Next to the Local Excellence Market, this morning, campaigners, intent on saving the Oxfordshire Children;s Centres from closure, were asking people to pledge not to vote for ANY County Councillor who votes for the closure of the Childrens Centres in next week’s budget meeting.

At South Abingdon Children’s Centre this afternoon there was a Wassail. It was the second year this event has taken place.

The children;s centre was open for activities and free refreshments. It often acts as a Community Centre as well as a Children’s Centre.

Outside in the grounds of Caldecott School there was dancing by the Vale Islanders and Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers.

Mulled apple juice was heating on an open fire in the forest school area.

and down in the orchard area a traditional wassail poem was recited to the apple trees.

Trees were festooned with ribbons and hung with toast for the birds to feed on. Then everybody made a loud noise to awaken new life in the trees.

The loudest noise came from the Vale Islanders who have obtained a couple of muskets.

The Town Crier was out and about in town today announcing that there will be a Local Excellence Market next Saturday.

Also I have been asked to mention that next Saturday there will also be the second running of the Abingdon Wassail at the South Abingdon Children’s Centre..

And a public meeting is to be held at St Ethelwold’s House (30 East St Helen Street) on Tuesday 26 January 2016 at 7 pm for those who would like to explore practical responses to the desperate plight of asylum seekers and refugees who arrive in the Abingdon area. Temporary accommodation is needed and they will hear about local charities that support families to make a room available. For those who can donate money, St Ethelwold’s has established a fund to make a room available on an ongoing basis. There are other practical needs such as language lessons and food donations. The meeting will include a speaker from Oxford City of Sanctuary. Please let the office at St Ethelwold’s House know if you are coming so that they can arrange a larger room if necessary on 01235 555486 or at ethelwoldhouse@btinternet.com.

Also I noticed today that Patisserie Pascal has re-opened after an extended New Year’s break.

Not everybody is taking part in the Government promoted Dry January.

There was a good turn out on the first Tuesday of the month for the tour of the Loose Cannon Brewery in Abingdon.

Up to 150 people can take part in the tour. They taste the beers, enjoy sausage and chips delivered from Salamis on Ock Street, and learn all about brewing.

Beer is made from four ingredients: Barley, water, hops and yeast. The basic idea is to extract the sugars from grains (usually barley) so that the yeast can turn it into alcohol and CO2, creating beer.

Different flavoured malts, and hops are added to create different beers.

From these ingredients, and some clever know-how, many different beers are produced.

Abingdon Bridge XB is a copper coloured beer brewed from Cascade and Amarillo hops, and mostly served at the Nags Head Inn on Abingdon Bridge.

Every Month Loose Cannon creates a new beer, and in January the brew is ‘English DARK’, devised by the brewery’s own Drayman after listening to pubs where he delivers.

To find out more about the Abingdon Brewery visit Loose Cannon.

In 1957 Abingdon Borough Council decided to close the upstairs Council Chamber and Abbey Room because there was no secondary access – in case of fire.

It re-opened later in the year after an iron staircase had been added. A stone stairwell then replaced that temporary structure.

The new plans for the re-development of the Guildhall have been agreed. Work will be carried out in 2016.

The Information Centre, now accessible from Roysse Court, has plenty of leaflets advertising what’s on in the New Year of 2016.

For a start, on January 1st is the New Year’s Day beating the bounds. The Christian Aid New Year walk is also on, starting at 10am from Abingdon Baptist Church.