Christmas Fair at St Michael and All Angels

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There were a lot of stalls at St Michael and All Angels Church in Abingdon for its Annual Christmas Fair.

Among them were craft stalls, including Steve Fisher Crafts – Local Woodturning. Steve was positioned just inside the entrance, which meant he got a cold draught every time the door opened but lots of viewers.

Some stalls, such as the cake stall, were run on behalf of the church, with all the profits going towards church funds and the charity Emmaus Oxford, which helps people who are homeless.

It was the first opportunity this year to hear some Christmas carols, thanks to the Abingdon Handbell Ringers.

Another craft stall belonged to Abingdon Artist Margaret Horton, who was displaying her artwork.

The church-run bookstall had a lot of fiction, but a closer look revealed a large religious section, including The Joy of Being Anglican (St Michael’s is an Anglican church) and The Life and Work of a Priest.

The fair also featured traditional fund raising competitions. One of them, Guess the Weight of The Cake, I also read about when researching last month’s Abingdon 100 years ago.

Someone I spoke to had been to see (local author) Paul Mayhew-Archer’s film Onwards and Sideways at the Abbey Cinema and said it was very good. The film is showing for another week, with Paul taking part in live Q&As at some of the screenings.

A fine cold start to the day in Abingdon

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There was a cold start to the day. Over Abbey Meadow, aircraft vapour trails criss-crossed the sky and reflected in the River Thames.

The sun appeared over the south-eastern horizon at about 7:30. That was later than the 7:20 sunrise time predicted online, possibly because the online time assumes a level horizon.

The river was warmer than the cold air above it, allowing water to evaporate, creating river mist.

The walk to Abingdon Lock was about half a mile out alongside Abbey Meadow, and half an hour back along the Thames Path.

There were icy puddles. Plants were furred with frost.

St Helen’s Church caught the early sunshine on what was a fine start to the day.

Autumn Leaves and A Christmas Tree

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There are plans to replace a tree in Bury Street with a sculpture as part of the proposed investment in the precinct.

Back in April, the tree had new leaves and blossom and probably looked its best.

Now most of those leaves have fallen. The last few remain.

Meanwhile on the Market Place, while all the other trees are loosing their leaves, a Christmas Tree appeared today.

Lest We Forget

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Armistice Day (11th November) is an opportunity to remember all those who have died in wars and conflicts around the world.

It is now 81 years since the end of the Second World War in 1945. With fewer veterans of that war still with us, thoughts also turn to more recent wars, including Iraq and Afghanistan, in which British troops served. Abingdon is also home to people who have been forced to leave their own countries because of conflict, including the war in Syria and the continuing war in Ukraine.

On Wednesday 11 November, people gathered around Abingdon’s War Memorial for the traditional Armistice Day ceremony. There was a two-minute silence, during which the standard bearer of the Royal British Legion lowered the standard.

People stood with heads bowed on the traffic island surrounding the memorial. Others watched from the outer pavement, including a group of children from Thameside School.

The Mayor then laid a wreath, followed by Clare, representing the Royal British Legion, who placed a large cluster of poppies at the memorial. People remained for a while, chatting before gradually dispersing.

There was also a wreath placed at the rear of the memorial in memory of Private Albert Webb, beneath the section bearing his name among those who died.

The act of remembrance goes beyond the memorial itself. Walking up Bath Street, the window of the Acacia charity shop displayed pictures and words saying “Lest we Forget”. Other shops and estate agents around the town also marked the occasion with displays.

Two days earlier, on 9 November, members of Abingdon Peace Group gathered at the War Memorial. The group has been meeting regularly every Monday morning since 2022, expressing its solidarity with peacemakers in all conflicts.

Their message was different in emphasis: “No More War: The Best Way to Honour the Dead is to Work to Prevent War”.

The group said that the poppy wreaths at the memorial represent the deep gratitude felt by Abingdon residents towards the British soldiers who gave their lives in the two world wars. But their thoughts also extended to the dead of all countries and all wars.

They quoted Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, who said, “We could not prevent their deaths the first time, but if we forget them they will be killed a second time. And this time, it will be our
responsibility”.