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  • Flying charity needs a new home – urgently!

    THE Upward Bound Trust, the charity gliding club based at Haddenham, is being forced off of its airfield at short notice, by the landowner. The charity  now finds itself looking for a new home in the area so that it can continue to teach young people to fly.

    Thomas Heidcamp, whose son Oliver is learning to fly with the Trust, explained the situation to Thame.net. “We were told last week that we need to vacate the airfield on April 5. We had thought that we would be able to stay for another year, so this is a pressing matter for the UBT.”

    The Upward Bound Trust, a registered charity, has been teaching young people to fly since 1965 and over the last 53 years, many of its young students have gone on to professional aviation careers or had a lifetime of thrills in aviation sports.

    “All of the young people have gained self-confidence from their achievements,” continued Thomas. “We are entirely run by volunteers.  Adult members pay a commercial rate to fly, which funds the heavily subsidised training for our students.

    “We knew there might be trouble when the landowner planted rows of three-meter-high trees on our airfield approach last week. At a subsequent meeting, they told us that they have rented out our airstrip to a farmer, who will put the plough to our strip at the end of March.

    “The landowner will help us with relocation costs, but because of the short notice, we do not have a new home to go to. We are looking for a suitable field, or existing farm airstrip in Oxfordshire or Buckinghamshire. We need a (reasonably) flat field of 1000m x 100m. We can pay agricultural rates for the fields and commercial rates for our small hanger.

    “Perhaps someone among your readers might be aware of farm airstrips and aviation-friendly farmers. Our small operation would enhance any small airstrip, offering maintenance, grass cutting and skilled volunteers to help with ground operations.

    “We are a weekend only operation, winch launch club with 25 active members, so noise and disruption are minimal for the surrounding area,” concluded Thomas.

    Do you know someone who owns a suitable piece of land, or an existing farm airstrip that could be extended to suit the Upward Bound Trust? Please contact Thomas Heidkamp on 07960496806 or THOMAS@SIMPLE-KITCHENS.CO.UK if you can help.

  • Chinnor edge closer to the play-offs

    AS we get to the time of year where a number of teams are scrapping hard for their National Two survival, the visit to newly promoted Old Redcliffians was destined to be another tough encounter for Chinnor RFC.

     

     

    For the first time in many matches playing conditions were excellent and from the first whistle Chinnor made camp in the Old Reds Half. After five minutes,of persistent pressure. Reds’ flanker, Dan Fry, was shown yellow for a high tackle on Greg Goodfellow. Chinnor maintained their assault of the Old Reds’ line and from a penalty five meters out, the dominant scrum pushed over for No 8, Alex Waddingham to open the scoring.

    Chinnor continued to turn the screw and after 16 mins Greg Goodfellow elected to go blind and fed Kieran Goss who predictably out sprinted the defence to score Chinnor’s second. Chinnor were now looking dangerous with every attack and the backs were threatening to cut loose. On 35 minutes, after another series of quality play, Bertie Hopkin was fed in to score which he duly covered. With only three minutes of the half left, the visitors concentration lapsed and allowed Old Reds prop, Craig McGrath, in to make the Half time score 5-17.

    Playing up the slope in the second half, it was a question of whether 12 points was enough of a buffer to see out the game. Reds predictably kept Chinnor penned in and the defence held strong until the 53rd minute when Reds full back, Thomas Hargan, took the opportunity to close the score line with a well taken try. The valiant defence came at a cost with Chinnor picking up a number of injuries. With Ben Manning, Jonny Bentley, Will Bordill and Kieran Goss all leaving the field, the fresh legs caught Old Reds cold and from another five-meter scrum, the ball was flicked wide for Henry Lamont to secure the bonus point.

    With every point being vital, Old Reds played some good possession rugby and forced Chinnor on the back foot for the remainder of the game and on 77 minutes, No 8 Ethan Doyle ensured they picked up a valuable bonus point. Chinnor saw out the final couple of minutes with some experienced game management and ran out 19-24 winners.

    Another five points and with a rest weekend ahead – some welcome time for recuperation!

    SOURCE: Contributed

  • Mayor digs in for Thame’s new sports facility

    A brand new pavilion and community facilities for Thame came a few muddy steps closer this morning, when the Mayor of Thame lifted the first sod for work to begin on the building work.

    L to R – Steve Mcdonald, Angus Lachlan, Tom Wyse, Graham Hunt and David Lockart

    The Mayor, Tom Wyse, donned high viz jacket and wellies to join Angus Lachlan, the club’s Vice Chairman, Steve Mcdonald, Director of Sports Clubhouses, who are the designers and builders for the project, David Lockart, Site Foreman and Graham Hunt, Thame’s Town Clerk, to celebrate the start of the physical work, now that enough of the fund-raising hard work to begin is complete.

    Both Thame Town Council and South Oxfordshire District Council have contributed to the funding of the new facility, which will be shared with Thame Hockey Club, and many other businesses and local supporters have been ‘buying a brick’ to help fill the fund-raising gap for fitting out the second floor of the new facility and other finishing touches. The new facility is expected to be ready by October, 2018.

    More information can be found on Thame Town Cricket Club’s website: http://www.thamecricket.org.uk/

  • Thame Chamber Choir makes a noise !

    …. a Joyful Noise, that is! Thame Chamber Choir’s concert in St Mary’s Church, Thame, on Saturday, March 10, entitled Make a Joyful Noise, includes masterpieces by Byrd, Haydn – a chorus from ‘The Creation’ – and Mendelssohn, and features the famous ‘Miserer’e by Allegri. This so impressed the 14-year-old Mozart that, having heard it during a visit to Rome, he is reported to have later written out the whole piece from memory!

    These pieces, and all the music in the concert, are settings of Psalms and the programme also includes former Lord Williams’s School pupil Howard Goodall’s version of ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’, better known as the signature tune for The Vicar of Dibley.

    Tickets for the concert cost £12, concessions £10, and are free for under 18s. They are available from the Book House, Thame High Street (tel: 213032) and at the door.

    SOURCE: Contributed

  • ‘Stellar work’ of Integrated home technology firm rewarded

    A Thame firm, that installs integrated home technology, such as multi-room audio-visual entertainment and touch-of-a-button lighting and heating control, is celebrating after attending the recent ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) trade show in Amsterdam.

    The Cyberhomes crew share their celebrations with their twitter followers

    Cyberhomes, based at Station Yard in Thame, were named as DEALER OF THE YEAR by the home automation and control system manufacturer Control4. Cyberhomes has been installing integrated home technology systems since 2004, and Thamenews.net covered the opening of their state-of-the-art showroom in Howland Road, Thame, by the then Mayor, David Bretherton, in October 2007 (See LINK).

    The company recently completed a luxury home in St John’s Wood, with home technology integration value in excess of £650,000, using 19 Control4 EA-3 and EA-5 control and automation processors and 16 Control4 in-wall touchscreens.

    Cyberhomes Director, Ion Smith, said: “The Control4 range of products gives us great flexibility and scalability allowing us to specify it on projects ranging from a single home cinema room through to the whole house integration of some of London’s most prestigious homes.”

    “Our presence in Europe and Asia continues to grow, bolstered by expanding dealer capacity and our local support in UK, Frankfurt, China, and Australia,” added Bryce Judd, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales for Control4. “These awards recognize the best dealers and distributors, and project awards give us the opportunity to showcase the stellar work dealers have done installing Control4 systems in homes, commercial spaces, MDUs and hotels, and even yachts.”

    Cyberhomes work closely with developers, housebuilders, architects, interior designers and M&E consultants to integrate control and AV systems with the overall building design and performance. The Cyberhomes founders have a background in outside-broadcasting technology for the BBC and say that they take the same rigorous approach with the equipment, cabling and software behind home automation projects.

    You can find out more by visiting the website: www.cyberhomes.co.uk

  • Thame store shows love for the locals in charity week

    THE White Stuff store in Thame, needs just one more push to place Thame at the top of the clothing chain's league table for the most funds raised during this week's LIVE LOVE LOCAL event.

    Throughout the week, White Stuff have been running a different activity each day, including childrens’ art and craft activitities, raffles, table tops sales of donated toys, toileteries etc, with the aim of raising as much money as possible for its chosen local charity, the Thame and District Day Centre. Tomorrow, Saturday, is the last day of the LIVE LOVE LOCAL campaign, and to help Thame take that No.1 spot, they’re running a cake-baking competition. Anyone can enter, so take along your signature bake for judging by mid-day – and eating by anyone who turns up, for a donation.

    Thame.net went along to the White Stuff shop earlier today to find out for ourselves what’s behind LIVE LOVE LOCAL, and to hear from Retail Assistant Beth, how the businesses and people of Thame have been getting behind the cause, to help our wonderful Day Centre, which, by the way has had its funding towards rent cut and may struggle to stay open into the future.

    Watch our interview with Beth here on Youtube:

  • It’s A Small World at John Hampden Primary School

    THIS year’s Artsweek at John Hampden School took pupils on a Fantastic Voyage, with the theme, It’s a Small World, inspired by an ant’s eye view of life!

    With the school’s very own supersized ant called Dec, the school hall was transformed into a giant garden to help him feel at home, with monumental grass and mammoth flowers. Huge bugs populated the skies, with massive garden debris filling the land. The Year Six children had that shrinking feeling, and could be seen ducking between the colossal obstacles and riding the huge bugs in true ’Honey I shrunk The Kids’ Style.

    A range of artistic activities enabled the growing transformation, including larger than life ladybird biscuits, buzzing big bottle bugs, creative clay and plasticine scaled up sculptures, spectacular stained glass insects, beautiful colour mixing butterflies, soft toy sewn bugs and butterflies, as well as the enduring favourites of painting, drawing and junk modelling all things supersized. The children also carried the theme on in class with a cross curricular week inspired by that shrinking feeling.

    Friday’s dress-up day saw the school and its inhabitants metamorphosis into the Ugly Bug Ball, with an array of ants, a score of scary spiders, a bunch of beautiful butterflies, some big beetles, lots of large ladybirds, a swarm of buzzing bees and a gaggle of great grasshoppers!

    Jackie Nichols, Arts Coordinator at the school, explained: “As always John Hampden has seen an art army of parents, grandparents, governors, carers, artists, teachers and teaching assistants, old and new, and volunteers to support the children in their massive artwork, with a multitude of helpers (nearly 60!), who came to help bring our ideas to life!

    “The John Hampden PTFA provided the means to fund the week, with a generous donation which enabled the school to provide a multitude of artistic experiences and resources for the children to enjoy! The staff also set the children a challenge in the Artsweek Quiz, where pupils had to match a Small World creation to the right staff member who made it, in the ‘Whose Small World Is This?’ competition, complete with an arty prize for the winning entries!

    “Well done as well to Niamh Whitworth and William Franklin for being the crowned winners of the Artsweek shield for their participation this year.

    Jackie concluded: “At the end of the week JHS friends and family were pre-shrunk to enable them to enter our gigantic, glorious garden of art at the Friday Artsweek Fair-Trade Café finale.

    Honey we shrunk the kids, made friends with big bugs and hid within our giant garden, but all will be returned to normal size over half term at JHS, and we will enjoy our hall in the weeks to come as a reminder of our supersized mini adventure!”

  • No Sex Please, We’re British

    THAME Players will be present this rip-roaring comedy by Anthony Marriott and Alistair Foot, at The Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame, between March 6 & 10, 2018.

     

     

    Due to a simple mistake a young couple get inundated with pornographic material. How will they stop the tide before senior bank officials find out?

    Visit Thame Players’ website for full details and ticket information. LINK HERE

  • US police probe terrifying ordeal for ‘Slo Mo’ guy, Gavin Free

    A SHOCKING news story has emerged involving Thame-born YouTube superstar, Gavin Free, and his girl friend, Meg Turney. According to the Albuquerque Journal, based in the United States where Gavin now lives, the couple hid in a wardrobe, calling 911 while a man searched through their home in Austin, Texas, armed with a gun and firing at least one round inside the house.

    Video internet personalities Gavin Free and Megan Turney posted on YouTube. (Courtesy YouTube)

     

    Less than 10 minutes later, that man was dead in the driveway, apparently by his own hand. But, thankfully, according to the report, Gavin and Meg had not been harmed. The man, according to police quoted in the report, had ‘developed a fondness’ for Meg Turney, and had made notes of violent thoughts about Gavin Free.

    Gavin was brought up in Thame, and was a pupil at Lord Williams’s School in the town. He has made a name for himself producing ‘science and Technology entertainment’ YouTube videos made with high-speed cinema cameras, with his friend Daniel Charles Gruchy, also from Thame.

    Their YouTube channel has over 10 million subscribers and over one billion video views.

    You can read the whole story published by the Albuquerque Journal, HERE

  • Much needed points for Chinnor

    CHINNOR Firsts started against the wind and the conditions led to many handling errors from both sides. Following a yellow card to Broadstreets’ flanker, the game opened with Chinnor creating a try after three minutes with a scrum under the posts and George Oliver driving over with Bentley adding the extras for a 7 – 0 lead.

     

    Straight from the kick off Chinnor fumbled the ball giving Broadstreet the opportunity to reply with a quick try scored by prop, Ackuaku, but unconverted. Than, a sniping run from scrum half Goodfellow saw Chinnor increase their lead to 12 – 5.

    This was soon followed by a well worked try scored by Jonny Bentley who started and finished the move, giving Chinnor a 17 – 5 lead at half time.

    The second half started in a dramatic fashion with Chinnor spilling the ball in the middle of the park, resulting in a kick and chase with Broadstreet’s scrum half Thatcher scoring near the posts, converted by No 10 Hodgson. Chinnor responded with a drive into Broadstreet’s 22m area where Mike MacDonald took a quick penalty to score out wide to give Chinnor some breathing space with a 22 – 12 lead.

    Broadstreet took possession from a Chinnor lineout and Murray went over for an unconverted try to narrow the score to 22 – 17. A penalty converted by Bentley with the last kick of the game saw Chinnor win by 25 -17 and earning them five much needed bonus points.

    Attendance : 268
    Man of the Match : Tom Ranaboldo