Thanks to Clare for this …

Abingdon charity shop volunteer Jeannette Milligan has received national recognition for her work at the town’s Cancer Research UK shop in Bury Street.

Jeannette has volunteered at the shop for eight years, taking on responsibility for everything from checking jigsaws and sorting stock and is now its jewellery specialist. She has raised thousand of pounds for the charity, taking part in a trek along the Great Wall of China and last year joining a team cycling 100 miles on a spinner bike in the Abingdon shop window.

Louise Kieft, co-manager, said: “Jeannette has been unfortunate to lose some very close friends to cancer and as a result has become more passionate to our cause, raising our profile and funds wherever she can.”

Spike Abbott has moved from Abingdon to become the newest member of the Body of Yeoman Warders at HM Tower of London.

Before becoming a Yeoman Warder, Spike served for 35 years with the RAF, and is pictured above at his leaving event.

He was often to be seen at Civic Events in Abingdon – such as Remembrance Day and Freedom Ceremonies. A condition for becoming a Yeoman Warder – popularly known as a Beefeater – is to serve for at least 22 years with HM armed forces.

Spike lived in Abingdon from 1981, and his wife is here in Abingdon for a few months more. I think she still volunteers at Abingdon County Hall Museum.

Lesley Writes about her Abingdon neighbour, Tony Broad …

This is a small incite into the background of my former neighbour Tony Broad who died on 15th January aged 93. He talked a lot about his work at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge where so much innovative research was being undertaken over the years.

Tony went through Technical college and then to EMI where he honed his technical knowledge on Cathode Ray Tubes. He worked under Otto Klemperer there.

Georgina Ferry, a Scientific blogger, writes that he was the creator of a nobel prizewinning x-ray tube.

He was the inventor and creator of many clever devices, before and after. After working at Cambridge he moved to Harwell and then set up his own company where he worked on early hole in the wall cash machines. Even in retirement he would spend his time creating fixing and rebuilding things. His work was his life.

Lesley says Tony also had narcolepsy all his life. He would fall asleep when she was visiting him and even on his mobility scooter once. But still managed to execute his work brilliantly.

Pictured is – a rotating anode tube of the type originally designed by Tony Broad – his most important invention (Picture Thanks to: Daniel W. Rickey, Wikimedia Commons).