The Abingdon foodbank operates throughout the year, but at Christmas there is a special effort. Over 200 families received parcels / hampers in 2020 and a similar number are expected in 2021.

The parcels / hampers will be put together next week and donations can be taken directly to the foodbank . You can find out more about the foodbank at https://abingdon.foodbank.org.uk/.

There are also easier ways to give.

At Trinity last Sunday there was a gift service and people had been asked for shower gel, soap, shampoo, toothpaste etc.

At Waitrose they have a stall with a list of suggested items for the foodbank when you enter. Shortbread and some others are available to pick up on entry. You can pay for and then put them into the foodbank box on the way out.

P.S. I have not checked out whether this is also happening at Tesco, Little, Coop, Budgens, Reynolds Supermarket, Spar, and Londis.

In Abingdon one of the stalwart supporters of Children in Need is the Coxeter Carpark man who has a different outfit every year.

The latest croquet on the post box features Pudsey.

It was a week ago that Children in Need was on TV. Its been going for over 40 years, and in that time has raised over £1 billion for disadvantaged children and young people. Over £40m was raised this year.

P.S. I did not use this pictures last Friday. Better late than never.

There are a hundred poppies outside the Royal British Legion because it is the Centenary of Royal British Legion. (Clare, the poppy collection organiser for Abingdon, helped organise this.)

The War Memorial in Abingdon is also one hundred years old. The opening ceremony was in September 1921. The remembrance day service this year will be on November 14th.

On the Markey Place in Abingdon there was a poppy stall, and army cadets were selling poppies round town.

The poppy stall was one of about twenty stalls taking part in the Local Excellence Market on the Market Place.

In St Nicolas Church the Kennington Memory Club had a large charity sale.

There was a Mayor’s Charity Fundraiser taking place on the Market Place, between 10am and 3pm. Both the Mayor’s Charities, Yellow Submarine and Abingdon Damascus were working together. (The static bike was lent by Anytime Fitness.)

The Mayor, Cllr Cheryl Briggs, has a personal interest in both charities: Abingdon Damascus because she has done youth work in the past, and Yellow Submarine because of a family member.

Yellow Submarine work with young people with learning disability / autism, and look forward to moving into the Charter Day Centre.

The Abingdon DAMASCUS Youth Project continue to do a lot of youth outreach and workshops in South Abingdon.

There was information on one stall, a cake stall, various have a go activities including archery.

Abingdon Damascus got so many donations for their tombola, it was one of the biggest ever.

The Abingdon DAMASCUS Youth Project are hosting an exhibition at the Abingdon Museum from 26th-29th October. All the photos displayed were taken by young people of Abingdon and they were trying to get a sense of what life is like growing up in Abingdon.