Thanks to Hester for this …

AbiMeds are delivering 3 days a week and in the first week did 216 deliveries and had excellent feedback.

The Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames Cllr Charlie Birks has done some stints.

What is AbiMeds?

AbiMeds is a free community prescription delivery service set up by the AbiMeds Team and volunteers from Abingdon’s Freewheeling cycling group.

Where does AbiMeds deliver?

Volunteers deliver in Abingdon, Culham, Sutton Courtenay, Drayton, Marcham, Shippon, Wootton and Radley.

Who can use AbiMeds?

AbiMeds is for anybody with prescriptions at Boots and Jhoots, not just those shielding, self isolating or supporting vulnerable people. Its main aim is to cut down the queues at pharmacies, reducing the risk of infection to both customers and pharmacy staff. (Avicenna have their own delivery scheme.)

Volunteers and carers who are already helping people with prescriptions may wish to continue, or may prefer to spend less time on this and in the queues, leaving more time for other forms of support.

How to Use AbiMeds – Phone 01865 818351 between 09.00-16.00 any day except Sunday.

Deliveries

Deliveries will be on 3 days in the week –  Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

AbiMeds will collect and sort the prescription packages from the pharmacies. They have worked closely with the pharmacies to ensure security of the prescriptions.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE NOTE

AbiMeds cannot deal with money: if you pay for your prescriptions, please arrange with your pharmacy to pay in advance. If that is not possible, sadly AbiMeds cannot help you. But they can direct you to other groups who can.

AbiMeds cannot take messages or do call-backs: if you cannot get through, or the phone goes to voicemail, please try again later.

If there are any difficulties with accessing your property, please tell AbiMeds when you ring so that arrangements can be made.

The Abbey Grounds are a short distance from our house. We often walk through them on the way to somewhere else. Today we made them our walk.

The furthest point we got to was the wooden bridge to Barton Fields. We did not cross that bridge or cross the weir. Instead we meandered back over the grass.

The Abbey Grounds had a nine hole pitch and put course until four years ago. The felt tee areas are still partly in place, and the slope of some of the bunkers, but the bunkers and greens have the same length grass as everywhere else. It is all rough now.

The trees are looking very good. Some in blossom.

Others coming into leaf .

Wild flowers are important now that it is not a golf course. Stars of Bethlehem were growing in one place.

Walking back along Abbey Close we passed two PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) on bikes, and a police car – a reminder that we are permitted walks for exercise during the lockdown. There were not the groups of young people, groups of families, or groups doing exercise, you might normally expect to see on such a sunny day.

Diana spotted these pebbles in St John’s Road on a walk this week.

Clare sent me an email to say the Quilters of Abingdon (Abbey Quilters, Fitzharrys Quilters and I’m sure some of their friends) have been making bags so that the midwives at the JR can, when they finish a shift, change, put their uniforms in these bags and put them straight in the washing machine when they get home without spreading germs. The member of Abbey Quilters who is organising this says that nearly 90 bags have been delivered so far and she has another 50 to be taken up this weekend.

The bags are about the size of a pillowcase, with a drawstring at the top and must be washable at 60 degrees. They must be washed, pressed and delivered in twos in a ziplock plastic bag.

I took this picture of the work on the cycleway between Abingdon and Milton Park and Didcot that is being upgraded. They have been making good progress in the last week or so. It is not open yet but nevertheless we were allowed to pass thanks to the workmen.

I recorded a video of the same view of Abingdon on 15th April when it was sunny and then 17th April when the rain set it. We have had a lot of sunshine. The last two days have been overcast and with rain. The video shows the contrast.

There is an international pandemic. Most businesses have closed down, and people are locked down at home. We are valuing our essential services more than ever. There are notices on some wheelie bins thanking the waste collection and recycling services.

This week after the Easter bank holidays the recycle collection (green wheelie bins) will be one day late..

Our green bin (recycled waste) was fuller than usual and I would think that could be the case with many households. Household Waste Recycling Centres are closed until further notice so that adds to the pressure.

Our local district council, VWHDC (Vale of White Horse District Council), have offered some guidance because of coronavirus. Like all services there have been some staff shortages due to illness and self-isolation and to manage this staff have been redeployed and agency drivers brought in to help.

As a result, there is the chance crews might not complete all of their daily rounds. VWHDC says ‘If the bins in your street are not emptied, please leave them out for up to three days (including weekends) and we’ll try to catch up. If still not emptied, bring them back in and we will empty them on the next planned collection day.’

VWHDC have suspended some non-essential services. This could change further as the lockdown has been extended for three more weeks.

Central government guidance is that ‘Residents with symptoms of Covid-19 should double bag any discarded tissues and other waste and leave for 72 hours before placing them in their main black rubbish bin.’

Like many areas, the ‘Workhouse Estate’ (Abbott Road, Thesiger Road and a bit of Oxford Road) has started a thriving What’s App Group with lots of sharing of ideas and practical help. They are also keen to show the key workers how much their efforts are appreciated – apart from the Thursday clapping they have a banner at the top of the road and this message for the bin men at the other end.

Thank you to someone from the Workhouse Estate for the first and last pictures.