The farewell edition of the Tithe Farm and Ladygrove newsletter has appeared, after over 40 years of keeping residents informed of local interest stories and events. The earliest known edition was from July 1971, about the time the houses were built.
For many years Lilian Barry produced a 2 sided newsletter, often handwritten, usually including one of her poems. Steve Annells took the newsletter over in the 1990s and increased the number of pages, and campaigned for the interests of South Abingdon, particularly on the subject of the Drayton Road Traffic, and Flood risks, and his real passion – Better Bus Services. For the last decade Eleanor Dangerfield has edited a very informative newsletter.
The newsletter has always encouraged people to get involved in local fetes and trips and litter picks organised by the Residents Association, and nagged people who don’t pick up their dog pooh.
The newsletter also had a regular gardening column by Martin Gulliver, and a quiz.
Then there were the adverts which helped pay for the print run and got locals in touch with local businesses.
Finally, on the back, were Town Events, Councillor Surgeries and contact numbers, and the Residents Association meetings.
Looking back through the archives the editor says “In January 1975 there is a report of the A.G.M. to which ‘sadly only two dozen members came.’
Nowadays we are lucky to get seven.”
I enjoyed writing the gardening pieces and it is sad to see it go. There was briefly a web version but I fear this did not attract much attention.
Many thanks to the hard workers behind its publication – they did a grand job.
Oh that’s a shame. I like reading this every month. Didn’t know it was finishing.
Eleanor has been asking whether anybody will take it on either printed or as an Email / web version. But there has been no response. The current editor and printer are retiring. It could still be saved if somebody could be found.
Thankyou Eleanor for all the hard work you put into keeping this important community newsletter going over the last 10 years.
I’m no editor or journalist alas, but provided with the material could easily type it up and put together ….. email, web version or paper.