Abingdon-based charity Against Breast Cancer will bring all the ingredients needed for a fun day on the Market Place on Saturday 22nd of September.

They will have stalls, music, dancing, Stormtroopers and Pikachu, and bras.

Every year the local community joins the fight to support the vital research into secondary spread breast cancer undertaken by local charity Against Great Cancer.

The event will be opened by the Mayor of Abingdon, Margaret Crick, who will also have the final say on which of the local shops wins the ‘Breast-Dressed-Window’ competition.

Stert Street are in the pink two days ahead of the event. Can the other streets compete?

The Mayor of Abingdon, Councillor Margaret Crick, cut the tape to re-open the South Abingdon Children’s Centre this afternoon. Margaret is also one of the trustees of the new charity Carousel that will be running the centre, alongside some services for Caldecott School.

There were displays by the Abingdon Health Visiting Team, Carousel Cooking Club, Inspiring Minds, Downs Syndrome Oxford, and Citizens Advice Abingdon showing some of the services that will be available when the centre starts opening regularly from September 17th. More information on the Carousel website.

Like other Children’s Centres previously run with finance from Oxfordhire County Council, the centre closed when that funding was withdrawn in 2017. The charity Carousel has grants from the County Council, and Abingdon Town Council to help run the centre for at least three years.

This is for anybody interested in visiting an open garden on Saturday in Abingdon.

Steve has opened his garden since 2014, raising over £2000 for Maggie’s Cancer Centre in Oxford and Blue Cross in Lewknor.

Steve is a previous Abingdon-on-Thames in Bloom competition winner, and also featured on a BBC2 Gardeners’ World programme last Autumn.

The 10th and final Yeah Baby Free Music Festival was on the Market Place this morning and afternoon. It was also Mr Hemmings Day of Dance (report later) and England beat Sweden 2-0 in the world cup quarter finals to reach a semi final match against Croatia or Russia. One of the Yeah Baby singers sang Three Lions before the game. We are still dreaming (video above).

On Friday there had been a non school uniform day in many schools in Abingdon to raise money for Yeah Baby. They paid £1 each for the privilege and got entered in the draw on the Market Place.

The Abingdon-on-Thames Fire Service were there to show their support.

Round the Market Place were stalls including beer, cakes and a balloon race.

There were bands and children’s entertainers on the main stage.

Those who would like to support the event but were unable make it because of the morris dancing or football can donate £5 by texting BABY to 70456.

All the money goes to Helen & Douglas House, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), and the Amber Phillpott Trust – a trust set up to research a cure for leukemia with the help of Birmingham University. Amber Phillpott was the daughter of musician James who organises the event with friend Leon.