Two days ago members of the Royal Navy Medical Service started to carry a stretcher from the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham (where injured personnel are first received) to Hasler Company recovery centre in Plymouth via Headley Court in Surrey , a distance of 360 miles in 14 days. This traces the route of injured service personnel on returning to the UK.

Last night they stayed at Chipping Norton and were welcomed by the Prime Minister.

Tonight they stayed in Abingdon. Tomorrow they stay at Henley.

They were welcomed to Abingdon by a number of town councillors, The Mayor, and The Chair of the Vale District Council …

Nicola Blackwood MP, and Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, were also there to show their support.

For more information about the ‘360 mile stretcher carry’ which is raising money and awareness for service charities that support injured service personnel see www.rnmsstretchercarry.org.uk.

At the Fire Station today there was a second book sale – following on from the one last summer. Funds raised go to the Fire Fighters Charity. It will probably be the last such book sale – for a while at least, because all the remaining books are to be donated to other fund raising causes.

Traffic was congested in Ock Street this morning, but if there had been a fire then the engine was already to go. Over the last couple of weeks the more serious fires attended by the Abingdon firemen have been in places like Wallingford, Didcot, and Oxford – so the message must be getting through Fit smoke alarms …