THAME Hockey Club has undergone vast expansion over the last few years, and as a result, part of Thame Hockey Club’s five year plan, is to have its own astroturf, club house and changing rooms.
With the housing development currently going on in Thame and surrounding areas, Thame Hockey Club has said that it would be advantageous for it to have a base of its own. In order to take this forward, the looking for a few people to come together to enable it to happen.
In an appeal today, Becs Gardner, Thame Hockey Club’s Secretary, said: “With the day to day running of the Club, the Committee is at capacity in regards to taking on this project. There should be numerous funding avenues we can tap into, especially as housing developments now have to put something back into the community. If you have any interest helping with this, please get in touch with me. You will of course get full support of the Committee and hopefully within five years Thame Hockey Club will have their own premises and pitch! Exciting times ahead for THC I’m sure you’ll agree.”
If you feel you can help, or for more information, contact Becs Gardner via email: HERE
LINDA Emery, Thame’s Deputy Mayor, has urged residents, businesses and organisations from Thame to go along to the district council’s drop-in session at Thame Town Hall, tomorrow (February 5), to learn more and have a say on the draft Local Plan 2034.
This plan is important for the district as a whole, including Thame, as it sets out South Oxfordshire District Council’s vision for planning and development in South Oxfordshire for the next 15 years.
Linda explained: “Thame and its local community will be affected by SODC’s draft Local Plan 2034. By spending just 15 minutes at the exhibition, you could find out what is being proposed for your town for the next 15 years and have a meaningful say on a range of plans from housing targets to health services; from roads to retail.
“I, along with Councillor Helena Fickling, will be there to listen to people’s views, which I will include in my feedback to SODC’s consultation on the Local Plan 2034.
“South Oxfordshire and Thame will continue to change. But you can influence what that change will look like. This is your last chance to make constructive comments, which will be submitted with the Local Plan to the government for inspection.”
SODC is hosting the Local Plan 2034 drop-in event at Thame Town Hall on Tuesday, February 5, from 10am to 2pm. Plans for infrastructure, car parking and the Health Hub will also feature. The exhibition will then remain on display from 2pm to 6pm. For those unable to visit, information on the plan and advice on how to comment can be found by clicking on the link www.southoxon.gov.uk
The formal public consultation will end on Monday, February 18, at 5pm. The inspection of the plan by an independent government inspector is anticipated in the summer.
THE Rotary Club of Thame & District are appealing to the public to come up with four more teams for seventh Thame Swimathon, the annual fun and fundraising event.
Barley Hill school’s Team Barracudas, pictured after Thame Swimathon 2018
Marius Ciortan, Chairman of the Thame Swimathon steering group, said: “Thame Swimathon is a great event for families, school friends and work colleagues to raise funds for charity, swim for one hour and have fun. To enter is as easy as 1-2-3: get a team of 4-6 together; download the Team Entry Form from www.thame.rotary1090.org, fill in the form and then email it to thame.swimathon@btintenet.com“
The organisers hope that the four team slots will be filled in quickly before the start of the schools’ half term holidays on February 16.
The Swimathon will be held at Thame Leisure Centre on Sunday, March 3, between 11am and 3pm, and all participants will receive a medal awarded by Cllr Ann Midwinter, Mayor of Thame.
Teams have the option to allocate 50% of their money raised towards their charity of choice, or 100% towards Rotary’s charities, which are ROSY (Respite Nursing for Oxfordshire’s Sick Youngsters) and Thomley. In both cases all monies will be collected by Rotary Club of Thame District which will apply for Gift Aid as appropriate. Once this process is completed, the club will make a donation towards the charity of the team’s choice, should this option be taken.
Marius explained: “The event is possible due to generous local sponsors who kindly cover the swimming pool hiring costs: Thame Leisure Centre, Haddenham Beer Festivals Trust, and Aston Hearing. Most of the medals to be given to participants were engraved by Neil Merritt of Ignite Sport who sadly passed away in 2018.”
Volunteers from Thame and District Lions Club, Thame Inner Wheel and Wheatley Park Interact Club, will be supporting Thame and District Rotarians with the counting of lengths swum by teams.
Five teams for Barley Hill School, Thame, will be participating, raising funds for the school’s PTFA. Jo Sackett, Barley Hill PTFA Trustee, said: “We are so thrilled to be involved in the Thame Swimathon again this year; a wonderful event that the Barley Hill children thoroughly enjoy and we raise a pound or two for charity at the same time, fantastic!”
There will be five teams from Thame Swimming Club, Team Ice Cream of John Hampden School, Thame, and Wheatley Park Interact Club will be participating again this year. A new team, called Team 50, which includes the family of Thame Rotary President’s family, will celebrate 50 years of Rotary in Thame and neighbouring villages.
The teams would appreciate any support via online donations. The My Donate links can be found on the Thame Swimathon page of the Rotary Club of Thame & District’s website www.thame.rotary1090.org, and on Facebook via www.facebook.com/thamerotary
A THAME constituent has written an open letter to John Howell MP, asking him to explain his voting following the various Brexit ‘deal’ amendments debated in Parliament last Tuesday, January 29.
Roy Motteram
Roy Motteram, of Cheshire Road, Thame, wrote:
“Dear John Howell, I note that on 29th January you voted against a number of amendments that would have ruled out leaving the EU without a deal.
“I note that at the same time, you also voted against a number of amendments that would have required the government to seek an extension to the Article 50 deadline in the case that Parliament had not come to an agreement over the form of our withdrawal from the EU.
“You also voted against amendments that would have given Parliament the chance to explore options that might prove acceptable, both to Parliament & the EU.
John Howell MP, pictured at Thame Cricket Club’s new club house recently
“Finally you voted for an amendment that instructed the government to return to the negotiating table to identify an “alternative arrangement” that could replace the backstop in the existing Withdrawal Agreement. Since the UK government, its civil servants, the EU negotiators & their technical advisors have been looking for such “alternative arrangements” for over 2 years, I fail to understand why you expect our Prime Minister to succeed in that task within the next 2 weeks. You appear to have voted for an amendment that does nothing other than waste another 2 weeks & further erode whatever goodwill we might have remaining in the European capitals.
“I’m sure that you must have had your reasons for such a counter-intuitive set of voting choices, but they escape me. I sincerely hope it wasn’t just because you’d been told to vote that way.
“Your job is, of course, to use your judgement to vote in what you see to be the best interest of the nation & your constituents in particular. I hope you take the time to explain your rationale in your next e-briefing, to avoid us jumping to conclusions.”
NEXT Monday, February 4, sees the Forget Me knot Café in Chinnor welcome back comedy man/musician from Thame, Adrian Broadway, complete with his unique sense of humour and some very unusual music instruments that come in all shapes and sizes – including a watering can!
Always a good session and very enjoyable for all. This will be followed by a visit from Elizabeth Newell from Alzheimer’s support team who will talk to us about what support, services and help there is in our area.
THAME Duellists Fencing Club’s junior athletes were in action on Sunday, January 27, at the Regional Championships which took place this year in in Swindon.
Thame Duellists gold medallist Rebekah Seed
As ever, it was an intense event as qualification for the National championships in Sheffield in May was up for grabs, and over a hundred competitors were vying for qualification spots.
Thame had four fencers entered in the event, with Celeste Cooper Ellis, Hal Seed, Isaac Salle and Rebekah Seed representing the club across the age categories.
Isaac fought through to 14th in his age group, picking up two wins in the group stage, and winning his first knockout bout before losing to eventual Bronze medallist William Peach of Swindon. Hal went a stage further, before losing in the last eight to a fencer with an awkward style, and finished sixth in his event, picking up his qualification for the Nationals.
Celeste secured her first ticket to Sheffield with a fifth place finish in her first regional level event, but Rebekah outshone the rest, taking gold in her category. She dropped only one fight all day, and that was in the group stage, finding herself having to face the same opponent in the semi-final, where she took revenge in a tightly fought contest, edging her opponent out 6-5 when time ran out. Her final was also close but Rebekah closed it out with a 10-8 win against Emily Campbell, also representing Swindon.
Three qualifiers for the National championships is the club’s best ever Regional result. Club coach James Kingston said “I’m delighted with that. There were fencers from eighteen clubs across the region here today and across the events the eight gold medals were shared out between only five; Thame’s fencers have done really well against opponents from much larger clubs.”
HOTHOUSE Flowers, Seth Lakeman, Steve Harley, and The Unthanks are among the acts headlining the 55th Towersey Festival.
The annual four-day folk and roots festival, from 23-26 August 2019, on Thame showground also boasts appearances from folk rock legends, Oysterband, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Two-Tone heroes, The Selecter, and shanty singers Fisherman’s Friends.
Former buskers, Hothouse Flowers hit the international stage when Dublin hosted the Eurovision Song Content in 1988. Since performing as an ‘interval act’, they’ve forged a reputation as a blistering live band, combining rock, soul and folk.
Steve Harley emerged from the London acoustic scene in the early 1970s and set the charts alight. A contemporary of Bowie and T Rex, his hits have included summer anthem, Here Comes The Sun, and the enduring Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me).
Five years from his last appearance at the festival, Seth Lakeman arrives in the wake of an acclaimed globe-trotting stint as part of Robert Plant’s Sensational Space Shifters. Expect to hear tracks from across the West Country musician’s career, including ninth album, The Well Worn Path.
Remarkably, The Unthanks first ever live gig was at Towersey in 2004. Fifteen years on, and the Mercury Prize-nominated band have established themselves as one of contemporary music’s most inspiring, surprising and enquiring acts.
Also returning are Fisherman’s Friends. A huge success with audiences at 2018’s festival, the story of their incredible rise from Port Issac’s quayside to the UK album charts has now been turned into a film starring James Purefoy and Daniel Mays (in cinemas from March 15, 2019).
Others joining the line-up include Welsh/ African duo, Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita, winners of the Roots Album of the Year 2018, Critics Poll; Show Of Hands’ guitarist Steve Knightly; BBC Scots Trad Music Award 2018’s Best Live Act, Elephant Sessions; and representing an exciting new generation of British singer-songwriters, troubadours Beans On Toast and Will Varley.
Towersey Festival Director Joe Heap, said: “After an amazing 2018, we’ve really set out to capture what people love so much about the festival.
“As a result, 2019 is one of our most exciting and eclectic line-ups, with some of the biggest names in folk and roots music, from Seth and The Unthanks to shanty superstars Fisherman’s Friends, alongside major musicians from across the British Isles, Africa, and North America. There’s also the usual collection of names, such as Beans On Toast, who may be new to Towersey audiences, but who we know they’ll love.
“There’ll be loads of other surprises too,” enthused Joe, adding that further announcements are to follow shortly, including details of Saturday night’s headliner and more information about the festival’s celebration of the life and work of musician, tutor, activist and Towersey Patron, Roy Bailey, who sadly passed away in November.
Established in 1965, Towersey is one of the UK’s longest running independent music festivals. Boasting nine venues, alongside an extensive music programme the festival also features over 30 hours of ceilidh, daily workshops, well-stocked bars, street food, spoken word, film screenings, roaming performers, an acclaimed programme of activities for children and younger festival-goers, and more.
Tickets for Towersey Festival, which runs from Friday, August 23, to Monday, August 26, 2019, are available now (Tier 2) from £129 (adult), £120 (conc), £90 (youth), £65 (child). For further information, and to book, see: www.towerseyfestival.com
JOHN Hampden Primary School in Thame, is celebrating today, after a team of swimmers from the school’s Year six, came second overall in the Oxford City Inter-schools swimming competition.
“They practiced so hard,” said a school spokesperson, “and it paid off!”
The team is now through to the County finals which will be held on Wednesday, July 3rd, 2019
FOLLOWING defeats during the previous week for both sides, this was one of the big games of the weekend in the division which saw Thame United (fifth) travel 70 miles up the motorway to play Bromsgrove Sporting (second). Bromsgrove were undefeated at home going into this game, and have two of the best forwards in the division in Cowley and Gregory.
dav
*** STARTING LINE-UPS ***
Bromsgrove Sporting FC – Brown, Spink, McGrath, Hayward, Taylor, Morris, Dowd, Quaynor, Cowley, Gregory and Westwood
Subs Used – Hall and Mayuba
Thame United FC – Hill (GK), Mepham, Lynn, Essex, Jewell, Tutton, Martin, Sturgess (C), Goss, West and Peake-Pijnen
Subs used – Tack, Murray and Ashworth
THERE was a real sense of atmosphere before kick off and there was surge of large numbers of fans coming through the turnstiles. Literally straight from kick off Bromsgrove were awarded the first corner, which found Taylor unmarked who narrowly headed the ball wide. It did not take long for the first goal whereby Jewell misjudged jumping for a header which lead to a shot on goal which was brilliantly by Hill saved but rebounded to Gregory for a tap in. There was a continuation of relentless pressure and attacking runs by Bromsgrove. This had Thame trying to contain play and drop players back in their own half. On 7 minutes Bromsgrove had another corner which somehow managed to drop to Cowley’s feet inside the six yard box for a simple pass into the net.
Bromsgrove were spreading the ball wide namely to both Dowd and Westwood who looked threatening every time they had the ball, often needing Mepham and Lynn to block crosses or to make a tackle. Thame’s Goss was working extremely hard trying to get his side into the match pressing all over the field and when possibly trying to attack the right wing with runs of his own. Then from a goal kick by Brown the ball found it’s way to Cowley who dummied Hill and shot the ball to his left to make it 3-0 on 22 minutes.
One of Thame’s best moments was when Lynn stepped out of 2 tackles at left back and dribbled the ball forward and was able to make a pass behind the defence which lead to a Thame corner. At the end of the half possession became more even with the pace of play slowing down. Bromsgrove managed dominate in the air and 50-50s for most of the first half. Due to excellent defending by the two centre backs of Taylor and Morris it was a difficult task for Thame’s West to create many chances of his own.
*** SECOND HALF ***
FT Score – BROMSGROVE 5 – 0 THAME
FOLLOWING the break Thame started the brighter with Thame’s captain Ben Sturgess leading by example and winning countless tackles in order to get the ball forward. The first chance in the half again fell to Bromsgrove’s Gregory, when a long ball in his direction was volleyed at Hill. There was more disappointing news for Thame when injury forced Mepham to be substituted by Tack.
Thame’s Goss produced multiple excellent set pieces in the second half. One of which was a corner which found Jewell’s feet at the back post and narrowly missed the post. The combination of Sturgess and Tutton was proving crucial to Thame’s battle in midfield. Due to the pressure of Thame playing at a higher tempo Bromsgrove were losing possession and misplacing passes all over the field. It was a surprise that Thame’s first shot on goal was actually from a goal kick by Hill which had to be tipped over the bar by Brown on 60 minutes.
Thame followed this up by a cross from the left by Lynn which somehow bounced over the fullback’s head and Goss fired a half volley onto the top of the net which had Brown unmoved.
In Thame’s search of a goal this lead to a break down the left which was crossed along the ground towards the running Gregory who passed the pass the ball into the net to make it 4-0 to Bromsgrove. Thame still continued to attack with multiple runs by Goss which needed sometimes multiple players to tackle or block him off the ball. Thame produced a further attack on goal when West shielded a ball for Goss to shoot towards goal which had to be saved by a diving Brown. The final goal of the game came in the 90th minute when Cowley dribbled right of Hill and then came back towards the left and fired the shot onto the crossbar and in.
Following the result Bromsgrove end the week in 2nd position and Richard Gregory leads the chase for the golden boot on 21 league goals. Despite the biggest defeat of the season for Thame they remain in 5th position and 3 points clear of Berkhamstead due to other teams not securing victories this Saturday.
*** MAN OF THE MATCH ***
As awarded by Bromsgrove – #3 McGrath
He produced a solid display at full back both defensively and going forward.
*** NEXT GAME ***
HOME @ The ASM STADIUM
Saturday 2/2/2019
Kick Off 15:00 – Thame United V Peterborough Sports
*** FOLLOW THAME UNITED FC *** Website – www.thamefootball.co.uk Facebook – @THAME UNITED FC Sports Shots – @sports_shots www.sportsshots.org.uk/?cat=213
*** Admission Prices @ The ASM Stadium *** Adult £8 Concession £5 Child £1 There is ample free parking at the ASM Stadium. The Club also has a fully licensed bar on site.
GET your dancing shoes ready! Music in the Park returns to Elms Park on Sunday, May 5, 2019. Featuring more than 30 performers across three stages, Music in the Park offers music and dance acts across a wide range of genres.
Topping the bill on the main stage will be the popular Dung Beatles. If you love Beatles music played the way ‘the Fab Four’ intended, then The Dung Beatles are for you. According to Terry Bloxham of The British Beatles Fan Club: “The Dung Beatles are pure unadulterated fun – definitely not your average Beatles tribute band”.
In 2014 they performed at Liverpool’s world famous Cavern Club and more recently performed to a full house at The Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury, along with pop legends John Otway, Howard Jones and Marillion, in support of the Friars Club tribute to David Bowie and the unveiling of his statue in Market Square, Aylesbury.
Early-bird tickets !
Early-bird tickets are available now on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/music-in-the-park-thame-tickets-50692649078. Until the end of February, you can save up to £8 on your ticket. With a wide variety of music and dance on offer, there’s sure to be something for everyone. The event will feature two main stages with live music and dance, and an acoustic stage.
Have fun dancing the day away or chill out with a leisurely picnic. Of course, there will also be all the usual goodies you’d expect at a festival, including tasty real ales, a wide variety of delicious foods, fun activities for children and adults, and a range of trade stalls.
