Abingdon Country Market were letting customers know that after 72 years their last market will be on September 11th (at the Salvation Army in West St Helen Street).

They have very much enjoyed running the Market, and have loved baking for the people of Abingdon. It is with regret that they have taken the decision to close.

The reason is a change to food standard regulations. Natasha’s Law will come into force on 1st October 2021. The law was introduced following the death of a teenager called Natasha, who suffered a fatal allergic reaction after eating a baguette bought from Pret a Manger. Businesses will need to label packaged food with a full ingredients list and allergen information.

The person I spoke to at the Abingdon Country Market agreed this is needed for bigger businesses but will find it too difficult to do as a small concern (see example of Lemon Drizzle Cake above). Currently Abingdon Country Market provide allergen information on each package and know the ingredients of their own products. The full ingredients list and allergen information will be a large overhead where only a small number of each cake or preserve are made every month.

Another difficulty is maintaining an ingredient’s list where ingredients can change unexpectedly. If a certain margarine is used in a cake, then the full breakdown of the margarine ingredients are shown on the cake, and where ingredients change, or an alternative is used, the change will have to be noticed and the label changed as a result.

The Country Market have known about the new law since 2019 and have waited to see whether there will be a dispensation for small producers before taking the decision to close.

I don’t know whether such labelling will be needed for cakes sold at church and school fetes.

Margaret sent this …

The Fridge collects surplus food from local supermarkets and distributes to the community, thus saving tons of food waste. The scheme is going from strength to strength and has moved to a new venue. Everyone is welcome!

New location is Hadland Road Community Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3YH.

New Opening Hours are:
Monday 5 – 6 pm
Thursday 2 – 3 pm
Saturday 10.30 – 11.30 am

The Vale of White Horse District Council has announced a new community lottery, with weekly tickets costing £1.

From each £1 ticket, the news release says, 60p will go towards the player’s chosen local good cause. 20p of the remaining money goes into the central community fund (which the council will distribute to good causes), 17p towards the administration of the lottery, and 3p on VAT. The top prize of £25,000 will go to anybody matching all six numbers. The other prizes are £2,000, £250, £25 or three free tickets.

In a few weeks time the council will invite community groups and charities to get involved. Cllr Margaret Crick, Chair of Vale of White Horse District Council said: ‘It’s been a tough year for many charities and community groups, and so we’re pleased to do what we can to give them a bit of a boost. This is a great way for our residents to give to their very local causes that are important to them and with a chance to win themselves.’

Hundreds of volunteers are on standby to help Abingdon residents through the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions continue into the winter.

With more than 3,000 acts of kindness already completed, members of Abingdon Coronavirus community response (ACR) are ready to serve the town again.

The group, which was set up in the Spring, provides neighbour-to-neighbour help with shopping, collection of prescriptions and friendly chats.

It is determined to ensure that no-one is forgotten as lockdown lifts next week. The pledge comes as the Government outlined the tiers that areas fall into as restrictions continue until the New Year.

Julie Kemp-Harper from the group, said: “People feel a bit more prepared and supported as a result of the relationships that were built earlier in the year and better provision by supermarkets and other services.

 “However, there’s also much apprehension about managing over the winter and fresh hardships facing all ages, so we plan to carry on over the coming months.”

The group limits what it offers to what you might reasonably expect a neighbour to do and works closely with other Abingdon support agencies.

Many people have family or immediate neighbours to help them out now,  but said Julie: “That doesn’t apply to everyone. By coordinating volunteers across the town at a neighbourhood level we hope that no one will be left out. Sometimes our volunteers are the only friendly face a resident has seen for several days and those friendly chats are so valuable”.

To request help for yourself or a family member fill out our Support Requests form on our website www.abingdoncommunityresponse.org  or email: abingdoncoronaresponse@gmail.com .