There will be a Bun Throwing, and street party, to celebrate HM The Queens official 90th Birthday on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th June 2016. “The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on 21 April and her official birthday on a Saturday in June.”
The museum also plan an exhibition on bun throwing at the same time. In the picture above, to celebrate the 2011 Royal Wedding, the bun throwing went ahead despite the County Hall being covered in scaffolding.
Scaffolding has returned in 2015 to help diagnose the cause of a vibration to the weather-vane heard in high winds… The County Hall Museum will change opening hours on Sunday in 2016 to be from 11am to 5pm (1 hour later opening and closing than other days)… The new Mousehole cafe in the basement is now being run with the help of a cafe supervisor and not exclusively by volunteers, and is doing better.
The Grants committee gave £1K, not the £2K requested by the Chamber of Commerce, to help run the Christmas Extravaganza, then noted at the end of the meeting that only 8.5% of the community grants budget had been committed so far even though it was half way through the year. An email was then sent to community groups encouraging applications be sent.
Clubs and Societies Day will be organised in Spring 2016 and up to £1K from these community grants will be used to hire a venue, as the Guildhall is not available.
The Town Council voted unanimously to use their votes to say Yes to the BID and set up a Business Improvment District in the town centre.
Sue sent me pictures of maintenance work being carried out on the chapels of rest in the Old Cemetary. This did not get a mention in the minutes. So anybody who knows what is going on let us know.
In the planning committee Mike Badcock said that “Additional mooring have been installed on the Thames and these interfere with historic fishing rights” so a Vale of White Horse officer invited to next planning meeting and explained all about moorings. There is a part time person to move people on who have stayed too long.
The council finally discussed motions proposed by Councillors:
Motion 1) That the council support the transition town initiative being led by Abingdon Carbon Cutters and as a council help take a lead by reducing its own carbon emissions by 20% by 2020, and aim to be carbon neutral by 2030. Votes went 7-7 with 3 abstentions and the Mayor used her casting vote to ensure the motion was passed.
Motion 2) Against the closure of Abingdon’s Children’s Centres. After discussion this matter was referred to the planning committee who normally reply to consultations, and all Councillors were invited.