Annie’s at the Boathouse opened in September 2017 and closed at the end of last year. The cafe will reopen under new management under a new name.

There has been a lot of work as the new management refurbish the cafe.

The Thames Valley Croquet Club continue to play during the winter months. They are there on Monday and Friday, weather permitting. Playing times are:
Winter – 11.00 am to 2.00 pm
Summer – 1.00 pm to 5.00 pm

New members are always welcome. See https://thamesvalleycroquetclub.co.uk/.

On the far bank, the crescent of daffodils are in bloom.

Lloyds Bank has announced the closure of its Abingdon branch on 8 Ock Street. The closure is scheduled for July 24th, 2024.

Lloyds Banking Group announced plans to close 176 branches across the UK in 2024 and 2025. The closures reflect a recent shift towards online banking. The Didcot and Oxford branches will remain.

The closure is likely to be a blow to the elderly or those less comfortable with technology. Lloyds say after the branch closes, the Community Banker will be available to support you in the local area one day a week.

Lloyds were granted planning permission to demolish the existing rear extension and build 8 new flats without parking. The commercial unit on Ock Street will be reduced in size.

This follows the closure of Barclays, over the road from Lloyds, in February 2024, where the signs and cash machine are gone.

The Abingdon Market Place was buzzing with excitement today as the ATOM Science Festival brought scientific fun for families. Frank, who volunteers at the lock, told me he loved this event every year because it gave him such hope seeing all the youngsters involved in all the science activities.

The Town Crier did not need to tell anybody about the Science Festival because we were already there, and so he let people know about Abingdon Artists Exhibition at St Helen’s Church (their last day).

The hands-on activities fascinated the youngsters. A particular highlight for them and me was creating slime using just four household ingredients. See the video at the end of this piece where I have a go.

The Abingdon Naturalist Society’s stall offered a glimpse into pondlife, with children and adults eager to spot the frogs and newts in the aquarium.

Budding physicists at the Oxford University Particle Physics stall could construct their own universe using “up” and “down” quark Lego bricks.

Over at the JET Laboratory stall, robots were being trained to help dismantle the Tokamak now its work is done. The JET Fusion research facility at Culham ran its final tritium experiments in the Tokamak recently and got a new fushion energy output to input record.

Fitzharris School showed off their battery-powered go-carts, designed for 90-minute endurance races on a single 12-volt battery.

The Abingdon Astronomical Society gave people a view of the sun through a specially filtered telescope. Two sunspots were visible. As the day wore on and the sun was hidden, the telescope was redirected to focus on a weather vane.

There were about twenty stalls in all, including the ATOM stall selling tickets for the talks in the next week. See https://www.atomfestival.org.uk/

There was also demonstrations and talks at Abingdon County Hall Museum where children and adults could ask about the table load of fossils

Down in the basement there were talks that got transmitted by Youtube.

There were also talks in the Roysse Room at the Guildhall.

Finally here is the video of making slime. I found it disgusting so it is not for the squeamish.

Jess, who has been organising author events at Abingdon Library for a few years, hosted its first poetry reading tonight. Local poet Andrew Jamison, who has won awards, read from his latest collection, ‘Swans We Cannot See.’

Andrew’s poetry reading sparked many questions from the audience. One person liked the personal ones about a young family. Others were interested in how he created his poems. Andrew usually starts by listening to music to inspire the first line, and then the rest of the poem often flows. For this collection, he revised each poem many times to get them right. His influences include the renowned poet Seamus Heaney and contemporary Irish poets. Andrew is originally from Northern Ireland. As a teacher, he introduces students to classical poets like Wordsworth, Shakespeare and Milton, and he thought they too had some influence. He particularly enjoys the challenges of writing sonnets.

At the end of the evening, Jess presented a small gift, and people could buy copies of the book. You can find more about Andrew Jamison on his website: https://www.andrewjamison.co.uk/

Karin says seeing the Abingdon Passion Play 2024 take shape is great. When she visited, there were smiling faces from the Abingdon Passion Play singers and Musical Director Sally Mears at rehearsals at St Nicolas Church.

The actors at the Our Lady & St Edmund’s Parish Centre are immersed in rehearsing the script. The cast went very quiet as they rehearsed Jesus’ death on the cross.

They have had many moving moments.

But they have also had fun as they get to know each other during breaks.

There is still room for additional actors to be temple guards, soldiers, disciples and crowd, so do get in touch or join them at one of their rehearsals if you want to be part of this community project. Rehearsal times can be seen at https://www.abingdonpassionplay.co.uk/events/

There was a One Planet Abingdon Stall on the Market Place today. The focus from January – March 2024 is Waste Reduction. On the website https://oneplanetabingdon.org/green-forum/ there is a survey on Waste Reduction which takes about 5-10 minutes to complete. They also have four waste reduction challenges people can take on.

Coming up in April – June 2024 will be Grow Your Own.

Their base in the County Hall basement is open from Thursday to Saturday and most Sundays. There are homemade cakes, teas and coffees, soup, friendly volunteers happy to chat, displays on sustainability, an eco-library, and board games and puzzles.

As part of her efforts to help local people dealing with domestic abuse, Mayor Gwyneth Lewis of Abingdon organized a free movie night. They showed the 1944 film “Gaslight,” a black and white movie nominated for seven Oscars. This movie is a great example of emotional abuse and controlling behaviour.

This event happened on International Women’s Day. According to https://www.ncdv.org.uk/domestic-abuse-statistics-uk/ 1 in 4 women are currently affected by domestic abuse in their lifetime. A domestic abuse related call is made to the police every 30 seconds. It is estimated that less than 24% of incidents are reported.

Before the movie, there were talks by people from local organizations that can help with domestic abuse. Afterwards, everyone could ask questions about the talks and how to get help or improve the support available. The Mayor will continue with a working party taking these idea forward and to make Abingdon a safer place.

One such organisation is the Mayor’s Charity, Reducing the Risk. This charity works to keep people safe from domestic abuse. They offer support to victims and survivors, and also train professionals and volunteers who help people in abusive situations.

In the Bury Street Precinct on Thursday, were a group gathered seeking support for a proposed solar farm near Cumnor. The Cumnor Parish Council has voiced its opposition, citing concerns about the potential industrialization of the Greenbelt, the impact on the area’s natural beauty and character, disruption to public rights of way, agriculture, and ecological balance.

Conversely, the group advocating for the solar farm say it would play a role in countering climate change by helping the shift away from carbon energy sources. They said the project would contribute to biodiversity, emphasizing that the land could still be utilized for sheep grazing and wild life. With the consultation period closed, I was not sure of the benefit of signing a petition at this stage but the planning application on the VWHDC Planning portal has reference P23/V2624/FUL.

Meanwhile, nearby, Riverford Organic Farmers had a stall where people can sign up for organic vegetable and food boxes. The juxtaposition of these two stalls highlights the contrasting approaches to the use of farm land.

Organic farming, as exemplified by Riverford, relies on natural methods for pest control and fertilization. This method, while less intensive, is attractive to some consumers who are able and willing to pay a premium for naturally produced food.

The NSPCC stall on the Abingdon Market Place on Saturday was fundraising to help the NSPCC provide crucial services like the Childline helpline, support programs, and educational resources.

But they weren’t just there for money. Being at the market helped them remind people that keeping children safe is important. The NSPCC has a 10-minute digital training called “Listen Up, Speak Up” to learn what to do if you’re ever worried about a child or their family.

Happy St. David’s Day to all our Welsh friends! I could have looked out for daffodils, leaks, or red dragons. But daffodils were easiest as there are lots in Abingdon at the moment. The arc of dafs above are at the chancel end of Our Lady and St Edmund Church.

These are on Nags Head Island, where workmen are refurbishing what was Annie’s Boathouse, and will become the Abingdon Riverside Cafe.

Earlier today, there was a funeral service for Paul, the husband of Alex, the Salvation Army leader here. Instead of flowers, donations are to a charity called ADAPT that helps people rebuild their lives without illicit substances. You can learn more about them at: https://adaptoxford.org.uk/. The service was streamed online because Paul was originally from Dundee and many people couldn’t get there, and anyway there wasn’t enough space for everyone inside! Both the main hall and front hall were packed. You can watch the service on Abingdon Salvation Army page on Facebook.