The picture shows Year 11 from Larkmead in 2006. Every single one of them has a white shirt and Larkmead tie on, and none have tied it the trendy way (just a bit of tie beneath the knot).

Larkmead is currently featured on a government run website called teachernet for their scheme to promote lively and varied playground activities “…boys playing ‘kwik cricket’ and touch rugby at one end of the playground, girls shooting basketball hoops at the other…” This teachernet site is one in a group of school websites. There is also governornet and I am told there is also a parentsnet but cannot find it yet. It will give a parents view into teachernet data, and the new style on-line annual Report on the school. Examination results will be loaded centrally by

All the three public secondary schools in Abingdon (Larkmead, John Mason, and Fitzharries) have new headmasters and deputy heads this year. At Larkmead Chris Harris (pictured) has taken over from Richard Bysouth.

The three secondary schools worked together on a joint bid to become centres of excellence for different areas (and get extra central government funding). Larkmead’s specialism is Visual and Performing Arts.

The three schools become one when you get to year 12 and 13 and do A levels. A student can study at all three achools, but have tutor groups at their original school.

Larkmead also has a specialist Special Needs unit and hearing resource base.

There is a trend to built houses in the town centre, whereas up to ten years ago new houses were built on the outskirts. One new tc development seem to merge into another, and so it must be difficult to create a strong identity, but they try with their colourful showrooms and banners.

I have pictures from two current developments: Marchants Place is between Waitrose and the Vineyard, and the Riverside collection looks as though it will have a good view over the recently restored victorian lake in the Abbey Grounds, and over the mill stream. This lake was paid for by you and me, the council tax payers, and all those kind people who do the national lottery.

One advantage of more houses near the centre is that people can more easily use the shops and restaurants, which is good for the vitality of the town. One will have to wait and see how it plays out over the next twenty years.

There are few town centre plots of land available for any building purpose now – not many more old factory sites left in the town. This process started a long time ago when the Abingdon Carpet factory became the Upper Reaches Hotel, so nothing is new. But a good mix is necessary to create a sustainable community. The final picture is the lake on a misty morning – the only way in future to see “The Victorian Lake” without “The Riverside Collection.”

The Town Crier is an Abingdon Town Council publication, and is delivered to every house in Abingdon. Spring 2006 sees the 25th edition, and has a pull out events list for the 450th Charter Celebrations.

There is a competiton asking for poems, prose, photography and art inspired by the title “When I think of Abingdon.” Send your efforts by 2nd May 2006 (max. 150 words or A3 pictures).

There will be a book called “Cameos of Abingdon” available from the middle of May. “It contains a collection of articles written by Abingdonians from all walks of life.”

There will be two collections of watercolours by “Abingdon’s most famous artist, Oswald Couldrey 1882 – 1958..” exhibited in the museum. His style is “fresh, slightly naive, and humorous, and shows Abingdon through the 1930s and 40s“. They show one print of Pigs in Broad Street. There are already postcards of some of these in the museum (Copyright Abingdon Town Council)

There will be a museum roof opening (weather permitting) on April 1st with the best roof top display in town, and the museum “coffee at 60p a cup is still the cheapest in town.“

There is an entry form for Abingdon in Bloom, but due to the drought it says “we hope entries will show what can be done with more imagination but much less water.”

Also Peter Doll from St Nicolas Church says that the District Council will “install stone setts in the lawn of Abbey Meadow gardens outlining the foundations of the mediaeval Abbey Church of St Mary.”

This exhibition of 114 paintings by local Abingdon and nearby village artists is within the Council Chamber at the Guildhall, and runs until tomorrow. There is a raffle where you can win a painting of Abingdon Bridge.

Another idea is to allow you to vote for your favourite painting. This one was painted by the illustrator Valerie Price from the nearby village of Culham.