There was a River & Riverbank clean-up today using the combined forces of Surfers Against Sewage, Abingdon Carbon Cutters, Abingdon Against Plastics and Kingfisher Canoe club, all coordinated by Anne Smart.

Anne Smart presented prizes for the three most unusual finds

(utility power block, ‘dollar’ lino and underwater power drill).

The river and river banks are now safer for wildlife.

This is a picture from the blog in May 2006. I believe that plastic ring can holders are still allowed in 2021, fifteen years later.

P.S Today’s blog post is dedicated to J.

Last year we bought reusable cups so that we could stop the growth of the the single-use coffee-cup mountain. This year the mountain of coffee cups is growing higher again.

During lockdown the coffee shops are only allowed to serve takeaways and that has increased the quantity of single-use cups.

Reusable cups are bulky and easily forgotten and we don’t always have them with us at the moment we visit: Coffee Aroma, Costa I, Costa II, Java, R&R, or Throwing Buns in Abingdon.

Daniel sent me a picture of a notice that has been put up at the permissive entrances to Drayton Field.

DEFRA’s Environmental Stewardship conservation scheme is run by Natural England, a government body. The scheme pays landowners for conserving the environment. In the case of this field it meant that the meadow grass and flowers were allowed to grow, and people were permitted to walk round the field.

After it became permissive, gates were put in at the bottom end. There were also maps and information about the permissive access.

Most people access the field from a gap in the fence from Masefield Crescent Play Park.

Before access became permissive, the fence was continually being mended and broken down. It would probably take a developer building houses on this field to stop dog walkers. This field is not in the local plan so there is not immediate chance of this.

The most interesting feature of the field is the small wood at the south west corner.

There are good views from that corner. You can see the Old Gaol and St Helen’s Church.

A recent change is that the Morland Gardens estate can be seen to the east.

Another recent change is that Drayton village is visible to the south.

Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council have identified this field as a possible site for a new cemetery.