Nigel Carter, the organiser of the Phab (Physically Handicapped Able Bodied) club, along with his wife Barbara, recently celebrated his 80th birthday. To mark the occasion, their son Paul organised a special evening of karaoke, followed by a party spread.

The club is held in Christchurch hall. The festivities continued in the church, where the male voice choir rehearse at the same time as Phab every Thursday evening. The choir sang a medley ending with “Happy Birthday” .

Nigel expressed his gratitude to the choir and shared a personal anecdote or two and then revealed that he is half Welsh (he couldn’t say which half, upper or lower).

He then had the privilege of choosing a song to be performed in his honour and selected the Welsh hymn, “Calon Lân” which the choir sang beautifully.

At Unit 24, the Abingdon Community Shop, woodcarvers are in residence from October 29 to November 2. One member described the need of patience, recounting how he sets a modest goal for each Thursday when the group meet at John Mason School: to carve out a small segment of a sculpture or focus solely on sanding down one intricate area. ‘It’s therapeutic,’ he said. ‘It less about finishing and more about engaging with each step.’

This exhibition is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and members are showcasing some of their pieces. Projects are underway in the shop, allowing visitors to watch the process.

Members are always happy to chat and tell you more. They are on the look out for new members, and have as many women as men.

Their website is https://oxfordwoodcarving.co.uk/.

The Phab Club had a great time last night at Christchurch, Abingdon, thanks to the Bakehouse Strummers. The band play easy to sing along songs that sound good strummed on the ukulele – mostly from the early 1960s.

The Bakehouse Strummers got their name from “The Old Bakehouse” in Abingdon where one of their leaders lives and where they first met to play. They are usually busy over the Christmas period and will play at the Mayor’s Christmas Party for people over 75.

At the end, the audience called for an encore, which the band wasn’t used to. So they played again the song they started with – something good by Hermon’s Hermits

P.S. Hermon’s Hermits are on their 60th anniversary tour in 2024. From their early beginnings in Manchester in 1964, the band have chalked up 23 hit singles.

Trinity Evergreens hosted a talk on Monday by Ann and John Ford, a couple whose lives have been taken over by their Morris Minors. The talk, called “Morris Minors in the Media”, began when they took a Morris Minor to a car show and discovered a business card on their windscreen asking if it could be hired for a film.

From that beginning, their interest in Morris Minors developed into a business, and they built up a collection of Morris Minors. They helped supply a fleet of 32 cars for the film “The Borrowers.” Their vehicles have been featured in commercials, fashion shoots, weddings, and TV series. Mr. Ford became friendly with Anthony Hopkins, and used to get him a newspaper and read him the news and drive the Morris Minor during filming of “Shadowlands.” They appeared with Fiona Bruce in Antiques Road Show.

Trinity Evergreens (at Trinity Church) have other interesting speakers booked for the upcoming year. There is a waiting list to join the club. Ann and John Ford are available for public speaking engagements. Try aandj.ford2019 at gmail.com or 07831 519 478. (The picture is from Clubs and Societies Day in Abingdon in 2023.)