Category Archives: Events

On St David’s Day, Paul Devine’s funeral service at the Salvation Army


It was St. David’s Day! The daffodils above are near the bowling club in Albert Park. The picture was taken during a hail shower.

These daffodils are on Nags Head Island. There was rain, and later some sunshine.

Today was the funeral service for Paul Devine, the husband of Alex. Together they led the Salvation Army in Abingdon. The service was streamed online because some people could not get there. People wore orange. The wreath was orange as Paul was from Dundee and was a Dundee United supporter.

Both the main hall and front hall were packed, and over 70 watched the streamed service.

Instead of flowers, donations were to ADAPT, a charity close to Paul’s heart. They help people rebuild their lives after addiction. You can learn more about ADAPT at: https://adaptoxford.org.uk/.

Alex said, during the service, that Paul searched in his life and only is his relationship with Jesus did he feel whole. Paul loved the scripture, ‘You are the light of the world, a town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither will people light a lamp and cover it. Instead they put it on a stand and it gives light.‘ Alex had received lots of messages about how Paul had helped people not just working at ADAPT but all different people. She mentioned how important it was people  supported Paul in his life, but what was important for Paul was that God got the glory for what he did through Paul’s life.’

The next speaker said at the committal, ‘Paul was not perfect. He was not a saint, but he was forgiven, and a child of God.’

Upcoming: NSPCC Market Stall, Poetry, Art, and Philosophy

Saturday, March 2nd:

The local NSPCC group will have their usual tombola, bric-a-brac, books, and plants for sale on the Market Place.

Thursday, March 14th:

An Evening with Poet Andrew Jamison (6:00 PM, Abingdon Library): Award-winning poet Andrew Jamison will be reading from his latest collection, Swans We Cannot See. Tickets are £2 (including a welcome drink) and can be purchased at the library counter, or by emailing abingdon.library@oxfordshire.gov.uk. Andrew also helped select the ten poems and wrote the forward for the book Ten Poems about Abingdon.

March 11th – 16th:

View a variety of artwork by local artists at The Abingdon Artists’ Spring Exhibition (St Helen’s Church).

Tuesday, March 5th
The February meeting of Agnostics Anonymous had around 60 attendees. The March meeting has the topic “Is there a God?”

Litter Picking, Plastic Talk, World Prayer & Model Trains in Abingdon


AbiBinit! 2024 (Upcoming Litter Picks)
Sat 24th Feb – 10am to 12 noon Reynolds Way / Gainsborough Green
Sat 23rd March – 10 am to 1pm Town Centre

Plastic Pollution and what we can do about it
24th February – 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
One Planet Abingdon, Climate Emergency Centre under the County Hall, Market Place, Abingdon.
A presentation about plastic pollution and the damage it causes to the environment. Talk followed by discussion and sharing of ideas.

World Day of Prayer Service: Friday 1 March, 4pm at All Saints, Abingdon (and many other churches around the world). This year’s service has been written by the women of Palestine and was decided on at least three years ago.

The next annual Abingdon Model Railway Show will be on the 2nd and 3rd of March at Abingdon and Witney College. It’s their 50th Anniversary. The show will run for two days and there will be over 40 layouts. Book at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/abingdon-district-model-railway-club.

What’s On: Chinese New Year & Lots of Music


Happy Lunar New Year! It’s the Chinese New Year of the Dragon in 2024. On Saturday, 10th February there’s a free exhibition of CHINESE BRUSH PAINTINGS AND SCROLLS by members of Oxfordshire Chinese Brush Painting Group. They are open from 10-2pm in the Community Space, Unit 24, Bury St Precinct, Abingdon. ( It’s the old H. Samuel shop).

Peter has sent me information about ADMS concerts and there will be two in March, one at St Helen and St Katherine School.

One at St Helen’s Church. For both concerts, tickets will cost £15 on the door or £13 if bought in advance (children £1 in both cases). For advance purchases, contact www.wegotttickets.com (booking fee applies) or tickets@adms.org.uk.

There are also regular chamber concerts at St Nicolas Church. The next is this Sunday and will feature a Cello Trio.

Music at the Unicorn are running concerts. The next one is on Tuesday 13th Feb. The full list is on
https://www.musicattheunicorn.org.uk/.

Make Music in Abingdon have live music on February 15th at the Loose Cannon Taproom where the music starts at 7.30pm. Performing are: Andy Hoger, The Holy Fools, Tim Friers & the Mercenaries.