The Vale of White Horse PHAB Club, which has met at Christchurch, Northcourt, Abingdon for the past 41 years, held its final gathering with a celebration meal at Coseners House on Thursday 30 July.

The celebration followed one last club outing a week earlier, when members enjoyed a trip to the Cotswold Wildlife Park on Thursday 23 July.

The club’s closure marks the end of an era for its members. Some important committee members have retired. Happy Retirement to Nigel & Barbra Carter and others!

The club was founded in 1985  by David Carter, who wanted to create opportunities for disabled and non-disabled people to enjoy activities together, valuing everybody’s unique gifts. Nigel and Barbara, his parents, helped him establish the club and, following David’s death, continued his vision, enabling it to flourish for more than four decades.

Over the years, members have enjoyed a wide variety of activities and outings. The annual Christmas meals at Cosener’s House became a much-loved tradition, making it a fitting venue for the club’s final celebration.

Although the formal club is coming to an end, the friendships built over four decades will continue. Members will meet informally about once a month at a local pub for a chat, a catch-up and a few games.

Nigel, the chairman, began his farewell speech by inviting everyone to sing along to We Are Family and ended it with So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye from Sound of Music. As people left at the end Nigel gave everybody a handshake, as he does every week at the club, but this time he also presented them a commemorative PHAB White Horse Abingdon 1985–2026 medal.

Reflecting on the years gone by, Nigel encouraged everyone to continue in the “PHAB way of doing things”, with a spirit of friendship, mutual support, and valuing each other. He mentioned the club member who could not say much but had a wonderful smile. He recalled many happy memories, from Christmas celebrations to inspirational moments such as members learning sign language to perform together as a deaf choir. Above all, he paid tribute to the courage, determination and vision of his son David Carter, whose desire to bring disabled and non-disabled people together created a club that has enriched hundreds of lives.

The 2026 Abingdon Clubs and Societies Day took place today from 10am to 2pm across the Guildhall, St Nicolas Church (above), the Market Place, and Unit 24, Bury Street (below). It offered clubs and societies a chance to share what they do with the public, recruit new members, and connect with one another to see how they might work together. It offered the public a chance to find many activities happening in Abingdon, a bit like a freshers day at a university.

Previously held every two or three years, this year’s event followed just one year after the last. Another change was the use of four venues rather than two, allowing everything to be kept at ground level. This made the stalls more spread out and easier for visitors to explore. With around 60 groups taking part, I’m afraid I didn’t have time to feature them all, but here are just a few.

Outside the Guildhall on the grass, the Abingdon Scottish Country Dance Club were demonstrating some of  their steps. They meet at the Northcourt Centre and I was told it not only keeps you fit but is great fun too, with live music at least once a month. Sessions begin all together, before beginners break off for separate dances, then everyone comes back together at the end.

There was also the chance to have a go at hitting a ball through a hoop on the lawn outside the Guildhall with the Thames Valley Croquet Club. They play every Monday and Friday at Abingdon Vale Cricket Club.

Abingdon Vale Cricket Club had a particularly successful season last year, with three of their four men’s teams winning promotion. Since launching in 2022, the Abingdon Vale Women’s Team has also gone from strength to strength. They run youth teams too, from juniors aged 5–8 upwards. They were on the Market Place along with Girl Guiding, Abingdon Town Amateur Boxing Club, Kingfisher Canoe Club, Freewheeling Cycle Club, One Plant Abingdon, and Abibinit litter picking.

The Abbey Meadow Lacemakers meet at Preston Road Community Centre on the third Tuesday of each month from 9.30am to 3.30pm. It’s a welcoming group not just for lacemakers but for other needlecrafts too, including crochet, knitting, cross-stitch, and beading.

Abingdon Drama Club were there, with their next production, Things I Know to be True, due to go on sale soon.

Abingdon Green Gym has been running for over twenty years, helping people keep fit while caring for the natural spaces around the town.

Events like this are a reminder of just how much is happening in Abingdon.