Mayor's Charity Ball

The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers were dancing in the foyer as the guests arrived.

The mayor and her escourt sat at the top table...

Next to them were guest speaker Polly Vacher, and the chair of the Vale District Council. Polly told us of her recent Wings around Britain flight, where she flew between and landed at 221 different airfields in Britain - all in aid of Flying Scholarships for the disabled.

More than a few guests had civic chains. There were mayors from a lot of the surrounding towns.

There was a guess the name of the bear, a charity auction, and a raffle to raise funds for Phab and Age Concern.

and dancing to the sound of the Oxford University Big Band.

Town litter ban

A ban on dropping litter has been introduced in Abingdon with the slogan "Littering? It'll cost you"

Unlike the proposed alcohol ban, this ban will extend beyond Abingdon. Trashy posters are to be displayed across the Vale of White Horse District.

To The River

Signs pointing in all directions.

The River Thames runs along the length of Abingdon

and the River Ock goes through the heart of Abingdon.

There is a sign to the Ock Valley Walk, and another to Abingdon Marina:

but no sign says just 'To the River.'

Winding back the Clock at the Square

The war memorial in Abingdon, Oxfordshire has had a slight lean for a number of years, and is being monitored to see whether it has stopped moving or whether the time has come to underpin it.

Wind back the clock to the 11th Sept 1921, and this scrapbook picture shows the Earl of Abingdon unveiling the same war memorial.

Wind back the clock further, and those trees shrink back, disappear and another, less weighty, monument takes pride of place at the Square in Abingdon, Berkshire.

Bath Street Changes

Centre Stage is moving from Bath Street to take a unit at Coxeters at the end of March.

Over the road, in Bath Street, the future of the Venue does not look certain.

Said and Done

The Abingdon Arts Festival 2008 runs from March 1st to March 15th. On the final day of the festival Roger McGough will be reading poetry and extracts from his autobiography 'Said and Done'. Tickets are available at the Jenifer Gerard Gallery or at Mostly Books next door.

For the last few weeks, the poster has been in the door of the Jennifer Gerard Gallery

Over the weekend it has been joined by some less welcome notices.

Abingdon's Free Mooring

There can be 200 daily adult visitors coming from the river to use the town during the boating season. Some time back the Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC) abolished mooring charges and allowed boats to stay for up to five days, without charge, to encourage such trade.

Downstream from Abingdon Bridge where the banks are higher and better for cruisers there are mooring rings fixed into the concrete.

Upstream from the bridge two separate lengths of timber edged mooring were put in some years back: one length opposite the swimming pool, the other nearer Abingdon Lock. The banks are lower here and more suited to narrow boats. Stakes are driven into the bank here to secure the boats.