Category Archives: church

Ride and Stride


In Oxfordshire, a fundraising event called Ride and Stride takes place each year.

This year’s Ride and Stride was a bit different from the others. It was the hottest day of the year, and automotive traffic was gridlocked in places, most notably a place called Abingdon because of road works on the Drayton Road, a notorious black spot for traffic. But that didn’t stop the intrepid cyclists, walkers, and mobility scooters from making their way to the different churches.

One typical church in Abingdon is Trinity Church. The church welcomed visitors from Abingdon, Drayton, Hagbourne, Harwell, Milton, Oxford, Peppard, Sutton Courtney, and West Hendred.

One family visiting Trinity included a young boy who was interested in exploring the flower beds. After a short time, he returned with a collection of artifacts, including part of a clay pipe dating from about 1700 AD, part of a bone, and part of a roof tile.

Service of Celebration for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III


The bells of St Helen Church were ringing this evening for the 7:30 pm Service of Celebration for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

The church choir were joined by other Abingdon choirs and sang some of the anthems that will be sung at the Coronation tomorrow. The church was full.

We were told about some of the significant stages of the coronation: The Recognition, The Anointing ( as with Queen Elizabeth II, this will not be shown publicly), and The Crowning.

There were bible readings by the Mayor, Councillor Andy Foulsham; Revd Rachael Hughes, Minister of Abingdon Baptist Church; and Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Mrs Felicity Dick.

Revd Paul Smith told us his thoughts on the coronation and its religious significance, and at the end, we sang God Save the King.

Friends of St Helen’s Church – AGM and Surprising secrets


The AGM on Saturday 5th March 2022, in the South aisle of St Helen’s church, will be followed at 3.45pm by a talk entitled ‘Surprising secrets: a tour of St Helen’s hidden rooms and archives’, given by the former church archivist, Anne Smithson.

The Friends of St Helen’s Church help preserve St Helen’s Church for future generations. Routine repairs cost between £10,000 and £15,000 each year, and the friends help pay for these.

The Friends want to encourage membership amongst people who live and work in the wider Abingdon community, and further afield. They run regular social and fund-raising events, and ensure that members are kept in touch with news of the church.

St Helen’s Bells ring again as church reopens

St Helen’s Church reopened last Sunday for the first service since the lockdown. So today was the second service.
St Helen's Bells
There was social distancing in the bell tower, with 5 bell ringers wearing face masks, and only using five bells. The other bell ringers watched from outside because there was not room inside.

The church opening was organised with covid-19 safe rules in accordance with government and Church of England requirements. There was a separate entrance and exit. Hand sanitiser was used on the way in and out. People sat 2 meters apart. There were 25 people in the congregation (that number could increase in weeks to come). People had pre-booked and left their contact details for track and trace. People were expected to wear face coverings unless there were good reasons not to. Doors were kept open so that there was fresh air blowing in. People could only socialise outside the church. There was organ music but as yet no singing under government Covid-19 church regulations. The service was shorter than usual.

Here is a short video of the five bells heard from the churchyard. Organ music through the open door can also be heard from the churchyard at the end of the service.