. In addition, the school had 130 entries for new courses which do not count in performance tables, and 68% of those entries resulted in level 2 passes or above (GCSE grade 4 equivalent).

    Headteacher, David Wybron commented: “It was again a great pleasure to see so many happy faces today and to celebrate another year of excellent results with our students. We are proud, as always, with the range of achievements from our hard working and talented students. I know they are also grateful for the dedication of the teachers and support staff who have helped them secure such impressive results.”

    Particularly stellar performances came from many individuals. Worthy of comment this year is the fact that more of LWS students are achieving Grade 9s in subjects, which is the highest level possible. The following students gained at least seven passes at grades 9, 8 and 7 which is a record number for the school:

    Zoe Allen, Lara Ashraf, Alex Bartholomew, Charlotte Basnett, Elisabeth Basnett, Josh Beadle, Leo Brake, Joel Britton, Arran Carey, Thomas Carr, Kate Collins, Owen Dobinson, Joshua Dutton, Matthew Evans, Emily Gerrish, Amelia Gilbert, Ben Golding, Gabriel Goodwin, Leo Hayden, Alexandra Hedstrom-Blake, Laura Higgins, Elizabeth Hindmarsh, Amelie Irving, Suzannah Jamison, Rosie Jones, Casey Kingston, Hannah Law, Amy Laws, Edith Lord, Sophie Martin, Charlotte Moss, Jack Mumby, Kate Nicholls, Zac Parry, Sanjit Raman, Amy Roberts, Ella Roberts, Izzy Roberts, Avani Senior, Harry Turner, Izzy Van Dijk, Lizzie Webb, Alex Wilson and Amelia Wylam.

    SOURCE: Press release

  • Thame Players stalwart Nick Weir has left the stage – RIP

    IT is with great sadness that we have to report the death of Nick Weir, in the early hours of Sunday morning (18/08).

    He went into the JR on Friday last with a liver complaint. His kidneys then started to fail and he died early Sunday morning. So it was quick, and we hope relatively pain-free.

    Nick was a stalwart of the Thame Players taking part in shows as diverse as Landmarks to Murder Afoot as well as the various Shakespeare shows we’ve performed over the years. His dry, quirky sense of humour will be missed by many of us. And when he wasn’t in shows then he was always first to step up for the Front of House rota selling programmes and chatting to audiences.

    But not only did Nick take an active part in Thame Players but he also took on the role of Tour Guide for Midsomer Murder Tours around Thame, as well as helping out at the Oxfam Shop in Thame. He was known by an awful lot of people who will all remember him and miss him on a daily basis.

    He left us too soon.

    SOURCE: Pat Shepperd, on behalf of Thame Players Committee

  • New screening service for Thame patients

    THE Mayor Thame, Ann Midwinter, and invited guests joined the Thame Hospital League of Friends on Tuesday (21/08) to meet the team behind a new screening service launched in Thame.

    Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust who run the Community Hub at Thame Community Hospital, will run the new Ultrasound diagnosis service to the people of Thame who will now have access to the same standard of ultrasound provision available at larger hospitals, but closer to home.

    Before cutting the ribbon to open the door into the Ultasound treatment room, Sarah Taylor, Chair of the Thame Hospital League of Friends, said: “This is an important statement of our confidence in the future of this hospital. It is very exciting, and this is almost the first time in the twenty years that I have been involved that I really do feel now, that what is going on at this hospital is sustainable, is good and bringing lots of people into the hospital. It’s really, really exciting so please do spread the word to everybody that we’ve got some genuinely useful stuff going on here.”

    Guests were treated to strawberry and cream scones and two, very special celebration cakes to mark the occassion, after a demonstration of the Ultrasound equipment on a volunteer member of the team, willing to have the inner workings of her (very healthy!) blood vessels in her neck displayed on the screen in public!

  • Sun shines on Thame’s Community Market Day

    THAME Market Traders annual Community Market Day yesterday, Tuesday, August 20, was a great success, with shoppers and visitors enjoying a full programme of activites including live music, face painting and the large bouncy slide.

    Stalls representing the fantastic community spirit of Thame offered even more fun activities to entertain and engage families.

    The stalls included Age UK, Florence Nightingale Hospice, Kimble K.N.I.T Club, Ox Bucks Wine, Parkinsons UK, Slimming world Thame, Sobell House Fundraiser and Thame Twinning Association, who raised aroun £90, selling second-hand books donated by members.