Members of the Ock Valley Flood Group have been taking round these Residents Flood Surveys over recent weeks. They went to people near the Ock who were flooded and also near misses – people who moved all their furniture upstairs in July 2007 etc. , and who are still having worries about insurance.

Anyway if you want to see your risk of flooding for insurance purposes go to the EA flood map and search Abingdon.

It looks something like the picture above.

Last year this blog covered the demolition of the St Helens Mill Bridge on the Ock. Other actions included mending these collapsed banks of the Ock near the Ladygrove Estate. But the Flood Group will be looking to take other measures and apply for some of the available grants.

(If you have not had a flood survey and would like one it is probably best to contact Richard Webber, the chairman. His e-mail is: richard.webber@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
The group will arrange a public meeting in the near future. So if you want to be kept informed I will do my best on this blog but you could ask Richard to add you to the mailing list.)

The Londis sign has changes yet again and now ‘Bargain Booze’ has been added on one side. Bargain Booze was one shop open on Christmas Day. Gone are the days when if you failed to buy batteries or whatever on Christmas Eve you had to wait.

Susan Hill was in Abingdon a few weeks ago. I did ask for a picture from Mark of Mostly Books and have had it a while waiting for a quiet day. That day has arrived…

Thanks to my wife I got a signed copy of this Susan Hill book for Christmas: Howards End on The Landing – very readable.

It is always good to see Hugh and Elizabeth’s back window crib in East St Helen Street.

This is the window of The Salvation Army showing their crib with real straw.

At 4:30 PM on Christmas Eve at St Helen’s Church there was a Christingle Service. This is just about a quarter of the Christingles on offer. They are oranges with candles and other things stuck into them and have a religious significance.

The Crib at St Helen’s is only about half finished. During the Christingle Service Mary and Joseph and The Baby Jesus are carried into position, but they will have to wait a few more days for the Wisemen to arrive at Epiphany.

A little earlier, at 4 PM, as shops began to close, the St Nicolas Church bells were rung out to call people to their Crib Service. At Trinity there was a Torchlit service at the same time. Many churches have something similar – very popular with young families.