Richard Hawkins, the lock keeper at Abingdon, received the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal today at 2pm at the lock. He is one of only 3 Environment Agency staff on the Thames to be nominated for one. The medal was presented by Mark, the manager of the Upper Thames.

The medal was awarded for the lives Richard saved at the weir and lock.

Thankyou to Abingdon and Witney College for a Press Release.

Di Batchelor, Principal of Abingdon and Witney College, has been an awarded an MBE for Services to Further and Adult Education in the 2020 New Year Honours.

Di’s award recognises her highly principled and wholehearted commitment to providing education of the very highest quality to those that need it most. Her approach has enabled her to change the lives of tens of thousands of people throughout her career. Under her leadership, Abingdon & Witney College has delivered some of the highest achievement rates in England for 16 – 18 year olds, apprentices, and higher education students studying for degrees at the college.

Di’s appointment to the post of Principal followed a 36 year career in Further and Adult Education, starting in 1983 when she was a volunteer Youth Worker for Oxfordshire County Council (OCC). She started by designing flexible courses to engage those who were furthest from work, furthest from education, and furthest from contributing positively to society. Her inspirational work continues to this day.

TrinityLearning, the outreach project of Trinity Church in Abingdon which works to help quality of life in local schools, was one of four finalists to win the United Reformed Church (URC)’s Community Projects Award 2018. They were awarded with an brass plaque and cheque for £2000 at The URC General Assembly in Nottingham.