What was just a concept, a drawing on paper, has become a reality as the builders took over today from the architects and planners. Scaffolding is being erected, and earth cleared where the liftshaft will be dug.
This picture shows the end of the meeting of the newly formed South Abingdon Community Led Plan group (better name being sought).
In attendance were: members from the River Ock Flood Action Group, the chair of the Marina residents association, the chair of the Tithe Farm and Ladygrove residents association, residents without portfolio, PCSOs, an officer from VWHDC, a SOHA housing association officer, a town councillor and district councillor, and a local newspaper reporter. You can read more in the Abingdon Herald.
The group are planning a 10am – 4pm community event on March 19th at Preston Road Community Centre where residents of Ock Meadow and Caldecott will be consulted on their priorities for South Abingdon. Then a five year local action plan will be created and sent to every home in the area. The group will then work and lobby to get things ticked off – when done. This could be the start of what the new government are promoting as localism, and Big Society.
Into February and upstream from Abingdon Weir the water looks so still.
With the sun just above the horizon the River Thames appears like a looking glass. Slowly the water approaches the barrier …
then cascades over at Abingdon Weir.
Lina is taking part in an exhibition at The North Wall gallery in Oxford. She lives in Abingdon, and I met her just after the exhibition had opened. Here she is with two Osprays she created in bronze.
The exhibition is put on by the Oxford Sculptors and runs to next Saturday. More of Lina’s work can be seen at her own site LinaGarbe.Com.