Mayor’s Christmas Party for residents


The Mayor’s annual Christmas Party for Abingdon residents took place at the Hilton Garden Inn and was enjoyed by many. Here are two guests heading home with their raffle prizes and goody bags.

Former Mayor Duncan Brown (pictured) acted as compere. The Mayor, Cllr Rawda Jehanli,(pictured), Deputy Mayor, and several town councillors were on hand to help throughout the afternoon.

Entertainment was provided by a choir from John Mason School and performing arts students from Abingdon & Witney College, both of whom also took part in the Extravaganza at the weekend. There was good food, and the Hilton Garden Inn generously provided the room for the occasion. The party was for residents over a certain age.

What’s On in Abingdon Next Week, and the First Use of the New Town Notice Board


The new notice board on the Market Place displayed its first posters today, with different notices on each side. It is hoped this will help make local events better known.

The Mayor’s Christmas Party for Over-75s takes place on Thursday 4 December at the Hilton Garden Hotel, though it is probably too late now to get tickets, which were distributed through the Abingdon Information Centre.

On Saturday 6 December, there will be a Craft Market on the Market Place — one of the events that usually relies on its own lamp-post advertising rather than the town notice boards.

Also on Saturday 6 December, in the Roysse Room, Eben Lark will be selling their mix of vintage, home, and garden decorations and furnishings.

At 3.30pm on Saturday 6 December, the Abingdon Concert Band will perform Christmas Day in Concert at St Helen’s Church. Tickets are £10/£8, with under-12s free.

At 7.30pm on Saturday 6 December, the Thames Vale Youth Orchestra will give a concert in the Yolande Paterson Hall at St Helen & St Katharine’s School. The programme includes Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld Overture, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnole, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique). Tickets are £12/£10, with under-16s free.

On Sunday 7 December at 2.30pm, Pavlova Winds will perform Paul Reade’s Cinderella Suite and Jim Parker’s Mississippi Five as part of the Abbey Chamber Concerts series at St Nicolas Church. Tickets cost £12.

On Monday 8 December at 5pm, The Abbey Cinema will show the documentary Rhino, following its collaboration with One Planet Abingdon. The film explores efforts to save one of the world’s most endangered species.

On Tuesday 10 December at 7pm, the Amey Theatre will present a live screening of The Nutcracker from the Royal Opera House — the classic Christmas ballet featuring Tchaikovsky’s music and Julia Trevelyan Oman’s designs.

Crochet Bollards and Surprise Visitor at St Helen’s Wharf


The bollards along St Helen’s Wharf have once again been topped with crochet tops. Snowmen, robins, and Christmas puddings now alternate along the railings, adding festive interest to this picturesque stretch of the Thames.

Some of the decorations are familiar: last year saw 75 robins and puddings, and the year before 75 puddings – many of which have made a return, joined by the new snowmen.

The display is appreciated by people walking the wharf. Even the river seems to have gained a festive visitor. Among the familiar mallards, a new duck has been seen in recent months: a Red-crested Pochard. It behaves much like the others, paddling over hopefully when people stop and gaze. These exotic birds were originally part of ornamental bird collections, and have escaped and gone native.

Advent Calendar – Day 1 – Adam and Eve


Most people who opened the first door on their Advent calendar today will have found a picture or a piece of chocolate. But at St Helen’s Church there’s a different kind of calendar.

Each day, a new figure is added to the Jesse Tree, tracing the family line from Adam all the way to Jesus.

Today, Monday 1st December, it began with Adam and Eve — complete with serpent and apple. As the first people in the biblical story, they mark the beginning of humanity and the start of the journey that the Jesse Tree will follow through Advent.