‘Midsomer’ supports needy causes in Thame

THANKS to fans of the the popular TV series, Midsomer Murders, and the volunteers who take them on a tour of Midsomer locations in Thame, Thame ‘good causes’ are to benefit from tour ticket sales.

Thame’s Midsomer Walking Tours are supporting three good causes in Thame, with a contribution of over £1600 from their ticket income this year. The Mayor’s Charities, the Sharing Life Trust and Thame Youth Projects, received a share of a cheque for £804, presented to the Mayor, Cllr Ann Midwinter, on Wednesday, December 12. Thame Museum, a registered charity, will also receive £804 towards its upkeep and maintenance, and two of its trustees, Cllrs David Dodds and David Bretherton, were also presented with a cheque on the same day.

Midsomer Tours of Thame donated part of their ticket income to the Mayor’s Charities and Thame Museum last year, but this year’s contribution is more than double last year’s.

Thame’s Midsomer Tours have enjoyed growing popularity since they started in May 2017. In 2018, bookings were taken from nearly 400 Midsomer fans who came from the local area and further afield in the UK, as well as from other countries, including Australia, Scandinavia, USA, and Germany. The tours are run by six trained volunteers who are all members of Thame Players’ Theatre. Tickets are £7.50 per person and it was agreed at the outset that the tour guides themselves would receive no income, preferring to donate two thirds of receipts to the Mayor’s Charities and Thame Museum (a Midsomer filming location), while the remaining income would fund future promotion.

Thame’s buildings have frequently been used as filming locations for the popular ITV series Midsomer Murders. It has regularly featured, either as Causton, or as one of many villages in the fictional ‘Midsomer County’. The tours take in many of 20-plus filming locations in the town used in different episodes. Midsomer Murders is still going strong after 21 years, with screenings in the UK and overseas. Over six million people watch it in this country and millions more in over 100 countries worldwide. Having seen the show on TV, people want to come and visit the quintessentially English towns and villages of Midsomer.

Tony Long, coordinator for the Midsomer tour guides, said: “We’re delighted with the growing popularity of Thame’s Midsomer Tours, and are equally pleased to be donating even more of the proceeds to good causes such as the Mayor’s Charities and Thame Museum. We’re looking forward to running the tours next year, on Wednesdays from Easter until the end of October. We believe the tours help develop tourism and contribute to the local economy, attracting visitors from the UK and abroad to the historic town of Thame.”

The Mayor’s Charities this year are The Sharing Life Trust, which helps assist those in need in the Thame area. They have supported, and continue to support, the Thame Good Neighbour Scheme, Thame Community Bank, Red Kite Family Centre and the Food Bank. For more details go to www.sharinglifetrust.org.

Thame Youth Projects, which helps to support young people in Thame, and have set up a Youth Café, are looking to expand youth opportunities and safe places for the young in the town. For more details go to www.thameyouthprojects.org.uk

Thame Museum is one of Thame’s Midsomer filming locations, and the starting point for the tours. The tours were derived from an original tour created by Museum trustee David Dodds, and are held under the auspices of 21st Century Thame, an organisation bringing together local businesses, community groups and councils to help keep Thame vibrant and viable as a market town.

Midsomer Tour tickets for 2019 may be purchased in person at thamemuseum.org (see website for opening times), or online at ticketsource.co.uk/thamemidsomer.

Bespoke tours can be arranged for groups of four people upwards. For more information please contact Tony Long at thamemidsomertours@gmail.com or on 07881 688895.

A free Midsomer Walking Trail leaflet details the Thame tour route and Midsomer locations in neighbouring Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire villages. It’s available from Thame Town Hall Information Centre and Thame Museum, as well as from local hotels, pubs, shops and cafes.