The last week has been Christian Aid week. On Sunday we had a video at Trinity about Christian Aid. It showed a coffee growing area establishing a co-operative, with help from Christian Aid. It allowed them to process the coffee themselves and ensure they got a decent price for their work rather than most of the money going to middlemen.

Today a lady came round collecting door to door for Christian Aid. So I was quite happy to give thinking that our Abingdon community was working with another community to make this world a better place.

Every day except Sunday the Wilsham Road is an all day car park. There is just a five minute walk to town from this road. Parking there avoids commuters getting stuck in any early morning traffic jam into town, and it is free. But you have to feel for the residents who loose their scenic view across the river, and parking for their visitors.

The Mayor Making began in the usual way with the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers welcoming people in.

In the first half of the ceremony the outgoing Mayor, Duncan Brown, presented the Mayor’s awards. One was to Stuart Jackson a former leader of the Morris Men.  Very well deserved, as were the others.  Duncan has raised a record £10,000 for his charities during his year as Abingdon’s youngest ever Mayor.

But somehow all that got forgotten in what followed. There followed lots of votes.

Normally there are just a couple of votes. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are voted in unanimously. But this time everything was fought over, way past the main council committees, even down to who would represent Abingdon Town Council in outside organisations like the Prince Albert Memorial Trust and River Users Group. The Conservatives won all votes by 11-10 or 12-9 depending how the solitary Labour voter chose to go.

Sandy Lovatt, seen here on a local TV report tonight talking about the army, is the new leader of the town council. That is equivalent in town council terms to Prime Minister.

Mike Badcock is Mayor. Unusually for Abingdon, this did not go to the next person in line but to a Conservative nominee – voted in by 11-10.

Peter Jones, another Conservative, is Deputy Mayor, and was voted in 11-10.

Blog pictures from April put to music.