Most people in the UK are following the rules to stay at home during the COVID-19 outbreak to protect the NHS (National Health Service) from being overwhelmed.

Thameside School has remained open with a skeleton staff for some of the children of key workers. Children of key workers have made a rainbow now displayed on the school gates. The rest of the children are working from home using books and internet resources. Those working from home are also putting rainbows in windows at home.

The first day of the month is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community. This month the theme is School. You can see other members’ contributions at the CDP Theme Day portal.

The first of the month is Theme Day at City Daily Photo and this month’s topic is Municipal Buildings

Staff of the Vale of the White Horse District Council (VWHDC) first moved into the new red brick HQ, Abbey House, over the weekend of 27th-28th July 1991. Before then the 251 staff had been housed in five locations in Abingdon town centre: Old Abbey House (previously called Abbey House), The Charter, Bridge Street, Bath Street and Roysse Court. Staff brought with them 3,500 containers, 900 filing cabinets, and 140 items of computer equipment. The Abbey House in Abingdon was officially opened, some time later, by the Duke of Kent on 30th November 1992.

Abbey House continued as the HQ of VWHDC until 2013 when staff moved in with colleagues from South Oxfordshire District Council at their offices in Crowmarsh Gifford. The reason given was that the two councils increasingly worked together and shared core staff.

VWHDC then decided to let part of the ground floor of Abbey House and the whole of the first and second floors to Oxfordshire County Council. Abbey House continues as joint accomodation for both councils with a help desk for both. However both councils have their HQs elsewhere.

In January 2015 the Crowmarsh Gifford offices were extensively damaged by an arson attack. Abbey House was used for some emergency services, and even Old Abbey House was used a little. The VWHDC staff then moved to temporary offices at Milton Park.

The decision has recently been made to rebuild the offices at Crowmarsh Gifford. Last month designs went on display.

Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council was in another Municipal building, Old Abbey House, for many years. That building has been mostly empty since they left in 2014. There has not been a lot of news about what VWHDC will do with it. Before the local elections in 2019 there were plans for it to be used for Social Housing. That was when the Conservatives were in charge. But I am not aware of any new announcements by the new Lib-Dem administration of its new use.

The Town Council is now in Roysse Court.

Today is October 1st, and the theme day for City Daily Photo is orange.

Whenever I walk up West St. Helen Street, in Abingdon, there is a large vinyl print of oranges and lemons in the window of the Co-op. Then at the junction of the High Street is Crumbs Sandwich Bar – painted orange. Spoilt for choice!!!

Each 1st day of the month is the “Theme Day” of the City Daily Photo Community, and September’s Theme is Red.

The cylindrical design of the British pillar box first appeared in 1879, and has changed very little since. Pillar boxes (or post boxes) are almost all red. Just a few were painted gold after the Olympics held in London in 2012 to celebrate local Olympic gold medallists.

This post box is on Abingdon Market Place.

See other red pictures at the September 2019 Gallery – Red.