Abingdon on Election Day

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Today, the polls were open for the 2024 general election. From 7 am to 10 pm, power shifted away from the Houses of Parliament and Abingdon Street SW1, returning to the people in communities like ours. Here in Abingdon, after providing a name, address, and photo ID, people could mark an X next to their chosen candidate. The sunny weather should have encouraged a good turnout. People thinking the result a foregone conclusion could have kept people at home.

In Oxford West and Abingdon, the race is typically much tighter, with the constituency frequently swinging between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems. But you could get 12-1 betting odds on a Conservative victory this time around. The Liberal Democrats were not taking anything for granted. They were the one party with volunteers stationed at polling stations to record voters’ polling numbers. This strategy allows them to call and remind known supporters to cast their votes.

Here are the results:
Social Democratic Party, Anni Byard: 259
Green, Chris Goodall: 3,236
Reform UK, James Gunn: 4,164
Liberal Democrat, Layla Moran: 23,414 (elected)
Independent, Josh Phillips: 168
Conservative, Vinay Raniga: 8,520
Christian Peoples Alliance, Ian Shelley: 256
Labour, Stephen Webb: 5,981
(Turnout: 64.5% – 45,998 valid votes were counted from an electorate of 71,318)

Congratulations to Layla Moran!

Abingdon Events: From Morris Dancing to Puppet Shows

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I sometimes get asked the best place to find out what is happening in Abingdon. While the official council website (https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/events ) has a listing, it can sometimes miss some gems or repeat regulars. There are also posters around town. Here are some of this week’s posters.

Mr Hemmings Traditional Abingdon Dancers have their annual day of dance on Saturday 6th July 2024 and will be dancing with guest teams in various places around the town from 11am.

On the same day is the annual South Abingdon Play and Activity Day organised by the Oxfordshire Play Association.

Wantage Academy Brass will be playing at St Michael’s Church on Saturday. Proceeds of the event are to be shared with The Abingdon Bridge (TAB), TARIRO (Hope for Youth in Zimbabwe) and St Michael’s Church.

The Oxford Waits perform at the Unicorn Theatre on Thursday 4th July. They take their name from a band of Oxford musicians, known as ‘waits,’ who played in Oxford during the 17th century.

Abingdon Drama Club presents Calendar Girls from 10th – 13th July (Evenings) as part of their 80th year.

The puppet barge is back in Abingdon, by the open air pool, with a new show called The Insect Circus. Forget reality and become immersed in the strange and beautiful world of insects!

Campaign Trail in Abingdon: Leaflets, Street Posters, Candidate sightings

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Up until Monday, we had only received election leaflets from three of the candidates. On Monday, however, we received leaflets from all the remaining candidates along with a copy of “Round and About.” Here’s the breakdown of the leaflets received so far:

Liberal Democrats: 6 leaflets (possibly more)
Conservatives: 2 leaflets
Labour: 2 leaflets
CPA: 1 leaflet
Green: 1 leaflet
Independent: 1 leaflet
Reform: 1 leaflet
SDP: 1 leaflet

In terms of street posters, I’ve observed:
Liberal Democrats: Most prominent
Labour: Second most prominent
Reform: Third most prominent

I haven’t been active on social media, so I can’t comment much on that aspect.

The only candidate I have seen in person is the Reform candidate, who was in Bury Street on a Saturday, and I saw him again the next Saturday. I’ve heard that the SDP candidate was seen by others, but missed them.

No party has knocked on the door or phoned us, which is unusual for this area. Overall, it feels like a low-key election campaign in Abingdon. It may all be happening on Instagram, TicToc and X. Or is this the calm before the storm?

Supporting Sobell House: The OxTrail Charity Art Event

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The OxTrail can be followed this summer in Oxfordshire. Large and miniature ox sculptures, painted by artists, schools, and community groups, are scattered around the county. See oxtrail2024

Abingdon Library has two miniature oxen.

Abi, a talented Year 8 student from Our Lady’s Abingdon School, designed an ox in her school house colours, featuring the Oxford skyline.

Radley College was inspired by the Matthew Arnold’s poem that included the phrase, “That Sweet City with her dreaming spires”.

The OxTrail is a fundraiser for Sobell House Hospice, which provides end-of-life care and support to patients and their families.