At 6pm, on 9th September 2015, the bells will be rung at St Nicolas Church in Abingdon for Queen Elizabeth II who will become the longest serving Monarch – surpassing the record of 63 years and 216 days set by Queen Victoria.

The annual Rotary Dragon Boat Day was being held on the River Thames at Rye Farm Meadow in Abingdon-on-Thames.

The day was sunny with a cooling breeze and large crowds gathered.

There were lots of other things happening including funfair, BBQ, tea tent, real ale beer tent, music and community stalls.

Lots of people dressed up.

There is no chance to practice before the day, and dry land coaching is given before teams get into their boats.

Teams raced against each other to get a good time and progress to the semi finals and finals, raising money for their own charities and the Rotary charity.

A good time was had by all. Some teams had better times than others.

The 2nd Chilli Festival took place on Abingdon Market Place today – organised by Dawn.

Colourful people were there to entertain with dance and music.

Giant Paellas, Thai curries, Indian curries, and many other dishes could be tried.

Then there were stalls offering chilli plants, chilli peppers, chilli oils, sauces, pickles and jams to sample and buy.

Could chilli be the elixir of life? The Chilli Alchemist seems to thinks so.

There was a lot going on at the Play and Activity Day at Southern Town Park. It already looks to be one of the best play areas in Abingdon with

• the Zip Wire
• the climbing and adventure area made out of wood, large boulders, and sand pits
• the big round swing
• the younger childrens’ play area
• and the Basketball court

Into this setting were brought: a drumming workshop and go-carting.

Behind the Mayor of Abingdon, Cllr Helen Pighills, can be seen body zorbing, giant Jengo, and dominos.

Lots of other agencies were there. The local police and PCSOs were there building links with young people.

The Fire Brigade were there letting children look round their fire engine.

The basketball court had been turned into a mobile skatepark. A graffitti wall stood in front. The Abingdon Childrens’ Centres, and Mobile Childrens Centre (used for villages) were there, as was the library with some free books, and the Church in Abingdon supplying free drinks and cakes.

Lots of groups and agencies had been brought together for the Play and Activity Day at Southern Town Park. And the sunshine helped to make it a success.