The One Planet Living Festival 2024 was on the Market Place today. There is also an election and the Reform UK local candidate was there. He had a discussion about The Climate Emergency with Tim, the alternative town crier.

The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers performed. Roger Cox the current Mayor of Ock Street will be standing down this year, and the vote for the new Mayor will be next Saturday, the 22nd of June. There will be a lot more Morris Dancing then as well as the Abingdon Passion Play and the Abingdon River Litter Pick.

The day’s events were enlivened by music, poetry, and a fashion show organised by Dr Diane Regisford: Racial Equity Social Sculptress , Politician , ARTiviste , Healer , Poet , Author and Evocative Enquirer. She is seen here with Councillor Alison Rooke the new chairman of Oxfordshire County Council. Alison has been Mayor, Chair of the District Council, and now Chair of the County Council.

There was also a lot of dancing to music which had an Afro Caribbean sound.

Every now and then some mysterious women in red would smoke in, waving their arms.

Down in the museum basement (the Climate Emergency Centre), Abingdon Muslims were serving Asian Street food for a donation for charity. I think they are raising funds for a base of their own in Abingdon.

There was a presentation by Philippa Hoy from the charity Bioregional, the organisation behind One Planet Living. One Planet Living is where we can live happily within the Earth’s resources.

A lot was happening. It was lively fun and crazy at times. There were also businesses with sustainable products such as Tribe (Zero-Waste) from Faringdon, who deliver to Abingdon.

Make Music Day is on Friday June 21st in Abingdon, and two of the performers also performed at the One Planet Living Festival 2024.