A Christmas tree has appeared under the County Hall Museum, decorated with a large QR code. Scanning it takes you to the Abingdon Community Heroes — a project run by The Abingdon Bridge that celebrates people nominated for their kindness, resilience, and dedication to making Abingdon a better place.

Those featured include Beth, Sienna, Nial, Donte, Matty, Ben, Philip, Rawda, Paul, and Darren. Some are young people who first came to The Abingdon Bridge for support and have since grown into leaders and mentors for others. Others work across the community: a member of staff at Oxfordshire Mind, the manager of the Foodbank at Christ Church, the Mayor of Abingdon, the chair of Abingdon Town Amateur Boxing Club (who has raised significant funds for The Abingdon Bridge over several years), and the founder of Wandering Minds, a peer-support group for adults with ADHD.

The Abingdon Bridge is a youth-wellbeing charity supporting young people aged 13–25. Their offices are in the old police station and in the building behind the County Hall, above the Coventry Building Society.

Unit 25 in Bury Street is currently being made available to community groups, thanks to the landlords Gentian Sunnyday and The Friends of Abingdon Civic Society. This follows works taking place in Unit 24, used previously.

Last week, the Oxford and District Woodcarvers used the space throughout the week, showcasing their work, including this clock case.

This morning, the Sewing Repair Shop held a session in the unit, offering help with mending and extending the life of clothes.

In the afternoon, it was the turn of the Ock Poets, a group that seems to be going from strength to strength in 2025 — drawing in an ever-growing number of local poetry enthusiasts.

If you’d like to find out more about using the space for your own community group, visit:Unit 25 – Community Space.

The Abingdon Cycle Festival got off to an fast start early this morning, with cyclists gathering to register for a large number of organised rides.

From around 9 am through to 11 am, groups of riders set off in different directions, exploring routes into the surrounding countryside.

This group was seen heading out along the High Street.

Another group passed under the Abbey Gateway — one of Abingdon’s most recognisable landmarks — as they began their route.

Once all the cyclists had departed, community spirit continued with a Sunday litter pick organised by Lynn of AbiBinit. Most of their events take place on Saturdays, but by request, Lynn arranged this one for Sunday for people who find Saturday difficult.