Despite a tough year in which the pandemic meant visitor numbers were well down on previous years, Thame’s Midsomer Walking Tours still managed to donate a respectable sum from ticket sales to worthy causes in Thame. On Monday this week, the Mayor of Thame, Paul Cowell, and Adrian Dite, a Trustee of Thame Museum, were each presented with a cheque for £408 as a donation from ticket sales during the 2021 season, which ended on 31st October.
The Mayor’s Charity this year is Thame Youth Projects, a registered charity working to support young people in and around Thame, whose projects are entirely dependent upon grant-funding, donations and voluntary contributions. The Mayor said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Midsomer Tours for their generous donation to the Mayor’s Charity, Thame Youth Projects. This team of volunteers are focused on providing a safe space for young people to socialise and have open conversations about their personal concerns. As a charity, it would be unable to provide such support without donations from local community groups. Once again, thank you to Midsomer Tours”.
Adrian Dite said, “Thame Museum has been pleased to work with the Thame Midsomer Tours project from the very start. We are pleased to have received this donation as the Museum is a community-run venture, staffed entirely by volunteers, relying on sponsors, donations and grants to continue its goal of telling the Story of Thame. Thank you, Thame Midsomer Tours, for bringing a smile to your customers and for your support of the community”.
Tony Long of Thame Midsomer Tours said, “We are delighted that our Midsomer Tours continue to be well supported, despite lower numbers this year due to the pandemic, which meant there were almost no overseas visitors. Nevertheless, we still managed to achieve £1244 from ticket sales, enabling us to share £816 between the Mayor’s Charity and Thame Museum. Altogether, we have raised almost £5,000 for good causes in Thame since the tours started in 2017. By attracting visitors to the historic town of Thame the tours also contribute to the local economy and we hope visitor numbers will be back up to previous levels in 2022”.
