Some new recruits from the Fire Service take aim at the Victorian Lake in the Abbey Park.

Nearby on the other side of the Park, St Johns Ambulance vehicles

congregated for an exercise involving the Oxford, Wantage, and Abingdon brigades.

Can I apologise that I left before the event really kicked off, but I didn’t want to miss the kick off of the Liverpool v Chelsea game. I do put a lot into this blog, but at times there are other priorities.

It was rumoured in the ‘Tithe Farm and Ladygrove Estate Newsletter’ that Section 106 agreement money from building the Abingdon Court nursing home would help fund an improvement to this path. But that didn’t happen. The two things did not really relate.

The Abingdon Head of the River involves crews starting at intervals and racing against the clock. The winning crew receives the title of “Head of the River”.

The race is over a 2KM course starting near Culham. When they go past the Abingdon Rowing Club – shown here – competitors are on the finishing straight.

It looked hard going.

But having completed the course, the pain seems soon forgotten.

After the race there followed a more leisurely row under Abingdon Bridge (Burford Bridge).

Crews disembark at Rye Farm Meadow.

Most people came by car, and so half the meadow serves as a car park, and the other half as a boat assembly / dis-assembly line.

The event, hosted by Abingdon Rowing Club, had its biggest ever turn out this year (I believe).