Shop Window Competition

Heritage Open Day is next Saturday. This display is in the library. There are the historic buildings open for free, and this year there is an odd object in the shop window competition.

Free entry forms to be found on the Market Place. Its really for the fun of taking part, but there will be prizes as well.

Elsewhere today there was a French Market in town. But do we need them now we have Patisserie Pascal?

and the Abingdon Community Church, who meet at Thameside School, were promoting an Alpha Course.

Community Matters

'Every month each Waitrose supermarket will distribute £1,000 between three local projects. Customers will be encouraged to vote for their preferred project and the £1,000 will be split in line with the vote.'

This time the leader is the 'Abingdon Alzheimers Club', and last month the clear leader was 'Friends of Abingdon Community Hospital.'

The Almshouses move on

The Almshouses as you have never seen them before - unless you go by this way regularly. The charity of Christ's Hospital of Abingdon, who look after them, dates back a long way. The new roof tiles will be chosen to last. Christ's Hospital must think in decades while we think in days.

However in the day-to-day blink-of-an-eye the archway leading from the Almshouses to the river was, apparently, damaged by a delivery lorry.

ASK

I've just looked on the Ask website and Abingdon is not there yet on the drop down.

Ask, Abingdon opens today. The building, known as Pulpit House, was the one time Abingdon Congregational Church in the Square. Since then it has either been FOR LET, or an office. Vacated as a church in 1968 but not sold until 1980. A marketing company took it over and got a design award for the way they had one company on the groundfloor, and another on the balcony. That closed in 2006. The bushes grew and grew in front until Ask came along. They are owned by the same company who owns Pizza Express so they should already know a bit about Abingdon. Now the bushes are cleared away and ...

Town Action Plan

Last Saturday was one of the best days of the summer. The outdoor swimming pool, and water "feature", had never had it so good. But now the children are back at school.

Turn to the financial pages you'll see how things have cooled. In Abingdon some businesses are finding it difficult, and, before even all that, there was a crisis of confidence in this town and action 4 abingdon was set up.

Yesterday the Joint Economic Forum (JEF) met to agree the draft Abingdon Town Report and Action Plan. The JEF is a committee that meets regularly to discuss Abingdon matters with 5 members from town council, 5 from district council, and 5 from the chamber of commerce. Members of Action 4 Abingdon also come as observers. The Report was commissioned to see the best way different bodies can work together to move Abingdon forward, and to set a list of important actions.

The report suggested setting up a town board with a paid manager to drive through change. An interim management board has been set up to move things forward. An interim manager is to be appointed. Then they will carry on consulting with both a business and a community forum which have been very important bringing people together that would not have seemed possible a year ago. The interim board will investigate the future form the town board should take (Membership could be one member and officer from town council, district council, county council, Chamber of Commerce, and other business groups.), and appoint a manager. At the same time they will pursue some of the actions that could be achieved with existing resources.

The town council has the full report.

New Opening

This pub reopened a week ago looking very smart.

It seems to be more a place where you sit, drink and eat, maybe wine and tapas, rather than crowd around the bar talking football in the evening. The entry age has been raised to 21.

Bath Street Changes

Smarts Fish & Chips have been closed for most of August, for re-decoration, and the youngest member of the backstreet household is missing her regular dose of Smarts Cheese and Chips.


Also I see that Ladbrokes, a well known betting firm, want to take over the Venue. The Venue has been closed since the owner emigrated a few months back.

Co-op Building - August Progress

For a while not much has changed to the front. But now the pavement is getting laid

and the front looks more like a shop front with the false window frames, pillars, and the sign frame.

I see that the Co-op have applied for an Off Licence Sales Licence covering Monday to Sunday 07:00 - 22:00. So we could be spoilt for choice soon with Londis and the Co-op.